[And he'll return that smile as he leans over to take another tray out of the oven.]

Only if I am becoming boring, in which case both of us have some self-improvement to focus on.

You flatter me far too much. Surely there is something I could improve on-- perhaps a bit more sugar in the frosting on those lemon cookies?

Biased against sugar? A horrible thought indeed.

[But he's smiling, meaning it doesn't really bother him at all.]

Would you like to help me? I was going to make a few more batches before taking them over to the Welcome Center; the sooner I get them finished, the sooner I can come home.

I could always take you on as a student-- but only if you are interested in such a thing, of course.

[And hey, it'd give him another excuse to spend more time with her. Cooking lessons are kind of romantic, right? It's not like he has much practical experience in this field beyond the typical social niceties of sending flowers and chocolates and so forth.]

I was worried that incident with the stew might have made you somewhat wary of my cooking lessons.

[Yes, it was experiment-induced, but still. He's going to bring it up before she does.]

I'm glad to hear it.

[Come here, you, you're getting a kiss.]

[He'll return the smile before turning to pick up the cookbook, which he flips through for a moment before handing it to her.]

We'll start with sugar cookies. They're simple enough, and once you master that there are many variations if you are feeling more creatively inclined.

[Here, he'll get you an extra apron-- alas, he doesn't have a chef's hat that will fit you. But if you're REALLY interested, he could probably find one in the store.]

Actually, the most tedious part of this recipe is rolling the dough to cut the cookies out. I think you'll find the rest of it to be quite simple.

[Aww, but he thinks you would look cute in one, Gelda.]

Correct. I have a box of cookie cutters you can pick from if you would like to experiment with different shapes.

[Yes, yes it would. The look on his face will be one for the record books.]

[Oh you. 8|]

I read in the library that in some worlds it is a tradition to make these sorts of cookies for the Christmas holiday. If others are interested, perhaps I could speak with Makoto and see if she would like to help me hold a class to teach those interested how to make them.

Yes, last year I arrived shortly before it occurred. I was thinking that it might be nice to celebrate the holiday properly this year, given that it is one that does not exist in my world.

That's right, isn't it a tradition to give the ones you care about presents for the holiday?

[NO GELDA NO.]