Kadri

“Oh my goodness, I didn’t mean to startle you!” Chuckling through the apologetic tone to her voice, Evolet shook her head as she did her best to wave off the little misstep. “It’s been a wonderful day, and I must say it fills the optimism tank, to be sure.” Smoothing down her hair and the skirt of her rather vintage styled dress, she stepped forward to offer a hand in greeting. 

“Evolet Lancaster, it’s a pleasure to meet you. I’ve been doing my best to make a point of getting to know all of my neighbors now that I’ve finally found a place to settle and call my own.” An especially good feeling after several years of near homelessness. “I hope I’m not keeping you from any sort of important errands.” 

Kadri smiled somewhat apologetically. “Oh no its completely fine, I startle easy.” she said, finding it a bit easier to engage seeing as the other girl was so sweet and bubbly. “That sounds promising. And for sure, that should last it a while.” she somewhat assumed, not sure she had an optimism tank to speak of but not judging the other for the fact that she did. 

Taking the hand held out to her, she gave it a gentle squeeze. “Kadri Badem, very nice to meet you too. And ahm thats very nice of you. I can’t say I’ve got much experience with what it entails, being neighbourly but that seems.. prudent.” she said, recalling one of the words she’d read the other day, hoping she had used it right. “Oh no, I was just walking for a bit.” she assured. Feeling as if the other might relate, she dared elaborate. “I love how quiet and serene the neighbourhood is in the early morning.” 

When Charlie heard a voice pipe up from the side she looked over and nearly scowled. The new girl. Of course. Caleb hadn’t even run it by them that he was hiring someone else, she just…showed up one morning, throwing off Charlie’s whole routine in the one place outside of her apartment that she actually felt comfortable. She just…had to accept it though. As long as the girl stayed out of her kitchen anyways. No one did the baking but Charlie (and occasionally Caleb) and she wanted it to stay that way.

“Right.” she muttered, gaze lingering for a moment more before she schooled her expression and looked back to the customer, grabbing the ordered muffin and ringing it up before she looked back to Kadri, this time noticing the bin of dirty dishes and things and she bit her lip, deflating just a bit before she sighed. “You uh….you got it?”

Feeling Charlie’s eyes move to her, Kadri involuntarily hunched up, tensing. Truth be told she was kind of scared of the blonde. There was just something in her expression each time they saw each other that gave Kadri the distinct impression Charlie did not want her here. In response she did her best to be quiet, silent as invisible as possible really when the two of them had a shift together. She wasn’t here to make any waves with anyone. All she wanted was to be able to work and learn from Caleb who very much made her feel like she belonged here. And truth be told Kadri needed that. A place to belong. The outside world was at times so overwhelming that if she didn’t find good things she might not ever manage to rejoin society. 

Momentarily repressing the urge to apologize, Kadri scanned the counters for anything dirty in need of washing, making sure that she had gotten everything out here that she needed to take with her to the back. The sound of Charlie’s voice directed at her made her swallow the lump in her throat, timidly looking back over at her. “Ahm I think so. Please let me know if you are missing anything from the kitchen though cause I did clear it out before coming out here.” 

Caleb shook his head. “You’re part of the team now, every little helps.” He said, he knew it might not seem much, but even washing the dishes made the process way faster and helped them finish the order. “And maybe for the next big order, you will be able to help out even more.” He said, she hasn’t been with them for very long, but he could tell that she wanted to do her best and was really trying, and after a few months working at the bakery, she would be able to do way more.

Caleb smiled it. “Now that everything seems to be in order, it is good to be able to finally relax.” he said, he felt like he could sleep for a week after this ball was over. Hearing her words, Caleb had an idea, he wasn’t exactly sure if he would be overstepping his boundaries, but he did felt the same way the first time he was in a ball like this. “Come with me?” He asked offering his arm to her, at his first event he had found a quieter spot, one that he could still hear the music and feel like he was part of the party, but it had only a few people around, if she didn’t felt comfortable ‘alone’ with him, she could just return, or he would gladly just leave her alone in his quiet spot. 

