#CLOCHANAM. 003

[cragsnow]

@clochanam liked for a christmas starter!

‘ feel free to tell me i'm overstepping, ’ he seats himself on the opposite side of the counter to her, before folding his arms across the top of it so that he can rest his chin on them. it affords him the perfect opportunity to look up at her with the puppy dog eyes that he prizes himself with. whether they work on her or not is a different story, but he'll try his luck. ‘ but i've thought about something i'd like to add to the christmas menu... if you have a christmas menu here... ’ his back straightens, and the way that he looks at her is almost a little panicked, before he straightens out his expression into something a little calmer. ‘ ...do you have a christmas menu here? ’

[florencc]

@clochanam : ❝ let’s get you cleaned up. ❞

the blonde couldn't help but laugh, white powder dusting the whole of her front. "i promise, when i said i had a great recipe for chai cookies, i could actually make them without turning the place into a winter wonderland knock-off." florence hadn't made them for years –– it had always been one of este and alison's activities of choice on a cold winter afternoon. but the thought of making them again had excited her, so much so that she'd let the mixer fire up way to fast. before she'd been able to stop it, the kitchen had been covered in a white dusting, including the pair of them.

[florencc]

these small nuggets of a past life only served to remind florence of exactly why she needed to keep moving forward. este had learned this recipe, and while she didn't exist any more, she could at least have her memory honored in the reproduction of the cookies each winter time. it brought a comfort to the blonde that she struggled to find in other mediums. "okay deal. they don't take long in the oven, so i'll be getting these batches through pretty quickly. before you know it, there'll be a stack as high as your head." hand moved with the spatula, carefully laying the next batch on a sheet pan while another prompted smells of cinnamon and spices to waft around the kitchen as it baked. "really?" community activities had been significantly lacking for florence in recent months, years. knowing too many people, getting to invested, always made it harder when she had to move on to the next town. "i mean, i could definitely whip up some more, they won't mind a new face contributing, will they?"

older recipes are always the best. or at least, generally speaking. modern methods evolve, ingredients change. she still wishes she could meet the person who decided to add salt to chocolate. but nevertheless, recipes that can survive the changing tides of trend and fashion are ones that deserve enough respect and admiration to be cooked loyally. aisling continues cleaning, sweeping the mess into her waiting palms and scooping it into the bin, returning with a damp cloth and a laugh as she shakes her head and finishes cleaning the counter. " you have me sold! you focus on the cookies, i'll clean up and make a few mugs of cocoa. can't have one without the other, right? you should meet tim, he'd be so excited to learn this recipe! we're both winter babies, or so he tells me. " she chuckles, rinsing the cloth and reaching for the sweeping brush. everything is done fluidly and without pause. her focus isn't even on the task, but the rare and treasured time spent with florence. " you know, i'm thinking of doing a bake sale next door. a bunch of the neighbours are joining in, the proceeds all go towards the new free clinic. you wanna join in? i'll bet these cookies would fetch top dollar! "

[florencc]

where did you find this recipe anyway? if only the question was a simple, as straightforward, as anyone else might have considered it to be. where would she begin? oh it's a recipe este and her best friend developed years ago, long before the murder and the faked death, and the new life under an entirely false identity. a little heavy for what was meant to be a fun afternoon, a way to truly welcome in the incoming fall. "oh i've had this recipe for years." an entirely true statement, when you looked at it on it's own. that was always florence's move of choice –– true statements, even if they were taken out of a wider context. even under a false identity, she didn't like lying if she could help it. "but i promise, they taste amazing. once i actually get them ready and in the oven. these cookies, some hot chocolate with whipped cream and a sprinkle of cinnamon? you'll be begging for colder weather." she laughed, hands returning to acquiring her necessary ingredients to have another attempt with the mixer. "are you sure you don't want help cleaning up first? it's my mess, after all."

she's still half in mom-mode when she uses a damp cloth to wipe her face, eyes rolling fondly at her insistence. " you really are something else, you know that? " as if she didn't do the exact same thing in the past with stanley. snickerdoodles?? say less! and of course you need the mixer turned up to ninety, and... whoops. theory debunked. but by the time she'd have it all cleaned up, a fresh hot batch would be plated, and stanley would be three slides into his presentation on the values of a slow mix, and she could get through the fifty nine others with a cookie in one hand and a glass of milk in the other. licking her lips free of the sweet powdered sugar, she wipes at her own face before reaching for the cleaning bucket. " here, you get yourself some more sugar and i'll be on clean-up duty! where did you find this recipe, anyway? it sounds delicious; if you're not careful we'll end up using these as a fall special! "