"Hey, Candi?~" A twelve year old girl flopped over onto her older sister's bed, strands of pink hair falling into her enormous grin, causing her to spit them out hurriedly, pulling a disgusted face.
The girl she had addressed lowered her book slightly, peering over the top of it with patient blue eyes. Observing her spitting sister that lay across her legs, she smiled, a small gesture, and said, "What is it, Luna?"
Luna hopped up, finished getting hair out of her mouth, and sat on her knees, scooting closer to her sister. She smiled again and announced, "I want to teach you how to bake!"
Candace frowned, setting her novel down on her lap. "But, I don't need to know how to bake…" She said softly.
"Of coooourse you do!" Luna insisted, grabbing the fifteen year old's hand and patting it gently, the way one might comfort someone who's lost their mind. Speaking in a gentler tone, yet full of her usual 'duh you should know this' tone, the pink haired sister continued, "Everyone should know how to bake, dearie. It's super fun, and then you can make all kinds of things, and not have to buy them! Pluuus, it won't hurt when you wanna catch a husband, hehe." Luna snickered and elbowed her sister, who turned bright red.
"L-Luna, you're much too young to be talking like that," Candace scolded, raising her free hand to her heated face with a small shake of her head.
"Not so, sister! I am simply looking to the future!" The girl insisted, dropping Candace's hand in order to bring both of hers to her chest in mock pain, eyes wide. "I'm trying to take care of your future, dearest! And I say baking is gonna be super useful, just you wait!" Rising to stand on her knees, she puffed out her chest importantly and said in a booming voice, "Men like a woman who can cook! The way to that special man's heart is through his stomach, and if you bake him delicious things, he will love you for eternity!"
Candace sighed, a soft sound, but an exasperated one nonetheless. "I can't get out of this, can I?..."
"Nope!" Luna beamed proudly, hands on her hips. "Besides, it's not like you had other plans today."
Casting her gaze downward, Candace fiddled shyly with one of her baby-blue braids. "W-well, I guess not, but it's a lovely Fall day, and I was maybe going to-"
"Not anymore!" Luna sing-songed, leaping off the bed and grabbing her sister's hand. "Now, let's go, before Granny makes us do chores or somethin'!" And, ignoring her older sister's soft protests, Luna dragged her out of their brightly-colored bedroom, and into the kitchen.
"This is where the magic happens!" Luna announced with a flourish, letting go of her sister's hand.
"I know, Luna, I've cooked be-" Candace began softly, but Luna cut her off.
"Now! Let's make, hm… some Fall-appropriate deserts!" She tapped her chin in thought, "Hm… hm…" Pacing around the small kitchen, she 'hm'ed and 'um'ed for several minutes, while Candace just watched silently, resigned to her fate and yearning for her novel.
"AHA! I've got it!" Luna screamed excitedly. "Herb Cookies and Pumpkin Spice Cake!"
"We don't have any pumpkin spice…" Candace murmured.
"Then we can buy some!" Luna craned her neck upward to look at her older (and much taller) sister with a stubborn pout, and a whine in her voice. "Let's go, General Store, right now!"
"But it takes half a day just to get there and back…" Candace told her, lacing and unlacing her fingers together.
"Then we'll bake at night!" Luna said, "But we WILL bake! Today! Now, come along, let's go to the Garmon Mines." And, without waiting for any answer on the part of her sister, Luna raced to their bedroom, grabbed Candace's soft blue cardigan, and a short, hooded, frilly cape for herself, and ran out into the shop portion of their house. "Granny, we're going out!" Luna called out to their guardian as she struggled to get her cape on while holding her sister's sweater.
Following her sister into Sonata Tailoring, Candace smiled gently at the sight of the stubborn girl trying to wriggle herself into her cape with her hands full. She carefully took her sweater from her sister, smiling sweetly. "Thanks, Luna."
"No problem!" The younger girl said proudly, finally clasping the cape, now that her hands were free. Bouncing on the balls of her feet impatiently, she watched her sister pull on her cardigan. As soon as the top button was fastened, Luna grabbed her hand and dragged her away, shouting, "Onward!"
Candace went along with a smile and no argument. Whenever Luna set her mind to something, it was best not to oppose her. Besides, it was nice outside. The fall breeze blew in from the beach, sending the salty scent of the ocean across the harbor town. As she stumbled along behind her sister, Candace thought sadly of the fact that there were no trees in the town. After all, leaves were beautiful this time of year…
The girl's thoughts were interrupted by the fact that she nearly tripped over her sister, who had stopped abruptly. "L-Luna, what?"
