sloaneabara - Tumblr blog

[sloaneabara]

The early morning hours had been Sloane's favorite time of the day. After dropping her daughter off at her parents' house, she had the quiet time she often missed. Between the almost hectic energy that came from working in a kitchen, to always running late to something Evelyn failed to mention, she rarely had moments for herself. She savored the alone time menial tasks like running errands offered, even if it had been a bit earlier before she'd liked to get her morning started. As she approached her car after stopping for a cup of coffee, she noticed a man trying to open her car door. Not sure if the other had been confused, or if it'd been intentional, she stood a safe distance away. She cast a wary look once the other admitted he hadn't been a burglar, then nodded at his question.

"It does happen to be mine," she tucked her keychain with her keys in her hand, casting a thoughtful glance in his direction. She had forgotten where she parked several times, so she hadn't been that perturbed at the other quite yet. "But I can forgive your attempted break-in," she teased slightly. "Because it seems to be like an early morning- or late night for you, and I know how that can be."

Who: Cyrus and open (2/4)

Where: Downtown, some blocks away from the hospital

When: June 2024

There were certain aspects Cyrus loved about his job. One of those aspects was not the lengthy shifts. He had clocked it at precisely eight sharp that morning, and it was now…well, late. He didn’t know the exact time, because his phone had died, and he’d left his spare charger in his office. Late enough for it to be pitch black outside as he stumbled out, both fueled by exhaustion and a need to get to his car and home as soon as possible. In addition to this, the man had made the stupid mistake of not parking in the lot as he was supposed to. Parking near the building somehow didn’t make him any later coming in, though, but he knew to never do that again.

He trudged until he felt the hood of a car against his cheek, wanting to merely fall asleep right there. Instead, he took out his keys and pressed the button to open the door. He’d expected the headlights to flick on instantly, but that didn’t happen. Sighing, he resorted to pulling on the handle, wondering if the battery or some other important part he didn’t know the name of had died. When the car refused to unlock a second time, he grumbled once more, slamming his hand on the door. It was then he glanced over to read the license plate in the dim light that this was not his car.

As he looked in the direction of where he figured his car would be, he heard footsteps approaching, which woke him up immediately. “God, this looks bad,” he frowned, looking around. “I—well…you—I’m not a burglar, I promise. Is this your car?”

[sloaneabara]

Sloane had been walking around, checking out the different booths that were selling things, or just places around town coming out for the event. She was thinking of getting something from the food offerings when she passed the area with the games. She'd played enough of them to know sometimes they'd been a bit trickier than intended but decided to try them out anyway. As someone near the ring toss spoke up, she raised an eyebrow. "Hm, that sounds fun! But fair warning I have an awful aim," she laughed, walking over to the booth. "Which may work to your benefit."

Who: Bryan & open

When: Pride Festival

Bryan was eager to spend some time out of the house. He made his way around the park, and was ready to check out the music playing and maybe play some of the games. "So you wanna put your money down for the rainbow ringtoss? I think this is like... level five ringtoss," he chuckled. "Maybe we can make this interesting. Winner buys snacks?"

[sloaneabara]

Sloane had been wandering the festival for a bit after her daughter ran off to catch up with friends. She really didn't mind though, she'd always find something to keep her busy. As she almost passed by the face painting booth, she gave an amused smile at the man's comment. "You sure I won't get judged for having a rainbow tiger on my face or something?" she raised an eyebrow, then shrugged. Surely it'd take some time, which she had, so she didn't mind. Plus Evelyn would've got a kick out of it. "Why not?" she took a seat at the table with a nod. "Maybe anything small and cute you think would work?"

Who: Grey & open Where: Pride Festival

"Face painting's not just for kids," Grey said to the person passing by, offering a smile. He'd somehow ended up roped into this by his son claiming his dad was really good at art to the organizers. Truth be told, he'd rather be eyeing up some cute guys or eating tons of food, but this wasn't so bad for a few hours. "I can make it look like a really, really cool tattoo."

[sloaneabara]

She gave a small smile and a nod at her thanks. As she ate a few pieces of fruit from her plate, she nodded, listening to how her life had been lately. "Oh, I bet, with prom and the warm season coming up, you have a lot of clients. Glad you're enjoying it!" she laughed, though every time she'd gone to the salon, it was always busy. But with Sylvia's and the other hairdressers' personalities, and the services offered, she wasn't surprised. "Things have been good! Though just a little busy with the upcoming patio opening at the restaurant. And Evelyn has been picking out a ton of summer activities, so she's been keeping me on my toes."

"Thank you!" Sylvia smiled at the compliment on the spread she had put together. "Oooh, sparkling water!" An option Sylvia would always select over still. She looked over the the options Sloane set out, selecting one and immediately opening it up for herself, "thanks!" She took a few sips before responding to Sloane's question on how things were going. "Everything has been great! Definitely busy, prom and all of that.. it's the start of busy season! I love it! How about you? How have you been?"

