Sassy Stylist

[allen-is-right]

(ooc: anyone still here/want to rp?)

[allen-is-right]

Just Like A Cat || Candace & Allen

[sonata-seamstress-deactivated20]

Candace looked up at the waitress who stood at their table, and then at Allen, who was looking her way. “Um, I’m ready to order, yes…”

She waited a few seconds in silence for Allen to tell the waitress his order before something finally clicked in her head.

Oh… was she supposed to order first? Candace nervously mouthed the words ‘oops’ and flipped through the menu, despite already knowing what she was going to get. She didn’t understand why a confident, stylish man like Allen would invite her to eat with him, anyways. She’s just… embarrassing, and awkward, and quiet… and not even good at conversation.

“Um, I’ll… have the herb soup,” she murmured, her head down, hiding her face beneath her blue bangs and pointing to the name of the dish in the menu. 

[allen-is-right]

Allen smirked at her flustered look as she flipped through the menu, pointing to the item and meekly muttering what she wanted. 

"I'll have the same, and some water for us both." Allen said, snapping his menu shut and handing it to the waitress. "Also, could you bring us some roasted cauliflower bites." Some might take that sentence as a question, but he said it was an order. 

The waitress took their menus and left to get the food.

"They're really good," he said, referring to the cauliflower bites. "And if you want to order anything else, feel free. I'll be paying today." As he talked, he unrolled his silverware from the napkin and spread it out across his lap, folding it part way.

[farmersara]

Farmer Style, Take Two | Sara and Allen

[farmersara]

"I-" Sara scoffed. "What’s it to ya if I do?"

Truthfully, she knew she wasn’t the sharpest tool in the shed. Not even close to being sharp- probably the bluntest. But she did have her pride, so she’d keep that bit to herself.

"I’m a damn good farmer!" She scoffs. "My animals are the best there is- and what about you, anyway? You- don’t you have anything better to do than walk around like a pretentious asshole? Oh wait." She smirked. "You don’t."

[allen-is-right]

His eyebrow quirked at her 'insult', pausing as he gave her an incredulous look, and then burst out laughing. His eyes shut and he turned to the side as he was consumed with laughter. He looked back at her, still smiling, and sighed the last of his laughter away. 

"You're really bad at insults," he said, running his hand through hair. "I mean, honestly, I was insulted worse in kindergarten." Having the insult capabilities of a four year old. That was quite the feat.

[allen-is-right]

(ooc: I'm slowly coming back to life and I'm looking forward to rping with allll of youuuu~)

[allen-is-right]

Silly Girl || Katie & Allen

[drop-dead-georgeous]

She gives him a nod, pushing herself out of the seat and following him towards the wash basin. Katie takes a seat, leaning back with her neck on an angle as to keep her curls from being caught up under her back.

"You should come to the cafe sometime! Especially if you find yourself traveling through Flowerbud during the colder days; a cup of our tea or hot chocolate or even coffee will knock the cold in you right back out the door, no joke." 

[allen-is-right]

Allen automatically began his work, turning on the water and focusing his attention on washing her hair. It wouldn't take as long as a regular wash, since he was simply washing out the silicone, but it was enough to make him space out for a moment.

He completely tuned out her words, eyes focused only on her hair, and he simply nodded and gave a non-committal noise when she stopped speaking.

He avoided her curls and carefully washed the silicone out before pulling back and turning off the faucet. "All done," he announced. He grabbed a small towel and leaned her up, carefully drying her hair.

[gildedstone]

Did I Order This? [Allen/Gil]

[gildedstone]

It was always most difficult to study right before a meal - and Gil definitely noticed this now. He’d flipped straight through a page or five, barely looking at the words - his attention drawn instead to everything around him. Pondering the red-haired stranger and wondering (based on his appearance, the well dressed gentleman that he was) if he came from the big city. Pondering what life in the big city was like, after having lived so long in a small town. Pondering what on earth someone like that would be doing in Castanet - if indeed, he was from the city at all.

The stranger was served first, and Gil averted his attention. Let’s not be rude, he thought to himself - you wouldn’t like it if someone was staring at you as you ate. That certainly wasn’t the type of hospitality someone who worked for Town Hall was supposed to show. No, it was better to go back to his studying— and flip back a page or five to find the place he’d last been paying attention to the words.

Even if Gil did find it quietly amusing that the red-headed stranger had ordered the exact same meal that Gil had.

