Chapter The Friendship Circle of Very Nice Girls - Part V

Chapter The Friendship Circle of Very Nice Girls - Part V

The Friendship Circle of Very Nice Girls - Part V

Eve nodded, face set and very serious. Alright, she said.

They had all gathered in the Champion of Evils not-so-very-evil dining room, which was by dint of convenience, only a room or two away from the kitchens.

These are the rules, Eve said. The two champions are charged with baking six things each! Ilea has volunteered to act as the oven, though that is the only assistance she will provide. Each of you is charged with cooking the following!

Across from Eve, on a pair of cheap fold-out chairs, were the two champions. Maximilian, who was making the chair look good, and Larry, who sat on his hands.

Eve gestured to Ariane who sighed and pulled up a set of cue-cards, each one with a scribble or ornately written item upon it. Chocolate cake, she began. The girls nodded. A sensible option. Arianne set the card down. Blood cake.

That, of course, sparked off the debate. Thats not a kind of cake Im familiar with, Eve muttered.

Im not too sure I like the idea of that one, Broccoli added. Im more of a vegetarian.

Ill try it, Ikea added.

Ariane cleared her throat and glared at the others as she very pointedly set the card down. Carrot Cake, she said as she read the next card.

Bet thats from the bunny girl, Eve said.

Its bun actually, Broccoli replied.

A... mango, Arianne said. She looked up, eyes locking onto Elaine who blinked back. A mango is not a cake.

It could be, if you try hard enough, Elaine said.

Id try mango cake, Broccoli said.

It doesnt say mango cake though, does it. Just a mango, Ilea said. She said it very smugly indeed.

Elaine nodded. Thats what I wrote.

Ariane slapped the card down. Mango cake.

Spoilsport, Elaine muttered. In truth she didnt seem all that upset.

The vampire flipped up the next card and tilted her head to the side. Poison cake?

That sounds great, Ilea said.

Are you trying to poison people, Miss Ilea? Broccoli asked. I was poisoned once. It was awful.

The ashen warrior shrugged. Ill have your slice then.

Arianne shook her head and tossed the card down. I dont even care anymore. Last but not least... bread.

Any kind, Eve added. Even something bread-adjacent. A loaf. Ill take anything, really.

With an elegant sweep, Arianne picked up the cards, tapped them edge-first on the table, then gestured to the two champions. Well? What are you waiting for? Get to it.

The boys paused, stared at each other, then bolted for the kitchens.

I really do want to think the best of people, Broccoli said. But is there anything we can do to make sure they dont cheat?

Im watching them, Ilea said. Dont worry your pretty litt--big ears.

So, what do we do while theyre making my bread? Ah, I mean, the cakes. The baking, Eve said.

We could clean this place up, Broccoli suggested. Its a bit messy, and it would be a nice gesture to do since they are cooking for us.

No, Ariane said.

Broccoli clapped. So, if not cleaning, then something else! What do you do when you have a few hours to waste, Miss Illea? Group activities, I mean.

Dont eat too much, Ilea said as she failed to follow her own advice. Theres five more after this.

Theyre both disgusting, Ariane said after a nibble.

They both taste like, um, lots of love were put into them. And stress. Mostly stress, Broccoli said.

Ilea shrugged and licked her plate clean.

Elaine and Eve took a few nibbles, then passed their plates on to Candle who devoured the leftovers.

Votes were tallied, and they came up even, with Candle voting for both, and Arianne voting for neither.

Next cake! Ilea said.

The boys off to the side were standing a little closer, muttering to each other as they watched the contest progress.

The carrot cake was next, and it met with similar results. Both cakes were aggressively mediocre. They werent over or undercooked, but they werent perfectly cooked. The carrot bits werent too big so as to be bad, but they could have been smaller. The icing wasnt too sweet, but it was also not sweet enough.

It was the carrot-cake equivalent of a gas-station sandwich.

The scores ended up even again, with another abstain and Elaine declaring them both too bland to be worth eating.

Finally! Ariane said as she pulled the domes off the next cakes.

Everyone stared, and even Ariane looked a bit squeamish.

We tried, Larry said.

I had to gut a chicken, Maximilian said.

No, Ariane said as she lowered the dome.

Hey, Ilea said.

No, Ariane repeated.

The next domes rose, and within were some perfectly ordinary looking cakes.

Oh, these are mine, Ilea said.

They look alright, Eve said.

Ilea nodded. Yeah. Want to work on your poison resistance? Ill heal you.

The cakes, according to Ilea, were alright. A little bland, and shed had better, but not the worse shed eaten. The poison in both was a disappointment though, she informed the white-faced young men. Arsenic and rat poison and scrapped-off bits of mold did not good poison make.

The next domes were lifted, and Elaine cheered. Mangoes!

Thats just two fruit, Candle said.

I know! Elaine cheered.

The girl swiped both of them, grinned, then paused and had the good decency to look a bit embarrassed. Do you want one?

You can have it, Candle said and Broccoli nodded.

I thought we asked for mango cake, Ariane asked.

There wasnt a recipe for that, Larry replied.

Maximilian gave a very manly, very handsome and somewhat evil shrug. You wanted us to bake six things in an hour and a half. Neither of us are bakers. I think we did quite well, all things considered.

Ariane huffed, but there was nothing to it.

We should move on, Eve insisted. She shook as she reached out and plucked the domes off the final baked goods.

***