《Filthy Casual》 Pandoras box The hole was deep. Deeper than necessary for a gerbil, but Penny was lost in thought by that point. Mindless of the dirt on her knees and under nails as the trowel sunk into the earth. That was until it hit something solid with a thunk. Bringing her mind back to the current activity, burying her sisters beloved Kiwi before she noticed the rodent had been replaced with an identical. Penny tapped at the obstruction, working at the soil around it, and eventually managed to pull it free. Although too caked in mud to identify, it was too light not to be hollow and something inside rattled. Suddenly curious she quickly finished her task. Bidding the pet a final farewell as she patted the soil down and attempted to make it look like no one had dug there at all. "Goodbye, kiwi number two, you were a good gerbil, only bit me twice and Macy loves you lots. Sorry she''s not here to send you off but she''d be upset if she knew you were gone. You wouldn''t want her to cry, right? Its better this way." Picking up the mysterious object, Penny started walking towards the house. "Thanks for a good two years, I''ll miss you"You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author. Turning on the hose and blasting it full force revealed a plain wooden box, sealed shut with a tiny padlock reminiscent of the one Penny herself once placed on childhood diaries. Rummaging inside their shed she found an old toolbox no one had used since they removed Macy''s bike stabilisers. Penny pulled out a flat screwdriver and tried to pick it open, and when that failed after a few attempts, used it to break the lock. The box was still stubborn. Moving ever so slowly open in bursts as she pried the lid between both hands. With a screech, the rusty hinges snapped. Two separate parts clattering to the floor as it''s contents skidded across the work bench, and stopped abruptly at the edge. "Weird marble." It rolled towards the middle. Almost seeming to float. There were no imperfections in the glass, and it practically glowed a neon orange when the sun hit it just right. Penny positioned her hand to catch the marble as it rolled. The moment it touched her skin the worst headache she had ever experienced attacked her mind. Clutching her head, she yelped. Moving into the fetal position while groaning. Strange images entering her mind, too fast to process and glitching across her vision even with her eyes closed. [Initialisation...87%] [Download Complete] [Reboot to start] Game on [Welcome Gamer] "What the fuck?" Penny bolted upright, hitting her head with a meaty smack upon the edge of their old coffee table. "Son of a bitch" [-2HP] "That is not normal. What the hell is happening to me?" The pain receded much quicker than it should have, before she could even touch her forehead to assess the damage "ok, ok, don''t panic, baby steps" She slowly made her way to her feet. Pulling out her phone and checking the time, 08:32. "that puts me out of it for about ten minutes" Speed walking into the house, she went to check her forehead for any bumps in the bathroom mirror, only to reel back and hide behind the door as a line of text appeared above her head. [Lv1][N/A] "Why is this happening?" "What are you doing?" Jolting backward, Penny jerked towards Macy, her mouth hung open like a fish, searching for an answer that didn''t make her sound like a total head case. "When you''re done being weird, I really need to pee" "I saw a spider" "Oh. I can hold it" She joined her sister in hiding behind the door, waiting patiently for all of three seconds, "well, aren''t you going to smush it?" "Why would I?" "You''re the oldest" "That doesn''t mean I should smush it. Spiders eat all the nasty things that bite, although terrifying they are our friends" "You''re just saying what dad does" "Well, he''s right" "Well, I still want it dead" "Well, I want never gets" "Well, I''m telling mom you put it there on purpose to scare me" "Well... Alright fine. I''ll take it outside." "That isn''t smushed" "Learn to compromise" Penny stated with a sigh, beginning her search for the imaginary spider. "Uh-oh" "Uh-oh? What''s with the uh-oh?" "I can''t find it. Must have got away whilst we were arguing" "What?" Macy whined "I can''t be in the same room as that thing" Penny shrugged "then I guess you''re gonna be waiting a long time. Don''t think of a dripping tap" Stamping her foot, Macy barged past her sister with a long suffering growl "you''re the worst" slamming the bathroom door behind her. Waiting until she was safe in her room, and out of earshot Penny slumped onto her bed letting out an unladylike snort. Placing her hand over her eyes she forced her muscles to relax, breathing deeply as she let her mind wander, slowly becoming silent, and for the briefest of moments, all was right in the world. [New skill[[Meditation][LV1] "Oh, fuck you" "You said a bad word" drifted in a muffled voice. "Shut up. Or the spiders going in your bed" "Mom!" "Mom isn''t even here, she had to work early" Pinching the bridge of the bridge of her nose tightly as Macy''s footsteps thundered down the hall, the house becoming silent save for ticking from the ugly cuckoo clock. It had been passed onto them by a distant relative who didn''t want it. I understand dad''s a hoarder who can''t throw anything away, but did he really have to put it up right outside my room? As the tension in her body began to relax, she listened beyond its metronome, picking up on the tapping of mobile buttons followed by a dial tone "Wait, Macy, are you actually calling mom?" She huffed to herself silently, unable to find her previous peace of mind "Unbelievable" Miffed, Penny swung her Legs over the purple duvet, leaning over the bedside to grab her makeup box that resided under it. Placing it next to her and pulling out a mirror. [LV1][N/A] She hummed, tilting her head and bobbing it like an owl as the line of text followed her about. There hasn''t been recorded gamer for over two centuries I probably shouldn''t mention this... Ever. Putting