Eerie, Indiana fanfiction: Bakers' Bond
Takes place after Cooking Class, Cake Day and Dishonoured.
Tod McNulty unzipped the small pocket on the front of his backpack, rummaged through crumpled homework assignments and the glossy backs of official peel and stick Pitbull Surfers decals, and smiled triumphantly as he produced a coffin-shaped rubber casket in deep purple. The pattern, a frieze of winking cartoon bats, glittered slightly in the glare of the buzzing flourescents overhead.
Marshall made a face.
"This isn't more gelatine-shaped metal bands, is it?" he said. "Last time you made my taste-test every iteration of the Black Sabbath line-up and my mom grounded me for spoiling my dinner."
"Nope," said Tod. "And they weren't made of gelatine. I used Irish moss as the setting agent, so technically you'd already eaten your days' vegetables before she even saw you."
"Great," said Marshall, feeling slightly sick.
"Anyway," said Tod, pulling back the lid of his Halloween-themed ForeverWare lunch box with a hiss of escaping air. "This isn't my stuff. This is your stuff. It's a thank-you for helping me when Bert and Ernie tried to kick me out of the HomeMakers."
Marshall shrugged.
"It was Dash's stupid cake prank that got you guys into trouble in the first place," he said. "And to be honest, I think they just felt like they owed me one more than they respected my peace-making skills."
"Well, whatever you did," said Tod. "They gave me my bakers' sash back and put my name back on the Pastry Rolls, so I wanted to do something to say thanks."
He upended the oblong box and Marshall, who had inwardly been bracing himself to eating a bunch of skull-shaped cookies or a ham sandwich in which the bread had been dyed black or something equally Tod McNulty-ish, blinked in surprise.
"Ticker tape?" he said, unable to keep the question out of his voice.
Tod shook his head.
"They're fragrance sticks," he said. "The perfume counter at the Eerie Mall sets them out so people can test a bunch of different smells out at once. I was shopping for my mom's birthday when I spotted them."
He grinned expectantly, but the grin faded as he took in Marshall's uncomprehending stare.
"You hate it," he said.
"No!" said Mars, a little too quickly. "It's not... I don't hate it, I just don't... need a bunch of perfume samplers?"
Tod shook his head.
"They're not perfumed," he said. "They're elixir'd. Well, I don't know if that's a word, but that's what's on them."
He pushed the pile of white paddle-shaped strips of card across the table.
"You guys always have so much stuff to carry when you go... when you do your stuff," - here Marshall inwardly rolled his eyes at a small-town metal head who had joined a pastry cult run by two refugees from enforced immortality, but couldn't say "weirdness investigations" because it sounded too strange - "And I thought these would be great for those times when you're not sure what you're facing and don't want to be weighed down with a dozen thermos's full of a potion you might not even need."
"We mostly use hip flasks now," Marshall said automatically. "They take up less space and they can double as armour. Pretty sure Officer Derek thinks I have a drinking problem now, th-" He stopped, finally grasping the implications.
"Tod!" he said, reaching for the heap of paper, smelling sage and lavender and agrimony as he sorted through them. "You're a genius! No more heavy coats when I'm trying to outrun a Rawhead with it's blood up. No more clanky pockets warning a grave ghast we're on it's tail. No more lectures about the dangers of substance abuse on the developing mind!"
He beamed. Tod beamed back, then frowned as something occurred to him.
"Of course, Derek might decide you've progressed to huffing essential oils or something if he catches you with all those samplers," he said.
"Nah," said Marshall. "I guarantee you, I'll tell him I was trying to pick one out for Syndi or my mom and he'll start crying about what a good kid I am and have to go back to the station to compose himself."
"That guy is so weird," Tod said with feeling.
