A/N: This one goes in the category, "inspired by" the prompt Tea Pary, for TLC Shipweeks 2017. In this fic, the girls are baking cookies. And let's just say growing up in a satellite, a suspension tank, and a palace does not make for the best chefs. But don't worry, together, they can always pull it off.
Tea Party – The Rampion Girls
"I can't wait to get started." Winter's voice was muffled as she pulled the apron over her head.
"We're not doing any cooking until I take this mixer apart." Cinder had her screwdriver finger out, and a small pile of screws next to her. She popped another out and added it to the pile. "It's not working efficiently at all. It's a wonder it hasn't overheated already." Another screw bounced against the table.
"Uh oh." Cress looked at the mixer in Cinder's hands, now with the front plate off, and Cinder's flashlight flicking around the motor. "Scarlet's not going to be happy when she sees that."
"Where is Scarlet-friend?" Winter asked. "I thought we were ready to make chocolate-chip cookies."
"She went out to collect some eggs." Cinder's voice was muffled as she held a drive shaft with her teeth. "Besides," she added, putting the drive shaft back down on the table, "it will work a thousand times better when I'm done with it."
Winter hummed to herself as she collected any items she believed they would need; spoons, knives, and forks joined an ever growing pile of bowls and spatulas.
Cress was routing around in the pantry for the ingredients they would need. Scarlet had sent her the recipe, and she was checking items off on her port as she found them.
"Where do you think I would find the baking soda?" Cress asked as she carried over a tray filled with cans, bottle, and boxes.
"I think Scarlet-friend keeps a box of it in the bathroom closet." Winter's voice sounded tinny, reverberating off the pots as she sifted through them.
"Great. I think then I have that I have everything except the eggs. Which Scarlet is getting." Cress double checked her port before heading upstairs.
The backdoor slammed shut, and Scarlet came in, pink in her cheeks from the brisk wind outside. She put a bowl filled with eggs on the table. Her eyebrows went up as she surveyed the assorted collection of gadgets.
"How many are we feeding, Winter? I know Wolf eats a lot…" Scarlet sifted through the pile, "And we're not putting any cheese in it, so this can get put away," she added as she lifted the cheese grater.
"Oh, I'm sorry Scarlet-friend. I didn't know what it was for – I thought it might be for the chocolate chips, so I figured I had better take it out."
"It's Okay, Winter. Um, we don't need half of this stuff though … but I'll put it all way later." Scarlet added quickly as she watched her cheese grater disappear into the pots drawer. "Just stack it all in a corner for now. That way we can start baking."
Scarlet began sifting through the pile, clearing room on the table. She picked up a screw. "What's this from?"
"Dear Cinder is fixing up your mixer, Scarlet-friend."
"Really Cinder?" Scarlet put her hands on her hips. "Couldn't leave well enough alone, could you?"
"I'm done, I'm done. Just give me that screw back." Cinder wound the screw in and started to plug the mixer into the wall. "Oh, Stars," she muttered. In her haste to have it all together before Scarlet came in, she had left a belt from the inside sitting on the counter. Sidling back to the table and loosening the screws again, she attempted to distract Scarlet. "So, how long before we get to taste it?"
"As long as it takes for us to get our act together." Scarlet warned.
"Here!" Cress scurried into the kitchen. "I found it. Right where you said, Winter."
Scarlet grabbed the baking soda before Cress could put it on the table. "Where did you get this?"
"Winter said you keep it in the bathroom-"
"Where it's supposed to stay" Scarlet interrupted.
"But I couldn't find any ..."
Scarlet rolled her eyes and dug around in the cabinets until she came out with a brand new box. "It's okay, it was way in the back. Just put that one on the stairs to go back upstairs." With a deep breath, she turned back to the table and added brightly, "Let's get started."
Cress' port was laid in the middle of the table, displaying the recipe. Scarlet directed them each to ingredients and checked as they measured them into the large mixing bowl on the table.
Scarlet looked around. "Where's my mixer?" Her eyes fell on Cinder, with parts spread out all around her again. "Really? Do I go into your shop and start touching your things?" She didn't allow Cinder to answer, and kept muttering as she banged cabinet doors, rifling through all of them. "Here." She pulled out a mixer that was at least 50 years old, and had certainly seen better days. "It's ugly and loud, but at least it's all in one piece." She glared pointedly at Cinder. "So we'll be able to get this cake finished sometime today."
The drone of the mixer overwhelmed all thought as Scarlet turned it on and beat the ingredients already in the bowl. She turned it off to give Winter and Cress more direction.
"Now we need to add the eggs and vanilla. No! You have to crack the eggs into a separate bowl first!" She covered the mixing bowl protectively as Cress moved to crack the eggs right in. Scarlet moved away to show Cress how to crack the eggs without getting the shells in as Winter picked up the port and examined the recipe again.
