It's a piece of cake to bake a pretty cake....

[el_tybs]

WHO: Samouel Gareth, Christine Delacroix, EVERYONE
WHAT: It's Christine's birthday
WHEN: Backdated to Bloomingtide 13
WHERE: Skyhold
NOTES: Silliness and stuff
 

It had been a surprise when he heard that Christine's birthday was today and he hadn't known about it. Well, he supposed it wasn't that surprising considering his own would have gone without notice if it weren't for a certain group of templars. Regardless, Sam knew about it now, which meant he needed to do something for it.

Christine had made him a pie for when his name day had come and gone, so it seemed only fitting that Sam would try his hand at making something for her - a cake. Even if his forte was not in baking/cooking he knew enough to at least know his way around the kitchen and to follow a recipe. He didn't know what kind of cake Christine actually liked, but something with fruit and lots of cream sounded like the standard for Orlesian desserts.

"Let's see... flour, eggs, water, sugar-"

[OoC: Feel free to do your own thing as well. Party hard.]

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[aceso]

Since Christine is a fixture in the kitchens, it's not long before she turns up. Usually she sees her birthday as just another day, and barely keeps track of her age, but lately she wonders if her parents have kept track. She thought it was fine to not have them in her life, but as she sees the people around her form strong bonds with others, she does feel the lack of a familial bond in her life. Seeing Sam, however, sparks a little something. What should be a friendly rivalry between Orlesian and Fereldan is now some sort of strong friendship where she may in fact consider him to be a brother. It's a good start.

"Sam, what are you getting into?"

[el_tybs]

Sam was aware of how often Christine was in the kitchens and had purposely chosen a time that she was present. Guess it was a little too much to pray for that she would perhaps stay out for a bit. Seems he had no such luck, or the praying had actually interested Faith and drew Christine to him.

A bit in his own zone, concentrating on his work, he doesn't expect anyone to be coming up to him, and as such he jumps slightly, knocking a bit of the flour out of the bowl and onto his hands. "Oh-! Christine... ah. Just... baking a cake."

[aceso]

The way he startles surprises her, especially since she assumed he could sense Faith's presence. Apparently he's very absorbed in cake baking.

"Indeed? This doesn't seem like you. Unless you wish to follow in my footsteps," she teases.

[motherfucking_ghost]

There is cake, there is party, and most importantly, there is Christine-based partying. So, obviously, when Church inevitably catches wind of the goings-on one way or another, he's dropping by. Because it's Christine. And he likes her. A lot. And it's been pretty kind of awkward since they slept together? And he's still not sure if he's just being seen as a one-night stand or--

Doesn't matter! What does matter is he doesn't have a gift. He doesn't really have money since he doesn't really have a steady job and is mostly just mooching off the Inquisition at this point, despite the odds and ends he does to help... And he definitely can't cook. Or bake. Or whatever.

...So he might have picked some flowers shut up that's girly and also a thing you get girls right???

[el_tybs]

The last time he had seen Church was, well, at the last party. So it's little surprise that he runs into the Rifter again, especially since this was a party for Christine.

"Church," he says in greeting, head tilted curiously. "What you have there?"

[el_tybs]

He could sense Faith's presence, but it's become rather familiar that it doesn't quite alert him considering he was pretty invested in what he was doing at that moment. Sure he can cook, but baking is different. Not to mention he was making a cake for Christine, so... trying to be as perfect as possible.

"What? Learning something new isn't me?" He smiles lightly, patting some of the flour off.

[motherfucking_ghost]

"Nothing!" He pulls the fistful of flowers behind his back, looking Absolutely! Offended! that Sam would ask a question of course he doesn't have anything!!!

"I mean. Nothing. Just. Stuff. Why, what do you have?" Yeah, turn it back on him, that's the ticket!

[aceso]

It was fine when it was just a cake, but now it's a cake and a party and Christine isn't sure what to feel. It seems like such a fuss, but then again, it's so thoughtful. She should probably just blame Sam as she always does and show some gratitude. She's eyeing the exit, wondering how rude it would be to leave her own party when she sees Church enter. With flowers. Well. That's... hmm. Actually a normal response to something from him for once? Amazing.

"Hello, Church," she greets, curious as to what he'll say.

[el_tybs]

Well it had been obvious that they were flowers, but it had seemed like a good conversation point. 'Seemed' being the keyword since the man is suddenly shouting and giving him a look. Sam's lips thin at that, staring right back at Church.

"Alright..." A raised brow as he tries to figure what the issue is. "I brought a cake?"

