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-Unpacking

Open for Business- Holi finds herself with an uninvited guest. Fortunately, they're mostly harmless.

((post "Open for Business"))

OK. One. More... one more little dab... right... there...and...

"Done." She heaved a sigh as she drew back, pressing her free hand to the base of her spine as it cramped in protest, and dipped the tiny brush into a glass of water. The tea cups, a new batch since her visitor (thankfully she'd had more empty ones cooling), were now decorated with tiny, delicate floral patterns and swirls, and waited for a new batch of mouse (She'd gone ahead and added the tiny flecks of Vanilla Bean seeds after all, creating a richer vanilla flavor in the white chocolate mouse. She'd also decided to add a tiny sprinkling of, instead of cocoa, colored sprinkles. This set would get fall colors, orange and brown and gold, because thanksgiving was coming up, but if these succeeded, she planned delicate Christmas trees on the cups and red and green sugary dusting. Christmas wasn't her 'go to' Holiday because of her Birthday, but she knew for many people it was, and they might be more lightly to indulge in the delicate chocolates as an attempt to cling tightly to the Holiday Spirit.

Lord knew in Destiny City the Christmas Spirit could use all the help it could get. Things just tended to be weird like that. Please GOD let there not be some new strange incident like the snow storm a few years ago, it would destroy her plans if some literal Ice Queen decided to kill everyone's interest in anything snow related.

"...I suppose I've got to figure out what to give people for Christmas." She could, she guessed, make them things, but there was also the question of who SHOULD she make things for? Zia would get bittersweet chocolate of course. Maybe truffles with a little sea salt and a sweet and slightly bitter dark filling. Or a set of cups like this, but dark, except for a dab of 'whipped cream' on the chocolate. Cocoa cups. Alfheim... ooh. She didn't even know. Should she get something for Alfheim? They'd argued... but then she was trying to pitch him on the idea of selling her chocolates. Maybe she should... but what did he even like? He was a guy... chocolate footballs? No that was stupid... she'd have to ask Zee's advice. She didn't even know if she should give the other knights chocolate. She hadn't talked to them at all really. She liked Eden well enough, but she'd only met her once and had no idea if she could even find her again....

"Ugh I hate this time of year." She sighed, starting to fill a piping bag with mouse. "It's my birthday but I get to hand out all the presents."

No that was just being bitter. She couldn't help the day she'd been born, and she knew her father would give her something thoughtful. Something that didn't come in red and green and Christmas tree paper, and that was probably the present that would mean the most. Her mother would probably give her another Nutcracker, and she would dutifully display it until she had an excuse to hide it somewhere, not that there was much storage in this apartment, but she'd do it anyway. Thanksgiving would be more fun. She already had plans to go back to her ho.... her parents home, and have turkey and cranberry sauce and all the fixings. She'd been sworn to 'just relax', no chocolate, just sit back and enjoy the pumpkin pie, but she'd already made a batch of maple fudge and put it in the freezer, so she could say she'd 'just had it around' when the time came. It was all about the little ways around the rules.

"I need to go shopping." She sighed, starting to carefully swirl mouse into the cups. Delicately, delicately, don't leave any big holes... there... just like that. "I wish this place had a stove, there's only so much I can do with a hot plate and a microwave."

If Wishes were horses, beggars would ride too. And if turnips were watches, she'd wear one by her side. Ha.

She'd always liked that nursery rhyme.

Really it boiled down to affordability. She couldn't get a larger place without a room mate, and she wasn't sure there was a room mate in the world who was prepared to deal with someone who was still in a delicate state of mental health. Maybe forever.

...She paused, took a deep breath and lifted the tip of the piping bag before she made a mess, squeezing her eyes shut.

No. She wasn't going to be broken forever. Slowly, slowly, she'd put herself back together. Maybe she'd never be the way she used to be, but she wasn't an porcelain cup. There was no reason she shouldn't be able to put herself back together better than before. Stronger than before.

There was no reason at all.

((821 words))

Reg-Night Time Catch Ups- Hara and Athene

It's sort of embarrassing to have gotten sealed inside a watermelon, but that' no reason not to catch up with people.

Solo- Sweet Sweet Tidings

She wasn't sure still if she should fairly call this her idea, or if it was Athene's idea... or perhaps it was a bit both of their ideas... but she was going to make it work... somehow. Even if folding up an invitation and cramming it into a signet ring and sending it to every knight she could think of off the top of her head was arguably more difficult than trying to make a batch of marzipan in a small, limited kitchen. She had managed to get the invitations sent out, with notes to pass it along... and even heard back from a party interested in running a "Secret Senshi" thing, which was, basically, secret Santa, only with magical space people taking the title billing instead of a jolly old man.

She hadn't been entirely sure of the title, it seemed a bit unnecessarily senshi focused, but the idea was nice, and the buy in was low... so she'd allowed it.

"....Oh god maybe this was a horrible idea. Maybe I should call it off. Maybe I shouldn't call it off but maybe I should just use store bought marzipan instead. Would that be awful? Would they be able to tell the difference? I could tell the difference..."

She anxiously paused, eying the directions as she considered the process. Maybe she should ask Noah? Well... maybe she should ask Zia to ask Noah to use his kitchen. They did baking and stuff there. Would it be a problem to use the space after hours?

It probably would. It was probably an insurance thing. Everything was an insurance thing. Except making marzipan. That was a space thing... and a blanching almonds thing.

"Oh wait... this recipe just uses ground almonds or almond meats, maybe that will work. Did I have that grinder still? Oh god, I think I left it with mom... wait... no... it's in the back of the... oh hell. Where did I put that step stool? Do I have enough chocolate? I have tons of chocolate. Do I have en... ugh. I must be CRAZY."

She stopped dead in the middle of her tiny kitchenette, held out her hands in the universal gesture to stop, as though that would make an impact of the stressful sensation that the world around her was going far, far too fast in it's orbit, and took a deep, long breath, letting it out slowly, forcing her dark eyes to close gently.

Deep breaths. Relax.

"Ok Holi. You can do this. You've always wanted to do chocolates for a large event... this is just... a large event with a... challenging work space. Take it slow, do things in batches... everything will be. Just. Fine. Other people will help, you just need to do your part. You can do this. Everything is fine. Everything. Is. Fine."

-475 Words

[Reg]-Cocoa and Carols

Slightly more drama than cocoa, but things will work out right? There's Booze afterall!

[bat]A spar between friends

http://www.gaiaonline.com/guilds/viewtopic.php?t=24148923