"Did we do all the steps, Winter?" Scarlet asked distractedly.
"Oh yes. They're all checked off, Scarlet-friend."
Scarlet huffed under her breath and directed Winter to add some vanilla to the eggs.
"It doesn't have an amount - it just says a splash." Winter checked the amount in the bottle, then poured a full half of contents into the bowl.
Scarlet gasped. "Winter! That's too much!" She moved as if to stop Winter from pouring any more, but Winter had already completed her additions.
"Oh dear. Is it ruined, Scarlet-friend?"
"No, no. We'll just make a double batch, that's all." Scarlet sighed. "I'm sure the guys will appreciate it."
Everything went smoothly for the next few moments as the remainder of the ingredients were added and blended to the sound of the ancient mixer.
"Now we get to shape the cookies," Cress announced when the batter was prepared (less quite a few handfuls of chocolate chips that had been 'tasted' before finding their way into the bowl).
Armed with a teaspoon each, they attacked the batter. Scarlet tried to show them how big to make each ball, but gave up as the balls continued to get bigger and bigger on the tray. She was also quite convinced that more batter was going in Cress' mouth then being rolled into cookies.
When the first tray was ready, Scarlet turned to put it in the oven.
"It's stone cold in here!" she exclaimed. She rounded on Winter. "I thought you said we had done everything – you didn't preheat the oven."
"Oh." Winter replied, looking over the port again. "That was the first step, I thought it was done."
Scarlet rolled her eyes, and set the oven to warm. "Don't worry, Crazy, I love you anyway."
Winter grinned. "We love you too, Scarlet-friend. And look, dear Cinder has finished the mixer."
"Good as new" Cinder confirmed, accompanied by the low purr of the motor.
"Just in time to help us with the next tray," Scarlet said, ignoring Cinder's accomplishment.
Cress giggled as Cinder made a face at Scarlet's back.
"Don't worry," Cress whispered to Cinder. "There's lots and lots of batter here, and it's wonderfully tasty!"
Cinder grinned back at her. "Let's get started."
It took the remainder of the morning to finish rolling and baking cookies. They had each tasted a fresh cookie right out of the oven, and declared them perfect, despite some being crispy and some rather gooey in the middle. Scarlet had decreed that that was made each cookie so special, while Iko, who had finally poked her nose into the kitchen from her self-imposed exile, made sad eyes at them and complained loudly about her lack of taste buds.
While Cinder and Iko were set to wash the dishes, Scarlet whipped together lunch. Cress and Winter went outside to set the picnic table Scarlet had put in the backyard, since it was the only place that could accommodate everyone at once. Winter shook an embroidered tablecloth over the table as Cress set each place with plate and teacup, and a cloth napkin embroidered to match the tablecloth. Several tea pots were placed on the table, each labeled with the brew they contained; samples collected by Cress and Winter in their various travels.
When everything was done, they called the guys in to enjoy.
Iko was the designated gofer, jumping up to refill plates as fast as they could be emptied. "And for the grand finale, dessert!" she announced, when not a scrap of lunch could be found. She carried out the plate of cookies, artfully arranged by Winter so that the crispier cookies were placed like petals around the center of the plate, where the gooey cookies could be found.
"mmmmmm," Thorne mimed melting as he bit into his cookie.
Cress examined her cookie. "I still don't understand why we had to bake them. I thought the batter tasted just as good, and then we could have had them a lot sooner." She shrugged, and bit in anyway.
"I think this is better than the palace food," Kai announced as he helped himself to two more cookies.
Jacin nodded his agreement.
"Well, I'm sure it's not as big an adventure in the palace kitchens," Scarlet glanced around the table knowingly. "They're the experts."
"Everywhere else has a missing ingredient, Scar." This was the first time Wolf's mouth hadn't been filled with cookies.
Scarlet scoffed. Winter nodded her agreement.
"It's true, Scarlet-friend. These cookies are filled with love and friendship – I can feel it." She added with a small nod.
Everyone grinned.
"Well," Scarlet said. "For our first attempt at a tea party, I don't think we did too bad."
"Next time, we can make more varieties of cookies," Cress announced, already searching the net for recipes.
"Next time," Scarlet interrupted, "You're all bringing your own cookies." She winked at them, "You're all experts now."
"I'll gladly be your taste-tester, Cress." Thorne announced, slinging his arm around Cress' shoulders.
"As long as she doesn't accidentally – on purpose – poison you." Cinder added.
Thorne lobbed his napkin at her. Scarlet grabbed Cinder's hand before she could throw her own at him.
"If you can't act civilized, we can't ever do this again." She glared around the table until no one would meet her eyes.
"Good." She nodded her please. "Now everyone can have another cookie."