(no subject)

[allisnothing]

Who: Haruka+Anyone (feel free to jump in and make subthreads across time and space!)
Where: Home Ec Room+Near Entrace
When: Wed April 19th (after school) and Saturday April 22nd (during lunch)
What: Drama Club spreads sugary goodness

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'DRAMA CLUB PRACTICES ARE SUSPENDED THIS WEEK FOR FUNDING SCHEMES AND BEGGARY' read the notice on the drama room door.

Instead, the members of the drama club were prepping for the bake sale planned for Saturday. After some wheedling with the Home Ec club for permission to use the room and even more wheedling to be allowed to put up ads and set up a table during lunch, things were well underway.

A few club members had already finished their contributions and were gone, leaving a boy who had to start over when he burned his batch (the smell wafting outside the open door), two girl who were spending more time talking than doing work, and Haruka. Haruka had her tablet on the counter, settled on a recipe for caramel chocolate cake, while she worked, taking her time as she went through each step. The kitchen station she was at was fairly standard so she didn't have much problem navigating but it was nice to not have to maneuver around people or fight for space anymore.

Comments

Re: Wednesday

[allisnothing]

"Huh. Sounds sweet," Haruka replied to Abendroth. "Never had before. How good are they?"

At the sound of a new set of footsteps, she turned her head towards the door. The girls - who had started talking again - called over to say that the kitchens were currently full unless he wanted to share.

Re: Wednesday

[rulebook]

Ryuta responded to the girls rather bluntly. "Actually, I'm here for a different reason." He took another whiff of the burned cookies and saw the culprit before him. While he wanted to ask Haruka about her task, he needed to set the student straight.

He walked over to the student in question and began his verbal assault. "Might I ask what you are doing? From what I can tell, you are burning through the class's supplies like charcoal. You shouldn't casually waste something that's not even yours. Do you even know how to properly cook in the first place? If not, why are you wasting perfectly good ingredients on repeat failures?" He stopped himself from continuing, noticing how terrified the student seemed from Ryuta's onslaught.

After a moment of consideration and a quick sigh, Ryuta grabbed one of the nearby aprons and strapped it around himself very easily. "Anyway, I'm willing provide some assistance. You are making cookies, correct?" He grabbed the cookbook nearby and gave it a quick glance before setting it aside. "I see you already have the ingredients lined up, so we will start this off step by step."

Ryuta guided the male student, providing him with needed assistance at times and giving simple instructions for him to follow. After a few close calls, the cookies came out a success. Ryuta commended the student for his hard work. "See? With careful instruction, even the most difficult tasks become easy." After cleaning the mess, the student left the class thanking Ryuta.

Re: Wednesday

[fassade]

"Sweet, yes. Good if made correctly. Simple recipe."

She answered Haruka before someone else came into the room. The German didn't know who this boy was, but she didn't think much of it... until he started berating the student who had burnt the cookies. Almost instinctively, Chloe's hackles raised. Who did this boy think he was, talking down to this student like he was some kind of idiot? The German bit her tongue and stopped herself from calling him on it and simply continued making her cookies. She used no recipe. She used no solid measurements either. Her style of creation seemed entirely intuitive. The German was quick about it as well, as if she knew her way quite well around the kitchen.

Her cookies were finished just before Ryuta's were, and she leaned on the counter as the cookies began to cool slightly. Once they were properly cooled, Chloe took one of them and placed it on a napkin before placing it down beside Haruka.

"For you, Shikata-san."

She made sure to place it down with enough force that it would make enough sound so Haruka would know where the cookie actually was on the table. Leaning back against the counter with her arms crossed over her chest, the German watched Ryuta as the student left. Calmly, coldly, she spoke across the room to him.

"You're wrong."

Re: Wednesday

[phantomcloud]

At that moment, Miyume shuffled noisily into the room, as if summoned by the invisible lure of potential discontent and argument. Her cane hit the floor more heavily than usual as she entered. She looked around the home ec room, face drawn and even paler than usual.

"Hello, everyone. Sorry I'm late but I'm here to help."

Re: Wednesday

[allisnothing]

Haruka's head perked up when she heard Tanemoto. However, hearing him as he talked to the boy made her pause. Her head was turned in their direction a little longer, like an attentive dog, before she went back to her work. She finished the last touches on the caramel and putting it aside to chill and then started cleaning what she didn't need anymore.

When Abendroth left the cookie, Haruka smiled and said, "Thanks." She lightly moved her hand across the counter until she found it.

And then she heard the change in topic. And Hazama shuffling in not long after...her walk different today.

