The Ogre Strength Fairy and the Eldest 'Son'
Chapter 146 - Knead I Remind You, That This Nest Of Hair Was Made For My Hand?

Chapter 146: Chapter 146 - Knead I Remind You, That This Nest Of Hair Was Made For My Hand?

The youngest Goltbred had her eyes stuck to the new arrival. She let out a squeal that made the Skydancer ruffle its feathers before starting a wobbly ’dash’ towards her older sister. The exclamations she made weren’t quite words yet, but she was repeating a syllable that made it clear it was meant to be about the animal in the room she was fixed on.

Elua giggled and moved to sit beside Qat while guiding the almost year old Onya with her. The bird understood her warnings and fluttered up to perch on her shoulder - just out of the child’s innocent but dangerous reach.

"This new friend, my dears, is a Whispering Skydancer. It was a gift I received after... well, after I ran away from you this morning."

She would have preferred not to talk about the last part at all, but if she acknowledged it a little herself, perhaps her husband-wife would be merciful and gloss over it!

"A gift. From whom, exactly?"

The Yecine repeated a phrase with skepticism in her voice and spirit... wondering if her wife was really seen as so amazing that others were *still* giving her expensive things this far past their wedding. It was one thing for her to believe the cute wife was incredible on her own - and another to suspect the motives of anyone else that also thought so.

’Just because the tools ended up being a coincidence, it doesn’t change that the Starbloom ceremony might have been sabotaged on purpose. I have to stay vigilant along with her.’

The brunette’s smile widened a touch as her mischievous spark lit in her mint eyes. It was the simplest thing to just answer her jealousy directly, but that other ’worry’ of hers needed the slightest bit of defusing. That was usually more effective after letting it build!

"Oh, just an ’old’ friend I had a plan to meet today. You know how it is - a wedding they couldn’t attend, a rare bird they arranged just for me... all perfectly normal things in our cultural strata, no?"

The blonde sighed in exasperation, but there was a fondness in it as she leaned forward and straightened some of her wife’s messy hair. The little sister was still pulling at the side of the heiress - and was very much considering crawling up her arm to touch the bird... who itself was considering hopping up into the brunette ’nest’ for further distance.

"I’m not sure ’normal’ applies to much with you, El. Things certainly never go how I might have expected them to, when you are involved... though usually for the good."

The Skydancer trilled a few notes with its white eyes fixed on the tall girl touching the heiress... while staring at the creature in suspicion. Elua could almost picture the wheels trying to turn off the straight path in her beloved’s mind.

’Trying to decipher the ulterior motive behind this new addition - both my own plots, and whoever she can imagine gave it to me~’

The shorter girl placed her hand over that of the swordswoman while she ’smiled’ at her calmly. Her Qat tried so hard to accept things!

"Don’t worry so much, darling. It’s really just a bird that was given as a gift. A very intelligent, potentially highly useful bird - but a bird nonetheless."

Pigeon-blue eyes shifted to the set of mint that were watching her think. The Yecine’s fingers tensed a little at the way she was being looked at and spoken to. Far from being insulted, she actually had a desire to kiss her in a moment of appreciation.

’But she’s already run from me once today. I shouldn’t rile her strange behaviors further.’

"Uh-huh. I suppose this happened to come with no strings attached?"

"None more than usual and none I wouldn’t gladly cut if you asked. But I’m keeping the bird either way. I’ve already grown attached."

Onya giggled as her tiny fingers pat wildly against her sister’s shoulder. The Skydancer finally had enough of that potential threat and flitted up onto the brown hair of its caretaker while cocking its head at Qatrand.

"Yes, it would seem so."

The blonde’s eyes narrowed a tiny fraction, but the intent was clear. The creature was intruding on sacred territory and should be more respectful! It was only lucky that the pairing of her wife sitting so nonchalant with it all was cute enough for her to forgive its transgression.

The amused reincarnator sent small instructions at it, informing the avian of the ’pecking order’ and how the one it was having the contest of wills with was above them both... and was her ’mate’. The Whispering Skydancer returned its form of ’understanding’ and took flight to the windowsill.

