"Now what?" I ask with a sigh.
"I guess we can try and keep ourselves occupied." she tells me with a slow shrug before she looks down at a nervous child.
"My mummy really liked what we made for her last time..." the little child told us as she looked up at Larishazza.
"Did she? Does she want to eat some more?" Larishazza asks with a sweet voice as she goes down to her knees. Keeping her eyes in line with that of the child as she occasionally looked at me.
"Yes... She has been worried since the big bang, I want to help her calm down." she explained as she began to jump up and down. I guess she was explaining how the airship was struck while we were gone. She wasn't smiling as she did it, so it must have been that.
"I know a few people who could use cheering up, should we make something for them too?"
"Okay... But mummy comes first." the child explains with innocent selfishness as she takes Larishazza's hand. And then, all of a sudden, she would take mine and begin swinging between us.
"Look at you go!" Larishazza would say to her while I just went along with it. But, the child's happiness was infectious and I would be smiling for a bit until she let go to run off. Her little ears were the first I saw of her when she popped up behind the counter with a bowl.
"Hurry up!" she moaned impatiently as we got closer. And Larishazza would just dive through the counter gap. I, though, sort of just walked around and went in the way she did.
"So what did you make last time?" I asked as I watched them run about and gather up various things. However, anything sharp would be taken up by Larishazza. And, she moved much more carefully when they were in her hands. Soon after as well, more children began to appear.
Some of them clogged up behind me while others looked over the counter. And, to my embarrassment, I did not start moving out their way until their little fingers started touching my exposed thighs. It tickled as well so I found myself giggling as they all began to cluster around Larishazza. She also laughed back at me as she began to set up little work posts.
"Do you want to help?" my friend asked me as she lingered by an oven.
"Briefly, I would like to go see you know who." I told her once I got next to her. Staying quiet just in case saying Nin's name out loud scared the children. After all, the people here weren't very open to the idea of an osibindah being on board...
"Sure, we can make a bigger portion and hand it to you so you can then give it to him!" she quickly tells me before she goes over to the children. And off she went, explaining to each of them what they would be doing while she got started on it. The child who first found us followed her around as she did so.
And when something was finally made, she couriered it around the kitchen. A little assistant to Larishazza as she instructed each grouping of kids. Then once they reached the end of the process, they went back to do it all again. Each time as well, Larishazza would let the children do it more on their own.
Except maybe one or two who were stubbornly independent from the start or consistently in need of help. Sometimes, I think they just wanted Larishazza to do it with them as their faces would just light up. It even made me a little nervous as I was just standing around. At least, until I spotted a child stabbing their dough with little metal pieces.
"What are you doing?" I asked them gently, smiling a bit as they reacted hastily. Their arms quickly covered up the dough before they opened up.
"I was trying to draw a picture..." he answered as I leaned by him. And when my chest was cushioned against the kitchen side, I began to touch the metal.
"What're you trying to draw?" I asked as I tapped the metal bit of my gloves on them. Letting little clangs fill our ears as he became lost for words.
"I... A bunch of dots!" he would then answer as he put another piece of metal inside.
"Hm, want to see something fun?" I then let out as all these bits of metal gave me an idea.
"Okay!" he said with a nod.
"Watch this then!" I tell him as I begin to let little bits of magic arc about the metal. Concentrating very carefully as I directed the magic about. Then, once I had an image in my mind, I made a moving picture in the metal.
"Hewwo, I'm your bwun!" I would childishly say while hiding my mouth.
"HELLO BUN!" the child would suddenly shout in joy as they waved at the moving face made of lightning. And as he was waving, I suddenly changed the image to a hand before returning to the face.
"Who am I fwor?" I would pretend to ask on behalf of the incomplete bun.
"My tummy!" he would admit while patting it.
"Is it cwomfwortable in thwere? I wike cwomfwortable twummies!"
"Yeah!" he cheerfully informed the bun.
I would then make an actual smile before I then made the face disappear, "You hear that? The bun is going to enjoy you eating it!" I say. Unaware that other kids had come over, curious as to what had happened. But the screams of another would grab all our attention.
"Someone help me! The dough is alive!" Larishazza would exaggeratively scream as her magic manipulated wet dough. Making it seem like it was indeed alive. And, attacking her of all things.
"Get this off!" I would then nearly squeal when she suddenly threw it at me. Its wet and sticky mouth chewed on my cheek until she took it back. And all the laughter that surrounded me made me very red.
"First lot are done!" a child would then say as a bell went off.
"Coming!" Larishazza chirped out as she smirked past me. Glaring at her in the meantime until she came back with a bun covered in a sweet white sauce. And, in the middle, a little red fruit.
"Looks yummy." I complimented before looking for an expecting child.
"Give it to Nin if you can." Larishazza whispered as her tone went quieter. I would nod to her before disappearing. Not even getting a 'goodbye' from the children as I practically snuck off elsewhere. And I was somewhat wishing I stayed in the kitchen...
The tone of the place shifted drastically as I headed closer to the bunks. Especially the men's one where the few who were near it were in a constant state of aggression. And the others who passed on by practically ran on by if they got near it. It made me feel awkward but I was willing to look past this as my friend was just on the other side and he needed my help.
"Nin!? I brought you something!" I told him after knocking on the door. But he would not answer and I was left frowning as I could not even hear him moving.