the box away she flopped back down with a sigh. Some of the people from those stories are ridiculous. If I''m truly a gamer I need to be careful, probably end up as some sort of military experiment otherwise. No fancy magic bulshit.This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there. "Please don''t be a hallucination" Making her way to the bathroom, since it was the only room in the house with an inside lock, penny bolted the door and began running the shower. She didn''t climb in, instead leaning on the rim of the porcelain sink, staring at her reflection, or rather the text above it while she whispered a series of commands. "Inventory? Options? Menu? Status?" Name: Penny connells Title: None Level 10/100 HP: 23/25 MP: 25/25 VIT: 5 STR: 5 DEX: 5 PER: 5 INT: 5 WIS: 5 CHA: 5 LUK: 5 Unspent Points: 0 Status effects: N/A "Skills?" [Meditation][LV1][Restores 5% of MP per minute][Requires to be still and focused] "Is that seriously it...?" She whisper yelled "That''s bullshit, so stingy" Macy banged on the door, a whiny edge in her tone as she fought to be heard over the running water "Mom wants to talk with you" Quickly stripping to dodge a bullet Penny clambered into the tub, closing the shower curtain with a plethora of noise. "I''m in the shower!" Determined to use up all the hot water, and ignoring her sisters demands, Penny waited a solid ten minutes under the water, until a thick steam clouded the room before lathering her hair with apple scented shampoo. The slight pain that came with being a little too forceful on her scalp was comforting. The mutterings about "pain in the ass siblings" although drowned out by the shower, were cathartic. Waiting until long after she could no longer hear Macy, she finally stepped out, towel drying her hair, only to stop stock still when another message popped into her vision. [New skill][Hygiene LV1] Scrutinizing the pop up in her mind''s eye brought up more information. [5% increase speed to self hygiene] The frown didn''t leave her face even as the text faded from her vision, and she returned to roughly drying her hair. "Looks like we''re starting with the absolute basics then" wrapping it up in a towel turbine before returning to her room, getting dressed in her usual house attire. An oversized shirt and leggings in earthy colours. Double looping her hair in a band, she grinned to herself as a jittery anticipation settled in her stomach. Bolting down the stairs and into the kitchen. Quickly washing her hands, Penny bounced on her toes as she looked into the fridge, pulling out draws rapidly. Her grin starting to slip as she landed on the balls of her feet with a sigh. Her father was on another one of his health kicks. "Chicken salad it is then?" Grabbing a bit of everything and placing it on the counter with more force than necessary, she retrieved all the needed tools, organising them in a way that made sense in her head, before she began hacking away at the chicken breast. [New tab unlocked][Crafting][New crafting skill][Cooking: Food preparation LV1][5% increased accuracy while preparing food] She jumped, an odd pressure in her head as if someone had just poked it, taking her off guard. She rubbed at the spot, stepping back to stare at her knife and then the cutting board. "It suddenly occurred to me I should be using a plastic, not wooden chopping board for meat" Transfering the chicken onto said plastic board she left the wooden one to soak in hot water and washing up liquid, then continued her task. Cooking, once a loathsome chore, especially when she didn''t like what she was making, was suddenly all she could think about. So she chopped, enough for herself, Macy, her parents and then some. Heating up the wok and putting in more oil than was probably necessary. Scraping the chicken in she gave it a quick stir. [New crafting skill][Cooking: Stir frying LV1][5% improve taste] Before turning to the sink with a groan that quickly grew contemplating. [New crafting skill] [Dovetailing LV1][5% better time management] [New skill][Cleaning: Washing up][5% increased speed] "How am I going to keep track of everything?" Biting her lip Penny kept her eyes on the washing bowl, refusing to acknowledge anything but the task that was currently on hand. Returning to the chicken to keep it even, removing the plastic coating on the salad items, before she began chopping, throwing chunks of cucumber, lettuce and tomatoes into the largest bowl they owned. Halfway through with her last item, [Skill up][Cooking: Food preparation Lv2][10% increased accuracy while prepairing food] Penny sighed heavily, face palming and hitting nearly herself with the knife. "I should have rinsed it first. Shit. Too late now" Returning to the chicken, stirring it a little before spearing one of the larger chunks, looking for anything pink. Once satisfied she at least wasn''t going to make anyone sick she transferred it to tupperware, allowing it to cool. [Skill up][Cooking: Stir frying Lv2][10% improved taste] "Why didn''t I flavour this? There''s garlic right there" scowling as she busied herself with cleaning up. At least in this task she wasn''t making any silly mistakes. [Skill up][Cleaning: Washing up Lv2][ 10% increased speed] "Wait, stacking everything like that causes water marks." Five minutes later found her sitting at the kitchen table, drawing circles into the wooden surface with her index finger. Sipping a cup of tea. Trying to figure out why everything had gone so wrong. The cuckoo clock chimed mid day, causing Penny to grit her teeth and prompting Macy to trot into the kitchen for lunch. Deciding food was more important than her ire for her sister, Macy scanned the fridge in a similar fashion to what Penny had early. Deflating, she shut the door and noticed the countertop. "Can I have some of this?" "Knock yourself out" Plating herself some salad she sat opposite to Penny before taking a hesitant bite. "Hu." "Hu?" Her eyes previous glued to the table now scrutinizing Macy''s expression. "This isn''t actually that bad, way