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 Posted: Sun Dec 04, 2011 10:23 pm
You would've thought Reine might be used to random text messages right about now- she was. This particular one was from a character approaching almost legendary status: one Moon hunter by the name of Julie.
Reine had never met her before, but the smiley face Julie left at the end of the message was somewhat comforting. Caelius never thought to include smiley faces, the grouch- and so far, Dr. H hadn't had any reason to contact her.
Somewhat intrigued by the prospect of a 'special mission' that was likely not to involve guns or getting beaten over the head by a scythe, Reine slid her phone back into her pocket and headed over to the meeting place.
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Posted: Mon Dec 05, 2011 2:55 pm
Surprisingly, for a weekend afternoon, the kitchen was deserted when Reine entered the vicinity. And for a rather good reason, see: one Moon Hunter busy juggling two bowls, three metal trays, a bag of flour, and a spatula. It was pretty much like waiting for a disaster to happen as she suddenly turned around and noticed the trainee. A slow motion disaster waiting to happen as everything toppled.
CRASH.
A couple of seconds as Julie looked at the ground, at the bag of flour, who's broken contents were creating a sort of smoke-fog-snow effect in the entire room, and then at the cutlery and bowls, which were thankfully, smash proof. She contemplated the disaster for a couple more seconds before shrugging and scooping up some of the flour onto the ground onto the counter, whatever that accomplished, before smiling and waving at the trainee. "Oh, hi Reine! You are Reine right?"
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Posted: Mon Dec 05, 2011 5:41 pm
Cute.
If Julie hadn't been a higher-ranked hunter than she was, Otto might've gotten a new play buddy. There was no better word to describe Julie than 'adorable', especially with all that flour on her face.
And... around the room. Reine could only watch, frozen in shock, as everything toppled over, but then she was quickly walking over to help shovel flour onto the counter with Julie. Was it still.. usable? Reine had never been much of a cook or baker- there had been meal plans in the dorms, but she knew for sure you couldn't wash flour. It did seem a bit impractical, though, to try to scoop up all the flour with her bare hands, and so Reine did the next best thing- gather up the bowls and cutlery and stack them back neatly on the counter.
"Y..yep. Reine Walker, Life trainee. Pleased to meet you?"
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Posted: Mon Dec 05, 2011 6:38 pm
"Oh good," Julie clapped her hands together excitedly, coughing just slightly at the cloud of flour conjured from her fingertips - like magic! "I heard someone mention your name the other day, and I thought to myself, that name sounds really nice, it reminds me of sardines, so I thought that you would be best for this very covert mission." She waved grandly at the mess around her.
A couple more upturned bowls and various ingredients lay scattered on the counters: thankfully there were still three other bags of flour, a few measuring cups, butter, milk, and then the more questionable ingredients - the one that was moving in the bow and resembled a strange mix between a fox and a jellyfish with large wobbling sad eyes definitely fell into that category - all assorted together. "Anyway, this is a very important mission. First, put on an apron, go on, I have lots of heart-shaped aprons." She didn't wait for Reine before humming and walking over to an empty tray, picking up another spatula, holding it like a baton. Today, in our mission, we are going to make....", insert an entirely invisible drumroll here, "special cookies for the holidays."
The Moon Hunter took a second to bow at the imaginary clapping resulting from her great mission reveal.
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Posted: Mon Dec 05, 2011 7:07 pm
"S...sardines? Um.. thanks, yours.. reminds me of.. salmon? Wait no- w..who mentioned my name?" Was it Caelius? Did she have a terrible reputatio-- but hang on, if she did, why would she be called in for a covert mission? It didn't really make sense.. but Julie didn't seem to make a whole lot of sense, either, with all those leaps of logic.
Maybe a little flour had gotten into her brain.
Reine eyed the 'ingredients' suspiciously, and also somewhat curiously- there was clearly something moving in one of the bowls, even though she couldn't identify the creature.. or substance, and.. wait what, they were going to make cookies with.. with that thing?
"Um.. just to be clear, these aren't the kind of cookie.. you can get from the cafeteria, right..?"
She wasn't sure she wanted to be responsible for the effects those had on other people. But.. cookies? S..sure. Maybe she could sneak some for Evie, Otto, and Boss. And Robert probably. And Jude. Hand-made cookies.. the thought counted, right?
