Celeste was grumbling as she walked around the kitchen, looking for additional pans. She had already made a chocolate cake, angel food cake, and a couple batches of sugar cookies that were shaped like hearts. She had scavenged most of the kitchen and found all the ingredients she needed for cinnamon apple crumb cake. The only problem was she couldn't find another pan. This school surely had more pans. 

The first few batches were cookies. She then heard through another student who passed by that there was a student here who absolutely loved cake. So, Celeste decided cakes would be better to make. Plus, during the baking time, she could try to do this stupid drawing crap.

Why did she have to be so bad at? She was literally trying to copy one off a textbook and it turned out awful. Every time. She had already tried a good 10 or so times. She checked her watch and sighed. She had been in this kitchen for about 3-4 hours now - she wasn't even sure how long. It was mid-dinner time, so she was surprised no one else was here. Maybe they saw the girl in the kitchen baking for the past 4 hours and decided it was safer to eat out? It was a Saturday so maybe they were actually eating out. 

She sighed, nearly giving up on her cake before she finally found the another cake pan and she nearly squeaked in joy. Yes, another distraction and another 30 minutes she could avoid staring at those stupid pencils and stupid paper. 

Could she use a cake for a portrait instead? She could make prettyish art stuff on cakes and cookies. On paper? Not so much. 

Hmm... Maybe she could ask Stephanie Graves if she could just bake him cakes and cookies with designs.

(OOC: Mirror Grey-Morris)

Whoever was hogging the kitchen, Mirror hoped they would keep doing so. The scents wafting into the dining room and pouring out into the hallway made her mouth water. Maya had been doing paperwork in her office, but eventually she could not take the curiosity anymore, and she went to investigate what kind of a party was cooking up in the kitchen. She could smell pastries. Pastries were good.

And holy hell were there a lot of them.

Maya paused in the doorway, watching as Celeste moved around the kitchen, busy working on something. There were already cakes and pastries made. She was not entirely surprised to see the blonde there, although she was a little baffled about the sudden flood of food all over the place.

"Whoa. Is it someone's birthday, or is it first come, first served?"

Celeste had already finished the batter for her next mission - and she just finished making the crumbs. She just needed to make the apple cider glaze. That meant she needed apple cider, which she couldn't find anywhere. They had to have some somewhere in here. She had found ingredients or at least decent substitutes for the rest of the cakes and cookies. 

Maybe she would have to go pick some up from a local grocery store or something. 

>> "Whoa. Is it someone's birthday, or is it first come, first served?"

She jumped upon hearing Maya's voice. She wasn't expecting anyone to really come in at this point - no one had been in the kitchen for at least an hour or so. She looked over to Maya and chuckled, "It's... Uh... First come, first served." She waved her arms around the food. "Just leave some of the cake though, I hear there's a kid here who really loves them." 

Celeste wasn't entirely sure who the woman was - but she seemed eerily familiar and looked kinda like someone she had met before. Celeste looked at her, trying to figure out how she knew her. She knew she knew her. But who was she? 

The pastries looked really good. Maya was impressed. Celeste was not the first or only person at the Mansion to bake well - upside of sharing a kitchen with a lot of people, there was always something good to puppy beg for - but she was definitely living up to the scent of the cookies she was making. She looked a little startled, though, when Maya walked in.

>>"It's... Uh... First come, first served. Just leave some of the cake though, I hear there's a kid here who really loves them."

"I know." Maya grinned, settling down at the table and grabbing some cookies. Her gaze fell on the art supplies. "Pastries and art? Is this a school project of some sort?"

It took Celeste a moment before she finally realized who it was. Gawain! Well, Maya? That was his female version name. With that realization, she relaxed a little bit. Maya was a good person that hopefully wouldn't send her a bill for all the cooking supplies she just used... Yikes.

>>"Pastries and art? Is this a school project of some sort?"

She groaned at hearing the word 'art.' She shook her head and leaned against the kitchen counter, "No, I'm just trying to practice doing portraits for my art class... I suck at so badly at art... Like, really badly. So, while I've been studying, I've just been... Baking." She smirked, looking at the mess she realized she had caused. She had cooked way too many goodies. But hey, at least the mansion kids can get their sugar fix. 

Maya finally saw the recognition in Celeste's face, and smirked. Some people caught on faster than others, even if they already knew the theory of gender shifting.

>>"No, I'm just trying to practice doing portraits for my art class... I suck at so badly at art... Like, really badly. So, while I've been studying, I've just been... Baking."

"Uh...huh" Maya nodded, looking at the half-finished sketch curiously "So you are... what, procrasti-baking?" she grinned "Look, I'm the last person to force anyone into doing art..." she bit into the cookie and hummed "... especially when the result is cookies, but maybe you should finish your homework first?..."

She nodded slowly, accepting Maya's unique term of her procrastination, "Yeah, I suppose you can say that." She sighed and rubbed her eyes and looked at her creations then to her homework, "I've been trying to finish that stupid thing. I'm literally copying it from a book. It just keeps turning out horrible." She motioned to a nearby trash can that was full of paper. Honestly, Celeste was eventually going to run out of drawing paper and she was a bit surprised she hadn't already. 

