Like she had told Joe, Bryn's focus was on mainly on Alex ever since the punishments had concluded. There was only so much she could be done for him, however, and when she found herself with some free time, Bryn headed down to the kitchens to check on Joe.
She pushed the door open without hesitation and stepped in, immediately looking for her friend. Of course, Bryn was familiar enough with the kitchen now that she could pick out things at a glance when he laid them out, so she noticed the chickens and vegetables set out for whatever he was preparing before her gaze settled on the Keep's cook.
"Hello, Joe," she said, "I came to help if you could use a couple more hands."
When he turns to face her, it's a slow motion. Joe smiles and nods his head before turning back to his work. "Aye, help is always wanted in this place. More so with the feast I'm workin' on. You could say we've got a bit of a special occasion comin' up."
The shirt he wears is one looser than usual. While the wounds on his back have been somewhat healed, the marks are still deep and sore and his skin is black and blue with bruising. Oddly enough, Joe is alright with that.
Bryn had been studying his back as subtly as she could manage, frowning at what she thought might be bruising. She couldn't be sure through the fabric, however.
She was easily distracted by his mention of the feast and special occasion, however. Interested already, she stepped closer with renewed curiosity in what food he'd set out.
"Really? What sort of special occasion?" she asked. "And what do you want me to started on?"
He doesn't stop working the whole time. There's a certain skip in his step today, regardless of how limited his movement is. At the questions, he grins, looking happier than he has in a long time.
"M'not allowed to say just yet. Besides, Nieta is so fockin' excited to tell you all. M'not gonna steal her show."
The cheer is fixed in place, more so at the mention of Nieta. "Just know that it'll be a good, fun thing after the week we've just had."
Joe motions to the pots of soup boiling on the stove. "If y'could watch those an' give 'em a stir every now an' then. It'd be a huge help."
This isn't the Joe that she expected to find, but Bryn is relieved that he isn't dragging around, despite his restricted movements. There's no point in bringing up what happened before because he seems to be in such a good mood, so she pushes all the questions she had for him onto the back burner.
Instead, she moved toward the stove and grabbed two spoons at the same time to give the contents of the pots a stir in one direction before switching around to the other, watching to make sure that nothing was sticking to the edges.
"I suppose I'll have to keep my ears open," she said, trying to put a bit of cheer in her voice as well. "But I don't suppose you'd give me a hint, would you?"
Joe flashed her a glance, mischief evident in his face. Though still worn out and tired from his time in the stocks, there was something boyish and younger in his general attitude today. "When it happens, you'll know. Trust me on that."
Not that the coming changes have any effect on him. Joe was and always has been completely human in every way. "A hint..."
He feigned deep thought. "Guess I could go as far as to say we're havin' a bit of a gatherin'."
The attitude was catching, and Bryn let herself get drawn into the excitement a bit more. She'd been so worried about Alex that it was nice to have happier things to occupy her mind.
She looked away from Joe long enough to switch to another set of spoons, but then her eyes were glued back on him as he thought about what hint to give her. When he mentioned a gathering, Bryn's eyes widened just a fraction. A gathering? A party perhaps? A dinner party? Or a holiday celebration of some sort? Bryn hadn't been to any of those since...well, it had been a very long time. The events she went to with her family tended to be stuffy, but Bryn figured anything here would be much better. She wet her lips with the tip of her tongue, clearly thinking about what she would or could do to prepare, but she needed more information first.
"That sounds like it could be a lot of fun. Would you say this gathering is something...less casual, perhaps?" she asked, hedging around her words this way and that.
Joe chuckles to himself. He really does love this time of the year. There is no real set date for it; the staff just know when it's coming up and excitement takes over.
He glances across to her, expression sly. "I'd recommend findin' yerself somethin' nice to wear, aye. Not that y'don't look lovely now, mind you."
Bryn was not quite used to compliments and she averted her eyes with a wide smile, trying to ignore the way her face heated.
"Thank you, I...I suppose I'll have to look for something once I'm done here, won't I?" she replied. "Gosh, the steam coming off of this soup is awfully warm..."
Joe doesn't miss the blush, but for her sake he isn't about to address it. The man simply smiles to himself and goes back to tearing up the chicken that it might join the soup.
"Y'can take a step out back if y'need to lass. I gotta head out there in a sec to turn the piggy around."
That's right Bryn. The 'piggy'. Joe is so a manly man.
Bryn is very appreciative of Joe keeping her silence on her blush. She might have sneaked out of the kitchens of embarrassment otherwise.
"You have a pig cooking out there?" she asked, looking back up with thinly disguised interest. How had she not noticed that smell before? Bryn set the spoons down and walked closer to the door leading outside and sniffed at the air.
"I think I might..." she murmured and slipped out, looking for the "piggy."