After a moment, she called over to her,

"Hey. Just in time for prepping batter."

Re: Wednesday

[rulebook]

"Hmm?" Ryuta peered over at the tall German after hearing her remark. Shortly afterward, he noticed Miyume step into the room as well. But he felt he needed to address the main issue at hand before greeting her. He walked over to the tall blonde with a questioning expression. "You are Abendroth, yes? I'm Tanemoto. Might I ask what you meant by 'you're wrong'?" He adjusted his glasses as he awaited her response.

Re: Wednesday

[fassade]

Chloe watched Tanemoto walk over, her face its usual mask of grim stoicness. The only shift her features made was when she looked at Miyume and nodded, her gaze softening somewhat. It lasted only a few moments before she looked back at Ryuta.

"You treat cooking like a calculation. Like a series of strict rules." She paused, her icy gaze falling on his batch of cookies. "It's not. Cooking is an art, and sometimes you mess up. Mistakes are important," she nodded towards the burnt cookies, "and they are never a waste."

That was probably the most Chloe had said at one time since leaving Germany. It was true, though. Blindly following the recipe as if it were rules to success basically took the point out of cooking. Mistakes need to be made in order to learn.

Re: Wednesday

[rulebook]

Ryuta took a moment to process everything she was saying. After a moment of consideration, he shook his head. "While I see your point, I would have to disagree in this case. Some people do treat cooking as an art, displaying it in various forms to showcase their skill. However, that was not the intent behind making these particular goods. These were meant to be sold as food." He casually pointed in the direction of the burned cookies. "And in a school full of upper class students raised on high standards, these would not sell. Therefore they would go to waste."

He brought his hand back to adjust his glasses once more and quickly returned it to his side. "While learning from one's mistakes is important, they can be completely avoided after taking the proper precautions. That is why there are things such as cookbooks. If he had properly followed the steps to begin with, then he would not have burned the cookies." He looked toward the tall German, expecting her rebuttal.

Re: Wednesday

[fassade]

He really was a stickler, wasn't he? His unhealthy obsession with rules and guides was almost enough to make her scowl. Almost. Her expression remained unchanged as he brought up his points, to which she shook her head.

"Cookbooks are rough guides. You learn nothing from them except to remain inflexible."

She paused, her eyes falling on the particular cookbook Tanemoto had used. She knew of it, had looked through it on occasion. It was a very... basic cookbook, she had noted. Good for beginners. Poor for those wanting to make something that tasted unique.

"They are being sold. That means they must taste good, but also look presentable." She looked at his cookies, resisting the urge to frown. "Bland recipes will create bland products. Know your goal, adjust accordingly.... rules be damned."

Re: Wednesday

[phantomcloud]

Miyume gave Chloe a friendly little wave and hobbled over to where Haruka was. Whatever this argument was about, she wasn't getting involved in it.

"What kind of batter is it?"

Re: Wednesday

[allisnothing]

Haruka, meanwhile, seemed to listen in on Abendroth and Tanemoto's argument a little longer before turning her attention back to Hazama. She said with a smile,

"Cake. If things work out right, it'll be mini caramel chocolate cakes."

Re: Wednesday

[phantomcloud]

"Those sound really delicious!"

And they did. The prospect of caramel-covered, chocolate-y goodness was enough to make her temporarily forget how much her legs hurt.

"What's the next step, senpai?"

Re: Wednesday

[allisnothing]

"Batter mixing," Haruka replied, moving over to give Hazama some room. Most of the ingredients were already in the main bowl, except for a few eggs and the cocoa. There was also a muffin-type of tray which had a bag of wax-paper like cups.

"Then into cups, add caramel, add more batter, bake, and then drizzle with frosting and more caramel.

Re: Wednesday

[phantomcloud]

Miyume nodded at each instruction, then remembered Haruka wouldn't be able to see her. She hadn't realized just how much non-verbal communication she used until recently.

"Okay, senpai! Leave it to me," she said brightly, happy to be of some kind of use here after all.

Re: Wednesday

[allisnothing]

"Okay then. Let's get started then," Haruka replied with a smile. She picked up one of the eggs. "Just grab and throw the rest in."

She cracked the egg easily before tossing shells into the nearby empty bowl with surprising accuracy.

Re: Wednesday

[phantomcloud]

"Wow, senpai, you have good aim," she said brightly and chuckled.

Miyume picked up an egg and cracked with far more concentration than seemed necessary for such a simple task. She discarded the shell in the same bowl Haruka had.

"Would you like the honors of sacrificing the last of our chicken young in the name of delicious cake?" she asked teasingly, smile and tone completely innocent.

