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Hat Kid was carrying with her some special treats for her friends down at Dead Bird Studios, an elated grin upon her face. She couldn't wait to share one of her favorite foods, chocolate chip cookies, with them. She was so excited she nearly dropped a few of the cookies as she skipped through the front doors into the reception area.
As she glanced around, she noticed that DJ Grooves and The Conductor weren't bickering at the front of the reception area like usual, meaning they were probably up to their usual filming routine. There were no Express Owls near the front door either, which likely meant that was the case.
Hat Kid gave a smile to the Receptionist, who responded with the wave of his wing, and she headed through the double doors into the dimly lit studio. She tried to watch out for wires and stray props that were strewn about the studio's floor as she made her way towards her first friend, DJ Grooves.
Once she saw the director's bright red coat, she gave it a light tug and presented the plate of cookies proudly as high as her small arms could. DJ Grooves made a surprised hum at the sudden pull but turned to glance down at her.
"Darling? Is that you? Oh, my what do we have here? Some cookies-- how sweet! Thank you, Darling!" DJ Grooves said as he plucked one from the plate. He lowered his sunglasses to get a better look at the cookie and admired it.
"What kind are these, Darling? Oatmeal raisin cookies? I love those," he said, going to take a bite.
"Chocolate chip!" Hat Kid said, beaming brightly up at him.
DJ Grooves stopped once he heard what she said, pausing in his chewing.
"... What kind did you say again?"
"Chocolate… chip?" Hat Kid parroted again, looking confused and meek as she lowered the plate, observing the cookies to see if there was something wrong with them. They looked fine to her?
DJ Grooves grimaced slightly before glancing around for a napkin or something, a nearby Moon Penguin handed him one and he spit into the napkin before clearing his throat and looking down at her.
Hat Kid's face shifted in dismay. Were her cookies really that bad…? She was sure she followed the directions right…
DJ Grooves noticed her reaction and raised his flippers in defense before he got to her level to explain.
"No! No! Darling, it's okay! I'm sorry, it's my fault you didn't know this but uh-- unfortunately, us birds can't eat chocolate. It's poisonous to us. I should have asked you before you handed them to me," DJ Grooves reassured, putting his hands gently on the girl's shoulders.
"Poison…?" Hat Kid said softly, wondering how that could be. She didn't get sick when she ate cookies. Maybe birds were different, she thought.
"But don't worry, a little bit of chocolate ain't going to kill me," he added, trying to lighten up the situation, even laughing a little. "Though The Conductor on the other hand you'll have to be careful about him." Of course he couldn't not include a playful jab at The Conductor.
"Tell you what though, darling, we're about done filming for the afternoon. If you'd like, we can bake some cookies that the whole studio can share. You can keep those for your lovely self, darling," he said, giving Hat Kid's nose a light tap.
The tap brought a light smile to the girl's face and she nodded, returning the gesture with a light "boop!" on the disco penguin's beak.
"Yer thinking about baking again, DJ Peckneck?"
Both DJ Grooves and Hat Kid turned to see The Conductor standing nearby, arms folded across his chest.
"Ye remember the last time ye tri'd that? Are ye tryna burn down the whole darn'd building again?"
DJ Grooves brows furrowed and he turned and stood to face The Conductor, one hand on his hip.
"Well, the little Darling brought us some cookies but it seems we're allergic to them so I was offering to help her make some more. The least I could do for the little star."
The Conductor grimaced at Grooves before he walked towards the plate of cookies Hat Kid held and gave them a light sniff.
"Ay, those are chocolate chip cookies, aren't the'? he asked, looking to Hat Kid.
She nodded in response.
"Ay, lassie, as much as I hate to admit-- DJ Grrrrrooves is right. We bird's cannot eat chocolate. Makes us mighty ill."
"Well, see that's why--" DJ Grooves tried to interject.
"I can help ye bake some morrrre cookies. 'm not eating anything that DJ Peckneck makes. Might put something in them that'll actually do me in," The Conductor sneered.
"Wha-! But I was gonna help the little Darling bake. It was my idea after all. But I guess you can't help but steal ideas from me," he chided, a smirk coming to his beak.
"Ah, quiet ye. You'll just mess everything up. I've had a kid and some gran'kids. I know a thing or two about bakin', more than ye would, Peckneck."
