Baking wasn’t Colemet’s strong suit most of the time, to say the least. Usually, baking was left up to her brother and cooking was left up to her, and it was usually a good arrangement. The most successful baking Colemet had ever done was baking for Sophia on her birthday. The brownies had turned out rather well, thankfully, and her best friend had really liked them. She was trying to recreate the recipe now since Damion was coming over. She wasn’t sure if he liked brownies or not, but she was willing to take a chance. Peter wasn’t here to taste test, so she was on her own for the day and hadn’t yet burned down the house. She had a little while until Damion would arrive, so she had time to get it right. She hadn’t even so much as gotten ready yet; she was still wearing a t-shirt and sweatpants from sleeping, as she hadn’t wanted to get dressed and risk getting her outfit messy if this didn’t go well. Her hair was up and she hadn’t added concealment charms to her scars yet, but she planned to when she got ready, as she really didn’t want Damion to have to see those. One from the original attack was visible on the back of her right arm, which stood out starkly on her pale skin. She had a few on her arms from scratching herself and a lot on her hands, but she would take care of those before he got here as well.

For now, Colemet’s focus was trying to get these brownies baked before Damion arrived. All of the ingredients were laid out on the counter, so she figured this would be relatively simple. She cracked a couple eggs into the bowl and cursed when an eggshell landed in it as well. She carefully picked it out with her nimble fingers, something she had learned to be given her profession. She added the cocoa, sugar, and then then the baking powder. She realized that she had forgotten the flour, so she made to open it. Just as she did, there was a knock at the door. “It’s open!” she called absently, only vaguely wondering who could be here, as she didn’t expect Damion until a little later, Just as she did, she hit the flour by accident and a cloud of it blew up in her face, covering her clothes and getting in her hair. She coughed and waved her hand in front of her in an attempt to clear the air as the visitor came in.

@damionkvothe

'You are going over to your lass' home, you need to look presentable.' Damion thought, as he looked at himself in the full length mirror he'd just transfigured out of his towel. 'Though, you do look a wee bitty too dressed up, so maybe we should tone it down.'
The second change seemed worse to him. "At this rate I'll be late getting there!" He murmured to himself, walking over to his wardrobe for a pair of shoes. He checked his watch, and to his dismay found that it had stopped. He'd sort that another time.
He reverted back to his previous change, then grabbed his wand and keys, and headed out of his room. Colemet's owl inviting him over had been a nice surprise, as he'd been racking his brain for an idea of somewhere to take her, and if he were honest, he was a little bit excited to be going.
Colemet said she might bake something for him.
Now, sure, to most people that might seem trivial, but no one had ever baked for him before in his life. So this would be a new experience for him.
Damion strode into the living room and grabbed his black coat with a high collar which brushed his jawline and headed out the door. It was cold out, so it gave him an excuse to wear one of his favourite coats he'd had for the past 2 years. 'Black as my coffee'... He thought to himself, as he headed down the stairs. He twisted before he reached the bottom step, and effectively apparated on the spot.

Damion found the house without much trouble, though he spent a good 20 minutes merely looking around the old, famous village. Standing outside her door though, he found his heartbeat had picked up and he was becoming increasingly nervous. He checked his now broken watch again out of habit and cursed softly. How late was he?
He looked around for a doorbell, then resorted to chapping with his knuckles, his breath frosting up around him. He waited a few moments, heard a distant call of 'It's open!' coming from the back of the house, then hesitated. Surely he wasn't expected just to...to walk in?
He did though, and closed the door silently behind him.

Looking up from the handle, his eyes widened as he took in his surroundings. Her little cottage was much nicer than his apartment, even without any bookcases or vinyl, and he stood there for a few moments just drinking it in.
He took off his jacket and hung it over his arm as he walked through the house looking for her. Following the little noises ahead of him, he soon tracked down a commotion coming from the kitchen, and after dropping off his coat, he walked in.

And promptly started to laugh.

His little darling, his lass, was covered head to toe in flour. AS was some of the floor, her counter tops, the air around her....

"When you said you were baking for me, I didn't expect you to dress up for the occasion." Damion stated bluntly, his smirk firmly in place as he strolled leisurely towards her. Oh what a pleasant gift this was.

Colemet really hadn’t been thinking too much about who was at the door, so she had absently called for them to come in. She really couldn’t imagine who it must be since she wasn’t expecting Damion until a little later, but she also hadn’t meant to make a cloud of flour as the person came in. She didn’t even have a chance to add it to the mixture before it had ended up all over the place. She coughed slightly as the air cleared, and tried to bat some of the flour off of herself uselessly, as it just flew back up and caused her to cough or landed on some other part of her. Yes, this would be a lovely scene to greet the visitor with. She reminded herself that baking probably wasn’t the best idea for her in the future.

