Chapter 240 - 238: HoneyCakes.

Chapter 240: Chapter 238: HoneyCakes.

For how long they take to prepare they’re pretty quick to cook either way, and it’s not long before Khobi has a handful of testers already over the fire, giving off some tantalisingly sweet and salty smells.

Heads start to turn as the smells start to waft through the kitchen; noses pricking up in interest as he works.

​It’s even enough to incentivise Loac to keep helping, although it’s not without complaint and the ones he makes come out nowhere near as neat and pretty as Khobi’s.

​"...They don’t look like yours," Loac states, and it’s not going out on a limb to say that he looks a little deflated as he inspects the food as it cools.

He’s already been smacked three times already for trying to take them while they’re too hot –because Khobi knows from experience that they’ll be scalding straight off the fire --and if he tries it again Khobi’s gonna let him burn himself.

​He’s not wrong. The ones he’s made are far outnumbered by the ones Khobi’s done, and decidedly more misshapen, but for someone who’s never done anything like this before, he’s done an alright job.

There’s certainly a knack to it, and while his first attempts had had a couple of the servants watching on in utter dismay, he’d at least gotten to the point where they didn’t fall apart the moment they hit the pan.

​"Hmm, you just gotta round em out a bit more," Khobi tells him with a small shrug, and Loac gives him a suspicious look, trying to decide whether or not he’s making fun of him.

And for once, Khobi’s honestly not. He did enough of that early on, when Loac was all fingers and zero thumbs and somehow wound up with dough stuck to everything.

He’d looked more perplexed than annoyed, like he couldn’t for the life of him figure out why Khobi could do it and he couldn’t.

​"S’fine," Khobi assures him, and the elbow he nudges into his ribs lacks it’s usual sting, "Doesn’t matter what they look like as long as they taste good, right?"

​And they do taste good.

​Ridiculously good actually, and once they’re cool enough, Loac eats them three at a time, and doesn’t even complain about the vegetables.

(Maybe he knows Khobi would hit him if he did.) Khobi would be annoyed at him scoffing so many when he’s the one who did most of the work but there are plenty to go around, and they’re best when they’re warm so he doesn’t mind too much.

​They don’t get to enjoy the heat of the kitchen for much longer though; the servants are starting to hover like they need the space, and start to take over as soon as the last batch is off the fire.

Khobi gets it, and makes sure to clear the space for them as quickly as possible; they have a job to do after all, and Khobi’s found a spot just beyond the kitchens for when this happens.

​"Hey, where are you –" Loac starts to complain, as Khobi starts to drag the tray away from him before he’s had his fill.

And maybe Khobi could’ve told him to fuck off, or that he’s already had enough, or even left without saying anything else, but he’s feeling oddly generous today, so he jerks his head towards the door, saying, "Are you coming, or what?"

​He likes this particular spot because it looks up to the sky and down into a nice courtyard that never has anyone in it, even when the weather’s nice, and the stone is cut wide enough here to balance his plate(s) without being at risk of falling.

It’s cold out, even with his cloak, but the hot food certainly does wonders to warm his belly, so Khobi settles in like he usually does, leaning into the stone as he stuffs his face, and after a beat, Loac wordlessly swings himself onto the ledge and dangles his feet into thin air below.

And for a moment they just eat, the echoes of the kitchen in the distance but with no sound passing between them.

​It’s...different, from how it usually is.

​Khobi doesn’t hate it.

​(In fact, it’s...kind of nice.)

​So of course Loac has to go and ruin it.

​"...So what’s for dinner?" he asks, mouth full, and just like that Khobi’s good mood evaporates into a puff of smoke.

​"Oi, if you think I’m gonna make you dinner as well –!"

​" – Relax ," Loac says, before he can properly boil over, and when Khobi glares across at him, he can see that he’s smirking.

​Oh. He’s just winding him up.

​Khobi feels like an idiot for falling for it, too.

​"S’good," Loac adds, and while it’s not the thanks for making me lunch it should’ve been, it’s something .

If only he hadn’t already ruined it.

​"Why didn’t you just say that?" Khobi grumbles, and yanks the tray a bit closer to himself so that Loac will have to stretch awkwardly if he wants any more.

Which he obviously does.

​"S’more fun this way."

​"For who ?"

​"Me, obviously."

​Khobi tosses a loose handful of dirt from his cloak at him. It lacks a little more bite than usual; more force of habit than anything else, and Loac snickers as it clatters harmlessly against his leg.

Another beat passes, and as the pile of food between them starts to shrink, Khobi’s temper slowly starts to cool again.

Not that he was ever actually pissed off or anything, which is kind of a weird revelation. It’s been a weird kind of morning, he supposes.

​Not a bad kind of weird, necessarily. But definitely weird.

​(He’s not going to let himself go so far as to call it fun .)

​"Hey, Khobi," Loac asks suddenly, looking up at the sky as he licks his fingers.

The morsel of food in Khobi’s hand suddenly becomes incredibly interesting. It’s one of the ones Loac made.

He can tell because it looks squat, and kind of squashed on one side. "Do you know how to make honeycakes?"

​Honeycakes ?

​"Hmm?" Khobi hums, brow furrowed. He’s had them since he was here but doesn’t think he ever had them as a kid, "No, we didn’t have those in Scargga. Why?"

​Loac just shrugs.

​"...No reason."

​Khobi’s instantly suspicious.