"Darling, you know as well as I that I can bake a mean tuna casserole. There's no contest that I can help her make some cookies."
"Casserrrrole-- smasserrrrole," The Conductor slurred purposefully with what looked to be an… eyeroll? "Puttin' things in a pan, ain't real cookin', Grrrrrooves."
"... What if… we bake together? All three of us?" Hat Kid asked shyly, looking between the two directors meekly.
The two directors stood silent for a moment, sparing a glance at each other then back to their star. Hat Kid gave them a sheepish but endearing grin at them, of which DJ Grooves returned with a bright one of his own.
"I don't suppose why not. After all, it could be quite fun," DJ Grooves mused with a shrug.
"What the what?! Ye want DJ Grrrooves to help ye, lassie?" The Conductor asked, sounding betrayed.
Hat Kid nodded and pointed at The Conductor.
"She wants you to help too, Conductor, darlin'," DJ Grooves added. "Gotta let my crew know that we're done shooting for the day, so we can help our little star."
Stepping closer to his Moon Penguin crew who were working nearby. He gave his flippers a soft clap to gain their attention.
"That's a wrap! Good work today, darlings. We'll catch up where we left off tomorrow." His Moon Penguin crew started packing things up and heading back to their dressing rooms wordlessly and neatly.
"Arrrgghh… a'right, fine--"
The Conductor grit his 'teeth' slightly and snapped his fingers, which ushered a nervous Express Owl to his side.
"You, order me crew to quit shootin' fer today. We've got plans fer somethin' important," The Conductor said.
"Right away, sir!" the Express Owl said, rushing off to do just that.
The Conductor turned to Hat Kid and looked down at her.
"Alright, lassie, let's get to the kitchen shall we?" he asked, offering his hand to her which she gladly took, following him towards the kitchen.
"Wait-- wait for me!" DJ Grooves said, striding after the two.
~~~~
Apparently, there was a kitchen in this studio that Hat Kid hadn't seen before! The Conductor unlocked the door with a key and opened the door, revealing the never before seen room to her. She took a moment to look around in curiosity, taking in the space.
It was quite the place-- if not a bit disorganized but otherwise looked pretty safe and perfect for baking in. It had two large ovens stacked atop one another with a large fridge in one corner. There was a small microwave on the counter, a toaster and some various utensils on the counter as well. In one corner there was a sink which had a towel hung near it and what looked like a few aprons of various sizes. At the center of the room there was a large table with chairs surrounding it. It looked like a cozy little place with everything you could ever need to make something. Hat Kid wondered when the birds would use this place, probably for parties.
The Conductor held the door open for the awestruck Hat Kid, who curtsied sweetly as she passed through the door, noticing he'd be waiting for her to enter. The Conductor then let the door fall to close behind him before the lagging behind DJ Grooves could pass through, earning a soft huff and twisted face of dismay from the penguin.
Hat Kid however caught the door with her boot and held it open slightly for him, a small grin on her face. DJ Grooves smiled at her and gave her head (or rather hat) a gentle pat as he passed through into the kitchen.
"Thank you, darling," DJ Grooves said to her, walking with the small alien girl to the other bird, who was cursing as he searched the cupboards for a cookbook.
The Conductor was standing on the counter and searching the top shelves, which were filled with miscellaneous cookware, seemingly randomly stuffed into the cupboard.
"Golly, have these birds no orrrganization? This place is a bloody mess," The Conductor said, finally retrieving a dusty cookbook from a pile of various random books. He blew the dust from the book cover, sneezing rather dramatically in response which elicited a giggle from both Hat Kid and DJ Grooves. The Conductor gave a grumble as he hopped from the counter.
"Bless you, darling," DJ Grooves chimed, stepping back as The Conductor walked towards the table.
The Conductor swiped his hand dismissively at DJ Grooves, looking a bit embarrassed to have sneezed so dramatically in front of Grooves. "Ah, quiet with ye," he muttered, setting the book on the table.
Hat Kid moved to the table as well, placing the plate of cookies she'd been carrying for far too long upon it. She climbed up the chair, sitting on her knees, seating herself left of The Conductor to read the cookbook as he opened it. She looked to DJ Grooves and gestured for him to sit down as well.
DJ Grooves smirked slightly and sat to the left of Hat Kid, trying to glimpse at the cookbook.
"So what cookies should we bake?" DJ Grooves asked the two of them.