A Ghost in Pink by froodle; Janet's family during the year she was Lost
Jogging by froodle, in which Janet Donner adapts to life in regular Eerie
Maybe, Even, in which Tod has a dream
Cooking Class, in which there is baking
Cake Day, in which it is Marshall's birthday
Dishonoured, in which Dash makes a choice, and Tod and Janet pay the price
Plans by froodle, in which Janet Donner deals with Daylight Savings Time yet again
DST by froodle, in which there is a lighthouse
Figurehead by froodle, in which Lake Eerie's ghost pirates encounter the lighthouse
At the Seaside, in which Simon and Marshall stake out the Eerie Baitshop and Sushi Bar.
Tempest, in which the Sea Hag makes an appearance
The Listener, in which Melanie and Devon talk, and Melanie makes a decision
Food Hygiene, in which Simon takes on some after-school activities, and meets Melanie and Janet doing the same
In the Bleak Midwinter, in which there is activity on the shores of Lake Eerie
The Lake at Night, in which there are pleasure boats
Night Diving, in which Janet and Melanie investigate the world beneath the waves
Promotional Materials, in which Lake Eerie's mermaids prepare for summer
Equivocate, in which Eerie's golf course becomes waterlogged
Golf Course, in which the re-seeding does not take as well as hoped
Artisanal, in which Janet prepares for the days trade
Kitchen Prep, in which Janet's hard work is foiled by vicious seabirds
Populace, in which Eerie's citizens experience a completely normal day
Slow Day, in which the Baitshop and Sushi Bar is unusually quiet
Worker Engagement, in which Janet works on a new sculpture
DST2, in which Janet and Marshall wait for midnight
Poetry Slam, in which Janet tries her hand at performance art.
Similar Interests, in which Tod encounters Devon's mother, and is almost crushed by a door.
Dessert, in which Tod and his parents get ice-cream
Milestone, in which Mars helps Tod to prepare for his 21st
License to Serve, in which Tod has his birthday
Civic Duty, in which the Ladies Society for the Beautification of Eerie gather to protect the town
The Craft, in which the Ladies encounter the all-female werewolf pack from Trick 'r Treat
Freelancing, in which Sara Sue takes on some work for Things Incorporated
Presentation, in which Simon gives a chupacabra a massage
Homecoming, in which Janet and Marshall return to the Teller house
Tod McNulty unzipped the small pocket on the front of his backpack, rummaged through crumpled homework assignments and the glossy backs of official peel and stick Pitbull Surfers decals, and smiled triumphantly as he produced a coffin-shaped rubber casket in deep purple. The pattern, a frieze of winking cartoon bats, glittered slightly in the glare of the buzzing flourescents overhead.
Marshall made a face.
"This isn't more gelatine-shaped metal bands, is it?" he said. "Last time you made my taste-test every iteration of the Black Sabbath line-up and my mom grounded me for spoiling my dinner."
"Nope," said Tod. "And they weren't made of gelatine. I used Irish moss as the setting agent, so technically you'd already eaten your days' vegetables before she even saw you."
"Great," said Marshall, feeling slightly sick.
"Anyway," said Tod, pulling back the lid of his Halloween-themed ForeverWare lunch box with a hiss of escaping air. "This isn't my stuff. This is your stuff. It's a thank-you for helping me when Bert and Ernie tried to kick me out of the HomeMakers."
Marshall shrugged.
"It was Dash's stupid cake prank that got you guys into trouble in the first place," he said. "And to be honest, I think they just felt like they owed me one more than they respected my peace-making skills."
"Well, whatever you did," said Tod. "They gave me my bakers' sash back and put my name back on the Pastry Rolls, so I wanted to do something to say thanks."
He upended the oblong box and Marshall, who had inwardly been bracing himself to eating a bunch of skull-shaped cookies or a ham sandwich in which the bread had been dyed black or something equally Tod McNulty-ish, blinked in surprise.
"Ticker tape?" he said, unable to keep the question out of his voice.
Tod shook his head.
"They're fragrance sticks," he said. "The perfume counter at the Eerie Mall sets them out so people can test a bunch of different smells out at once. I was shopping for my mom's birthday when I spotted them."
He grinned expectantly, but the grin faded as he took in Marshall's uncomprehending stare.
