A cavern to stretch one's wings?

.

Naitachel beams cheerfully at Eric, eyes a-light with curiosity and gratitude as the band is secured around a slender wrist. "Thank you ever so much!" he tells the engineer.

With Eric and Everett about to go see to the fans, the Seraph takes that as a cue to depart as well. He hops lightly onto his feet, like a creature made out of springs, then glides a graceful few steps to stand by Radu's side, not certain where they are headed next--or how to get there, for that matter.

"It was good to meet you, Mister Eric! And perhaps we will see you around, Mister Everett?" Naitachel offers brightly.

<So, where to next?> the Seraph laughs to his mate.

Radu nodded his thanks to Eric. Smiling at Naitachel, he took him by the hand. "Now...I show you someplace special..."

He led him quickly to a section of the underground caverns that opened up to a wide embankment. Phosphorescent moss illuminated the room with a soft, gentle glow. From where they stood they could see an underground waterfall, and a clear stream filled with brightly colored fish. The cavern opened up to a wide open space with ample room to fly, should a certain seraph desire it.

Naitachel stares about the massive cavern with wide eyes, mouth slightly agape, awed by the beauty and scope of the place...

Then, with a delighted laugh, the Seraph bounds lightly further into the room, pulling Radu with him to explore this paradise. The soft touch of the moss, the bright colors of the koi fish, the musical tumble of the waterfall and rush of the stream echoing gently around them, and the open expanse of air... The latter is enough that Naitachel unfurls his wings finally, with a hiss of feathers--some of those enduring pinions have even begin to fray slightly on the edges from rubbing against stone so much.

"Radu--it's beautiful!" Naitachel almost sings with pleasure and joy.

"Yes," Radu agreed, looking only at Naitachel. "It truly is..."

Hearing the warmth in the vampire's voice, the Seraph turns, meeting blue eyes with gold...

With a happy cry, he wraps his arms around Radu in a tight and enthusiastic hug, that cry turning into happy laughter as strong wings flap hard enough to whirl the pair of them in a circle--just off the ground.

This cavern is a sanctuary for the heart, if not the body. A place to stretch more than just physical wings.

"I do not expect you to coddle the girl, Melanie, merely give her a few days to get back on her feet before treating her to your particular brand of charm," Soraya sighed, becoming more agitated herself as the cook swirled back and forth around the kitchen, tending to her tasks while talking over her shoulder at the redhead in a raised voice.

"Do you think I don't know how to handle my people, Sor? I /know/ the girl was tired, that's why I sent her away to begin with," Melanie countered in a huff as she stirred a steaming pot. "I also can't give her preferential treatment. She needs to know from the get-go who's in charge here and that slacking off isn't acceptable."

The redhead closed her eyes against the onslaught of food smells surrounding her as much as she did against her mounting frustration. Truly her short temper today didn't make her the best ambassador. "I doubt there could ever be any confusion on the fact that you are in charge, Mel," she finally responded after a silent 10-count. "I am not asking that she be placed above your rules. But you must admit that sometimes you can be somewhat... abrupt, and that not everyone understands as we do that you have the best of intentions behind your actions." Soraya's eyes reopened and it took her a moment to find the whirlwind of a woman now tenderizing some meat. "She has had a difficult time getting here. She is fragile and vulnerable. Could you please just keep that in mind when addressing her?"

Melanie's use of the mallet on the meat seemed to have even greater intensity than usual, the slight woman managing surprising force in her attack on the foodstuff. "These days, we're all fragile and vulnerable," she spat between strikes. "My job isn't to be the girl's mother. I run a kitchen, and if she wants to work here, then she's got to fall in line." The meat tenderizer stopped, finally, and the cook turned to face Soraya, who stood with her lip pouting and arms crossed over her chest in the center of the room. The two women regarded each other a moment before the brunette sighed and threw her arms in the air in a gesture of exasperation.

"Oh for God's sake. Of all people, Soraya," she admonished, "/you/ should know that I care about my staff. I might not have the most tender way of showing it, but I act as sternly as I do because I want to keep them on their guards. It's for their own safety and welfare. Losing your concentration around here leads to injuries. Lost thumbs, burned hands, fires..." She made a sweeping motion across the room, then. "She's not here now, is she? I saw the girl struggling, and I sent her away to keep her from getting hurt. Doesn't that fit into your 'go easy on her,' request?"

Soraya's jaw clenched, her mouth drawn into a line. Her silent 10-count had been repeated several times now, and she had to work double-hard to keep her body temperature from rising. Letting it go could be bad for her unborn child, and she knew that throwing a fireball across the kitchen would only make things worse with Melanie. Not to mention leave them without sufficient cooking accommodations for several days until the cleanup was complete.

"I know you care about them," the redhead answered, forcing her voice into a steadier, quieter tone. "And I understand /why/ you do what you do," she conceded, pushing some stray red curls out of her eyes. "I am merely asking that you /please/ check your words and your manner before barking commands at her. It might not be such a bad thing to soften your ways with your staff in general. You know what they say about catching bees and honey." The redhead braced herself for the onslaught Melanie was sure to unleash at this last suggestion.

"If you have such a problem with how I run my kitchen, then find someone else to do it," the cook indeed retorted, anger boiling under the surface. "I dare you to find someone else who can do this job and not pull their hair out." She watched Soraya with narrowed eyes a moment.

"No one could," Soraya conceded, "but that does not give you license to behave without thought for others' feelings either." She knew she was likely kicking a hornet's nest, but her mouth was running away with her and she was finding it difficult to control. Thankfully, Melanie seemed to have caught on that this wasn't the day to push Soraya too far.

