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The Piltover Progress Day Baking Extravaganza was one of the most famous culinary events in all of Valorant, made all the more famous by the addition of Hextech baking equipment. Caitlyn Kiramman, already a renowned pastry chef, was honored to have made it through the previous weeks and to compete in the final.
The final showpiece challenge would be the most difficult yet, made all the more difficult due to the whole show taking place during Progress Day. A massive tent was raised outside of the Academy Hall, and viewing stands arranged around it.
It was down to only the three chefs now. Herself, the famous pastry chef at the legendary Councilor’s Emporium. Jayce Talis, the genius who made cakes in his spare time inventing new near-magical devices. And the dark horse, Violet from the Lanes.
Caitlyn Kiramman hasn't eaten at a food truck once in her entire life. Despite the rise and interest in the mobile kitchens, she had zero interest in changing her habits now.
Besides, why would she? She had the very best of Piltovan cuisine, right there at her fingertips.
Caitlyn was the Second Pastry chef at The Councilor’s Emporium, the greatest culinary experience in the city. She had ascended through the ranks of other chefs, cooks and bakers to become the Emporium’s second most senior pastry maker. She filled her days with Piltover turnovers, croissants, rolls, and custom cakes of incredible size and detail.
She hadn’t eaten anywhere but at the Emporium and, rarely, at home for years. She had no need to try the new trend of mobile meals. So when she was accepted to the Piltover Progress Day Baking Extravaganza, the biggest surprise by far was Vi.
She owned and operated a food truck, an original model she had restored herself. Making the rounds from the Lanes along the river Pilt and up to the academy, she also attended every major concert and event. Selling pastries both sweet and savory, perfect for meals at any time of day, her rolling kitchen decked out in graffiti-like art was the most iconic of the new fleet of food trucks. The Undercity Eats had been featured on most of the food pages in the city papers, always with its short haired, wisecracking owner alongside it.
Councilors Bolbok and Salo, owners of the Emporium, had no shortage of comments on the new trend, from the trucks themselves to the moral and social degradation of Piltover they implied. But Caitlyn’s experience here with Vi had disabused her of any illusions.
She was a marvelously talented baker, but Vi was so much more. There was no setback that seemed so bad that Vi couldn’t disarm it with a quip and a sarcastic half smile. More than once Caitlyn had nearly been in tears due to a mistake or comment from the judges, only to have Vi chime in and relieve her mood. Not all of her rounds worked perfectly, but the creative bent and unflagging energy Vi imparted spurred Caitlyn on round after round.
The other competitors had all been Caitlyn’s peers; one was a junior pastry chef at the Emporium, and two of them even from her family’s restaurant. But the Zaunite attendee was a food truck chef, and it wasn't hard to see the light disdain and snide comments from the competitors and organizers alike.
And yet… there was something about her. She crushed the first round with a set of boysenberry scones that equaled Caitlyn’s peach ones for flakiness, and pulled off turnovers that astounded the judges. Who would have thought to put cheddar cheese and apple together? The judges couldn't get enough.
Through the following seven weeks leading up to Progress Day Vi’s ingenuity and impeccable use of time sailed her through the rounds before the final, though Vi had yet to outright win any particular round. She and Caitlyn had baked at adjacent stations for long enough that Caitlyn had begun to enjoy and anticipate her joyful banter. The rest of the contestants had found Vi’s chatter grating, but the woman’s humming and slightly rowdy jokes had kept Caitlyn’s mood up through even the longest days.
Vi had even saddled her with the nickname ‘Cupcake’ after Caitlyn had baked a particularly disastrous batch of cupcakes, salvaged only at the last minute by turning them into cake pops. The producers had even approached Vi about dropping it, but Caitlyn had insisted the nickname stay. She loved the whimsy of it, and the way Vi would say “Careful, that’s hot Cupcake” as an inside joke whenever she took something from the oven warmed her heart every time.
