folklorist | ϡ - Chapter ThirtyFive; this is not how you bake a pretty cake [Action (for House 44)|Voice|Video]

[ The journal feed turns on to a kitchen with a pot of something on the stove boiling, steaming, something is cooking in there but what? Who knows! ] Ah! There we go I think it’s on! Still get confused with this thing...

[ Helios will clear his throat and then pull away only for people to see one blond headmaster smiling into the video feed as he gives a slight wave. ] Yes. I think we can get started now. The sugar might burn otherwise...

I found an interesting little book in the library today. How to make various candies from my world! There’s one that I’ve always enjoyed, rather interesting these, I can't believe I actually found how to make them. They’re called Pop Rocks.

[ And then he beams. ] I’ve never done a cooking demonstration before! This is quite exciting. Oh! Yes! And my assistant will be the ever so helpful Ms. LeBlanc. [ He’ll just pan the journal camera over to Adele then. He'll keep it there so they're both in view now with the ingredients off to the side on the table. There's the rustling of pages as Helios flips through his cook book. ]

So! The first thing you'll need to do is dust a cookie sheet with the powdered sugar, and sprinkle a generous amount of the Citric Acid on the sugar.

[ Adele, dutifully, waves from where she is standing just behind Helios. She is conspicuously keeping him between her and the stove. Just in case.

She can't shake the feeling it won't end well. ]

Citric acid? That is... [ First goes down a layer of powdered sugar, and she searches the side table for the acid. ] This. Yes?

Mm yes that's it. [ Helios does not notice this at all, nope. He is just being his absentminded excited self with this. ]

And then we have to combine two cups of sugar, some water and a one third cup of corn syrup into the saucepan. Setting it over medium heat and stirring it gently. [ A slight pout. Medium heat? That just won't do. Helios can be a bit impatient when it comes to sweets, especially when cooking them, so what's a little more added heat he's done it plenty of times before! ] Hm. I think we can make it a little bit hotter. Magic comes in handy when you cook, you know? A nice controlled very hot fire. It should speed up the cooking just a little bit.

[ That is such a bad idea Helios. But still he looks over at Adele to make the appropriate measurements. ]

The instructions are as they are for a reason Helios. Medium heat is medium heat.

[ Yes, she's. Keeping him between her and the stove. But she does pour out two cups of sugar and hands it off to him. Then the water. Then...it takes some time for her to pour the syrup from the bottle. ]

...you really should follow the directions. You always impress upon me the importance of doing so elsewhere.

[ Helios waves her off. As he puts all the necessary ingredients into said pot which then he will begin to stir slowly. ] It'll be fine Adele. I do it all the time! It's not that much different, really, just a slight temperature change. It usually never hurts with the recipes I've used before.

[ Here the camera will catch Helios' eyes glowing and he'll give a small snap on his fingers. The fire underneath the pot will flare up a little but aside from that it looks normal...for now. ] See? Nothing wrong.

Then use the stove's controls instead of magic? There is a knob for it. Right there. There is no need to-

[ And he snaps his fingers anyway. Adele sighs and crosses her arms, waiting. ]

But I've been trying to perfect this way of cooking. Completely magical just to see if it can be done. I want to see if it changes anything about the food prepared. Like, like the flavoring, texture those sort of thing. I do always like to try different ways to go about things, there’s so many one can cook something after all. But, yes, the next step. [ Stirring, stirring, stirring. Helios will continue to do this and hum a little. ]

You should stir it until the syrup starts to boil. And then you place a thermometer in the pot, without it touching the sides or bottom, and let the syrup continue to boil until it gets to around three hundred and five degrees then we'll add a teaspoon of Baking Soda...

[ He will turn to go and get the candy thermometer on the table and. At this point there will be some multi-colored sparks issuing out from beneath the pot. They are not normal looking in the least and Helios will turn back around only to notice this with some well concealed alarm. ] Oh. Gods. That um...that's isn't supposed to happen.

[ And then comes the smoke...which dilutes the camera's view a considerable degree. ]

Perhaps you can try it with recipe that doesn't involve molten sugar?

