dǫçţǫŗ şɭęęƥ (shone) wrote in valloic, @ 2020-12-20 14:36:00 |
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Entry tags: | !: action/thread/log, ₴ inactive: dan torrance, ₴ inactive: sabrina spellman |
WHO: Dan & Sabrina
WHAT: Making cookies and frosting for the cookies, plus planning a YULE FEAST
WHERE: Spellman Mortuary
WHEN: Today
WARNINGS: Nah, unless you're offended by cats being assholes
STATUS: Complete
Sabrina rolled at the dough, trying to work it to the right thinness for the cookies she wanted to make more of. There was Christmas music playing in the background, some festive lights lining the kitchen cabinets that she’d pulled out of the attic earlier in the month, and the smell of pine needles and cookies mixing all around her. And yet it still didn’t feel like the holiday season anymore. Not with her aunt having been sent home. It was strange not having either of them around to celebrate with, to not have not exchanged gifts with her friends at Dr. Cerberus’ earlier in the week. So many little things that were almost like she was used to but the edges around them didn’t quite line up, the puzzle incomplete. She knew there was little point in sulking about it. Doing so wouldn’t actually bring anyone back and Sabrina knew she was luckier than most. She had her cousin still and Dan, Allison and Claire. Plus a lot of friends that she wouldn’t have made if she’d never set foot in Vallo. She was learning so much, getting to know different magic, learning more about her own. The melancholy still ran through her though, rising up on occasion when she couldn’t quite bat it down to a more acceptable level, and during this time that was supposed to be about family it seemed to really want to rear its head. Salem wrapped around her legs, demanding attention, and she scooped him up once the dough was at the level she wanted, cuddling him close as she motioned for the cabinet with the cutters to open and send several of them over to the table for her to use. “At least I’ve still got you,” she murmured to her familiar, pressing her cheek against his fur before snorting at his comment. “They cannot all be cat shaped cookies, Salem.” Dan could feel the melancholy emitting from Sabrina - not because he was being nosy, but because he was just really in-tune with her. Had been since he arrived in Vallo and warmed up to her almost immediately - when Spellman Mortuary showed up in the forest with no one to claim it but Sabrina, he’d offered to move in with her and be a roommate so she didn’t have to be alone. Many had come and gone since then - including her aunts, multiple times in some instances. It was difficult to deal with the rollercoaster anyway, especially around the holidays. So yes, he felt that melancholy - the way it was a rickety stairwell in an abandoned building, or vines curling around the heart. Hopefully he could help a little at cheering her up, since it was Yule time and there were still lots of good things happening, despite the recent setbacks. “Need some help?” he asked, leaning in the kitchen doorway for a moment before stepping further in. “I think Azzie would appreciate the cat cookies too, Salem,” he added, moving to scratch behind the black cat’s ears. Azzie, who was currently sunning herself on a windowsill but would be in here soon enough once she figured out that her human was in the same place where the food was. “I will not say no to help with cookies,” Sabrina told him as she set Salem back down on the floor. She was going to need to wash her hands again now, but it was worth it for the brief cuddle session. “I want to do like half with sprinkles only and the other half can be frosted after they’ve baked and cooled.” Because then she could eat some of the sprinkled ones while decorating the others. It was a win-win. She glanced over at Dan once she was back at the table, wondering how much of her emotions he was picking up on and had a feeling it was pretty much all of them. She knew he could feel her from pretty much anywhere in Vallo. Sabrina focused back on picking out the cutters she wanted to use, not quite wanting to talk about how she was feeling or who she was missing in that moment. She didn’t think it would do her any good. She’d still miss them and it’d just bring down the slight cheer that enveloped the room. “Cats, hats, and moons seems like a decent theme,” she decided on, placing those cutters to the side. “And maybe some trees.” Some hand-washing was on the agenda for Dan too. He dried off and scoped out the scene, how much dough they had and the cookie cutters they had to work with. One of the best parts of Yule was definitely the baking - it made