1883/A Chef and a Baker

A Chef and a Baker
Date of Scene:	28 August 2016
Location:	Mitakihara/Pikarigaoka - King Penguin Park
Synopsis:	Rena finally meets Makoto in the park. Food is the topic of discussion.
Cast of Characters:	Rena Sakai, Makoto Kino

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Rena Sakai has posed:
Its about noon on a Sunday. Its a lovely day. The sun is out. Its not too warm. It is definitely one of those days that screams that the seasons are about to change. For someone like Rena Sakai, Its a golden opportunity to actually get out and make a few sales. Baked Goods!!! What kind of baked goods? Well Autumn is clearly on someone's mind. She has pumpkin pie, pumpkin whoopie pies, pumpkin rolls, pumpkin moshi, pumpkin bread and of course pumpkin cookies all set out. Then in the non-pumpkin variety, APPLES! Apple Pies, Apple Cinnamon Cookies, Apple Cinnamon Bread, Apple dot cookies and apple Moshi. Then there are a bunch of classics. Things ranging from cookies to cupcakes and muffins. She's been busy.

It turns out that she isn't the only one with Autumn on the mind. A lot of people are buying up some of those more interesting seasonal items. Rena is actually doing fairly well and her stock is starting to get a little low. That means that she might have a short day! Still Its fun for her to be out here. Behind the table is a bag loaded with chocolate chip cookies. Ones she gives out to kids and people who want to try her wares.

Makoto Kino has posed:
Makoto, meanwhile, has been out for a run. Normally, she prefers to go earlier in the morning during the summer, to make the most of the time while it's still cool... but today's been mild, and she's got a 10k egg to put some distance on.

So it's only just now, around noon, that Mako is heading back out of the park - dressed in shorts and a tank top, sweaty and windblown, water bottle in hand as she makes her way down the path.

Rena's sale table naturally catches her attention - and not just because she's famished after spending the morning running. A quick check for her wallet and Mako's on her way over, surveying the remaining spread. "I think you might've just saved my life," she comments cheerfully.

Rena Sakai has posed:
The blonde haired girl just smiles brightly, "Yay! My baking is saving lives! Can I put that on my sign?" She asks playfully. "Hiya, I'm Rena Sakai! Nice to meet you. I think I seen you around school!" She smiles brightly. Then its onto the business at hand. "I really got excited for Autumn so I got some pumpkin and went absolutely crazy with it! Then apples too! Would you like to try one of my cookies?" She instantly has a bag loaded with cookies out and pointed towards Mako.

Despite her, slightly excitable actions, Rena actually looks semi-professional. She actually dressed to impress, wearing a white victorian-esque blouse with a reddish grey tie. She is also wearing a skirt and shoes that match her tie. They used to be a red orange color. The only thing truly out of place on her is a watch that looks extremely high quality. Like better then Rolex quality.

"So what would you like? I made all this stuff myself so I know its really yummy!" Rena idly begins moving the various goods towards the front of the table so people can get to them without reaching too far. Then with a smile she pulls out a bottle of water and sips at it, "Need a water? You look exhausted."

Makoto Kino has posed:
Rena's enthusiasm has Makoto laughing a little as she reaches for a cookie. "Thanks," she says. "Nice to meet you, too. I'm Makoto Kino. You go to Seishou, huh?" She can't quite place the other girl in her memory, but of course there are a lot of students at Seishou, and Rena doesn't quite loom over the heads of her classmates like Mako does.

"I've got water," she replies when Rena offers her some, "but I didn't bring a snack with me today and now I'm starving. Seriously, you're a lifesaver. This is all your work?" Makoto pauses to survey the baked goods again with renewed appreciation. "That's really cool. I've kind of been trying not to think about fall, personally, but... oh, the apple bread looks really good. Let me get a piece of that, please."

Rena Sakai has posed:
Rena Sakai smiles and hands her a plate with two sliced pieces of the apple bread. It's been covered in plastic of course to keep anything from getting into it. "Thank you so much! I've been baking for a few years. My mom and dad run a resturant a few blocks from here. Sometimes I help out there. But I usuallly wake up early so I can spend some time with them. While I'm at it I usually bake stuff so I can take it to school with me and give to people."