"Lassie ye can pick," The Conductor said, sliding the book in front of her.
Hat Kid rubbed her hands together and wiggled her fingers, beginning to flip through the book. She seemed to be studying the pictures intensely, lamenting her choices as if it were the biggest decision ever. Which it was, these cookies had to be the very best.
The Conductor began to search around for the supplies to bake, bowls, spoons, measuring cups, the whole deal. It was almost like he knew exactly what they would need and like he'd done this before. He brought everything to the table, setting everything out in front of the other bird and his lassie.
"Made a decision yet?" The Conductor asked, removing his coat and draping it over the back of his chair, rolling up his sleeves in preparation for the baking.
Hat Kid hummed in thought as she looked between two different recipes, making a "eh" face at both, flipping the page then she gasped softly. She then pointed and tapped upon the page at a recipe she finally chose. It was a recipe for sugar cookies, ones that included the recipe for some homemade frosting to decorate. She clapped her hands and beamed at both birds for approval of her choice.
"... Ye want ta make lil' sugar cookies?" The Conductor asked, his voice surprisingly soft, almost nostalgic sounding. Hat Kid nodded furiously.
"Darlin', those sound wonderful. Let's do it! Should be easy as pie to make," DJ Grooves said, gesturing a thumbs up.
Hat Kid bounced slightly in her seat, reading over the ingredients and committing them to her memory before jumping down. She began searching through the lower cupboards for flour, sugar and baking powder. DJ Grooves looked at the book himself before he also went searching for ingredients; his being the vanilla extract, salt and powdered sugar in the higher cupboards that Hat Kid could not reach.
The Conductor washed his hands then took on the task of gathering the milk, butter and eggs from the fridge, taking extra care to check the dates on them. He also recounted the amount of each ingredient they would need to make both the cookies and the frosting. Luckily everything was in date and it seemed they'd have just enough to complete the task. A relieved sigh came from him as he brought the supplies to the table, joining the other two again. "We're gonna need quite a lot o' ingredients if ye want ta' be makin' cookies fer the whole studio."
"Alright, darlin', let's get cookin'!" DJ Grooves proclaimed excited, reaching for the flour. Hat Kid reached for the milk and went to unscrew the cap. But before either of them could do anything, The Conductor gently stopped the girl's hand and the penguin's flipper, causing both Hat Kid and DJ Grooves to exchange a confused look.
"Uh-pu-pu-up! Ye can't start bakin' without washin' up yer hands. Unless ye want ta get everyone sick from yer germs," The Conductor scolded, wagging his finger at the two of them.
"Oh, yes, good point, darlin'," DJ Grooves said with a nod, moving to the sink.
Hat Kid jumped down too, giving DJ Grooves sleeve a light tug and reaching her arms out to him to be picked up. DJ Grooves gave her a lift so she could wash her hands before he set her down and washed his own flippers.
The Conductor watched the two of them as he tied an apron around himself to protect his clothes. He grabbed two extras from the few that were hung on the wall, one tiny apron for Hat Kid and one much larger one for DJ Grooves.
"Here, yer also gonna need these too, less ye want stuff all over ye clothes," The Conductor said, tossing the apron's to their respective persons, well, rather bird and small alien girl.
"Thank you," Hat Kid chimed sweetly, wearing the apron, and giving her hat a tap, swapping it over to a chef's hat she'd swiped from The Mafia Boss. She stood proudly with her hands on her hips, looking ready to bake.
"Ah, you even got a hat for the occasion, you look great, darling." DJ Grooves wore his own apron, thankful that his stylish jacket could now stay clean and neat.
Hat Kid climbed back in her chair ready to bake, now rolling up her sleeves like The Conductor while glimpsing at the book again to recall how much of each measurement she needed. She looked at the measuring cups for one for the flour. The birds joined her at the table, The Conductor gesturing at DJ Grooves sleeves which Grooves sheepishly rolled up as well.
"Alright, darlin', we'll follow your lead. Tell us where to start," he said, ready to help where needed.
"Flour," Hat Kid pointed her measuring cup to the bag beside DJ Grooves. Grooves gave a smile and tore open the bag for her, allowing her to fish out the appropriate amount of flour with her measuring cup. She proceeded to dump each measurement into the largest bowl they had.
