Belated Midsummer Happy Hour with Sunshine

[sunbaked_baker]

"I am sorry about last week," Rae had apologized to the Bar early this morning after a napkin had arrived, once more requesting her services. "I don't know what was wrong with me; I didn't feel like myself all that week, but couldn't really put my finger on what was wrong. Some passing bug, I guess. You know I'd normally jump at the chance. Thank you for offering again."

That had been early this morning, before Rae had commandeered one side of the bar's kitchens and had gotten to work. Now, many hours later, she emerges from the kitchens, face glistening from the heat of the ovens and stovetop, her red hair held back by a blue, sunflower-dotted kerchief. She takes off the flour-dusted apron that had been protecting her colorful clothes and hangs it up on a nearby hook before getting down the specials board. Soon enough, the board is hung back up for the bar room to see.

Sunshine's (belated) Summer Solstice Happy Hour

Drinks Specials
- Summer Sangria
- Citrus Gin Slush
- Rhubarb, Grapefruit and Thyme cocktails
- Elderflower Cordial
- Maple Lemonade with Peaches and Thyme
- Ginger-Tea Lemonade

Dinner Specials
(all are vegetarian)
-Caprese Grilled Cheese Sandwich with Harissa Green Beans with Spiced Chickpeas and Feta
-Eggplant Parmesan with Green Tomato and Dill Tartines on homemade five-grain harvest bread
-Sweet Potato, Corn, and Black Bean Enchiladas, with a Baby Beet Salad with Goat Cheese and Walnut Granola
-Summer Vegetable Pot Pie, with Arugula and Wild Rice salad
-Vegetarian Chili with Butternut Squash, with Fig, Goat Cheese and Caramelized Onion Bruschetta on homemade five-grain harvest bread

Dessert Specials
- Lime-Basil-Gin ice pops (alcoholic)
- Cranberry-Mint-Bourbon ice pops (alcoholic)
- Honeydew-Mint ice pops
- Blood-Orange and Pomegranate Sorbet

Chocolate Experiments
(seeking taste-testers)
- The Insomniac's Dream
- Buried Treasures

Finished, Sunshine leans back against the counter and fans herself with her latest issue of Professional Bakers Quarterly. "Whew! Happy Hour's on, everyone!"

Comments

[cottoncandypink]

Wilford almost walks right past the sign. He shouldn't be drinking right now, and nothing listed seems like anything he can comfortably eat. But something does catch his eye at the last second.

"What's in the sorbet?" he asks. It all kind of comes out as one word though. Probably because he looks like a scruffy chipmunk that just went ten rounds with Mike Tyson.

[sunbaked_baker]

Sunshine's eyes widen slightly at the sight of him, but she manages to parse the words of the question after a moment of thought.

"Blood-orange juice, pomegranate juice, sugar, agar, and a tiny bit of vodka and sweet wine," she replies, but can't help but asking, "what in the world happened to your face?"

[cottoncandypink]

"Lost a fight with a surgeon," Wilford says. Or tries to say.

This hasn't fixed the issue. It's made it worse! Augh.

He thinks about the sorbet. He shouldn't be touching anything with booze in it, but you can't expect a man to break all his vices over night, and he's been very good so far at not smoking.

"I'll have one of those."

[sunbaked_baker]

"You has surgery, then? I imagine they gave you painkillers... If you're worried about the alcohol, don't worry. It has like two tablespoons of wine and vodka for the whole recipe," she assures him, moving to serve up a bowl of the sweet-tart dessert. "To even get tipsy on it would require more sorbet than I've made."

[run_barry]

When Barry wanders in through the back door he's looking a little dejected after another failed trial. Something in the bar smells amazing, though, and perks him right up.

Following his nose and his stomach, Barry approaches the counter, looking over the impressive specials board.

"Hi," he greets the woman behind the counter. In a S.T.A.R. Labs t-shirt and pair of shorts, he's a little tired and sweaty, but the smile he gives is friendly.

[sunbaked_baker]

"Hey there," the red-headed baker smiles back at him. The name on his shirt pings her memory as vaguely familiar, but her attention at the moment is mainly on the person wearing it. Feeders of people do learn to spot a person who's come seeking food. "Can I get you anything?"

[run_barry]

Asking for everything would probably be rude, so Barry takes a seat on a stool and looks over the board again.

"Definitely. Can I get some of the eggplant Parmesan and the peach lemonade?"

Can't really go wrong with Italian and lemonade when you're hungry and it's hot out, right?

[sunbaked_baker]

Sunshine would absolutely agree.

"Of course," she grins, stepping away to serve up a generous plate of the eggplant parmesan and three of the green tomato-dill tartines on the side, and a tall glass of the peach lemonade, which she soon return to set in front of him. "Here you go. Hope you enjoy."