better than your last try" Biting the inside of her cheek, Penny searched for any signs of mocking before finally slipping a smile, "thanks" tension falling from her shoulders as she stood up from the chair, it''s legs screeching unpleasantly against the tiles. Finally mixing in the cooled chicken, spearing a bite from the bowl. she''s right it''s better. [New crafting recipe unlocked] [Chicken salad][Recipe complete][Quality:Poor][Made by: Penny Connells] Just how bad was I before? "you want any more of this before I put it away?" "I''m good" Slowly Penny got to work, pacing herself so that by the time she had finished cling filming her work and clearing the countertop Macy would be finished so she could wash the plate. [Skill up][Dovetailing Lv2][10% better time management] "I might do this more often. I want to get good at it" [New tab: Missions unlocked][New Mission: Get Good][Get any cooking skill to Lv10][Reward: 50xp][Failure: None] Macy, oblivious to the message merely nodded her head before heading back upstairs "sounds like a plan" Pausing halfway up to shout down "before I forget, mom told me to ask you to help out at the cafe. Joe called in sick and she''s getting swamped" and so the grind starts By the time Penny had thrown on an outfit she deemed appropriate for working in, and was ready to leave the house Macy had laid claim to the lounge. As she made her way to the front door Penny had just enough time to catch the image of a yellow sponge before the channel changed to something a little more ''grown up''. Macy turned towards her as if she had just been caught doing something she shouldn''t, But what came out of her mouth wasn''t the embarrassed denial Penny was expecting "Wait, you''re actually going? And like that?" "I had nothing planned today anyway" the bakery has got to be the best place to complete that mission "and what do you mean ''and like that'' hu?" Moving her fingers in air quotes. "Seriously? I really have to explain this to you?" "Macy, I''ll listen to your criticism when you learn to wear matching socks" "Hey, they''re supposed to be like that. It''s fashionable" She stood from the sofa abruptly, reaching out to run her fingers through Pennys still wet hair "that''s besides the point anyways. I can help" "I''m good, but thanks" "Please? I don''t get to practice much" Pennys shoulders sagged as she looked towards the ceiling with an expression of suffering. "This had better not take long." "Eh, what''s a half hour?" Sprinting up the stairs "you sit right there, I''ll be back." Obediently Penny took her sisters previous spot, right next to where she had placed Kiwi number threes cage, positioned so the gerbil had the best view of the television. Penny tried and failed to suppress a snort at the sight. Re-entering the room with her hair dryer and Penny''s make up box, Macy untied her sisters hair and began untangling it. "How is it you knew exactly where my make up was? You been using it again?" The hair dryer conveniently cut off this line of questioning, and deciding it was too much of a hassle to pursue, Penny dropped it. Her hair although thick and medium length didn''t take long to dry. Macy had done this many times before and worked the brown locks into loose curls that covered Pennys too large ears, and nearly swamped her eyes. Once satisfied Macy started applying foundation, covering up her freckles and creating an even almond tone. "Purple or blue? Maybe green" Macyheld up the eyeshadow "they all go good for brown eyes" "How about natural?" "You''re so boring" "You choose then" "All the colours?" "Green." Penny studied her sister as she worked, they had similar bone structure, diamond shaped faces, high cheekbones and dimpled chins. Doesn''t have my ears thankfully Both button nosed and baby faced with a little bit more than baby fat but that was where the similarities stopped. Penny''s hair was brown, thick and refused to be tamed for long, Macy''s was fair, strawberry blonde and straight. Pennys brown eyes held an intense gaze that some found hard to hold for long, while Macy''s blue were deep and soulful, the gap between her two front teeth made her look cute. Pennys large ears made her look awkward. Her skin was almond with a generous smattering of dark freckles, and Macys ivory skin only served to highlight her extreme eczema. Dry, red splotches covering her hands, neck, and mouth. Macy couldn''t wear it herself, so she did Penny''s makeup instead, and Penny despite hating the stuff could never bring herself to refuse a makeover when Macy wanted to give her one. "Ok you''re set to go" "Sweet, I''ll leave my keys here for you, don''t answer the door, mom and I should be back by 7pm" she walked towards the door. "You not even gonna check the mirror?" "I trust your judgement" "I''m not saying you shouldn''t but.." "I''m looking" She opened the compact mirror "oh wow, I didn''t recognise myself for a second there, you do good work" Finally, Penny managed to make her way outside, making sure Macy had locked the door before she started walking into town. Only to return five minutes later, banging on her front door. "I forgot my phone" "I''m not allowed to open the door" "That doesn''t apply to me, open the door" "You gotta ask nice" "You gotta me shitting me Macy" "Ask nice" "Please open the fucking door" A half hour later, a phone-less and sour faced Penny entered her mothers bakery. She wiped her feet on the mat in a scuffle, frowning at the muddy footprints on the beige lamination. Bypassing the long queue, she moved behind the counter, towards her rather harried looking mother. Amandas frown lines more prominent in the lightning and her usually keen blue eyes were dull with stress. An obvious expression of relief crossing her features as she spotted Penny making her way into the kitchen, washing her hands before putting on blue sanitary gloves and a hair net. The two of them worked on separate tills, slowly moving through the wave of customers, even as more walked in, or decided to move on after eyeing the