Unfortunately the last cup she added to the bowl she dumped over a bit too aggressively and it caused the flour in the bowl to puff up into DJ Grooves and her own face, coating them both in flour. DJ Grooves laughed at the predicament they found themselves in and Hat Kid also laughed, finding it funny how the flour outlined where DJ Grooves sunglasses covered when he removed them. Grooves and Hat Kid both had a giggle fit over it.
"Ay-yi-yi, ye two are a mess. What am I gonna do with ye?" The Conductor said, shaking his head and pinching the bridge of his brow.
The Conductor got up to get a wet cloth and returned to clean the flour from Hat Kid's face, who made this weird gibberish sound as she had her face wiped off. After she was cleaned off, The Conductor moved to do the same to DJ Grooves, the rag a few inches from his face before he realized what he was doing and froze.
DJ Grooves was patiently awaiting his own face to be cleaned off, eyes closed as if hopeful that The Conductor would do the same for him.
"Here ye, Peckneck," The Conductor said, seeming a bit flustered with his feathers seeming to stand up slightly as he handed the rag to Grooves, who accepted it but seemed to almost pout.
"Thank ya, Conductor," DJ Grooves said, patting his face with it as if he were applying makeup. "Did I get it all…?" he asked shortly afterwards.
The Conductor spared him a glance before reaching out to brush a bit of flour from DJ Grooves brows. If anyone asked him why he did that, he'd say it were because DJ Grooves is an incompetent Peckneck and leave it at that. No other reason.
"Now ye did," The Conductor muttered, turning away and returning to his seat, watching Hat Kid as she worked to measure out all the dry ingredients, as the recipe book had stated.
DJ Grooves seemed to jump slightly at The Conductor's gesture and seemed stunned for a moment. It wasn't typical for The Conductor to be so kind and gentle. Normally he'd let Grooves look like an utter fool for his own satisfaction. He wondered why this time was different but thought not to push it as not to ruin the mood for Hat Kid. And so he focused on cleaning the last of the flour from his sunglasses with his apron and the rag. He then turned his attention to the cookbook and read the page for what steps to take next.
"I'll take care of the eggs, that's the easy part," DJ Grooves said, reaching for the egg carton and grabbing the amount of eggs the recipe called for and began cracking them into a separate bowl. Unfortunately a few eggshells landed in the bowl but in his clumsiness he didn't seem to notice.
"Hold it there, Grrrooves. Yer gettin' shells in th' eggs!" The Conductor gasped, practically reaching over the table to stop DJ Grooves. He grabbed an egg from the carton and held it with one hand to demonstrate to the other two.
"Ye have'ta crack 'em like this,"
The Conductor knocked the egg firmly against the table and cracked it with ease in one swift motion, not a single shell falling in the bowl.
DJ Grooves seemed impressed with The Conductor's grace. He never knew The Conductor knew how to cook so well! And he had second thoughts about doubting him before. He always seemed the type to be all talk but it seemed he really knew his stuff. Hat Kid also seemed rather impressed herself and tried The Conductor's method of egg cracking and seemed to glow with pride when she succeeded.
"Wow, you two seem to be natural chef's!" DJ Grooves said, doing the same with his last egg and going to fish out the shell pieces he'd dropped in the first time. He then returned the extra eggs back to the carton, as The Conductor and Hat Kid had replaced a few in the little demonstration they did.
Hat Kid measured the sugar and baking powder with care and added a few pinches of salt with a flourish like a little chef. Once she added the last of the dry ingredients, she pushed the largest bowl to the side for the time being and brought another bowl to her front, reading what wet ingredients they needed. She then began to measure the milk pouring it carefully into the bowl and measuring a few tablespoons of vanilla extract. She beamed in pride at her careful measurements. All those lab experiments really paid off.
"Look at ye, lass, yer quite good at this whole measurrrin' thing," The Conductor complimented, beginning to cut some of the butter into chunks to use for the frosting of the cookies and giving a few pieces to Hat Kid to put in her wet mixture. He let Hat Kid measure the milk and the powdered sugar for the frosting mixture as well, combining everything together with her help.
Both Hat Kid and DJ Grooves seemed to notice that The Conductor seemed to radiate some positive energy, even smiling slightly as he worked at his task. It was honestly a contagious energy, he seemed almost as giddy as when he'd won an award except without all the gloating.
