[OPEN] easy as... cake?

[harper reese lebeau]

Harper finished icing the doughnuts she was working on, and walked out to the front counter. She started to set them down in the glass case, then walked back with her tray. She took the paper off, and started putting the pastries on, grabbing her bag of icing. She started making stripes across them, chewing on her lip. She was used to decorating big, elaborate cakes. But she figured decorating pastries would work. No one had ordered a cake in awhile.

She finished making the stripes on them, and walked out to the front again, slowly putting them in the glass container.

[zayne atekahr thompson]

Zayne sighed, a folder tucked under an arm as he ducked into the coffee shop and bakery, glancing at the menu for a moment. He had his own mug of coffee though, headed for a table and tossed the folder on the table top. Nothing to grade, he had just been writing up some lesson plans in the cool air of the morning at the park, decided to come where it was warm and quiet and hang out for a bit.

[harper reese lebeau]

Harper walked back out, putting the pastries in the glass container. She had a couple that wouldn't fit, and grumbled under her breath. She realized there was only another guy in there with her and the cashier. She handed one to the cashier, then walked over to the guy. She handed him the pastry on a napkin, glancing in the mirror to wipe a bit of flour off her cheek with her shirt.

"It's got cherry in it. Unless you're one f those strange people who don't like cherries." She said, looking over at him.

[zayne atekahr thompson]

Zayne glanced up at her approach, smiled faintly and nodded in thanks. He knew sign language, but honestly he didn't really like using it, especially when he didn't need to. He picked it up with the napkin, biting into it and licking at his lips before taking a swallow of coffee.

There was literally nobody else here but him and those working. He hesitated, pulling out his wallet and offering a five to her in question, glancing back down to skim the lesson plan he had written up.

[harper reese lebeau]

She shook her head. The way he didn't talk, she just assumed he was deaf. 'I had too many and they didn't fit. I'd rather you eat it than have to toss it.' She signed, smiling over at him. She hadn't needed to use sign language much, and was honestly rusty on it. She had learned it for reasons other people hadn't- so she could pretend she couldn't hear. It had gotten her out of many situations where she may have actually had to talk to people.

She walked over to the bathroom, pushing the door open with her back. She washed her hands, getting the flour off of her hands. She walked back out, glancing down at what he was doing. 'I hated math. Which is strange, for a baker.'

[zayne atekahr thompson]

A faintly crooked, surprised smile passed his lips as she signed. He finished off the pastry, waiting for her to return. 'I'm not deaf,' He signed swiftly back, leaning back in his chair some. 'Math teacher, and ASL, but honestly I've never favored sign.' He shrugged, then pointed at his throat, sliding one of the papers into the folder and glancing back up at her, blowing blonde hair from his face.

[harper reese lebeau]

'I'm not deaf either.' She signed with a smirk, sitting down slowly across from him. She tapped her fingers on the table, glancing out the window. 'I just needed an excuse not to talk to people. Pretending you're deaf does the trick a lot.' She shrugged, pulling a notepad out of her apron. She looked through the few orders she had, starting to sketch one out on the bottom of the notepad.

[zayne atekahr thompson]

Zayne shrugged. 'When you don't have a voice try saying the same.' He arched an eyebrow. Taking a sip of coffee with his left hand, he jotted something down with the right, settung his pencil down.

He picked up another paper, setting down his mug and absently picking the pencil up with his left, scrawling another note.

[harper reese lebeau]

"I don't have to not have a voice. Having one doesn't make me hate myself any less." She said with a shrug, leaning back in her chair. She held the pad out in front of her, drawing on it like that so she could see what he was signing without having to look up.

That was exactly what Harper though though. She hated herself, despised herself for what she was. The idea of having people talk to her because she simply drew them in repulsed her. She had denied herself a lot of things because of it. She had never dated anyone, she dressed almost like a boy, never tried to look pretty. Anything to keep people away from her. She had lost herself somewhere in the girl she had become.

[zayne atekahr thompson]

Zayne sighed. 'You think I didn't have it rough? Wasn't teased? You think I like seeming like I'm mental? We all have our flaws.'

He dropped his hands, erasing something and rewriting it before stacking everything in the folder and setting it aside. He leaned back, crossing his arms over his chest.