Slightly surprised by Julie's bow, Reine took that as a cue to cheer.
"Yaaaaay," she managed to say, clapping her hands.
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Posted: Tue Dec 06, 2011 2:59 pm
The Moon Hunter was already unpackaging and unloading several of the ingredients as Reine talked and cheered a little. Slicing a tentacle off the rather sad fox-jellyfish and watching it dissipate to inky blackness, she gave a small but happy nod. "I love salmon. When I was younger my dad and I used to go fishing together, and we would eat all the salmon heads and bones and throw away the rest for manure."
Another tentacle was sliced off with the same effect. "But yes, these are not simple cafeteria cookies, they are something more, Joy cookies blended with a home made sort of essence. In fact, we'll be making these cookies for everyone, so you understand why this mission is of the utmost importance right?" One had to wonder if all the other trainees Julie had asked had simply declined the invitation. "But after we are done, there will be enough for everyone, now, first things first. We'll need a rather large bowl, and enough flour - two bags should do it - and of course, some mixtures."
What exactly did Julie mean by 'mixtures'? There were at least fifty different ingredients on the counters that could have been a "mixture", and considering the Moon Hunter was busy slicing off tentacles of something very questionable and watching it dissolve to inkly blackness, it seemed as if these cookies would very much have to make themselves, or rely on Reine's prowess.
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Posted: Wed Dec 07, 2011 8:45 am
"I.. I thought the rest tasted pretty good, though.." Heh, fishing with her dad. An experience Reine had never had, though she didn't envy Julie. Maybe she'd gotten that weirdness from how her parents raised her. The trainee swallowed nervously as she watched Julie slice tentacles off the creature- at least, there were no screams of pain from it.. which made watching mildly less scarring.
She had to wonder what Julie meant by something more, though.. and then suddenly there was a feeling of nervousness- what, these cookies? For.. everyone?
Reine wasn't one to back away from a challenge, especially not one that concerned what seemed like the welfare of everyone else in the compound. The counter was cluttered with strange ingredients that she wasn't even sure she wanted to touch; though, she should trust Julie, shouldn't she? Reine didn't have much knowledge of baking other than 'throw things together', 'mix them up', 'stick them in the oven', 'remove before they burn'.
For now, she settled for separating the ingredients, arranging the less questionable ones closer to where she was standing. Flour, milk, eggs.. what else did you need for cookies? Butter maybe.. and cocoa powder? Grabbing a large mixing bowl, Reine attempted to lift one of the bags of flour, wobbling a little as she cut off a corner and poured-- wait, no, you were supposed to sift the flour..?
With an expression that said 'HELP PLEASE', Reine looked towards Julie.
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Posted: Wed Dec 07, 2011 12:27 pm
"Yes, that's like it, keep on mixing," Julie reinforced in a positive sort of attitude, directing Reine with her spatula baton, "I think after an hour of mixing that should do the trick, then we can bake them!" It would help if the Moon Hunter actually mentioned what to mix.
She turned around, humming and moving in slow dance-like steps as she wandered around the various corners of the kitchen, pulling out random pans, pushing in some more, before settling on the water tap, pouring into an extremely large clay urn a generous helping of water from the tap that was labeled rather clearly Specimen Water Tap.
Thankfully, if Reine searched around a little longer, she would see a very bright, colourful book half-hidden amongst the pile of ingredients, reading "The Holiday Cookbook". The first page had been dog-eared, and wrote:
Holiday Shortbread Cookies Recipe Shortbread Cookies: 2 cups (260 grams) all-purpose flour 1/4 teaspoon (2 grams) salt 1 cup (2 sticks) (226 grams) unsalted butter, room temperature 1/2 cup (60 grams) powdered (confectioners or icing) sugar 1 teaspoon (4 grams) pure vanilla extract For Chocolate Dipped Shortbreads: 6 ounces (180 grams) semi sweet or bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped MAKING COOKIES Reine is now attempting to bake cookies. First she must locate the ingredients in the room. - Roll a 100-sided dice and match the results below to your rolls. You can roll as many times as you like until you roll 80 - 100 (COMPLETE). - At the end of each result is a cookie count. Tally up all the cookie counts at the end of each post! 1- 20: You move the cupboards around and find an extra bag of supplies, thank god, considering everything else on the counter is super questionable. + 10 cookies 21 - 40: You're getting the hang of this and your cookie-making is doing pretty well. You'll be a professional baker in no time! + 20 cookies 41 - 60: Oops! You drop the bowl, crap! - 10 cookies 61 - 80: You suddenly have an epiphany while putting the cookies on the tray: if you use smaller cookie cutters, you can make more cookies! x2 cookie count 81 - 100: After what seemed like grueling hours searching for ingredients, pouring, mixing, finding cookie-cutters and then finally making the cookies, they are decorated for perfection on the pans, ready to go. Now you just need an oven... (+20 cookies)
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Posted: Thu Dec 08, 2011 10:14 am
Oh dear.