Instead, she groaned in exasperation, throwing her tenderized meat onto a cutting board for one of her workers to dice before she wiped her hands on her aprons and closed the distance between herself and Soraya. "If it gets you off my back, then fine, I'll agree to /try/ to be more gentle," she said tightly, looking down at the shorter woman in front of her. "But that doesn't mean I'm going to baby her, either," she warned, drawing an nod in assent from the redhead.

Melanie nodded in an echo of Soraya's. "Now, may I please get back to work?" the cook asked, her voice dripping in forced amiability, earning her another somewhat brisk nod from the redhead. "Oh, and by the way, you're looking mighty green. I'd appreciate it if you didn't throw up all over the floor in here. Contaminates the food and all, you understand," she jabbed, unable to let Soraya off without /some/ form of retort.

"I would be glad to oblige," the slighter woman answered, turning stiffly and walking as quickly as possible to leave the immediate vicinity. As she walked back toward their private areas to check in with KC, Soraya found herself unable to completely squelch the agitated feeling that had settled in the pit of her stomach during the confrontation with Melanie. She hoped no one would try to cross path anytime soon.

<I spoke to Melanie,> she informed Radu and Vlad mentally, letting them know their request had been carried out even though she was still seething. <She promised to do what she could to soften her tone with Nari>. It was the best she could do.

<Thank you,> Radu says, but nothing more, sensing that anything else would fan the flames of the red-head's already volatile mood.


***

KC hurried up the hall, concerned over Soraya's uncharacteristic tardiness. Wiping the blood off of her hands, she sighed, hoping it wasn't another mess like the one she'd just dealt with. Sometimes it felt like that was all she did - clean up messes. She wiped the blood carefully, removing her ring - an ancient family heirloom and the only thing she had left of her life before the world went to hell - and wiping it on her shirt before returning it to her finger. Spying Soraya dead ahead, looking more than a little ill, she frowned, doubling her pace.

"You okay?" she asked, drawing the flask of water from her hip and offering it to the woman. "One red head to another - you look like hell. Come on... let's get you somewhere you can sit down, okay?"

Soraya's eyebrow nearly twitched at Radu's simple answer, though she controlled herself as she breathed deeply. Still... it would have been nice to have had her efforts acknowledged a little more fervently.

Prince wrote:

"You okay?" she asked, drawing the flask of water from her hip and offering it to the woman. "one red head to another - you look like hell. Come on...let's get you somewhere you can sit down, okay?"

The redhead groaned in response to KC's observation. "Thank you for pointing out my general unkempt appearance," she answered facetiously before sighing, her features softening. "I am sorry, I am merely trying to regain my temper," she informed KC apologetically. "I just had a bit of a run-in with Melanie which has left me rather on edge," she admitted, accepting KC's guidance to some nearby seating.

"What is all this?" she then asked, alarmed at the blood on the young woman's shirt. "Are you hurt?"

KC nodded, a smirk touching her lips as she replied, "Souza and Jacard were at it again. Got a little carried away over Louisa and needed some patching up after. Same as always." She pulled her jacket shut and buttoned it, hiding the offending sight from Soraya. "So tell me about this run-in?"

"So Eric, you said there were some ventilation fans that needed fixing? I'm sure we can tackle those easily enough. Lead the way, boss-man," Everett says with a smirk, and a look in his eyes which had not been there for years. Was it simply him finding his place in the new world, maybe even a hint of happiness?

"Those two are worse than two cocks vying for a hen's attention," the redhead sighed, shaking her head slowly. "I will have a word with them, not to mention Louisa, later," she promised, adding it to her mental 'to do' list. After all, the girl in question was doing little to dissuade either of their attentions. If anything she was encouraging their constant fights. One of these days they would seriously hurt each other, or someone else.

Soraya dismissed KC's question with a wave of the hand. "It was nothing," she said, knowing that she was just as responsible for the escalation of things as the cook had been. "I was just asked to speak to her regarding her approach with things." She knew KC would extract the appropriate information from that statement and make of it what she would.

"How are the evening's preparations going, with all of this?" she asked KC suddenly, realizing why she had been meaning to find her to begin with. There were several preparations to be made, after all, and Soraya had been chased out of the kitchen by KC herself earlier when she had tried to check in with her. She vaguely wondered where the seraph was, hoping he wasn't anywhere near enough to catch on to the surprise being prepared for him.

"It's all proceeding on schedule," KC assured her. "And I'll keep tabs on it. You just relax. I've got this today. " She smiled, sensing that a bit less pressure would do her favorite boss lady good today.

"Whatever would we do without you?" Soraya laughed, her mood lightening significantly. She reminded herself that beyond the relief of having KC's help, the party was meant to be fun, not a chore.

"Perhaps I should go take a short nap," she suggested, stifling a yawn. Naps had effectively become one of her favorite activities, it seemed. "Would you mind waking me in time to get ready?" she asked. "Or, of course, if something comes up that needs my attention," she amended.

"Of course." KC smiled, though she knew that there was simply no way she'd wake this woman once she fell asleep. If ever a woman deserved a break, it was Soraya.

"Thank you," Soraya answered, standing again. "Oh, and pray, don't forget the popcorn. I have a feeling he will really like that," she said before starting to walk toward the private quarters, already dreaming of her bed.

"Oh, and there are bottles of soda stashed away in the private kitchen, behind the sacs of oatmeal," she said as an afterthought, turning briefly before resuming her walk. "And make sure one of the pizzas..." the redhead began again, before realizing what she was doing and smiling sheepishly at KC. "You have this. Right," she said, as though making a conscious decision to simply let it go. "I will see you in a few hours, then, when it is time for me to get ready," she called, forcing herself to keep walking toward the bedroom.

((ooc: I'm thinking this thread can get wrapped up, now, and we can start the evening one. Feel free to post any final thoughts if you like, but the new thread will be opening up soon. ))