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Cora thought of the saddle. She thought of the countless times Colibri had begged to go fast, fast as she wanted to, fast as she knew she could. And every time, Cora had said no. Every time, Cora convinced her to do something else. To be something else. “If you could grow plants however you wanted . . . what would you do?”
Signy’s eyes closed, and the look on her face was pure longing. “Dirt,” Signy said, speaking of a substance no one on Fortune had ever seen. “I’d plant them in real, actual dirt. And I’d let complementary species grow together. No separate crops walled off from each other. I’d let them mingle. I’d let them overgrow. I’d take what I needed for myself, and I’d make sure they were all healthy, but beyond that . . .” She smiled reverently, and when she opened her eyes, they shone. “Beyond that, I would just sit and watch them do whatever they did.”
Cora knew better than to listen too closely to any impulses she had while fuzzy from sex and giddy with something new. She wasn’t Twig. This wasn’t her first rodeo. But as she looked at Signy lying there, hands resting on her bare stomach as she lost herself in whatever daydream she was gazing at, Cora’s breath caught in her throat, and the only thing she could think was: God, I want to give that to you.
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Apple cake
Preheat oven to 350°.1
Peel 4 apples.2 Chop them small until you have 3 cups’ worth of apple bits.
Mix:
1 cup of sorghum crystals3
2 ¼ cups flour
¼ teaspoon salt
½ tsp baking powder
1 ½ teaspoon baking soda
1 ½ tsp Mister Goodpepper’s Classic Baking Blend4
Mix:
⅔ cup canola shortening
2 eggs’ worth of egg powder
⅔ cup of milk (soy is fine, oat is better for this)
1 ½ teaspoons vanilla flavoring
Mix:
Chopped apples
Grease and flour a 9x13" pan. Pour in the batter and spread it around evenly.
Now, make the topping:
2 tablespoons margarine
4 teaspoons cinnamon
½ cup brown sugar5
4 teaspoons all-purpose flour
½ cup rolled oats
Add the topping and bake 35 to 40 minutes. Pairs well with friends and music.
1 175° C.