Caitlyn had needed that warmth in the stressful and cutthroat competition. Week by week, the contestants were whittled down. One by one, each was eliminated until at last, only three remained.
And now it was the Final, on the Day of Progress itself.
Caitlyn entered the tent in her chef’s white apron and hat, waving to the assembled crowd. The crowd honored her with the same polite applause that had greeted Jayce.
Then Vi was announced and strolled in with her usual half smile and confident stride. Most of the crowd did not cheer, but a small group shouted and hooted so loudly it more than compensated. Caitlyn felt a touch of jealousy. Her family was in attendance, but would never have been so riled up.
For the first challenge, each contestant had to create a tray of pastries, which would provide refreshment for the crew once they were tasted by the three judges. Councilors Shoola, Medarda, and Heimerdinger were the selected three for this final round.
Caitlyn chose to create the traditional Piltover rolls, with a cherry glaze.
“Scrumptious!” Heimerdinger exclaimed.
“Excellent!” Shoola complimented her rolls as she tore another chunk. “Perfect browning on the edges, perfect drizzle.”
“Indeed,” Mel said, as she finished her bite. “But I believe I’ve had this roll before, even down to the style of drizzle. It’s perfect, but it’s not new.”
Caitlyn nodded. It was fair, because she had made them a thousand times, at least. For that matter, most of the items Caitlyn baked she had made a thousand times. Why risk the competition trying something new, something that might fail.
Jayce made a mix of croissants with different fruit filling, dusted with either powdered sugar. The judges ate them with relish, but had little else to say.
Vi had made a set of quiches. The small round pastries held a chocolate hazelnut spread, with a topping of crumbled and toasted sausage. The judges were barely willing to try it at first. It was only after Medarda had taken a bite and exclaimed its ingenuity and taste that the rest joined in.
“You’ve impressed us all again,” Mel favored Vi with a full smile. “I should have anticipated you’d come out with a brilliant left field flavor combination once more.”
“It's incredible!” Heimerdinger exclaimed. “It tastes like salted caramel, only with a fine smoky aftertaste.”
“That’s the smoked element in the sausage coming out.” Vi explained.
“Well done Miss Lane!” Shoola nodded to her, before taking another bite.
Then, as the sun climbed in the sky and more viewers crowded into the square, the final round was announced. Each of the final three contestants were tasked with making a single massive cake, which would be judged, then shared out amongst the assembled crowds. At least the audience was behaving themselves, though there were a number of people with Vi’s name on shirts and banners. That part of the crowd was barely on the side of decorum, yelling and cheering for her at every turn.
Caitlyn carefully added the decorations to the top half of her cake, delicately brushing on the coloring to add to the royal icing. The cake was magnificent, a seven-tiered confection. But despite everything going well, she felt there was something missing today.
She glanced over and checked on time, letting out a sigh. The size of the tent and the hum of the crowd meant she couldn’t keep up her usual rounds of banter with Vi. But as she looked over at the pink haired baker take a cake from the oven, Vi caught her eye and winked.
Caitlyn blushed and returned to her decorating.
Caitlyn continued adding small golden circles to the side of her cake along the clean line to symbolize the windows. She had decided on doing a rendition of the vast Academy Hall. Vanilla sponge cake with a cherry soak and rich buttercream formed the base, while white chocolate decorations and royal icing formed the details. Gold leaf was generously sprinkled on the cake, forming the accents for the actual gilding on the archways of the Academy.
Jayce had gone for chocolate, of course. He had made a chocolate cake with six types of filling, and had gone for height. It was ambitious… too ambitious. He’d gone too high, and the tall narrow tower he’d created, a perfect replica of the Hexgate tower that now dominated the city skyline, was leaning noticeably.