She giggles and goes quiet for a few moments. "It really helps to make some friends. Turns out if you give away a lot of yummy foods, you can make some really cool friends! Plus it feels nice to help people out. Its amazing how people open up though when they are given comething to munch on!"

Makoto Kino has posed:
Case in point, Makoto is hastily devouring the chocolate chip cookie even as Rena speaks. Nomf. It's gone in short order, and she dusts the crumbs off her fingers before she goes fishing into her wallet for correct change for the apple bread. "Thanks."

With no hesitation, she begins peeling the plastic back to get at the goodies, cracking a quick smile as she does. "That's true, isn't it? I've made some of my best friends that way, myself." With the apple bread free of the plastic, Mako lifts one of the slices from the plate to take a big bite. Famished as she is, it tastes like absolute heaven. "This is really good!" she says, only just barely managing not to talk with her mouht full.

Rena Sakai has posed:
Rena Sakai smiles happily as she watches the older girl dig into the bread. There is something awesome about seeing someone enjoy your handiwork. It makes her very happy. "Thank you! Its one of my Mother's recipes. She's from Britain originally. Its where my accent comes from." She does have a british accent. Cooking is one of my favorite things to do. Right up there with acting.

She does take the money. Part of her doesn't want to but she is trying to bolster her own savings. Winter is coming and she is going to need some winter clothing. "I love Autumn. Its a perfect time of the year for baking. All the fruits and veggies are being harvested, Its cool enough to bake all day without getting overly hot. The seasonings... Its just so wonderful. Not to mention the leaves changing and stuff.

Makoto Kino has posed:
Om nom nom. The slice of apple bread disappears rapidly as Mako listens to what Rena has to say; with her mouth thus occupied she can't reply in words, but she at least looks impressed when Rena mentions her mother.

Soon enough, she's polished off the slice and manages to speak again. "I like the season, it's just that it also means the end of the summer break." Not a good student, says the heavy resignation in Makoto's expression. "I'd be more excited, if it weren't for that."

Rena Sakai has posed:
Rena Sakai smiles, "Yeah, there is that. I mean it could be worse. At school you get to make new friends and see old ones. Oh my..." She pauses and begins collecting a few items from the table. She isn't finishing for the day but shr is putting a few items back. "One of my friends at school. I dunno where she puts the stuff but she enjoys my baked goods and with school starting back up, I need to make sure she gets her daily fix." She laughs sounding almost like a drug dealer with that.

A few moments later, she has a bag set aside so she can give it to a certain blonde with odangos. She smiles to Makoto. "So what do you like to do when you aren't running around and stopping for yummy treats!" She asks with a most playful tone. "You are super tall by the way. Its pretty cool!"

Makoto Kino has posed:
That is a definite wince when Rena compliments her height, but Makoto smiles anyway, only a little awkwardly. "Thanks," she says, and kind of glosses past it to the other topic of conversation. "I like to cook, too. It's kind of self-defense, since I make my own meals most of the time, but I enjoy it. I've thought about opening a bakery or something one day, but I haven't tried anything like this." The look she gives Rena's table is an admiring one.

Thinking about Rena's comments brings some of her own friends to mind, and after a moment Mako laughs. "I have a few friends like that," she says, green eyes sparkling with merry affection at the thought. "Since I transferred to Seishou I've started bringing extra lunch, just in case. My boyfriend and his brothers put away a lot of food, too, and only a couple of them can be trusted anywhere near a kitchen, so..."

Rena Sakai has posed:
Rena Sakai Laughs a little and then things begin to click... Extra Lunches. She's seen that before. Seishou. Check. "Usagi-chan?" She asks with a smirk. "That is who this bag is for. I think she may have two hollow legs. Either that or her odangos open up a pocket dimension which stores excess food to be digested at an undisclosed time!" She laughs playfully.

Thinking for a few moments, she gets a crazy idea, "Hey, would you like to cook together sometime? We could do up a big flashy meal for friends and stuff. Or we could do it for charity, helping out the community and stuff is always fun! I think it would be great. You like to cook, I like to cook, we could do awesome stuff up. "

Makoto Kino has posed:
Makoto blinks, eyebrows lifting in surprise - and then she, too, is laughing, shaking her head. "I don't know why I'm even surprised," she says. "Of course it's Usagi-chan. I didn't realize she had more people than me feeding her at school... I'll have to remember that the next time she tells me that she's going to starve to death." Despite the words, she's clearly joking; there's a genuine warmth of affection in her smile when she talks about Usagi.