[sloaneabara]

"It wasn't all bad, it was just-," she paused, trying to choose her words carefully. She knew even if it wasn't the best, at least the baker put in the effort, so she didn't want to offend them. "A little overdone." she laughed, a slight shrug. In reality, the last dessert she tried was burnt, but she figured that was a nicer way to phrase it. As she took the plate Tessa held out to her, she took it, a smile in thanks. As she had a small bite with a fork, she noted the smooth flavor of mango that meshed well with the mousse. "This is definitely one of my favorites of the day though." she complimented her, nodding as she went in for another bite. "So, I'm guessing you're big into baking then?"

Tessa could not hide her enthusiasm at the other woman wanting to try her cake. She was probably a little too excited since her jumping jolted her daughter. Quickly she started patting Millie’s back before she could cry while holding a plate out to Sloane. “You are the second person in the last 20 minutes who needs a palate cleanser to me. It’s starting to worry me a little. Although, I’m sure everyone tried their best,” she replied. All the palate cleanser comments had Tessa thinking she should walk around the other booths to check on everyone else’s baked goods. “Hope you like it. I promise you won’t need a palate cleanser after tasting it. It might even help with your sweet tooth. That is if you have one.”

[sloaneabara]

"Oh, could you imagine? Just thinking it's a chill potluck and people come out of nowhere and start judging your dish. Sounds like my worst nightmare," she shook her head at the hypothetical thought. She figured the Bake-Off at least gave her some room to judge and finally get to know what it felt like to finally give her opinion on other's cooking, not too off from the patrons at the restaurant. But maybe with a few questionable desserts thrown in. As she looked up from the table, she glanced up to see Rafael holding up a similar notepad to the one he took notes on. "You always come prepared then, huh? Thanks for this," she took the notepad he offered with a smile, glad he brought an extra so she could put her thoughts into words. And narrow down her choice of winner easily. "I know the feeling, so now that'll make this easier, thanks to you." she nodded, flipping open to the first page in preparation to try the desserts. "Care if I join you to try desserts from the next few tables?"

Letting out a laugh, Rafael nodded his head eagerly, "unless we attend some sort of potluck or cook-out and start judging just for the hell of it, I don't think that the opportunity is going to arise again any time soon," and that meant that they should take advantage of it right then and there while they had the chance. When Sloane assured him that the notebook wasn't taking things too far -- phew -- he reached into his back pocket without a second thought, holding out an identical notebook, with a pen attached to the spiral on top. "Like this?" he asked, holding it out to offer it to her. "I always have a couple in my car, figured they might come in handy." Sometimes it was nice to have a notebook with him to take notes when he was touring homes, or at a lunch meeting with a client, and he liked the old school method of putting pen to paper. "I just know that if I don't try to keep notes, I'll forget by the time I need to cast my vote."

[sloaneabara]

Sloane had been making another round around the bakery after trying a few entries. She'd wanted to be sure she tested everything, even the more spirited entries. So after trying a dessert that was a bit overdone, she took a sip of water, after assuring it the baker was good (it was not) before heading off to try something else. While she didn't have the biggest sweet tooth, she thought it was a good way to spend a Sunday afternoon. Testing bites of desserts she could admit she would've struggled to make herself, and chatting with people she hadn't seen in a while. As she neared another row, her eyes stopped a brightly colored cake that looked nearly perfect. Giving a smile at the woman behind the table, she nodded. "Oh, I'd love that! After the last dessert I tried, I definitely need a palate cleanser, and this looks great."

WHO: Tessa & Open (Cap at 5)

WHERE: Flour Co.

WHEN: Bake Off (May 19, 2024)

With a sleeping baby on her chest, Tessa did her best to smile at everyone passing her booth even if they did not stop to taste her cake. It was her hope that it would cause them to stop to give her cake a try. Her fingers twisted behind her back as her nerves started to kick in. Not that she expected to win, especially after browsing the other booths. Some entries looked incredible, while others were questionable on whether or not they were edible. Not that she would ever express that thought out loud. Close your eyes, take a bite would be her motto if she had been judging the contest. Thankfully she’s not! Instead, she made the frightful decision to enter instead. Now she was forced to stand here and watch as everyone tasted and judged her cake.  Spotting a new face, Tessa turned to greet them, “Hi! Welcome to my booth. Would you like to try a piece?”