He hadn’t even had time to find where he’d left off in the book before his own meal was delivered - and it took Gil a moment, frowning at this odd pasta dish (and wondering what on earth had been heaped on top of it), to realize the mistake. Gil glanced up to say something to the waitress, but she had bounded off with all of her typical enthusiasm - leaving Gil staring blankly around the room with his jaw hanging open a bit daftly.

Well, he certainly wasn’t going to eat this. He was good friends with the wait staff - it wouldn’t be too much of a faux paux to simply pick the dish up and bring it to the kitchen, would it? After all, these people had known him all his life. Gil shut his textbook and pushed back his chair, lifting the dish carefully in both hands and trudging toward the kitchen - only pausing long enough to hover next to the table that the stranger was currently sitting at.

And noticing once again with a slight twitch of irritation that the red-head did indeed have a bowl of food matching Gil’s order exactly - down to the very specific, very nit-picky instructions regarding the preparations of the meal’s vegetables. Yes, yes - all the waitress’s typical enthusiasm, all right.

"Excuse me," Gil found himself addressing the stranger before he’d even realized what he was doing. He lowered the plate to show its contents to the other man. "Does this look like something you might have ordered? Or did you just by coincidence happen to order the exact same Tomato Risotto With Overcooked Vegetables that I did."

[allen-is-right]

What kind of idiot would mess up his dish this bad? He stared at the food in front of him, icy eyes narrowing with each passing moment. This never would've happened at Clement's. In fact, he was sure the chef would be appalled at such a mix-up. And Felicity, well, she was a bit of an air-head about some things but never about food.

He was getting ready to bring his food to the staff (he certainly wasn't going to sit here quietly and eat a meal he hadn't ordered) when a man stood next to his table.

With Allen's genovese pasta in hand.

Well, at least he now knew it was the waitress who had gotten the order wrong and not the chef.

"It looks exactly like what I ordered," he replied, pushing his glasses up as he tilted his head to look at the other man. It was the same well-dressed man he had found himself approving of moments ago. He stood up from his chair in order to address him properly, picking up the plate of tomato risotto as he did so.

"Is the wait staff always this incompetent or am I just lucky," he asked coolly. He held out the dish to the man, indicating he wanted to trade dishes.

[allen-is-right]

Just Like A Cat || Candace & Allen

[sonata-seamstress-deactivated20]

Candace sat up straight and politely with her hands resting on her lap. She wasn’t very good at trying new things, so she’d already decided to order the same meal as always.

She thought for a moment at Allen’s question. “Um, well, they have good drinks and soups… I order their herb soup and stir fry often.”

The herb soup, stir fry, and strawberry shortcake were all she ever ordered from the Brass Bar, and it’s too early to be bringing up dessert. “… Oh, and I’ve heard that they make very good dishes with fish, like their, um…” she opened the menu, searching through the pages, “…b-bouillabaisse,” Candace had a feeling that she messed up on the pronunciation of that.

She lifted her head to the man, “I haven’t tried much of the food here, so I won’t be of much help…” 

[allen-is-right]

Herb soup was always a good choice. It was one of his more favorite dishes. His cool blue eyes continued their trek across the menu before darting up to Candace. She seemed so... stiff. Did she not want to be here? If she didn't she should've said so.

"I don't really like fish. The herb soup sounds good though." And it was bound to warm them up.

As he thought this, he realized he had yet to take off his coat. He set the menu to the side and peeled off his dark coat, revealing his usual stylish clothes underneath. He carefully folded the coat and set it aside.

As if sensing they might be ready, a waitress came over and asked if they had their orders reader. Allen looked to her. "Have you decided," he asked. He didn't want to order if she wasn't ready.

[farmersara]

Farmer Style, Take Two | Sara and Allen

[farmersara]

"What? About you?" She smirked. "Glad to enlighten you about your origins then, asshole."

For some reason, she froze when he glared at her. His eyes were like ice- sharp blue daggers that completely cut her train of thought.

Shit, what was she going to accuse him of, anyway?

"Uh… um…" She hesitated. "You… look really hideous today, carrot top."

[allen-is-right]

He rolled his eyes at her feeble attempts at insults. "I suppose you think you're clever?" He wrested his arm free from her grip and turned to face her, crossing his arms over his chest and looking down at her.

"Do you honestly have nothing better to do? I thought you were a farmer. For the sake of your animals, I hope you put more thought into your care for them than you do your insults," he sneered. 

