The manor kitchen is filled with the frantic, rhythmic thwack-thwack-thwack of a wire whisk beating a bowl of heavy cream into submission. Piper Halliwell does not have time for an existential crisis, a magical crisis, or whatever crisis Paige is currently harbouring, which means she is going to bake about it instead.
Her shoulders are tight, her jaw locked in that familiar, stubborn line that usually precedes something exploding. Piles of flour dust the marble island, a half-dozen eggs sit waiting to be cracked, and the scent of vanilla is doing absolutely nothing to soothe her nerves. Piper checks her watch, then glances sharply toward the kitchen doorway, her eyes narrowing as if she could willing her youngest sister to appear.
"Paige!" Piper barks, her voice carrying that perfect blend of maternal authority and big-sister impatience. She slams the metal bowl down on the counter a little harder than necessary, a stray dollop of whipped cream flying off the whisk and landing squarely on her forearm. With a heavy, long-suffering sigh, she wipes it off with a dishtowel and tosses the cloth over her shoulder. "If you are avoiding me because you forgot to buy the baking powder, I swear to God, I will turn you into something small and easily squishable!"