Though now her memory is reminding her where she's heard of the name on his shirt before. "S.T.A.R Labs... do you know Cisco Ramon?"

[arkadia]

So many options! Eden has no idea what any of them are! He recognises barely half of these words!

He meanders over to the Bar, peering at the chocolate experiments list, because hey, he's always down for testing stuff.

"I will taste test for you," he says, somberly. "Because someone must."

[sunbaked_baker]

Sunshine laughs, grinning at him. "Thank you for your service," she says, attempting and failing to match his solemnity. "Taste-testing is an important job."

"I'm looking for opinions on two recent experimental recipes, at the moment. One I'm calling 'The Insomniac's Dream,' because the recipe was made up at some ungodly hour of the night when I couldn't sleep, and the other is tentatively called 'Buried Treasures.' Any preference which to try first?"

[arkadia]

Eden folds his arms, thinking very seriously about this question. On the one hand, if he's trying them both, it doesn't make much difference anyway. On the other hand, while he understands roughly what an insomniac and a dream are, his brain can't quite connect the two of them together.

"I'll try the Insomniac's Dream, first," he says, as much out of curiosity than anything else.

[sunbaked_baker]

"All right then," Rae says, cheerful. She brings over what looks like a personal-sized cake, covered in lightly-toasted meringue. When one cuts into it, the confection reveals itself to be a dark chocolate cake filled with chocolate mousse, with a crumbled graham cracker crust along the bottom. Before it was named, she mentally had coined it The Extrapolated S'more.

"Let me know what you think."

[iprotectyou]

"Hoi, Sunshine! May the Force of others be with you!" Baze says, wearing Guardian's robes and bearing his staff over his shoulder. Sweat beads on his upper lip and his temples, and as he approaches, he beams cheerfully.

"This all looks great! What do you recommend? I'm starving!"

[sunbaked_baker]

"What? Starving?" Rae exclaims in mock-affrontedness, grinning upon seeing Baze approaching the bar. "I can't allow that!"

"I'll start you off with some sweet potato, corn, and black bean enchiladas, with some baby beet salad with goat cheese and walnut granola on the side," she adds, moving to serve up a plate and set it in front of him. Just to start off with.

Stepping back from setting the plate in front of him, Rae adds, "I like your new duds," as she gestures to his robes. "What's the occasion?"

[iprotectyou]

Duds? That's a hilarious word. Baze cackles as he settles his unarmored bulk on a bar stool.

"Thanks! This looks amazing," he says, leaning his staff on the bar and picking up his fork.

"These are Guardian's robes, because I've finished my lightbow project. It passed Chirrut's inspection, so I'm a Guardian again!"

He digs into the goat cheese salad, enjoying it with gusto. Not slowing, he devours the beets.

"Mmm!"

[sunbaked_baker]

Sunshine's face lights up. "Baze! You finished it? You're Guardian Baze Malbus again?"

Here, have a baker coming around the bar to give the giant guardian a hug. "Congratulations!"

[imthepilot]

Bodhi comes in from the garden, ducking into the bathroom to wash soil from his hands.

And where there's Bodhi, there's almost always a ginger and white cat. Kyber spots Rae and comes bouncing over, mewing in hope of treats.

[sunbaked_baker]

"Hey there, cutie," Rae greets the cat with a smile, leaning down to flutter her fingers at him and offer ear-rubs. "You been hunting grasshoppers in the garden, huh?"

[imthepilot]

Kyber gives a happy little yowl and presses into her touch purring louder. Why yes, pretty human. He is a powerful hunter. How wise of you to recognise his prowess.

Bodhi comes back out of the bathroom, looking freshly scrubbed and smiles. "Begging for treats already?"

[alec_swamp]

Alec studies the list of specials and almost sighs. Sometimes he really misses food.

[sunbaked_baker]

"Good evening, Alec," Rae greets him with a smile, though it's softened because she recognizes some of his look. "Can I get you something?"

[alec_swamp]

"I wish that you could. Even if I ate something, I couldn't digest it and couldn't really taste it." And contrary to what the tabloids might think, he does not make tea from his own leaves and drink it.

[coral_sandhu]

"Rae?"

A rather tearful small person climbs onto a bar stool and presents her with a potato.

"I'm sorry I messed up your food. I don't know what happened last week. I was so naughty..."

[sunbaked_baker]

Rae's smile from a previous conversation fades into a look of confused concern at seeing the tearful Coral, but some of it fades at seeing what the girl had brought her.

She's brought her a potato.

"Oh, Coral..." Rae says, coming around the end of the bar and kneeling down to give the tearful girl a hug. "There's nothing to apologize for, sweetie. I wasn't feeling like myself last week either. I'm sorry I snapped at you."

[coral_sandhu]

She hugs Rae tightly.

"I was mean to Autor too and I don't know what to do."