Kadri smiled tentatively, nodding a little bit. She didn’t feel as if what she was doing at the moment was that a big contribution, but she thought he was being very kind to include her and teach her. She would forever be grateful, even if she found herself struggling day after day. Being in the back helped a lot though. The short time she had spent as a cashier had made her incredibly nervous, so much so that she had thrown up a couple of days in a row before going into work. Now being concealed from customers and mostly only dealing with Caleb or Charlie in the kitchen was most helpful given her lack of experience with human interaction. “I do hope so. I guess the more I learn, the more I’ll be of use.” she agreed with a nod. 

Caleb was glad that the day of the ball had finally arrived, the next few days in the bakery it wouldn’t have too much work, and he would be able to give his staff some time off, after all everyone deserved some extra time off, specially after a big order like this.

Making sure everything was okay, Caleb smiled seeing Kadri, her dress was simple compared to other but stunning, it matched her. “It is always good to see an order complete.” he pointed out. “But I couldn’t have done it without everyone’s help, so thank you.” He said. “Are you enjoying the ball?” He asked, he wanted to invite her to dance, but he wasn’t sure if it would be appropriated, he also didn’t want her to feel like she needed to say yes, just because he was her boss, so he went with a simple question instead of the one he wanted to ask.

It was very new to Kadri, being part of a team of people, working towards a common goal. She had only been at the bakery for a very short while, but she felt as if she was learning quite a lot in that time, and challenged herself to accept growth and change to a degree she had never before had to. Then again that was why she had decided to make some life changes after being arrested.. It had been a tipping point telling her that what she was doing clearly wasn’t working, and she needed to figure something else out. 

Caleb was looking incredibly dapper in green, a color which accentuated his skin and brought out the color in his eyes. “Maybe especially a large one like this?” she hedged, a bit curious but also suspecting the bakery didn’t get orders like this too often, at least she didn’t hope so given the craziness of the past week. “Oh I barely did anything. This is all you, Charlie and Max.” she stated, waving the thank you away a little bit as unlike the rest she had no culinary experience to draw on, nor cashier experience either. But everyone had to start somewhere, right? At his question she gave a little nod. “I am, though the sheer number of people is both intimidating and overwhelming. Plus I have no idea how to dance so I’ve only been watching.” at that she shrugged her shoulders a bit. “How about you?” 

aiylaxbadem​:

closed

Aiyla wasn’t sure why she was here, or why she wanted to come in the first place. She supposed it was something childlike within her, vaguely remembering fairytales– wanting to dress up like a princess, go to a ball. But now that she was here all she wanted to do was go home, behind the safety of her locked door.

But she was safe here too. She just had to keep reminding herself of that. And at least it helped to have people here she trusted- so when she spotted Rana–looking unbelievable in the dress she’d chosen, Aiyla immediately went over to her, waiting until she caught the woman’s eyes to get her attention to reach for her hand, gripping a bit tight. “How do you..handle. Around all these people?”

@rana-bolat​

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Rana could have truthfully avoided the masquerade ball and been fine with that. She didn’t feel like attending a large event or dressing up since the only times she had ever done so in the past were to be shown off or to be a good little pet for someone. Still, Kadri and Aiyla had wanted to go, and they asked Rana to go. So, she’d agreed right away. Honestly, she’d do anything for them. They’d all go shopping together, Rana felt overwhelmed as she’d never gone shopping for herself or picked out the dresses in the end. But one red dress she tried on, the sisters insisted she’d get it, and so here she stood wearing the revealing red gown. Though, Rana felt comfortable, and did not feel exposed or revealing in the slightest. 

Leaving Aiyla’s side only to go find them drinks, she returned with three champagne flutes in her hand and gave one to each. With a now free hand, she squeezed Aiyla’s hand back. The younger woman was nervous, Rana could recognize it and wished to help soothe her. “I growl at them.” Rana answered, and thought of how she’d done so with the waiter to get him to stop so she could take drinks off his tray. “That usually keeps others away.” Growling and snarling had worked earlier in the evening whenever someone tried to approach her. “But I will not lie to you, I am comfortable being around so many.” She only could put on a good mask… under the very real mask. 

