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The woman's eyes jumped over to Talin. "Uh..."
Which was when Elma, my class instructor, arrived, stuck in the hall behind us. "Ati, she's with us."
Talin moved over to let my instructor in, but Ati was getting even more flustered. "A Priestess of the Body?"
"Temptation," I corrected.
Elma just gestured to me as if that explained it all. "This is the new Priestess with all five Paths. The Chosen of Zeal, some say. And, I can assume this is your guardian, Nariana?"
"Yes," I assured her. "Talin was adamant that he shadow me. He also promised he'll stay out of the way."
"Wherever works," Talin told both of the women. "I'm afraid the kitchens aren't exactly filled with guardians, and I can't stand the idea of letting my ward out of my sight."
"There's a table over there," Ati told him, gesturing to the corner. "And the cookies are fresh. Help yourself, Priest." Then she looked at me. "You will definitely need an apron."
"Spoiled bitch."
The words were grumbled by a guy I'd never met before. His dark hair was disheveled and he had dark rings under his eyes like he hadn't slept well in weeks. He was also glaring at me.
"Sorry," I mouthed at him.
He just huffed and turned away, blending with the rest of the group who was waiting for my mess to be handled. Lately, it felt like every time I tried to do anything, it turned into a circus as I had to explain that yes, this was my duty, and yes, I was seriously interested in learning about it. This time, the other students were the ones paying for it, though. Not me.
"Ok," Ati said as she passed me an apron. "For the rest of you, I am the head cook at this temple. Now, there are more aprons on the shelf at the back. When you come in, you will be expected to find a clean one and put it on. Then you will wash your hands and form up with four to a table. The dish in the center is what you will be making. Let's go."
Because I'd just been given an apron, I made my way to the sink, scrubbing my hands while the rest were clustered by the shelf. I finished and then moved to look at the options. There was a roasted ham on one, a vegetable dish on another, and then I saw a pie. Heading that way, I claimed the first spot, deciding that dessert sounded a lot more exciting than dinner.
One by one, the other students did the same thing. Some went right for the main course table. Others wandered, checking all the options before making their decision. Then the grumpy guy walked past, shoving his shoulder into mine intentionally. Across the room, Talin jumped to his feet. I simply lifted a hand, keeping him from doing anything about it.
"Trade with me," the jerk told someone at the table behind me.
"No," a girl replied. "I've been waiting to learn how to make casseroles. You'll end up in laundry anyway. Make the pie."
"I'll fail at the pie," he snarled.
"You just don't want to work with the Priestess."
He huffed and stormed back, claiming the spot across from me. The guy wasn't even shy about glaring as he said, "Hope you enjoy slumming it, and you just picked the hardest thing in the room."
I couldn't decide if he was trying to convince me to change tables or just scare me off, but it didn't matter. There wasn't another empty spot, and I'd actually been excited about this for a moment. Just to keep the peace, I said nothing.
"Don't listen to Polst," the girl beside me whispered. "He hates all cooking courses - and pretty much anyone who isn't in Obligation."
"I'm Nari," I told her.
"Odette," she said. "I sit behind you in Elma's class. Well, a few rows back, but I've seen you." Then she leaned in. "Your guardian is rather impressive."
I laughed at that. "I'm pretty fond of him. He's also a pain in my ass at times."
"Clearly a shitty Priestess of the Body, then," Polst grumbled. "It's not supposed tohurt."
The guy beside him chuckled, doing his best to muffle it. "Sorry," he told me even as his cheeks blushed.
"It's those rings, you know," I joked. "Just chafe in the worst ways. Not enough lube in the world."
Odette giggled too this time, but the blushing guy actually smiled. "Norris, Priestess."
"I'm just Nari," I reminded him. "Simply another Obligation student, right?"
