harmonize_rpg | (no subject)

Entry tags:

(no subject)

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

.

'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.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Low voices didn't mean anything when the room was near silent and she could hear her anyway. Well... that answered her question; it HADN'T been worth it to peek in. The tall girl's gaze hardened and she was about to turn and leave when she heard a familiar voice calling to her in her mangled name. She turned back to see it was Haruka, who had even made her way to the front of the room. Chloe awkwardly cleared her throat.

"Shikata-san."

"Hi." Haruka smiled at the confirmation. There was probably as many foreigners as people like Haruka on campus. "Need to use home ec too?"

The two girls promptly went back to whispering among themselves. One giggled at a particular comment, high pitched and a gasped, 'That's mean!'.

Chloe's cold, icy gaze turned to stare in a deadpan way at the two girls who had been giggling. It wasn't anything she wasn't used to. The whole 'that's mean!' comment gave her a good idea of what was going on. If these girls gave Haruka a hard time later just because she had talked to the 'gaijin'.... the German's eyes narrowed only slightly as she stared at the two whispering girls, the light blue depths of them almost seeming to glint dangerously. She then turned back to Haruka.

"Good afternoon." She paused at the next question, tilting her head slightly. Did she NEED to use the Home Ec room? No, not really. It was more of a hobby than anything. "No, not a need."

The two girls went quiet for a moment. Haruka tilted her head slightly. Longest since she'd heard from them so far.

"Not a need, huh." Beat. "Did you want to? Kitchen four's open."

As they went silent, Chloe couldn't help the small bit of smugness that she felt in her chest, even if not a trace of it ended up on her expression. Looking around the room, she confirmed that what Haruka had said was true; kitchen four was indeed open. She was silent for a few moments, wondering how she should proceed. On one hand, she would like to make something, and Haruka wasn't a bad person to be around. On the other hand, they were not the only ones here and she was positive those girls wouldn't stay quiet for long....

"...Alright."

Well, that answered that. She didn't even know what she was making yet, but she was sure she'd think of something. The German tilted her head towards what Haruka had been concocting earlier; from the conjunction of ingredients she saw, she could only guess what she was making.

"... making a cake?"

"Yep. Caramel chocolate," Haruka replied. She started walking back to her kitchen, number three. "Our drama club overlord decreed that we'd have a bake sale on Saturday so today's been prep."

Turning her head back to Abendroth, "Any idea what you want to make?"

Caramel Chocolate? Anyone with a sweet tooth would drool at the prospect of it. If Chloe had less control than she did, she might have as well. It was a good choice, that was for sure. If this bake sale was going to raise any money, the cake might take centre stage in that regard. She nodded her agreement even if Haruka couldn't see it before moving towards Kitchen No. 4. At the question, she tilted her head in thought for a moment. The smell of burnt cookies returned with a vengeance, and it took only another second to make up her mind.

"Cookies."

"Cool," Haruka replied with a nod. The boy further down in kitchen one looked over his batch of burnt cookies and went back to his new batch with renewed effort. "What type?"

She touched her braille display and re-read the next steps before she started pouring in other ingredients in with the flour. The remaining ingredients had been meticulously placed in a preset order.

"Honey cookies."

Came her reply as she quickly slipped on a plain white apron before moving to get the ingredients ready. Sugar, shortening, honey, eggs, vanilla extract, baking soda, flour, and ginger... yes, everything seemed to be here. The German got to work melting together the sugar, honey, and shortening in a saucepan before peeking over to the boy who had started up making cookies again. Well... he was determined at least, and that was a good trait for anyone who wanted to cook or bake.

Drawn by the scent of burning pastries, Ryuta marched down the hallway to the Home EC classroom. As he drew closer, he wondered to himself how to best deal with the situation. But as he walked in through the door, he noticed both Haruka and the German student he heard about. A very.... unique combination.

Edited 2013-09-07 03:55 (UTC)

"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.

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.

Edited 2013-09-07 04:32 (UTC)

"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."

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."

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."

"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.

Edited 2013-09-07 15:41 (UTC)

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.

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.

Edited 2013-09-07 17:02 (UTC)

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."

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?"

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."

"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

Re: Wednesday

Re: Wednesday

Re: Wednesday

Re: Wednesday

Re: Wednesday

Re: Wednesday

Re: Wednesday

Re: Wednesday

Re: Wednesday

Re: Wednesday

Re: Wednesday

Re: Wednesday

Re: Wednesday

Re: Wednesday

Re: Wednesday

Re: Wednesday

Re: Wednesday

Re: Wednesday

Re: Wednesday

Re: Wednesday

Re: Wednesday

Re: Wednesday

Re: Wednesday

Re: Wednesday