Confounded Christmas Cookies

[waterfell]

The warm aroma of gingerbread: spiced, aromatic, fragrant. The expansive kitchen is full of this delicious scent, beckoning and enticing. Decorated men sit in tidy little rows on cooling racks.That is, that's how it would be if any good smell like that weren't masked under the layers of burnt-to-a-crisp. Ami takes out yet another batch,

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[hells_shower]

"Coooookiiiiies!!!"

And suddenly, there is an Ishtar in the kitchen, dive bombing towards the burnt sacrifice cookies and sniffing them. Aah, the memories! It's as if she baked them herself.

[waterfell]

Stare. An appearance somewhat like Venus', but an outfit like Nabu.

That's not the point here! This isn't time to get confused; whoever it is, they're intruding!

"What are you doing?"

[hells_shower]

"Mmf!" She turns to face Ami, her mouth already stuffed with burnt cookie. She, too stares before pointing at the older girl.

"Mff meeef mffmmff mmrrrrf miiffinff!!"

[waterfell]

Uh... "What?"

"It's rude to talk with your mouth full," Ami adds a bit arrogantly. "Finish chewing and I'll listen to you."

[hells_shower]

Munch, munch, gulp.

"You need to put more icing!" Finger point of doom. "Icing is the best part of the cookie!!"

[waterfell]

"More icing?" There's pretty much none. "Ah! That's because they didn't turn out so well, so it was better not to put the decoration on those. I'll save it for the perfect ones."

If she's still anticipating perfect ones, she has more idealism and hope left than she'd thought.

[hells_shower]

"What do you mean, 'perfect ones'?" Ishtar fingers another. "There are perfect! Have you ever had a cookie like this with icing? They're awesome and crispy!"

[waterfell]

Oddly enough, Ami brightens at that. Maybe it's just nice to think she hasn't totally failed this. Or maybe it gives her an idea.

"You can have them, if you want," she offers. "Go ahead."

[hells_shower]

"Really!?" Ishtar is the one to brighten up. "I can have them!? Wow, thanks!"

[waterfell]

A quick nod, and it even comes with a smile free of charge.

"If you want," Ami repeats, mostly because she's still having trouble believing that. "But aren't they too dry?"

[hells_shower]

"Mmm mm!" Ishtar shakes her head. "They're like the yummy cookies my mama used to make for me!"

Note to Ami: Never eat at Ishtar's house.

[waterfell]

Never.

Like her mother used to make? These? "Just who are you?" Ami asks.