That—was not a bakery.

Lettie glanced down at the small paper slip in her hands and then back up at the building again. It was a tall and rather crooked looking thing, budding with a slew of smokestacks going every which way, and towered dangerously over its neighbor. More like a sweatshop, she thought blandly, eyeing the structure with a wary gaze, but definitely not a bakery.

The girl let out a heavy sigh and dropped her hands to her sides. The Stacks made no sense to her. The whole town felt like it had been designed by a particularly young child with too many building blocks and not enough space to put them in. Random streets jutted out from places at odd angles, promptly intersecting with five tangled others before just disappearing altogether, buildings piled on top of one another without an inch of sense, street names only existed in the imaginations of those who cared to assign them—and these clocking directions were turning out to be about as useful as a wet paper bag. She gave them a final glower before shoving the paper back into her skirt pocket. Looked like she’d just have to ask then.

With a look of solid determination in her face, Lettie turned to look for someone to bother, her dark ringlets bouncing against the back of her neck as she moved. Of all the positive things she could think of (which wasn’t many) when comparing the city to the mill, one was that at least there was always somebody around when you needed help. Then again there was never much getting lost in a field…

Karana looked a lot better than she had, she thought, in her new uniform. Green might not have been her favorite color, but the there weren't any holes or thin spots, letting sunlight where it wasn't wanted (anywhere). It both protected and hid much of her reddened skin, and makeup toned down the rest. She'd had the opportunity to really brush out her hair, so it ran down her back smoothly as it should.

The map, partially folded in one hand, might mark her as foreign, but her hair and eyes would do that anyway. Besides, she supposed, this was Brunnhold, they were used to outsiders. And this outsider was in a school outfit, and in her other hand carrying a bag with supplies.

A tiny fist clenched around Lettie’s heart when she felt the oncoming field. Oh, Vita, no… she thought once her round eyes landed on the young girl, Not a golly…

Lettie swallowed heavily, very much aware of the color fading from her complexion and nesting somewhere near her collar. It wasn’t that she wasn’t used to galdori—a year or so in that linen shop had cured her of that—but she really, honestly, truly would have preferred something less…intimidating to implore directions from. Like a human, for example. Or a passive even. Passives were nice.

Oh hush, she tried valiantly to reprimand herself, uncomfortably aware of how ridiculous she was feeling, It’s just a kid. It’s not as though she’s going to set you on fire or something… Or was she? Catching the thought before it could fester, Lettie nearly waved a hand in front of her face so as to bat it away.

Grow up, Colette.

Finally mustering up a bit more of her former determination, the girl set her jaw and called out to the other, “Um, excuse me?” She paused. “Sorry, Miss? You wouldn’t happen to know the way to the HalfMoon Bakery, would you?” The human took a few steps forward into her question, but stopped short upon seeing what the galdor had in her hands. A map! Now why didn’t she have one of those?

Karana blinked, looking up at the human girl. woman. Whichever. She was pleasingly pale, even if her hair was dark, and a more normal size than most. "Halfmoon bakery? Umm...hmm. Her map hand brushed a wisp of hair from her face as she chewed upon her lip. Maybe. Let me see."

She stepped to the side, bracing her back against a wall. Whether to guard it, or be out of the way was open to interpretation, as both were intended. Her head knew not all humans were pirates, but that didn't keep instinct from flinching a little. Setting her tote between her feet, Karana opened the map, inquiring, "Do you know what area it should be in? It might not be in here, but I could probably find a cross street for you."

Lettie’s tension abated some when the younger girl didn’t just brush her off, but she felt suddenly self-conscious of her complete ignorance of the area. Her mind drifted to the little slip of paper in her pocket, wondering if it would be worth trying to decipher the map using those horrid directions as a key. Probably not.

She sighed, letting her hands drop back down to her sides. “I really have no idea…” she said to the galdor while keeping her gaze on the other side of the street. “All I know is that it’s supposed to be short and cream colored. I’ve never been to the Stacks before so this whole—layout is kind of beyond me.”

Finally bringing herself to look at the girl, Lettie was struck with the feeling that the galdor didn’t know where anything was either. Of course…why else would she have a map… “I think it’s the only major bakery though,” she added apologetically, “so it might be listed…”

Karana squinted at her map, eyes traveling here and there and back again. "Oh, here it is. We're here," a finger stabbed at the spot, "and the bakery is over there." another stab, an inch or two away. "I guess I'll walk you there. Do they have sweets, do you know?" She tucked the map back together, lifting her bag again.

