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Post by Akiva Xerxes on Mar 26, 2020 4:53:45 GMT -4
Everything was pissing him off! It was a cloudy day, he got soaked while walking here from the metro station. People had come into his personal bubble while it was not necessary and he just was a little grump. Great, for your first day. The fact that the mask was broken only made him even more grumpy. He could do this, he was hired, he could smile but just not today. Luckily for him, he did not have to work in the front, though that was also bad, he was charming, wasn't he? He could be flirting with the women and the cute guys but not if he was in the back working his ass off! Maybe one day, maybe one day he would be good enough and smile enough to work in the front, but now he could learn something. He should be good, he should prove this woman he could be good. He was probably not allowed in the shop because of his knuckles, no one would like to see a tally marking of eight on both hands and wonder what the sixteen little stripes were for. Not that he was going to tell anyway.
He needed to think, he shook out his body so to say as if a shiver went down his spine right before he entered the bakery. Was there a backdoor he needed to use or was it this door? He wasn't entirely sure, but well what else could he do if he wasn't sure, just take the front door. At least it was open and the sound of the bell went. So much for a silent entry in the morning, he wondered if Teruko was a morning person. If you had a bakery, it should be, right? He didn't say anything, yawned behind his hand and walked on. "Morning." he grumbled to announce his presence. Seriously he normally did not hate mornings, he hated to stay in bed long, his days needed to be long and productive and now this productivity would earn him cash, what more could a person want? He looked around, now that he was the only person here it was interesting to see the bakery before he moved over to the counter, so ehm where to start? He did not like feeling unsure, he also did not like to sleep either and most things were in that case connected. He was really trying to change but it was just itching in him, to snap someone, to hit someone. Maybe it was like being an oiled machine or something.
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118 Posts
3 EP
EXP
Total
47 Years
Female
"Queen Kaiju"
Watchdog-Rank Quirk:
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Post by Teruko Serizawa on Apr 6, 2020 17:09:00 GMT -4
FIRST DAY, TO BAKE OFF! HAD ANYONE ASKED, TERUKO WOULD have insisted that she did not have a "type" when it came to hiring employees. Anyone who'd seen her Tokyo location would know that. Quirkers and Non-Quirkers, men and women, all gainfully employed by the enterprising woman. It was simply coincidence that her first three employees at the Mustafu location had been men. Each came with their challenges, as men often did.
This morning's challenge was Akiva-- he was late.
It didn't really matter that much-- the shop was dead. Foot traffic tended to fluccuate with the weather, and since it was torrentially down-pouring, no one was coming in. Additionally, the cafe tended to be busier at night. No one seemed aware of the fact that they served coffee and breakfast confectioneries. Ah well. It was a new thing. An experiment, if you would.
Teruko was relaxing at the counter, listing closer towards the cafe side, since it was honestly far too early for people to want cake or the likes. There were some breakfast confectioneries-- muffins, breads, a few souffle's that were already decently picked-over.
She was tidying behind the counter, wiping-down machines, when the bell over the door jingled, snagging at her attention. A familiar head of pale blue hair bobbed its way through the door, with a rather dour "Morning" being tossed her way. Teruko smiled, faintly humored.
"Good morning, Akiva-kun," the reptilian woman called back to him. Sure, it was his first day. But Teruko already spoke with familiarity. It was just... who she was. She noted his rather drenched appearance and uncertain glance around.
"Did ya swim here, kid?" she teased, cracking a shark-toothed smile. He was positively soaked to the boan, and looked waspish as it was, "Let's get you dried-off before we get started, hm? Last thing we need is for you to slip on a puddle of rain-water and crack your head open on Day 1."
It was clear by her remark that it wasn't really open to debate.
"Follow me," she said casually, gesturing for him to follow with one hand, "This way."
She walked along the counter, towards door over which an "Exit" sign glared, despite this being the middle of the building. she pushed the door open and squeezed through it, exiting into a hallway filled with doors-- another business, whose nameplate had long ago been removed-- a common bathroom-- and a few nondescript closets.
She pulled the keys from her belt, going to one such closet, and wrestled it open. Inside, there were some towels, some spare clothes. It honestly looked like a linen closet? But in such a peculiar place... Teruko grabbed one such towel, sniffed it.