[bowtiedbaker2]

Hello!♪ My name is Carl, I’m the owner of the Callaway Cafe in Flowerbud. Here are my entries for the hot chocolate— served in the cutest festive mugs of my collection!♪

[Holds up a tray of two mugs with candy-cane handles, beaming proudly.]

The recipe I chose is a personal favorite, and a little more like a beach christmas, hmhm.♪ It’s a coconut tres leches hot chocolate, topped with chocolate whipped cream, gingerbread-cut marshmallows - and some regular, and of course, some chocolate pieces, as well. Hmhm, why stop at just marshmallows?

Goodness, well, the recipe itself is fairly simple—

2 cups Milk (I prefer whole milk, but any type will do!) 1 (14 ounce) Can of unsweetened coconut milk 2/3 cup Sweetened condensed milk (half of a 14 ounce can) 2 tablespoons Unsweetened cocoa powder 1/2 teaspoon Vanilla Marshmallows, whipped cream, and chocolate toppings optional!

First, you combine the milk, coconut milk, and condensed milk into a medium saucepan and whisk well, bringing the mix to a simmer on a medium-low heat. Always make sure to stir occasionally so that it won’t scorch on the bottom! Once it’s simmering, you whisk in the cocoa powder until it’s all smooth.♪

Then you remove it from the heat and stir in the vanilla. That’s when the flavour really pops! Pour it into your favorite cute mugs and top it with whatever yummy goodies you like, and voila!♪

Hmhm, this usually makes about 4 servings, though if you’re like me and you like to drink in the big mugs it’ll only make 2 servings, hmhm♪ Here you are - please enjoy!♥

[allen-is-right]

This was probably the most festive hot chocolate he had seen during the whole contest. And the way he described it, it sounded like it would taste amazing as well.

To test his hypothesis, Allen picked up the cup and took a small sip. The blend of tastes were perfect to each other and Allen could honestly say he'd want to order this again.

He lowered the mug and, after dabbing away the hot chocolate mustache he had grown, he wrote down Carl's score.

Festive Theme: 9

Taste: 9

Preparation: 10

It was rare tor Allen to give a perfect score on anything (there was always room for improvement, after all) but Allen felt everything had really come together in this hot chocolate. He had only marked off for taste and theme because, well, he found coconut in hot chocolate a little weird.

"This is quite tasteful," he said, handing Carl his score card before taking another sip of the hot chocolate. "I look forward to eating in Flowerbud sometime."

[sonata-seamstress-deactivated20]

[Stiffly walks up to the judges, holding the two cups on a tray. She set the tray on the table with shaky hands and awkwardly stepped back, lightly clearing her throat. Several times.]

H-He-He-H-llo-[Stops, clears throat again, and takes a deep breath.] Ah, um, e-excuse me… sorry…

[Starts over, mumbling,] Hello, my name is Candace, and I made… well, I… just made hot chocolate with cinnamon. The ingredients I used were…

- Two cups of milk,

- Two three-inch cinnamon sticks,

- Four ounces of chopped milk chocolate,

- Whipped cream, and

- A pinch of ground cinnamon.

Um, first, I melted the chocolate with a bit of the milk in a small pan at a medium-low heat, stirring it until it was all melted.

I… chopped up the chocolate so that it was easier to melt, though that doesn’t really make much of a difference…

A-Anyway, I added a bit of cinnamon to it once it was finished melting. I didn’t put much cinnamon into it… just in case. Then, I, um, increased the heat and added the rest of the milk, whisking it until it was hot enough… After that, I put it into the cups, put whipped cream at the top, sprinkled a bit more cinnamon, and put a cinnamon stick in the cup…

[Fidgets, shuffling her feet. Her red face was radiating enough heat to melt snow.] Um… I hope that you like it, though it’s not much… Thank you for listening.

[allen-is-right]

Maybe Allen had high expectations, but you would think if you were entering a hot chocolate contest that you'd try to do more than just hot chocolate with cinnamon. Regardless, he silently picked up the cup and took a sip of the drink.

The bitter, sweet taste of the cinnamon was prevalent through the warm, hot chocolate and Allen found himself kind of liking the contrasting tastes.

He carefully set down the mug and wrote down her score.

Festive Theme: 6

Taste: 8

Preparation: 6

"It was pretty simple, and the cinnamon was a nice twist. It's not anything particularly outstanding but it's good." He handed her the score card. "Try to be a bit more daring next time. You don't win big if you don't put yourself out there."