[ Still. She hands over the thermometer and baking soda. She's eyeing the fire with some caution and as soon as she sees that spark she steps back. ] Helios...

[ Smoke, then? She drops, reaching up only to yank at his arm to pull him down with her. ] Merde

Yes. You might be right. M-maybe I sh-shouldn't have used sugar... [ This is going to be dreadful to get out of everything...oh good lord. Helios jumps slightly when Adele grabs his arm because that is a tension point and this is a point of great tension right now. The smoke is rather thick almost completely blotting out the journal’s camera but anyone watching can still sort of make out the headmaster and surgeon. The sparks only get more numerous and the pot they are spewing out from under rattles on the stove. ] A-Adele. I-I think we-we should-

[ Leave. And before the rest can be said there is a very loud bang which rattles the windows slightly and the camera is now covered by a thick blanket of black smoke. Cooking with magic attempt one: Unsuccessful. Oh and welcome to Luceti new feathers. This is a wonderful first impression, clearly! ]

((ooc; Blue is Adele. Green is Helios! Put down whether you want both of them to respond or just Adele/Helios! ))

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[With every brush against her feathers, she giggles. Soft little bursts of laughter that she tries, and fails, to contain.]

[Don't listen to her, he tells himself. Don't think about how inappropriate this sounds--God, Helios' journal had better be off right now. He'd die if someone overheard this and got the wrong idea.]

[ Helios' journal has thankfully been turned off. He on the other hand is just...trying to go back to cleaning unable to keep that smile off of his face despite everything. Yep. Not going to pay too much attention to this.

At least it's not...a painful procedure? Yeah. Just thinking on the positive side of things. ]

[After awhile she becomes accustomed to the tickling and can sit without laughing quite so much, but the giggling does pop up now and then as Willock works. ]

[It takes a while, but he manages to get the wings apart without ripping out her feathers. They're still pretty sticky, but at least they're not glued to each other anymore.]

...There. [And no, he's not a little red-faced. Not at all.]

[One they are apart she gives an aborted twitch to both. It didn't pull her feathers so much anymore, but it was still uncomfortable. Her wings felt heavy. Matted.]

We should probably soak them again, yes?

Yeah. [He takes hold of her neck and back again, helping her lean back and immerse her wings in the bucket.] You could try swishing them around now, too.

[She leans back as she is bid, quirking a brow at the language used.] Such technical vernacular Rett. However am I to know what to do? [Teasing. Honestly. She 'swishes' her wings about as instructed.]

Would you prefer 'oscillating' them in the water?

[Yes, he can do technical. Have a deadpan look, Adele.]

How about rotate three quarters clockwise, then counter clockwise? [She snickers.]

I think a few full rotations alternating with linear movements along the mediolateral axis would be sufficient.

A few? That's terribly imprecise Dr Willock. Does that mean ten? Three? Twenty five?

My apologies. Make that three full rotations followed by three six-inch wide sweeps from left to right, and repeat the pattern five times. I trust my instructions are clear now?

As crystal Dr. Willock. [She can't help a faint smirk as she follows the instructions as best she can, wincing a little when the sugar still pulls a bit at her feathers.]

[He quirks a smile, reaching down to smooth her feathers apart after she goes through the motions. The water and swishing is making the sugar start to liquify and he carefully wipes the feathers down between his fingertips to get it off.]

[Adele snickers to herself, continuing the motions as instructed. Now that the worst of it is gone and they're underwater the stimulation to her feathers is less ticklish and more soothing. Like a pleasant massage, at least until they tug and she flinches a bit. But. He's being gentle.]

Thank you Rett.

Mm-hm. [He's just happy she's not giggling anymore. He can actually focus on what he's doing, now, without feeling like some sort of pervert.]

I do appreciate it. Really.

[Freed of the worst of it she swishes her wings a little in the water, giving a soft sigh once a particularly irritating glob was worked free.]

ϡ - Chapter ThirtyFive; this is not how you bake a pretty cake [Action (for House 44)|Voice|Video]

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