halfbloodhill | First Loaf [IM/Action]

Entry tags:

First Loaf [IM/Action]

Sorry it took so long to get back here, guys - some, uh, things came up that I couldn't control.

[One would never know that Peeta spent the better part of the summer in the hospital or got attacked over Thanksgiving by the slightly sheepish grin he gives the rainbow - he'd had a few chats with Jehan and Finnick while he was away so he's been kept generally up to date on what's happened, but he isn't about to go spilling his own story so soon after arrival. It's not that important in the grand scheme of things.]

Looks like things are getting kind of crazy around here, with all the different pantheons showing up now, but, it's Christmastime, so we should be able to relax and focus on good things for awhile. Things were getting kind of hectic at the bakery, but I did bring a huge tub of gingerbread, chocolate mint cookies, and hamentashen if anyone wants to drop by Cabin 4 for some later. [He gives an eyeroll here.] Don't worry Finnick, I brought your croissants, too; you don't have to go hounding me about that. Even though you're probably going to.

So yeah, it's good to be back, and welcome to all of the new guys I haven't met yet - and, uh, when you get a chance, let me know if you've got any food allergies. I need to update my list since we've got so many new people.

[So he doesn't accidentally kill anyone. With a smile and a brief wave, Peeta breaks the connection. If anyone wants to find him, he'll be unpacking in Cabin 4, with stacks of baked goods to hand out to anyone who drops by.]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[Annie isn't exactly sure why, but she's decided to make her way over to Cabin 4. It's right next to hers, and baked goods sounded really great right now. Especially hamentashen. Hanukkah had passed and she hadn't had any, it was a tragedy. Not to mention, this boy had mentioned Finnick.

And she had a huge crush on Finnick.

And he probably knew Percy.

Welp.

Regardless, she's making her way up the steps into Demeter Cabin, knocking gingerly on the door before letting herself in.] Uhm, hi. I heard something about hamentashen? I couldn't really resist. I haven't had any in a long time. Sorry if I'm interrupting you unpacking, I just thought I could come over and introduce myself. Uhm- I'm Annie Cresta- I live next door in Cabin 3. I'm, ah, Percy Jackson's sister.

[She waved awkwardly.] Sorry. You probably want to get back to unpacking. [She should go. Right now.]

Edited 2013-12-16 06:01 (UTC)

[Hamentashen are amazing Annie. Come over and grab as many as you like. Although yes, he's kind of taken aback when she comes in, introduces herself, and then immediately seems to want to leave. He starts forward, raising a hand to stop her from ducking out the door as he grabs the box.]

Nah, I've got plenty of time to unpack - and I'm sure Jehan or Finnick is going to be dragging me somewhere and interrupting me anyway, so it's okay. Here, take a few - I've got raspberry, apricot, and poppy seed.

[Very few people seemed to want these, but he was expecting that. They are a much more obscure food than cookies, after all.]

So, you're Percy's sister? Are you Roman or did Poseidon break that oath again?

[She can't help it. She stops and happily accepts the box. Eagerly, she opens it, her hand hovering over the hamentashen, trying to decide which one to start with.]

These look so beautiful. I remember trying to make them a few years ago with my brother and sister... [She trails off, realizing she doesn't want to go down that road. It's a bad road, even if it involved the insides boiling out over the dough, and terribly misshapen hamentashen. But they'd been good. Amazingly so. She jolts herself back into reality.] Sorry.

[She nods.] That's me- I'm Roman. [She'd show him her tattoo, but that would require baring her fore-arms, and that's not something she's eager to do.] So I'm sort of his quarter-sister? I don't know, but we just say that I'm his half-sister. It's easier that way.

[Huh. Sounds like there's some sort of story there, one she doesn't want to tell. Is it just because she's private, or is it for other reasons? He decides to split the difference, treat it casually, hoping to put her more at ease.]

They're pretty tricky, aren't they? It took me a long time to remember that it doesn't matter how good you think it'll taste, you can't put more filling in the dough without it oozing out all over the place and getting all over your equipment.

[And he'll leave it at that, unless she wants to continue. The ball's in her court, so to speak.]

It probably is easiest to just think of it that way. I think we'll all get a lot of headaches if we try and figure out the percentages of godly genes everyone has.

Yeah, exactly. [She smiles softly at him. Well done, Peeta. You have managed to slightly calm Annie. She plucks an apricot hamentashen from the box and munches on it.] Oh my goodness! This is amazing! I haven't had one this good in a long time. I think my grandmother was the one to make them. [Her grandmother had died a long time ago in non-tragic circumstances. So it was okay.]

I think so, too. And it only creates more dissonance between the Romans and Greeks.

[Peeta has leveled up! He can feel that slight relaxing around her and yes, is curious, but does not ask anything else. He doesn't want to set her on edge again, and this time wouldn't be on accident.]

Grandmas tend to have the best recipes. I know a lot of the ones we still use at the shop were made by Dad's mom, or found by him. Go ahead, take as many as you want, not many people know what they are so they're not getting taken as much.

