Where: Nothing Bundt Cake
When: April 21, 2012
What: A commingling of many, who might not otherwise commingle.
It's rarely a day that goes by when Nothing Bundt Cake isn't hopping. The little corner of North Dakota in the city of Vegas combined with the homemade - good homemade - quality of pastries and all other manner of foodstuffs that one on a diet or even looking askance at staying healthy should avoid, make for a fairly well trafficked location.
Today though, the pace is a little slower, giving the employee's behind the counter and the glass case, time to stock the shelves and baskets with fresh baked goods and prepare for the post work rush that will be inevitable. Be you a student, white collared business man or even the odd tourist, sometimes just the smell alone wafting from the open door will tempt you in. If you're not already in here and occupying one of the few tables with a cup of Joe that is.
"What the shit?!" is probably not the first thing some patrons want to hear when they first walk in to a nice, homey little bakery…but nonetheless, some are greeted in exactly that manner. The culprit? Try a very frazzled-looking (and heavily caffeinated) redhead at the farthest corner table there in the store. The little vase on the table is pushed aside to allow for a few alarmingly-thick old textbooks to sprawl lazily on the surface; their leather covers are good at sucking up coffee rings, and she's not the first person to whet their taste for the brew. "This is so messed up! What does this question even mean?!" Peyton brushes some hair out of her face and continues a very one-sided debate with what appears to be homework.
It's a few short hours from Mesa to Vegas well, around five, but depends on who you are, how you drive, and the roads you take to get there. Jamie is always the lead foot, so they are short hours. He finally reaches Vegas in one of his souped up cars. Some really dark blue sporty thing. It's motor rumbles as he drives down the road. His buddy Sean off to find a place for him to stay. And other business. The car pulls up out front, locks it up and climbs out. Locking it up, before he heads on into the shop, for a bite and what have you. A *beep* sound is made, as the security system is turned on. He then heads on in, tucking the sunglasses on top of his head. He spots the redhead, smirks. But heads for the counter, first thing.
"Right. Right. No, I'm there now." These are the words that accompany Zan Caldecott as he enters the shop a beat behind Jamie. A cell phone is held to his ear, a look of disgruntled teen set upon his face while he listens to the voice on the other end. Whatever the conversation, it's probably been going on for some time. He steps away from the door, but not to approach the counter, turning slightly away in effort to show he's not yet ready to look over the wares.
"No, Mom. Mom. I got it." A long suffering sigh follows, and the boy's apparent angst is interrupted by a yell from across the room. He scans the seated patrons, ignoring the phone until a tinny, crackled 'Alexander!' brings him back. "What! Yes. Okay." Zan's head shakes has he jams the phone into a hip pocket and moves to take a place in line.
"Geeze, pipe down there ginger. Getting panties in a twist over-" A tall solid blonde walks by, pausing beside Peyton's table to glance down at the work and books in question, shoves sunglasses off her nose and up into her hair like a headband. "Okay, possibly a good reason to get your panties in a twist" And with that she's moving on, a tall reedy guy in her wake with a silly smile on his face. US marshal stars hanging on their belts. "Get yourself a cupcake, cupcake. The sugar will make the homework easier" Tilly two finger salutes from her hairline before sliding into wait behind Zan and Jamie. "Nice car there too" This to Jamie from over Zan's shoulder. "Custom?" Yes, she's as loud as Peyton, and from the looks of the people behind the counter she's a very familiar face. If from some rolled eyes.
"Who're you calling a cupcake…you…well…you…four-tier wedding cake!" Tilly turns her back, and Peyton immediately makes a super-juvenile face at her, bending her mouth into a goofy sneer and sticking her tongue out. As if to make a statement, Peyton snatches up the paper coffee cup there on the table and goes to chug the rest of it down…finding that it's just the cold dregs. Her shoulders slump, and she gives it a flat stare. "Fuck," she mutters to herself. Then she gets up and slumps into line behind Tilly.
Jamie heads up to the counter and places an order for some coffee, and something sweet. He's not really into sweets, but it's something. Hearing Tilly, he looks over his shoulder, noting first the boy, Zan, then beyond to Tilly, "Thanks. Yeah, my bros did the work for me. She's prettier at night. Got the neon and all on her." He looks the blonde over some, "Not my only car either, I got a few others. Some better, some in need of work." As he speaks to her, he digs the money out of his pocket to pay for his items, and some extra. He gathers his order and steps out of line. Looking to Tilly once more, "They get me where I need to go." he tells her. As he passes on his way to the seating area.