"Here," she said, tossing the towel to Akiva, "Dry yourself off. There's some dry clothes in there, too, if you care. Close the door when you're done."
That said, she squeezed past him to walk back up the hallway, muttering a faint, "'scuse me," along the way.
| ft. akiva xerxes quirk: e-rank durability, strength, damage; f-rank wealth, culinary arts |
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Post by Akiva Xerxes on Apr 9, 2020 15:34:52 GMT -4
He was definitely not in a good mood and the fact that the mask broke made the mood worse and it just did not seem to be improving at any rate. He was angry and he would stay angry until he was done with being angry. Maybe it helped if he no longer felt like a little kitten that had fallen into a river. See, obviously, Serizawa-san was good-humoured, it was her bakery, she did not have to walk through the rain. He would be in a good mood if he was her. Maybe he should keep her as a mask... bleh that did not work, he did not know her well enough to copy. His teasing made him grumble some inaudible words about the rain and he looked at the window. He kind of missed she was only teasing and not that oblivious as some other people were in his morning. He turned to look at his boss, after distractingly looking at the people that were in the bakery already before realizing that what she said was perhaps a joke, so he tried to chuckle (it didn't work) and nodding, which made a bit of rain splatter on the ground as if he was making it rain. "Yes please." But how, he had no spare clothes, or wait, did they get a uniform even if he walked in the baking part of the bakery and not the selling part?
He looked at the little water pool he had already created and gritted his teeth, that was probably going to be his first job; clean your shit. But for now, he followed her. There wasn't much that the panther said, he was a grump, he would still stay a grump. Though he did remind himself that he would have to be nice and friendly too her. His normal flattery attitude had to come back. She tossed a towel without him noticing but his cat senses were sharp enough that he extended his hand and caught the towel before it would flop on his head. "Yes, thank you Serizawa-san." He said, made a little bow to her and moved out of the way to let her pass to go back to the shop. Okay, now it was probably his cat like features and transformation that made him a grump, so he took the towel, dapped on his body to dry it off, (It went particularly faster when he took his shirt off) before he started to work on his hair. With that done, and being able to keep it just damp instead of dripping in his face, surely improved his mood with about 15%. But he grabbed a shirt, luckily they had the unisex black shirts in there from the closet, took a second towel to damp his trousers and make sure he would no longer drip on the floor before he would go back. He took his wet shirt and towels with him to not make a mess anymore and would offer to clean the spot he left before, if Teruko had not done so already. "Sorry 'bout that." He said, though he would rather have mumbled, but he should leave a better impression.
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118 Posts
3 EP
EXP
Total
47 Years
Female
"Queen Kaiju"
Watchdog-Rank Quirk:
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Post by Teruko Serizawa on Apr 15, 2020 13:43:51 GMT -4
FIRST DAY, TO BAKE OFF! AKIVA SEEMED AS SURLY AS ever, so the reptilian woman took that as her cue to simmer with the jokes. Sure, she was of the mindset that it was no use to cry over spilled milk—or, in this case, soaked clothes—but she also was not the one trying to navigate the world looking half-drowned.
She padded back into the bakery, stopping-by at the few occupied tables on her way back in. One man, bespectacled and with deep crimson hair, seemed entirely too lost in a book and politely declined any refills. He’d been nursing the same cup of tea for the past twenty minutes.
The other group, a pair of college-aged girls, cheerfully surrendered their pastry plates and requested some refills on their coffee.
“Coming right up!” Teruko cheerfully replied, before sauntering back behind the counter. She was eager to go back to working on the cakes, in the bakery behind the counter, but with Akiva already in a bad mood… maybe it would be best to give him some kitchen prep work, instead? Something that was difficult to fuck-up? Besides the front-end was dead, it wasn’t like staffing the counter was something that needed constant attention.
The woman returned to the table of college-students, making small-talk about their notes upon the table while she poured them some coffee. She then retrieved a clean rag, and was in the process of mopping-up the puddles left by her grumpy blue-haired employee upon his return.
The man returned with an apology, and the massive crocodilian simply shrugged and smiled in reply.
“Don’t worry about it,” she assured him, “’s enough to put anyone in a bad mood. Come on—I was thinking of showing you the ropes in the back today.”