Kadri hadn’t been sure about going at first. Large crowds made her jumpy and claustrophobic, reminding her of the circus and all she and her sister had endured there. But then most of the people at her work and others she had met seemed as if they were going, and she had to admit it was probably healthy for her and Aiyla to be out in public like this. Unlike them Rana seemed perfectly at ease, though she suspected that poker face of hers might be misleading. Even now, amidst the full crowd all around them, she could tell her little sister was not able to relax, and honestly neither was she. Yet they were here and as much as her instincts told her to withdraw and run, she fought them. 

Rana’s answer made Kadri smile just a little. “I’m not sure its the soundest tactic in the long run though.” she noted, thought without judgement. Growling at people had to be satisfying to some degree. “I’ve found using the excuse of going to the bathroom works when I need space.” she offered, not sure if it would be as useful to Aiyla yet it had solved quite a few situations she’d found herself in. Taking a sip of the flute of champagne, she wrinkled her nose a little. The taste was bitter.. “Me either. Half the time I’m tempted to turn and run..” she admitted quietly to the other two.

Noticing Caleb surveying the serving table, she smiled at him. “The Tulumba Tatlısı turned out great. Everything looks amazing though.” she said appraisingly, hoping that he was pleased with and proud of the work he had done. 

Caleb always tried to be polite, regardless of if he was working or not, he always tried to place himself in the others shoes and try to make the best of a bad situation, he always told the people that worked for him that if something went wrong, they  could give things for free, they could let a costumer try things out until they find something they like, but disrespect wasn’t something Caleb tolerated.

He was at his office when he heard someone yelling and giving there were two close doors between him and the counter, the person was being very rude. Caleb stood up and made his way toward the front of the bakery to see what was happening. He immediately placed himself between them, trying to protect her and place her safely behind him as much as he could. “Leave.” He said in a quiet voice to the man that took a while to understand what was happening, and started to yell at Caleb, someone that was clearly taller and stronger than the stranger. “I don’t care what happened, you were disrespectful to her, now the next words that come of your mouth better be an apology to her, or you’re banned for life.” The guy bumped a half apology before leaving still angry. Caleb turned to Kadri and smiled  at her. “Why don’t you take a break?” he offered. ‘you can help me in the back for the rest of the day if you want.” Someone else could cover for her.

Most costumers were easy to sway, especially with the policies her bos had put in place. They were all given lots of outs if a costumer was upset in some way seeing as they were allowed to give out things for free, give samples and such. It made being up front with the demanding ones easier, and it made Kadri feel less anxious given that she had a tendency to be clumsy and the job was new to her. She sometimes couldn’t remember the names of the pastries or ingredients if a person was making her uncomfortable, so some seemed to have little patience with her compared to some of her co workers who seemed to remember it all by heart. Or if she counted the money wrong, which she had done every now and then, though less now than in the very beginning. Being able to say ‘oh have a muffin on the house’ to save the situation was incredibly helpful. 

No words were spoke between them, but Rana didn’t need words to know what was going through Kadri’s head. She could tell instantly it was the same ghosts that haunted her every night. It was the same memories that flashed behind her eyes each time she closed them. She knew that Kadri was losing herself to the memories of the horrors they endured all for the sake of survival. The same memories that Rana tried to comfort her in the middle of the night in the room that they shared for those few short years. “Kadri.” Rana whispered, knowing there was no real way to make them go away. They were part of all of them now. Instead, she stepped forward, and wrapped her arms around Kadri. The older shifter held the other close, the same way she did all those years ago for many nights. The same way she had to try and comfort Kadri then was now how she tried to comfort her. “I’m here.” She whispered the same words she had back then, holding Kadri even tighter as she tried to give her the only comfort she could. There was no promises of it being okay, no promises that she was alright. They knew the truth of the deaths at their hands, but Rana never felt ashamed for them. It was her survival, the only way out. It was the only way both sisters would live. Aiyla was like a daughter to her, but Kadri was like a sister. Funny, she no longer remembered what her own family looked like, but two young shifters had become family to her. “I’m here. You’re here. With me.” Rana whispered over and over again, gently rubbing at Kadri’s back and hair. 

