4th Floor Common Room, Saturday afternoon

[leavingthenest.livejournal.com]

Weird things were going on. Rapunzel was still very sensitive to that sort of thing around the island, and it still made her anxious and worried.

But this one felt different. Whatever was going on this time, it had other people worried. And though she rarely said so, having everyone around her take the weirdness in stride was oddly reassuring.

So she was stress baking. Well, stress cooking in general.

She'd already made bread, cookies, muffins, and then more cookies. Now she was working on a quiche. Trying to take her mind of off things, and (in the back of her head) hoping that the smell of food would draw someone in to talk to her.

She didn't want to feel alone right now.

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[walkswithcoyote]

Someone else who baked when they were stressed.

Mercy followed her nose to the 4th floor common room and came into the room quietly. "Need any help?"

[leavingthenest.livejournal.com]

Rapunzel looked up, offering a quick smile. Yay people!

"Making or eating?" she asked a bit sheepishly. She'd take help with either one, really!

[walkswithcoyote]

"Making?" Mercy suggested. "I'm not sure I really want to eat anything at the moment."

[leavingthenest.livejournal.com]

That was something Rapunzel could understand.

She grinned. "I could totally use a hand if you're offering one."

[walkswithcoyote]

Mercy nodded. "I don't see any brownies. I'm particularly good at those."

[leavingthenest.livejournal.com]

"I must have made a terrible oversight," Rapunzel almost-laughed. "And I'm glad you're here to help me recover."

She cocked her head. "What are you going to need?" Rapunzel had quite a lot of the ingredients out already, after all.

[walkswithcoyote]

Mercy rattled off the ingredients as she got out a mixing bowl. "It helps me feel less stressed," she explained.

[leavingthenest.livejournal.com]

Rapunzel giggled with delight. "Me too!" She picked through her various ingredients, and slid a stack of them, along with a large mixing bowl, over to Mercy.

She ducked her head a bit sheepishly. "That might be how I got started today."

[walkswithcoyote]

"Can't reach anyone at home either, huh?" Mercy asked.

[leavingthenest.livejournal.com]

"Well, that's not new for me," Rapunzel admitted. "Not since I got here."

But the fact that other people couldn't only made her more worried than usual.

[walkswithcoyote]

"Oh," Mercy said, looking embarrassed. "I'm sorry."

[leavingthenest.livejournal.com]

"Oh!" Rapunzel said quickly, "don't be! You didn't know." She dredged up a smile for Mercy to show that she really didn't mind.

[walkswithcoyote]

Mercy smiled back at her a little shyly. "It must be tough to have been out of touch for so long."

[regretiz4suckas.livejournal.com]

Food food FOOOOOOOD.

Kenzi had rolled out of a portal this morning, and was still wandering around, hugging walls. But hey. She could follow good smells. And look! It as the girl with the hair and the cookies again! "Yay!"

[leavingthenest.livejournal.com]

"Yay?" Rapunzel repeated with a smile. Because: yay! Another person!

[regretiz4suckas.livejournal.com]

"You're cooking again, woo!" Kenzi sat down on one of the stools, back to the wall, and her hand snaked out for a cookie. Then a muffin. She almost had one in her mouth before she asked, "These are for everybody, right?"

It hadn't occurred to her that Rapunzel probably wouldn't recognize her.

[leavingthenest.livejournal.com]

Rapunzel laughed. "I'm certainly not going to eat all of them by myself." She wasn't baking to eat, she was baking to bake, after all.

"So feel free."

[regretiz4suckas.livejournal.com]

"Thanks, Rapunzel." FOOOOOD. Nom nom nom. Kenzi slumped down a bit, and said very seriously, "Travel sucks. Don't do it."

[leavingthenest.livejournal.com]

"I haven't really had much chance," Rapunzel pointed out a bit awkwardly.

Still no luck getting home.

[regretiz4suckas.livejournal.com]

"You haven't?" Kenzi tilted her head. "Where are you-- oh right, your home doesn't have a name." She remembered that now. Kenzi bit into the muffin, and little "om nom nom nom" noises escaped. "Portalocity is broken. Don't use it if you *do* get a chance."

[leavingthenest.livejournal.com]

"Broken?" Rapunzel frowned.

That didn't sound good.

[regretiz4suckas.livejournal.com]

"It spit me and Topher out in a subway tunnel! With giant rats!" Kenzi involuntarily shuddered. "I'm staying right here until they get it fixed, damnit."

[leavingthenest.livejournal.com]

"Oh!" Rapunzel leaned forward, looking Kenzi over worriedly. "Are you okay?"

[regretiz4suckas.livejournal.com]

Kenzi gave her bang-bang fingers and said, "A-OK. Yup. Aside from the nightmares I'll be having about chittering fangs and red eyes in the dark. Peachy keen." She needed another cookie to recover. Rapunzel was awesome for having some right there. "You are such.. .mppph... good cook."

[leavingthenest.livejournal.com]

Rapunzel smiled. "I'm glad you think so." She reached out to grab a muffin for herself. "And I'm glad you're okay."