queue. "Two sausage rolls" "One cheese and bean pasty, a pizza swirly, cinnamon roll and a hot chocolate please" "About time someone else got on the till, we''ve been waiting for ages. Cornish pasty and carrot cake." Penny did her best to make sure her fake smile never slipped. [New skill][Serving Lv1][5% increased speed while serving customers] "One of those cupcakes with the sugar paper and a black coffee please" One after another they continued to trickle in, and to the relief of both after 20 minutes the steady stream of people evened out, though never stopped, allowing a brief conversation between the two. "We ran out of croissants, I need to put in our next batch" Amanda began to retreat to the kitchen out back "I can do it" "Sorry Penny, I''m glad you''re taking an interest in the business and helping out today, but you have a tendency to burn things, and we don''t need a visit from the fire department." She patted her daughter''s shoulder, "shout if you need me" disappearing out of sight and leaving Penny in charge of serving customers. It wasn''t what Penny was hoping would happen when she allowed herself to be roped into working for free, but the usual irritation she would usually feel at the situation was drowned out by a sense of glee. Customer service sucked, of that there was no doubt in her mind, but gaining skills in just about anything was satisfying to an abnormal degree.Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more. [Skill up][Serving LV 2][10% increased speed while serving customers] Her smile subtly changed as a new self awareness entered mind, beginning to reach her eyes, appearing more genuine and was even in her voice as she bid people a good day. As a quiet spell defended upon the ''Queen of Tarts'' bakery, Penny didn''t pause, sneaking into the kitchen to where her mother was hastily wiping down countertops and wheeled tray stands as the oven worked. The heat hitting her full force as she walked through. [New skill][Heat resistance Lv1][immunity to temperatures 38-40¡ãc] "Can I help in here at all? I kind of want to learn" "Baking? This should be the last batch of today sorry honey, after this it''s just clean up and serving" "Oh" Pennys shoulders slumped ever so slightly "ok mom" At the tone, Amanda''s eyes traveled over to her, surprise on her features as she smiled "after we''ve closed up, if you want to stick around I''ll show you how to make croissant batter if you like" "Yeah I''d like that. Maybe, if it''s alright I can come in with you tomorrow morning too?" Amandas eyes welled up slightly as she beamed, abandoning her current chore to throw her arms around her daughter. "Oh Penny you don''t even have to ask, you''ve really made my day, it''ll be great to spend more time with you. I know you don''t like baking but I''m glad you''re deciding to give it another chance, I hope you learn to love it as much as me, but hey it''s ok if you don''t, I''m just glad you¡¯re trying" Hugging her back, Penny''s eyes widened in alarm at her mothers reaction "don''t cry mom" rubbing circles into her back in slight panic "I knew you were passionate but... hey do you smell burning" "Oh fudge" The brunette escaped back onto the shop floor when her mother was distracted. Serving a lone customer before she began busying herself with refilling the drinks chiller and crisps stand. Wiping counters and mopping the floor. [New skill][Cleaning: Mopping][5% increased speed when mopping floors] It was halfway through this task a young woman with bubblegum blue hair walked in. Contrasting sharply with her cherry lipstick. She smiled with too many teeth, and Penny didn''t bother telling her they were also smeared with lipstick. "Hello Tiffany." "You should really put a wet floor sign down before someone hurts themselves" "..." Unable to argue with this, since it was a good point Penny went to go grab said sign. "Isn''t anybody going to serve me?" Deliberately taking her sweet time Penny dragged the the floor sign out, placing it by the mop and bucket before returning to the till, devoid of her previous smile. "Safely first" "That''s alright, I dunno what I want yet anyways" twirling a strand of hair between her fingers. "Might I suggest the doughnuts? I hear they''re the best on the highstreet." Tiffanys eyes narrowed, lips pursing to resemble a dogs backside "I seriously doubt that, but if you want to put your money where your mouth is, the food court is holding a competition next week, I''ve already entered, I assume I''ll see you there, that''s if you''re up for a challenge?" [New mission: Mad batter][Defeat Tiffany at next week''s food court competition][bonus objective: ?][reward: 100xp, cooking skill tree][failure: Tiffanys insufferable gloating] "You''re so on" A sharp smile overtook her features, hands coming together in a satisfied arch as she hummed. "I''ll take one of those treacle tarts. Thanks, I''ll see you next week" Their hands briefly brushed against each other as Tiffany grabbed her treat and exited the building, the little bell on top of the door signalling her departure. Penny watched the retreat, chewing on the inside of her cheek as she slowly lowered her hand. "Shit" One final rush took over the bakery, Amanda once again having to jump on the till as they made their way through customers methodologically, and as the last one left shop the middle aged woman flipped the sign from open to closed. A sigh on her lips as the tension from her shoulders slipped. Giving the place a once over with her eyes Amanda smiled at her daughter and pulled her into a tight hug. "You really saved my bacon today" Penny only made a token effort to escape from her overly affectionate mother before giving into the hug, patting her back while muttering reassurances that it was no problem. After a moment she pulled back, leaving her hand upon her mothers shoulder as a serious look entered her eyes. "Tiffany may have roped me into this year''s food court competition" Amandas eyes widened as she grabbed onto the front of penny''s polo shirt, her