The Colloidal Paradox

15. Salt and Pepper

Finished - November 22, 2022

Word Count - 4151

Music - winterhold -Tartalo Music

********************************

The presence of frost on the window proved that winter was coming quickly and the close of the semester was rapidly approaching. With the change of weather, the trees had lost all of their leaves, which created a crunchy blanket of foliage over the U.A. campus grounds. Even the tightest of windows couldn't keep the cold from seeping inside the large, old dormitory.

This was one of the many reasons why Allira strayed from her bedroom; the chilly walls of her dorm lead her into the main heated part of the building. More specifically, the kitchen. Where the oven was getting ready for a baked good, thus heating the large room.

In procrastination and avoidance of her school duties, Allira set her focus to the kitchen. This was one her ways of coping with stress, to bake her troubles away.

Besides, with the arrival of December, her taste for warm holiday flavors accelerated.

Therefore right when she was supposed to be training or studying, she found herself downstairs cooking instead.

Allira used a wooden spoon to mix the batter softly, making sure not to over mix the contents. This recipe was fairly simple, all she needed was flour, eggs, sugar, cinnamon and pumpkin. Plus, of course the other essentials of baking powder, salt and baking soda. She merely put all the ingredients together and added to taste.

Lastly, she poured the contents into a bread pan and placed it into the oven. Now that the fun part was over, Allira had no excuse to stay away from her real work.

With a sigh, she set a timer and stretched her arms. In one last attempt to stall her homework, she cleaned the entire kitchen and all the mess she had made.

Now that she had nothing left to distract her, she grabbed her school work. Notebooks and papers took the place of the many pans and utensils she had used for cooking. She had over an hour before the pumpkin bread would be ready and she decided that this would be the time to get her work done.

The empty kitchen remained silent as Allira scribbled and studied her papers. The only noise was the flipping of pages from her textbook or a heavy sigh of frustration from the tired girl. Her brain flooded with equations and confusing word problems, she gripped her hair in tired annoyance.

As she continued to answer silly homework questions a set of footsteps made their way down the stairs, turning Allira saw Kaminari. A colorful robe hid most of his pikachu pajamas, but did nothing to conceal his bright fluffy pufferfish slippers. With sleep heavy in his eyes, the boy looked almost as if he was sleep walking.

Allira watched him as he walked over in a daze, not saying anything as his loose footing waddled across to the kitchen. He then plopped himself in the chair beside her and laid his head face first onto the counter. A moment later she could hear distinct, light snoring escape his mouth.

The entire altercation made Allira laugh, though she tried to keep it quiet not wanting to wake up the obviously exhausted teen. Instead, she gave him a quick rub on the back and turned her attention back to her school work. 

While Kaminari drooled next to her, Allira somehow found it easier to concentrate and she became very productive. She was able to finish her Math and English paperwork. Something about Kaminari's presence gave her the energy to complete her work.

Just as she had finished, more people joined her downstairs. Allira recognized the voices of Kirishima, Sero and Uraraka. The three fellow students joined her in the growing kitchen, their noses high.