Fourth floor common room, Wednesday morning

[leavingthenest.livejournal.com]

Rapunzel was feeling pretty good this morning, and as part of that she was trying to get back into a regular routine. She'd gotten up early, tidied up her room, and almost immediately headed to the common room where she'd made a huge batch of muffins.

And now that said muffins were in the oven (and smelled positively delicious as they were baking!) Rapunzel had a moment to sit down and brush her hair. A few moments.

A lot of moments.

This could take a while.

Comments

[swordsandsoccer.livejournal.com]

Dolf lived on the fifth floor, which necessitated walking past the fourth on his way down. He froze halfway down the fifth-to-fourth stairs. What was that smell?

And so Rapunzel would find a blond Dutch boy following his nose into the common room. "Are you baking?"

Yes, that would be a sensible conclusion, Rudolf.

[its-theclimb.livejournal.com]

"I hope so," Miley laughed. "Or else they've invented some kind of really realistic air-freshener."

[swordsandsoccer.livejournal.com]

"It's possible," Dolf argued. "There are people from the future here." He smiled at... the girl whose name he didn't know, but whose voice sounded vaguely familiar.

[its-theclimb.livejournal.com]

Miley smiled back, pointing out, "Yeah, but it'd be kind of cruel to make a scent that just makes you want to eat junk food." Pause. "Then again, my shampoo pretty much smells like apple pie."

Yes, Miley. Technological advancements were everywhere.

[swordsandsoccer.livejournal.com]

"I saw somewhere that sometimes they spray it to make people like houses more," Dolf said, thoughtfully. "You know, ones that the real estate agents want you to buy."

[its-theclimb.livejournal.com]

"Huh," Miley said thoughtfully. "That's really smart, actually. I'd probably be fooled."

[leavingthenest.livejournal.com]

Rapunzel looked up, brush frozen in mid-stroke. "Um... yes?" That was okay, wasn't it? She wasn't going to get in trouble, was she?

[swordsandsoccer.livejournal.com]

"Are they done yet?" Dolf wanted to know.

And then laughed at himself, embarrassed. "Sorry. Hungry."

[leavingthenest.livejournal.com]

His laugh drained the tension from Rapunzel's shoulders and she bestowed Dolf with a sunny grin. "They should be done in ten minutes or so if you'd like one." Her grin turned a bit impish. "Or two or three."

[swordsandsoccer.livejournal.com]

"I would," was Dolf's response to all of that.

A beat.

"Um, three. They smell really good."

[its-theclimb.livejournal.com]

Rapunzel might well find herself making a lot of new friends today.

"Ohmygosh, are those muffins?" Miley gushed. "They smell amazing. What club do I have to join to earn some of those?"

She thought she'd figured out the baking ethics, yes.

[leavingthenest.livejournal.com]

"Um... club?" Rapunzel asked, eyes blinking rapidly as she tried to process the question.

"I... don't know?"

No one had told her!

[its-theclimb.livejournal.com]

"Oh, good," Miley said, relieved, flopping down on a couch. "Most people keep making delicious cupcakes and they'll only give you them if you join their club. I say, just share with everyone, you know?"

[leavingthenest.livejournal.com]

Rapunzel giggled, then clapped her hand over her mouth to suppress it. "That's a very generous point of view," she allowed behind a half-hidden grin.

[its-theclimb.livejournal.com]

"Yeah, but when I made catfish stew for everyone, like, no one wanted to try it," she went on. "And that won the Crowley Corners Country Fair award for best non-casserole dish three years in a row! Which, okay, is sort of misleading, because they count Southern baked mac and cheese and bacon as a casserole but not regular mac and cheese and bacon, so there's this whole controversy over what should be allowed to count, but they're pretty sure a stew isn't a casserole. We think. But it won, so. People should be lining up at the door to try some!"

[perilless.livejournal.com]

Rosella had grown up with quite the nose to tell when sweets were baking in a kitchen even if she was all the way on the other side of the castle, and so it was really no surprise that she was lead by aroma toward the fourth floor. She came in through the door taking in a deep, deep breath and letting out an appreciative sigh. "Those smell heavenly," she said happily, offering her compliments to figure out who might be the chef.

[leavingthenest.livejournal.com]

Oh, compliments! Rapunzel really liked those!

She beamed in response. "You really think so? You can have one when they're done, if you like!"

[perilless.livejournal.com]

"Oh, of course!" Rosella chuckled a little in response, glad to see that she'd pleased the other girl. "They drew me all the way up from downstairs, that's how heavenly they smell. I would love the chance to see if the taste is just as good as the aroma."

[leavingthenest.livejournal.com]

Now Rapunzel was smiling so hard it almost hurt.

She ducked her head slightly in embarrassment. "I hope they don't disappoint you," she said softly. She really, really did.

[perilless.livejournal.com]

"Don't be a silly goose," said Rosella with a wave of her hand; the girl reminded her quite a bit of some of the kitchen girls back home, except for that particular feature of her hair. Hair that long would never be allowed in the kitchen, though Rosella figured it could be great for keeping the floors clean. "I'm fairly certain it's a complete impossibility that something that smells so nice could taste wretched."

And, even if they did, Rosella was a diplomat, and was not about to let the girl know she thought so if she could help it. She smiled.

"Your in class with me on Friday, aren't you?" she asked. "The one about well-behaved women rarely making history?"

[life_inshadow]

"Those smell incredible," Tara said, as she wandered into the common room and blinked at the ... hair.

Lots of hair.

"Hi!"

[leavingthenest.livejournal.com]

"Hi!" Rapunzel chirped back, enjoying the compliment too much to notice any attention focused on her hair. Which she kept brushing. "Would you like one? They're almost ready to come out of the oven!"

[life_inshadow]

"Thanks," Tara said. "I baked over the weekend. Maybe this is ... muffin karma. If, um, baking has karma."

She smiled, a bit lopsided, at the blatantly silly idea.

"I'm Tara. I ... don't think I've seen you before."

She would have noticed the massive amounts of hair.

[leavingthenest.livejournal.com]

"Muffin karma," Rapunzel repeated. Then grinned. "That sounds like fun!"

She offered Tara a wave. "I'm Rapunzel! It's very nice to meet you Tara. And your muffin karma."

[life_inshadow]

"If it means I get yummy muffins, it's definitely fun," Tara smiled. "So ... where were you before you came here, Rapunzel? Pretty name."