Chapter Text
The morning sun shone in the large windows of Pandora’s Bread Box, lighting up the room and casting a gentle golden glow on the shelves Willow had lovingly filled with bread.
The young witch stretched and heard her back pop from the strain. She’d been hunched over baking for far too long. Now she was stiff from head to toe. It would take time to work the kinks out of her shoulders and spine but, for now, she had nothing but time.
Even then, Willow couldn’t help but smile to herself as she looked upon her hard work. This was all because of her. And, of course, because of Whisk.
Now Willow simply had to wait for her first customers to arrive. She prayed to any god willing to listen that they would come soon. She’d worked so hard this morning. All her efforts couldn’t be for nothing. They just couldn’t. She’d put everything she had into enchanting her work with uplifting spells, powered further through her catalyst of a familiar.
Her pumpkin-shaped harvest bread was enchanted to promote safety and comfort. Her loaves of sourdough, intricately cut with a spiderweb design, helped grant courage and hope. Even her brimstone bread, black on the outside but beautifully crimson inside, was baked with the intention of helping monsters find peace in their everyday life.
Everything was baked with a purpose. That was simply how a magical bakery was run. Willow refused to slack on her work simply because she was new at this business.
Looking upon her hard work, Willow felt her heart swell with pride. It had taken years to collect all the recipes she’d written down in her little notebook. It was nice to finally put that knowledge to use.
The witch’s small smile grew ever wider, unable to be held back for even a moment longer.
“It really is beautiful, isn’t it?” Willow breathed in reverent awe.
Whisk purred loudly from his perch on the counter. “It’s because of you that this is a reality.”
Willow gently scratched behind the cat’s left ear. “I couldn’t have done it without you.”
But Whisk wasn’t so easily swayed by her kind words. “You could have,” the cat assured her with a purring laugh. “You just needed a little extra push.”
There was a chance that was true, but Willow doubted it. She never could have left home without Whisk being summoned. Her dreams would never have become a reality, only a secret she was forced to keep if she wanted to help souls like Mrs. Hemlock. It was enough for Willow to feel the pride swell in her chest at the progress made, even if she had needed help.
But, because of that help, her dreams had come true. Pandora’s Bread Box was officially open, and more than ready to receive its first customer.
Now all Willow had to do was wait. She made herself comfortable in a chair behind the front counter, the local Hollow City newspaper resting comfortably in her hands. Whisk dozed off, his hefty form curled up into a ball beside the cash register.
Every now and then, Willow risked a glance at the door. No customers yet. There wasn’t even the need to check. The bell resting above the door would ring if anyone came inside.
But it didn’t ring. No customers had arrived, even after a good thirty minutes had passed.
Willow anxiously ran her fingers through Whisk’s dark fur. “We are going to get customers, right?” It was impossible to keep the fear out of her voice.
The cat merely purred beneath her touch, rubbing up against her hand. “Of course we will. Be patient.”
It was easier said than done. Willow felt antsy sitting there with nothing better to do than check the morning news. She kicked her legs back and forth anxiously. An inkling of fear had already made a home for itself in her stomach and was slowly growing into a nasty pit.
What if no one bought her bread? Why didn’t she have any customers yet? What if the shop had been a horrible idea from the start? Was her dream a failure before it had even begun?
The newspaper proved too short to occupy Willow’s attention long enough to drown out her thoughts. Once she’d read everything its pages had to offer, she folded the paper up and placed it on an empty spot on the counter. She then stood and grabbed a broom.
Whisk raised his head from where it had been resting on his paws. “What are you doing now?” he asked, though he was well aware of the answer.
“Cleaning,” Willow replied. “I can’t stand to just sit around doing nothing.”
It was all she could think of to distract herself from her growing anxiety.
Time dragged on at an agonizing pace, encouraging Willow’s fears all the while. Her stomach churned as she glanced out the windows yet again. Even though monsters had begun to pass by her shop, not one was interested in trying her bread.
It wasn’t until lunch had come and gone, filling the witch and her familiar’s stomachs with leftover soup, that Pandora’s Bread Box received its first customer.
Willow looked up from her little notebook full of recipes with a bright, hopeful smile.
A customer! At last!
While she wished they would have come sooner, it was still better late than never.
“Welcome to Pandora’s Bread Box!” Willow greeted the stranger with a bright smile. “I’m Willow. Please let me know if you need anything.”
Her potential customer was a demon girl with rose-colored skin. Her heart-shaped tail marked the horned visitor as a succubus - a demon who fed upon positive emotions of the heart. Naturally, it was Willow’s first time meeting one.
The succubus wandered into the shop, looking over this and that with a small smile on her face. It was strange, but Willow couldn’t help but feel the customer was judging her work. She chalked it up to pure anxiety.
“You certainly have quite the arrangement,” the succubus said. Her sharp-fanged mouth curved into a smile. “I’d heard there was a new bakery in town - a magic bakery - and I just had to check it out.”