Outside Bryn would find a decent sized fire, a pile of wood beside and a pig on a spit suspended above. Mm, it smells pretty darn good. A minute or two later, Joe moved to follow, seizing gloves from a stool as he went and putting them on. The pig earned a quick inspection and then, he turned the spit to move the pig around a little.
"Smells good, don't it? Shouldn't be too much longer and it's good to go."
Her mouth was watering, and Bryn walked a full circle around the fire as she inspected the pig. By her second time around, Joe had joined her and was starting to tend to the spit. She watched him fuss over it and sighed. Dinner couldn't come soon enough.
"It smells amazing," she agreed, then cast him a look out of the corner of her eye. "I also thinking perhaps this 'bit of a gathering' is a bit larger than you're implying, Joe."
Bryn could do nothing less than smile back. It was such a relief to see him in such a good mood and working the kitchens, like she had gotten used to.
"I'm going to have since you won't give me any more details," she commented, tilting her head to the side. The words were said lightly, with some amusement.
She pushed the door open without hesitation and stepped in, immediately looking for her friend. Of course, Bryn was familiar enough with the kitchen now that she could pick out things at a glance when he laid them out, so she noticed the chickens and vegetables set out for whatever he was preparing before her gaze settled on the Keep's cook.
"Hello, Joe," she said, "I came to help if you could use a couple more hands."
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The shirt he wears is one looser than usual. While the wounds on his back have been somewhat healed, the marks are still deep and sore and his skin is black and blue with bruising. Oddly enough, Joe is alright with that.
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She was easily distracted by his mention of the feast and special occasion, however. Interested already, she stepped closer with renewed curiosity in what food he'd set out.
"Really? What sort of special occasion?" she asked. "And what do you want me to started on?"
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"M'not allowed to say just yet. Besides, Nieta is so fockin' excited to tell you all. M'not gonna steal her show."
The cheer is fixed in place, more so at the mention of Nieta. "Just know that it'll be a good, fun thing after the week we've just had."
Joe motions to the pots of soup boiling on the stove. "If y'could watch those an' give 'em a stir every now an' then. It'd be a huge help."
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Instead, she moved toward the stove and grabbed two spoons at the same time to give the contents of the pots a stir in one direction before switching around to the other, watching to make sure that nothing was sticking to the edges.
"I suppose I'll have to keep my ears open," she said, trying to put a bit of cheer in her voice as well. "But I don't suppose you'd give me a hint, would you?"
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Not that the coming changes have any effect on him. Joe was and always has been completely human in every way. "A hint..."
He feigned deep thought. "Guess I could go as far as to say we're havin' a bit of a gatherin'."
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She looked away from Joe long enough to switch to another set of spoons, but then her eyes were glued back on him as he thought about what hint to give her. When he mentioned a gathering, Bryn's eyes widened just a fraction. A gathering? A party perhaps? A dinner party? Or a holiday celebration of some sort? Bryn hadn't been to any of those since...well, it had been a very long time. The events she went to with her family tended to be stuffy, but Bryn figured anything here would be much better. She wet her lips with the tip of her tongue, clearly thinking about what she would or could do to prepare, but she needed more information first.
"That sounds like it could be a lot of fun. Would you say this gathering is something...less casual, perhaps?" she asked, hedging around her words this way and that.
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He glances across to her, expression sly. "I'd recommend findin' yerself somethin' nice to wear, aye. Not that y'don't look lovely now, mind you."
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"Thank you, I...I suppose I'll have to look for something once I'm done here, won't I?" she replied. "Gosh, the steam coming off of this soup is awfully warm..."
Yep. Blaming the soup and sticking to it.
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"Y'can take a step out back if y'need to lass. I gotta head out there in a sec to turn the piggy around."
That's right Bryn. The 'piggy'. Joe is so a manly man.
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"You have a pig cooking out there?" she asked, looking back up with thinly disguised interest. How had she not noticed that smell before? Bryn set the spoons down and walked closer to the door leading outside and sniffed at the air.
"I think I might..." she murmured and slipped out, looking for the "piggy."
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Outside Bryn would find a decent sized fire, a pile of wood beside and a pig on a spit suspended above. Mm, it smells pretty darn good. A minute or two later, Joe moved to follow, seizing gloves from a stool as he went and putting them on. The pig earned a quick inspection and then, he turned the spit to move the pig around a little.
"Smells good, don't it? Shouldn't be too much longer and it's good to go."
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"It smells amazing," she agreed, then cast him a look out of the corner of her eye. "I also thinking perhaps this 'bit of a gathering' is a bit larger than you're implying, Joe."
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"Just you wait and see, Bryn. This is me favourite part of the year."
He was only bummed that he was injured for it. Not that it would stop him from having fun though.
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"I'm going to have since you won't give me any more details," she commented, tilting her head to the side. The words were said lightly, with some amusement.
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He lowered his voice a notch, leaning towards her as if telling a secret. "I can say that it's fockin' good though."
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