The Butcher, The Baker, and the Temporary Zombie Who Can Bake Cheese Buns (For 5 Days)

[zomboligist]

WHO: Ravi Chakrabarti
WHERE: Bakery
WHEN: August 19 / 20
OPEN TO: OTA
WARNINGS: Ravi's monthly zombie time, so zombie topics about brains likely

---

The one thing Ravi truly hates about his monthly time is the period in which all regular food starts turning to dust in his mouth. It's not like they're sitting on a goldmine of takeout here, but it's still absolutely disappointing to have scrambled eggs in the morning and find absolutely no satisfaction in them at all, craving hot sauce to try and add some taste.

It's awful because he knows what that means. It's time.

He digs out his baseball cap and puts it on before perusing the options in the fridge, trying not to go wholeheartedly teeth-first into one of them, though plenty of them have already been sliced and diced what with the need to stabilize two and a quarter zombies in a limited population. Sighing, he decides that maybe it's best to go with what he knows (roughly), so he slides out Peeta Mellark's brain from the fridge and ends up having a secod omelette that day.

Ravi hates how god it tastes, he honestly does.

What he doesn't hate is when it starts to kick in. Sure, the whole romantically pining for someone bit isn't amazing (because he already misses Peyton and Helen enough), but when he suddenly gets the urge to make cheese buns, he'll take that over other weird personality traits. It's why he's fired up the bakery's oven in the dead of night, working through until the morning. Anyone who comes by would see the light, but into the morning, they'll also smell the aroma of fresh bread and cheese buns, though he's not working with exactly the right cheese. No matter. He's steady enough and he can roll with that.

Hat still securely on to hide the streak of white hair, he plates them all up and starts to stock the window display like he's been doing this for years. And, really, with the brain in his stomach guiding him? He sort of has been.

Comments

[dann_0]

Danny was walking past the bakery when the smell of the freshly baked goods stops him in his tracks. he blinks and then turns to watch Ravi work. He smiles slightly, it looks nice and there is something very comforting about the idea of a working bakery. He knocks on the door and comes inside.

"Hi."

[zomboligist]

Ravi has to smear flour from off his cheeks, brightening when he sees someone coming in (though he definitely makes sure that he has to adjust the hat on his head). "And good morning," he says, not even having to pretend he hates the hour because the brain he's on doesn't mind it at all.

He could use a bit of this in his everyday life, but that would require constant zombieism, which is...no. "If you wait about ten minutes, you can have something!"

[dann_0]

"Oh I would love that." Danny takes a deep breath, enjoying the scents. "It smells amazing."

He leans against the door waiting. "Do you want some help?" He will help if he is asked. "This reminds me of early mornings getting to the office. If only we had coffee now that would be amazing."

[zomboligist]

"It's all in here," he says, tapping his temple, as if it's his brain that actually knows how to do this. He really should be tapping his stomach, because that's where the knowledge about this is. "Relax," he insists, digging out some of the butter so he can add a bit of a glossy final sheen and extra sweetness.

Sweet, just like the smell of Peyton's shampoo or Helen's soap. The cascade of pining catches him off guard and he wonders if he just missed that about Peeta when he'd been here.

[dann_0]

Danny watches him with a slight smile, not having any clue what is going on. Well besides the fact that this place smells amazing. "Reminds me of getting fresh masadas in the morning, that whole cops liking doughnuts is kind of true after all. But I've always liked brea."

[zomboligist]

"I've never heard of masadas," Ravi says as he kneads some more dough, already thoughtful about wanting to do more. "We can definitely get you some donuts. At least, this week, I'm not entirely sure this is more than a lark," he says, to cover for the fact that Peeta's brain is probably not going to last too long.

And even if it does, it won't be fully on him. "Or maybe one of my friends will take over, you never know," he adds, because Liv or Major might feel peckish soon enough.

[dann_0]

"It is kind of like a doughnut but very popular in Hawaii. But I'd eat anything you make, it smells amazing in here." He frowns a little. "Why so short?" Normally people tend to stick with new hobbies a little bit longer or at the very least they know they are not going to stick with them.

[dann_0]

"It is kind of like a doughnut but very popular in Hawaii. But I'd eat anything you make, it smells amazing in here." He frowns a little. "Why so short?" Normally people tend to stick with new hobbies a little bit longer or at the very least they know they are not going to stick with them.

