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 Posted: Mon Feb 13, 2012 12:42 pm
"Really? You should have said so earlier. We could have thought up something else when the teacher announced we had to taste it." Percival was not one who cared to make others try something they did not care for. Making someone put anything in their mouth that they said they did not like just felt too pushy and controlling after all.
Percival gave a glance into the oven to peek on the progress of their pie through the glass window. Their pie was small... so fifteen minutes would give them more then enough time to make the apple poinsettias. The caramel was safely warming in it's new glass bowl...and Percival felt like he was now wasting time. He rubbed his palms together and decided after a moment to start cleaning up their station. The dirty bowls he piled into the sink and began to run the water. He would leave the apple slicing to Siemon for now. "So..." He decided to start up a random topic. "Do you live close or are you staying in a dorm?"
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Posted: Sun Feb 19, 2012 12:28 am
Siemon merely shrugged at the exclamation. "Well, just because I don't like it isn't a reason to leave it off. Besides, there's not much else we could have paired with apples to make it work, and apples alone would look more unadorned." He was used to talking smoothly in order to avoid revealing how hard a time he had eating certain things. It only became a difficulty when he hung around a select group often enough to arouse suspicion when he rejected item after item. All the more reason to avoid social interaction unless, like at the moment, it was absolutely necessary.
Laying the subject to rest, Siemon selected an apple and began the task of slicing it, taking care not to make the slice too thick and gently scooping out the tough flesh of the core and making the slices more attractive as well. He kept a wary eye on Percival, hoping that the other's tidying up would not have him reveal the bowl of sugar thrust deep within one of the lower cupboards. "I am in a dorm on campus." He felt that was all there was to say on the matter. He had a dorm on what was designated the 'quiet floor'; the place for the one who would rather dedicate themselves to studying than partying and sneaking out looking for girls to accost. As a result, he seldom saw his roommate, who loved to party hearty and had only been bunked with him because nothing else was available except the one room, of which Siemon had really wanted to himself. As a result, the other boy often found cause to sleep in other dorms, and liking the arrangement, Siemon wasn't about to rat him out to anyone.
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Posted: Tue Mar 06, 2012 12:05 am
Clean up was relatively easy at this point. Primarily because everything was still wet to a degree. Percival washed, rinsed, then dried each of the tools they had used while listening with one ear to Siemon and one ear for the buzzer on their stove. "A dorm huh?" He spoke up when he heard about the others living arrangement. His lips curled upwards and he set one of the bowls aside to finish air drying."I have a dorm room as well. It's a rather nice one too, corner room. When it get's too stuffy I can open windows on two walls and get a small cross breeze." He dries his hands off and turns back to face Siemon. As he had assumed that what they had used was out in the open, Percival did not bother to check through the cupboards for any other stray bowls.
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Posted: Sun May 06, 2012 1:35 pm
Seeing that his partner was already well into washing and drying, Siemon decided after finishing with the apples to stand by the oven and watch the cheesecake giving off little wisps of steam that could barely be seen in the garish oven light. He sniffed the air appreciatively; palatable or not, he enjoyed all kinds of wonderful food smells, especially when he already had caught the distinct whiff of a D- or below coming from a few stations down. It almost smelled as though they had tried to mix fish in their recipe; either that or something had gone terribly wrong with theirs. At least theirs would SMELL like a cheesecake!
Siemon tried to recollect any distinguishing features his own room might have that he could tell Percival about, but really the most redeeming quality was the constant absence of his room mate. "It's good to have the window open, but I try to keep the door closed; some people take an open door as an invitation to just walk right in, and it's never me they're looking for anyway." Hearing the ding of the timer saved him from trying to scrounge up anything more interesting to say, and Siemon reaches over, turns off the oven and after adorning oven mitts, carefully reaches in to pull out the steaming cheesecake. "I say we give it a little time to cool in case the extra heat makes the caramel go everywhere. Maybe in the last 5 minutes we can decorate it." He glanced over at the clock, which indicated that they had about that much time left, give or take a minute. "Shall we find a decorative plate?"
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Posted: Sun May 06, 2012 5:51 pm
Percival felt like their conversation was growing slightly strained. He didn't want to push and stretch it out to the point it became uncomfortable. They did have the rest of the semester to hammer out any possible awkward social interactions after all. Percival leaned himself back against the counter and watched as Siemon would pull the cheesecake from the oven. he leaned forwards a little to sniff lightly at the air near their oven. He was doing his best not to look around at the other students. While some were clearly doing a fine job with their cakes, there was the underlying scent of burnt crust and scorched filling. Percival didn't want to make the other students think he was a snob by wrinkling his nose in their direction.
Instead he glanced at the clock. If they let it cool...they would be cutting it close. "It's a good idea to give it time to chill...what about popping it into the fridge over there?" He suggested with a point of a finger to one of the large stainless steel refrigerators lining one side of the room. "It'll cool down more quickly and give us more time to add the decorations. So we can arrange the apple decorations precisely and avoid making a mistake." He tilted his head a little towards Siemon for a little feedback on his part.
