Want A Cookie? (OPEN)

[Ceri McKay]

Workaholic? Yes. Is it bad? No. Okay, well maybe a little. It isn't so much that being a workaholic makes her crazy, it's just that she tends to get a little control freakish. More so than when she's at home. She enjoys her job though, it isn't one of those jobs that make one develop a twitch. Ceri actually enjoys it. She lives for it and well, she makes damn good money off of it. But that isn't what she does it for. If she needed money, she could go to her parents for that. No, she cooks because it gives her that sense of control that she needs. It's a precise science and she's always loved science.

So is it a bad thing? No. She just wished it provided her more time to interact with people. There was Basil of course, but he was off with Edward most of the time doing who knows what, nor did she want to know. There was also Matthew, but she and him rarely spoke. That was sort of what happened when two quiet people were put in a room together, a lot more silence.

Ceri liked people, she did. She just never really knew how to fit in anywhere. Not like Linden did, not like Deidra did. Heck, not even like Jay did. And he was a bump on a pickle! She'd had her rebellious stage and did things she regretted, but she still never fit in. Part of her wished she was more like her brother. He always was so open with people and fun to be around. He could strike up a conversation out of nothing. Linden had a comforting sense about him. Ceri had the complete opposite.

Being a control freak that had been diagnosed with OCD played a big part in that. She was always scrubbing frantically or ordering people around. That was when she did talk. Otherwise she'd cook in silence and stare at the food as if it were talking to her. Call it crazy, she didn't like it either way.

'Sil's was open, but pretty empty. Basil was in the back working his magic on the plants and she was baking cookies. It was strange how a girl with social problems could be so good at selling and making cookies. Baking was one of those things that people said needed love put into it. And she was capable of love. She just couldn't show anybody that side of her other than her siblings. They were the only people that really knew her inside and out. If only someone would change that.

[Emmanuelle LaBeau]

Life was starting to get to Em and she needed a break. Had she been home, in Georgie, she'd probably just go to the bakery and eat one of her favorite pastries and bake it out with her sisters. Or she'd dance it out but her feet were blistered and her body ached from the extra dancing and work load she'd taken on lately. So seeing as she was in Pilot Ridge she figured she'd do the next best thing and at least visit the local bakery, Sil's Spices, which wasn't bad, of course it wasn't home but it still helped.

Em headed down, taking the long way enjoying the winter weather while she could. She always liked the winter, the abundance of water was nice too and made for easy access for her powers. SHe loved playing with snowballs, drawing water out of them, making them warm, making them fly, it was all so much fun and she knew that as quickly as winter had come it would be gone still too.

She was able to smell the bakery from a block away. Mmm... cookies, hopefully they were chocolate chip. She could do well from cookies that were classic and simple tonight and she always liked trying to guess the notes of the special touches each backer put in. She liked to put a hint of nutmeg in her own.

The bell rang as she entered and Em closed her eyes letting the aroma intoxicate her. "Ok, coming from an experienced baker, this place smells amazing." She announced seeing only the girl who was at the counter. She pulled off her red scarf as she entered, the heat making the temperature significantly higher than it was outside. "Please tell me those cookies aren't for a special order."

((OOC: i had to throw em in here because she bakes AND she's also OCD! it made me laugh))

[Ceri McKay]

Ceri heard the bell ring and her eyes drifted up to see a younger girl walking in. She had just pulled out a fresh batch of dark chocolate chip cookies. There was a hint of mint extract mixed in the batter to give off the mint chocolate chip combination. One of the many things she did to twist up a classic. They were one of her more liked cookies, at least by her siblings who had been her guinea pigs for most cooking she did.

She was always trying new mixtures to see what went well together. Mint and chocolate was just one of those things. She set the new batch on a cooling rack and pulled off her ridiculously white oven-mitts. Her kitchen was in pristine condition. The white areas seemed to glow white, the green paint was fresh and never faded. Her counters shined and the floors had no speck of dust anywhere. Talk about OCD at it's finest.

Ceri offered the girl a smile and grabbed a plate that matched the design of the kitchen. She set three cookies neatly on the plate, stacked on top of each other at a slight angle. She wiped a few crumbs off the plate and slid them across the counter, "No they're for anyone. Samples of a new recipe that I've been trying out." Her voice was soft and hesitant.

