[ ᴛʜᴇ ᴘɪᴇᴍᴀᴋᴇʀ ]

ɪɴᴅᴇᴘᴇɴᴅᴇɴᴛ. sᴇᴍɪ-ᴀᴄᴛɪᴠᴇ. "ɪ ᴍᴀᴋᴇ ᴘɪᴇs ᴀɴᴅ ᴡᴀᴋᴇ ᴛʜᴇ ᴅ̼̼̥̯͍͎͉̰̖̗ᴇ̢̢̱̗̬̹̥͎̮͜ᴀ̡̪̼̼̬̦̻̳ͅͅᴅ̪̜̹͓̯̱͔̳̬̹."

[ofthepiehole]

For better feels ;D

[foodsforus]

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup Cookies

[alma-carioca-deactivated2015112]

[katherinebishop-archive-deactiv]

“I’ve … lost my train of thought.”

[the-yennefer]

for mithrilbilbo

[costumesandphoenixes]

“He does pie too but that’s beside the point. Home is what you make of it, it may be pie to you, but for me home is actually the sound of a sewing machine. And I’ll have you know I’ve had my fair share of cake over the past ten years and I’ve usually enjoyed it in the company of family and friends, and I’ve yet to get fat from it.”

So much for not retorting. She let out a mixture of a huff and a sigh, rubbing her temple. Her sisterly defenses were always on high this time of year, came with the memories of an April twelve years ago. At the sight of a small packed pie being set down she looked back at the taller man.

“No, thank you. Thought about a slice of lemon meringue but I think I’d better just go. How much do I owe you?”

[ofthepiehole]

           “Cake’s a silent killer. You’ll see.”

The stubbornness of the Piemaker pushed him to further push the issue, and he huffed as well. It wasn’t the thought of a competitor that irritated him a little, but the idea that someone who liked cake  was in his shop. It was like rubbing his nose against sandpaper.

                  “Two dollars and ninety-nine cents. She’ll take care                     of it.”

He’d spotted Olive come towards them with her usual megawatt smile and retreated to the safety and privacy of his kitchen, taking a large ball of dough from the freezer and rolling it into a circle on the marble, flour-covered countertop.

[cuppiesandbeehives-blog]

“Ice tea is good yeah, especially the fruit flavored kinds, but sometimes you just need a good ginger ale.”

“No, nothing. Gave me that suspicious look she has, but didn’t ask a thing.”

[ofthepiehole]

             “Is it even on the list? I mean I think we need to get some stuff               for next week, and Digby needs dog food.”

                     “We need to tell her. Soon. Sometime. Whenever.”

[stellaxlucere-archive]

While Hoku did managed to rest for a while, she was up ridiculously early as always. It was a wonder when she actually managed to sleep. She went for her morning jog, sneakers pounding the walkway that snaked through the nearby park. She listened to music as she ran, but the lyrics were lost to her. She was too busy thinking about the blunder she had made the evening before. 

Kissing your boss was never a good idea. Especially when attracted to him. She tried to out run how she was feeling but that only resulted in her ending up exhausted and limping back home. Which was when she found Emerson Cod pounding on Ned’s door. 

“Is there a reason you’re trying to wake up the whole building?” She asked half teasing as she shut off her music and pulled the buds from her ears. 

[ofthepiehole]

Flinging the front door open, he squinted at the early morning light that streamed in. He was still in his night clothes (a loose shirt and dark striped pyjama bottoms), and he mumbled a ‘good morning, I’m not doing it’ before trying to shut the door in Emerson’s face. That failed, of course, as the private investigator pushed his way in. As his eyes slowly adjusted to the light, he realized that the new waitress was standing there, all red-faced and sweaty like she’d just ran a marathon. 

                “ --- hi. Good morning. You have...”

He pointed at his face and made circular motions, telling her there were beads of sweat trickling down the sides of her head. 

                     “Just thought you should know.”

[stellaxlucere-archive]

Date. Yeah, right. It had started out nice enough, but had ended in disaster. Hoku almost wished one of her powers was to turn back time so they could start the date over and go someplace far away from the arcade. Like the moon. Yeah, the moon. That’d be a cool date. 

They reached the apartments upstairs. Ned really didn’t need to walk her to her door, considering his was only a few feet away, but she appreciated the gesture regardless. She turned to him after opening her door. “With the exception of the ending, I really did have fun with you. I think we should do it again sometime.” 

Before she could really comprehend what she was doing, she leaned up on her toes best she could and, unlike Olive who always seemed to try and suck Ned’s face off, Hoku’s lips brushed feather light over his. 

“…Goodnight.”

[ofthepiehole]

He shrugged, smiling sheepishly. It was fun, as first-ever dates went, though he really didn’t have anything to judge it by. While Digby pawed at the front door to his apartment, he turned to tell the dog to be quiet. When he looked back at Hokulani, however, he felt her lips brush against his, and he froze. He stayed frozen long after the kiss was over, and he felt his cheeks grow warm, until he was sure that he resembled a tomato. 

             “ ---- I, uh...good night.”

How he managed to stumble back into his apartment was a mystery, and while he had enough sense to let Digby go inside before him, he found himself slumping on the couch, staring at the empty television. The dog must have known he was in a daze, for it shut the door and locked it with brief jabs of his nose. 

The Piemaker didn’t move for a good while. His thoughts were a jumble, and when he did speak, it came off as gibberish. He continued replaying the scene in his head until he forced himself to snap out of it half-way through his shower, before settling down for the night. 

His sleep was rudely interrupted as Emerson Cod banged on his door, saying that they needed to get to work.