It was now time for Hat Kid and DJ Grooves to combine their ingredients together and they poured them into the largest bowl, ready to mix everything up. Hat Kid grabbed a spatula and tried to stir it, stirring it a few times but seeming to have a bit of trouble getting the ingredients to combine. The spatula felt like it was stuck when she'd try to stir.
"Lassie, ya gotta keep stirring until it gets smooth and ye can knead it," The Conductor input, still working at the frosting but beginning to get it to start whipping up. Once he was satisfied with the consistency, he took some plastic wrap to cover it and placed it in the fridge to keep cool.
"You need help, darlin'? I can stir it for you," DJ Grooves said, lifting his flipper in offer to the small alien girl.
Hat Kid nodded and offered the spatula to him, needing a little break from all her hard work. He stirred it for her until the mixture turned into a thick dough. Hat Kid watched in awe as everything seemed to be coming together and she clapped her hands slightly.
"Now that looks like cookie dough to me!" DJ Grooves proclaimed, causing Hat Kid to bounce slightly on her chair.
The Conductor had finished the frosting and set it off to the side for the time being. He stood up, remembering he forgot two of the most vital things about cookie making: the cookie cutters and the rolling pin. He fished around in the drawers of the kitchen and found a few odd shapes and a rolling pin, which he brought to the table. He set the items out on the table in front of Hat Kid and she picked up the rolling pin, holding it out with determination like it were her umbrella.
"Grooves," The Conductor said, snapping his fingers at the other to get his attention. "Can ye put a bit o' that flour on the cutting board for the lassie?"
DJ Grooves smiled and sprinkled some flour onto the cutting board for Hat Kid so the dough wouldn't stick. Then he grabbed a ball of the cookie dough and placed it down for Hat Kid to roll out.
Hat Kid stared at the ball of dough before giving it a poke and tasting it. Wow! Cookies before they were baked still tasted just as good. She looked at the rolling pin and then started to roll out the dough, seeming to struggle a bit as she did and she stood upon her chair to get a bit of leverage.
"I'll help ye, lassie," The Conductor said, gently taking the handles of the rolling pin and guiding Hat Kid on how to roll out the dough. "We want em about ta be about three centimeters thick so they'll bake evenly."
DJ Grooves watched The Conductor help Hat Kid work to level the dough. He'd never seen The Conductor so encouraging before but it was a lovely sight to see. He supposed it was because he had a soft spot for Hat Kid. He'd once overheard The Conductor mentioning something about Hat Kid reminding him of his daughter. Maybe his fatherly-- and grandfatherly care-- was taking over. Paternal care was probably the word for it. He thought for a moment before he asked,
"Hey, Conductor darlin', you seem like you've done this before. You don't even seem to need the cookbook to know what to do," DJ Grooves said, resting his arms on the table. "I never knew you knew so much about cooking and baking. Do you like baking?"
Of course the penguin had to be nosey and pry like he always did. The Conductor seemed a bit tense for a moment at the question, feathers fluffing again. But it was hard to tell exactly what emotion he was feeling in that moment. He seemed to turn his head away too at the question as if he didn't want to answer. His silence made both Hat Kid and DJ Grooves look at him with slight concern and DJ Grooves mentally beat himself up for asking such a question.
But to both their surprise, The Conductor spoke up.
"... Ay. I do like ta bake. Used to do it with me daughter when she was a wee lass. We used ta make sugar cookies all ta time," The Conductor said, a subtle smile coming to his face. "We used ta make th' same recipe so many times I actually know it by 'eart."
The Conductor sat silent for a moment as he thought about the memories, his expression softening to look almost sad.
"She used to make such a mess… gettin' flour everywhere, even on her lil' face," The Conductor reminisced with a soft laugh. "I guess this whole thin' got me a lil' sentimental…" A small frown seemed to come to his face and he looked at the dough the Hat Kid had ceased to be rolling out. The lass was staring at him now, brows knit.
DJ Grooves had his flipper placed on his own chin as he listened to The Conductor speaking, noticing the frown on his face.
"I didn't mean to upset you, darlin'," DJ Grooves said, somewhat regretting even asking in the first place and he looked away slightly. It's like The Conductor said before, he messed everything up like he always did.
But instead of getting a usual berating as he'd expected, The Conductor's voice came soft.
"It's fine, Grooves," The Conductor said. "I-- I hate to admit but I've… I've had fun doing this with ye an' the lass. Yer still a Peckneck though."