“The ropes” as in, basic baking practices. Teruko admittedly had her hands full with all of the cakes and pies.
The woman returned the coffee pot to its heating element.
“Please holler if you need anything,” Teruko advised her guests, “I’m going to be working with my compatriot in the back.”
And then the two slipped through the swinging metallic door that led into the back. There was an open window between the kitchen and the counter, from the days when the bakery had actually been more of a restaurant, so they’d be able to hear if anyone came in.
“This is where all the magic happens. Let’s wash our hands first. Over here-”
Teruko shuffled down the aisle, leaning against a far counter. It was all chrome and occasional wood, immaculately clean, filled with space-age looking cooking implements of all sorts. An enviable kitchen. She found her way to a massive sink, and stepped aside, gesturing for Akiva to use it first.
“After you.”
Assuming he began to wash his hands, the crocodilian would begin to make conversation with the man. She was a talker, even with the most churlish people—she was convinced that she could win people over simply by talking with them.
“So! What’s your kitchen experience like, Akiva-kun?”
| ft. akiva xerxes quirk: e-rank durability, strength, damage; f-rank wealth, culinary arts |
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Post by Akiva Xerxes on Apr 21, 2020 17:06:43 GMT -4
He was simply a grumpy cat. Cats did not like to get wet unless they were prepared for a swim. He liked to stay far away from rain and he even felt like rolling up in a hot warm room under blankets and maybe even doze off. He watched Teruko a little forlorn when he came back. He would get back to his duty for cleaning up the water splashes that he made. He wished he could do that, be cheerful, be great and polite to everyone no matter what happened to him. Soaked to the bone, nope just smile.
He at least beat her to it, which improved his mood with another 10% as he quickly moped up the water spots and looked up at her and apologized. He was also glad that she shrugged it off as something not too big a deal. This woman was amazing. He looked at her, therefore, a little surprised before a small smile appeared on his lips and he thanked her by bowing a little bit. He looked a little happier about the next thing she said, another increase in his mood with 10%. He was going to learn the ropes and that made him happy. He was going to be useful at this job, it was going to calm him down. It did when he was focusing on baking instead of letting all the bad jobs wash away in his mind. He did not think about that in the time that he was working on baking something.
This woman was impressive, not only her quirk but just her attitude, her reaction to everything. His eyes scanned the people in the establishment as she said that they should call for them if they needed anything. He quickly followed her into the back and he followed her again with his eyes, nodding when she said to first wash their hands. He nodded when she said he would go first and he took a bit of the soap pump and opened the tap and made started to rub his hands together, he believed hygiene especially in a kitchen was highly important.
"Oh, not much I have to admit. I went to military school and we do have to youknow cook with a group once a week." Or individual if your partners were sorry-asses. "I did find a small love for baking, I am not sure if I have any talent as I did not get further than the occasional cheesecake or apple pie. But I don't know, it gives me... yea it makes me empty my mind, I can focus on something like it without really thinking too much?" Without thinking too much about the sixteen stripes on his knuckles, "Sorry that was vague."
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118 Posts
3 EP
EXP
Total
47 Years
Female
"Queen Kaiju"
Watchdog-Rank Quirk:
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Post by Teruko Serizawa on May 28, 2020 13:49:10 GMT -4
FIRST DAY, TO BAKE OFF! THE GHOST OF A SMILE crossed Akiva’s features, and Teruko gave a self-satisfied smile to herself in reply. Maybe he wasn’t all-bad. Just a little grumpy in the face of challenges. The woman went towards the fridge as Akiva spoke, insisting that he wasn’t that experienced with kitchen work. Perhaps she could have him work as a dishwasher?
But he had mentioned baking on a smaller scale, so maybe starting with dishes would be demeaning. Maybe a prep cook instead? Have him prep some ingredients that were commonly-used on the cakes and pies. It was both baking-oriented, as well as difficult to fuck-up—and exactly the brand of repetitive that he was looking for.
“I don’t think you were vague,” Teruko assured the man, from over near the fridge, “You said plenty, without saying much at all.”
She pulled an enormous, lidded plastic container from the fridge, mostly empty except for some clumps of a flaked, white substance, and she set it upon a long, wooden table. She then went into the back, returning with a box.