[sloaneabara]

She nodded, a slight smile crossing her face at the mention of being a food snob. She could partially relate, being a bit accustomed to certain cuisines herself. "I think so too. And besides, when else will we get the opportunity to judge our fellow townspeople's cooking?" she laughed, noticing as he brought out a pen and notepad, eyebrow quirking. Why hadn't she thought about that? It would've made it easier when voting for the best dessert and being reminded of her thoughts. And now in good company, she wasn't the only one taking judging too seriously. "Not at all! Kind of mad I hadn't thought of that myself now," she admitted, glancing to see if he'd written anything about the desserts yet, curious to know his thoughts, or if he'd just started his rounds in the bakery. "Guess I'll just have to find some other way to keep track of the best of the bunch."

There was no possible way that Rafael was going to enter the bake off. He could cook a mean lasagna, make a great burrito, fix a salad and put together a soup -- but desserts? Evaded him. He was much better at eating them than he was making them, and that meant that he knew he was destined to be an excellent judge of the bake off. "Oh, you too?" Rafael asked with a grin on his face as he looked over at Sloane. "I haven't watched a ton of baking shows, but I've seen enough to feel like I can do as well as they do. The judges, not the bakers. But I am a food snob, so I feel like I have some right to be harsh," he tapped the little notepad he had brought along against his side, picking it up a bit and pulling the pen from behind his ear. "Is this too much, you think? Taking notes?"

[sloaneabara]

who: sloane & @rafaelcb

where: flour, co.

when: may 19th, 2024 (bake-off)

Sloane hadn't entered the competition, instead choosing to come out to judge the entries. Being culinary trained, she might've been taking it a bit too seriously, but it was all in good fun. After all, it had been for a good cause. Or maybe that was just the excuse she used to get away with her nonsense. As she stopped in front of a table, taking a closer look at the smaller details on the dessert, she glanced up to see someone else standing near the booth. "My useless knowledge that comes from watching baking shows has led up to this day," she joked, a small grin on her face. "So I plan on being the most discerning judge, it's only fair."

[sloaneabara]

"Exactly! I'm not sure why they vary in price when they do the same thing," She agreed with a vehement nod, glancing at the two coffee makers she pointed out with a slight scoff at the price difference. Jordan basically took the words out of her mouth, sharing the frustrations that came when purchasing a new appliance. "Oh, me too! I'm pretty sure shopping at department stores is less painful after you had a cup of coffee, but this morning seemed like an unfortunate chain of events so I really wasn't thinking before coming here first."

"Yeah. Picturing a giant cup of coffee isn't gonna be much help in deciding which one to get," Jordan chuckled. "Not to mention like the coffee on that box looks much better than that one but the price on that one looks extremely unreasonable for a coffee maker," she continued, pointing at two random coffee machines and one was just so happen to be the most expensive one she'd seen so far. "And they basically have the same basic function!" She rolled her eyes then realized that she might've just reacted a bit too emotionally about coffee machines. "I think I might need coffee too after this. I've been walking around the department store for way too long," she said, laughing.

[sloaneabara]

"Thanks!" She took the plate Sylvia offered with a smile, narrowing down what she wanted from the options she laid out to decide what to put on her plate first. "The spread looks great," she complimented, with a nod, as she began to make a wrap, adding a few of the sides to her plate after as well. "I brought some sparkling waters and iced tea since I figured it'd be refreshing for a picnic," she put them out for her to pick what she wanted, cracking open a sparkling water to have with her meal. After they both got settled with their plates, she glanced in her direction. "So, how have you been? Have things been busy at the salon?"

"Drinks and dessert! Perfect!" Sylvia smiled, glancing over at Sloane's bag. She then began pulling out the items she had brought. "I brought stuff to make some wraps, not sure if you had a preference so.. turkey, ham, cheese, few different condiment options. Some homemade pasta salad. Some kiwis, strawberries. And pita chips and hummus." She laid out each food option out on the blanket between them as she named each. Lots of the items were Sylvia's daily favorites, but also perfect picnic foods. "Aaaand, cutlery." Sylvia handed Sloane a paper plate and plastic utensils to serve herself.

[sloaneabara]

She sighed slightly at his statement, knowing there was some truth to it since that's exactly how she ended up here in the first place. "Truly, I should've known better. But you can't just buy a replacement to have around, you have to buy a whole new machine instead which is capitalism at its finest," she rambled, smiling sheepishly as she cut herself off. "Apparently I can justify getting a new machine, but not a trip to the Cobblestone. Makes sense, right?" she replied, sarcastically.

"Some people like to get all the bad stuff out of the way first thing in the morning." Trey smiled over at her. "That is a real tragedy, honestly. It's one of the most essential parts of having a home, we should all have spares laying around," he joked. "Damn," he said with a laugh. "And you came here before getting yourself a replacement? You're so brave?"

[sloaneabara]

"I wouldn't have asked if I didn't want you to join me," she teased, putting the basket out in front of her when he agreed. "Besides, it would've been a very sad picnic if it was just me," though she didn't mind the quiet, a picnic was something she knew had to be shared. As she settled onto the blanket, she started to unpack the basket which was a variety she put together earlier in the day, glancing over as she put things out. "So, have you been busy during Earth Week? I feel like this is the first time I've had downtime since the start of the week. Not that I'm complaining or anything."