DJ Grooves laughed quietly and reached over to give The Conductor's shoulder a quick gentle pat.
"Oh, I've had fun helping you too, darlin'," DJ Grooves said, looking at the cookie cutters and picking up a heart shaped one. "And of course, our lovely star here too."
Hat Kid set the rolling pin down and leaned over to give The Conductor a big hug to try and comfort him. This elicited a small smile from The Conductor and he gave the lassie a soft pat on the back.
"Thank ye, lassie," The Conductor said. "Now. Enough with the sappiness; let's start cuttin' out these cookies so we can bake 'em and get ta decoratin'!" The Conductor said adding cooking spray to the baking sheet and grabbing a cookie cutter of his own.
The three of them worked at cutting the cookies out, rolling the dough out again, filling the baking sheets until they couldn't fit anymore. They ended up with about eight dozen cookies in the end and seemed quite satisfied with their work.
The Conductor moved to the ovens, which were quite large as they were used to feed many at the studio, and preheated it to the correct temperature. All the while, Hat Kid and DJ Grooves got to work clearing up the dishes they'd accumulated and giving them a wash. DJ Grooves would scrub the dishes and Hat Kid would rinse and dry them. They'd found a little step stool in the cupboards so she could stand at an appropriate height without having trouble reaching the sink. DJ Grooves also gave the table a quick clean wipe down so they would have a clear space to work with.
The Conductor added the cookies to the oven tray by tray and he saw Hat Kid jumping down to rush over and help put the cookies in the oven, he let her put the last one in and shut the oven. Hat Kid dusted her hands off, all satisfied with the job well done that they'd accomplished. The Conductor brought some sprinkles and candies as well as food dyes from the crowded cabinets and to the table and set them out. Now all they had to do was wait for the cookies to finish baking so they could decorate them.
The trio settled in their seats once more to wait for the cookies to bake. Hat Kid messed with some of the food dye in front of her as if they were little dolls, muttering something incomprehensible that the dyes were "talking about." The Conductor watched her for a few minutes but seemed to slump slightly in his seat. DJ Grooves looked concerned for a moment at him before he heard… snoring?
The Conductor had fallen asleep. And he was snoring quite loudly, quite dramatically. DJ Grooves giggled at the sight, finding it a bit funny The Conductor had fallen asleep so easily. But he supposed that baking was tiring enough to wear the old soul out so he didn't bother to wake him.
"Y'know, darlin', The Conductor always denies he snores in his sleep but as you can see here… it's evidence that he does snore," DJ Grooves whispered to Hat Kid as if it were some scandalous secret and Hat Kid cupped her mouth and snickered, trying to stay quiet to let the bird rest. "And he says I lie and make everything up."
DJ Grooves stood up and gently lifted The Conductor's coat from his chair and placed it over the old bird's shoulders. The Conductor seemed to collapse to rest his face on the table under the weight of his jacket and he snored heavily in his sleep.
DJ Grooves asked in a hushed voice, "How long do the cookies need to bake, darlin'?"
"Ten minutes," she whispered back, holding up ten fingers for emphasis.
"Want to go take a quick walk around the studio, darlin'? So we don't disturb The Conductor in the meantime?"
Hat Kid nodded and grabbed an egg timer from the counter. She turned the arrow to ten and the small contraption started ticking and she grabbed DJ Grooves flipper, the two of them leaving the kitchen to go on a quick walk.
~~~~
The two returned to the kitchen after nine minutes passed, Hat Kid bursting through the door in excitement before she realized that, oh, right. Sleeping Conductor.
She turned to DJ Grooves and put a finger to her lips, shhh-ing him to make sure he stayed quiet. DJ Grooves put a flipper up defensively, another to his mouth but nodded and stepped into the kitchen quietly.
Then all the sudden the egg timer rang out in Hat Kid's hands, causing her to toss it between her hands as if it were a hot potato. DJ Grooves' brows raised and he clenched his beak in surprise as he eyed The Conductor at the table, Grooves feathers standing up in surprise. Once Hat Kid was able to catch the timer in both her hands, she clamped her hand on the top of the timer and turned it to silence it. Both DJ Grooves and Hat Kid stood there for a moment, quietly looking at The Conductor.
Lucky for them, he remained asleep. The two of them sighed in relief simultaneously.