[aceso]

"I did not mean that. But baking? I imagine you at the forge, and so this seems different to me. But if you wish to learn, I would be happy to help you." She leans closer to look into the bowl.

"What sort of cake are you making?" Or trying to make, though she obviously refrains from wording it like that.

[el_tybs]

"What? It's just an oven for something you can't eat." Look at that logic. "You imagine me often?" Sam grins at that, bracing himself if Christine takes a swipe at him for that.

"Ah... a yellow cake with strawberries and cream?" Hey, he just started okay? So far it's only the dry ingredients.

[aceso]

"Hush," she says, giving him an annoyed look. So what if she does? But her expression smooths out and she nods.

"That sounds wonderful, Sam. Would you like any help, or do you wish to make it on your own?"

[el_tybs]

Sam laughs lightly at the single word and the look that Christine gives him. He was expecting that.

"I was going to make it on my own, but I suppose it would only be fair if you had the option to help since I helped make mine." Course that was a pie not a cake, but same difference right?

[motherfucking_ghost]

"Oh! Oh. Hi. Hi! Happy...birthday? Apparently! Um." Church: slayer of women and wooer of evil--wait.

He shoves the fistful of flowers at her. "Happy birthday! I hope you aren't allergic to these. You aren't allergic to flowers, are you?"

[motherfucking_ghost]

Overreaction. Okay. That was an overreaction. "Oh. What kind of cake? Do you cook? Do you have candles for it or something?"

[aceso]

Maker's breath, but he's awkward. Still, she accepts the flowers and takes a sniff.

"I am not. Thank you for these. It's very thoughtful of you." She looks from the flowers to him with amusement. "Did you pick them yourself?"

[el_tybs]

That was a lot of questions at once - clearly someone isn't trying to talk about the flowers behind their back. "Strawberries and cream. I can cook, well enough, but I'm not much of a baker. No, I don't have candles for it. Didn't exactly have small ones." Putting a big one on it wouldn't be too nice, and all that wax.

[aceso]

"Fair?" Then it hits her and she blinks in surprise. "This is for me? For my birthday?"

[motherfucking_ghost]

"...Could we make small ones? Do you--I mean, do you guys even have that tradition here? You put on candles for age, and then you blow them out in one breath, and that means whatever you wished for comes true? Not that that's...true, but I mean. Tradition."

[motherfucking_ghost]

He should not awkward. They even slept together! That's, like, the ultimate test of if things are going to be awkward or not. But this isn't sex, this is like...something serious. Birthday presents. Serious business.

"Uh." Ain't he just the most articulate lil bugger? "Ye-uh, yeah. Is it dumb I tried to find the blue ones? Do you like blue? I mean there's some others because there's only so much you can find, and maybe I'm just projecting," or maybe it's Adelaide that likes blue? or just the spirit? all their spirits are blue, right? "but I mean yeah. I didn't even get mauled by a pack of wild wolves or anything. Crazy, right? I couldn't buy you anything on short notice." becausehedoesn'thavemoney "So I'm gonna do that thing where I stop talking, okay? Okay cool."

[aceso]

"Blue is my favorite color," she admits. The color of her eyes, the color she thinks she looks best in, the color of the open sky that she never saw very much once stuck in the Montsimmard Circle.

"Well, I can think of better uses for your mouth." Christine lets that hang in the air for a moment (Yes, she knows exactly what she's doing when she says these things,) before continuing. "Like eating cake. Sam made me one. Would you like a slice?"

[el_tybs]

"We could, but candles time a bit of time to make." If they started now they wouldn't be ready until tomorrow at least. "There's another reason why I didn't bother trying to get candles." Pausing for a moment, Sam leans in closer to Church and lowers his voice a bit. "Do you exactly want to ask Christine how young she is and then put that many candles?"

[el_tybs]

The look on Christine's face - was it that surprising? "That was the idea. Unless you don't like strawberries and or cream. Could make it something else." Now that it wasn't really a surprise.

[aceso]

"Oh, I like them very much. I simply was not expecting someone to go to the trouble." But a smile breaks across her face. "It is a wonderful idea, Sam. Thank you."

[motherfucking_ghost]

"Hell no. I may not know the most about women, but that's the number one rule. You do not ask a woman's age. Straight to the doghouse. I am not that stupid. Plus, that'd be a lot of candles to fit on unless we make two shaped as the right numbers. Like...like, what, I dunno, 25? Twenty-something? She looks it. There's no way she's thirty yet...right? Forget I asked that. Whatever age she is, she looks good for it, and that's the most important thing to say."

rule 1 never listen to advice about women from church