Instead of offering any help, Julie merely waved at her encouragingly, which Reine took to be a good sign. The smile on her face was strained with worry, though, as she looked down at the mixing bowl, then back at Julie.
As much as Reine thought it was important to respect the authority, Julie... wasn't behaving particularly authoritatively.. which meant.. it was okay to.. ignore her.. maybe?
Leaving the mixing bowls on the counter, Reine snuck around, hoping to find something that would help. Like.. a book. A book. There was an audible squeal of glee when Reine noticed it tucked under a bag of... questionable substance. Book! It was almost like welcoming an old friend back- because you could trust books, always.
There was a recipe right on the front page, and Reine read it carefully. Flour, butter, hm. It seemed they wouldn't need milk or eggs after all- but salt, sugar, and vanilla extract and chocolate.. Armed with some sort of direction, Reine's confidence returned to her, and again she sorted through the pile of ingredients for familiar things.
Deep breath. She could do this!
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danse-hexe rolled 1 100-sided dice:
100
Total: 100 (1-100)
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Posted: Thu Dec 08, 2011 10:16 am
Everything was that much easier with a recipe. Reine was smiling almost creepily to herself as she followed the instructions, putting everything together. It was kind of therapeutic, actually, and the batter tasted pretty good.
What was Julie doing? Reine had almost forgotten the other hunter even existed..Quote: 1- 20: You move the cupboards around and find an extra bag of supplies, thank god, considering everything else on the counter is super questionable. + 10 cookies 21 - 40: You're getting the hang of this and your cookie-making is doing pretty well. You'll be a professional baker in no time! + 20 cookies 41 - 60: Oops! You drop the bowl, crap! - 10 cookies 61 - 80: You suddenly have an epiphany while putting the cookies on the tray: if you use smaller cookie cutters, you can make more cookies! x2 cookie count 81 - 100: After what seemed like grueling hours searching for ingredients, pouring, mixing, finding cookie-cutters and then finally making the cookies, they are decorated for perfection on the pans, ready to go. Now you just need an oven... (+20 cookies)COOKIE TOTAL: 20
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danse-hexe rolled 1 100-sided dice:
25
Total: 25 (1-100)
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Posted: Thu Dec 08, 2011 10:19 am
The first bowl was ready, probably, so Reine moved on to the second. It was mostly just repeating the steps; hey, she could get used to this! Maybe someday she'd even bake cooler things, like brownies, or pies, or something. The possibilities were endless.
Before long, all the batter was ready. Humming to herself, Reine went to get trays, then covered them with baking paper. Now.. to cut the cookies. She picked out some cookie-cutters: heart, star, snowman, reindeer, christmas tree.. was that.. a scythe? Well, sure.. why not.Quote: 1- 20: You move the cupboards around and find an extra bag of supplies, thank god, considering everything else on the counter is super questionable. + 10 cookies 21 - 40: You're getting the hang of this and your cookie-making is doing pretty well. You'll be a professional baker in no time! + 20 cookies41 - 60: Oops! You drop the bowl, crap! - 10 cookies 61 - 80: You suddenly have an epiphany while putting the cookies on the tray: if you use smaller cookie cutters, you can make more cookies! x2 cookie count 81 - 100: After what seemed like grueling hours searching for ingredients, pouring, mixing, finding cookie-cutters and then finally making the cookies, they are decorated for perfection on the pans, ready to go. Now you just need an oven... (+20 cookies) COOKIE TOTAL: 40
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danse-hexe rolled 1 100-sided dice:
93
Total: 93 (1-100)
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Posted: Thu Dec 08, 2011 10:20 am
Cutting out cookies was almost more tedious than making the batter itself. It had been fun at first, but then it just got repetitive. Reine rolled the dough out with a rolling pin, then stuck cookie cutters in the dough, removed the excess, and started again. There was about enough for four trays now, and whether by chance or otherwise, Reine had managed to find sun (just circle, fine), moon, cloud and tree cookie cutters to go with the scythe one.
