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Furina had turned her alarm off hours ago, intending to simply sleep the day away. It’s the weekend, and while she had initially planned to make it a productive one, all those plans were hurled out the window with the incessant alarm trilling. Sleep is more appealing.
The smell of fresh baked goods is the next best thing, and it’s good enough for her to shoot out of bed and peer out her window down at the street below, towards the plausible source of the enticing aroma.
The street she lives on is one of the town’s most quiet spots, where nothing ever really happens—mainly because most homes here are occupied by the retired and elderly. If it were up to Furina, she would have picked a more bustling neck of the town to call her home, but this place is cheap, and cheap trumps bustling any day of the week.
And because there is generally nothing causing a ripple in the mundane tranquility of this neighbourhood, except for perhaps the occasional stray animal yowling at night, Furina is surprised to see a young woman prancing with purpose around what looks like a big push cart, shaded by a brown-and-white striped umbrella. Attached to this is a little carriage of some kind, looking like it can comfortably fit two passengers. There are two gentlemen standing off to the side of the push cart, their blank gazes boring through the numerous flower beds lining the street.
Furina squints. The woman has her hands cupped around her mouth, and she’s calling something out. “Come one, come all, to…” Furina can’t glean the rest of what she’s saying. Something about cookies? And a carriage? Yummy delights?
That’s more than enough to get the ball rolling in this girl’s opinion, especially coupled with the aroma that’s most definitely coming from down outside where that woman is prancing about. Curiosity gets the better of her, and she quickly gets dressed and heads down to see what the fuss is all about.
Long blonde tresses frame the strange woman’s upper half in such shiny waves she may as well be a princess straight from a fantasy novel, and her eyes are the same kind of sapphire as the morning summer sky. She’s somewhat even dressed the part of a princess, with a long ruffled yellow gown that looks like it must be a real pain in the arse to wear on a particularly hot day. But with the way she’s holding her head up high, strong and carefree and rosy-cheeked, Furina gets the impression nothing can get this person down. Not even the audience of zero to her vocal announcements. It’s…respectable, to say the least.
She notices Furina standing off to the side near her apartment’s gate, and her eyes light up greatly (Furina did not deem that possible until now). She waves her over excitedly, visibly bouncing on her heels. Furina obliges, approaching her and the push cart. The smell of baked goods gets stronger with each half-hesitant step.
“Hiya!” she chirps with all the enthusiasm of a kid on their first day of summer vacation, and thrusts a hand out to her, wearing the biggest grin Furina has ever seen. There’s no more pearly whites to spare for anyone else. “I’m Navia! Welcome to Navia’s Cookie Carriage!”
“I’m Furina. Cookie Carriage?” Furina repeats, shaking her hand. Navia not only has the widest smile, but also the firmest handshake. It almost dislodges Furina’s shoulder from its socket, but she finds that she doesn’t really hold it against her, oddly enough. Can’t blame an enthusiastic person for their verve.
Navia nods, clapping her hands together. “Y’see, I’ve always been told I’m amazing at baking. My friends and family say so, at least!” She laughs (and Furina finds her cheeks warming at how pleasant her laugh sounds). “So I decided, why not start my own lil’ business of sorts? Nothing too grand or too crazy, just something cozy and sweet, both figuratively and literally.” She puffs her chest out proudly. “And thus, I’ve come up with Navia’s Cookie Carriage–a traveling shop on wheels selling all kinds of confectionery delights! You name it, I got it: cookies, pastries, jar cakes, macarons, the like. And the best part?” She leans in, her grin miraculously growing bigger. “They’re all homemade!”
Furina briefly wonders if Navia, too, would taste cake-adjacent. She stamps that strange thought out. “Say no more,” says Furina. “Can I try one of those pastries of yours?”
“Absolutely!” Navia nods and throws open the cart's big freezer, reaching into it on her tippy toes. “What kind would you like? I’ve got vanilla, strawberry, chocolate, butterscotch…”
“Butterscotch would be great, thank you,” answers Furina, catching herself before she drools a puddle like a soggy pooch.
