Baking Day

The library, normally so quiet and peaceful, was filled with the sounds of chatter and laughter.  More than just the sounds though, there was a heavenly smell that drifted from the kitchen at the back of the house turned library.  Unlike the rest of the comfortably lit, almost dim house, the kitchen was brightly lit.  It was also the only room in the house that didn’t have stacks of books lying around everywhere.  That wasn’t to say it was book free though.  No, there were still books, they just were much more limited in how many appeared at a time.  They also were more focused in their subject than the rest of the stacks of books around the little library. 

Today, there were only two books, laid out side by side on the kitchen table.  Two mothcats stood shoulder to shoulder – figuratively speaking, given the height difference between them – comparing the recipes of the two books.  The taller mothcat was a pale cat with striking markings, her fur short and sleek.  There was grace in every line of her body despite her obvious older age.  She leaned closer, peering at the books before shaking her head and turning to her companion. 

“This one won’t do.  Look here.  It’s got wheat flour in it.  We have a couple people attending that I know are gluten intolerant.”  Doris told the shorter mothcat who nodded slowly. 

“You’re right.  It would be a shame to leave them with nothing to eat.”  She tapped her chin thoughtfully before flipping a few pages in one of the book, pausing here and there to consider a recipe.  Standing next to Doris, it was always startling to realize that the two were friends.  They were complete opposites to look at.  Unlike the sleek and slender Doris, Garcia was a shorter, pumper mothcat.  Her long fur was scruffy and untamed on the best of days, no matter the effort she put into it (truthfully she didn’t put much effort most days, for that very reason).  Even her markings were a stark contrast to Doris.  Garcia’s pink fur was a blend of subtle gradients rather than sharp and perfect markings.  The two women couldn’t possibly be any more different in their looks and yet they were the best of friends. 

It had been their love of baking that had brought the two older women together in the first place but it was that same love that had gotten them together this day.  They were pouring over recipes, searching for ones that would by pass all the strict standards in order to meet the needs of everyone at Doris’s charity group.  It was their annual ball next week and Doris was in charge of the food.  The group had all agreed that if anyone could figure out food to meet everyone’s needs, it would be Doris.  It was a tough task though and taking it on alone would have been a challenge she wasn’t sure she could overcome. 

And so she recruited help from her baker friend Garcia.  Not only was the pink mothcat a fantastic baker but being married to Aevus, she had access to a large collection of cooking books.   Surely, somewhere in all those books, there would be recipes for what they needed. 

“What about this one?”  Garcia stopped turning the page, skimming a recipe.  “It mentions nuts but I think it could be made just as well without them.”  She mused, considering the recipe. 

Doris inspected the list of ingredients, mentally checking off everyone in her head, making sure they could all eat it.  “As long as we don’t use real butter to grease the pan, it should be good.”  She grabbed a sheet of paper and began joting down the instructions. 

While Doris wrote it down, Garcia flipped through the next section of the other book, dismissing the recipes she knew wouldn’t work.  Occasionally she found a good one and pointed it out to the white mothcat for her approval.  If Doris dismissed the recipe, Garcia simple returned to searching.  If Doris liked it though, then Garcia simply traded books.  She began hunting in the other book, leaving Doris to write down the recipe. 

After going through the two books in this way, the pair were saddened to find that they’d only managed to get a couple recipes that actually fit all the criteria.  Garcia closed the final book, shaking her head.  “Let me see if Aevus has any better cook books.  It would be a shame to have such few treats at the ball.”  She seemed determined to help her friend put on the best possible showing. 

Gathering up the books, the pink mothcat took them back into the library portion of the house.  “Aevus?  Where’d you and Peat end up?”  She called out, looking around. 

“Back in the geology section dear.”  The old man’s voice rumbled from a few shelves away. 

Following his instructions, it was only a moment later that she found the two men, each curled up in a chair, looking content.  “I hate to interrupt you dear but we’re not having much luck with these recipes.  Do you have any thoughts for a more allergy friendly cookbook?”  Garcia asked, holding out the two books to her husband. 

Aevus unfolded his long legs slowly, groaning as his joints creaked in protest.  “I have an idea.  Let me see if it’s still on the shelf.”  He told her with a nod, taking the books from his wife.  While she knew the library’s general layout by heart, Aevus was the only one who knew exactly where each book seemed to be hidden.  He was the real caretaker of the library.  Garcia ran the kitchen though, to the point where Aevus was sometimes afraid to step foot in that room without permission. 