everything smell like pie or cookie dough, and rich and creamy brown sugar. “I’ll cut out some moons and hats,” he offered, rummaging for the cutters that had been pulled from the cupboard. They didn’t have to talk about disappearances, or the gloom that came with them, not if Sabrina didn’t want to - he knew as well as she did that there wasn’t much to say about it anyway. It happened so often that words had all been exhausted. Best thing you could do was try to roll with the punches, and work through the hurt that pulsed like a bruise to the heart; it healed eventually though. Maybe some fun things to do would help that, and besides, Dan also had a gift for her that he thought might ease some of the ache. “Do we have frosting or do I need to make some?” he asked as he worked, carefully. “I think I need to make more hot cocoa bombs too.” They had been consumed rapidly during the snowstorm, go figure. They’d had some frosting at one point, made by Hilda before she’d disappeared but Sabrina had eaten what was left in the bowl while looking through old photo albums. It was odd and yet also comforting to have all of the pieces of her family still in the mortuary. She could still go into her aunts’ room and curl up on their beds when she really wanted, breathe in their scents on the pillows and in their clothes. They were gone and yet they were still everywhere in the place. It helped and it hurt in equal measure, but Sabrina knew it would hurt more if it was all suddenly gone. “We’re going to need frosting. In different colors.” Because there was no way she was decorating everything with white. That would hardly be fun. “And yes, you definitely need to make more hot cocoa bombs. I think we should experiment with different chocolates this time. Some dark ones and white ones.” See which of them tasted the best. “We should probably do something for Claire for Christmas, yeah?” There were presents under the tree but Sabrina remembered getting photos with her friend and Santa when she was younger. There were ornaments of it up on the tree. The celebrations had been kicked off, in the tradition of Yule rather than explicitly Christmas - some of it was about giving back to the community, which they’d done in the form of the toy drive. They’d also dabbled in some creativity, making ornaments for the tree. So yes, Dan had considered the Christmas aspect for Claire as well - he wanted things to be as close to perfect as possible, for everyone currently at the mortuary. No doubt they’d have a big dinner too, something that Dan would work on with Allison and Sabrina and maybe a couple others he could recruit into cooking - with Hilda gone, he was kind of nervous about that aspect but he could handle it. Ham and side dishes, could also be a roast and lots of pie? “Maybe a gingerbread house?” he suggested, arranging cut-out cookies on the baking sheets. “Or we can make Christmas cards with her, and deliver them. Honestly, I’m not above asking Dwight to put on a Santa suit and a white beard to play the role for her.” The thought made him chuckle. Maybe it was a good idea, considering that Vallo wasn’t really Christmas-oriented anyway, not according to local traditions. “Maybe ask Allison if she does the whole Santa thing or even believes in it?” Sabrina knew not all of the mortal kids did but she wasn’t exactly sure where Claire fell on that spectrum. She was pretty young still though so she kind of figured the little girl still believed. “I think the gingerbread house and cards are a good idea though.” They probably shouldn’t eat all of the cookies they’d ended up making the last few days either. So they could put together some plates of the different varieties to hand out to some friends, maybe even pack up some for Dan to take to the clinic to share. “We usually read ‘A Christmas Carol’ together.” Or rather Ambrose read it outloud to them. Her Aunt Zelda had always loved the different ghosts in it. “But I don’t know if that’s too scary for Claire or not.” Sabrina had loved it as a kid, but her tastes had always laid with the more macabre things in life. As far as Santa went, Dan really hoped Claire still believed - that little bit of childhood whimsy, where all the fantasies and the innocence still lived, it was important. Considering he’d been Claire’s age when the Overlook got its hooks into Jack Torrance, and tried to feed off of a young Danny’s Shine, that innocence got stamped out real fast. By steel-toed combat boots. “I’ll check with Allison,” he promised, and he figured it wouldn’t be too difficult to rig up a gingerbread house. Even if it ended up looking like something from the rundown gingerbread