She sighed and looked at her cakes and cookies, "Plus, I'm really good at this." She motioned towards all the sugary goodies. She looked towards Maya and sighed, "Are you good at artsy stuff?"

Celeste was, for all intents and purposes, working her homework frustration out by baking things all over the place. While Danger Room sessions were more of Mya's style of blowing off steam, she had to admit that making pastries for the entire population of the Mansion was at least a little more productive.

>>"Yeah, I suppose you can say that. I've been trying to finish that stupid thing. I'm literally copying it from a book. It just keeps turning out horrible."

She glanced at the garbage can full of paper. Apparently Celeste had been working on art for a while.

>>"Plus, I'm really good at this."

"You are." Maya agreed wholeheartedly as she munched on a cookie. "You're definitely passing the baking class."

>>"Are you good at artsy stuff?"

Maya scoffed. "God, no. I suck at all that. But I make a stunning nude model?" she added with a grin, batting her eyelashes at Celeste.

>>"You're definitely passing the baking class."

She grinned and grabbed a plate from one of the cabinets. She cut a slice from each of the cakes she currently has and offered it to Maya, "Try these. They should be amazing." 

>>"God, no. I suck at all that. But I make a stunning nude model?"

Celeste perked a brow and laughed, "Alright, Rose, I think all he's looking for is the face but if you want, we can go all the way." It would look awful, but if that is what she wanted, she mine as well take a model while she could get one. She bit her lip for a moment, in thought, and finished her current bakery project. Slipping it into the oven and putting the timer on, she nodded towards Maya. "But uh... Only if you have time and stuff."

>>"Try these. They should be amazing."

Maya pulled the plate toward her, and tried bites of both slices. Celeste was not lying, the cakes were pretty great. They did not replace and art assignment though and she knew it. Maya made a comment about modeling.

>>"Alright, Rose, I think all he's looking for is the face but if you want, we can go all the way. But uh... Only if you have time and stuff."

"Draw me like one of your French girls?" Maya grinned between bites "I mean, face is fine. If it helps you with the homework. Maybe, portrait with cake?" she added, lifting the plate daintily to her cheek "Slice of life?"

Celeste watched Maya's face intently as she tried the cake. Upon seeing that she was actually enjoying it and not just lying to her, she nodded. Ha! But then Maya had to bring up the portraits.

>> "Draw me like one of your French girls? I mean, face is fine. If it helps you with the homework. Maybe, portrait with cake? Slice of life?"

Celeste laughed and walked over to her art stuff and grumbled under her breath. She turned back towards Maya and gave out an exasperated sigh. Although, she did end up laughing at Maya's 'slice of life' joke. That was pretty funny and she was a beautiful person, pie or no pie. Celeste chewed her lip for a moment, "Okay... I can, but... You have to promise you won't hate me because it's going to turn out awful."

The joke earned a laugh from Celeste. That was good. If she was laughing, she was less nervous. Maya ate some more cake. It was wrong of Nate to put this much pressure on students about art, but at the same time, she really could not blame him for the resulting pastries.

>>"Okay... I can, but... You have to promise you won't hate me because it's going to turn out awful."

"Well, that's not an attitude for an artist to have" Maya arced an eyebrow "It's gonna be good, or it's gonna be 'an early sketch by great artist Celeste that already shows some of her future signature lines.' Or something." she chuckled, picking up the plate again "So, where do you want me to sit?"

>> "Well, that's not an attitude for an artist to have. It's gonna be good, or it's gonna be 'an early sketch by great artist Celeste that already shows some of her future signature lines.' Or something."

Celeste grumbled and perked a brow, giving Maya and incredulous look. She sighed, "You know, your enthusiasm and confidence is very catching but unless awful is a future signature line, I have to disagree."

>> "So, where do you want me to sit?"

She grinned, "Well, if you want to be painted like a French girl, I'd suggest just plopping down on the table." She looked around the room, trying to decide on a comfortable spot for Maya to pose for her and be comfortable. "Maybe... On the bar stool? Maybe I could add some tables into it... somehow..." a couple lines that looked like a bar stool had to get her a little extra in her portrait, right? Ughhh.

>>"You know, your enthusiasm and confidence is very catching but unless awful is a future signature line, I have to disagree."

Maya took a glance at the unfinished sketches. She did not agree. Sure, they were rough, but for someone like Maya who was permanently stuck on the level of stick figures, they were still showing promise. At least Celeste was willing to try.

>>"Well, if you want to be painted like a French girl, I'd suggest just plopping down on the table."

Maya looked at the pastries covering the entire surface of the kitchen table.

"Ooh. Decadent."

>>"Maybe... On the bar stool? Maybe I could add some tables into it... somehow..."

"Yeah, my face is up here" Maya grinned, climbing onto a bar stool and turning to face Celeste "Let's start with the basics, shall we?"

>> "Ooh. Decadent."
 
She gave Maya a wink, "You know it. Nothing like some cake and nudity." 

>>"Yeah, my face is up here. Let's start with the basics, shall we?"

She laughed and arched a brow, "Oh, where? I wasn't paying attention, sorry," she joked in a playful manner. She sighed as she sat down at the table, grabbing her pencil and another sheet of paper.

She nodded and began to draw Maya's head, along with a plate. She grumbled slightly as she erased and re-did several times.