Re: Wednesday

[allisnothing]

Haruka took the last egg with a certain solemnness. She bowed her head and declared, "Amitabha Buddha. May you and your fellow young be reborn into high parts of the food chain next time."

And then she cracked it and discarded the shell without another thought to it.

"Decision event: do you want to mix it or grease the cups?"

Re: Wednesday

[rulebook]

Ryuta held back his retort to her disregard for rules. Best to save that discussion for a later date. Taking a deep breath, he focused once more on the present matter.

"If the product is bland, then it is the fault of the one who made the recipe. That being the case, you use another recipe or make your own." Ryuta noticed her glance over his cookies. He motioned back over to said cookies, barely containing a smirk. "These were merely made as an example for the student. A simple, basic recipe to show him the proper procedure. If I were to make something, it would be a bit more 'presentable' as you call it."

Re: Wednesday

[fassade]

"A poor artist blames his tools."

She said simply, shrugging only slightly. When he spoke of the purpose of the cookies he had made, she wanted to smirk, but again nothing made it past that grim mask she wore. An example, eh?

"An example? If you're going to make something, make it right the first time. Half-assed example cookies not meant to be sold are somewhat of a waste."

There was a definite steely tone to her voice as she said this, playing on the fact he had called the burnt cookies a waste. In her mind, these cookies of his were more a waste than the burnt ones. The German turned back to her cookies, took another one, set it on a napkin, and silently set it down next to Miyume before turning to pack up the rest of the cookies to keep them fresh.

Re: Wednesday

[rulebook]

"Well, being called a poor artist is an improvement. Better than 'mindlessly calculating' as you would call it. Glad to see I've stepped up in the world." He sighed, seeing now that he has somehow upset her.

"We shall see, won't we?" He maintained his calm demeanor, despite the obvious stab at his work. He then grabbed one of his cookies and took a small bite out of it. "Hmm. Not bad. Would be good with some tea. If we offered some warm tea with this, it could sell as a tea cookie." He said to himself and then finished off his cookie.

He then peered back over to Abendroth and saw her pack up the rest of the cookies. "Mind if I try one?"

Re: Wednesday

[fassade]

The German had nothing to hide, so she opened the container again and offered the boy one of her cookies. The cookies themselves were still somewhat warm. They had a gentle sweet taste to them with just a hint of spice from the ginger. Soft, they were easy to bite into and would almost melt in the mouth of those eating them.

Mindlessly Calculating? She'd have to remember that one on account of the fact she hadn't even thought of it. She was quiet for a few moments before setting the container of cookies down again.

"No disrespect intended. I just don't agree with the way you treated that student."

Well... at least she was honest, right? Chloe placed the lid back on the cookies tightly and slid them over to Haruka, making sure not to jostle anything she or Miyume were working on.

"Take these for the sale. I can make more."

Re: Wednesday

[rulebook]

Ryuta selected one of her cookies and took a small bite of it to test it. He mulled it over for a moment before he came to a decision and promptly finished off his cookie. "That was surprisingly good. I'm normally not a fan of sweets to begin with. But I might have to make an exception."

"It's fine. I enjoyed listening to your take on things. It's always nice to hear another's perspective. And I am fond of a good debate as well."

"And I had no ill will toward that young man or you for that matter. I tend to take things too far sometimes it seems. Luckily, it all turned out rather well."

Re: Wednesday

[allisnothing]

Hearing the argument wind down, Haruka's head turned as she heard the tin Abendroth placed.

She picked up the cookie she left her and Haruka let out a genuine, "Yuuum." It was sweet and there was something else that she couldn't quite place.

"You sure? These and tea would be perfect for those lonely, cold nights studying."

Re: Wednesday

[fassade]

If there was one thing she knew she could deal with, it was loneliness.

"I'm sure."

She said before turning back to Tanemoto. Her icy gaze actually fell on his face this time. The look she gave him was a calm, almost cold calculating look, but one that didn't seem to hold any malice towards him.

"... Noted."

It seemed now that the debate was over, she could stop speaking so much. Thank goodness. The first year took the apron she was wearing off, brushing it off for good measure and hung it back up where she had gotten it.

Re: Wednesday

[rulebook]

As Abendroth walked away, Ryuta finally remembered what he was originally doing here to begin with. "Ah yes, I almost forgot. Haruka?" Ryuta took a few steps closer to her and continued.

"The Home EC teacher wanted me to inform you that you need to record everything you and the drama club used today for the bake sale. It's so they can restock accordingly afterwards."