[ToxxicRenegadeAngel]

"Enough with the corniness" Candy teased, as Crax put the last of their belongings away and stowed the cases in the corner of the room. She was instantly embarrassed as a loud rumble came from her stomach.

"Are you hungry?" came Crax's reply, as he turned around to face her. "It has been a while since breakfast, though you did sleep through the entire carriage ride" he teased.

[ToxxicRenegadeAngel]

Candy giggled at his teasing; in truth, the carriage ride had started very early, and she had been so excited she had barely slept the night before. In that dim, cosy little room, cuddled up to Crax with the gentle motion of the carriage suspension rocking her, it had been impossible to resist.

[ToxxicRenegadeAngel]

"You know full well that travelling makes me sleepy" she said with a grin, standing up and stretching.

"I also know it makes you hungry" Crax retorted, smirk on his face; "Come on - I'll whip us up something delicious to ease that restless stomach of yours" he said, holding out his hand for her.

[ToxxicRenegadeAngel]

Candy sat down on a rustic bar stool  beside the island in the middle of the kitchen, and Crax leaned against the worktop to talk to her.

"Now, are you ready for an actual meal, or would you prefer something quick and sweet to take the edge off before we have dinner later?" he asked.

[ToxxicRenegadeAngel]

Once again, Candy's expressive face told him everything he needed to know. She loved food, especially his, but she had a terrible sweet tooth; if it wasn't for the fact that she had such an incredibly hectic lifestyle and job, he would have worried for her health; as it was, he merely steered her towards healthier options and let her loose.

[ToxxicRenegadeAngel]

"How about I make us some quick toasties, and then I'll make the sweet treat for you" he said, grinning as her face lit up. She hated deciding between his foods; if it were possible, she would have eaten his food constantly, though he loved to tease her about it.

[ToxxicRenegadeAngel]

Candy tucked into her toasted club sandwich with gusto; the people who had provided the supplies had really gone out of their way to give them fresh produce she thought, though it may just have been the mountain air. She smiled with crumbs coating her lips, and Crax chuckled before leaning in to steal them with a soft kiss.

[ToxxicRenegadeAngel]

After they had finished, Crax cleared the plates and washed them, setting them in the drying rack so he could prepare their dessert. From the fridge, he took some pre-made tart bases and some fresh cream, and from the pantry he grabbed some fresh apples and a tin of caramel.

[ToxxicRenegadeAngel]

Candy watched as Crax drizzled some of the caramel into the tart bases and brushed it up the sides. He then sliced the apples impossibly thin, and then arranged the slices in the tart so that they were upright in a circular pattern, with the thin slice of peel on the edge forming the colourful petals of a rose.

[ToxxicRenegadeAngel]

Crax brushed some more caramel over the apples and dusted them with brown sugar before placing them in the oven with a timer for ten minutes. He grabbed the cream and emptied it into a mixing bowl, followed by some brown sugar and a drop of vanilla essence, which left the room smelling wonderful.

[ToxxicRenegadeAngel]

Crax hummed to himself as he whisked the cream mixture briskly, forming little white peaks and froth as it thickened. He was very pleased with himself, as he knew Candy would enjoy this - she loved it when he made apple pie, and this was a slight variation of his normal recipe.

[ToxxicRenegadeAngel]

As the timer went off, Crax set the bowl down and grabbed the oven mitts in order to retrieve the now golden apple tarts. He was pleased to notice that the peel still had a rich red glow to it, and he kept his back to Candy in order to present the tarts as a surprise.

[ToxxicRenegadeAngel]

He carefully used a spatula to lift each tart off the baking tray and slide it onto a dessert plate, followed by two generous dollops of the vanilla cream, which formed little snowy mountains beside the tart. As a final step, he threw a light dusting of brown sugar over everything, and then turned to place the tarts on the table.

[ToxxicRenegadeAngel]

Candy squealed with glee when she saw the glowing golden rose in front of her. She had guessed that he was making apple pie when she saw the caramel and apples, and the smell in the kitchen had had her mouth watering since he began, but the tarts were so beautiful to see.

[ToxxicRenegadeAngel]

As the first bite melted in her mouth, Candy couldn't help but let out a loud sound of appreciation. Crax grinned, and watched as she scooped up a bit of the vanilla cream with a chunk of tart carefully balanced on top of it, before practically licking it off the spoon as she placed it into her mouth.