A voice cut through the room as she tried to get the cloud of flour to appear, a familiar voice that she knew oh so well. His figure came closer a minute later, and without thinking, she rushed him with a hug. “Damion!” she said as she wrapped her arms around him tightly, coughing slightly as more flour made its way into her throat. “You’re early. I wasn’t expecting you until a little later.” She had at least figured she had enough time to get the brownies in the oven, which would allow her time to change and get ready. Or perhaps she had lost track of time in general and he was actually on time. She suddenly was hyper aware of the fact she she was still in her bloody lounge clothes, her hair messy, her skin scarred, and now covered in flour. She gave a light laugh. “Please excuse my...uh, appearance,” she said with an apologetic smile. “I thought I’d have a little more time to be presentable.”

Damion froze and looked down at his now flour covered self and Colemet with his arms up and out to the side. "Gee, just what I've always wanted, a flour hug. Can tick that off my bycket list now." He said sarcastically, rolling his eyes playfully. He blew at the white aur around him and waved a hand at it, his other hand coming to settle on her waist. "Yeah my watch broke and I thought I was running late. Am I really that early?" He asked nonchalantly.

Damion stepped away from her smiling slightly, and an idea came to him as he drew out his wand. "Don't be silly, you're always presentable darling. I however am merely overdressed!" He exclaimed and then he set about changing his clothes. He transfigured his jeans into a pair of thick, cotton grey joggers and his shirt into a white polo. Next he kicked off his shoes and shrank them into his pocket. "Much better. I daresay I quite like this look you have going on." He murmured. His brain jammed when he saw her scars, but instead of sickening him it piqued his interest, and he motioned for her to continue what she was doing as he came to stand behind her and hugged her around the middle. "So....er...what are we baking exactly, gorgeous?"

Colemet blushed slightly after hugging Damion, as she realized that she had now covered her boyfriend and his nice clothes in flour as well. “Oh...sorry…” she said apologetically, standing on her toes to kiss him in apology and then dusting a bit of flour off his cheek. She smiled and stepped a bit closer when he put his hand on her wait, liking the feeling of being close to him. “Yeah, you’re early. I certainly wouldn’t look like this if you were on time,” she said, coughing again because of the flour. She certainly would have made it a point not to look this way if she had known he would be at the door, and she found herself blushing again.

Colemet laughed slightly when Damion insisted that he was overdressed and watched as he transfigured his clothes to something that matched more along the lines of her attire. “I really would have gone to put on something nicer for you,” she insisted. She gave a slight smile. “But I’m glad you like the look…” She wasn’t exactly at her finest in lounge clothes with messy hair and covered in flour, but she had half a mind to think that Damion really didn’t mind any of the quirky things that she did. She was hoping he would have allowed her to go put on something nicer, as she could have gotten away for a moment to put some concealment charms over her scars,but he didn’t insist of course, as she didn’t think he would. Colemet could deal with Damion seeing her in sweatpants, but the last thing she wanted was for him to have to see all of her ugly scars. She walked back up to the counter where her mixing bowl was and leaned back against Damion when he wrapped his arms around her, being sure to press the back of her arm against him so he couldn’t see the scar. “Well...I was trying to make brownies,” she told him, fitting her head into his neck under his chin. “But I forgot the flour and then when I tried to get it...it exploded.” She peered into her mixing bowl; what she had so far wasn’t bad, but...it was missing flour, evidently.

Damion waved away Colemet's apology with a wry smile. "No need to apologise, love." He replied amiably. He grinned when she dusted off his cheek and winked at her. "Well just as well I did get here early then! Seeing my Princess dressed in her best.." He joked, wiping some of the flour off his shirt and tapping her nose with it. He genuinely did think she looked as gorgeous as always, and didn't see why she felt the need to get dressed up.