“Butterscotch it is, dearie!” Furina watches her pull a small carefully-wrapped polka-dot parcel with yellow ribbon adorning it, and she has little time to fawn over the adorable pattern before she sees the word ‘ Butts ’ written in pink marker on the side.
Furina’s eyebrows rise. “Butts?” she says incredulously, stifling a laugh.
Navia snorts in response, her own cheeks tempered a pale pink in mild embarrassment. “Well, I gotta work on my abbreviations,” she says with a sheepish shrug. “But I proooomise this is butterscotch, no rear ends involved in the making of this. Here! You can open it up if you want.”
Upon opening it, the ribbon coming off in one smooth tug, because she’s curious to see what this woman’s baking skills manifest into, Furina is pleased to see that it’s a true-blue butterscotch pastry; creamy, moist and drizzled with a generous helping of syrup. “Wow…” Maybe being a soggy, drooling pooch is the most apt response to this.
“You like it?” She hadn’t noticed how intently Navia had been watching her. “So far so good?”
“So far so wonderful,” Furina agrees, beaming. Going by appearances alone, she’d dig into this thing like a woman starved.
“Normally I wouldn’t let people have a bite until they make the purchase,” says Navia, holding out a disposable spoon for her in a matter-of-fact manner, “but, Furina, since you’re my very first customer, I’ll waive that part of the magical codex for now!”
Furina stares at her. “Wait…am I truly your very first customer ?” Not that this comes as too much of a surprise, since it’s still early in the day and she is her sole audience here. She looks over at the two gentlemen standing aside, stock-still even now and staring off into nothing. Goodness, what strange fellows.
Navia flashes her another sheepish look. “Well,” she says, shoulders rising a bit, “I just started out. So, consider yourself my super-duper, extra special, lucky customer!” When she punctuates it with a wink, Furina feels her cheeks getting a smidge warmer still.
“In that case…” Furina takes the spoon and digs in, scooping up a nice, creamy piece of pastry. The buttercream icing looks just about the right kind of thickness and texture Furina likes, and the way the spongy cake softly gives in to the spoon’s invasion must mean this pretty lady’s used only the finest ingredients for sure; no holds barred when it comes to quality. The golden-brown syrupy bits on top might just melt in her mouth.
She takes a bite, and instantly stars explode inside her, outside her, everywhere in the world and in the universe as a whole. Her cells are being re-written and re-defined as we speak, and the code of life, too, undergoes a whole new revolution of change and transformation, elevating her to a whole new plane of existence…
It takes her a moment to register just how ravenously she’s scarfing this down, shorn of all possible shame, but Navia, bless her darling heart, simply watches her gobble it up with a huge smile. She’s bouncing on her heels again, probably because she’s anticipating the feedback. “I suppose this means you like it, hm?”
“It’s so, so, so freaking good. I could die five hundred deaths just for a single one of these,” Furina tells her earnestly after swallowing another mouthful, meaning every single word from the bottom of her heart. Even the dark little part of it that’s locked itself away from the world. “You’ve got some magic to you, Navia!”
The default expression of Navia must be one of these peppy grins she’s got on her. She whirls around on her heels to face the two men. “C’mon, Melus, Silver! We bagged our first success! Let’s have a round of applause!” The two gentlemen nod and clap obediently, the corners of their lips upturned in small smiles.
“Well done, Demoiselle,” says the older of the two, clapping with all he’s got.
“We knew you could do it,” chimes in the other one with equal fervor.
Navia bows. “Thank you, thank you, my wonderful attendants. Looks like Navia’s Cookie Carriage kicks off with a wild bang! We shall take over the town’s tastebuds and hearts alike!” Her sole audience, the woman relishing the final bite of her ‘Butts’ cake, thinks Navia’s already got her in this regard. She really should have worn something more flattering than her baggy grey shirt and shorts.
“We’ll be making the rounds across town every day, so please anticipate the next time we come this way!” tells the baking expert to Furina, her eyes crinkling in pure joy.
