Snowdown Tales

Chapter Five—Caitlyn and Vi's Gingerbread

"And all the champions involved in the snowball fight have been sent to Soraka." Vi checked her clipboard, marked things off with her pen, and then sighed contently. "There doesn't seem to be any problems. Now I can re—"

"Vi! We have a problem." The enforced heard Caitlyn's voice coming from behind her.

"I spoke too soon." Vi groaned as she turned around to face her partner. She looked down at the apron in Caitlyn's hand and the one around her waist. "What…is going on?"

"Well, you see." The sheriff tossed the pink apron at Vi, "Morgana was involved with the snowball mishap and she can't make the desserts for tonight's gift exchange."

"And the aprons are for...what?"

"I read the terms and agreements to being the Snowdown planners and—"

"Don't tell me you're going to make me bake, Cupcake." Vi grinned. Caitlyn sighed as she grabbed her partner's wrist, dragging her along.

"Yes. That's exactly what I'm going to make you do."

"So how many desserts do we have to make?" Vi asked while she tied her apron on. Caitlyn clicked her pen and scribbled along her clipboard.

"Well, we have over one-hundred champions. Some champions are accompanied by pets or supernatural forces." She mumbled as she scratched out numbers and counted on her fingers. "I would assume some champions would be allergic to things like chocolate, strawberries, and the foil around butter."

"Cupcake, you're the only person allergic to the foil around butter… and the rest of those things." Vi chuckled as she pulled out numerous bowls and measuring cups. Caitlyn only paced away from the enforcer and continued to write down on the paper. Vi decided to snoop around Morgana's kitchen and she opened a drawer. She pulled out a large book littered with tabs and stains. Vi shrugged, opening the book.

"We have to keep variety too. So I would suggest we make cookies, cupcakes, pies, Danishes, scones, cakes." Caitlyn sighed as she tapped her pen on her lips. "Maybe not scones…"

"How about some gingerbread cookies?" Vi asked, walking over to Caitlyn and showed her the recipe. The sheriff glanced at the book and immediately went back to writing.

"No."

"Come on, Cupcake!" Vi shook Caitlyn's shoulders, causing the sheriff to drop her clipboard. "Gingerbread is fun! We can put a bunch of frosting and—"

"Do what you want, Vi. I'm going to make these desserts either way."

Caitlyn growled as she picked up her board, stomping off to get ingredients. Vi looked down at the book—the gingerbread looked so happy in the photo that accompanied the recipe. She tapped her fingers on the spine of the book as she smiled.

Caitlyn sprinted to the oven and pulled out the tray of cookies and switched it with another. She ran over to the freezer and pulled out the cupcakes she had chilling so she could place frosting on them. That's when she remembered she had to make frosting. She ran and grabbed powdered sugar from the pantry.

Vi looked over her shoulder at her partner as she struggled to find the rest of her ingredients—she looked like those anxious contestants on the cooking shows they would watch together. The enforcer looked back down at her cookie batter while she calmly mixed it. Her nose tingled with the scent of ginger and cinnamon—she could already taste it. She flattened out the batter with flour and a rolling pin, smiling. Vi folded the brown dough into familiar shapes before placing them in the oven along with Caitlyn's cookies.

Vi walked back to her post and watched as the sheriff frantically mixed up the chocolate frosting, only it looked too watery to be considered frosting. Caitlyn sighed as she dumped the bowl into the sink. The enforcer cracked a smile as Caitlyn rubbed her temples, getting chocolate on her face and hair.

"If it's not one thing it's another." Caitlyn said lowly.

Vi looked around the drawers and found little bottles of frosting and jars of candy in some cupboards behind her. She put them on the counter where she was working before she walked back to the oven. Putting on a glove, the enforcer took out her tray of cookies and walked back to her station. She slid the two big cookies she made carefully onto the cutting board. Vi glanced back at Caitlyn, who had mixed up the sugar and salt and spat out the cake batter into the sink.

"Oh no!" Caitlyn whined as ran back over to the oven. She pulled out her tray of burnt cookies, swatting the smoke awake from her face. Caitlyn sat on the stool by her cutting board and sighed enforced squeezed the frosting onto her gingerbread before she looked back at the sheriff as she tossed the burnt desserts into the trash, looking completely stressed out. Caitlyn sat on the stool by her cutting board and sighed loudly. Vi picked up her two gingerbread cookies, hid them behind her back, and then slowly walked over to Caitlyn.

"Hey Cupcake?" Vi said as she nudged her with her elbow. The sheriff looked up from the floor, her face full of flour and chocolate.

"Are you finally going to help me—" The enforcer raised the two cookies behind her back up to her partner. Caitlyn's eyes gazed at the two gingerbread people shaped like Vi and herself—complete with her purple hat and Vi's large gauntlets. "Vi, this is so sweet."

"Wanna see something even sweeter?" She smirked and pressed the two cookies faces together as she made smooching sounds. Caitlyn pressed her blushing face into her hands while the enforcer laughed at her. The sheriff got off her stool and grabbed Vi's face, cutting her laughter short. Caitlyn kissed the enforcer's lips softly. Vi's body tensed hard enough to crush the gingerbread in her hands.

"Mmm…" Caitlyn mumbled into her partner's lips. She pulled away, smiling slightly at Vi's still puckered lips, "Will you help me bake now? We have a few hours until the gift exchange."

"S-Sure."

I'm glad Caitlyn decided not to make scones—they don't really scream Snowdown.