"You hate it," he said.
"No!" said Mars, a little too quickly. "It's not... I don't hate it, I just don't... need a bunch of perfume samplers?"
Tod shook his head.
"They're not perfumed," he said. "They're elixir'd. Well, I don't know if that's a word, but that's what's on them."
He pushed the pile of white paddle-shaped strips of card across the table.
"You guys always have so much stuff to carry when you go... when you do your stuff," - here Marshall inwardly rolled his eyes at a small-town metal head who had joined a pastry cult run by two refugees from enforced immortality, but couldn't say "weirdness investigations" because it sounded too strange - "And I thought these would be great for those times when you're not sure what you're facing and don't want to be weighed down with a dozen thermos's full of a potion you might not even need."
"We mostly use hip flasks now," Marshall said automatically. "They take up less space and they can double as armour. Pretty sure Officer Derek thinks I have a drinking problem now, th-" He stopped, finally grasping the implications.
"Tod!" he said, reaching for the heap of paper, smelling sage and lavender and agrimony as he sorted through them. "You're a genius! No more heavy coats when I'm trying to outrun a Rawhead with it's blood up. No more clanky pockets warning a grave ghast we're on it's tail. No more lectures about the dangers of substance abuse on the developing mind!"
He beamed. Tod beamed back, then frowned as something occurred to him.
"Of course, Derek might decide you've progressed to huffing essential oils or something if he catches you with all those samplers," he said.
"Nah," said Marshall. "I guarantee you, I'll tell him I was trying to pick one out for Syndi or my mom and he'll start crying about what a good kid I am and have to go back to the station to compose himself."
"That guy is so weird," Tod said with feeling.
A Ghost in Pink by froodle; Janet's family during the year she was Lost
Jogging by froodle, in which Janet Donner adapts to life in regular Eerie
Maybe, Even, in which Tod has a dream
Cooking Class, in which there is baking
Cake Day, in which it is Marshall's birthday
Dishonoured, in which Dash makes a choice, and Tod and Janet pay the price
Plans by froodle, in which Janet Donner deals with Daylight Savings Time yet again
DST by froodle, in which there is a lighthouse
Figurehead by froodle, in which Lake Eerie's ghost pirates encounter the lighthouse
At the Seaside, in which Simon and Marshall stake out the Eerie Baitshop and Sushi Bar.
Tempest, in which the Sea Hag makes an appearance
The Listener, in which Melanie and Devon talk, and Melanie makes a decision
Food Hygiene, in which Simon takes on some after-school activities, and meets Melanie and Janet doing the same
In the Bleak Midwinter, in which there is activity on the shores of Lake Eerie
The Lake at Night, in which there are pleasure boats
Night Diving, in which Janet and Melanie investigate the world beneath the waves
Promotional Materials, in which Lake Eerie's mermaids prepare for summer
Equivocate, in which Eerie's golf course becomes waterlogged
Golf Course, in which the re-seeding does not take as well as hoped
Artisanal, in which Janet prepares for the days trade
Kitchen Prep, in which Janet's hard work is foiled by vicious seabirds
Populace, in which Eerie's citizens experience a completely normal day
Slow Day, in which the Baitshop and Sushi Bar is unusually quiet
Worker Engagement, in which Janet works on a new sculpture
DST2, in which Janet and Marshall wait for midnight
Poetry Slam, in which Janet tries her hand at performance art.
Similar Interests, in which Tod encounters Devon's mother, and is almost crushed by a door.
Dessert, in which Tod and his parents get ice-cream
Milestone, in which Mars helps Tod to prepare for his 21st
License to Serve, in which Tod has his birthday
Civic Duty, in which the Ladies Society for the Beautification of Eerie gather to protect the town
The Craft, in which the Ladies encounter the all-female werewolf pack from Trick 'r Treat
Freelancing, in which Sara Sue takes on some work for Things Incorporated
Presentation, in which Simon gives a chupacabra a massage
Homecoming, in which Janet and Marshall return to the Teller house