(no subject)

[sunbaked_baker]

Here is a smell that has not graced Milliways in far too long.

The scent of freshly-baked cinnamon rolls is wafting temptingly through the kitchen door, spreading the comforting smells of hot, soft yeast dough still steaming from the oven, the sweet warmth of cinnamon-sugar and freshly-made vanilla icing spreading across each soft spiral and dribbling into doughy crevasses.

Sunshine's hair has been cropped short at chin-length, and her hands and neck still show signs of the burns that kept her from her baking - kept her from most things, really - for a couple of weeks, but they are usable again. This morning and early afternoon has shown that to be true. She has enjoyed getting to bake again, immersing herself in the task at hand, feeling the springy dough beneath her palms instead of pain in every movement, catching up on the latest news around the bar from Holly and the other kitchen staff.

Now Rae is settling into the process of separating out rolls from the baking sheet, settling them on serving plates to be delivered to people in thanks for their help and care while things were so fraught.

(Things are still a little fraught, but not nearly as much. That's not nothing.)

Comments

[herr_bookman]

Autor, fortunately full-sized, follows his nose into the kitchen today. When he sees Rae taking a tray out of the oven, the boy smiles. "Hello, Rae. Glad to see you're feeling better."

[sunbaked_baker]

Rae looks up from her work, and her smile brightens. "Autor, hello!"

She will do her best not to get flour on you, Autor, but unless you indicate otherwise, you're getting an enthusiastic hug from the baker who is so glad to see you. The hug also somehow tries to make up for all the hug she wanted to give you cut couldn't, last time.

"How are you doing?"

[herr_bookman]

Autor isn't necessarily surprised by the hug, which he gladly returns. He's happy about it, though. "I'm all right. How are you?"

[sunbaked_baker]

Hugs are good, just in general.

"I'm... better than I was. Glad to get back to baking. It was a very long couple of weeks, waiting for my hands to heal."

They're still not one-hundred percent, but she can at least use them without pain now.

[herr_bookman]

Autor squeezes her gently. "Good. I'm glad you're back to baking. Can I help?"

[sunbaked_baker]

Rae grins and only refrains from ruffling his hair because she's still got a bit of flour on her hands. "Absolutely!"

"That second tray of cinnamon rolls should be ready for icing. The icing is already made - though it might need some stirring to get it to loosen up. If you could pour it evenly across the tray of cinnamon rolls so they all get a good amount, that'd be great. I can finish up doling out the ones from this tray in the meantime."

[herr_bookman]

"Sure," Autor says, rolling up the sleeves of his overly-long grey sweater to wash his hands. He dries them off and lifts the bowl of icing and the spatula, starting to stir. "We should make croissants again sometime."

[sunbaked_baker]

Sunshine chuckles, moving to continue parseling out the cinnamon rolls among the various plates.

"Ooh, we really should. Any kind in particular you'd like to try? Chocolate's always a favorite among fillings, but there are a lot of different kinds we might test out."

[herr_bookman]

"How about something citrusy? Lemon or orange custard?" Autor says, having craved citrus since he was deprived of the flavor during the war. He's just lucky he didn't get scurvy.

[imthepilot]

Bodhi is testing the menu for the wedding, several dishes of finger food lined up on the bench in the kitchen.

"They smell wonderful." He comments as he brings out a tray of bite-sized honey cakes."

[sunbaked_baker]

"Thank you," Rae beams at him, feeling more at peace than she has in a long time. "I hadn't been able to bake for nearly two weeks now, so it's good to get back to it. And I wanted to send a thank-you to some friends who'd helped me out."

[imthepilot]

Bodhi nods. "There's something warming about thanking people with food. Do you mind if I try one? I can trade you a honey cake."

[sunbaked_baker]

"Don't mind at all," she smiles, always happy to share her baking. One of the cinnamon rolls is set aside on a small plate for Bodhi. "And I'd love to try one of your honey cakes. Food is my preferred means of saying a lot of things, you know? 'Thank you,' 'Get well soon,' 'Thinking of you'..."

It's very versatile that way!

[imthepilot]

"Thank you." He plates up a large slice of honey cake and posses it to her. "I'm testing recipes for our wedding feast. I hear the cherry blossoms will be out soon."

[sunbaked_baker]

"So soon!" Rae shakes her head, slightly wry. "I'm still marveling at having lost over half a year here. It was early summer here when I left. I spent one day in my world and came back to the dead of winter."

"This smells amazing, Bodhi." Rae fetches a couple of folks from the drawer and passes him one should he need it. "What other recipes are you testing today?"

[imthepilot]

"I'd never thought to that. That must weird. And for people coming from worlds with different orbits."

"A couple of savour dishes. Some pies, stuffed pod-poppers. Mostly dishes from our galaxy. I've learnt a lot of Earth dishes but mostly I want to serve food from home."

[sunbaked_baker]

"That's great, though, getting to share foods from your home. They'll all be something new to try for the guests from Earth of other worlds."

Rae always advocates trying new things, when it comes to food. She never knows when inspiration will strike.

[cook_the_rude]

Quietly, a small figure climbs up onto the window sill over the sink, sitting down on a packet of dish-washing sponges to watch her.

[sunbaked_baker]

Rae doesn't notice her small watcher by the window for a good long while, being wholly engrossed in the tasks before her. She seems more at peace than she has in a long time, quite in her element in the kitchen, mixing and pouring and crafting her gigantic cinnamon rolls in preparation for gifting. Though there are recent scars to go along with that peace. The burns surrounding her neck and showing on her hands are recent, shiny where the skin is still healing. They would have been debilitating while they were fresh, especially those on her hands.

Once the cinnamon rolls have been iced to gooey, dribbly perfection, she comes to the sink to wash her hands. And stops, seeing the tiny Dr. Lecter sitting on the packet of sponges as though they were a couch.

"...What." She may be staring.

[cook_the_rude]

"Hello, Rae," the tiny Dr. Lecter says. "That was more beautiful than any cooking show or baking competition could ever hope to be. Also, they lack the scent."

He has a tiny mug of coffee, and takes a sip, then crosses his legs the other way.

[sunbaked_baker]

"Unfortunately or fortunately, smell-o-vision isn't a thing that's been developed," she remarks, slightly dry, still taking in the situation. "...Glad you were entertained, anyway. What happened to you?"

[cook_the_rude]

"The same thing that happened to a number of patrons," Hannibal says. "I think they are calling it a shrink-ray. Bright scientific minds are close to a solution, I take it. Until then, I am enjoying the change of perspective."

[sunbaked_baker]

"Milliways weirdness," Rae says, understanding that such things are just an accepted risk of visiting the bar.

"Have the cats bothered you any while you've been... feeling more down-to-earth?"

[cook_the_rude]

"Once or twice," Hannibal says. "But they left me alone once they realised I am a friend of Yrael's, not a demon bunny."

[sunbaked_baker]

"Or a play thing," she remarks. "I'll admit for a split second there I was wondering why anybody would have made an action figure of you and left it on the kitchen window sill."