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Posted: Sun May 06, 2012 7:32 pm
Siemon would have been delighted had he known that his cooking partner was feeling the same way about the conversation they were making as they worked. He was never really one to be particularly social; physical traits aside, he just wan't up to being a part of a body that talked and laughed and joked about things before going off to drink away the memory of the homework waiting up in their dorms. He intended to make the most of the education he was receiving her; if he stuck to it and kept earning respectable marks, then maybe......no, he shook his head slightly at the thought. His parents were sure to hold the expense of his education over his head forever. He would never be able to do what he really wished to do with his life, no matter how much he succeeded at living.
Nodding and moving over there quickly to open the door of the refrigerator, Siemon shoved the thoughts away as easily as he pushed the cheesecake onto a shelf to cool, closing the door and leaving his thoughts to meander among the cartons of milk and eggs. Shutting the door, he turned and walked back to his station, casting glances back at it constantly, as though afraid another group might open the door and drive a fist into their cooling A+. He tilted his head and offered a sideways smile to Percival. "I think we've got a wonderful grade cooling in that fridge. My thanks to you for your help; I'm glad I got a partner who knew more about this than I did."
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Posted: Tue May 15, 2012 1:28 am
Since there really was nothing left to do, Percival finally let his eyes wander about. He couldn't help but look with mild disbelief upon another team as they plopped whipped cream on top of their cake. Well..he supposed that would do for a topping, but he was sure it would just melt from the warmth of the cake beneath. He turned his gaze back towards Siemon. "I have to agree. I know we'll ace this class without a problem." He said with a nod of his head. "Your not too bad of a partner either you know. I mean, you could be the sort that doesn't like to follow instructions, or constantly substitutes one thing for another." Percy remarked as he thought about how Siemon could be a bad partner. "Or you could just stand there texting while I did all the work. Or you could have been a partner that just had bad hygiene. I wouldn't be able to stand it if you tried to make food with unwashed hands!" Of course, by the time he finished thinking and listing all the bad ways Siemon could be a partner, he noticed how close to the end time it was. The teacher had begun to walk around to some of the students that seemed to need help finishing in order to give them little nudges. "Hmm. I think we should decorate now?"
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Posted: Sat May 19, 2012 10:58 pm
Siemon merely shrugged as he let his gaze settle on the same group that his partner had seen, shaking his head at the already drooping pile of whipped cream. Good luck getting THAT into an appealing arrangement. "I'm just not thick enough to hide it when I'm out of my league in something." He wisely didn't address the part about substituting, though he did feel a stab of remorse; if the teacher found out that the sugar was artificial and mentioned it to them, his partner might never forgive him. Not that he had ever really intended to make friends in any of his classes; attachments involved too much....sharing. But he had to admit he had enjoyed himself in the short 45 minutes he had spent with Percival, and if he had to choose someone as a friend out of the school so far, he would likely be it, and he realized that at the moment he really did care what the other thought of him.
He nodded and walked over to the fridge to pull out the cheesecake. It had stiffened up nicely, and the color looked the way he figured it should. It was going to look marvelous with their toppings. He brushed past the station with the two whipped cream miscreants and placed the pan on their counter. "Right then, let's get this onto a decorative plate, and then once we decorate it, perhaps we should get a slice ready to go for the teacher."
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Posted: Sat Jul 21, 2012 8:58 am
Percival could not help the wide and unabashed grin that parted his lips to reveal not quiet perfectly straight teeth. "Nothing wrong with that. It just means I'll know when to step in and take over." He commented with the hint of a laugh in his voice. Siemon looked like a standoffish geek. Well...he acted a little like one too. What with the hair and glasses and clearly how quiet he was. But he clearly had enough humanity in him not to be an annoyance or a bore. While he went off to fetch the cheesecake, Percival busied himself attending some last minute details with the apples. Such as taking them out of the water they had been set aside in. He paused though as he eyed the white surface. Damn! He had forgotten something! After sitting in the air for a bit, the apples were going to discolor. If only they had time for him to quickly dip them in some sugar water glaze! Frowning some, he eyed the caramel and made a quick decision to just coat them in that. He hoped they didn't look too messy, but with the drizzling they were going to do he figured it would hide the tell tale signs of drippage.
Percival placed the bowl on the table between himself and Siemon once he returned, and quickly explained his move while lifting the apple slices out and dragging the wide edge with the peel still on it across the rim of the bowl. "I forgot that the apple would discolor when exposed to the air. if I'd been thinking properly I would have made a sugar glaze to coat it. But we've got no time. So we'll have to use the caramel to protect the apples from becoming oxidized." He nodded his head to the bowl and began to carefully arrange the apple piece. "Help me with this, I'm not sure if we'll have time to cut and arrange the slice before she get's to us."
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Posted: Sat Jul 21, 2012 9:22 pm
Luckily not realizing how close he had come to getting a small dose of sugar anyway despite all of his subterfuge, Siemon watched with interest as Percival moved the apples through the caramel. "I hadn't realized that they would brown as quickly as that. Good thinking." He nodded and moved to cut the rest of the slices. "If I cut them and you dip and arrange them, we should have just enough time. After all, the teacher has to judge some others before ours, I'm sure, and judging by the way some of these look, she's bound to have a few good words with some of these teams."