He raised an eyebrow at her and shook his head. "I fail to see the problem of what you're wearing, Colemet. It's not like we're going out- though, If I were honest you could go dressed in a bin bag for all I care as you'd still look nice." Damion drawled, slouching slightly with his right hip jutting out. "I most certainly do." As she talked, Damion looked over her slowly so as to not arouse any suspicions...and took in all of her scars. Some were worse than others, but he really didn't mind them. Sure, he could understand why she might want to hide them so as to not be badgered with questions all the time, but he wished she would just drop those defenses around him and let him see all of her as she was.
Well....maybe not all of her just yet...
Damion pulled her closer to him as Colemet readjusted herself, and smiled into her neck. "Mmm...brownies. I cannae remember the last time I had a brownie you know. But I'm sure these will be amazing." He quipped, looking into the chocolatey depth of the bowl. "Plus, you're hand baking them for me, and anything handmade with love is always better!" He finished, lightly giving her bum a smack and walking away a bit. He smiled to himself as he looked around her kitchen and living room, relishing the cosy atmosphere it gave. "Hey...where's your kettle by the way?"

Colemet kept chuckling and blushing when Damion insisted that she looked fine, and when he wiped flour on her nose. She stuck her tongue out at him playfully and nudged him. “You’re silly,” she said. It really wasn’t her nicest attire, and she would have made an effort to look nicer for him if she knew he would be here so soon. After all, he had dressed up a bit for her before he had transfigured his clothes. She knew he didn’t care; he made that pretty clear. “I just want to look pretty for you,” she said. “I suppose you’re just not picky.” She kissed him gently again, then started dusting a bit more flour off herself. Colemet felt Damion’s eyes on her as she spoke, and she knew what he was looking at. It made her heart clench slightly and she looked down. “Please don’t look at them…” she said quietly, unable to look at him as she said that and curling in slightly as if that would somehow hide them. She knew Damion didn’t care that she had them, but they didn’t make her feel good. She didn’t conceal them just so he wouldn’t have to see them; she also hid them so she could pretend that they weren’t there, if only for a short time.

Colemet smiled and settled against Damion; his body was warm and comforting as his arms rested around her middle. She gaped at him for a moment. “You can’t remember? Well, we have to fix that, then, don’t we?” she said, kissing his cheek. “I made these for Sophia for her birthday, and she really seemed to like them. So I hope you will too,” she said. These brownies were as far as Colemet’s baking knowledge extended, so she hoped they would turn out okay again once she got things in order. She kissed his cheek again before he walked away. “Everything I do for you is done with love,” she said, nudging him playfully when he lightly smacked her. It was a bit soppy, maybe, but it was true. “Now to add the flour…” she mused, reacher for a measuring cup and the bag, hoping that she wouldn’t cause another explosion this time. She pointed to the stove. “Kettle is over there,” she answered.

Damion dropped his mouth open and placed a dramatic hand over his chest. "You wound me, fair maiden. Say it isn't so." He said theatrically, grinning when Colemet nudged him. He took more flour on his thumb and pulled her closer to him. Then he wiped his thumb across her forehead. "Simbaaa..."
He snorted and shook his head again, poking her in the ribs. "I'll have you know I am extremely picky!! Just...not when it comes to you. Like I said woman, you're turning me into a soggy blanket." He stated, ending his sentence in a mumble as he placed his hands on his hips.
Damion watched her cringe and shy away from him to attempt to cover her scars and he sighed, before walking over to her and pulling her arms out from her to the side, and had a proper look to make a point. "Why can't you just relax around me Colemet? They don't bother me, so why should you feel the need to cover them up and hide them away?" He mused, one of his eyebrows raised. He narrowed his eyes at her and pulled her hands over her head as he leaned down so he was touching her nose with his own. "Don't make me tickle you. I will win. Accept and move on. They are not a hindrance, they should not bother you, especially around me. If there's anything you should be bothered about, it should be that you've managed to get flour everywhere except where it's meant to be, which I must say is an amazing achievement." He kept his gave level with her's, then took both of her hands in one of his own then used his other hand to grasp her chin steady. "You have flour here," He kissed her forehead, "Here.." He kissed her nose, "and here..." and then he kissed her properly.

He chuckled, and relaxed against her as his hands gave under her arms and leant against the counter. "I'm sure I'll love them darlin'." He murmured into her hair with another smile.
Damion all but ran to the kettle away from her when she picked up the flour again, wielding a spoon he'd transfigured out of one of his shoes in front of him. "Christ woman, a little more warning next time please!" He cried, tough his smirk was back on his face. He knew his dimples were showing and he immediately dropped his head and put on the kettle. "Tea or Coffee?" He asked with his back still to her.