Zan looks over his shoulder, not when Tilly moves into the line behind him, but when she speaks over his shoulder to Jamie. His brows lift, mildly incredulous and as though to ask "Really?" When it's Jamie's turn to respond, the boy's eyes slant in his direction, followed by his face, expression unchanged. A grin cracks at the pseudo-conversation, ending with a shake of his head and a silent chuckle. When the man in front of him moves out of line after placing his order, he moves forward to set his own. A dozen cupcakes and a coffee that's probably more sugar than brew. Cash is exchanged and the teen moves aside with his cup to await a box of little cakes.
"Street legal?" Blonde brows raised in Jamie's direction. The flinging of a four layer name at her just gets a one sided smile from the inspector who juts a thumb behind her. "Four layer. Hell yeah. Four layers of coffee craving, cake eating female. Thanks for helping me decide what I wanted"
With Zan placing his order and moving out of the way, Tilly is next, slapping a hand down on the counter. "Dozen of the cupcakes, Tell Cody I'm pissed she's not here. And box me up a red velvet. Mama's having dessert to herself tonight. Plus a large, black and her refill, or whatever else strawberry shortcake wants" The please tacked on after as she turns to lean against the counter, folding her arms and looking at Zan.
"You're familiar kid" Forefinger wagging at him while holding up the counter with her ass. 'Seriously familiar"
In line behind Tilly, Peyton can just drop her jaw and look incredulous! "Really? Strawberry Shortcake? I didn't even watch that show. Seriously…" she trails up, committing herself to step up and make paying for her order a little costly. "If my good friend here," Peyton starts with snark rolling off her tongue, "really wants to pay, I guess I'll have a refill on this, a slice of the apple pie special for her, and a dozen red velvets to take home. It seems to be all the rage." She jerks a thumb in the direction of Tilly and Zan who've both ordered whole, boxed dozens to go.
Jamie smirks, "Of course." he looks to the boy and grins, "And fast, in the places designed for fast. But I'd rather my other cars be used for that." He looks to Peyton a well, but for now, "Actually, what little sweets I do eat, Strawberry Shortcake is one of my favorites." he admits. He takes a seat at a table near the window to keep an eye on his car. Back to Tilly, "I just like fancy cars. No better way, then have them done custom."
"Really," Zan asks, looking at Tilly over his cup. That grin returns and he shrugs like he has no idea what she could be talking about. "Hey, don't knock Strawberry Shortcake," this goes to Peyton, humored as only an adolescent adult could be. "Like the man said, that stuff's good." His head nods toward Jamie, gaze following to look out the window to the car. "Nice."
Tilly snaps her finger in Zan's direction repeatedly, attempting to force his attention back to her. "Hey, Hey kid, no getting distracted by pretty colors and wheels. What's your name?" Not that he's obliged to tell her, even as her partner is meandering off and shaking his head. "And hey, Strawberry shortcake gets one slice of pie and only one cake on me" This to the server behind the counter who's waiting for confirmation. "Can't be responsible for letting it all go to your thighs. Be disgraceful to add more to that Sir-Mix-A-Lot redux happening in the back"
But back to Zan, waiting, waiting… waiting. With a fresh cup of coffee. No need for money, she's got a tab this time around.
"And the coffee. I'll trade that one cupcake for the coffee. That's the stuff. And really…lady…does this look like Sir Mix-A-Lot to you?" To prove a point, she spins around and lifts her hair. There really isn't any kind of big butt - she isn't going to lie about that one, at least - but there ARE two little hash marks pretty dark visible, right up on the back of her neck. They stand out pretty obnoxiously well on her light skin…and everyone can probably get a look at the butt at least.
It's a it bright there by the window, so Jamie slips the sunglasses back into place. In time to glance over and see that pert young butt. Though he's not sure how young, so he looks away quickly. Sipping at his coffee, munching whatever pastry it is he ordered. He's mostly fallen quiet by now. Well until his cell rings. Pulling it from his pocket and answering, apparently knowing who it is by the ring, "Hey S.. What's up bro?" he says into it. Knowing who's on the other end of it. Letting the others talk a bit. Since, their attention is no longer on him, for now.
And waiting. The kid takes his time to admire the car, or maybe he's just wanting to see how long it takes before someone actually figures out who he is. The benefits of being the mayor's son. "Man," he breathes admiration, finally looking at Tilly and Peyton since they're still lingering near the counter. "Zan," he fills in with a backward tip of his head. 'Sup? "Zan Caldecott."
Boxes slide up, pink and tied with twine, ready to be taken by Tilly off to wherever it is. She points to one of the brownies, gimme gimme motions made with her hands while her partner eases up to take one of the boxes. "Right, right, right, right. Mayor's kid. Cute. Look like your father. Anyways. Shortcake, keep it cool, don't blow your brains out from the homework, enjoy the cake with your sorority sisters or what have you and wheels" Forefinger and middlefinger point from her own eyes to him. "Comprende?" He better.