This weekend, Furina lunches on the chewiest, gooiest cookies, and a jar of the creamiest tiramisu she’s ever had.
Furina is awake the next time the Cookie Carriage approaches, and she realizes that it comes with little bells a-tinkling to signify its ceremonious arrival in hopes of regaling everyone with its delightful confections. And when she looks out upon the scene below, with the fancy push cart and carriage approaching at a leisurely pace, she’s surprised to see that it’s Navia pedaling the vehicle and not one of her attendants, who are relaxing in the carriage seat.
She brings the Cookie Carriage to a halt at almost the exact same spot as last time, swinging her leg off one side of the pedals and skipping toward the push cart. Melus and Silver disembark and stand at ease nearby. She does what appears to be a quick appraisal of her goods, then nods and twirls around, cupping her hands and making announcements for her little shop on wheels again.
Furina doesn’t need to wait any longer. Giving herself a once-over in the mirror, making sure her wavy seafoam hair falls just the way she likes it best, she bounds down the stairs and onto the road. “Hi, Navia!”
The woman lights up again, flashing all her pearly whites at her ecstatically. “It’s you again, Furina!”
When Furina closes the distance, she’s taken by surprise when Navia envelops her arms around her in a tight, warm hug. “H-huh?!”
“Oh! My apologies!” Navia steps back to put an ounce of distance between them, her rosy cheeks rosier with unprecedented shyness. “Sorry, was that too bold of me…?”
“N-not at all!” exclaims Furina, waving her hands in front of her, certain her own face is at least thrice as hot. “I was just caught a little off-guard, is all. But it’s great to see you again! I missed your delicious treats these past couple of days,” she adds, swerving the direction of the conversation.
Navia is back to cheesing again, bringing her hands together in delight. “That makes me so happy to hear! My treats missed you, too. I’ve been touring the town with them in tow, and while I’ve gotten quite a few eager customers enjoying them, I find that your reaction to my sweets is unmatched.”
“W-well,” stammers Furina, turning her nose up, “it’s only natural that someone as superbly skilled as you with the art of sugary servings can sway my appetite so.”
“How poetic,” compliments Navia, eyes sparkling. She curtseys. “Well, my fair lady, I sure hope my magical wares can satisfy your sweet tooth today, too.”
Furina beams. “I’m positive they will. I really don’t know what to get this time around, so have you got any suggestions?” The umbrella over the push cart flutters a bit when a breeze brushes past.
“Today, I’ve actually decided to offer something pretty fun, if I do say so myself.” Navia reaches into the freezer and pulls out a long cylindrical container, the clear material offering a view of the most tempting macarons Furina has seen in a while. This pack is wrapped in a red ribbon. “I’m giving customers the chance to paint their macarons should they choose to purchase a whole box full!”
Furina tilts her head, intrigued. After their first meeting, which made her belly very very happy, she trusts Navia’s prowess in preparing only the best baked goods. She’ll gladly purchase an entire container of them even despite not having tried a single one of her macarons yet. “That sounds quite interesting.”
Navia flashes her signature bright smile and holds out the pack. “Each box comes with six macarons,” she says. “You in?”
“Absolutely.” Furina pays for the box of six, and Navia asks Melus (or is that Silver? Furina hadn’t been paying attention the first time) to kindly fetch her edible paint. When he comes back with it, Furina is amazed to see that there’s not just gold flakes like she’d initially assumed. There’s also flakes of pale blues, pinks and reds, lending themselves to a greater variety of things to paint on the macarons.
Not that Furina has the faintest idea what to paint on hers, anyway. Heck, she’s not really all that good at painting on canvas, let alone on a tiny surface such as these sweets. She’ll make a right fool of herself. Navia had charmed her into this, and she supposes she must lie in the bed she’s made, no matter how silly her paintings will turn out.
The charming woman opens up the pack of macarons, revealing the colourful little circular sweets inside. Honestly, they look so tempting Furina might just grab them and wolf them down without even a lick of paint touching them. Again, she tries her hardest not to give herself the appearance of a soggy pooch.