Colemet laughed at Damion as he pretended to be fatally wounded by her nudge. “Am I really that rough? Dear Merlin,” she said teasingly, walking to him and wrapping her arms around him instead. She grinned at him and wrinkled her nose when he put more flour on her forehead. She took a bit more and put two streaks on his cheeks and smiled. “You look like an American football player,” she said. “All macho and tough…” She laughed when he poked her in the ribs and she poked him back. “Are you picky? Well, then I can’t even imagine why you must’ve picked me,” she said teasingly. She watched as Damion got slightly flustered again with his hands on his hips, and she thought it was cute.

When Damion grabbed her arms and pulled them out from her, staring at her scars, Colemet had to force herself not to pull away harshly and get angry. Instead, she was sad. Her heart clenched tighter and nearly broke as she felt him stare, and it hurt that he was doing this. Didn’t he see how much it upset her? She couldn’t look up at him as she spoke. “It’s not you. It’s not that I’m not relaxed around you, because I know you don’t care about them,” she said quietly. Why was he putting her through this? “But I care. It makes me feel better to cover them.” She finally looked up, and a tear fell down her face, making a streak on her flour smeared cheek. “I cover them because I want to feel good. I want to feel pretty. I want to pretend like they’re not there and like I’m okay just for a little while. Can’t I have that?” She sighed slightly and let Damion take her hands over their head and she closed her eyes momentarily when he pressed his nose to hers, trying to calm down. A shadow of a smile passed over her face when he threatened to tickle her, but that wasn’t the point. “I accept it, Damion. But that doesn’t mean I have to like it,” she said quietly. She gave a slight smile again when he made the comment about the flour; he had the tendency of always making her smile. She relaxed slightly as her kissed down her face, and then kissed back when he finally reached her lips. He felt so good to her.

Colemet gently relaxed against Damion as he relaxed onto her, as if melting into one another in the easy connection that they just seemed to have. It was blissful, and Colemet still felt to this day like she was in a dream with him. “I hope you do,” she said quietly back, turning her head and gently kissing his jawline. When he let go of her and walked towards the kettle and she got the flour, and almost jumped when he turned and wielded a spoon at her so suddenly. “Dear Merlin, I’ll warn you next time,” she said with a laugh. She picked up the flour and held it towards him. “I have flour and I know how to use it,” she said, mock threateningly. “Well..” she looked around her at the mess she had made. “I suppose I don’t know how to use it…” After she successfully added the proper amount to the mixing bowl with minimum spillage, she walked over to Damion and leaned against the counter. “Tea, please,” she said cheerfully. She leaned and caught a glimpse of his smile and grinned. “You have the cutest dimples, you know,” she said.

Damion smiled slightly. "If I say yes, what do I get in recompense?" He asked curiously, raising his chin as he looked at her. He really didn't know what he'd done right to deserve her, but he was glad he had.
"American Footb...are you saying I'm chubby?!" He exclaimed seriously, looking down at himself in horror. "Dear Merlin! I'm going to have to do something!" He grinned, but it was only half hearted. "I'm macho...even without flour.." He added petulantly, sniffing and looking away. He poked her again, and then on the cheek with a smile. "Because of exactly that. I'm so picky that only you fit what I was looking for!" He watched her watching him and turned away, suddenly uneasy at all the attention she was paying him, but he winked at her first.

He sighed and dropped her arms, stepping away from her. "If it bothers you that much, go and cover them up. The last thing I want is to create any animosity between us." He said deadpan, looking down. This was one thing Damion couldn't wrap his mind around, how someone- especially someone like Colemet- would let something like that bother her so much, yet he knew he couldn't change it. He personally had a tiny mark on the small of his back still left over from one of his father's beatings and he heated it, but he didn't dwell on it. Then again, he supposed it took all sorts. He leant against the counter and looked at her, his pale eyes flashing. "If it hurts so much for me to look at them, then I swear I won't ever again if that's what it takes for you to be happy."
He smiled when she reciprocated, knowing that they were alright, and decided to drop the matter again.

Damion's brows met in worry as he watched her add the flour, going as far as to screw one eye shut as it landed in the bowl...then relaxed when he realised it wasn't going to explode again. "Oh god, please keep me safe from the white powder of doom..." He replied sarcastically, rolling his eyes and sticking his tongue out at her.
'Tea...of course it's tea...hasn't it always?' He thought with a small smile. "How do you take it again? And where do you keep everything?" He asked softly, flicking his eyes to look at her then back at the counter. He ducked his head as a faint blush appeared high on his cheekbones and he shook his head. "Oh shush woman, they're not dimples...they...they're um...you're imagining things..." He said flusteredly, then he began a small search for a teaspoon to keep him looking anywhere but at her.