Carefully he set the two books back on the shelf, slotting each one back into the empty space they’d left behind.  He skimmed the shelves, running one paw over the spines of the books as he muttered to himself.  “Where did it go…… Was it….. No, that would have been silly.  I’m darn sure it’s…..  Yeah, here we go.  This one!”  He pulled a book from the shelf and offered it to Garcia.  “Try this one.”

Garcia flipped it open, giving the recipes a quick look over.  Even at first glance, they looked more promising than the other books.  “This is perfect.  Thank you dear.”  She gave him a nuzzle before hurrying back to the kitchen. 

Aevus just chuckled at her enthusiasm, trundling back to where he’d left Peat.  “There we go.  That should keep the women busy for an hour or two.”  The old man settled back into his comfortable chair, sighing happily as he relaxed once more.  “Now, where were we… Ah yes, Those new caves… Truthfully, I don’t think they’re new.  I think they’ve been there awhile.  We may have even had contact with the mothcats there in the past.  Take a look at this book…”  The two men were soon deep in conversation, debating about the caves. 

Back in the kitchen, Doris and Garcia were quickly looking through the new book.  They were having much more success with this one.  By the time they were done looking through, they had over a dozen recipes total that they could use.  Setting the book aside, they laid out the recipe cards Doris had made so they could pick the best ones.  The two women hummed and hawed over the recipes, debating the merits of this one or that one. 

It took some time but finally they narrowed it down to just six recipes.  That would give enough variety for everyone but still not be too much to overwork the women.  With recipes in hand, they went to work, gathering ingredients and making sure they had everything they needed.  After scouring the kitchen though, they came to the conclusion that they did not have everything they needed, much to their dismay. 

“Well I for one am not going to let a little thing like this stop me.”  Doris said, putting her paws on her hips.  “After all, I have a husband who would be more than willing to run to the store for us.  Or at least, he’d better be willing!”  She threatened playfully.  It was hard to take the gentle old woman’s threats very seriously though.  No one who knew the white mothcats would ever believe she could hurt even a fly. 

Garcia chuckled and nodded, writing out a list of ingredients as she called out to her husband.  “Aevus, would you be a dear and come here?  And bring Peat with you too!” 

There was no reply from the men, making Doris sigh and shake her head.  “They’re probably caught up in some rock debate or something.”  She tried to sound exasperated but all that could be heard in her voice was a fond loving for Peat.  “I’ll go get them.  You finish writing.”  She told Garcia as she trotted out of the kitchen. 

Sure enough, Doris found the two men arguing over some passage in a book and what it meant for the age of the caves.  She cleared her throat, making the two look up at her.  “Ah, Doris my love.  Something you need?”  Peat asked intuitively, knowing she wouldn’t have left the kitchen so soon unless she needed something.

Doris flashed her husband a smile, chuckling at his astuteness.  “You got it.  We’re missing some ingredients for our baking.  Garcia is writing the list out.  Do you two mind running to the market while Garcia and I start on the first recipe?” 

Peat and Aevus were already pulling themselves to their paws before she had even finished her request.  Aevus stretched out his long legs before giving himself a shake.  “Of course Doris.  All you have to do is ask.”  He told the pale mothcat with a gentle smile.  He led Peat into the kitchen when Garcia was just finishing up the list.

The pink mothcat looked up and smiled as the two men entered the kitchen.  They were as different in height as Doris and Garcia were, though in the opposite way.  Aevus was tall and lanky, a skinny old man while Peat was short and stout, looking sturdy enough to weather anything.  His bent wing only added to his appearance, as if he’d already survived everything and come out on top. 

Garcia quickly shook away such foolish thoughts, handing the card of ingredients to Aevus.  “There’s the list.  Hurry back will you?  This first recipe shouldn’t take too long and we’ll need some of those for the second one.” 

Peat stood up on tiptoe to read the card held by the lanky mothcat, though as soon as Aevus realized what he was doing, he held the card lower so they could both look.  They nodded, not seeing anything too odd on the list.  “Shouldn’t be hard.”  Aevus murmured, tucking the card away in his vest.  “We’ll be back soon love.”  He gave Garcia a quick nuzzle before turning and sauntering out of the kitchen.  Peat had to hurry to keep up with the lanky mothcat’s long legs but he didn’t seem to mind.  He trotted along jauntily, enjoying the trip out of the house.

