#2 mercanne short

Prompt: Mindless
Merc/Anne

What Annette likes when tailing Mercedes as the blonde-haired woman baking cakes is to be the honorable taste-tester. Annette doesn’t mind if Mercedes needed a helping hand, also she can study the recipe aside whipping too much of cream, or pouring wrong amount of sugar.

Mercedes always claimed to be clumsy, but it is different when she bakes cakes or cookies. Perhaps it is due to being repetitive, unless she is in a way of trying a new recipe, usually by the courtesy of the finest cook from Duscur in Blue Lion House. The task is quite repetitive and monotonous for every cake-making, no wonder Mercedes is able to grasp a lot of recipes after getting her hands on any new recipe.

Then again, being ‘repetitive and monotonous’ as it is, Annette, as someone who applied the instruction, is nowhere a better cook. Especially if she is about to compare with Ashe, Dedue, and Mercedes.

That day, Mercedes has planned to make a big strawberry cake, enough to split for everyone before the War Council commenced. Annette watches Mercedes who split up the ingredients in separate cups before telling her orange-haired friend of what to do, just like usual.

“—then let me be the one who decorate it with cream and strawberry!”

Annette declares as Mercedes checks the oven for the last time before it is the time to take it out for cooling.

“Ara, ara. You’re so hyped, Annie.”

“Of course I am. I haven’t seen you bake a cake for some while~”

“Was it that fun to watch?”

Annette nods. She readies her hand with the bowl of cream, swinging the unused spatula like a magic wand. “It is fun to watch someone who’s having fun.”

“I’m having fun too by hearing your songs as we’re doing this together,” Mercedes adds. “Today, I get to hear Cake-y Cake Song and Sweetness Sweet.”

“Mou, Mercie. You don’t need to repeat it.” heat travels up to her cheeks. That, is also something repetitive she always does in any activity, singing – something that she is embarrassed in doing, yet as it has been her routine, she couldn’t stop.

The oven dims after the ding. Mercedes, with gloves equipped, is the one who take the cake from its confinement. Piping hot chiffon base is browned nicely inside the pan. Annette makes sure the cake get a safe landing on the table, taking away leftover bowl from other ingredients, leaving the table clean only for the cake.

The decorating can be tricky. It needs a good amount of cream, but it shouldn’t be too much, or the cake will turn out soggy. Not everyone likes a hefty amount of cream on their cakes, too, so everything should be done in moderation.

Annette balls her fist; she shouldn’t be failed (again) today with the cake decorating. She needs to concentrate and get it right in a flash before Mercedes eventually helped her! Annette Fantine Dominic will prevail in this trial!

She put a few slap of cream atop the cake. Then, with the spatula, spreads the cream evenly on the surface in circular motion. Annette checks again after spreading, whether the cream envelops the chiffon base nicely or not, before slapping another batch of cream. She repeated the process until the cake is fully coated.

“… Annie?”

“Yes?” she turns her head to Mercedes, knowing that it might be a signal that she have done something wrong.

Mercedes cranes her head lower to seek her cheek, licking something away from the sight. The touch renders Annette frozen, her reflex only bring her to get one step back, holding on her cheek – though it is too late.

“I’ve been meaning to do that earlier, but I don’t want to destroy your focus,” Mercedes beams, looking absolutely delighted. Her soft laughter reverberates. “You should be more careful next time not to splatter the cream everywhere, Annie.”

“M-M-Mercie!? Y, you have promised to stop doing it again!”

“Ara, should I not to? You’d be walking out of the kitchen with your face full of cream.”

“W, what if someone sees? Mou!” wait, no. That shouldn’t be the point that she stresses about. “Use a tissue next time!”

“Ara, ara.”