[zomboligist]

"I mean, I'm still a doctor, so I'll be back at the hospital to do that," Ravi says, which is a much better answer than him losing his baking skills when he becomes a human being again. "You feel like getting your hands dirty? I bet we've got enough supplies here that you could show me these Hawaiian donuts."

if you don't mind having 2 going with these idiots

[oorah]

Frank is always up early and wandering around, trying to find something or other to do. He's flanked by the dutiful bloodhound Aretha which may actually be the fewest dogs Ravi has ever seen in Frank's vicinity. At least she listens the best though when she smells the cheese coming from the shop she jumps up so her front paws are in the window, giving the other man a curious little look through it. He gestures for the dog to get down, but then he's smiling and waving when he sees a familiar face. He walks around to the front and makes Aretha wait for him to clear the door before he lets her walk up beside him, sitting politely so the adults can talk.

"You're busy this morning. I didn't even know this place existed."

I never mind!

[zomboligist]

"I mean, you do have to appreciate baking," Ravi says cheerfully, but he's already working the next set of dough with his hands in an expert way, like he's been doing this for, oh, say, approximately seventeen years and counting?

He really hopes the other perils of being a teenager aren't about to catch up with him, here. He does not want to go through the wet dream phase all over. "If you wait around a bit, first batch is coming out of the oven soon."

[oorah]

"I do, just didn't know you did." Okay, he's more of a cooking guy himself, he's sick of following rules and baking was so precise. It doesn't mean he can't admire the effort.

"What's with the sudden inspiration?" Frank tells Aretha to stay with a hand signal and moves around the room quietly, taking it in. He really has been out of it to not notice this place at all.

[zomboligist]

"Normally, I don't, but the mood really struck me," Ravi says evenly, because he doesn't want to get into the gory details, especially given how Frank had reacted last time they'd talked about this. "Oh, you know. Just hungry, I suppose," he says, reaching into the oven to take out the freshest tray, setting them down.

"You can't say no to fresh baked bread, can you? I mean, what kind of monster would you be if you did? Apart from the gluten-free kind, but I don't think the village accommodates for that."

[oorah]

He nods, picking up on it not being that simple. Hungry... for something besides food, he'd wager. Comfort, maybe.

"First you tried to accuse me of bein' a vegan..." Now gluten-free. Frank shakes his head even though Ravi knows about his monster status and it's got nothing to do with a wheat allergy. The man hadn't even reacted, only further reminding him of David. Maybe there's something of a monster inside him, too. A monster who makes... cheese bread. "I can pay you back in more cheese once I process the milk from our zalpaca. I'm also making wine, but keep that on the DL." Aretha is thumping her tail on the floor now in anticipation, no doubt smelling the wonderful smells coming from the oven.

[zomboligist]

"Maybe you can drink some of the wine in front of me before I actually drink it myself," Ravi says, because it's not Frank he distrusts, but the zalpaca things are...well, strange, to say the least. He wants to bring them in for experiments, but every time he tries, someone starts glaring at him like he's inhumane or something.

He's sweating, but he can't take off his hat, so he works to wipe his forehead while still protecting his hair. "I went out and got the cheese myself, wasn't too hard. Just dug into those old memories."

[oorah]

Frank snorts, shaking his head. "It'll take a few months yet, and I can't promise it won't be godawful, but I figured there should be an alternative to that poison the blue-haired girl makes."

He looks around, thinking about what kind of memories Ravi might be digging into now.

"I think I misjudged you, man. You grow up on a farm or something?"

[zomboligist]

He needs to be much more careful about this sort of thing, because he can't just speak freely around people like Frank and not expect him to catch on. "I'm a fast learner," he says, "and I've been here for a while, so I've had to become Farmer Chakrabarti once or twice, much to my dismay."

He works the dough, trying to avert eye contact, because he doesn't want to get caught just yet, but he knows he's not exactly on Super Spy brain.

[majorlyugh]

There's a strange part of Major that's giddy about the fact that he and two of his best pals (Liv is still and will probably always be something more than that to him, but for the sake of grouping and generalization, this is what he's calling her for now) are all doing the brain-eating thing. It's like they're a gradation of zombie hunger - Liv, at the most intense; Major in the middle with his couple-times-a-month feeding; and Ravi with his monthly zombie period. He's grateful for their staggered appetites on top of simply being reunited with them, especially when the smell of cheese buns and and bread slap him in the face like an open palm.

He saunters into the kitchen like a little kid on Christmas morning.

"What did you make this time?!?" he practically screams before making an almost-orgasmic noise at the smell, the same kind of noise he made when he'd had ice cream after going human again. "Oh my god, are these cheese buns?!"