With the men out of the way and the ingredient problem solved, Garcia and Doris happily set to work tackling the first of the recipes.  They talked idly about anything and everything it seemed, filling the air with their chatter.  It didn’t take long before the two had made a huge mess of the entire kitchen.  Neither one seemed to be able to bake without making a mess but they both took it in stride.  They would clean it up later.  For now, they just had fun baking.  They worked the treats into fun little shapes, filling the pans with circles, stars, diamonds, and other shapes. 

They had just put the final batch in the oven to bake while they cleaned up when Peat’s voice rang out through the house.  “Ladies, we’re back!  Gotcha everything you needed and a few things you probably didn’t.”  He announced with a laugh as he entered the kitchen.  “Couldn’t help ourselves when we saw something good on sale.”

Doris shook her head, laughing good naturedly.  “I should have known.  Asking you to follow orders is just too much.”  She teased him gently.

Peat just flashed her a grin and brushed a kiss against her muzzle.  “Ah, you know you love me regardless.”  He had an amused twinkle in his eye.

Doris tried to roll her eyes and ignore his behavior but he always managed to con her into being amused by it.  “For some strange reason, it seems I do.”  She said with a chuckle.  “Now, hand over those ingredients then you two can go back to you debate about rocks.”

“Caves, my dear, caves.  Not rocks.”  Peat told her with a mock frown. 

“Caves are made of rocks, Peat.  That means rocks is still an acceptable word for it.  Now shoo.”  Doris teased him, gently pushing him out of the room.

“Uncultured woman.  Rocks and caves are not the same thing.”  Peat muttered good naturedly, leaving the kitchen and returning to the comfy chair he’d originally been forced out of.  Aevus followed him, the two old men settling back down.  They returned to their debate about the caves as if they’d never been interrupted. 

Doris and Garcia shared a look that was half exasperation and half adoration.  Garcia just shook her head.  “Men.  Can’t live with them, not worth living without them.”  She said fondly, her love for Aevus clear in her voice. 

“Agreed.  But right now, we have more important things to focus on.”  Doris rubbed her paws together, ready to tackle the next challenge. 

It took the two women several hours but they eventually had enough treats for everyone at the ball.  Looking over the counters and table, all full of cooling treats, Doris nodded in satisfaction.  “With all of this, if anyone goes hungry, it’s their own fault.”  She said firmly, looking proud.  “We did a great job!”

Garcia nodded, looking over everything.  “It certainly looks good.”  She agreed with a smile, pleased that everything had turned out alright.

“Forget looks good.  It smells good.”  Aevus’s deep voice startled the two women, making them spin around to look at him.  He flashed them an apologetic grin.  “Sorry my dears.  We could smell them all cooking and couldn’t resist coming to see if we could steal a bite.”  He explained, gesturing to himself and Peat who stood beside him, grinning shamelessly. 

Chuckling, Doris gestured to the cooling treats.  “They’re a little warm, but you can each have one if you want.  Only one though.  The rest are for the ball.”  She told them sternly. 

The two men nodded, each picking out a treat to munch on, starting to chat with the women while they all waited for the treats to cool.  Eventually, they got everything all packed up into containers, stacking them into bags for Doris and Peat to take home. 

Doris hugged the other woman, smiling warmly at her.  “Thank you, for letting me invade your kitchen.  I really do appreciate it.” 

Garcia waved off the thanks even as she returned the hug.  “Think nothing of it.  It’s always a joy to have you around.  Baking with friends is never a chore.”  She said cheerfully.  “Good luck with the ball.  Let me know how it goes.”

“You know I will.”  Doris nodded, smiling gratefully at the shorter woman.  “Take care you two!”  She hooked her arm in Peat’s and the two headed off home, bags of goodies hanging off their spare arm.

Garcia slipped an arm around Aevus’s waist, leaning against him.  “She’s such a wonderful woman.  Always doing so much.”  She sighed happily, pleased to have been able to help her friend. 

“Don’t sell yourself short my dear.  You do a lot too.”  Aevus murmured, dropping a kiss on Garcia’s forehead.  “Come on.  You deserve a break.”  He led his wife inside, preparing a relaxing evening for the two of them.  As much as they loved their friends, there was nothing better than a quiet evening with only each other for company.