“Oh…” Lettie stared at the girl’s finger as it jumped from point A to B. The distance between the two was embarrassingly far off by maps’ standards, but at least she wasn’t completely on the wrong side of town…

But when the galdor offered to walk her there, Lettie’s eyes jumped up in surprise. “Wh—really?” she asked cautiously, sounding a little taken aback, “Thank you…” It felt so odd to be helped by someone so much younger, and a galdor to boot. She had half expected to get a hesitant ‘Well it’s that way. Good luck,’ but definitely not an escort. Not that she was complaining, of course.

“I—would assume so, yes,” she replied as they began to walk in the right direction, “Most bakeries tend to have more sweets than actual bread. I don’t see why this one would be any different…but I guess we’ll just have to see.”

“I’m—Lettie, by the way. Um…thank you. For coming with me, I mean. I hope it’s not too much of a bother.”

Karana shrugged it away with a smile. "I should learn where it is." She liked sweets, and she'd promised herself a surfeit of them if she made it here. Also, she was hungry.

"My name's Karana Lutker." She added the words belatedly, as the woman introduced herself. "You're welcome. Though I don't speak for other students." She remembered the reactions of some of her new friends, and frowned.

Lettie made a small, noncommittal noise in the back of her throat. No, of course not.

In the short silence that followed, Lettie’s dark eyes lifted to the heights of the buildings above. It was no Vienda, that was for sure, but the manner in which everything had been heaped upon itself made it all seem so much—taller somehow. The slapdash columns of smokestacks seemed to stab through the sky, chugging out uneven billows of soft grey smoke. At first glance, the effect of it all seemed industrial and intimidating, like large mechanical giants bowing over her tiny form. But as she watched them pass by, stack by stack, they reminded her more of ships—the stacks like a bundle of masts, wind catching in their great puffy sails and pulling the entire town across the large expanse of blue. She smiled a little at the thought. It would take her more than just a year in Vienda to get over the enormity of a non-mill, it seemed.

The pair walked on through the narrow street, taking appropriate lefts and rights as the map directed. So much effort to cover such a seemingly inconsequential distance… Lettie sighed and cast a sideways glance at the blonde. Karana, that’s what she had said her name was. But what did one say to a galdor anyway? She pulled absently at her skirt, regretting the sheltered nature of her life so far, and remembered the direction slip inside her pocket. Without thinking, she took it out and looked at it.

“Short and cream colored,” she repeated partly to Karana, but mostly to herself, “With a thatched roof…” Lettie glanced up from the slip and peered down the street they were on. Was it that one? “Is it down this way?” she asked the map-bearer. Something told her it would not be…polite to take hold of the map and look for herself.

Karana obediently looked at her map to check. It took a moment, as she found their place again, before she nodded. "It might be. It doesn't carry the smaller streets, but we were a block or two away at the last marked one."

Taking that for an affirmative answer, Lettie continued straight down the small street. Now just watch this be the wrong bakery, she sighed inwardly. All this way only to go back to where I started. Such would probably be her luck.

Despite some sort of social propriety that Lettie was probably hopelessly unaware of, the human girl took a few steps ahead of the galdor to get a better look down the street. She decided it would save them time in the long run if she could spot the bakery from a ways away. There was a cobbler, a hatter, a flower shop maybe, and a—moon? She took a few more hesitant steps before stopping to wait.

“I think I might see it,” she said once the younger girl had caught up. You’re so helpful, Lettie. “A few buildings down…”

As it turned out, Lettie was right. The Half-Moon Bakery seemed to beam out at them from amidst a slew of dilapidated and comparatively unsightly neighbors. She thought it seemed awfully—cute, more like something one would find in a picture book than smack dab in the middle of a street. But instead of being put off, Lettie couldn’t help but feel positively thrilled. Best damn news she’d had all day. A quaint little bakery in what looked to be a decent neighborhood and not shoved in some dingy little corner adjacent to the sewer (blind job recommendations, they made you wonder sometimes)—she couldn’t have asked for more. Well, they could hire her; that would be nice too.

She smiled genuinely at Karana, shyness momentarily forgotten. “This is it! Thank you so much for your help.”

((Ugh, I am so sorry this took so long to reply to!))

From their position in front of the bakery, Lettie and Karana could see that it was experiencing and afternoon lull. Most of Rosie's patronage was of a morning, she only kept the bakery open later to catch the late risers and those who hadn't planned for dinner better. Lettie could even see someone leaning against the bakery's counter, looking pensive and bored.