And Vi… What was Vi doing? She’d gone for the darkest color palette of all, black and greens and browns. It looked like she was doing a cliff, with various features jutting out on all sides. But Caitlyn was already thinking about tasting the confection. She’d seen the lengths Vi had gone to, the insane mess of steps and different flavors. At first it had all seemed impossible, that even the lengthy time would prove far too short for such an ambitious project. And yet…
It stood over two feet high and almost three feet long, wider on the base than the top. Nine sponges in alternating bands made up the interior, coffee, butterscotch, and vanilla. The filling was alternating layers of caramel ganache and a gooey redberry jam. Vi had mixed an astounding amount of icing, and seemed intent on using it all, as well as numerous small decorations of modeling chocolate and bits of caramelized fruit.
Just like Caitlyn, Vi had refused to touch fondant. One more thing she respected the other baker for.
Soon their allotted hours slid by with shocking speed. Caitlyn wiped sweat from her brow with a loose cloth, examining her cake one final time as the buzzer sounded. Despite the incredible intricacies of the designs, each contestant managed to finish.
The three chefs were introduced again, this time to the much larger crowd surrounding the stage outside the academy. “Our contestants were asked to create a cake in the shape of a part of our city, with a figure representing them somewhere on the cake!” Seraphine explained the challenge. “Now, for the first contestant!”
“Jayce Talis”, announced Seraphine. “Owner and baker at the HexCake, where he creates new and interesting pastries and confessions in between his time working as a researcher at the academy!”
Jayce stepped forward, brushing off a spot of flour from his white jacket, and spoke. “Judges, today I have baked for you a chocolate cake with a variety of coffee, jam, brandy, and peanut butter fillings, decorated in the shape of the Hexgate.”
“Pardon,” Heimerdinger said, examining the cake tower. “But I don't recall the Hexgate Tower leaning quite so badly.”
Jayce put his hand to the back of his neck. “Well, the interior layers didn't hold up as well as I expected,” he said jokingly.
“It’s delicious Jayce,” Shoola beamed.
“It is, but the different fillings didn't always mesh very well,” Mel said, arching an eyebrow. “Brandy and peanut butter don’t truly mix.”
Jayce nodded and accepted the comments, then walked back to his station.
“From Caitlyn Kiramman,” Seraphine announced. “Pastry chef for the Councilor’s Emporium!”
Caitlyn stepped up to the front of the judging stand, feeling hundreds of eyes on her.
“Judges, today I have made for you a vanilla sponge cake infused with alternating layers of chai and matcha tea, with a light rose buttercream, decorated in the shape of our own marvelous academy,” she finished by waving an arm up at the vast marble building behind the stage.
“Your flavors are astounding, Caitlyn,” Mel Medarda complimented her.
“Agreed,” Shoola added with a smile. “Delicate but balanced flavors and a wonderful example of Ionian flavors combined with Piltover techniques.”
“And a stunning recreation of our wonderful Academy!” Heimderdinger said. “How did you get the stained glass effect so precise?”
“I used melted sugar with food coloring to create the panes, then poured out small amounts into a premade form to create the exact size and shape I needed.” Caitlyn answered, smiling as she thought back. She had learned it watching Vi do the exact same trick a few rounds before.
“Thank you Caitlyn,” Mel told her as she walked back to her station amid applause. Vi gave her a thumbs up and Caitlyn returned it with a blush.
Seraphine waited for the crowd to quiet before calling the last contestant. “And from Violet, owner of the food truck, The Undercity Eats!”
Vi stepped forward and gestured at her cake. “Today, I created a three later cake, with alternating fillings. Coffee, Chocolate, and Vanilla sponge with Jam and ganache, all in a depiction of the Undercity in cross section.”
“I’m not entirely certain what I’m looking at?” Medarda started, putting words to the confusion the other judges, and no small number of onlookers, felt. The cake resembled nothing so much as a cliff of black icing, with the sides covered in a visual cacophony of colors and items.