Willow felt her heart soar high with hope. People were actually talking about her bakery already! If word spread even further, maybe more customers would start filing in soon! It was all Willow could do to keep from bouncing on her heels.
The witch tried not to hover over the succubus’s shoulders as she roamed the shop, but the woman seemed as though she was struggling to choose what to buy.
“If you need recommendations, I’d be happy to offer some.” Willow smiled nervously.
The demon girl pushed her braided violet hair from her face, over the shoulder of her low cut sweater. Beneath the brilliant red fabric was a pair of short shorts.
It was hard not to stare at her. Willow had never seen someone so beautiful. Of course, being a succubus, that was to be expected. They were born beautiful. If someone like that talked about her shop, customers really would file in by the dozens!
Willow almost drifted into hopeful daydreams when she heard a crash.
It took a few moments to register what happened. The succubus had turned a little too fast, her long tail knocking two baskets of cookies off the shelves. Their baked contents now spilled across the bakery’s floor.
“Oh, no!” Willow cried out. “Are you okay?”
“Willow, wait-”
But Willow paid her familiar no mind. She was too busy rushing over to the customer to hear his frantic meows.
The demon stared down at the mess she caused with pursed lips for a few moments, before breathing out a small sigh… which soon bubbled into a laugh! Willow was stunned silent as the succubus cackled with malicious glee.
What just happened?
Her hopeful customer bore sharp fangs in a vicious grin.
“Oh, dear,” the demon said, her tone laced with faux guilt. Her violet eyes shot up to see Willow’s horrified reaction and delighted in it. “At least it’s not too much of a waste, am I right? Nothing you baked was of particularly high quality, after all.”
To make her point perfectly clear, the succubus crushed a cookie under the tall heel of her boot. She ground the sweet into dust before turning away.
Willow was stunned silent - too surprised to move, but not enough to stop the tears from stinging her eyes.
“Why would you do that?” Willow’s voice cracked halfway through her pained question.
She had been so excited to meet her very first customer, only to have them destroy her hard work without a second thought. The demon had even laughed at Willow! Now she just wanted to know why. Why would someone be so cruel?
The succubus stared Willow down like a werewolf eyeing its prey, waiting to strike and land the finishing blow.
“You should have done your research before starting a bakery here, sweetheart,” the woman sneered. “The only magical bakery in Hollow City is Lilith’s place: The Devil’s Bread. And I’m Lilith.”
Willow was left with wide eyes and no answers as the woman named Lilith walked out her bakery like she owned the place. Tears blurred the witch’s vision before falling down her cheeks in little streams. Without a word, Willow once again grabbed the broom and dustpan and began cleaning up the mess Lilith had left behind.
“Willow…” Whisk meowed quietly, though he said no more than that. He was at a loss for words.
And so was Willow.
But Ahriman certainly had an opinion to voice.
“Can’t say I ever liked that woman,” he grumbled as he slunk out of the shadows.
His sudden appearance caused Whisk and Willow to jump. Willow was admittedly a little surprised he wasn’t making fun of her sorry situation as well, instead opting to watch her from a spot across the room. He leaned against the wall with his arms folded across her chest.
“You know her?” Whisk glanced at Ahriman suspiciously. Had he been a part of this too?
Ahriman simply ignored the cat’s judgmental stare and shrugged. “Well, yeah. I mean she summoned me here, after all.”
“And how long ago was that?” Whisk demanded
“Long enough. The old hag’s not as young as she looks.”
Willow took a break from her sweeping to look at Ahriman, quietly wiping away her tears on her sleeve. “She created you?” she finally said.
Ahriman breathed out a weary sigh and nodded.
“Unfortunately. Though I’m sure she’d send me right back to the netherworld if I ever explained why.” He shuddered at the thought. It was the first time Willow had seen Ahriman afraid of anything. “Needless to say, I can’t say any more than that. You ever deal with her, though, and I guarantee you I’ll tell the whole story. What I can tell you for now is that she's gonna be some tough competition.”
Willow managed a small nod. This wasn’t the first she’d heard of The Devil’s Bread, but Willow had thought some friendly competition would do both their businesses some good. Clearly, Lilith didn’t feel the same. She saw Willow as a threat to her livelihood.
So be it.
Willow’s hands tightened around the broom handle as she sniffled back tears. “I can’t afford to give up.”
“And you won’t!” Whisk agreed, jumping down from his perch to nuzzle against Willow’s legs. “We just need to grow a customer base without that woman interfering!”
“Good luck…” Even without pupils, Willow could tell Ahriman rolled his eyes. “She’s not going to make it easy for you. She’s got a chokehold on nearly all the bakeries in town.”
Willow managed a small shrug, though she didn’t feel nearly as confident as she seemed. Either way, she’d made up her mind. Her resolve was set.
“That’s fine,” the witch said, daring to sound more confident than she felt. “Either way, I refuse to give up on my bakery.”
No matter what Lilith said, Pandora’s Bread Box would not fall here. Willow would make sure of that.