[drop-dead-georgeous]

[Bounces up to the judges table, almost tripping on an invisible rock but luckily catching herself and preventing her entry from spilling]

Hi!! I’m Katie and today I present to you White Hot Chocolate! My grandma taught me how to make this when I was young…-er. It’s especially good to have if you want to like- change things up a bit, you know? I even decided to change ti a bit myself and add candy cane to it.

My Ingredients are 

4 cups of milk of your choice or heavy cream or half and half, or do a mixture

1 tsp. vanilla extract

8 oz. white chocolate, chopped into small pieces or white chocolate chips

whipped cream or marshmallows for topping

1 candy cane, whole

1 candy cane, crushed

First, I stirred together the milk, vanilla and chopped white chocolate in a medium saucepan. Next, I cooked it over a medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until the white hot chocolate came to a simmer, but don’t boil it!! Once it’s done, remove it from heat, pop in the whole candy cane and serve it with whipped cream and the candy cane shavings as garnish!

[Smiles, putting her hands behind her back] Well, I hope you guys like it.

[allen-is-right]

"This doesn't have gum in it, does it," he automatically asked, picking up the cup and inspecting it for anything sticky. He didn't see any gum in her hair so it was probably in the food. But he found no traces of it and carefully sipped the drink.

Allen had always found white chocolate sweeter than regular chocolate. So sweet it was sometimes biting and he grimaced a little at the taste. It seemed white chocolate was just too sweet for him. The whipped cream added to the sweetness but the peppermint gave it an interesting taste.

He quickly wrote down her score.

Festive Theme: 7

Taste: 4

Preparation: 8

He handed her the card. "White chocolate is a bit too sweet for me, so I didn't particularly like the taste. The theme is a bit simple but it's not gaudy or anything so I gave you points for that. And despite the taste I can tell you put work into it. The peppermint shavings were a nice touch."

[mollygoodgolly3]

*Steps up, holding two cups and placing them on the table before the judges*. 

Hello! I’m Molly Cappelli and this is my entry. *Scratches the side of her cheek as she rocks on her heels.* Um- it’s called Cioccolata Calda, which is the same name as Hot Chocolate, but it’s a bit different. It’s more of like- that stuff, er- *taps on her chin for a moment in thought* Pudding! It’s like pudding because it has a thick consistency, but it’s still hot chocolate! 

For the Ingredients I used…

1 ½ cups of whole milk 1 Tablespoon of fat free half & half (or cream) 4 ounces of good quality chocolate  2 teaspoons of sugar 2 Tablespoons of corn starch

In a saucepan over medium heat, warm the milk and cream to hot but not so hot that it would boil. Next I added in the chocolate and sugar and whisked it until the chocolate melted. Then, I removed the pan from the heat momentarily to take about 1/2 cup of the liquid and whisk together with the cornstarch until it was smooth. After, I put the pan back on the heat and added the cornstarch stuff back into the rest of the chocolate, whisking constantly. I cooked it for a couple minutes longer, whisking constantly, until the mixture had the consistency I wanted.  Once it was done, I put it into mugs and added a bit of whipped cream and then brought it here.

So…um, enjoy…

[allen-is-right]

Well this was certainly creative. Allen had never seen hot chocolate prepared like this.

He carefully took a sip of it, the thick, pudding-like liquid sliding down his throat. The chocolate was rich, obviously high-quality, and the whipped cream was a nice counter-balance. There was no starchy taste to the pudding, either, suggesting that she had worked hard to get the consistency right. He lowered the mug thoughtfully, using a napkin to dab at the chocolate left on his mouth.

Without a word, he leaned down to write down his response.

Festive Theme: 3/10

Taste: 9/10

Preparation: 9/10

He handed her the score card and then said, "Besides being hot chocolate, I don't see any festive theme to it. I gave it points for creativity but that was it. The taste was good and there was obviously a lot of hard work put into making it. I don't say this lightly, but good job."

[allen-is-right]

Just Like A Cat || Candace & Allen

[sonata-seamstress-deactivated20]

She looked up at Allen as he spoke, and then looked around the restaurant, hands clasped together and thinking. There were plenty of both tables and booths open to sit at. Personally, Candace preferred booths, since they were more private, but she didn’t really mind tables either.