She grabbed a glass and poured milk into it to give to the girl as well, "My siblings say that they're good, but I need to know that the customers enjoy them." She continued just as quietly. Had her siblings seen her like this, they would have laughed. They were so used to her being much more out-going, but she wasn't like that with new people. She was always afraid of being judged or that someone would see through her good girl exterior to her past rebellious stage.

[Emmanuelle LaBeau]

Clean. That was one of the reasons that Em preferred this particular bakery over any of the other little cafe's in the area. There wasn't a single speck, smudge, drop, or thing out of place in the entire dining area or kitchen or whatever else she could see. They must have had a good cleaning lady or someone who was a little bit insane like she was. Not that she really thought she was insane but she'd been called it before. She didn't mind too much anymore and was starting to get better at least in spaces that weren't her own. The studio however was getting to comfortable for her and she'd been caught more than once before work with a toothbrush scrubbing between the tiles and in the tight corners of the bar.

Em smiled seeing the cookies. They looked as amazing as they smelled. "Must be my lucky day." She said looking at the cookies. She could see the dark chocolate chips but didn't detect the mint until she took a bite letting it melt in her mouth. Jesus this girl was good and Em could feel a twinge of jealousy. She might even have a better recipe than her! "On my god." She said chasing it with milk a few moments later. "No keep these." She told her. "They're amazing... then again i might be biased because chocolate and mint is my favorite flavor combo, especially in the winter."

Em looked up at the girl, she was pretty, a little older than her she'd wager too.. she didn't recognize her though, strange in a town like Pilot Ridge. She wondered if she went to Hammel or not but wouldn't pry.

[Ceri McKay]

Ceri smiled and began scrubbing the counters that already were shining. She was focused on getting them to just the right shine though. Yes, Ceri claims there are different shines. There's the shine that's barely shining and then there's the REALLY shiny. She preferred the second. It took some serious elbow-grease and lots of cleaning solutions, but she was the master at getting things to really shine. Just ask her siblings after she's cleaned their rooms. They've never liked that.

Ceri was the type of girl who taught the maids how to clean better. It was a curse and a blessing all in one to her. She hated being so hectic about cleanliness, but the health department rarely checked in on her kitchen because of it. Basil didn't have much of a problem with it either as long as she stayed in her designated area and didn't clean everything else.

Plants needed dirt, she needed to stay away from the dirt so that it was still there for the plants. She wasn't stupid, she knew how plants worked, but the dirt was just so dirty and she couldn't stand it. That had been when she first started working at the small place. She had been much worse then. Just out of her previous stage, right down to the neat freak phase. Though it wasn't just a phase.

"It is the best combination for the winter, and even the summer. It's refreshing. I'm glad you enjoyed it," She smiled wider and stopped scrubbing after a bit. "To have someone with experience in the kitchen enjoy them so much is a very good sign. I've had very little training in the cooking department, and yet, I'm really good at it." She shrugged nonchalantly and realized her manners, "I'm sorry. I'm Ceri McKay. And you are?" She asked politely.

[Emmanuelle LaBeau]

Em watched as the girl started to make the counters shine and glisten and couldn't help but chuckle. So this is what it looked like from the outside looking in? She wondered if she danced too, then this would be really bizarre. She glanced up at the girl behind the counter with her chestnut hair and rich colored eyes, she was pretty to boot!

"I'd have to agree, but perhaps I'm biased since it's definitely in top three flavor combos.... along with chocolate and peanut butter and anything with caramel." She smiled up at her, "I wouldn't have guessed that you've had no training. You're lucky, you have a real talent! I have some great recipes for more southern desserts if you'd be interested. Things like cobblers and pies, I have a few good cupcakes ones too." She told her breaking another cooking in half before sticking it in her mouth letting it melt. "mmmm. Seriously, perfection." She said and let out a happy sigh going back to watching her clean.

"I'm Emmanuelle by the way... but you can call me Em, or Emma, Emmy, really whatever seems to flow most easily for you." She was so used to being called something different from everyone she met that she'd pretty much answer to anything at this point. "By the way, I don't mean to overstep my boundaries or assume anything but... It's like looking in a mirror and i've got to know... are you a bit contamination ocd?" She asked a bit sheepishly, she'd just never met anyone who seemed to understand and she could pick up on certain habits in Ceri that were so familiar to her but so strange to others. "I'm only asking because I am." She said quickly as to not offend her. Perhaps that was a rude question...