“I feel great remorse for threatening to put your mother’s soul into my souffle. It was never actually my intent to put her soul into my souffle. But I am aware that this has caused you great distress, and I would like to…apologize for having put you through such an ordeal.”

Grim accepts the tray of meatloaf and mashed potatoes from the startled lunch lady before he turns a curious stare where Doughboy sits at the very edge of his tray. He’s silent for a moment, and then he sticks out a thumbs-down in tandem with a raspberry. Lips pressed tightly together, Grim simply scowls at the pile of depressed dough. “I will drown you in butter.” He then turns back to the lunch lady and offers her a polite nod of the head. “Thank you.”

By the time he’s finished with his meal, Doughboy has rejected each and every one of his apologies. He makes his way to Baking 101 with great apprehension, wondering if there isn’t a way he could simply make his problem disappear. After all, portals to the Underworld are a dime a dozen, and with an attitude like that, Tanner would fit in great down there.

Of course, he no longer has his scythe. And in giving up his title of the Grim Reaper, he’s also given up the right to banish people simply because he finds them to be vexing. Grim lets out a dejected sigh, grimacing as he rounds the corner and finds the object of his annoyance standing outside the class.

“Tanner”, he says, and after Doughboy lightly punches him in the stomach, he wills himself to sound happier than he actually is. “Tanner. I am happy to have caught you. I wish to express my sincerest apologies for my harsh words at our last class. If there is anything I can do to make amends, I would gladly do so.”

Tanner just glowers at him for a moment, his glare matching that of the doughgirl that rests atop his shoulder. They share a look before Tanner yanks open the door to the classroom. Before it can slam behind him, he calls out, “You can help me make an apple pie”.

“...An apple pie?” Grim ducks in after Tanner before he joins him at his table by the window. He casts a glance about the classroom, and, true to his suspicions, there’s a bag of apples at practically every other table. “I think quite a few people have decided to make apple pie.”

Tanner just drops his messy pile of belongings before sauntering off towards the front of the class. When he returns with an armful of ingredients, bag of apples amongst them, he does so with a challenging lift of the eyebrows. “And?”

“And nothing”, Grim retorts, catching himself as he finds himself growing irritated. He forces himself to take a deep breath before speaking once more. “I was merely thinking that we could do something to set ourselves apart from everyone else.”

A huff of breath escapes Tanner, and Grim has to steel himself against making it the last breath the man takes before he mutters, “Listen, corpse-fucker, I’m not here to stand out from everyone else. I’m just here because I lost a bet on New Year’s”. His lips curl into a cruel sneer as he pulls his hair up into a bun before running his hands under the running faucet. “Oh but don’t worry. I’ll put in a very good word for you with Ms. Sweet.”

“I would tread carefully if I were you, mortal.” All the same, he casts a moment’s stare to where Angela stands just two tables away. Brows furrowed heavily, she’s at the stand mixer, eyes ripe with focus as she adds caramel and buttermilk, only to then falter when she reaches for the cocoa powder and notices Grim. She offers him a small smile and wave, then, after Grim returns it, turns back to her mix. Cheekbones grown warm, Grim turns back to Tanner, lowering his voice as he fixes him with a steely glare. “I can make your afterlife very unhappy.”

Tanner just lets out a fake gasp. “I’m sure you could. If you were still the Grim Reaper. But you aren’t.” He crosses his arms over his chest, the gesture mimicked by his doughgirl. “Everyone knows you gave it up. So save the threats for someone who doesn’t know any better.”

Grim’s fingers twitch, thrumming as they feel for the pull of his scythe. But he forces himself to lower his hand, Tempest’s disapproving eyes dousing the angry flames that’d been building within him. With some effort, he shifts his focus to their bag of apples.

“I simply think you could apply yourself more”, Grim says after a moment. He reaches for an apple, gripping it gently between his skeletal fingers. “Wager or no wager. Surely, you must’ve had a good pie before.”

Tanner is quiet for a long moment before he huffs and admits, “...I guess my aunts’ key lime pies. They always make me one whenever I visit”. He then shakes his head. “But apple pie’s good, too.”

“I do not deny that it is. I have had many delicious apple pies in my time.” He shrugs. “I simply think we could have an easier time impressing Chef Coco if we pick something unexpected.”

Tanner just grunts, raising his red eyebrows for emphasis. “And what happens if we fuck it up?”

“...Then we take what we learned from the…the fuck up. And we apply it to our future endeavors”, Grim responds. When Tanner just continues to watch him, seemingly unimpressed, Grim hums lightly to himself. “What have you to lose? Seeing as you’re only here for a bet?”

Silence stretches between for a long moment, neither one quite opting to look away before Tanner eventually sighs and asks, “Well, where are we gonna get the limes? There weren’t any up there on the table”.

“Let me handle the limes. You just get started on the mix.”

And with that, things more or less fall into place. Grim calls in a favor to his favorite dragon in the 7th Dead World, trading in his recipe for fried griffin wings for a bundle of his best limes. By the time Chef Coco’s made his rounds to their table, they’ve just pulled their dragon-blessed key lime pie out of the oven.

Tanner fist-pumps the air, a wide grin stretching across his face. “B fucking minus. Man, I could get used to that.” He then wavers for a moment, bringing his hands to rest on his hips. “That was, uh, that was good thinking. Listen, I’m…sorry for calling your souffle disgusting.”

“It is fine”, Grim says. His eyes drift over to Angela. Tanner follows his line of sight, a knowing smirk gracing his lips.

He clears his throat, then calls out, “Hey, Ange!” She turns around, and Grim gulps. “Wanna come try our pie? It’s key lime.”

“I would, but I’m kinda allergic to limes”, Angela remarks with a polite smile before gesturing to her own plate of caramel whoopie pies. “But y’all are welcome to help yourselves to mine. I used extra caramel this time.”

Before Grim can get so much as a word in, one of the other bakers waves her down to try her sweet potato pie. He stands there for a moment, shoulders drooping until Tanner pats him on the back. He gives him a sympathetic shrug before he cuts himself a piece of their pie. “Maybe next time. Come on, help me finish this pie.”