“Sounds to me like you have the makings of a prep cook, so we’ll try our hand at tasks that usually fall on a prep cook,” the woman said simply, clearing her throat. She padded to the sink, now that Akiva was through with it, and began to wash her hands, “A prep cook makes sure that all the ingredients that the other cooks need are ready for the day. It can be menial, at times, but I think it’s the… right amount of repetitive that you’re looking for, hm?”
She soaped her hands thoroughly, almost up to the elbows, then rinsed her hands and dried them.
“And it may come as a surprise to you, but even though my establishment specializes in cakes and pastries, there are lots of natural ingredients that need prepping. For example—“
Teruko padded back to the table, opposite of where Akiva had chosen to stood. She removed the lid off the box, revealing a mound of round, furred delicacies.
“Coconuts.”
She smiled, setting the lid aside.
“I use these tricky bastards on a lot of the desserts I make,” she explained, “Mostly grated, as a garnish. But I grate it fresh ‘cuz I like the taste of fresh-grated better than I like the store-bought stuff.”
Teruko took a coconut into one hand, holding it up.
“So… we’ll start with coconuts, yeah? And work from there.”
There was a mischievous glint in her yellow eyes.
“Ya ever husked a coconut before?”
| ft. akiva xerxes quirk: e-rank durability, strength, damage; f-rank wealth, culinary arts |
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Post by Akiva Xerxes on Jun 5, 2020 15:16:03 GMT -4
He did not want to lose his job, he didn't want to have any trouble at all. He just felt so small, so like nothing. What could he do but be there and just do whatever Teruko-san would offer him? He wanted to be something, not to be forgotten, but you could not do that without trying to accomplish it. Patience, that is what he needed, he needed so much of it, that he would just have to decide here that he would do whatever it took to keep this job and become better at it. He tried to describe to her what he could do and so on. He was at least glad that she seemed to understand what he meant, it would be a lot easier than being the vague one. So he did not say anything extra, he said apparently plenty with not too many words so that was fine. He leaned with his hip against one of the counters and watched what Teruko was doing. Getting a container.
He had no idea what a prep cook was but he sure as hell was going to try to make it work. He wanted to be that prep cook, so he would become one.
He leaned now against the wooden table in the middle, trying to spot what was going on and what was in the box. Moving his chin forward and finally turning his eyes towards Teruko as she went to the sink that he had just left behind. Surely that worked. He nodded, "That sounds like exactly what I am looking for." It was definitely elevating that someone understood him like that without actually having to use all the words. He frowned as she came back and unboxed the box. "Coconut?" It was out before he knew it and he looked at it. He did not get it. He nodded though, yes, yes, fresh ingredients were always better with a lot of things. He shook his head when she asked if he ever broke one open. She should see the interest in his eyes, though. Fixated on what she had just done and what he would. He wanted to do this, he wanted to try and fix this and work this out and do it. "But I am eager to learn." He said when it remained quiet for a while. This was going to be interesting and he only knew that they would say something about a sharp knife and cutting out pieces to break it open because it wouldn't cut through. This was all he could consider but he didn't want to sound stupid, so he said nothing.
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118 Posts
3 EP
EXP
Total
47 Years
Female
"Queen Kaiju"
Watchdog-Rank Quirk:
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Post by Teruko Serizawa on Jun 23, 2020 16:12:20 GMT -4
FIRST DAY, TO BAKE OFF! TERUKO'S CHIPPERNESS DID NOT FADE, particularly when the surly Akiva expressed an interest in learning something new. He seemed a little perplexed, sure, but she’d have him acting like a full-fledged prep-cook in no time.
“Alright, kid—let’s get our implements first. You’ll need two big bowls, one filled with warm water—bowls are under the table—a cleaver, a paring knife, and a blender. Knives are kept in knife block, blender is over on the wall. Got it?”
Teruko grabbed tools for herself as well, making-sure to work opposite of Akiva so that they didn’t stumble over each other (and so she didn’t accidently whack the boy with her tail—a real concern, with a tail as long as hers).
“The warm water will help soften the shell a bit,” Teruko explained, “So that breaking the coconut open—our first task—is a little easier. It also helps clean any dirt off of the shell. So, first things first, grab a coconut and soak it a bit.”