“Got any idea what you’d like to paint?” asks Navia, holding out the thin brush. “No pressure either way! I really won’t judge if you choose to paint, I dunno, penises on every single one of them.”
“Goodness, no way,” says Furina emphatically. She would never sully these creations of perfection with something juvenile. Let’s see… “How about a heart for the first one? Just to start off simple.” She takes the brush and dips it in the gold flakes, loving how rich the texture is yet again. Navia surely cuts no corners when it comes to even the more minor details of her work.
She picks up the first macaron–a pink strawberry one–and begins to paint on it, all too conscious of the way Navia watches on intently. A heart is one of the easiest things to paint, so at least she won’t be making a fool of herself right off the bat. A curve here, connect the separated lines here…and before she knows it, she’s finished the heart and filled it in.
Navia whistles. “Good job,” she coos, “you have quite the steady hand, I gotta say!” If Furina had to count every instance this woman has made her blush, she would have to use more than just her fingers. Such praise for such a basic painting…!
“Th-thank you,” she manages, and is pleased to see that the cool air makes the flakes dry almost instantly. She places the macaron back in the sectioned pack, picking up the next one–a brown chocolate macaron. “I think I’ll do a…a flower, next.” She dips the brush into the red flakes, painting a basic flower.
Before she knows it, she’s painted all six macarons–a heart, a flower, another heart but red, a smiley face, a sun, and little sparkles. Simpering in pride at her teeny tiny little accomplishment, she grows a tad bashful when Navia applauds her.
“Great job! Silver, Melus, a round of applause, please!”
The two gentlemen break out into smiles and claps of approval, and Furina can’t help but bow. When the applause dies down and they return to impersonating statues, she turns to Navia, “Can I ask what they do here, by the way?”
“Oh, they’re here to help when the crowd gets too much for one damsel to handle!” explains Navia. “They’ve been a huge help in the busier districts, since I don’t have six arms of my own. The baking part, though? That’s all me.” She juts her chest out proudly.
“Wow.” Furina clutches her box of freshly-painted macarons like they’re her new baby. “I actually bake too, by the way. I’m most well-versed in cakes in particular.”
“Really?” Navia tilts her head, clearly interested. “That’s so cool! Another dessert dame! What kinds do you make?”
Furina feels the invisible spotlight on her, and shrugs as nonchalantly as possible, though she can barely deign to hide her pride. “Oh, all sorts. Coffee cakes, fruit cakes, chocolate ganache, even eggless cakes! I’m not as well-rounded as you are, but I’ve got a notch or two in my belt myself.”
Navia does that adorable thing where she bounces on her heels again. “This is amazing! Tell me more!”
Most of the morning is whiled away with the two women chattering away about their baking prowess and their shared love for sweet things, and by the time the sun is at its peak among the clouds it’s time for the Cookie Carriage to make its way to its next destination. This time, Furina purchases some jar cakes and a croissant, choosing to savour her macarons slowly. When she does savour them, each bite is with a steadily-growing smile.
The next time Navia’s Cookie Carriage graces the neighbourhood with its much-awaited presence, Furina has baked a little something special to give Navia. Carefully wrapping up the strawberry shortcake she’d so meticulously crafted, not a dollop of cream or a single strawberry seed out of place, she makes her way downstairs to the jingling of the bells.
“Yoo-hoo, Navia!” she hollers, wearing a big grin of her own, “I brought you a little something!”
“For meeee~?” sings Navia, cocking an eyebrow as the shorter woman approaches. “Golly gee, I feel like a princess!”
“You are a princess already,” Furina corrects gently, ignoring the flutter of her heart as the words leave her. She presents the little box containing the shortcake out, neatly wrapped in pink. She had run out of ribbon, so there’s a little star sticker holding the wrapping together. “Here you are. A strawberry shortcake made just for you!”
