|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 Posted: Sat Aug 29, 2015 9:49 am
"Alright, we'll have to make them sometime so I can eat them properly," Maia said. He seemed to know so much about cooking, maybe he knew a way to make sugar cookies taste better. "Ooh, we can do that. No cookie cutters required! Do you think other agents would like them? Maybe I could give things out to residents at some point...."
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Aug 29, 2015 9:57 am
Toby laughed. Well, she had a good head for teasing at least. Maybe she just flat-out didn't like sugar cookies but he couldn't imagine how.
"I'm sure the other agents would be honored to get a cookie from you, Maia. As for residents, we only have a couple right now not including you and Dari." Nobody stays in the apartments long, if they can help it. The monthly stipend was put in place mostly so entities could afford renting housing rather than living on-base.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Aug 29, 2015 10:44 am
Maia beamed. So the agents would be happy to get a cookie; yes they'd do that next. "I'll wait to do residents until there's more. I want to meet them, maybe they would like to play tennis. Or go swim." She looked towards the table. "When will they be done?" She asked.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Aug 29, 2015 11:15 am
"You could always ask!" Of course one of them was a ghost, and Maia had already made it very clear how she felt about them. Toby was also fairly certain he wouldn't want to swim or play tennis, at least not in the way entirely corporeal entities did.
"Well..." Toby mused aloud, "Four minus eight, two at a time... in a little over a half hour? Then we have to wait for them to cool before we can frost them. Otherwise the frosting melts. We don't have to just stand around here, though, we can do other things until the oven goes off."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Aug 29, 2015 11:39 am
"Want to read with me while we wait for the buzzer?" Maia asked. "I've been practicing. I don't have any books, though," she looked to Toby, curiously. Maybe he'd have something she could read? "And then when the cupcakes are ready, Dari can help us frost them!"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Aug 29, 2015 11:49 am
Toby was a bit thrown off by the offer if only because he was in no way associated with Maia's classes. He'd have thought she'd want to read with Dari or on her own but he wasn't about to deny her something so special.
"Sure," he said with a nod, "We have some books. I'm not sure if you'll like any of them but we can try. Come on." He nodded for Maia to follow him to the bookcase to pick out a novel.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Aug 29, 2015 12:18 pm
Maia followed Toby to the book case. She waited for him to make a suggestion, as She couldn't read the titles. Toby had complained about Gaelic being difficult, but it was English she was having trouble with. So many silent letters and things that didn't sound like they were spelt. She didn't feel confident sounding things out.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Aug 29, 2015 12:22 pm
Toby ended up consulting Dari for a book suggestion. They both knew that violence, gore and horror were not necessarily best for the selkie. Dari was able to produce a collection of short stories he was fairly certain didn't involve any stabbing or violent death as Grimm's fairytales were wont to do. Curiously, he also offered to go take the cupcakes out of the oven when the timer went off. Toby thought that was a little strange, but he was pretty comfortable here beside Maia on the couch.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Aug 29, 2015 12:32 pm
The short stories were a big hit. Maia followed along as Toby read, and by the second story, she'd started trying to sound things out in order to read to him. She didn't know Dari we'll enough to be suspicious of his offer to take the cupcakes out of the oven, but that meant more time to practice! And she really was enjoying this time with Toby.
When the cupcakes were ready she was almost disappointed to have to stop. "Can we read more later?" she asked. "Maybe tomorrow?"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Aug 29, 2015 12:36 pm
Toby grinned broadly when Maia began to sound things out for herself. It was slow going, but he was proud that someone so new to the written language would be so determined to get it right.
"Well, we're back to work tomorrow, but I'm sure we'll have time to read again. You'll have class anyway." He smiled to Maia and nudged her with his elbow.
"Hey, I bet the first batch is cool enough to frost."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Aug 29, 2015 12:44 pm
"After class, I'll be even better," she certainly was confident. Learning was more fun than she could have imagined, before coming here. She beamed at him. "Yes, tomorrow night before bed?"
"Lets go frost them," she said. "I bet Dari will want to help. Then we get to taste test!"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Aug 29, 2015 12:49 pm
"Oh. Alright, if you want to." The offer smacked of childhood ritual, but if Maia was enjoying it and it was helping her learn then what was the harm? Toby stood and nodded for Maia to follow back out to the kitchen. The first batch, two pans' worth, sat on cooling racks. Toby touched the paper of one between thumb and forefinger and found them cool. He nodded.
"Do you want to pipe it on or spread it on?" he asked as he retrieved the frosting in its bowl. He still wasn't sure this would be enough.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Aug 29, 2015 1:18 pm
Maia followed Toby back out into the kitchen. The first batch was ready to be frosted, just as he'd thought it would be. "Pipe it on?" she asked, not understanding. There was more than one way to frost a cupcake? "Er. Which ones prettiest?" she asked.
"Dari, want to help frost cupcakes?"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Aug 29, 2015 1:28 pm
"Sure," Dari responded, setting a hot tray down. Toby realized with some horror that he had removed it with his bare hands. It was purely instinctual; humans couldn't touch burning pans with their hands but beings with no sense of pain or heat and a high boiling temperature clearly could.
"You alright?" he asked.
Dari nodded, smiling and wiggling his fingers at them.
Toby turned back to Maia then. "Piping is prettier, but it's a little harder. There's no harm in trying, though." He went into a far cabinet and pulled out a box of piping bags and began to full one, stretching the top over a cup and using the spatula to scrape it in. No tips this time. There were too many people for that.
With one bag done he handed it to Dari, who just stood there with it. The second he kept in his hands.
"I'll show you and then you can do them, alright?" He held up a hand. "If you like it, I mean."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Aug 29, 2015 1:54 pm
Maia had noticed as well. She crossed her arms, staring at Dari. "Don't do that again," she instructed. "You could get hurt!" Hot pans meant burns, she knew that from experience. Burns hurt.
She listened to Toby and nodded. Yes, she would feel much better with his demonstrating first. "Alright," she agreed. This would be great!
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Reply
