2019-04-06 - TIMELINE X: Deleterious Delicacies and the Petulant Prompter ~ 'Food'

Title: TIMELINE X: Deleterious Delicacies and the Petulant Prompter ~ 'Food'
Summary: Nagi interrupts Midori's first annual Cake War with an Orphan. The cakes themselves were bad enough.
Who: Mikoto Minagi, amongst others
Where: Ohtori Academy
OOC - IC Date: 2019-04-06 - January 2015

Deleterious Delicacies and the Petulant Prompter ~ 'Food'

"... the first annual CAKE WAR!" Midori Sugiura pronounces her judgement upon the unworthy sinners of the Sister Schools, who have skipped classes and failed exams and generally been poor students.

Because she understands why most of them have, she's invented a fun way to make up those grades.

Everyone here...

... has to bake a cake.

Here to judge those sinners is the special Infinity guest, Femio, alongside fan-favourite Touga Kiryuu and the teacher everyone simply knows as 'Afro-sensei'. Amongst the delinquents milling about are Steven Universe, Yumi Ohzora... and Mikoto Minagi, who has spent one too many afternoons napping with cats instead of attending classes.

"Cake?" Mikoto asks, leaning over Steven's shoulder to try and see the ingredients.

"Oh - yeah!" Steven smiles, brightly. "But we gotta make it first!"

"Baking's, you know... it's basically like alchemy, right?" Yumi frowns, as she considers a vial of vanilla.

"Alchemy..?" Mikoto trails off, as she holds up a jar of sprinkles. Experimentally, she turns it around. Shake, shake. Nothing comes out. She peers into the holes, shake-shake-shake-shake -- and all at once, Mikoto is covered in little coloured sugar dots, with a yelp of surprise.

Beside them, Sister Yukariko clasps her hands together and prays. "... Lord, give us strength..."

...

Natsuki Kuga, Nao Yuuki, and Kozue Kaoru are giving their Infinity guide, Setsuna Meioh, plenty of trouble. Meanwhile, Mai Tokiha, Niramo Umokeshi, and Fuu Hououji are the only team who seem to be making headway on an actual, edible cake, perhaps due to their guidance by the maid, Fumi Himeno.

'Edible' is sort of a low bar, here.

Certainly, the team of Steven Universe, Yumi Ohzora, and Mikoto Minagi isn't producing anything noteworthy. Mikoto has, to date, cracked fifteen eggs perfectly into their own separate bowls. Yumi has added a vial of something which is distinctly not vanilla. Steven has decided that the best way to salvage things is to add lots and lots of whipped cream.

Perhaps that's why, when a pale boy drapes dramatically over the branch of a distant tree, there's one girl in particular he focuses on. "I want Mai-chan's cake!" He wails, petulant. "But she'd never let me taste it..."

Nagi's lips quirk up into a smirk. "... oh, well."

...

Team Universe has finally gotten their cake into the oven. Between the whipped cream and the spare eggs, their table is absolutely covered in bowls. Some of the bowls seem like they're... eroding, but it's probably fine.

Mikoto has ducked down to the cupboard to fetch something to help decorate their very successful cake, when the cheer in her eyes instantly narrows to something sharper, and she lets out a warning growl. Yumi turns, from where she was reassuring Sister Yukariko. "Mikoto-chan..?"

In an instant those bowls are knocked hither and dither as Mikoto leaps over the table -- and causes chaos at the other baking stations, too, as she springs over them in pursuit of some strange little shadow. Her rampage is unquenchable.

That's when she passes by the maid, Fumi, who doesn't miss a single beat as she holds up a spoon at the exact angle to impact right with Mikoto's broad forehead.

Donk.

Mikoto lands, and a moment later, falls to the side, as if she has only just realised she is defeated.

"Mikoto!" Mai says, exasperated. "What's gotten into you--?"

"Orphan!" Mikoto protests.

Here, it is illustrative why so many of these students have been getting poor grades.

Between all the magical girls who pour out to chase the Orphan down, it really, truly did not have a chance.

And their cakes are...

... sort of... saved.

...

The ambulance sirens wail, as stretchers are rushed out to collect the judges. The food poisoning was swift and certain.

"I hope," says Midori's long-time friend, Nurse Sagisawa, "you're ready to take responsibility for this."

Midori Sugiura was not ready to take responsibility for this.