She almost felt uncomfortable having someone ask for her opinion, worried that her answer will be shunned. In spite of that, she replied, “Um, I like booths… but if you’d rather sit at a table, it’s okay…”

[allen-is-right]

Allen didn't care either way; a table was a table. He silently led her over to a booth, letting her sit down before he sat across from her. A waitress soon came over and handed them their menus.

He hadn't known Candace for long, but she seemed like the type who would change her actions if she thought they might burden someone else. He decided he'd keep quiet about paying for the meal until they were finished. He could imagine her ordering something small simply because he was going to pay for it.

"What's good here," he asked idly, flipping through the menu. A slight frown creased his lips. Most of this did not look healthy.

[allen-is-right]

Silly Girl || Katie & Allen

[drop-dead-georgeous]

She watched him carefully through the mirror as he pulled the gum out of her hair, a wave of relief coming over her. She wrinkled her nose at his light reprimanding, letting out a sigh. 

"i know, I know. It’s hard to remember to take it out though, sometimes I just fall asleep without wanting to!" She let out a small huff, knowing that he was right and she couldn’t argue with him.

"I’d just quit gum chewing, but I just like bubblegum so much! Plus, it helps curb my cake cravings, you know?" She shrugged her shoulders in defeat. 

[allen-is-right]

Falling asleep without meaning to? Who in the world did that? Perhaps she wasn't as hard working as he thought. He sighed slightly but shrugged his thoughts away. Hopefully she didn't fall asleep while cooking.

"Right. Well, let's get you washed up," he continued, gesturing for her to follow him to the wash basin and to lean back in the chair that was in front of it.

[allen-is-right]

Just Like A Cat || Candace & Allen

[sonata-seamstress-deactivated20]

It had been a while since Candace had visited the Brass Bar, though it was just down the street from Sonata Tailoring. She should visit more often, the food really is good. “…Thank you,” she directed a small nod towards Allen as she walked through the opened door and into the building. 

After walking in, she stopped and turned to him, unsure and silently waiting for him to pick a table to sit at. 

[allen-is-right]

He entered after her, standing a few paces behind her. He might come off as anti-social and rude to most, but Allen had been raised to respect girls. Well, at least to the point to the point of acting like a gentleman. He still didn't hold back his professional opinion on styling, but that was an entirely different matter in his mind. It didn't stop him from holding doors open, pulling out chairs or letting the girl chose where to sit.

Speaking of which...

"Do you prefer a booth or a table," he asked, his eyes meeting hers.

[allen-is-right]

Welcome to Allen's Salon | Will & Allen

[williamterry-blog]

Will stood up and looked at himself in the mirror, his eyebrows raised, and a smile grew on his face as he looked at his reflection. He looked back at Allen quickly, and flashed another grin. “Wow, I—” Will chuckled. “I don’t know how I saw through it either, to be honest. It looks great, I’m impressed!” The pleasant smile still on his face, Will turned away from his reflection and towards Allen. “Thank you very much.”

[allen-is-right]

Allen's usual self-confident smirk settled into place. Of course it was good. Still, it was nice to have your hard work recognized. Allen hadn't been studying hair and creating hair styles for most of his life just for fun, after all. 

"It was my pleasure. I could hardly let you walk around looking like that, after all." Allen walked over to his register, figuring Will would follow.

"Would you like anything else? I have some conditioners and shampoos that would be good for your hair, if you want to buy them." He looked at the blonde man as he waited for him to answer.

[allen-is-right]

The Stylist and the Tailor | Luna & Allen

[sonatatailor-deactivated2014021]

Luna’s azure eyes widened with shock when she realized her impulsive remark may have cost her the sale. She bit her lower lip, releasing a quick sigh, taking another step back from the man. “Well, almost everyone who comes in here has the decency to make conversation… One of the perks of being in a small town and not the city.” She gave a slight shrug as he explained, and a pout began to form on her face. “I wasn’t forcing you. Just giving my honest opinion and all. That’s what I’m here for. ♥” Luna added sly smirk at the man, giving him a quick wave. “Aw really, without buying a thing?”

[allen-is-right]

So now he wasn't decent because he preferred not to talk. He was sure she just racked in the sales.

"I assure you, if I could go to the city if I could. I don't need anyone's opinion but mine, especially when it comes to fashion. And no, I won't be spending any money here." 

As he turned to leave, his shopping mood felt ruined now. Especially since he hadn't gotten a good chance to walk around and browse. Was it so much to ask to shop without being accosted by small talk?