[Which he expected, but still. Hamentashen are delicious.]

Sounds like we have enough of that going on anyway. But we've got more in common than we do different, so hopefully people will calm down some. Not everyone's going to get along with everyone else, that's just any group of people, but there's no reason for us to be in any kind of fight with each other.

They really do. We had a whole book of her recipes back at home... Maybe one day I can get it. [Maybe. That would require going back into her home again. She hadn't been there since the murders. The house was still under her name, as the next of kin. Not that anyone would want to buy it, if she chose to sell. It didn't seem right, anyway, selling it.]

You shouldn't say that. I'll probably take them all. And that's just not fair. [But at least it was something she could, and would eat.]

We really do. Romans are just a stricter, more war-like God. I just wish everyone would make it a whole lot less 'us versus them'. I'm so happy that the Greeks took us all in. You didn't have to. But you did. And that really shows something.

If you can, I'd like to see it. [And he'll leave it at that. Whatever information Annie volunteers, he'll take, but he won't push her. And yes, he's definitely made the connection that this is the "Annie" that Finnick likes. She seems sweet - she'd probably be good for his friend.]

How's it not fair if no one else wants them? I can always make more. [A grin at that; really Annie, it's okay. Enjoy them or they'll just go stale.] And that's kind of what we do - hospitality is really important to us Greeks, there were a whole bunch of unwritten laws about it back in the old days. We're not as strict about it nowadays, but it's still one of our backbones. You guys needed somewhere safe to be, we had somewhere safe to be, so we opened our doors to you. That's all there is to say about it, and unless someone does something really dumb, that's all there will be.

If I ever get it. Of course. [Yeah, that's her. Though why Finnick likes her is beyond her. She doesn't even like herself, and she is her. Unfortunately. And at least Peeta just thinks she's sweet, rather than batshit crazy, so that's something.]

Oh. Okay, well, ah, you have a point there. I can't really refuse.

[She'll take them all now. Well done, Peeta.]

That's, ah, wow. You should really make sure that, y'know, everyone knows that. I know it's mostly the Romans that have been causing trouble, though. I'd say something, but I'm not really... Not really an authority figure.

[Victory fanfare! Peeta has won the Annie Game! He can tell she's getting a little more comfortable the longer they talk, which is all to the good. Maybe soon he can put in a good word for Finnick.]

Based on what I've heard so far, that kind of thing might be better to talk about in a one-on-one basis. If we just gathered everyone together and told them "Hey be grateful because this is really important to us," that'd probably alienate more Romans than we converted. We'll figure out something, and right now it seems like people agree there's bigger problems to focus on. It'll work out in the end.

You've got a really good point, there. Unfortunately, ah, I'm not really... Good with words. Or convincing people... As you've probably guessed. So one on one would be pretty good.

[She finishes her apricot hamentashen and moves on to a raspberry.] Wow, Peeta, these are really good!

People don't like being told what to think, so trying to do that just causes more problems than it solves almost all the time. And you Romans have been through enough already, so it's not gonna make your lives any easier to try and tell you stuff like that. Once even the stubborn ones figure out we're not going to hamstring you or something, things should settle down.

[And he grins at that; getting compliments is always nice.] Thanks - I really like making the Jewish stuff, but I don't get a chance to very often.

I hope so. It's been... Well, it's been a while, hasn't it? Besides, I know so many people have a hard time with the idea of taking charity. We're proud people. And the prejudices date back to the rise of the Roman Empire [And, y'know, the fall of the Greeks]

You're really good at it! I haven't had any in so long. When I first got here, I just kept thinking how lucky I was that I don't keep Kosher. In New Rome it was hard enough, especially around Passover. But I think I'll be at a slight advantage here on Long Island. [Yeah, she knows, it's odd. But she's more culturally Jewish than religiously Jewish- especially given that she's actually the daughter of a god. But she still observes the holidays.]

Cultural prejudices are hard to get rid of. Pretty much all we can do is show people that what they believe isn't true, so that's what we'll keep doing. [It's all they can do, really. At least Peeta doesn't expect instant success.]

[He grins at that.] Good, because I definitely couldn't get the Kosher blessing. I don't know a rabbi to come in and bless the kitchen and we definitely didn't clean up spills the immediate second they happened. But around the city there's a lot more opportunities for Kosher stuff, if we ever get out of the camp with the increased security and everything.

I guess. It's so hard... Rivalries between the Greeks and Romans going back so far... But you're right. Eventually it will catch on. It has to.

[She smiles.] Unfortunately. Also I don't think bringing a rabbi into a camp for the children of gods is a really good idea. I heard- New York has a really Jewish population. Next time we get an opportunity to go into the city, we'll have to go to a Kosher grocer. We could get you a few things, maybe.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

First Loaf [IM/Action]

[ action ]

[ action ]

[ action ]

[ action ]

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject