A/N: As I'm rereading this, I made myself hungry. I'll add a little more info on what Yuu chose for her tart's taste. Thanks for reading!
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"Okay, now we just sprinkle on a little powdered sugar, and..." Yuu watched in fascination as Trey expertly sifted powdered sugar onto the tart.
The entire room seemed to breathe a sigh of relief, when Trey stood back.
"Finished!" Ace and Grim remarked excitedly. Yuu smiled, pleased with the image.
"Fin...ished..." Deuce said halfheartedly.
"Hey." Ace nudged Yuu slightly, leaning in to whisper. "Did something happen to him while you were shopping?"
"Yeah. He's still in shock." She laughed awkwardly. "I think I broke him."
"For sixteen years, I was so sure..." Deuce lamented, returning to muttering.
Ace watched with a raised eyebrow. "... Yeah, whatever." He said dismissively. "I'm pretty beat. Making tarts sure takes it outta you."
Yuu raised an eyebrow. "Oh? Is the big tough fella tired?" She teased. "Guess you should be lucky we agreed to help~" She grinned, noticing Ace's embarrassed blush.
"Yeah, fine. Thanks for the help." He huffed, looking away.
Yuu chuckled kindly. "You're welcome!" She said, returning her gaze to the table she was wiping down.
"Hey fam!" A voice resounded in the kitchen, making Yuu jump slightly as she looked up to see a familiar ginger.
"Holy shit, this ain't moving!" She grumbled to herself. "Oh yeah! 'Sup Cater!" She called back, attempting to scrub off a bit of solidified paste from the wood.
"LOL, You look wrecked." Cater remarked. "Are the tarts done? Ooh, those look sooo cute! Lemme snap a quick pic for Magicam!" Cater smiled, scampering over to where Trey was, holding a very pretty-looking tart.
"What, NOW you decide to show up?" Ace retorted, annoyed and cranky.
"I just came to see how hard my little newbs were working." Cater said, leaning against the desk nonchalantly.
"It's tough work if you're not used to it. But there's no better cure for the ails of fatigue than something sweet from the oven!" Trey announced, placing a warm tart in front of the group. "Help yourself to some of this tart."
The group celebrated at the thought of getting to try their work.
"Pretty funny how you managed to show right when it was ready to eat, Cater." Ace remarked, scowling slightly when Cater laughed.
"Someone's gotta be the official taster!" The older ginger smiled.
"That smells so good..." Grim purred, sniffing the air as his mouth began to water. "Glossy chestnuts on top, fluffy cream below... I can't wait another second, I'm going in!"
Grim seemed to jump into his tart, completely disregarding the fork and simply taking a large bite. Yuu felt her stomach growl at how hungry she was, making her pick the fork up and take a small piece.
"Yuuum! Liked and subscriiibed!" She heard Cater beside her as she put the fork in her mouth.
"This is like something from a fancy bakery." Deuce praised.
"Rich in flavor, yet not too sweet... It's like chestnuts are dancing across my tongue!" Grim laughed.
"Is that... a good thing?" Trey questioned, seeming to look at Yuu, who had remained silent as she took her first bite.
Yuu had been hit with a sweet flavor, but it didn't have a heavy texture that would overwhelm her. She smiled. "Wow. It's good!"
Trey chuckled at her childish delight. "I'm glad you like it!"
"Oh, Trey! You gotta do the thing." Cater smiled.
"The thing? Oh..." Trey asked before his features lit up at the realization. "That."
"Uh, wanna fill me in here?" Ace suggested, completely lost.
Yuu watched as Trey pulled out his magic pen, confused. "What's that for?" She asked him. The taller boy simply smiled at her.
"You'll see. Now, what's everyone's favorite food?" He gestured toward the first year ginger.
"Me?" Ace questioned, pointing at himself. Trey nodded. "Probably cherry pie. Or hamburgers." Ace said.
"Canned tuna's at the top of my list. Then maybe cheese omelets, roast meat, pudding..." Grim began to list, wracking his brain in a pathetic attempt to decide.
"Dude, just pick one." Deuce muttered before answering. "If I had to pick, I guess I'd say... omelet rice?"
"I like a nice lamb chop with diablo sauce." Cater announced with a smile, turning to Yuu excitedly.
"I'd say..." Yuu thought for a while, eyebrows furrowed while she narrowed down her list. She felt the slight pull of her craving something that she'd been longing for for years. "Maybe my grandmother's tamales. Specifically the ones she called chope." She said, recalling her family's rare visits to Mexico in her youth, and the mouthwatering scent that wafted out of the pot as the tamales cooked. She felt her stomach growl at the thought, making her blush.
Yuu looked over to Trey, who had an amused smirk on his face. He lifted his pen. "All right, you've got it... Let's 'Paint the Roses'!" He called.
Yuu watched the room bathe in rose red light for a brief moment before disappearing. She watched, eyes wide and curious.
"Huh? What does that mean?" Deuce questioned.
"Take another bite of your tart and see." Trey remarked with a cheeky smile, pushing his glasses up.
Ace tentatively took one more bite before his eyes widened. "Huh? How- Now it tastes like cherry pie!" He looked at the tart, as if conforming that he was still eating a chestnut tart.
Grim picked his slice up, taking another bite. "It's just like canned tuna!" He yelped, taking another bite. " Now it tastes like a cheese omelet! And grilled meat!" He swallowed, excited with each bite. "And pudding!"