voice taking on slightly higher pitch "you agreed to represent us?" "Maybe..." "You sure this is a good idea? I still remember the blender incident, the pancake batter massacre.. that one time you melted a spatula... And, and well, honey.. you''re sure about this?" "No" "But you already agreed" "Yes" "Well, I can''t say it was wise but I''ll support you regardless. If you''re representing the ''Queen of Tarts'' we better get started on your training. Come on we''ve only got 6 days to practice" [Skill up][Food preparation LV3][15% increased accuracy while preparing flood] Under the guidance of her mother Penny mixed the ingredients together. Plain flour and butter slowly becoming the consistency of bread crumbs between her finger tips. Amanda tipped a small amount of white fine powder into the bowl, gesturing for her daughter to continue her work when she looked up for guidance at the action. ¡°I like to add in a little bit of icing sugar to give it a little sweetness without becoming grainy.¡± She let Penny continue for a moment longer before signalling that that was enough, adding a little water to help bind the pastry. ¡°And that¡¯s how you make short pastry, nice work¡± ¡°Can you tell me the rough amounts we just used or?¡± ¡°Err, to be honest with you I¡¯ve been eyeballing the amounts I use for so long that I¡¯ve forgotten how much is supposed to be used, we have you nans old recipe books at home that I based these off of though if you want to take a look when we get home.¡± Penny nodded, rolling the pastry into a ball as she glanced back questioningly. ¡°Now what?¡± ¡°This needs to go in the fridge now, you wrap it up and put it in there while I get the batch I premade yesterday¡± Dutifully Penny followed these instructions with a focus she seldom achieved for such activities. ¡°Ok so now we lightly flour our work top, not too much now. Roll it out so its nice and thin, start from the middle. Yeah like that, now turn it a little bit and roll it again.¡± ¡°How am I gonna get this onto the tin though?¡± ¡°The trick is to roll it onto the pin and onto it like this see¡± Amanda temporarily took over the task to demonstrate her tequique, sending a smirk at Pennys disgruntled expression ¡°don¡¯t worry I have the feeling you¡¯ll get to be doing this alot in the near distant future. Press it in so its touching the sides¡± she passed the dish back ¡°ok so now we need a sharp knife. Just run around the edge to get rid of all the access. don¡¯t throw it away though we¡¯re going to use it for decoration.¡± [new crafting skill][Baking LV1][5% better taste to food products while baking] ¡°I think i remember this part, blind baking right?¡± ¡°Yes. Don¡¯t forget to pierce the bottom with a fork first though. Prevents air bubbles¡± Penny did so rhythmically, only the sounds of the fork scraping the bottom of the dish filled the kitchen, without prompting Penny then lined it with greaseproof paper, and weighed it down with lentils before placing it in the oven. ¡°I knew some of my lessons must have stuck with you¡± A bright look returning to Amandas eyes as she adjusted the oven temperature to be slightly lower. ¡°Ok so golden syrup, and the melted butter put that together than leave it alone. In another bowl, break an egg and whisk with cream and a bit of salt, lemon zest. Than we stir in some day old bread crumbs. Mix the two bowls together and we can pour that into the pastry dish when its done baking.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t believe how easy this has been¡± Penny stirred the mixture absentmindedly, as her mother bought out the access pastry from the fridge. ¡°It really is if you concentrate on what you¡¯re doing. Can you see yourself doing this more often now?¡± ¡°I mean, maybe. It''s more the clean up that¡¯s a chore now¡± ¡°Mmm¡± Amanda sighed through her nose ¡°that I can¡¯t argue with. Ok so last thing to do. Roll this out again. Again nice and thin. Sweet, ok. Cut it into strips even as you can now.¡± Moving to take the dish out of the oven and place the filling inside as her daughter dutifully worked, a comfortable silence falling between the pair. [Skill up][Baking Lv2][10% increased taste to food products while baking] A considering look suddenly crossed Pennys features, pausing in her work just long enough for her mother to question it. ¡°I just figured something out is all, Lattice pattern, right? Is that what we¡¯re doing?¡± ¡°Yes that¡¯s right¡± ¡°Is it.. Is it alright if I try figure this out a sec?¡± ¡°Sure¡± With a certainty she shouldn¡¯t have possessed, Penny placed down some wax paper and began weaving the patten upon it like an elaborate braid. Twice she made a mistake she went back to fix but other than that the practice was unexpectedly smooth, as if she had done the action at least a few times before, and not for the first time under no direction. She managed to transfer the topping onto the tart with little effort, completing the design with a satisfied smile that her mother was mirroring when she looked back at her. ¡°Seems like your a natural, didn¡¯t even need me to tell you to build it on the countertop rather than the tart. I knew you had it in you¡± The two made easy conversation as they cleaned up their kitchen, and counted the nights profits, the treacle tart almost forgotten in the oven until a jiggling instinct entered Pennys mind. [skill up][Dovetailing lv3][15% better time management] She knew it was ready. Jogging towards the oven, heat hit her face as she opened it, and she hissed as her fingers glanced the dish. -5hp [Skill up][heat resistance lv2][immunity to temperatures 38-42¡ãc] Though the burn stopped stinging by the time it took her to stand up right, a red welt remained. Berating herself for somehow forgetting to use the gloves, she put them on and finally removing the works of her labour [Skill up][Baking Lv 3][15% improved taste to food products while baking] [New crafting recipe unlocked][Treacle Tart][Recipe completed][Quality:Good][Crafted by: Amanda and Penny Connells] An odd sort of