The glee on dear Navia’s face is unmatched, and is an image that will be burned into Furina’s heart forever. She squeals, happily accepting the present. “Oh my gosh, thank you! Thank you so much! I’ll be sure to savour it well!” Skipping over to hand it to her attendants who are as rigid as ever, she tells them, “Applause, please! I just got a gift I’ll cherish for the rest of my life, even long after I’ve gobbled it all up!”
The applause that ensues has Furina biting her lip. How in the world is Navia this freaking cute? Her chirpiness makes Furina want to bounce on her heels and traipse around, too. Like a…a happy pooch instead of a soggy one. For a moment, she lets her mind wander off into a possibility where they could bake for each other every single day until they both collapse from the resulting sugar rush.
When Navia skips back to her, her hands are clasped behind her back. “I’ve got something for you, too,” she says, bouncing on her heels again. Furina’s grown fond of this, she finds.
“What is it?”
“Ta-da!” Navia holds out a Rainbow Rose, gleaming brilliantly in the sunlight. “For you, Furina.”
Furina gasps, her whole face tinted a deep red. “A-a Rainbow Rose?! These–these are so rare around here…!”
“Which is why a gem like you deserves a flower like this!” Navia presses it into Furina’s trembling fingers, and the warmth of her skin sends a jolt through the shorter, wildly flustered woman. “I love coming this way thanks to you.”
It takes every fiber of Furina’s body not to swoon and hope Navia catches her. “This…I…don’t know what to say…”
With a tinkling little laugh, Navia chirps, “All you gotta say is, ‘Navia, I love it when you and your Cookie Carriage come round too and I hope you’ll keep coming!”
Grinning, Furina assents to that. “Well, you’ve taken the words right out of my mouth. Your sweets are as amazing as always. I relished every last one.”
Navia returns her jovial look and leans against the push cart. “So, what can I do for ya today, dearie? I’ve got the usual supply of sweet treats for all your sugary needs. Say the word, and the Cookie Carriage shall deliver!”
Furina taps her chin thoughtfully, a smirk tugging at her lips. “Have you any three-tier wedding cakes?” She laughs at Navia’s appalled expression.
“Wedding cake? Three-tier?” the taller woman repeats. “Well, colour me pink and call me Susan! I don’t have any of those, unfortunately. All my bites are perfectly bite-sized. I’ll think about calling wedding cakes bite-sized when a forty-foot demogorgon comes asking.”
Furina makes a show of her face falling. “Oh, such a shame…”
Shrugging in mock apology, Navia turns around and rummages through the mini freezer. “I have something that’s a close second, though. Aha!” She whips out a little box. The marker on the side reads ‘Cpcks.’ Cupcakes , presumably. “These are custom ones without any icing on ‘em yet. I decorate them as the customer sees fit for a nice, personalized cupcake!” She opens the box, revealing four chocolate cupcakes devoid of decorations and icing. They look rather naked, but the aroma from them coaxes Furina back into her soggy pooch self.
Taking care not to physically froth at the mouth, Furina says, “This sounds fun, just like the bit with the macarons. I can pick any kind of icing?”
“Yup!” Navia pulls out her icing kit, along with little packets of sprinkles, chocolate chips, and candy pearls. “And just for you, at no extra cost, I’ll stack three cupcakes on top of each other so you get yourself a nice miniature wedding cake. All for the price of just one cupcake!”
“Navia, you know I was kidding about that, right?” Furina exclaims, bewildered.
“And?” Navia beams. “I still wanna make this happen for ya!”
And that’s how Furina stands around beside this unstoppable woman while she makes a colourful miniature three-tier cake with blue and yellow icing, dotted masterfully with little pearls, sprinkles and swirly flowers. It’s every bit as delicious as expected, but honestly Furina is more focused on the way Navia’s hair (which she puts up while decoration) smells of peaches and roses.
“I think you must’ve Pavloved me,” she tells Navia eagerly the next time her Cookie Carriage comes round, after she’s bounded down the stairs to come see her wearing mismatching shoes. “I hear the tinkle of your ‘carriage’ bells, and I come running to see you.”
Navia laughs, leaning against her cart. “To see me ? Or to see my sweets?”