"Let's check on those cookies, darlin'," DJ Grooves whispered.
Hat Kid nodded, her little smile she almost always wore returning to her once worried face. She pattered over to the oven, peeking through the glass door, the heat from the oven warping her view of the cookies. So she reached up to grab the oven door and pull it down. She grinned wider at the sight of the golden cookies and she went to reach for them with her bare hands.
Alarm leapt to DJ Grooves face and he went to grab Hat Kid's hand to stop her from burning herself.
"Darlin'...! Wait-- y-you can't just grab those with your bare hands-- you'll burn your tiny little hands," he said, as hushed as he could manage in this circumstance. "We need some oven mitts-- or something."
DJ Grooves glanced around and spotted a pair of mismatched oven mitts on top of the microwave and brought them back to his little darling. He slipped one onto each of her hands and then gestured to the oven to give her the go. She snapped the thumb like crab claws in curiosity, trying to figure out how to use them. Then she looked at the trays in the oven, gripping the edge of one, getting the hang of the mitts. She managed to pull the first tray out and lifted it onto the counter.
Hat Kid excitedly pulled the other three trays that she could reach from the oven, staring at each tray in awe as she did. She'd made the most perfect cookies with the help of her beloved bird director friends! She quietly placed the trays on the counter for the cookies to cool. Then she surrendered her oven mitts to DJ Grooves so he could pull the other four trays of cookies out of the other oven, as that one was stacked on top of the lower oven and Hat Kid was much too small to reach.
After the two of them finished removing the cookies, DJ Grooves shut off both ovens and placed the oven mitts back on the microwave oven neater than he'd found them.
Hat Kid raised a hand up to DJ Grooves and stood on her tiptoes. He noticed what she was trying to do and high-fived her little hand back. Then the two of them sat down to wait for the cookies to cool.
The Conductor then groaned softly in his sleep, seeming to stir at last, likely the smell of the cookies had awoken him. His sleepy head rose from the table and he yawned wide with a stretch, noticing his coat had been draped over his body as it fell from his back to the chair.
DJ Grooves peered from his seat over at the other bird, a bright smile on his face. He had his head tilted down to rest on the table to make himself look quite silly.
"Well, good morning, sleepyhead," DJ Grooves said smugly, a goofy laugh bubbling from him.
"Morning!" Hat Kid parroted.
The Conductor scrunched his face at DJ Grooves comment and brought a hand to his forehead, seeming to rub at his "eyes," or lack there of.
"Ah, quiet ye, Peckneck…" he grumbled. "Th' cookies finally done, ay? Ye didn't burn them did ye?"
The Conductor turned to glimpse at the counter that was covered with cookies. He seemed impressed that not a single one was burned and they looked perfectly golden.
"Ay! Not bad, ye actually brought em out from the o'en on time!"
"You can thank the little darlin' for her smart idea. She brought an egg timer with us when we went on a little walk around the studio while the cookies baked," DJ Grooves said, pointing a finger gun at Hat Kid. "So we got to them just in time."
Hat Kid beamed at DJ Grooves' praise. She felt special and proud of herself. Especially since now her bird friends could enjoy her cookies she'd made with them without any allergies or anything getting in the way.
After the cookies cooled completely, the group set to work on decorating. They dyed the homemade frosting The Conductor made various colors and added sprinkles and candies as embellishments to their cookies. DJ Grooves seemed to have a steady hand and an eye for details in his cookie decorating. The Conductor made his simple with a thin coat of frosting and a few sprinkles, seeming to find the simplicity better. Hat Kid, of course, added hundreds of sprinkles to hers and made smiley faces with her candies.
"... Those are not half bad, DJ Grooves," The Conductor said, almost seeming to admire the other's work as he spread frosting on one of his cookies.
A flushed expression of surprise came to DJ Grooves face at The Conductor's compliment but he seemed to glow slightly in pride. He touched a flipper onto his own cheek, getting some frosting on his feathers. "Aww, thank you, darlin'! Yours are honestly quite adorable too, Conductor. And yours are quite colorful, little darling."
"Ay, ye really have an eye fer color, lassie."
Hat Kid grinned, kicking her feet underneath the table. She couldn't remember the last time she'd felt this happy! And she was so glad to have been able to share the experience with her friends.
The cookies were the best she'd ever had. She couldn't wait to share them with the whole studio.