’Out of reach for both of the threats to it. Clever bird.’

The reborn cultivator felt a wave of contentment building and closed her eyes. Being surrounded by the two people she cared most about was plenty enough to cause it. A new pet companion - and her parents and disciples being *somewhere* within range that she *could* go find - only swelled the genuine tide of tranquility.

Which is why it didn’t surprise her so much to hear the deep growl from the stomach that she no longer clenched quite so tightly as she had been doing for hours.

"You wouldn’t have happened to have been successful in whatever it was you were making this morning...?"

Qat pulled her hand away and cut her eyes to the side for a few seconds. The voice she answered with held just a touch of ’I don’t really want to talk about it’.

"Eventually."

<---

The pre-dawn kitchen was filled with the cook’s softly murmured instructions and the rustle of apron fabric as Qatrand watched the man demonstrate proper preparation techniques. Hours remained before the rest of the household would stir and she was confident that *something* edible would come out of her hands in that time.

"Kneading dough is all about feel. You want to be firm with it, but be sure not to work it for too long."

The Yecine nodded studiously while severely examining all of his haphazard seeming movements. Piling the flour onto the washed surface, making a bowl in the center of it, and putting in some water while pinching salt at it was easy to replicate. Kneading also looked quite straightforward.

But her first attempt with the dough was precisely as forceful as everything else she did in ’training’. Years of wielding the sword at this time of morning had ingrained certain habits about applying pressure with her grip... and the man had not paid quite enough attention to his student as he started more dough for the servant’s breakfast.

"Wait, not so rough on it!"

He tried to warn, but it was already too late. The young man had been squeezing it together long enough that the resulting bread would be quite tough. He explained as much to him and Qatrand stared at it with disappointment evident in the set of pigeon-blue eyes.

The cook saw the unguarded expression and smiled kindly. Memories surfaced of his own mistakes while learning even simple dishes. The fact that he ended up working for such a famed family and now was trying to help the young master of another prominent one felt quite surreal.

"It’s a common mistake. Don’t worry, I can make croutons out of your failure still. They’ll be a good snack while we work. Let’s try again."

He hesitated before adding something he felt might help, even though it sounded quite forward to say.

"This time... think of it like you are gripping the hand of the young miss. You do not want to squeeze it *too* hard, but you want to keep squeezing it over and over. When you try to stretch it like this, it shouldn’t break."

The man tapped on the tough clump the Yecine had made.

"But it shouldn’t be this difficult to stretch. You’ll get the feeling with practice."

Heat crept up her neck when he started his hand-holding comparison but it had faded before she nodded at his final instruction. Under his *watchful* guidance, she began once more with a touch that was like cradling something precious before she increased the pressure more gradually.

"Much better. You’re a quick study, young master."

The dough responded to her calloused fingers, becoming soft and pliant. The heat reached her ears when she realized she had mumbled under her breath that her wife’s hand was always soft, no matter how much she held it.

The duo worked through several more batches, each one showing small improvements. The cook’s respect for the dedication the blonde Yecine showed grew. Especially when she asked detailed questions about the ratio of spices Elua preferred that he add into the flatbread.

Then she felt a surge of feelings flutter out the fragment in her chest that made a sharp breath escape her mouth in the middle of a sentence. She turned her gaze toward the general source, knowing that their spiritual connection meant her wife had sensed her presence - and her El was steeped in that moment of emotion a hundredfold.

The dough they were working was forgotten as she started toward the door. Qat was walking quickly down the hallway toward the Goltbred’s private rooms when a wildly flying piece of paper slapped her in the cheek.

"Young master?"

The cook’s concerned voice brought her back to the present circumstances even more than the strike in the shadows. After reading Elua’s hasty words by the man’s lantern light, Qatrand reluctantly returned to her task. If her wife needed time, she would use it well.

’If bread only took that long to learn, then I’m sure he can teach me something else. Maybe squash soup? Or how to prepare that hot pepper she likes...’

She had yet to consider that only making the dough was just the first half of breadmaking. The Yecine was not half pleased after three over-scorched (and two undercooked) attempts with the skillet.