Oh! Furina flushes furiously at her slip of tongue. “T-to purchase your sweets, obviously.”
There’s another pleasant laugh from the blonde woman, and she holds out another rainbow-hued rose. “For you, my sweet,” she says, summoning all the royal charm one can normally only find in fairytales.
Furina gratefully accepts it, resisting the urge to explode on the spot. She twirls it between her thumb and forefinger, examining the brilliant shades the petals have to offer. Freshly-plucked, judging by its slightly damp nature. The notion that Navia’s plucked this just for her is enough to amplify her urge to explode. “You’re way too sweet.”
“Look who’s talking! That shortcake you made for me last time? It was the best thing I’ve ever had, which is saying a lot because I eat great things every day!” The impassioned sparkle in Navia’s eyes means she’s not lying, unless she’s a spectacular actress, but Furina has enough confidence in her own skills to know she has no reason to fib.
She bows deeply, partly to hide her flush of pride. “I bake to please, Mademoiselle.”
“Consider me pleased, my prince.” Curtseying in return, Navia opens up her trusty freezer of baked delights. “And! I also have another freebie just for you. Ta-da!” She holds up a wrapped parcel that says ‘B.Sctch’ on its side.
Furina can’t help but laugh. “You changed the abbreviation,” she comments amusedly, taking it. “But really, Navia, you shouldn’t have! I’m honoured! Charmed! I…could use more expressions, but right now I’m at a loss for words.”
With a carefree wave of her hand, Navia winks. “Don’t worry about it,” she says, “and besides, it’s the least I can do to show my appreciation for my favourite customer.”
“F-favourite?” Furina squeaks, almost crushing the parcel in her hands in surprise. “Really…?”
“Come now, would a gal like me ever lie?” Navia beams at her, hand on hip, and it strikes Furina just how much of the light here must be her smile and not the actual sunlight. “I don’t give out roses to just anyone, you know!”
The woman bustles about her cart, listing off the special treats she’s brought along today, her two trusty men lingering just behind the carriage, alert and watchful as always. It’s a hot-ish day, but that doesn’t seem to deter them. Or the chirpy woman, always so full of light and life.
The quickened thrum of Furina’s heart spurs her on. She takes a deep breath and lets her little confession come tumbling out. “...Okay, um, actually, it’s both.”
Navia quirks an inquisitive brow. “Hm? Whaddaya mean? You want the cookie sandwich and the chocolates?”
Furina fidgets, shuffling her feet. “Earlier, when you asked me if I always came running to see you or your sweets. Picking the latter was actually just a half-truth. I’m also here to see you. You’re a really, er…for lack of a better term, a really sweet woman. I guess it’s fitting for the situation.” She chuckles awkwardly.
There’s a brief silence, and then Navia steps toward her. “You know why I keep coming to this area?” she asks, cheesing her signature smile that Furina will now unabashedly admit makes her heart go a little haywire. “It’s because of you, Furina!”
“Wh-wha?!” Furina feels like her knees might buckle and give her a dramatic fall to the ground, arm over face in utter shock. She resists the call of that little theatrical display, though. “Lil’ ol’ me? Just me? As in, me ?!”
“Mhm. Haven’t you noticed I don’t really get many other customers in this area of town?” Come to think of it, Furina has almost always been the only person frequenting her Cookie Carriage. “It’s because this is majorly an elderly people’s residential area, and we all know old people haven’t got it in ‘em to gorge on sweets anymore, bless their souls.”
Wow…
To say that Furina feels special would be a gross trivialization. If anything, she wants to burst into song and dance right now, and it might be a bit silly of her to think this way but she can’t help it—Navia is simply…so, so captivating. As are her treats.
Her feelings on the matter must be written right on her face, because Navia giggles. “I’ll keep coming, just for you, Furina. And hey, you should come over to my place sometime and we can bake something together!”
Oh, talk about a jackpot and a half. Furina nods, reining in her internal eruption of squeals. “Together, Navia. I truly love the sound of that!”
The sound of Melus and Silver’s approving claps nearly startles her, and the two women laugh.