projects. “A Christmas Carol is good, at the very least there’s a Disney version I’m sure we can find in book form - she might like the Grinch too, or that claymation version of Rudolph and the old cartoon Frosty thing.” Jesus, he’d watched Frosty the Snowman when he’d been a kid (the cartoon was even older than he was, imagine that). But there was still something warm and fuzzy about his step-daughter watching the same things he did. The first batch of cookies went into the oven, and Dan rummaged in the cabinets for ingredients to make frosting - mostly confectioner’s sugar; it’d look like a snowstorm in the kitchen. He’d love to take some cookies to the clinic though - all the medical staff could use some holiday cheer. “When do you want your gift?” he asked mischievously. “Or ‘It’s a Wonderful Life’.” Sabrina had always loved that one, but it probably didn’t quite work for Claire’s age. It had been tradition to watch it with Hilda while eating cookies and drinking hot cocoa while Zelda griped about Christians taking over their own traditions and trying to pass it off as their own. She could at least watch it from the comfort of her own bed this year on the little tv she had up in her room. She leaned against the table, elbows pressing into it as she considered his question. “Do we just want to do them on the twenty-fifth?” She figured that would be when the stuff would happen for Claire. “We just kind of do them all throughout Yule depending on what they are.” There really wasn’t a certain day to give them out like Christmas had. Sabrina had the food dye ready to go so she could pick out the colors she wanted for the frosting, six little bowls placed in a semi-circle to indicate how many colors she was planning on doing. “It’s more about the food and time spent together for Yule than the presents anyway.” Not that she didn’t want a present, but that had never been the focal point. Butter, a shit ton of sifted confectioners sugar, milk, almond and vanilla extract - that all went into the bowl for frosting, and Dan found the hand mixer. “Sure, the twenty-fifth it is,” he agreed. He didn’t really mind the day, anything was good with him - giving gifts was fun, considering in the past he hadn’t always possessed the means to do so. Or really had anyone at all to exchange with. But this year was different - he had presents for his family and friends, thoughtfully and carefully picked out and wrapped, thanks to his somewhat meticulous nature. He just hoped they liked everything. “Okay, which color do you want this bowl to be?” he asked, leaving that up to Sabrina. “Feel free to mix them too, I guess. All colors under the rainbow.” Maybe some pretty turquoise or purple? Such artistry here. Though once everything was mixed, it was definitely a poof - a sugary cloud, which always tended to happen, and Dan had to clear his throat. Of course, that’s when Azzie decided to investigate, jumping up onto the counter. “Get down, you menace,” he said to her and all she did was mreow at him. If cats were able to roll their eyes--or even goblins in disguise as one--Salem would have done so at Azzie’s antics. Instead he simply swished his tail back and forth from his vantage point on the windowsill. The sugary confections weren’t even that good. He was waiting for some meat to be dropped to the floor, but from the sugary cloud slowly beginning to dissipate he had a feeling that wasn’t going to happen. “We’re doing green, red, silver, yellow, white and pale blue,” Sabrina informed him as she nodded toward the bowls. She’d also taken out a variety of sprinkles and other sorts of balled toppings to help decorate with. “And we should put the finished cookies in the freezer because they’ll cool faster.” Or so said every cooking show ever. It seemed to work on those so she figured it would now as well. And if not then she wasn’t above using a little magic to get it to happen. “Do you want to invite anyone else over for dinner one night or anything?” Sorry, Salem. No meat in these cookies. But Dan might sneak him some tuna fish later - and Azzie too, because he was a complete sucker for his prescient cat. “I thought maybe we could invite my in-laws?” he grinned, mixing up the frosting in all different colors - first it was drops of green, then another with red, and in the order Sabrina suggested; soon, there were bowls of frosting that were a myriad of colors, a rainbow. He planned to use a piping bag to make neat swirls but he’d see how that actually went. Dan could bake pretty well but he wasn’t sure how much of an artist he was. “And any plus ones they want to bring, for dinner,” he added. “Dwight too, of course.” Especially