(Untitled)

[lilmsmiraclegro]

The more time Claire spends with Toph in their own personal camp just outside the farm, the more she wanders into the farm itself from time to time. She diesn't even minid if she meets a Gabriel any more: they don't look exactly like Sylar, after all, and Toph says they're sincere

Comments

[downsidedarling]

"Oooh, cupcakes."

Perky Anna is perky! Also, visiting.

"What's the occasion?"

Introductions are totally for the weak, yo. And much less important than delicious baked goods.

[lilmsmiraclegro]

"Me being bored?"

Claire grins and jerks her head towards the first batch. "Those are cool enough to eat, I think."

[downsidedarling]

"Awesome."

And hey, if they aren't, not like Dreamer'd care.

"Get bored more often. And try to time it so I'm visiting the farm when you do."

Oh, assumptions. Well, to be fair, who would make cupcakes and not live here?

...

Besides, very possibly, Anna herself.

PS: Om nom nom.

[lilmsmiraclegro]

"I'll try," Claire says, patiently.

"But I don't know how long I'm staying. Just until my boyfriend gets back."

[downsidedarling]

"Ah, gotcha. Well, thanks for these, anyway."

Bright smile.

"I'm Anna," she adds, wiping icing from the corner of her mouth and then licking it off her finger. "And I promise I'm not usually this obnoxious about food."

[lilmsmiraclegro]

"I'm Claire," Claire says cheerfully, grabbing a really hot cupcake for herself as the next batch bakes.

"And I promise I'm not the kind of girl who usually sits home and bakes while her man's out of town."

It had to be clarified.

[downsidedarling]

"Sitting home and baking is totally a great use of your time. It results in cupcakes! Who doesn't like cupcakes?"

Beam.

[lilmsmiraclegro]

"No one I wanna know," Claire agrees. She sits on a kitchen stool and bites in, mindless of the heat. "It pretty much the only useful skill I have around here. Until they get high school football started again."

[downsidedarling]

"...football? Okay, you lost me."

[lilmsmiraclegro]

Claire gives a smile that's part pride, part self-deprecation and jerks a thumb towards herself.

"Ex-Cheerleader."

[downsidedarling]

"Oh! Oh, right."

With a similar gesture, "Ex-Canadian. Not much football in Montreal high schools. And I never paid that stuff much attention, anyway."

Too busy daydreaming. There is a reason for the nickname.

[lilmsmiraclegro]

"It's kinda boring," Claire confesses. "I mean, if you haven't grown up with it, I guess. But cheerleading's fun."

[downsidedarling]

"I wouldn't know. Still, good for you, eh?"

It seems (and is) totally sincere.

And her goodwill has absolutely nothing to do with the fact that she is now on her second cupcake. Nope.

[lilmsmiraclegro]

Claire shrugs with one shoulder. "Yeah, I guess. Not really much call for it here."

She's interrupted by the timer on the most recent batch, and hops up to get them out. Without oven gloves, so the aroma of cupcakes is momentarily tainted by the smell of burning flesh.

[downsidedarling]

Anna whistles surprise. "Hey, you okay there?"

The concern comes from personal experience. She's been burned before. It's not terribly pleasant, and Anna knows most people can't ignore it the way contractors do.

[lilmsmiraclegro]

"Huh?" Claire says, looking over her shoulder as she puts the cakes on the cooling rack.

"Oh, yeah." She shakes her hands free and the burn subsides "I'm fine."