((reviving this acc and verse if it's the last thing i do.

[Decorating her Animal Crossing island. Bopping her head to "BUBBLEGUM KK", tuning her hearing aid a little bit as she listens. . . Intense focus!]

'It's not too sweet, is it? Red velvet's kind of supposed to be subtle.' [She asks, once he's had two opinions on the batter's taste, as she's smoothing out the batter on the baking sheet. She had to be very careful. Roll cakes had to be thin enough to roll up, but not thin enough to break.]

'Knightbrace ran up on me. . . But then I remembered I could just fry his metal equipment. That's all.' [Her knees did hurt. She hadn't really noticed until now.] 'Better than running into my dad or mom right now, I guess. They would do worse than clean my teeth.' [Aww.]

[She lifts her head, slow blinking. Through slightly blurry and tired vision... she sees her savior. She pulls herself off the couch, and sits up.] 'Hey, Numbuh 2. . . How's your night?' [A yawn, as she signs with both hands, though it seems her right leg is scraped up quite a bit in the knees.]

[Gretchen looks around, opening cabinets and drawers, finding what she needs. She washes her hands quickly, and is soon off to the races, working at her own speed, even with Hoagie right there. At some point, while she's scooping the red velvet batter out of the mixing bowl, she signs for Hoagie.]

[Got back from a patrol. . . collapses onto the couch. Tired, and maybe a little injured? Seems she ran into some villains. . .]

[Gretchen takes a deep breath, and nods.] 'I just need to make sure I have the ingredients, if not, I'll go pick them up.' [She makes her way to the kitchen, opening the cookbook to the dog-eared page and starts gathering what she'll need.]

[Watching Magical Girl anime by herself on her phone. . . ]

[She considers it, eyes cast to the side in a slight embarrassment.] 'I... am not sure. Last time I tried to bake for an audience... I had a total nervous fit. . . but, maybe if it's you, I won't feel so bad? I trust you with every fiber of my being! ! !'

'Your wish shall be granted, then!' [She closes the book on the doggy eared page with her hands, and tucks the tome under her arm.] 'Give me,' [Counting on fingers for a second.] '2 hours and 45 minutes.'

[She flips to a dog eared page, pointing to a roll cake in red velvet, with buttercream icing, strawberries, and chocolate sandwich cookies.] 'This one slaps harder than Count Spankalot, heavy recommendation on this one.'

'May I make a recommendation, if you're considering going the cake route?' [She interjects, and, yes, she realizes the point Numbuh 2 makes about Nigel is pretty accurate.]

💭What is going on over there...?

'Numbuh 2, relax. I bake for fun! It calms me down when I'm in duress. . . but.. maybe it'd help for you to look through the old recipe book?' [She skitters off to the kitchen, and comes back with that pretty sick looking cook book.] 'The first section is on, blech, coffee desserts, so ++

[She goes quiet and signless for a moment.] . . . 'Hey. If you give me a few hours, I'll make you whatever you want for dessert tonight. What would you like? If it's in my mom's recipe book, and I have the stuff, I'll make it.' [Oh?]

[Nodding.] 'We didn't have any more of the blue cupcakes, so I made this one to replace the one Wally ate. I'm sorry he did that, I know not to trust him with sweets now. But, I hope this is okay to replace it.' [She explains once it's out of her hands and into Kuki's.]

[With no signing needed, Gretchen pulls hands out from behind her back, revealing the extra large cupcake decorated with a little sculpted edible rainbow monkey on it. Frosted with rainbow colored icing. . . the edible RBM is a little off, but Gretchen did her best.]

[Once things calm down a bit, she's knocking on the wall next to @numbuh-3.bsky.social 's room. Is she okay? Gretchen has once again spent HOURS working on something. . .]

☺️

'All he had to do was not eat the dang other cupcake!' [This environment has her stressed out (well, even more). She's back into the kitchen, seeing if there is a cupcake left for Kuki, but there isn't. She'll save her some kitty cookies and something extra.]

'I know. I told him to give one to her, and he ate his AND her's? It's like he HAS a death wish. Jeez. . .' [Rolling her eyes in a joking manner, as she nibbles into one of those cookies. Wow. She nailed it.]

[Signing to @numbuh-2.bsky.social and Numbuh 5.] 'You guys wanna watch Kuki beat the snot out of Wally for eating her cupcake with me? I made vanilla kitty cookies.' [Holding the platter.]

[The realization does make Gretchen upset, but she knows Kuki can handle herself, especially when it comes to Numbuh 4.] 'I'll make it up to you, I promise. I think I might have an extra cupcake still left over, I hope that's fine. . .' [She signs, shoulders slumped.]

[SHE'S SCARED, OKAY? SHE'S STRESSED ENOUGH AS IT IS!]

