maximumcake | Pumpkin Hollow IC Inbox

A courier delivers a parcel to Max at home one afternoon. The contents are a pair of jars; one contains strained honey. The other, raw honey with a nice chunk of comb. The top of each jar is marked by a wax seal--beeswax, undoubtedly. The seal is in the shape of a bee with feathered wings.

There is no note.

There's a heavy box on Max's front step, left there by the usual courier. There's a card on top of it in Bart's small, neat handwriting, his name on the front and Max's underneath. Inside, it reads:

Mr Maximum,
We'd discussed the possibility of developing some more efficient kitchen equipment,
and it has become something of a pet project of mine.
Enclosed there is an appliance that I would like you to test and provide feedback
It works similarly to a standing mixer, but hand-cranked.
It can be fastened to your bench-top so that it doesn't need to be held in place
and the beaters can be swapped for a single wire whisk, or a set of grinding rollers
as an attempt to make something for you that might facilitate production of
powdered sugar, as you'd mentioned needing a better method for it.
If there are tweaks that need to be made, please do not hesitate to let me know.

-Bart Torgal

And just as described, there is something similar to a Kan Wonda-mixer secured in the box, with a bowl wrapped in brown paper to keep it from breaking in transit. It isn't the prettiest device, but inside there are instructions for use, including nicely illustrated diagrams for how to attach it to the corner of a kitchen counter or the edge of a table with something like a built-in clamp.

Max,

I feel some guilt in asking a favor when we’re still getting to know one another, but it’s for a good cause- do you, perhaps, know how to bake a pizza?

There is once again a jar of honey at Max's doorstep. This time, it's held by a corpse, who knocks on the door, like a person ought to.

Max still isn't home when she hauls herself through the door of their house, still covered in blood and dirt. She takes one look at the disaster, sighs and goes to grab whatever alcohol she can find. She doesn't even bother pouring a glass, just slumps on the couch and drinks straight from the bottle, waiting.

It's a lovely afternoon in August with the plague situation safely behind the town when Mairi knocks at Max's door. She's got a bundle in her arms--- a small but heavy canvas sack. Catching herself bouncing on her toes a bit, she feels childish for being so excited, but she's always really loved giving gifts.

Max! Max, I need help!

[Yet his tone is very happy, almost ecstatic.]

Edited Date: 2024-09-14 01:23 am (UTC)

Valdis hangs the dress she ordered last month up on the bedroom door, next to the suit Max had made to compliment it. She's thrilled with how it turned out and can't wait to enter the gala with him by her side. The magic daggers from River lay on the dresser with her jewelry, she knows exactly where they will be hidden amongst the jewels.

"Max," she says, glancing around into the bathroom where he's just getting out of the shower. "I really think you should take one of the normal daggers, just in case."

When all the guests have gone and everything is cleaned up, Max will find that Valdis is suddenly nowhere to be seen. Ava and Shasta also seem to have vanished, though Anani is winding his way around Max's legs as if determined to trip him. If Max goes upstairs, he will still find no trace of her. Not in the guest room, the bathroom or even the room they share together. There is, however, a letter in an envelope laying against his pillow.

The letter inside is written in her sweeping and elegant cursive.

My Dear Max,

I had to step out to grab your present, please shower, grab a drink and wait for me here. I'll be back soon.

-Valdis

Edited Date: 2024-12-19 09:08 pm (UTC)

It's been about two weeks now since Capochin arrived on the island and he's already found a few places he frequents. The Oak & Iron, obviously, and Empty Pockets, both for evening wind downs. The general store for cigarettes a few times a week. The Burger King for his and Hector's lunch. But there is no place he visits more frequently than Max's bakery. He'd initially popped in for muffins for breakfast and to offer interviewees but the minute he discovered there were bagels, and damn good ones, he began going in there daily for his breakfast--- an everything bagel with plenty of cream cheese!

Like clockwork, he arrives with his little black coffee in hand and pats the counter. "Mornin', Max! It's a good day for solvin' mysteries. I feel it in my bones. How you doin'?"

It isn't the first time she's come to Max looking for help with reading a letter. However, this is the first time she's brought him a letter from one Lord Osborne.

Leon shows up at Max's door sometime after the opera with a satchel full of a variety of colorful herbs - some whole and fresh, some dried, and some powdered, all very strong-smelling in various notes of floral and earthy and sweet. Leon's gotten pretty used to smelling like a combination flower shop-apothecary in the last couple of months, though, and pays it no mind as he knocks politely, stepping back to wait at the threshold for a response.

A tall but rather sickly-looking man slouches into Max's bakery, his body hidden under an unseasonably heavy black coat draped across both shoulders. He doesn't seem interested in food or drink; he simply finds a place to sit somewhere out of the way and then stays there, watching Max worked with his chin propped up on one hand.