And then Rena's having her idea, and Mako pauses all over again. "That does sound like fun," she agrees. "There's an orphanage that I volunteer at sometimes... maybe we could do something for them? I'm sure the kids would love it."

Rena Sakai has posed:
Rena Sakai smiles and giggles, "I've seen that one first hand. I was having lunch with Usagi and Naru. Usagi managed to talk Naru out of her lunch!" She just laughs as another person comes up and buys a few items. "Thank you!"

She then smiles brightly. Helping out a bunch of orphans by making them yummy foods?! Can there be any better idea?! "Oh Yes! That would be great! Maybe we can talk to some of our friends to help out too?! It would be fun!"

Makoto Kino has posed:
"Yeah!" Makoto nods her agreement with this suggestion. "Although, most of my friends don't really cook much. I'm sure they'd be glad to help out in other ways, though."

Her thoughts are moving busily, sparking with enthusiasm - at least until something occurs to her that makes her catch herself. "--Oh, but we should check with the orphanage before we start making any specific plans. They'd be able to tell us what we could do, and when would be good, instead of us just trying to come in and do whatever."

After all, the last time there was a big to-do... well. The less said about that, the better.

Rena Sakai has posed:
Rena Sakai smiles and nods, "Not many of mine do either. Though one of them does play music and stuff so that could be a cool thing. You are right though. We can handle the cooking. Our friends can do stuff they are good at!" She beams over the whole thing.

As she listens to what Makoto says, she nods, "You're right. It would be bad to just show up and try to take over a kitchen! Yeah So I guess we talk to them and then make a plan!"

Makoto Kino has posed:
"I'll check with them the next time I'm there," Mako promises. "See if they have any suggestions. Oh, let me get your number, so I can get back in touch with you? I mean," she adds as she sets down the plate of apple bread to rummage for her phone, "I'm sure I can track you down at school, but this is easier."

Rena Sakai has posed:
Rena Sakai nods, "Oh sure!" She quickly writes down her cell number and gives it to Makoto. "Let me know then!" She smiles, "Oh grab a couple things for the road. I'm almost done for today and the less I have, the lest I have to carry!" She giggles.

Makoto Kino has posed:
Mako takes the bit of paper from Rena and quickly programs the number into her phone. A dashed-off text sends her own contact to Rena's number, and then she pockets both phone and paper and picks up her plate again. And looks really tempted at the rest of the display.

"Well..." she hesitates, then laughs. "I guess it wouldn't hurt. I don't have a lot of money on me, but..." Well, it's not like Rena's charging a lot. "I'll take a pumpkin roll and some of those cookies off your hands." Meanwhile she's picking up the second slice of apple cinnamon bread. Easier to devour it now than wrap it back up to take with her!

Rena Sakai has posed:
Rena Sakai shakes her head, "I didn't say buy some, I said take some silly!" She giggles, "Its cool We're friends and I always give stuff to my friends. Its part of why I do this!" She giggles playfully. She smiles. "Look forward to seeing ya in school and stuff!"

Makoto Kino has posed:
"That doesn't seem quite right," Mako protests with a smile. "I mean, you brought this stuff out here to sell. At least let me buy this." So saying, she puts down the money for the pumpkin roll she's taking - though in concession to Rena's insistence, she goes ahead and takes a bag of apple dot cookies too, and after further consideration adds some pumpkin mochi to try. All of these, and the crumpled plate and plastic wrap from the apple cinnamon bread, go into her backpack.

"Thanks," she tells Rena with a cheerful smile. "I'm glad I stopped by. Talk to you soon!" Once everything's stowed, with a little wave of farewell she starts off, hitching the backpack over her shoulder and heading for home.

Rena Sakai has posed:
Rena Sakai smiles and and gives a polite bow, "Thank you! You have a lovely day!!!" She waves to Makoto. Yup she will need to make more stuff soon. She leans back in her chair and just beams. "Nothing is better then making friends over yummy treats!"