emotion over took her mind as she stared at the innocent confectionary sitting upon the countertop. The single greatest culinary achievement in her lifetime so far, regardless of received help, and that was going on looks alone. Maybe not quite as good as a tart her mother could have made on her own but it would not have looked out of place on a display stand. Penny looked at it and disbelievingly thought I did this. She cut out a still hot slice and burnt her tongue as she evenly bit into it, eyes widening at the taste. Penny laughed. ¡°I can cook¡± Grind time part two Chiwawa~ Amanda and Penny exchanged a look as music blared from half way down their drive. Penny waited patiently, running her fingers along the brickwork with one hand and holding the treacle tart upright in the other as her mother slowly searched for the right key to open the door. Chiwawa~ Frown lines becoming more prominent the longer she fumbled in her handbag. ¡°The neighbours are going to be annoyed¡± Blowing away a stray strand of hair ¡°Good, Mike is an asshole¡± ¡°Penny!¡± ¡°He is an asshole¡± Chiwawa~ ¡°There¡¯s no need to be so crass¡± Amanda finally managed to find the right key, only to end up locking the door since it was already open ¡°Oh for the love of Go- goats.¡± ¡°Nice save mom¡± She turned to send her daughter a scathing look that Penny only winked at before marching into the house with a face of thunder, music becoming twice as loud as the door swung open. She got as far as the living room entrance before the anger left her posture. Curious about the sudden change in demeanor, Penny gently closed the door and went to investigate herself. Unable to stop herself from bursting into laughter at the sight of Macy playing just dance and their father hopping around on his haunches trying to do the same. Chiwawa~ ¡°Like you can do any better¡± Macy threw over her shoulder before returning to the activity, neither of them particularly put off by the interruption. ¡°Hi¡± Mark panted out the greeting ¡°Honey¡­ how was¡­ work.. today?¡± ¡°Started out kind of rough, Joe called in sick and I thought I¡¯d have to man the stations on my own, luckily Penny decided to come in and save the day¡± ¡°Good¡­ good job.. Penny¡± Chiwawa~ "Ohh¡­ Oh no.. I smell.. my weakness.. Treacle-¡± ¡°You bought us treacle tart!¡± Macy abandoned the game running into the kitchen to find the treat as their father flopped onto the ground like a beached whale, giving up on the activity at her retreat, only for her to return once she realised nothing was there. By that point it was already too late, Penny had placed it on top of her father''s rounded belly as if it were a table. He looked between it and his wife with a miserable expression. ¡°My diet...¡± ¡°No problem I¡¯ll eat it¡± Mark galliently defend the dish, batting away Macys approaching arm with a reflective speed he seldom used. ¡°I made this one though dad¡± ¡°Its safe?¡± ¡°Well if you don¡¯t want any¡± ¡°I do¡± Both Mark and Macy stated at the same time. Sensing her opportunity while the two were distracted, Amanda reached for the remote and began mashing at the volume button. ¡°Aww mom, we were playing¡± ¡°The neighbors don¡¯t want to listen to this¡± ¡°Who cares what Mike wants, he¡¯s an asshole¡± ¡°Mark!¡± ¡°He is an asshole¡± ¡°I see where Penny gets it from now¡± Rolling her eyes at the scene, Penny watched her family interacting for a while, biting the inside of her cheek as a rush of thoughts entered her mind. They could all stand to be a bit healthier. Her parents both lived busy lives that often left them eating convenience foods or things left over from the bakery, Penny herself didn¡¯t have this excuse, even Macy went to school. She was just lazy, was. So maybe I can help fix that? I have a fridge full of healthy food and a literal mission telling me to ¡®get good¡¯ Time isn¡¯t an issue. Maybe i should do everyone''s lunches. [New mission][Healthy Lunches][Objective: Make sure you and your family eat a healthy lunch.][resets daily][Rewards: 10xp per family member eating a healthy lunch made by you][Failure: Increased health risks] That settles it then. Pennys eyes darted between her family members once more before before she left them to argue. Off to prepare for tomorrow''s lunch. One Food Preparation skill up and four premade lunches later, Penny closed the fridge and paused. I¡¯ve not had anything to eat today but im not hungry. She trudged up the stairs and into her room, flopping onto her bed and sighing through her nose as she checked for her makeup box and found it absent, but her only reaction was to roll onto her side. Not worth the effort I¡¯ll get it tomorrow Although it was only just starting to get dark out, it had been a busy day. It should have been tiring, but the longer she lay there on top of the covers waiting for sleep to claim her the more she came to realise I don¡¯t need to sleep despite this she felt quite unmotivated to move, but it wasn¡¯t long until borem kicked in and forced her to, wearing a disgruntled expression. ¡°Skills¡± [Food preparation lv4][20% increased accuracy while preparing food] [Stir frying Lv2][10% improved taste] [Baking Lv3][15% increased taste to food products while baking] [Dovetailing lv3][15% better time management] [Heat resistance lv2][Immunity to temperatures 38-42oc] [Mopping lv1][5% increased movement speed while mopping floors] [washing up lv2][10% increased speed] [Serving][10% increased speed while serving customers] [hygiene lv1][5% increased speed while self cleaning] [Meditation lv1][restores 5% of mp per minute][requires being skill and focused] She scrunched up her face at the list, apart from meditation they weren''t skills she could conveniently work on from within her room, and not knowing what mp was exactly, it wasn''t an encouraging skill to grind. So penny sat upright, resting her chin on her fist in a thinking posture as she combed her brain for ideas. The old guitar she hadn¡¯t touched since she was 7? too loud to start now. Exercise? She hummed ¡°fuck that¡± tapping