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Post by Elise Peeters on Apr 5, 2012 22:51:14 GMT -5
Riding on the main road out of Granor used to pull Elise into a sad nostalgia. This was the same road she had taken the day she left her childhood home, and she would never forget how much she missed her siblings just on that first night.
But journeys down this road held new memories for Elise, ones of bright skies, sweet pickings, and high laughter. It had become something of a tradition for her now to accept Antonio's invitation to join him in harvesting this year's fruits. His shop had the freshest, tastiest produce, and Elise couldn't resist.
She caught sight of that familiar house and dismounted from her borrowed steed. Once she approached the door, she knocked tentatively. It was only a little past sunrise; was it rude for her to come this early? She had been so looking forward to it that she couldn't wait to start.
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Post by tomatepirata on Apr 12, 2012 22:15:42 GMT -5
Antonio looked up from the wood he was piling as the sound of someone at his door echoed faintly through his house. Moving along the side of his house to peer around the corner, rather than tromp mud through to get to the door, he smiled. “Elise!” Antonio moved entirely in front of his house, wiping his hands on the already dirty shirt he was wearing.
“You’re here early chica, I wasn’t expecting you for another two hours. Eager eh?” He chuckled and motioned for her to follow him into the back yard. “Did you eat yet? I could make you some breakfast before we get harvesting.”
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Post by Elise Peeters on Apr 15, 2012 15:45:30 GMT -5
Elise's cheeks flushed slightly pink. She really should have waited until midmorning. Her poor friend must still be unprepared.
"I apologize," she said sheepishly, trailing after him. "It's always nice to be out of the city once in a while. And you know that I love being first in line for the best produce!"
Perching precariously on a tree stump, Elise pulled the large basket she had been carrying behind her back and flourished it in front of Antonio.
"But I have offerings! That way, you don't need to go through the trouble of making me breakfast."
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Post by tomatepirata on Apr 28, 2012 14:07:14 GMT -5
“Oh gracias~!” He grinned at her, pumping the lever to get some water going that he could wash his hands and arms with. “What did you bring me? I think I could forgive your early arrival for some of your delicious pastries! No one makes them as good as you do!” As clean as he’s going to get without a proper shower and bath, Antonio shook the water from his hands forearms.
The comment about his produce being the best made him laugh. “You’re just flattering me! I’m only the cheapest with good quality, not the best.” He trailed into chuckles, hands going to his hips. “Open the basket chica, I want to see what you brought!”
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Post by Elise Peeters on May 3, 2012 9:30:21 GMT -5
Whatever bit of guilt Elise felt eased away; Antonio had that gift of inspiring cheer and comfort. She grinned mischievously.
"Cheap and fine quality. Conclusion: the absolute best in the city." Elise's eyes were twinkling merrily. "And only if you close your eyes. No peeking! I want to surprise you."
She crossed her arms with a stern look, waiting for her friend to comply with her condition. In a great show of exaggeration, she jumped up and approached him, waving her hand before his face to test his sight.
Once she was sure his eyes were indeed closed, she hurried to spread her blanket on the grass. It was always exciting for her to present her pastries. Humming, she pulled out the desserts from their tight container and arranged them in an artful pattern on the blanket: an assortment of fruit and chocolate-spotted waffles with high toppings, citrusy tarts, plump eclairs, cake slices topped with mousse, airy cream puffs, crumbly cookies, and even one of Antonio's favorites: flan. She had added dried plums and orange flavor as an experiment, and she was eager to see if he'd approve.
Satisfied with her work, she stood up and clapped her hands. "Now you can open your eyes!" she said, and made a grand gesture toward the blanket. "Ta-da!"
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Post by tomatepirata on May 17, 2012 16:31:57 GMT -5
Laughing, Antonio covered his eyes with his hand and waited. “Ohhh, that smells really good! Did you bring me those yummy waffles you make? Yours are the best in the world you know!” He waited to be told he could look before lowering his hands, gasping in delight. “Flan! You brought me flan! You are the most wonderful woman in the world, gracias!”
He hugged her, then swooped down to scoop up the plate of flan. He didn’t bother going to get a spoon, simply pulled out his pocket knife and scooped some onto it. “Ah, it’s so good! This tastes a little different from your usual flan though, what did you do different?”
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Post by Elise Peeters on May 22, 2012 16:38:59 GMT -5
Antonio's delight cheered Elise immensely, and she laughed as he impatiently ate the flan with his knife. His enthusiasm was infectious, so she took a plate of waffles in sweet berry syrup for herself.
"Do you remember those dried plums you sold me for a special price? Last week, I think?" She grinned. "Well, I found a way to use it! This new flan flavor has those dried plums and a bit of orange. I know how much you like oranges."
She bit into her waffles, savoring the flavors. But she wanted to know what Antonio thought of her experiment.
"So do you like it?"
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Post by tomatepirata on Jun 4, 2012 22:38:49 GMT -5
“Si! It’s very good, you could even sell it if you want! You have the perfect mix of sweet and citrus with the right consistency. I don’t have too many more plums dried right now, but if you like I could save extra for you after the next harvest.” He finished the flan and wiped his knife off on his pants, then put it away.
Sighing happily, Antonio sat on the ground. “You always bring me such delicious things chica, this was the best business partnership we’ve ever come up with.”
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Post by Elise Peeters on Jun 11, 2012 10:22:49 GMT -5
Elise nodded enthusiastically. It was indeed an advantageous partnership, but she appreciated the friendship that it bore much more. She pushed a plate of tarts toward him.
"Agreed!" She smiled, but she lowered her voice conspiratorially. "In fact, you've inspired me to try making something new. I'm trying to perfect my churros."
Finishing off her plate of waffles, she wiped her mouth daintily with a napkin and sat up straighter. "And I think you should be the judge!"
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Post by tomatepirata on Jul 27, 2012 17:08:08 GMT -5
At the word churros a huge grin split Antonio’s face. “Churros eh? Well I’ll be happy to taste test them! I could even show you how mi abuela used to make them! Hers were the best in town.” He picked up a tart and took a bite, humming happily. If he wasn’t so interested in Lovino he’d have asked Elise to marry him and gotten happily fat off her pastries.
He was very dedicated to convincing Lovino to be with him however, so instead he settled for happily getting fat off of them while being her friend. It didn’t hurt that she knew how to use the things on his farm without spoiling the ingredients. Too much sugar or overly whipped cream could and had ruined more than one bakery for him.
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