Karana didn't seem to mind Lettie's going on ahead. An adult human, even a petite one, was usually a bit taller than her overgrown five feet and change. She'd see more than Karana. Such thinking might be due to her own lack of experience with propriety and humans. But such was life.

"Oh! Good." Karana seemed happy to have found the place. ""Let's see what they have." The girl plunged forward eagerly, darting through the door to look at the displays. She seemed, at least for the moment, more focused on her tongue and tummy than anything else.

Lettie stayed behind for a brief moment and tried to separate the figure behind the glass from her own reflection. A little mental prep would have been preferable, she realized as little waves of nervousness ebbed at her composure, but it looked like this was all she was getting. Quickly changing her focus to the glass window front, she hastily gave herself the once over. She looked so stoic…and that hair. A little frown creased her lips, and she tried to flatten down a few stray curls that would have certainly been laughing at her efforts if they could.

You’re stalling. Stop stalling.

With Karana now many more steps ahead than what was proper, Lettie nearly had to jump forward in order to keep the door from swinging shut. She edged inside with something akin to caution and let the entrance close quietly behind her. It looked fabulous in there—all those cakes and cookies and pastries—and the smell was enough to make her mouth water.

She could live with this. Don’t get ahead of yourself.

Allowing the younger girl to peruse the displays, she made her way over to the counter.

“Excuse me, ma’am,” Lettie said, allowing a pit of boldness to settle in her stomach, “I was wondering if you were looking to hire?”

Karana might have noticed the woman behind the counter stand up and take more notice upon her entry. Rosie was wary of galdori, even little galdori, since even the nicest ones tended to talk to her funny. The not so nice ones tended to behave far worse than that. She did not offer the girl any help, sure she would ask for what she wanted.

She smiled at Lettie when she entered, the difference in response not jarring but still obvious. She'd actually been a bit lonely since Petra had gone away to her yearly festival and had been considering hiring someone just to liven things up.

"I might be." Rosie said, her round cheeks dimpling as she spoke. "I have been thinking of taking on an apprentice, I suppose it depends on the sort of work you're looking for."

Rosie had the sort of face that made you want to trust her. She was all soft edges and vibrant red hair, perhaps a little frizzled looking. She liked the look of Lettie and wondered what the girl could do, if she had ever baked before.

Oblivious to scrutiny, Karana scampered about, examining the displays. There was some conversation going on, she knew, but it didn't involve her, so she felt free to examine the good part of Anaxas. That is, the cookies, cakes, and other recipes that she wasn't familiar with yet.

"ooh. Chocolate Sludge cake? I've heard of that!" the words were more whispered to herself than directed at Rosie. "I've got a few coins, and it's gonna be ages til supper..." the mumbled self-dialogue continued, though the destination was obvious. The little girl was going to get something sweet. Eventually.

Rosie’s warm response caused Lettie’s expression to melt into an easier smile. She seemed like a nice enough lady, which was always a definite plus in these sorts of situations.

She opened her mouth to speak, but was momentarily distracted by the small voice behind her and turned her head. Oh, no, she’s talking to herself, she realized, a small twinge of guilt creeping up inside her. Lettie hadn’t meant to whisk the girl away so suddenly like that, but she was on a mission. It’s fine. Just thank her again later.

“Well—I, um, can bake,” she tried again, trying to muster an apologetic smile. “Mostly breads and small sweets and things like that. I’ve not had much experience with some of the larger—“ her eyes landed on a particularly elaborate cake with frosting that looked like it had been sculpted with a knife “—um, projects, but I’m quick to learn.” She cringed internally, knowing all too well that that was something everyone said, whether it was true or not. In fact, she had initially tried to script the monologue without it, but there it was.

“I grew up on a—mill, so I do know quite a bit about different grains and things…like which sorts are best for what and so on…”

"Ah!" Rosie said, sounding pleased. "That is good to know. You should always source your own materials, if you want to bake well. I suppose I could give you a trial, do you have any references?"

Rosie lifted a section of the benchtop, waving for Lettie to pass through. From behind the displays, Lettie could see that Rosie's stores were clean, well organised and full to bursting. She always made sure to keep spare for emergencies and besides that, she did have a wedding to cater for the next day.

"I can show you around the shop once it's less busy." Rosie said, flicking her eyes to the galdori child. "This is where you would be working though. I do have a few quick questions, what kind of cake is this?"

She pointed to a banana gateaux with lemon frosting.