It was terrorizing and blinding, the feeling of having taken someone’s life. On her good days Kadri could convince herself that she had done what she had to. And she didn’t walk around guilt ridden or wake up seeing the faces of the ones she had killed. But when triggered on the other hand, they came to mind quickly. As did the men she had slept with simply to guard her sister, or make sure they got food or clean clothes. The sound of her first masters voice in her ear as she was lead away from a match, his crooning ‘what a marvelous thing you are’. His arms ensnaring her, pressing her body against his. Kadri struggled, until Rana’s voice broke trough, finally. She had no idea how long she had been checked out, or if she’d managed to harm Rana in the process. Feeling the tears press on she let them out, her arms going around the other, hugging her fiercly as she cried. “I’m ss-orry I didn’t mean.. are you o-okay?” she managed in between the heavy sobs erupting from her chest. 

This customer however was yelling.. loudly. Enough that anyone within the bakery was a part of the conversation, and all were staring at her with different expressions, varying from horror to smugness to pity. Each time Kadri tried to apologize, to offer a replacement for the mans coffee, which was apparently not to his liking, he yelled over her. Feeling her hands begin to shake as the man got right up in her face, the shifter was seconds from crying. Luckily, the commotion had caught her bosses attention from the back it seemed. The smallest flash of relief flitted across her face when he emerged. “I’m sorry.. he.. he won’t listen to me..” she meekly apologized. 

Paradisus Ball 2022 Kadri Badem

Once they made it outside, his gaze turned back to her. His first instinct was to take her somewhere private, somewhere they could talk. He wasn’t mad, at all. This was his whole job really- but he was more so worried about her. Pulling her just off to the side, he watched her for a second. “Are you okay? Do you need anything?” He didn’t care what happened at this point. 

“I’m going to set it up with them that if anything happens again, they call me right away.” He mumbled, more so to himself. “I can drive you home? Or we can go get food?” 

Kadri wondered if this was how it was supposed to feel like, when you had made a huge mistake and had to call a family member to come help you out, even though you were a grown up and were supposed to be able to take care of yourself and not get in trouble like this. She had never been free of chains long enough to figure that all out when she was younger, though she didn’t like it one bit. Nor did she entirely know what to say or how to explain herself. She had seen a doctor once before after an outburst. One where the officers had decided she needed medical attention rather than to be put away. This time they had thought differently.. “I just.. not really.. I don’t know..” she answered, her tone still apologetic.  While she was sure his words were meant to be reassuring and to let her know he would help her again, all they did was make the terror in her chest increase tenfold as she tried to keep herself together. “It shouldn’t happen again.. I can’t afford for them to think I’m a liability or danger to others thats..” Shaking her head, fear evident on her features, she struggled to breathe evenly. “I.. I didn’t mean to hurt anyone Elijah I swear. I’m so sorry..” Food? Kadri had to blink a couple of times to fully comprehend what he’d asked. “”Food sounds good..” she quietly assented. 

“Don’t worry about it, if I don’t see you in a week, I will stop by and make sure you leave your apartment.” She said with a smile, everyone had their on time to deal with things, and trying to rush it was never good. “I travel a lot, bars are good place to get to know people and after many nights talking with bartender, I figure how hard it could be? I practice a little and here it is, is really not that hard, if you add too much alcohol you add more sugar to bounce it out and taste good. if you want I could teach you.” She chuckled. “If someone flip, I will personally kick them out.”

“Thank you Juliet. I need someone who don’t mind looking out for me a bit. My sister does but I feel bad putting to much on her. She has enough to deal with, you know?” she smiled softly back at her friend. Perhaps she could figure out something Juliet might need in return. “So you asked the bartender what it was like then? I mean thats clever. It probably looks harder than it is. I just don’t know what anything is supposed to taste like. No experience and all.” The offer to be taught did catch her attention though. Maybe she could start learning and have a job someday like Juliet did? “Would you? I’d like that.” she admitted with a wry smile. Hearing that she would kick someone out for her, Kadri chuckled softly. “I appreciate that. You won’t get in trouble for it though?”