Luna released her sister's hand, smoothing her pink pigtails and smiling widely. Candace followed her gaze to the doorway of Town Hall, and stifled a giggle. The mayor's son, Gill Hamilton, was just leaving, his icy blue eyes dull and hooded, as usual. Those eyes hid a sharp and witty personality, and his blond hair was gelled to perfection, with a small cowlick in the front. He was only a couple of years older than Luna, but eons more mature.
"Hello, Gill!" Luna chirped, striding toward the bridge that led out of town. And was just past the town hall.
The boy looked her her, disinterested, yet polite. "Good afternoon, Luna. Candace." He inclined his head in greeting, then turned and went down the street from which the two girls had just emerged, and Luna's gaze followed him, her head craning around to watch him until he was out of sight.
Candace opened her mouth to speak, but paused when her sister said, with a determined tone of voice and a grin on her face, "I'm gonna marry him."
Her sister let a frown fall onto her features. "Don't you think you're a bit young to be planning these things?" She asked, blinking quickly when the breeze blew some of her blue bangs directly into her eyes.
"Of course not!" Luna insisted, crossing her arms, "I'm gonna marry Gill Hamilton and that's that!" With a stomp of her foot and a toss of her head, she strolled across the stone bridge and onto the dirt road that led to the several other districts on the island.
With a sigh, Candace trailed along behind her sister. Luna stomped stubbornly ahead of Candace for quite a while. She stomped along the cliff by the ocean, she stomped past the old, abandoned farm. She stomped over to the large suspension bridge over the river in front of the roaring waterfall, and paused, allowing her sister to catch up. Glancing at the Garmon Mines District across the bridge, she held out her hand and said softly with a pout, "I'm scared of this bridge."
Hiding a smile, Candace took her hand and walked beside her across the swinging bridge, enjoying the moment. It was usually she that was the sister afraid of things like this. Luna always comforted her, or gave her a good bop on the head when she thought she needed it. Luna wasn't scared of much. So Candace walked carefully, making sure not to cause the bridge to swing more than was necessary. Luna's bright, blue eyes were wide, and she stared up at the sky, determined not to look down.
After a minute or so, they were across the bridge, and Luna let go of Candace's hand, smoothing her skirt and hair, all business again. "There! Now, to the general store!"
Luna strode to the door immediately, with Candace trailing behind, as usual. The bell above the door rang merrily as the pair stepped into the warm, inviting building.
"Why hello girls, I wasn't expecting to see you two today!" The woman behind the counter smiled warmly, beckoning them over. "What can I do ya for?"
Luna bustled up to the counter, with Candace following her, head down shyly. "We came to buy some pumpkin spice, Barbara! I'm teaching Candace to bake," She said importantly.
"Of course, Luna." Barbara smiled, stifling laughter. "Baking is an important skill for a woman."
"I know!" Luna nodded, crossing her arms. "Men love women who bake! And let's be honest, as adorable as she is, Candace can use all the help she can get." She said the last part in a loud whisper, leaning confidentially toward the shopkeeper.
However, Candace still heard, and blushed to the tips of her ears. Barbara giggled and scolded Luna, "Now now Luna, Candace is incredibly charming! Besides, aren't you two a little young to be worried about marriage?"
Candace nodded quickly, and Luna opened her mouth to speak, but they were interrupted by a voice. "What is this about dear Candace being married?!"
Barbara looked up with a smile as Candace's eyes went wide and she stared at the floor, and Luna glared at the newcomer, hands on her hips. The shopkeeper spoke, "Oh, hello Julius! Candace isn't getting married, we were just talking." She smiled warmly and gave Luna a wink.
"Yeah!" Luna growled, stepping around Candace to get a better look at the young man, "Even if she were getting married, she wouldn't marry you!"
Julius looked taken aback, and slightly hurt, blinking quickly at Luna. His magenta hair was feathered with several different colors, as usual, and his clothing was bright and colorful. His scarlet gaze flickered back to the back of Candace's head before landing on Luna again. "O-of course, I wasn't saying that!" He said stubbornly. The boy crossed his arms and looked rather uncomfortable under Luna's gaze.
"Whatever, you just stay away from her!" Luna said, wagging a finger in his direction. "She's not interested!"
Genuine pain flickered across Julius' face, and he nodded slowly. "I see…" Turning back to the door, he left without another word.