Well, as long as they worked. Soon the last cookies were done, and Reine paused a moment to admire her handiwork.Quote: 1- 20: You move the cupboards around and find an extra bag of supplies, thank god, considering everything else on the counter is super questionable. + 10 cookies 21 - 40: You're getting the hang of this and your cookie-making is doing pretty well. You'll be a professional baker in no time! + 20 cookies 41 - 60: Oops! You drop the bowl, crap! - 10 cookies 61 - 80: You suddenly have an epiphany while putting the cookies on the tray: if you use smaller cookie cutters, you can make more cookies! x2 cookie count 81 - 100: After what seemed like grueling hours searching for ingredients, pouring, mixing, finding cookie-cutters and then finally making the cookies, they are decorated for perfection on the pans, ready to go. Now you just need an oven... (+20 cookies) COOKIE TOTAL: 60
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danse-hexe rolled 1 100-sided dice:
85
Total: 85 (1-100)
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Posted: Thu Dec 08, 2011 10:43 am
Now the cookies were done and on trays, there was just the baking left to do- shouldn't be too hard, right? After all, it was just shoving the cookies in the oven, getting the temperature right.. and then waiting.
"Julie?" Reine called out to the other hunter. "I think I'm done with these, they're ready to be baked!"
Quote: 1- 20: You move the cupboards around and find an extra bag of supplies, thank god, considering everything else on the counter is super questionable. + 10 cookies 21 - 40: You're getting the hang of this and your cookie-making is doing pretty well. You'll be a professional baker in no time! + 20 cookies 41 - 60: Oops! You drop the bowl, crap! - 10 cookies 61 - 80: You suddenly have an epiphany while putting the cookies on the tray: if you use smaller cookie cutters, you can make more cookies! x2 cookie count 81 - 100: After what seemed like grueling hours searching for ingredients, pouring, mixing, finding cookie-cutters and then finally making the cookies, they are decorated for perfection on the pans, ready to go. Now you just need an oven... (+20 cookies)COOKIE TOTAL: 80
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Posted: Thu Dec 08, 2011 11:29 am
There was a light crash, a shuffle, and then a squeal as Julie intercepted Reine and admired the handiwork. The Moon Hunter beamed. "See, with a little bit of magic and help from Mr. Wiggles, anyone can do it!" Without another word, she grabbed the tray, hopped down a few aisles, and shoved it into the second closest oven she could find: hopefully it had been preheated.
"Anyway, now, we will need frosting and of course, toppings for the cookies. It just isn't the same if the cookies are not decorated after all, it's the decoration that gives it personal flavour." Before Reine could even so much as ask, Julie pulled out what she had been working on the entire time: a large white bowl of white well... it might have been frosting. If it wasn't sporting giant lucks of Rather Questionable Material. It didn't even look like Julie had whipped the concoction evenly, and - was that an eyeball sticking out? The Moon Hunter passed the bowl to the trainee, complete with spatula. "Be a dear and whip the frosting won't you, I'm going to find some more toppings for the cookies."
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Posted: Fri Dec 09, 2011 5:17 am
Success! Reine practically glowed with pride when Julie seemed impressed- but.. what magic? What.. Mr. Wiggles? She'd done it all on her own.. And what had Julie been doing in that time?
Reine stared at the bowl she was handed. A small voice in her head told her no, don't touch that, but she swallowed and ignored the warning, accepting the bowl from Julie and placing it gingerly on the counter. She wasn't even sure what it was; could you call this frosting? Whatever it was, Reine didn't feel like she wanted to put it over her perfect cookies.
Perhaps.. she could replace it with her own frosting? Except she didn't know how to make frosting, and the recipe book wasn't helpful. Sighing, the trainee resigned herself to fate and started stirring the bowl, hoping it would look better after a little bit of work.
She looked at the contents of the bowl. Maybe.. a lot of work.
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