her fingeres against her cheak her eyes slowly romed across the room for something to do. Her playstation? A startling lack of interest in her current favourite activity struck her, but as her eyes trained on the object she couldn¡¯t bring herself to turn it on. Shaking her head she looked for something else, the bookshelf, her childhood toys and posters. Old schoolwork and assorted junk she never could throw away. Much like her father. She went through the apps on her phone. Duo lingo? Programing? Nothing seemed to light a spark of interest. The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. Penny spent the next hours watching cat videos and checking social media in a mindless binge until a tentative light knock hit her door. Macy entered the room, gently shutting the door and flipping on the light switch, before diving on Pennys bed in a fashion that rendered all her previous stealth pointless. ¡°Surprised you¡¯re still awake¡± Indeed this is where Penny would have usually been rudely awoken and begun her token protests before eventually giving into Macys demands. Tonight she decided to skip this step. ¡°What is it, math or biology?¡± ¡°Both, How¡¯d you know?¡± ¡°You always do this on Sunday¡± ¡°Oh¡± ¡°Yh, ¡®Oh¡¯, right let¡¯s get started you should really be sleeping by now. Bisecting an Angle¡­ ok give me a minute its been awhile¡± [New skill][Math Lv1][5% Quicker calculations] ¡°Ok I get it, its just explaining¡­¡± [New skill][Tutor Lv1][5% better Demonstration][Requires: At least basic knowledge of skill.] ¡°Ok. Watch what I do. You grab your compass and make an acr across the two lines, make the compass a bit bigger and make a cross then get your ruler and draw a line from the cross to the center of the angle. You try the next one¡± Macy reached for the equipment, attempting to copy the instruction. Everytime her hand hesitated, Penny repeated the instruction, until eventually the question was completed. ¡°Nice, I think that¡¯s how you do it. Do the next one¡± And so she did. ¡°Try not to change the distance with the compass while drawing the cross, the distance needs to be the same¡± [skill up][Tutor Lv2][10% better Demonstration] One section at a time. ¡°Doing good¡± Until the sheet was completed. Much sooner than it usually took for them to get through. ¡°That seemed easier than at school¡± ¡°Its easy, you just need to give yourself some more credit, a little work can go along way¡± ¡°Coming from the laziest person I know¡± Macy unzipped her bag, pulling out her biology homework and putting the math away. Handing it to Penny she fidgeted in place as her sister gave it a once over with a stillness and silence she wasn¡¯t used to seeing in her. [New skill][Biology Lv1][5% increased knowledge of mammals] Penny grabbed her head as a sharp pain appeared there, wincing before it disappeared, leaving behind knowledge she hadn¡¯t possessed before. ¡°Don¡¯t try getting out of this by faking a headache¡± ¡°I wouldn¡¯t-¡± Penny snorted ¡°ok I would have-¡± she hesitated ¡°never mind let''s just do this. Leaf structure. The leaf makes food-¡± ¡°Photosynthesis¡± ¡°Alright good.¡± Penny sighed, handing over the worksheet and giving Macy a pen, as she got into dictator position. Pointing at the diagram, Macy copied down the answers as Penny stated them. ¡°So its made up of a large surface area. Basically means its wide to get as much sunlight as possible. Its thin to make sure carbon dioxide doesn¡¯t have to travel far to get to cells, it has a midrib. See that big vein here? That keeps it upright, veins are the smaller ones, they transport water and glucose around the plant. chlorophyll makes it green, this is what absorbs sunlight. The stem that attaches the leaf to the plant is called petiole and stomata are tiny pores covering the leaf to let in carbon dioxide and let out oxygen.¡± ¡°Thank you¡± Macy began placing her school work away in a hurry before Penny stopped her by grabbing her arm. ¡°Don¡¯t thank me yet, how much of that do you understand?¡± ¡°I.. um¡± ¡°The leaf has a large surface area, why?¡± ¡°To catch sunlight¡± "The big vein in the middle is called a?¡± ¡°Um¡­¡± ¡°Midrib¡± ¡°...¡± ¡°Say it¡± ¡°Midrib¡± ¡°And its purpose is to?¡± ¡°Hold the leaf upright¡± ¡°The little veins are called?¡± ¡°I err¡­¡± ¡°Veins¡± ¡°That was a trick question¡± ¡°The veins¡­¡± ¡°Transport glucose?¡± ¡°And?¡± ¡°Oxygen¡± ¡°No¡± ¡°Carbon dioxide?¡± ¡°Good-¡± ¡°Petiole is the stem attaching it to the plants, and the stomola are tiny breathing holes, stop grilling me, yeesh¡± [skill up][Tutoring lv3][15% better demonstration] ¡°Don¡¯t ask me to help you with something and then get sassy when I help you. Go pack your bags and go to bed. And I can hear you mumbling under your breath there¡± Penny waited until she could no longer hear footsteps down the hall before she sighed, tension slipping from her shoulders. ¡°Pain in the ass siblings¡± There was no denying the crippling boredom that resurfaced at her departure though. No less weary than before despite the late hour, she once again scanned her room for something to do. [New skill][Art: Sketching lv1][5% increased accuracy] 5am rolled around, signaling the alarm on her phone to go off, along with the blasted cuckoo clock. Well at least one of these I can turn off she spent a few minutes eyeing her progress with a smile. She didn¡¯t actually have any plain paper, just a few old notebooks that required digging to find, but the lines running through her amature sketching didn¡¯t retract from the progress, at least in her mind. At level 5, Penny still couldn¡¯t draw a perfect circle, but the lines were more fluid, appearing more confidently on the page. Being able to see the progress in her work so clearly, made her hands twitch around her pen, itching to place it back on the page, despite her general lack of passion for art. ¡°Addictive¡± In the end, she had to open up her missions page in order to convince herself to up and move. Not having slept ment she got first dibs on the bathroom, but that wouldn¡¯t