Yuu took her fork, lifting it up to her nose, smelling it. Its scent seemed to not have changed. He put the forkfull into her mouth.
She froze, recognizing the familiar saltiness of the masa, and the spice of the pork. Her eyes filled with tears, threatening to cascade down her face. She wiped them away.
"Wow." She said, untrusting of her ability to speak without crying. She took another bite, melting at the flavor.
"Neat trick, eh?" Cater shot her a smile. "That's gotta be a hit when Trey's having tea with the ladies."
"It's very impressive." Deuce smiled, eyes bright. "Is changing flavors your signature spell, Trey?"
"Technically, it's 'overwriting characteristics.' I can change taste, color, smell, whatever." Trey informed, eating a bit from his own tart. "It only lasts for a little while, though. But it is kinda like covering up the real thing hence, 'painting.'" He explained, handing Yuu a napkin which she accepted gratefully, wiping away any stray tears.
"If I had magic like that, I could be eatin' canned tuna every meal of every day! That's way better than Riddle's stupid collar magic!" Grim remarked with a gulp.
"Oh, that's in a whole other league. His signature spell is a weapon. Mine's just childish prestidigitation." Trey said, hiding his face a bit. "Speaking of Riddle - it's too late to give him these now. Let's call it a day and do it tomorrow." He suggested, quickly changing the topic with ease. "Don't forget that tomorrow's the unbirthday party. You don't want to be late."
"Yuu, can I crash with you again? It doesn't sound like I'll be allowed back in my own dorm tonight." Ace asked the young woman, who simply nodded, pushing back the empty feeling in her heart.
"Yeah. But you still have to clean if you want to stay in a room." She informed, placing her fork down on the now empty plate, before Grabbing Grim's. She smiled as Ace gave a loud groan.
"Again, seriously?" Cater asked incredulously.
"It isn't right to keep mooching off of Yuu, Ace." Deuce said, a strange look on his face.
"Yeah, it ain't! If you wanna stay tonight, you gotta pay for the privilege! Ten cans of tuna!" Grim demanded, standing upright to glare at Ace.
"Aww, What?! Guess I'm sleeping outside, then." Ace sulked, throwing his best puppy-dog eyes at Yuu. She rolled her eyes.
"Nice try, Trappola. But I have the high ground." She teased.
"Why don't you go and stay at Yuu's dorm too, Deuce, so you can keep an eye on him?" Trey suggested, making Deuce seem to perk up. "As vice housewarden, I can issue you a sleepover pass."
"That's our Trey, always spoiling the newbs. What fun for you." Cater chuckled before looking at her. "Ooh, maybe I'll come too! What do you say, Yuu?" He wrapped his arm over her.
"No pass for you." Trey said, shooting down Cater's idea.
Cater sighed, sulking. "Aww. Sad trumpet... Womp womp wooomp."
Trey shook his head, turning to Yuu apologetically. "Sorry to dump them all on you, Yuu. At least it's just for tonight."
She sighed, looking at the boys. "Nah, it's fine. I could use a bit of help cleaning my rustic, 'dump of a dorm' anyway."
Trey's eyes widened and he blushed in embarrassment, realizing that she'd just quoted him. "Ah- I..." Trey began, making Yuu laugh.
"Relax, I'm just teasing." She assured, turning to leave with Grim hopping into her arms. " I'll see you guys tomorrow, if I can successfully wake Ace, Deuce, and Grim."
.
.
.
Once Yuu opened the door to Ramshackle, she watched Ace throw his bag to the couch. "Tomorrow's the unbirthday party. Finally, I'm gonna get rid of this stupid collar! Just you wait, Riddle!" Ace announced, stretching as he jumped onto the couch, sending a literal cloud of deep seeded dust out into the air.
After a couple of minutes of hacking their lungs out and having no choice but to open all of the windows, Yuu turned to Ace with a glare.
"Really?! Was your goal to kill us all by suffocation?!" She cried.
"Forgot how dusty it was..." Ace said awkwardly, shaking the dust off of a new blanket. With about a half-hour of Yuu's scolding, she managed to get Ace to clean a room while Deuce had agreed to clean his own.
Once the cleaning was done, the group sat around a table, reading cards. Yuu read over her cards awkwardly, barely understanding the game, which had been old maid.
"Hahaha! How're you THIS bad at playing old maid?" Ace snickered as Yuu helplessly looked over her cards.
"Well, I'm sorry, but I've never played!" She huffed, before setting down her cards, noticing Grim's ears flatten and droop when he looked at his cards.
"Darn! I got the old maid again!" He cried, throwing his cards down.
Yuu groaned, as she picked up the cups, walking to the kitchen and placing the cups in the sink. Those are future Yuu's problem. She thought to herself, making her way to the lounge again.
"Bed time, boys!" She announced, making them groan.
"Aww, c'mon! One more game?" Ace suggested, anxiously tugging at his collar. Yuu rolled her eyes, empathy pooling into her heart, swaying her judgment. She sighed.
"...Fine. But we're playing one of my games this time."
~~~
A/N:
Chope is a type of tamale that my grandma invented where the meat is mixed into the masa. Many people have said that it looks like a messed up tamale, but it's intentionally made like that. Figured I'd reference it in here since it's my grandma's anniversary. Anyway, sorry for this being so late, and thank you all for reading!