2nd Floor Common Room, Tuesday Afternoon

[3girls-1core.livejournal.com]

It was their sixteenth birthday today. Sholeh hadn't told anyone because she couldn't think of a way to do so without it coming across as self-aggrandizing. What was one supposed to do? Just walk up to random people and announce that it was your birthday? Wasn't that a little...rude?

It had been her plan to spend the rest of the day curled up with a new book she'd gotten as a birthday gift for herself, but Zhahar had pointed out that it was their birthday, too, and surely her sisters deserved a little something for willingly remaining in the background for weeks at a time. Which was how Sholeh had ended up in the common room, making cream cheese caramel brownies. Unsure of the recipe, even with Zhahar whispering directions in her ear, Sholeh had decided to make multiple batches just to make sure she ended up with enough to share with her sisters.

The only problem with making a lot in preparation of failure? When you actually succeeded, you ended up with more than you bargained for. A lot more. Sholeh was pretty sure they couldn't eat all of the brownies she'd made even divided among the three of them.

Well, maybe...

Okay, yeah probably not.

Comments

[genesishero]

Evan didn't get out much, no. But sometimes... just sometimes, he managed to wander out at the right time. A walk outside, maybe, just to appreciate the cool weather. It wasn't exactly like home, and he was having a homesick week.

The smell of baking made him detour, mostly because it did smell like home, and he found himself peering into the common room, wide-eyed.

"Sholeh! Hi! Were you baking?"

His nose was like a radar for delicious things, as any teenaged boy's nose ought to be.

[3girls-1core.livejournal.com]

"Hi, Evan!" Sholeh said, beaming at him. She hadn't seen him since she'd turned back into a person again. "I'm just making some brownies. Would you like one?"

*Sholeh, these aren't 'just' brownies,* Zhahar scolded. *They're decadence in chocolate form.*

Sholeh tried not to roll her eyes at her sister, but amended that to, "They're cream cheese caramel brownies."

[genesishero]

"Those sound amazing," Evan replied, perhaps a little wide-eyed. That was a lot of delicious things, all in one brownie name. "I'd love one, if they're for sharing, please!"

Home-baked brownies? It had been since just about forever since he'd had something like that.

"They smell like something my Ma would have made, back home."

[3girls-1core.livejournal.com]

Hey, a girl (or a trio of them) only turned sixteen once. Sometimes you had to go all out.

=Did he just compare you to his mom?= Zeela sounded amused--and a little offended.

::Just the baking and hush!:: Sholeh told her, holding the plate out for Evan to take one.

"Take more than one if you want," she offered. "I wasn't sure I'd be able to make them right on the first try, so I made a lot."

[pulseof_life]

Yeul’s room was near the common room and she’d certainly noticed the delicious smell of food but the reason she bestirred herself to get up and enter the common room was more because… well because she’d felt like it, truth be told.

"Oh, hello Sholeh!" she said, smiling.

[3girls-1core.livejournal.com]

"Yeul, hello!" Sholeh said, beaming. Yet another friend she hadn't seen since before the break. Stupid being an animal for a month. "It's so good to see you! Can I offer you a brownie? A cream cheese caramel brownie, I mean," she said, forestalling her sisters' correction.

[pulseof_life]

"It is good to see you as well! It has been awhile, hasn't it?" In a way it had and hadn't been but that was really beside the point right now. "And a brownie would be lovely, thank you."

Who could resist a brownie with a name like that? Not Yeul!

[3girls-1core.livejournal.com]

"I turned into a fawn for almost a month," Sholeh explained, wrinkling her nose. Being an animal for that long had been more than frustrating, it had been downright boring! "Just changed back right before the picnic."

And then she'd had some quality reading to catch up on!

"I don't recommend being an animal for that long. Or at all, really."

[genesishero]

"Yeul!" Evan was smiling and waving hello, brownie in hand, as he spotted Yeul walking into the room. "Hi! How are you today?"

... He didn't get out much. It was always exciting to see friendly faces.

