Unexpected

Cookies and Conversations

Just as I was handing away the very last sandwich before leaving the main room to head to the kitchen, there was a bit of a hullabaloo near one of the arching doorways. Looking around I saw that it was none other than Loki coming into the room, Clint trailing behind him. He was right in the doorway I needed to be heading towards to get to the kitchen. Suddenly I decided that I'd find a long way around to get to the kitchen and started off another way, twisting and turning through the tunnel-like hallways.

When I did get back to the kitchen, I ended up listening to music and giving the kitchen floor a scrub down as well, unable to let the cafeteria floor be cleaner than the kitchen, before beginning the process of lasagna making. Tying on my splotched, once-white-but-now-a-creamy-colored apron, I set about collecting the ingredients as 'Under the Sea' came on my phone. Immediately I took on a cheesy Jamaican accent and sang along as I layered cheese, noodles, sauce, and sausage in several large pans. I stayed with the Disney music until I had all the lasagnas put together, though as I checked the clock I found that it was far too early to start baking them. So I put them in the fridge and then started wiping up all my drips and spills as 'When Will My Life Begin' came on and I felt just the same as Rapunzel as I sang along to the music. "Seven a.m. the usual morning lineup. Start on the chores and sweep til the floor's all clean." The floor was looking pretty great now that I had scrubbed it thoroughly.

"Polish and wax, do laundry, and mop and shine up. Sweep again and by then it's like seven fifteen!" It was more like four in the afternoon, but whatever. Now what was I to do until it was time to serve dinner?"

"And so I'll read a book or maybe two or three," I wish I could read, but in my pile of things from Mrs. Burgenstein yesterday there hadn't been a book.

"I'll add a few new paintings to my gallery. I'll play guitar and knit and cook and bake simply, just wonder when will my life begin?"

I'd done plenty of cooking today, but still, I had time... fine. I'll bake cookies. Something sweet for the poor mind controlled.

After 'When Will My Life Begin' I listened to a handful of other Disney songs, including the entirety of the Frozen soundtrack, then I hit Taylor Swift. I beat eggs and measured flour to 'Love Story', sang into my dough encrusted spoon to 'You Belong With Me', nibbled on a few semi-sweet chocolate chips to 'The Story of Us', and scooped globs of the chocolate chip cookie dough onto cookie sheets to 'Mean'. While the first batch of cookies baked I scribbled down today's happenings on my paper pad, looking up only when the air started to smell dark.

Flinging the oven doors open, I quickly yanked the cookie sheets out with oven mitts to see that they were just on the verge of being too dark. I let them cool for a moment, using the time to track down some cooling sheets and a spatula, before scraping the cookies off.

"The timer must not have gone off." I mumbled to myself as I plopped new globs of dough onto the warmed cookie sheets. Putting these in the oven I set my phone's alarm instead, looking up to see Barton entering the room, the covered tray I had left in Loki's room in hand. So he was the one who returned it. "You're only getting this back to me now?" I questioned, "It's just past five!"

"I haven't gotten around to it until now." Clint explained, handing me the tray, which I dropped in the sink to be washed a little while later.

Spinning around I grabbed one of the gooey cookies and handed it to him, "Tell me if you think they're too dark."

He looked at the cookie in surprise for a moment before slowly, almost suspiciously taking a bite. His eyes lit up a bit and he nodded his head, licking up a crumb that had escaped his mouth, "Mm. Maybe I should stop by here more often if I get first dibs on cookies."