[Action]

[makainoou]

[Sometimes it's easy to get away with slacking on the job, when the Overlord himself is basically a slacker.

Other times, not so much.

It's time to look sharp, people. Laharl is up and about the castle today, and if he spots any of his vassals lazing around, he's going to yell at them at best--at worst there is going to be a lot of fire. And if you aren't one of his vassals? Well, he might have forgotten that. There's got to be something you should be doing.

The reason for the bad mood? Well...]

Where is she already?

[There's one vassal in particular who's beyond just slacking off, because he hasn't seen her since all this nonsense started.]

Comments

[makainoou]

[Laharl's heard a few of the complaints about her, but considering the cooking staff is primarily made up of prinnies, he hasn't paid them too much attention. Complaining is just something prinnies do. As long as he gets his meals, it can't be important.

He does look distinctly displeased at her stepping aside to address him, though.]

That's no concern of yours. Don't you have work to do?

[nerveball]

[She does recoil slightly at the look she gets, but quickly composes herself—as well as she can, anyway. Never going to not be at least a little nervous.]

I'm just finishing up, at this point. [Which is true. More or less. That cake is almost ready; all it needs now is some time to cool down a bit, and she's not taking a chance with Ice or Wind this time, because she doesn't need a frozen cake or to risk throwing it into the nearest wall. That is, however, assuming nobody does anything to it with her not looking.

She's about to say something else, but stops herself when she hears a "who left a cake in here, dood?" from somewhere behind her.]

A-ah, that's—that's probably my cue. [Time to go shoo some prinnies away from her cake. She turns and rushes back in, and within moments can be heard telling them to leave it alone.]

[makainoou]

Finishing up with what? [Isn't she supposed to be working basically all the time? Laharl is not grasping the concept that his vassals might have shifts or breaks at the moment.

Pinged by the word "cake," he actually follows her back into the kitchen, which may help subdue the prinnies. At least a few of them would much rather back away and sneak out the other door than remain to dispute the cake.]

Is this your handiwork?

[nerveball]

[She'd probably actually do so willingly if she didn't have other activities on the side or the need to eat and sleep for herself, since she's found that aside from the way those prinnies act with her, she actually kind of likes it.

When she gets back to her corner—and is briefly confused by some of those same prinnies scurrying off—she pauses. He actually followed her?]

U-um...yes.

[While it doesn't look like a disaster, it's nothing truly excessive either; a moderately-sized white cake with melted chocolate drizzled all over it. She didn't want to go for something too big this early, since something bigger also means something with more chances to screw up.

The last one she had made without it exploding on her had been intended for a surprise delivery not long ago—an errand that she'd been sent on to keep her out of the kitchen for awhile—but she hadn't been able to find the person it was for and then those prinnies had later gotten into it like it was theirs. This one was intended to be a replacement for that.]

If you want you can just take it now. It—it was going to be yours anyway.

[makainoou]

I don't remember ordering a cake.

[Laharl eyes it suspiciously. It looks pretty plain, but--he leans in to give it a sniff--it does smell tasty. But why would she just randomly bake him a cake?]

Are you trying to poison me?