Taking a walk in the park, allowed JD to get out and enjoy the nice weather. He was thankful for the warmer temperatures and the sunshine. He didn't really have any specific plans, other than to just enjoy the day. As he made his way through the park, he heard a familiar voice call out to him as he walked by. Seeing Sloane, he grinned and jogged on over to her. "Hey!" He smiled and eyed the picnic blanket, ready to make a joke before she asked him to hang out. "Oh, damn. Are you sure? I don't wanna crash on your relaxing lunch, you know me. I'm loud," he laughed with a shrug. "But if you insist.!"

[sloaneabara]

"Not a baker then? Or is it your own self-interest so you can try all the entries?" She laughed as well, though she was on the fence about joining herself. Although she was a chef, she didn't prefer baking often so her final project would definitely not be as pretty as the desserts in front of her. But if it was just for fun, she would've considered it. "I would also love to see more disaster bakes than Food Network quality cakes, not going to lie. Would make it a bit less intimidating to join, you know?" she gave a slight shrug. "Hypothetically, it would make it a bit difficult to judge. Like which is the slightly less worse dessert out of the bunch?" she grinned slightly, then shook her head "I think it'll be fun though, just to see what everyone came up with regardless of whether it's good or objectively not."

"No, no, never, Sloane," he pressed a hand to his chest, shaking his head as though to perish the very thought. "Mostly because I think we both know I will be paying to sample and judge, not entering that competition." At that, he let out a laugh. Josh was good in the kitchen! He could make really good meals when he wanted to, both for himself, or for his girlfriend and family, and he could bake if he wanted to… but definitely not in the form of a competition, against too many people who knew their way around a kitchen, without a doubt. "I figure there have to be some people who show up with something that looks like it came straight off of Food Network," someone who surprised everyone with skills that no one expected them to have. "Personally, I'm hoping to see some of those creations that look like horror movies, you know the ones?"

[sloaneabara]

Sloane preferred to get her produce from the Farmer's Market during the summer months and wander around the stalls when she wasn't in a hurry. Today was one of those days, and she'd been looking forward to just having a bit of downtime. Carrying her reusable bag, she took a leisurely stroll around before getting to her errands. Stopping by somewhere with desserts set out, she couldn't help but stop to take a look. She hadn't had the biggest sweet tooth, but they looked too tempting to pass up. "Have you put a lot of thought into that?" she hadn't realized who she was talking to until she saw it was Josh, giving a small grin. "Morals aside, they look a little too perfect that it'd make the judges suspicious. If they even judge on presentation."

WHO: Josh & OPEN!

WHERE: Farmer's market, countryside

WHEN: a Wednesday in May

"You know... technically, you could buy something from one of these stands and pass it off as a homemade baked good at the bake-off," Josh suggested with a grin on his face, gesturing towards the cakes and cookies, the pies and fudge that were all laid out on the table. Everything looked delicious, and although he had come to the farmer's market to grab some vegetables to stock up his refrigerator, maybe grab a hoagie for dinner, or a freshly made pretzel from the stand... he had a feeling he would be heading home with some baked goods, too. "I probably don't recommend it, though. Morals and what not, you know?"

[sloaneabara]

"I know, seems like spring took its time coming," She laughed at his comment, giving a nod of agreement. "Same here. I can't remember the last time I visited the state park myself, so I'm kind of glad the scavenger hunt brought us out here." she tilted her head as Evelyn meandered nearby. The younger girl was more into the nature aspects than Sloane. "Decided to bring the little one out for this?" she gave a soft smile as she noticed Sawyer in the carrier.

Even though she was probably much too little for it still, Elliot decided to take Sawyer out on the scavenger hunt. Strapped to his chest in her baby carrier, her little arms flailing about as she took everything in. A wave up ahead caught his attention and Elliot grinned as he saw that it was Sloane, giving a wave back as he made his way over to her. "I am, its nice to be outside without it absolutely freezing." He replied with a laugh, shaking his head. "What about you?"

[sloaneabara]

As Sylvia gave a nod of approval, Sloane smiled as she settled in on the other side of the blanket herself. "I'm sure whatever you brought is fine, I'm not picky, I promise," she assured, glancing to see what she brought as she pulled it out. "I got us a few drinks and a little dessert as well, hope I didn't go too overboard." she gave a sheepish shrug, motioning to her the small bag she'd packed with a few extras.

"This is a cute spot," Sylvia looked around, nodding in approval of the spot Sloane had selected. She proceeded to take a seat on the other end of the blanket, setting down the picnic basket. "I wasn't sure specifically what you wanted so a brought a bunch of stuff.." she warned, opening the basket to pull items out.