He grabbed the rest of the apple and began to painstakingly slice it into dainty wedges, making sure to run the knife in a small arc around the tough inner edge to remove any trace of the unpalatable core. It was sure to look brilliant and taste just as good as it looked!
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Posted: Sun Jul 22, 2012 12:14 am
Percival had to admit that they worked rather well together. As Siemon sliced off a piece of apple, Percival would finish arranging the one he was working on. Like clockwork they made quick work of the apple, and soon Percy was just casually dangling a knife over the cheesecake, allowing a thin stream of caramel to make fashionable loops over the creamy yellow surface.
It seemed that Siemon was correct though, as the teacher did not make it to their station before they were done with their pie. Percival licked at his fingers, sucking the caramel off them before he took the initiative to move on to cutting a slice for the teacher. he had just nudged the slice into the center of the small paper plate when she stepped before them and smiled.
'Well now! This is a lovely cheesecake. The best I've seen in this class on the first day. You two boys really seem to have a good 'chemistry' for this." She lightly teased before taking the slice and tasting it. Percivals heart rose into his throat while he watched her taste their cheesecake. Normally he never had any doubts but...there was always a first time to get something wrong?
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Posted: Sun Jul 22, 2012 12:49 am
Whew! Siemon took a deep breath and relaxed for a moment, watching the teacher shake her head and click her tongue at the station across the way, with their overcooked cheesecake dripping with melted whipped cream. He sure had been given a remarkable bit of luck, having someone so competent at cooking as his partner. Granted, he likely wouldn't have burned his cheesecake or made a gooey mess of the topping, but he doubted he would have been able to scrape anything more than a B, which the way his parents carried on, might as well have been an F.
He held his breath as the teacher approached; he knew that she had a very good palate, and would likely taste the oddness in theirs, but he hoped sincerely that the flavor would come through in the end and banish any taste that she thought shouldn't be there. He smiled politely as she complimented the cheesecake, then his heart gave an alarming thud as she placed the morsel-laden fork in her mouth. He watched intently as she swirled it around in her mouth, envisioning her tongue as it absorbed every molecule, identifying and judging. It was all he could do to exhale as she placed the fork down and said, "A pretty bold move, but it worked well for you two. An A for the both of you; well done." She winked as she pointed to the remaining slice. "Mind if I keep this for later?"
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Posted: Sun Jul 22, 2012 2:58 am
Unlike his partner, Percival smiled easily when the teacher took her time sampling their cake. Confidence he had of course. Though when she'd mention a bold move he found himself looking at the cheesecake curiously. Maybe she was referring to the apple wedges? "Thank you Ma'am." He politely replied, then nodded when she asked for the slice. "Of course!"
Percival waited for her to move along, before he glanced to Siemon. "Think she was talking about the apples or the caramel? I don't think caramel is that hard to make, but if she thinks it was a 'bold move' then this class is going to be insanely easy. I may stop trying." He found himself teasing as he moved to pick up the knife he'd used earlier. "You want to get some wrap for the cheesecake to take home with you? I'm only going to need a small slice, as I don't have a mini-fridge in my dorm room sadly."
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Posted: Sat Aug 04, 2012 7:49 pm
"Er.....probably just the apples. But hey, we got an A, and chances are even if the apples had browned, we would still be the best of this lot." Siemon's nerves still felt completely out of tune as the reality that he had pulled off his swap successfully sunk in. The teacher had liked it anyway, and his partner, none the wiser, wasn't angry. This had turned out to be a pretty good session! Siemon smiled to himself as he stood there; perhaps later on he would endeavor to finish his homework early and put the entire escapade down in a comic strip. He would just have to make sure that his partner never saw it, which would be relatively simple; he never showed anyone his comics.
"Sure." Siemon nodded and smiled as he moved to pull out some paper plates and plastic wrap. "It's not too hard to obtain one, and they're relatively inexpensive. You just have to disguise your food to ensure that it doesn't get eaten by your slovenly roommates. I find that putting it in a paper bag with 'TOFU' written on it does the job well."
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Posted: Sun Aug 26, 2012 6:54 pm
Apples... could it have been the apples? Percival eyed their cheesecake critically for a moment, then let it go. If they had passed then that was all that mattered. If it had caused them to fail then it would have been more of a concern for him. Percival claimed the cutting knife that had been used earlier and gently cut himself off a nice hunk of the cake. Just because he wasn't taking half didn't mean he was going to shave off a dieters slice! Using the knife, he transferred it to a paper plate, then pushed the rest to Siemon to wrap for himself.
"Ah, my parents barely manage the tuition on this place for me. I could never ask them for something like that. Though I would have no problem with any theft." Percival grinned some as he washed the knife off in the sink. "I don't have a room mate yet. I think I really lucked out. I pushed both beds together and gave myself the extra double twin special. Now I can sprawl out on my bed when I sleep."
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