Barbara's face fell. "He didn't buy anything…" She mumbled.
"Haha! Aren't I so good at protecting you, Candi?~" Luna turned proudly to Candace. "Of course I am! Now Barbara, we need some pumpkin spice, and…"
As Luna spoke with the woman that ran the general store, Candace's thoughts wandered. Why did she say that? She doesn't know that I wouldn't marry him… She was a little hurt that her sister was speaking for her, but she was rather used to it. Luna always stood up for her, no matter what. She was grateful, but this time… well, she just wish she hadn't said that. It wasn't very kind. Not that Julius cared, he probably didn't even like her very much anyway, but still…
"You too, Barbara!" Luna called out as she grabbed Candace's hand, interrupting her thoughts once again. With the bag of pumpkin spice and a few other assorted ingredients on her left arm, she dragged her sister toward the door with her right hand. "See you later!"
"Goodbye, girls. Good luck!" Barbara waved as the pair left the shop, smiling. "I remember when I was that age," she chuckled, shaking her head.
"Now, let's get baking!" Luna clapped her hands, handing Candace an apron.
"But it's getting late… won't Granny be upset if we're still awake?" The older girl said worriedly, glancing out the window at the bright night sky.
"Oh don't be silly, it'll be fine because I'm teaching you valuable life skills, so stop trying to get out of it!" Luna snapped irritably. "Now, put on your apron."
Biting her lip and nodding, Candace tied the apron around her waist, and Luna pulled ingredients out of the pantry and refrigerator, setting them beside the mixing bowls she'd prepared. "Now, you're going to do the Herb Cookies, and I'll do the Pumpkin Spice Cake. But I'll teach you how to make the cookies, and you can learn the cake another time! I just wanna eat it…" She confessed sheepishly. "I like pumpkin spice, ehehe…"
Candace smiled and nodded, "I know, Pumpkin Pie is your favorite."
"Sure is!" Luna grinned. "But that's for another time. Now, we bake!" She waved a wooden spoon in the air, "Your recipe's on the counter, so read it out, and I'll help you if you have questions."
With a nod, Candace looked at the recipe, "Um, did you preheat the oven t-"
"It's already done!" Luna interrupted her, cracking an egg expertly. "It's the same temperature for both sweets, so that's handy!"
"Okay." Candace nodded and returned to her recipe.
As she began to measure out the flour, Luna cried out, "No no no, you have to sift the flour! It makes your baked goods have more quality. Rather like cooking with Shining ingredients. But you MAKE it better yourself." She said matter-of-factly, whisking her own mixture.
Blinking slowly, Candace said, "Oh." She'd never sifted flour before… which tool was that?
"Here, I'll show you." Luna hopped off the stool she was standing on and bustled over, busying herself with the sifter and pouring the flour into it, showing Candace how to gently hit it on your free hand, so that the flour would fall through the mesh. "Got it?" She asked, setting it down.
Her sister nodded, so the pink haired girl turned back to her cake, humming lightly.
Candace sifted the flour into the bowl and added more ingredients. Ground red, blue, and purple herbs, salt, and she frowned at the next ingredient. "Packed brown sugar?" She raised an eyebrow at Luna, confused.
With a small sigh, Luna shook her head. "How can my older sister be so cute and clueless? Alright, here, it's simple, you just smash the brown sugar into the measuring cup, instead of scooping it out. See?"
Nodding once again, Candace briefly thought that if she kept this up, she'd get a sore neck. "Thanks, Luna," She smiled.
"No problem-o~" Her sister sing-songed, hopping back onto her stool and adding more ingredients to her batter. "I wonder if you can make a tomato cake," she mused.
"I suppose it's possible, Luna." Candace said as she dumped the brown sugar into a separate bowl with shortening and butter, and set it on the electric mixer, letting the tool do the work. Glancing between the mixer bowl and the recipe, she put in the eggs and molasses, watching until it was well blended, then adding the flour mixture.
"It says it has to refrigerate for an hour," Candace said, glancing up at Luna. "Is that really necessary?"
"Duh!" The short girl replied, waving her batter-coated wooden spoon in the air. "No way around it, stick it in the fridge!"
Sighing, Candace wrapped the bowl with plastic wrap and set it in their refrigerator. "What now?" She asked Luna, peering curiously over her shoulder.