Teruko chose a coconut from the top of the pile and began to turn it in the water, thoroughly soaking it.
“Once it’s nice and soaked, you’re going to find the ‘seams’ on the shell. See where one part of the shell meets the other, and there’s a little indent?”
Teruko held the coconut to Akiva, for him to survey.
“The shell’s weaker there. There should be three ‘seams’ like that.”
She took the coconut into her non-dominant hand, and picked the cleaver up in her other. For such a large knife, it certainly looked small in her massive claws.
“Hold your cleaver, cutting-edge up, and smack the coconut along the seam.”
Teruko brought the cleaver down with a loud “crack!”
No movement.
“You’ll have to do this a few times. Be sure to hold it over the bowl.”
She surveyed Akiva, grinning toothily at him.
“You try. It's great stress relief.”
She’d wait until Akiva followed suit, before she began to methodically strike the coconut. She’d turn it, hit a new seam, turn it, and strike again. On the fourth strike, the coconut split apart, spilling the coconut-water into the empty bowl below. Teruko set the broken shell aside, the fleshy white inside facing-up.
It was clear that she had cracked plenty of coconuts in her life, for she did so with relative ease.
“How you holding-up over there?” Teruko asked as she selected a second coconut to begin breaking apart. She lifted her golden gaze towards Akiva as she asked this question.
| ft. akiva xerxes quirk: e-rank durability, strength, damage; f-rank wealth, culinary arts |
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Post by Akiva Xerxes on Jun 28, 2020 6:07:12 GMT -4
She did not seemed to mind his silence, though it still made him push to say he was eager to learn. So he watched, looked at the coconuts and took the information in like a sponge, everything, remember two big bowls, warm water. He quickly got the bowls when she said they were under the table and looked at the other things, the knife block was, oh there it was and yes the blander he saw it and nodded, "Yes." In his mind he repeated what she said, two bowls, one with warm water, a cleaver and paring knife, the blender was over there. He followed the rest of her examples and took warm water, and took the right knives after a short time looking for the right ones. He will get his way around knowing which handle of which knife was the right one but not yet. This wasn't really much baking instructions like just making general cookies, so he would just have to learn about it.
When he got everything, he stood opposite Teruko, god he already loved this kitchen. The room was great, the table was amazing, he wished that would happen in his own future home but well maybe one day, Lilith's kitchen wasn't small either. Okay, warm water to break the coconut shell, that works. He nodded again, solemnly, he didn't want to disturb her talking and like a real cat, he rather just be quiet, though there was a small smile hidden in the right corner of his mouth. He looked quite relaxed even though he was eager and on his toes to do it right. So he took a coconut and shortly looked what Teruko did before following her example, moving the coconut slowly in the water, to drench it so to say but also that the water had touched everything and he would wait for the following instructions. She spoke about some seams and he leaned to the table and his coconut to check it out, now that the dirt was off he could see it better and made an "Yea," sound when he found it on hers, before checking back to his own. He got them especially when she said there were three of those, easier to find.
He first looked at her, twacking the coconut and holding it above the empty bowl, oooh of course, to not lose any precious coconut water. He grinned at her back when she said it was stress relief, "Good way to sell it." God he looked forward to do so but he wanted to do it right but he followed her, she held it in the hand she didn't use before, so he used his left for it as well, smacking the cleaver with the blunt side on the seam, god that felt satisfying already it would even be better if he could crack it open. Though he wasn't as lucky that he would break it open at the fourth hit, but it was easily seen on his face that he did not mind, he of course was still careful, but finally at about the seventh hit he cracked it, managed to take the opening and rip it further with his hand after he put the cleaver down and get the juice in the bowl. "I am afraid I either ruin the coconut and splash the water next to the bowl or that I hurt myself, so I need to find a way for that." He admitted, looking up at Teruko now that he could and wondered if he should break more of the coconut so they could get the white stuff later. Wasn't that called the coconut flesh? He didn't want to know and made sure to take a second one. "How many do you break a day?"