[zomboligist]

"Keep it down, before you attract every animal in sight!" Ravi hisses at him, still working with the oven as he checks on them without opening it, on his hands and knees to make sure that he's not burning them without opening up the oven to lose the heat. Glaring at Major, he thinks if he'd ruined a batch, then no one's getting these burned babies.

It's morbid and awful to think about, but at least Peeta's brain is offering a kindness even after he's gone. "I think it's a shame this one's limited," he complains. "Though I've definitely been writing down the recipes in my head. He's good at this."

assuming that ravi kept the clothes major got last time? if not, i can edit!

[majorlyugh]

"Fine, I'll never compliment or gush over your baking ever again," Major whines with a scrunched up face and crossed arms to match. He's mostly hoping that he's still in his mostly-human phase so that he can properly appreciate the flavor of these if they taste anything like how they smell. He takes in another long whiff and exhales happily.

Yeah, these are going to be awesome, he knows it.

"Mary Berry and Paul Hollywood. What would they say?" He dons his best generic British accent. It isn't spectacular, but it isn't horrific. "Good bake? Needed longer proving? Absolutely scrummy?" He crouches and peers into the oven next to Ravi. "But will you be Star Baker this week? That's the real question."

He shifts and stands, leaning back against the counter, arms folded. He's glad to be in normal clothes again, no longer the bright raspberry he always feels like when he's got those obnoxious scrubs on. He tucks his thumbs into his jean pockets.

"I don't think I ever really met the guy. Not really." He thinks of finding Rose at the grave, leaving flowers for Peeta. "Do I wanna know whether anyone else knows that you've got his brain in our fridge?"

of course he diiiid

[zomboligist]

"I mean, to be fair, this is only going to happen about once a month and who knows what brain Liv will go to when she feels peckish," Ravi points out, feeling like he has to be the bearer of logical news right now. He can write the recipes down, he can try and preserve them, but there's something about just knowing what to do that he can't capture.

Ravi narrows his eyes at Major when he attempts the accent, debating whether he wants to take him to task for it. He decides no, no, because at least he's trying. "They'd say that Major shouldn't touch it until they cool or he'll burn his tongue and ruin the taste," he says with a very know-it-all tone.

"I didn't either, really. I sort of knew about him, who he hung around, but I never really talked to him. I have to hope no one knows that he's ...well..."

He pats his belly, to imply 'in here', but then, that probably wouldn't be anyone's first assumption (thankfully).

a brotp to end all brotps

[majorlyugh]

"And to think, I just thought it'd be all squirrels. Hoarding and burying nuts, scurrying up trees, standing in front of moving objects and then suddenly changing your mind like, five times at the last minute before running back the way you originally came from. That sorta thing. This," Major says, gesturing to the oven, "is a whole lot better." Even if the ethics of it makes Major feel a little .. weird.

"That's why," he continues in his accent, "you need to account for time for them to cool. You've got to present your finished buns at the end of your bench when time's up." He misses that show. He misses all the shows. But, just in the way Downton Abbey got a hold of his brain and clung on tightly, so has The Great British Baking Show.

"What happened to him?" Major asks, glancing at Ravi's belly after he's pat it before looking at his face again.

[zomboligist]

"This sort of thing is limited," Ravi warns, though they have three mystery brains that they can work with as well, so maybe it's not all bad here. He narrows his eyes at Major at the terrible impression of...well, he's not sure. An awful Australian convict, maybe? That does seem to be the sound he's going for.

He misses the Great British Baking Show too, but he can't whine and cry about it, mainly because he's currently living that life.

"Something got to him," Ravi says gravely. "I think they called it a wendigo, but clearly that's ridiculous."

[majorlyugh]

"I know how you got this particular brain, but the others you'd mentioned when I got here, they were from the gift gods? .. Do we know how long a brain's shelf-life is? I mean, at least we've got refrigeration here, but even still .." Major scrunches his nose as he thinks about it. Part of him, admittedly, misses the mixed up brain tubes that FG had been giving out to the mercs. No flashbacks, no personality changes, nourishing all the same. Though Major wouldn't mind going on a baking spree one of these days.

"A wendigo? Isn't that .. one of those folklore things? Like chupacabra? Or Slenderman?"

[zomboligist]

"I've got them in blue preserving liquid," Ravi says, so by that token, they should be fine so long as they keep them in a cool place. He'd guess that they've got months before they're back to squirrels, but maybe if they pray really, really hard, it won't get that bad again.

"You do remember your last time here, right?" Ravi checks. "Because we're not exactly a normal environment. I'm less surprised we had a wendigo and more surprised there aren't more strange creatures in the woodwork."