if he was going to play Santa - and Dwight would probably bring Donna, so maybe they’d need like - a really long table. Or a buffet style type thing. “We could just make a big feast? People might bring things too. It’ll just be a nice get-together. Azzie, for fuck’s sake - “ The cat was currently trying to stick her nose into the cookies that just came out of the oven. Dan scooted down to stick this first batch into the freezer, and Azzie jumped off the counter to swish herself elsewhere. Felines. “Anyone in particular you want to invite?” he wanted to know, dusting his hands off to repeat the process with another batch of cookies. Salem exchanged a look with Sabrina, challenging her to ever consider him ridiculous again after what the other cat had done and she rolled her eyes at her familiar. He was perfectly ridiculous in his own ways, like with his jealousy of the hounds, but that wasn’t something she wanted to bring up then. She focused on mixing the dye into the icing, working to get the exact richness of color that she wanted for each of the bowls. “The table in the dining room has leaves we can put on it to expand it.” They’d had to a few times when they’d had others over for different meals before. Usually they just ate at the kitchen table they were currently working at, the dining room for special occasions only. But to his question about inviting people...“No.” She thought her cousin might want to see if Prudence wanted to join but she wasn’t sure if the other witch would say yes or no to that. “Ambrose and I can always go do something else that night together too if you guys want a family thing.” “Well - “ Dan scooped up Azzie, just to take a break, because obviously she wanted attention and she wouldn’t cease with her cat-nagging until he gave it to her. In fact, she purred like a motorboat as he gave her a scritch behind the ears while holding her in his arms. Another hand-washing was clearly the next step, once he got back to the cookies. “You and Ambrose can do anything you’d like? But for me, you’re family.” Azzie was then placed back down - she slipped out of Dan’s arms, a fluffy white hot mess, and was better now that she’d been Recognized. “So I guess it’s a matter of whether or not you want to be around the tsunami that is the whole sibling package.” It’d be okay, he thought, even if he wasn’t sure if Klaus would want to come or not. He didn’t seem keen on togetherness with Dan, but it was what it was. She considered his words for a long moment, a stirring of warmth enveloping her at his words before she summoned the first tray of cookies from the freezer. “Okay then I’ll come to it.” She couldn’t say whether or not her cousin would be in attendance. “And I guess I can invite my dad and Chloe?” It seemed like the kind of thing she should see if he wanted to attend as well. Then maybe they could go over more plans for Lux’s New Year’s Eve celebration. Dancing and drinks seemed like the perfect way to ring in the new year. She had no clue who else might end up showing up for it, but it’d be nice to cut loose for a few hours and just give into the music. “I don’t think there’s really anyone else to invite.” Everyone else had family she thought they would be doing stuff with at that point in the week. “Sounds good to me,” Dan concurred - he figured Sabrina would want to invite Lucifer, and his plus one (girlfriend? He wasn’t sure of the details there). “I’ll post something and invite everyone, so we can get a headcount.” The tray of cookies summoned from the freezer brought him a twitch of a smile - it was so whimsical, like something from Mary Poppins. But alright, now that they had kind of a system going here - a well-oiled cookie machine? Things were really moving along. He placed the next tray into the oven to bake, scooting closer and dropping a kiss on the top of Sabrina’s head. “Love you.” It seemed important to say, especially now - he wouldn’t go on and on about it, but he projected it easily enough, without effort; gentle, sweet and fizzy, a warm ocean wave. “Now let’s go for the first round of frosting.” “I know,” she told him, feeling a little bit cheeky and like echoing Han Solo for a moment. Not that she really understood that reference all that well. Scifi was not her genre at all. Give her a good, old horror movie any day. She did feel a little lighter though. Each day was a little easier than the one before it, even if there were some setbacks here and there. All any of them could do though was keep moving forward and try and hold onto the good things in Vallo. And that was exactly what Sabrina planned on doing. Especially if there was frosting involved. |