And with that, as quietly as she came in and with a brownie stuffed into her mouth, coffee in hand and pink box balanced in her other, Tilly's taking off.
"Heh…what sorority sisters. That's way undergrad. I wasn't even in a sorority the first time around." Peyton lets her hair drop and moves off to wait for her order to come up. If they offer a fresh coffee, she gratefully accepts it; if they took Tilly's order for her, she taps her empty cup on the top of the display to encourage them giving her a refill.
Jamie talks to his friend a bit on the cell, watches Tilly leave. "Not sure, but better keep your ear to the wind with her in case she's heat." he answers something on the other end. "Alright, let me know what you find. Thanks." and he's hanging up the phone, "You like the ride kid? Could take you for a spin sometime if you wanted." He has no clue who the kid is, other then, a kid. So he doesn't push the offer, or anything. Not wanting caught up in too much drama.
You have been removed from your room's pose order.
"Gee, thanks," Zan replies, a touch on the childishly sarcastic side. "I'll let him know you think so. Loves hearing from constituents, don't forget to vote!" Cheesy plug, the kid is entirely quasi-serious and follows with a V formed with his free hand. He turns when Tilly leaves, brows popping up at Tilly before he reaches past her to snag his own box. "Dinner guests," he explains with a shrug. Parcel all but ignored but in his possession, he takes a couple of steps toward Jamie's table, attention going out the window again. "Yeah, pretty sweet. How many hours to build something like that?"
The first thing Peyton snatches when it's offered across the counter is the cup of coffee; she seems to have no problem immediately gulping down a big swig of the steaming black liquid. Then, when a whole cake in a string-tied box is offered, she just raises her brows. "Damn. I thought I was just going to get a cupcake! There's no way I'm ever going to finish this thing up myself!" She oofs a little trying to wrangle the box at first, but makes a beeline for her former table.
Jamie grins at the boy, "With the right price and tools and all, it can take the pros a few hours. Just for the engine work. Add the body might take longer. All depends on who and how many you have working on it. My friend Sean's team can throw out a car like that in a few hours." He looks to Peyton, "Why not take a break from your school work and bring it over here. We'll share it. Here.." He digs for a couple bucks to pay the difference. Should she take up the offer.
A glance tags Jamie when he goes into minor details, mouth pulling off to one side in thought. Zan's brows arch when the man addresses Peyton, and he looks her way nodding. At what could be a mystery. "Cool. That'd be something to see," he says. Of the car rebuild, not the eating of cake. Steps are taken to make room for the woman, if she chooses to join the table, his own half-forgotten box hefted slightly. "Gotta get this home," the kid explains. "Before she calls. Again."
"I'm thinking the same thing as the mayor's kid here. Vegas heat plus cake icing doesn't make a great combination…especially when you have to hoof it to the bus stop. Besides, I'm freakin' burned the eff out on this homework, and I still have to get my ass in gear for class. Thankfully, this homework isn't due today, or else I'd be screwed something awful." It should be noted that she hardly seems bothered by the heat herself, stuffing books and papers into her shoulder bag while taking to them all from a table over.
Jamie is used to the heat, "True enough, well I'll catch you kids somewhere along the line." He eyes the boy, "Mayor's kid eh? Pretty cool. Names's Jamie by the way. Pleasure to meet you both. Hey um, Zan right? I'm new to town but will e living here. If you ever want a spin in her give a yell. Plenty of desert out there. I can open her up sometime." Not so worried about things, now that Tilly is gone.
"Likewise," Zan returns to Jamie. "A ride in that? Hell yeah, I'll look you up. Maybe I can get some footage of her in action, if you don't mind." He glances at Peyton and cracks a grin. "Maybe you should offer her a ride. Looks like she could use it." His head tips up in that reverse nod again. "Don't work too hard, cake girl." He turns back to Jamie and lifts his cup in a sort of farewell, still grinning, then turns for the door.
"Yeah…I'll try not too. Unfortunately, my professors don't seem to like that very much." Cake under one arm, shoulder bag slung over the other, and a lot of mussed up hair falling in her face, Peyton makes for the door. Off she goes, to drop a cake off at her apartment and clean up at least a little before some intro law class or something.
Jamie smirks, "I would, but she probably wouldn't, with a complete stranger." And then they are off, he chuckles and finishes off the last of his food and coffee. He rises and heads for the door as well, and out to his car. starting it, and he's off, spinning and squacking his tires a bit as he peels out of the parking spot, to get their attention.
