Post by Azari on Dec 30, 2021 22:56:38 GMT
Although Moth had by now encountered baked goods - there had been some at the feast they'd met Auntie Jun at - they hadn't really thought all that much about how they were actually made before. Why would they? It wasn't as though they knew much more about food preparation than hunting and eating prey, or finding berries or other edible plants and just eating them as-is.
With the scents of so many such treats blending so pervasively in the air that even they with their relatively limited sense of smell couldn't help but be awash with the aroma, they had cause to take notice in spite of their usual simplicity of approach to food. Why was there so much of this in the air? Wasn't food usually just little bits here and there - or was this another feast? Unsure, they sought the wisdom of their new auntie.
"From the looks of that sign, the bakery are having a bit of an event." An event? Moth wasn't sure what to expect from that, so they simply continued peering up at Jun in hopes that she would continue - so far, that had proven fairly effective. "Would you like to join in, little one? It says here that we can decorate some goodies, and I'm fairly sure we'd get to eat them afterwards."
At this, Moth brightened immediately, bouncing on the spot. Not just food, but art as well? That sounded fantastic! Their sign was a little sloppy in their enthusiasm as they repeated 'yes' over and again, but that didn't matter too much - they could tell Auntie Jun understood by the way she chuckled and patted them. "I thought you might say that - come on inside, then, dearie."
Delighted, Moth reached up to take her paw as they were led into the source of all those wonderful smells. It was even more potent once past the doors, and the bakery itself was more full of treats than they had ever seen before - even at the feast! They hadn't realised there was this much food at all, let alone in one place.
Slightly in awe, they followed Jun to an open spot at a table, joining a group of others. It looked like most of them were young like they were, with a few taller people there. They couldn't see anyone with a carapace, but that wasn't too strange. Theirs hadn't hardened anyway, and some bugs never got hard carapaces.
Learning the names of each of the treats was interesting, but not nearly so interesting as getting to use colourful icing and sprinkles to make pictures on them. Their favourites were the cookies, flat and wide enough that they could get into more detail as they tried to make portraits of Auntie Jun and themself, and pictures of things that had caught their attention before, like fire. They'd gotten so into the process that they even managed to avoid the temptation to eat their artworks too early.
One of the other children seemed to have the same kind of idea, and it became something of a competition. When Moth managed an edible-glittery rendition of a dragonfly, their new rival responded with a pretty convincing present box cookie, prompting Moth to pour their effort into an attempt at the Hallownest Seal, and so on. Eventually though, both sets of stubby little fingers had to cease - the event didn't last forever, after all. Still, it had been good fun, and they'd been allowed to keep their creations just as Auntie Jun had said.