[pulseof_life]

Friendly faces were nice to see even if you did get out more!

"Evan, hello! I am well." She smiled, studying him and his brownie. "Should I guess that you are well also?"

Brownies and smiles were good indicators, right?

[nomelancholy.livejournal.com]

Ulrik was vaguely aware that Sholeh's (and her sisters', he supposed) birthday was around this time of year, although he wasn't aware of the exact date. However, that wasn't at all what was on his mind as he entered the common room today. "Is that chocolate I smell?" he asked hopefully.

[3girls-1core.livejournal.com]

"Nope," Sholeh said sadly, shaking her head even as she stood next to a platter of fresh-baked brownies. "You must be imagining things, Ulrik. Are you feeling all right?"

If he could tease her about empanadas, she could tease him about brownies. Fair was fair.

[nomelancholy.livejournal.com]

"Actually," he drawled, "As it happens, my chocolate intake has been dangerously low as of late. And I thought, perhaps my dear friend would be able to assist me in remedying this problem. I can see now that I was mistaken..." he flopped rather dramatically down on one of the couches. "Alas."

[genesishero]

"It's chocolate," Evan confirmed, practically chirping where he was sitting with the plate of brownies that Sholeh had served up to him. There was no way he was going to be able to eat them all himself, but that was okay, because from the look of things, she'd made enough to feed a small army. "And it's amazing! Sholeh's a great cook!"

[nomelancholy.livejournal.com]

"Is she now?" Ulrik raised an eyebrow. "Well, every great cook needs someone willing to sample their creations. Which I see you've got under control," he teased lightly.

[nonelikemesince.livejournal.com]

Absorbed as he could get in his own business at times, not even Anakin could fail to notice the smell of brownies wafting out into the hall.

"That smells astral," he said, apparently not even noticing the perpetually-messy mop of hair that fell into his eyes as he stepped into the common room. (Or how much he needed a haircut.) He did look a bit distracted, which might have had something to do with the datapad he was holding. Or maybe not.

[3girls-1core.livejournal.com]

"Does astral mean good?" Sholeh asked, a bit timidly. "Because if so, there are some brownies to share?"

And if it didn't, maybe she could apologize? Though how someone could dislike the smell of baking brownies was utterly beyond her.

[nonelikemesince.livejournal.com]

It was beyond him, too, so no worries there, Sholeh.

Anakin grinned crookedly in that distinctly Solo way. "More than good. Does that mean I can have one, then?"

[genesishero]

"I don't know about astral," Evan offered from the seat he'd grabbed on the couch, "but they're definitely amazing."

Same thing, Evan.

"They're totally worth detouring into the common room for!"

[nonelikemesince.livejournal.com]

"Did they lure you in too?" asked Anakin. "Are we going to have to start worrying about the common room being too full?"

He was actually half serious. The 'half' part was an accomplishment.

[beautifulsenshi.livejournal.com]

Oh please, like Minako couldn't smell sweets from a mile away.

"Eh? Who's baking?" she asked, almost skidding into the Common Room since she'd taken the stairs two-at-a-time from fifth. "Can I help?"

[3girls-1core.livejournal.com]

Sholeh's brownies brought all the kids to the yard!

"Umm, I am?" Sholeh said, raising her hand slightly like she was in class. "Cream cheese caramel brownies?"

Sholeh, that wasn't a question. You were.

"Would you like one?" She didn't really think she needed any help, but taste-testers were always appreciated.

[beautifulsenshi.livejournal.com]

"How is that even a question?" Minako wondered aloud, swooping in with Artemis padding along - annoyed - behind her. "I'm pretty sure brownies of all types are internationally awesome and required eating."

[genesishero]

"Aren't they good?" Evan smiled at the blonde girl that had come sliding into the common room, halfway through a brownie of his own. "Sholeh's a really good baker. I haven't had brownies this good in ages."

[beautifulsenshi.livejournal.com]

"Fantastic!" Minako enthused, waving a brownie like a pompom. "I mean, seriously, we need more baked goods, less cafeteria food, am I right?"