'Kuki, you got one! But gave it to Wally to give to you, you weren't around when I was giving them out. Are you telling me he didn't give you your cupcake!?' [Eye twitch. Oh, that aussie's dead.]

[Or the Batterwitch that has taken residence in her stepmother's body.]

'. . . Kuki. You have to eat them. . . I made them for eating.' [Worried all of a sudden that Kuki didn't like her cupcake or something and she's using "too cute to eat" as an excuse...oh god.] 'Was the cupcake bad? Did Numbuh 2 lie to me?' [ :( ]

[The drone flies off. An idea hits Constance, though. Maybe Gretchen wouldn't mind the formerly delightful child eating them in the deaf girl's walk in closet? It's huge and she can hide the box in there?]

[She's luckily taking a break when Kuki shakes her and shrieks like a banshee. She gives Kuki a thumbs up in confirmation. They're all sorts of different colors, like calico cats but blue and green and pink. . . They smell pleasantly vanilla.] 'They are still cooling.' [A warning.]

[As if God willed it, something taps against the window. It's a large, 2X4 tech drone carrying a box. The box has a note.] 'Hang in there, fam. --Gretchen' [She's never been good with writing notes to people. Inside the box are like 24 cat shaped cookies.]

[Oh, she saw those recently! Try in between the couch cushions! But, Gretchen's making some cookies in a specific shape. There's already some done, since she once again futzed with the recipe to make more so nobody in the treehouse misses out.]

[She's stress baking. She has PLENTY to be stressed about, to be fair. . .]

[She takes a few deep breaths, trying to clear her head before she does something stupid and reckless, but the electricity seems to be fueling them.] . . . 'I'll keep cooking something up. Thanks for the intel, as upsetting as it is.' [Her hand shake as she signs.]

[Reading every sign very carefully. She looks like her emotions were barely being held in by a flimsy floodgate. Electricity crackles around her now clenched fists. She signs, almost eerily calm to her stepsister.] '. . . So she's gone.' [She couldn't have concocted a worse nightmare, even ++

'Spill the tea, stepsis.' [She'd sit down, backpack placed between legs to hunch over and lean on.] 'I know he did something to my mamma, but.. Numbuh 1's been keeping it a secret. . . Is it really that bad, Connie?'

[She seems elated, till the joke comes out. It takes her a second to process, but she offers a giggly groan of realization and acceptance that he just pun'd.] 'Heh. Yeah, there's quite a few left! I made...too many.' [Looking away, almost embarrassed. She always overloads on recipes.]

[Nodding.] 'Yeah. Safe. You look like crud, though. You just-- woke up, huh?' [Woke up... yeah, let's word it like that. Gretchen reaches into her backpack, and pulls out a single cupcake.] 'Here, since you've probably been devoid of sugar since you live with the bastard.' [Father.]

[. . . Seeing Constance by herself nearby. She makes a subtle move, trying to get her attention. ]

[She giggles even more, seeming elated that he likes it.] 'I'm so glad you like it, Numbuh 2. Was kinda worried they'd get burnt or be terrible in general!' [She is saving the very last one for herself, so she's happy that they're at least Hogarth-approved.] 'Do you think the new recruit ++

[Hands him the cupcake coated in blue frosting as if presenting the crown to the king of the realm. Dramatically, of course.] 'Your cupcake, m'lord~' [Wow, she seems a little chipper, more so than usual! She even lets out an airy giggle.]

'.. . . More recruits?'

[Dropping cupcakes off with everyone. Numbuh 1's is left in his room on a table, and now she's off to get @numbuh-2.bsky.social 's! She enters his large, spacious loading bay of a room. He seems to be working on something. . . She knocks on the wall to get his attention.]

[Ding. Cupcakes are cooled! She's scooping out the insides with a scoop, and putting raw cookie dough balls inside. Then, she covers up the top with the top of the cupcake and frosting. She looks proudly at her work, chest filled with a sense of accomplishment! ♡]

[ Staring over at Numbuhs 2 & 4. . . Whaddahell are they staring at each other for...]

[Don't tell anyone there's cookie dough in the cupcakes, it's supposed to be a surprise!]

[Sic-ing Numbuh 5 on him might have to be it. . . the cupcakes need to cool, then she needs to scoop out the insides to put cookie dough in her pastries...]

[I mean, she could, but her dessert will burn in the oven if she leaves it too long...]

[Her "kick Numbuh 4's ass" sense is tingling.]

'It's alright, I suppose you smelled my baking, I should have expected to be interrupted!' [She offers a gentle smile, but it drops at the next question.] 'Don't-- don't worry about it. . . Don't wanna overwork our power grid hamsters anymore than needed, I guess...'