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118 Posts
3 EP
EXP
Total
47 Years
Female
"Queen Kaiju"
Watchdog-Rank Quirk:
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Post by Teruko Serizawa on Jul 16, 2020 13:02:10 GMT -4
FIRST DAY, TO BAKE OFF! TERUKO WATCHED AS AKIVA FOLLOWED SUIT, offering a reassuring, “Yeah, like that!” as he struck the coconut the first time. He seemed pleased with himself… and honestly, that pleased Teruko, to see him pleased with himself. He caught-on quickly.
Once the shell of Teruko’s coconut cracked, and most of the coconut water was spilled, Teruko set the cleaver down on the table. She then pried the coconut shell apart with her bare hands, exposing the white flesh within. The shell made such a nice crinkling-crack as she ripped it at the seams. Finally, the shell gave altogether, leaving four uneven shards in her upturned palms.
“Just like that, huh?” she grinned. Akiva could probably also rip the coconut open, too, the woman wagered. Akiva expressed his concerns over spilling coconut water, or potentially hurting himself.
“You should be careful not to hurt yourself,” the woman agreed, smiling faintly, “But don’t lose sleep over spilling coconut water.”
She’d never thought to sell the stuff, honestly, having little want for money. Usually, Teruko just drank it herself, or at most used it in seasonal confectionaries.
“Once you get it cracked open, you use the paring knife to cut the meat fee from the shell. And we’ll drop the white meat in the blender, and throw the shell away,” Teruko explained. She set down all the pieces of coconut except one, holding it by the shell. And, with a steady hand, she traced the paring knife along the shell and through the meat, creating a line from edge-to-edge.
Having done that, she was able to remove a piece of coconut flesh, which she held up to show Akiva, before dropping it into the blender.
“I prep coconuts on a weekly basis, and keep the shredded stuff in the fridge until I need it,” Teruko said distractedly, starting to peel the meat from the shell in earnest, “I prep a dozen to two dozen a week, depending on how quickly cakes with shredded coconut are selling.”
Teruko fell into a sort of pattern, peeling meat from the shell, depositing it into a blender, repeat. It was easy to tune-out the world when doing prep-work, for how repetitive it could be. Rather than drift into a hyper-focused stupor, however, Teruko would frequently lift her head to check Akiva's progress, and evaluate if he needed additional help.
| ft. akiva xerxes quirk: e-rank durability, strength, damage; f-rank wealth, culinary arts |
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Post by Akiva Xerxes on Jul 17, 2020 7:34:43 GMT -4
Actually this was more fun than he had anticipated. He had convinced himself it would be okay a sort of aggression training but he actually believed this was fun. Nothing to do with trying to control himself or what not, it was a new way of learning how to bake and he was sure he wanted to do so. He wanted to learn, get better and the like. He was glad for her little praises, eager to watch her and see how she did it and how to do that himself. She grinned at him, which made him smile. Forgetting how he got here all grumpy and soaked to the bone because of the rain. She was very kind, he wished he had someone in his life like her before. Maybe it would have saved him from the darkness, from that road he now wished he never had taken. He knew how he did it, he knew why he did it. He would never want to tell Teruko of the sixteen stripes on his knuckles, he would lie and he hated the idea already but he wanted to stay in her good grace. That wasn't too much to ask right? Why would he want to ruin this, he wanted to stay here forever.
He quickly followed her new example of cutting the meat, he assumed again that as long as he didn't cut himself and maybe lost little pieces of the coconut meat that he would be okay. He would eventually be much smoother and quicker with this, he was sure. A dozen to two dozen coconuts, he tried to fall in line with her and would become a little quicker than with his first when he hit coconut number seven. So that worked ou Atwell, he was losing his worry and just enjoying it. With a small smile on his face, that seemed to be rather obvious. They kept on prepping, learning how to make the famous cakes that Teruko talked about and he was really in his element. He liked being here, he wished he could stay all day and it made him, even more, relax and calm.
It was a great day, from prepping the coconuts to just talking to Teruko which came without any effort and he was so happy that he couldn't wait to return tomorrow. A purpose that did not involve beating up people, that just involved making things, cakes, cookies, other sorts of things in the bakery that made people happy. He thanked her for her time and the teaching and couldn't wait to see her again.
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989 Posts
EP
EXP
Total
26 Years
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Post by Maya on Jul 20, 2020 15:23:53 GMT -4
Aki had 550 EXP and gained 27 EXP
Teruko had 109 EXP and gained 22 EXP
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