“I figured this would require some explaining.” Vi said as she stepped next to the cake. “I did the entire Undercity. Not one building or one part, but the entire thing. The challenge was a part of the city. Well, in my food truck, I get to see a lot of the city, so I created what I see every day. The Undercity. Let’s start here, in the Promenade…” And Vi started to guide the judges through the parts and pieces of her cake.
At first, the judges found it entirely too busy and messy, but as Vi pointed out each part and what it meant, Caitlyn started to see it. How she'd chosen her colors not to necessarily match or flow artistically but to be faithful to her birthplace. The gardens of the Promenade were there, the plants rendered with small pieces of colored modeling chocolate. The factories, the grays and golds and pinks all represented, smoke made from spun sugar rising from vents of cookie. Row houses made from chocolate with irregular sugar glass windows lined the lower part of the cake.
Vi had even hollowed out mines into the base of the cake for the deepest fissures. At the bottom of the cake, near the gray icing forming the Sump, she had placed two figures, her own and that of a blue haired little girl. It was nearly invisible, which almost docked her points, since it was part of the brief. To make a figure of themselves and place it within the cake.
Caitlyn had placed her figure in the highest window, and Jayce's figure was looking out over the balcony of the Hexgate. But Vi didn't place herself as the centerpiece, as the hero of the story. Vi was just where she had begun.
It melted Caitlyn's heart.
“It’s a delicious cake,” Shoola began. “But I think the decoration was a bit too ambitious.”
“I enjoyed it,” Heimderdinger said. “It was very educational!”
“It was at that,” Mel added. “But we asked for a cake, not a crash course. Your flavors were bold though, and the cake one of the best I’ve ever tasted.”
Vi nodded her thanks and walked over to her station, amid a mix of polite applause and raucous cheering.
Caitlyn won, of course. She accepted the prize and made her little speech with a broad smile. But despite the assurances from Mel and Heimerdinger, she simply could not shake the worry that her name had bent the odds in her favor just the tiniest bit.
However, watching the crowd dig into the vast cakes, Caitlyn felt a sense of triumph. A few of the children even started a minor food fight.
As the last of the ceremonies concluded, Caitlyn went to find Violet. She found Vi stashing the runner up trophy in a bag and getting ready to join her family.
“Ahem,” Catilyn said, and Vi halted. She turned and smiled at Cait. “Come to say goodbye Cupcake?”
“I really wanted to congratulate you,” Caitlyn said, lifting a finger to tuck a flyaway strand of her hair away.
“You already did,” Vi said quizzically. “Along with Mister Man of Progress when we smiled for those photos?”
“Well, that was for the cameras and the crowds,” Caitlyn said. “I was worried you didn't think I was genuine.”
A smile graced Vi's lips. “Well, thanks Cupcake. You really did an amazing job.”
“Oh, hush.” Caitlyn returned. “I would have been out week 3 if Dylan hadn't burned her tarts and placed herself last.”
“One mistake,” Vi shrugged.
“But you didn't make any,” Caitlyn pointed out. “You deserved that trophy, not me.”
“Don’t say that about yourself, you’re an insanely talented baker Cupcake. And me, eh, I'm not torn up about second place.” Vi shrugged again. “The publicity has been amazing for The Last Drop, and the Undercity Eats. I'm planning to use the boost to start my own bakery. A couple of councilors have even asked if I was taking investments.”
“Would you have room for another chef?” Caitlyn asked.
Vi almost dropped her bag. “Aren't you at that fancy little topsider place?”
“What if I don't want to make perfect little replicas of the same recipes?” Caitlyn asked. “This competition, it has been the most fun I've had for years and so much of it was you. Your chaos. Your talent, your humor, your spontaneity. If you'll have me, I'd love to make a mess in your kitchen.”
Vi looked stunned for a long moment, then broke into a lopsided grin and shook her head.
“And here I was thinking of ways to invite you out my way. Well, Cupcake, what can I say?” Vi’s smile grew wider. “You’re welcome to create chaos in my kitchen anytime you want.”
