"Absolutely not," Hiro said immediately.
I tensed. "What?"
"You can't make stuff foryourguards."
“Why not?”
"Because if you do that, then the Dragon's guards are going to be upset that they didn't get anything to eat."
"Oh my God." I pressed my hand to my forehead. "This is becoming a thing."
"Yes. A verybigthing."
I thought for a moment, running through options in my head.
Then it hit me.
"Alright. I got it. I'll make banana bread. That way I can do slices for my guards and slices for the Dragon's guards."
Hiro considered that for a few minutes and then bobbed his head. "That will work."
“Can you get the stuff?”
Hiro touched his chest. “Me?”
“Yeah. That would be a big help.”
“Okay. I’ll do it. What will I need?”
I rattled off the ingredients—overripe bananas, flour, sugar, eggs, baking soda, vanilla, walnuts if they had them.
“I’m on it.” Hiro looked genuinely excited as he headed back into the pantry.
I turned to another guard. "We need music. How can I get music in here?"
"I can get a small device," he said, already moving toward the door.
"You like music when you cook?!" Hiro called from the pantry.
"Absolutely. I can't cook unless I have music. Additionally, I can't write unless I'm playing music too."
With a sigh, I made my way toward the cupboards, running my fingers over the cold marble countertop. The feel of the chilled stone beneath my fingertips was reassuring, grounding.
I wondered which cabinet held the mixing bowls and baking pans.
I opened one.
Rows of shiny copper pots and pans greeted me.
The second cabinet revealed a variety of baking dishes, each meticulously arranged by size.
“This works.” I pulled out a loaf pan and set it on the counter.
Next, I needed a large mixing bowl. I found them stashed in another cabinet.
Like everything else in this kitchen, they were perfect. White ceramic, heavy and sturdy.
I picked the largest one.
