To see an opera

[sunbaked_baker]

(Up in her room, Rae gets ready.)


When Sunshine comes down the stairs, today, she may not look wholly like herself. The baker is usually seen in the bar wearing bright t-shirts or sweaters, with colorful jeans and sneakers, her hair up in a ponytail or held back by a likewise colorful kerchief. One colorfully casual customer.

Today her hair is down, tumbling about her scarred shoulders in loose waves of red, and what she wears is not her normal style at all.

She takes care with her steps, and not just because of the silver heels that grace her feet. As she moves down the stairs, Rae consciously straightens her spine against the fluttery nervous feeling in her stomach, and hopes it will soon pass.

This is going to be an enjoyable outing. Rae refuses to let her feelings of self-consciousness mar it.



(ooc: Sunshine will likely be out of the bar for a while after this, so any and all threads are welcome, but will be millitimed to before her thread with Hannibal Lecter.)

Comments

[sunbaked_baker]

"Those customers who got in after we ran out of what few cinnamon rolls there were coped admirably with the disappointment," Sunshine says, fond of her people.

"I should branch out and try my hand at growing more herbs at home," she says, returning. "They might be happy on my balcony - it gets sun most of the day."

Of course it does.

[cook_the_rude]

"Would you like to have seedlings and cuttings from mine?" Hannibal offers.

[sunbaked_baker]

Her gaze finds his, her smile warming at the unexpected offer. "That would be wonderful, Dr. Lecter."

She rarely has luck with new houseplants bought from stores. The only ones currently in her apartment were gifts from Yolande, whose green thumb was second only to her wardcrafting skills, in Rae's opinion.

"So long as it wouldn't be too much trouble, though."

[cook_the_rude]

"I'll bring you a box to the bar," Dr. Lecter promises. "It's no trouble at all."

[sunbaked_baker]

"You've already done so much for me, though. I feel as though I'm taking advantage."

Even though everything is what has been offered, rather than asked for.

[cook_the_rude]

"But Rae," Hannibal says, "I would do anything for my favourite baker."

[sunbaked_baker]

Rae has to look away, though the faint smile is still there.

"I appreciate that, I do," she says, in the vague direction of one of the flower arrangements. "You're a very generous friend, Dr. Lecter."

She is just not used to such generosity. A dress and shoes that cost more than she makes in a month. Tickets to see an opera as well as the opportunity to attend. It has been a very sudden, full day.

[cook_the_rude]

"I try to be," Hannibal says. "Would you like to wait here for a moment, or come to the kitchen while I prepare our snack?"

[sunbaked_baker]

"I'll come with," she replies with a faint broadening of her smile. If the kitchen is anything like the rest of the house, he thinks she would choose to miss it?

[cook_the_rude]

The kitchen is spacious and very well equipped, with shiny brushed steel appliances, an island in the middle, large windows, ample wooden cabinets, and even a chair, near the door, where visitors can make themselves comfortable to watch Hannibal cooking.

"Would you like another glass of wine?" he asks, opening the fridge and taking out containers.

[sunbaked_baker]

Rae steps through, and drifts towards the island at the middle of the kitchen, her gaze caught by her surroundings.

"I'm fine, thank you," she says, almost absently, looking around. Large, double-door fridge for extra space without sacrificing utility, an obviously top-of-the-line gas range, sizable ovens and broilers set into the wall - Rae can tell quality even without being familiar with the brands - and as much counter space as one could ever need. Moveable preparation tables in case one should need more. Smooth tainless steel shines upon various surfaces, catching the shine from the lights set under the upper cabinets and the soft light from above, and reflecting it back every which way in indistinct shapes.

"....Though I may be running into the problem of how one goes about stealing someone's kitchen," she says, obviously impressed.

[cook_the_rude]

"... one cabinet at a time?" Dr. Lecter says, smiling at her as he takes down two small plates, pulls a knife from the knife block, and cuts open an avocado.

[sunbaked_baker]

"Oh, I'm thinking a shrinking spell and an extra-large purse," she chuckles, moving around the island to look at the gas range set into it.

[cook_the_rude]

Hannibal is swiftly slicing a carrot while she explores.

"As long as the shrinking spell removed the weight, you should be fine," he says. "My refrigerator is quite well-filled."

[sunbaked_baker]

"Alas, a flaw in my plan," Rae smiles, stepping over to look at the ovens. "And a kitchen is complicated enough I don't think I could transmute it into something sufficiently smaller and lighter."

The ovens are where the bulk of her interest lies, of course, as a baker. Maybe she could make off with just one of those?

[cook_the_rude]

Dr. Lecter opens a container, and ceremoniously places two perfect spears of asparagus on each plate.

"It's very useful to have two ovens," he supplies, in a chatty tone of voice. "In fact, it would often be quite hard to work with only one."

[sunbaked_baker]

"It would," Rae nods, looking over the many settings. "I have two in my bakery, but not nearly so nice as this. The big Prometheus oven in the main kitchens is the apple of Mel's eye."

[cook_the_rude]

"I don't know what your world's Prometheus brand compares to what we get in my world," Hannibal says, placing some tiny tomatoes on the plates. "But my ovens are home appliances, not really made for the heavy duty of a professional baker's oven. Of course, the best kind of home appliances I could find."

[sunbaked_baker]

She bets they are. "My bakery ovens have stood up to everything I've thrown at them. They're very reliable, and are calibrated well, but they're not the best."

There is always an allure when it comes to top-of-the-line appliances. Top-of-the-line anything. Like a photographer wanting the best camera.

With "You can see the connection between working with motorcycles and cooking when you see an industrial-strength oven and stove going full-blast at the dinner rush," Rae smiles, meandering back towards where Dr. Lecter is assembling their plates.

[cook_the_rude]

He is now drizzling glassa di balsamico in minute quantities over the vegetables.

"That is what you want in a professional oven," Hannibal says. "If they gave up their ghost in the middle of the rush, it would be much worse than running out of cinnamon."

[sunbaked_baker]

"Oh much, much worse," she agrees, smiling at the vibrant smells of the drizzled glaze. "Might as well run out of flour."

[cook_the_rude]

"You need sturdy, I can afford fancy," Dr. Lecter says. "Should they ever break down, it's an annoyance, not an emergency. Not threatening my livelihood."

He takes out a small container of a saffron coloured dressing, and carefully drizzles a spoonful over each plate.

"Shall we return to the dining room, or have our snack here where you can ogle the shiny?" he says, smiling.

[sunbaked_baker]

"Oh, here, definitely," Rae smiles, chuckling. The kitchen has much more that is to her tastes for ogling, than the dining room with its antlers, horns, and rococo painting.

"I've already been thinking what I might get for my kitchen at home, with what the wedding cake brings me."

Six hundred dollars for a cake is nothing to sneeze at.

[cook_the_rude]

"What do you need?" Hannibal asks, cutting a few slices of baguette to go with the salad. "Or rather, what do you want?"

[sunbaked_baker]

"I have what I need," Rae replies, smiling, "but I'd like to get a better mixer, for one. A stand mixer with the different attachments for making homemade pasta and such."

She could have a lot of fun, experimenting with something like that.