"You may watch the expert!" Luna said, puffing her chest importantly. "I'm gonna put this cake in this super fancy bundt cake pan. See, it's got a cool design!" Holding the pan out toward her older sister, Luna grinned as Candace looked at it.
It was a deep, round pan, with a pipe up the center so that the cake would be round, with a hole in the middle. Like an angel food cake, Candace thought as she examined it. It was pointy, and it looked like… "Are those supposed to be trees?" Candace asked, curious.
"Yup! It's a tree-design bundt cake pan!" Luna set it on the counter and busied herself with oiling it and carefully pouring her batter into it. "It'll be beautiful!"
Candace smiled. "I'm sure," she agreed.
"Candaaaace, your cookies are ready to come out of the oveeeeen!" Luna called from the kitchen.
Candace set down her novel with a smile, standing from her curled up position on her bed. "Coming," She answered, padding softly across the floor in her socks.
"Don't forget to use a mitt!" Luna warned as the girl opened the oven.
"A-ah, right." Candace smiled sheepishly and slipped the oven mitts onto her hands. Sliding the pan carefully out of the oven, she shut it quickly, beaming. "They look good!" She said happily.
"Of course they do, I taught you how to make them, after all." Luna said, hands on her hips proudly. "Now, let's let them cool, and then we'll taste them. I'll cut the Pumpkin Spice Cake, and we'll drink hot chocolate and talk girl talk!" Luna squealed, fishing through a drawer for a knife. "It'll be super fun, I promise. Aha!" Finding the knife, she uncovered the cake, preparing to cut it.
"If you say so…" Candace said softly, watching in sadness as Luna sliced the cake. It had been a beautiful cake… a rich, dark orange, with the spires of its design like evergreen trees, dusted with powdered sugar. A beautiful cake, indeed.
"I do! Now, use this and put those on a plate." Luna handed her sister a spatula and nodded at the cookies, sitting innocently on the stovetop.
Nodding, Candace pulled a plain, white dish from the cabinet and gently slid the spatula under a cookie. It came off the metal cookie sheet smoothly, and Candace smiled at her small victory. Dropping it onto the plate, she removed the rest of the cookies, their sweet smell whetting her appetite.
"Okay, I think we're ready!" Luna grinned, setting a mug of cocoa on the counter next to her sister. Candace picked it up delicately, smiling at the whipped cream covered drink. Luna gently tapped her mug to her sister's, giggling. "Enjoy!"
Candace smiled and raised the warm mug to her lips, sniffing the enticing hot chocolate.
"C'mon, grab those cookies and let's sit on the sofa - who wants to stand around in the kitchen?" Luna teased, and her sister nodded, following her instructions. Soon the pair was seated on their couch, eating and drinking cocoa happily.
"I'm tellin' you, sister," Luna said with a sigh, picking up another Herb Cookie, "You'd definitely catch a husband with these. I'm gonna get fat!"
Candace laughed, looking down at her mug of cocoa. "W-well, I don't have to worry about that for a while," she said softly. "But it would be funny to see you fat."
Puffing out her cheeks childishly, Luna complained, "Hey, that's not nice!" Upon seeing her sister smile wider, the twelve year old grabbed a couch pillow and hurled it at Candace, laughing.
Eyes wide, Candace gasped and held her mug away from her as the pillow hit her square in the chest. The hot chocolate sloshed around in the mug, but only a few drops spilled over, trickling down her slender fingers.
Luna sat up, grinning smugly, and bit into her cookie.
Candace raised her mug to her lips, a smile playing on them. "Well, it would still be funny."
Hey guys! :) Here's my entry for The Village Square's Pumpkin Equinox Prompt! :) Not the best thing I've ever written, ehehe... but I was not getting inspired, and I decided to go this route. So, hope you liked it!
If you're one of my usual readers and are wondering why I've fallen off the face of the earth, I'm not gonna go into details, but I've been really busy, and haven't always been physically capable of writing. I haven't really been able to read a lot of fanfiction either... (which is what kills me. T.T It makes me cry. DX) But! I will not complain here, ahaha! If you want to know more, or talk to me or whatever, PM me! I'll respond as soon as I'm able! :D
And now, with that over and done with, I'll ask that if you read that all, please review! Constructive criticism would be lovely - I know I can improve in a lot of ways. And if you wanna say something nice too, I wouldn't object! ;)
So have a lovely day, and a Merry Christmas! ...Just in case I don't get much posted then! XD
(Julius/Candace is life.)
~Swaggy-chan