be the case if she procrastinated much longer. A skill up in hygiene later, Penny was in the kitchen and making breakfast. [skill up][Cooking: Food Preparation Lv5][25% increased accuracy] +1 Dex ¡°That¡¯s new¡± Blurry eyed Mark walked into the kitchen, already wearing the high vis jacket and heavy boots that was his work uniform, only to sober up as soon as he saw his daughter rhythmically stirring porridge at the stove. He rubbed his eyes a second, pinching his skin while her back was turned. Before flicking on the coffee machine and finally sitting at the round table. ¡°I know your mother told me you had got into cooking recently but I didn¡¯t quite believe it¡± ¡°Yeah I never thought I¡¯d pick it up either, but, well, you know, here we are¡± ¡°So long as there¡¯s no more accidental flour bombs¡± ¡°That was one time. One¡± Mark only snorted at the protest, but was unable to deny this successful attempt at breakfast as she set a bowl in front of him, a long with a jar of honey and some assorted fruits. Grabbing her own bowl, she sat opposite her father and tucked into breakfast. Eyes widening at its slightly sweet taste. It was decent, not as good as her mothers, yet, but she didn¡¯t have to force it down and her father seemed pleasantly surprised as well, nodding at her in approval as he wolfed it down. [Porridge with blueberries and banana slices][Quality: Normal][Made by: Penny Connells] ¡°Its not often I eat breakfast you know, this is a real treat¡± ¡°Me neither, i was thinking of maybe making this a thing, I dunno¡± ¡°Don¡¯t think you have to, but I certainly wouldn''t complain¡± Harried thumping came down the stairs. Both of the tables occupants turned to face Amanda as she zoomed around the house frantically. ¡°Fudge, fudge, fudge¡± ¡°I hung your keys on the coat rack¡± Mark sipped his coffee, while watching his wife with skeptically raised eyebrow ¡°Honestly honey why you gotta do this to yourself every morning¡± She didn¡¯t reply, instead bolting into the living room, causing Mark to sigh as he looked towards the ceiling. ¡°Your name tag is on the mantelpiece¡± placing his head in his hands as she ran into yet another room. ¡°What else are you missing?¡± ¡°My purse¡± ¡°Check you¡¯re jacket, the puffy one with red spots¡± ¡°Got it¡­ Oh fudge I forgot Macys lunch¡± ¡°Amanda¡­ honey¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it¡± Penny stood up making her way over to the fridge. ¡°I made us all pack lunches last night¡± Finally the tension left Amandas shoulders, walking over to her daughter ruffling her hair despite Penny being taller than her. Both parents looked towards the four sack lunches she placed on the countertop and the porridge gently cooling on the stove, and really took a moment to look at their daughter, who in turn started fidgeting under their dissecting gaze. ¡°What?¡± ¡°You¡¯ve really turned into a responsible adult, I¡¯m proud of you¡± ¡°you¡¯re not allowed to grow up¡± Mark swept the pair into a hug ¡°I love you both¡± Squished between her parents, and growing increasingly uncomfortable when it became apparent that neither of them were going to let go anytime soon, Penny couldn¡¯t believe that her rescue came in the form of the cuckoo clock. ¡°Guess I should wake Macy¡± ¡°I¡¯ll do it¡± Penny escaped, bolting up the stairs, and for the first time in her life shooting the clock a grateful look. Stealthily she made her way into Macys room, dodging the obstacle course of dirty clothes, and game cases along with ¡°My make up box¡± leaning in close enough that she could hear her breathing. She tucked macys hair behind her ear, before sucking in a deep breath and screaming as loud as she could. Running back into the kitchen while Macy threw her things down the stairs at her. Amanda gave her ¡®the look¡¯ Arms crossed and foot tapping as she came to an abrupt halt in front of her. ¡°Maybe not that responsible¡± She grouched, causing Mark to snort into his coffee ¡°Don¡¯t encourage it¡± He raised his hand palm up into the air as she shot him the side eye. ¡°I think that¡¯s my que to get going¡± Kissing both on the cheek before shouting up the stairs ¡°Bye Macy¡± And retreating out the door. Macy plodded down the stairs, glaring at Penny even as she handed over a bowl of porridge and began washing up, feeling the eyes upon her back the entire time. She smirked into the water and just to be annoying, just because she could Penny asked ¡°So what does the midrib do?¡± ¡°Fudge you¡± After dropping Macy off at the before school club, they arrived at the Queen of Tarts a solid hour before it opened. Together they cleaned down display stands, mopped the floor and faced up the non perishables. Amanda was pleasantly surprised at how little instruction her daughter needed on these tasks, and the lack of complaint she went about doing them with. Banter flowed easily between the two and before they knew it the boring part was out of the way. Washing their hands, and placing on their gloves, hair nets and aprons they put on their game faces. ¡°You want to start making three treacle tarts? I want to see how much you remember¡± Penny did just that, barely having to revise the steps as she performed them, as if the information had always been there at the back of her mind, waiting to be used. Her hands moved almost on their own, her mind and eyes wandering over to her mother who was performing a much more complex task, folding and refolding the same batter over and over. Cutting it into triangles and folding into the familiar shape of a croissant. Despite it being more complex, Amanda was done with her task first, coming over to inspect Pennys own work just as she finished putting on the last of the lattice work. [skill up][Cooking:baking lv4][20% increased taste to food products while baking] ¡°I think you¡¯ve been holding out on me Penny. These are better than what most people can make after first learning.¡± ¡°Thanks. You think I can win the competition?¡± ¡°With a little bit of work, and some more variety. They won¡¯t know what hit em¡±