[noclevernamelbr]

pinterest

[daddyjensens-deactivated2016052]

cutie-pie

[stellaxlucere-archive]

“I’m glad you did. He’s a good boy.” Given what was going on right outside the arcade, the employees made an exception for those who wanted to leave and let them out the Employee’s Only door, which opened into an alleyway. They were able to slip onto the sidewalk further down from the action. 

They walked in silence, and without really thinking about it, she reached out to take Ned’s hand once more.

[ofthepiehole]

The sirens blared behind them, and a small crowd had already gathered. The widow’s shrill screams had stopped, but her sobs could still be heard over the din. The Piemaker grimaced, one that relaxed once he felt her take his hand. Digby scurried on ahead, stopping when he reached the sidewalk. 

With the Pie Hole closed, he headed to the door that led to the apartments and took his key out. “So, uh, thanks for the...date. I should walk you to your door.”

[stellaxlucere-archive]

Hoku managed to win, but only because Ned looked away at the last moment due to the yell. The game was forgotten, however, as she copied his movement and turned to look. A woman was frantic on her knees, shaking the man laying on the sidewalk. It took Hoku but a moment to know what happened. 

“…. That’s her husband.” She murmured low enough for just Ned to hear. “I can’t feel his mana… that is, his life force, his energy… anymore. He’s dead.”

The chill started; regular, normal people couldn’t sense it, but Hokulani was not ‘normal’. She stood and came around the machine, laying a calming hand on Digby’s head. “…You’ve brought Digby back to life, didn’t you?” She asked Ned quietly, but wasn’t looking at him. The dog’s growl grew more feral and she crouched down, murmuring to him. After a moment, Digby whimpered and licked her cheek. “He can see Death even better than I can.”

[ofthepiehole]

Rather than look pleased, he groaned. By the way the woman was dressed, she looked wealthy. And wealthy widows whose husbands just died on the sidewalk would have only one thing on their minds: to find who killed their husband. It wouldn’t be long before Emerson Cod tracked him down and insisted that they solve this murder. 

“Yes, but I didn’t know I was going to.” He didn’t even know that Digby’s life would have to be exchanged for another; it was something he didn’t know until Charles Charles’ life was taken when he kept his mother alive for more than a minute. “Do you mind if we just go home? I’m not feeling very well.” 

All he wanted was to bury himself under a huge pile of blankets and pretend nothing happened. 

[stellaxlucere-archive]

So he was the type to concentrate on what he was doing. Good, she liked that. “If I win… you let me bake a pie to sell. If you win… I dunno, pick something.” 

That pie was as good as made.

[ofthepiehole]

Opening his mouth a little, he considered the repercussions of letting her bake a pie and sell it in the Pie Hole. That is, if she won. 

“ ---- okay.” He didn’t know what he wanted if he did win; he doubted she’d be able to erase his childhood trauma or make Chuck whole again. Both of which he really needed to forget. He gripped the steering wheel tighter, focusing on the screen. 

At first he thought he was going to cross the finish line first, when a bloodcurdling scream came from the street. Digby raised its head, growling low, and the Piemaker turned in his seat just in time to see a body lying on the sidewalk. 

[ixto]

     The place was a complete mess. That was clear enough— though he wasn’t sure entirely what happened. He glanced around the area before his gaze fell back on the Pie Maker in front of him.

     “Oh come now, Ned. This is fixable. Do not fret. We’ll work this out. You are an expert at pie baking— I am sure you can replace the pies with a little time to spare, can you not? I can fix up the decorations, the wrapping, and the mess. Have you any more of the boxes used for shipping? I’m sure a majority of the unwrapped presents will fit in those. Others I can rewrap with tinfoil. Let’s not give up just yet.”

[ofthepiehole]

“Not enough, but only just.” If he worked quickly, that is. No distractions, no interruptions, and no ifs, ands, or buts. Already he’d began walking backwards from the front door as if Olive was bearing down on him with one of her intense stares, stopping only when he hit one of the stools in front of the counter. At the very mention of Ixto fixing the decorations, he paused. 

“You’d do that? Why? It’s not that I’m not grateful, I just don’t understand why you’d volunteer. We barely know each other.”

[cuppiesandbeehives-blog]

“Well we have an ice maker and I don’t plan on any more cruises right now, but thanks, Ned. You’re right about that, or at least it being cold first.”

“I’d bet Olive would be right there with me too, even if she doesn’t know about your powers.” 

Chuck had noticed that there seemed to be a bit more to Olive’s friendliness towards Ned, but he wasn’t receptive to it. That was a good thing for now, though she couldn’t deny the little bit of apprehension that the piemaker could eventually grow tired of not being able to touch her and would leave.

[ofthepiehole]

        “Yeah, no cruises. Cruise ships are big and intimidating, and           the risk of getting to one’s actual destination without having           some form of trauma or injury is slim. But iced tea is a good           substitute. I think. I don’t know about you.” 

The very mention of Olive Snook made him hesitate. He could see that she liked him, but he’d only viewed her as a work friend. A friend. Someone who helped him take care of Digby and give his dog the much needed love he was unable to. 

                         “I’m sure she would. She can be very enthusiastic                            about things like that. She didn’t ask where we                            went with Emerson last night, did she?”

[stellaxlucere-archive]

“Nah. Just what I need to survive.” 

Unlike Ned, she had full control over her need to press the gas. She almost felt bad she didn’t tell him she used to steal cars to go on joyrides. Almost being the keyword. Hoku had a dreadful competitive streak when it came to certain things, including games for fun.

“…So. Wanna make a bet?”

[ofthepiehole]

“What bet?” The music was pounding in his ears, making it difficult for him to think about anything else other than the virtual road ahead of him and the pixelated car that served as his competition. Most of the time, he focused more on the first person shooter, but even then it was rare. He was too busy solving crimes and bringing people back to life.