"How would you make the glaze for this?" She pointed to a small fruit tart.

"And do you know how to make shortbread?" She did not expect Lettie to know all of these things but she did want to test her knowledge, so she would know where to start her off and what she could do besides that.

“Oh—yes, of course,” she responded, pushing her hands into a front pocket and withdrawing from it two crisp envelopes. One was from her employer at the linen shop, which, while a different field altogether, should have at least outlined a few of her business capabilities. The other was slightly older and from one woman out of many who had helped teach Lettie some of baking’s finer points. She handed them to Rosie and passed through the opening in the counter.

Lettie cast another guilty look back at Karana when Rosie mentioned her. She wondered if it would be prudent to reveal that the galdor had actually helped her get here, or if that would just make her look stupid and directionally challenged. Probably best to not say more than was necessary, she decided, and so settled on a tight lipped nod.

The cake question had her completely stumped. She knew it was a cake sure, and it was yellow…lemon crème maybe. Or banana, but beyond that her guess would be a total crap shoot. “I—suppose I don’t know,” she said after a moment, more to the gateaux than to Rosie. The hair on the back of her neck prickled uncomfortably; it always bothered her to be so ignorant.

Glaze, on the other hand, was considerably easier. “Fruit juice, sugar and…cornstarch?” There were countless ways to make glaze, so she just pulled something out from her most recent memory.

“And yes—well, sort of.” The girl shifted awkwardly. Definitive answer. “I mean, I’ve made some before, but I wouldn’t know the recipe off the top of my head…”

Rosie read through the references slowly, since she didn't have to read every day. They were good references, all in all. Lettie still have a lot to learn but she could at least trust her to be on time and work hard, if her papers were to be believed. Rosie was fairly trusting, in general. Of humans at least.

"Well, I can give you a trial. It might be best to start you off tomorrow though, bright and early. I can show you where things are then." She said, already looking forward to having some company. "How about seven o clock? Before sunrise."

((SFSR, I r sick))

“Oh yes, of course. That would be perfect.” Lettie braced herself against the wash of relief that was trying to tip her over. Unemployment, even in the short term, always seemed to carry with it an unshakable threat of permanency, but now she could finally check it off her list of things to conquer. She smiled softly. “Seven o’clock.” Seven o’clock. You forget that and it’s off the bridge with you.

She thanked Rosie for the position and almost turned to go back to Karana before she remembered something a little important. “Oh, and my name is Lettie, by the way. Lettie Bardell—though I suppose it does say that in the characters doesn’t it…” She gave a quick glance at the papers she had given Rosie as her voice trailed away. Still, formal introductions never hurt, she supposed.

Rosie blushed about as red as her namesake. She had read the name on the sheets and not bothered to ask her.

"Oh, deary me, asking you all that and not even your name! I just got so excited..." Petra had clearly been away far too long, Rosie was a bit addle-brained left alone. "I'm Rosie. I'm sorry, I get a bit away with it, later in the day."

Rosie reached down and use an immaculately clean pair of tongs to pick up a moon cake. It seemed to radiate goodness, like a holy relic. Only baked.

"Here, why don't you take this. I do hope you have lodgings, I don't really have the space here." That and she occasionally had a smoking, swearing, brawling witch for a houseguest.

Lettie blinked down at her hands, which seemed to have acquired the mooncake seconds before she actually realized it was there. It smelled delicious, but something in the back of her mind wondered whether or not she’d find them at all appetizing after spending enough time in the bakery.

“Oh. Thank you.” She certainly seemed to be saying that a lot lately. “And don’t worry, I’m sure I’ll have no trouble. I did just get into town today, but a woman I know gave me a…list of inns to try.” The girl adjusted her grip on the cake wrapper and felt around her pocket with a free hand to try and find it. There, still got it. Good.

“But I suppose it will take me most of the afternoon to try and find them…” her voice trailed off, carrying with it a small hint of annoyance. She did hope the Stacks became more navigable with time; it wouldn’t do to have to go around asking how to get places every time she went out. Speaking of which…

Lettie gave a final curtsy, told Rosie thank you again and good bye, and walked back over to where Karana was standing. “Well that was a lot easier than I expected,” she muttered awkwardly, though obviously pleased. “Are you going to be able to get to…wherever it is that you’re going alright?”

((Late! Sorry!))

(sorry. thought this thread was over)

Karana nodded absently, still drooling over the many and varied baked goods available. "I will be fine, I have got my map." She didn't seem worried, certainly! "Good luck."