●. bakery

@james lee。demogorgen suzy pursed her lips, flicking her long brown locks over her shoulder as she stepped back to admire her masterpiece. something was still missing; there was a dull patch in her vibrant graffiti of a swirling gold dragon, whose texture was painted, for her own amusement, like a soft, winding french baguette. perfect for the wall just behind the bakery. she bent down to retrieve her spray can of gold paint from the duffel filled with materials and shook it vigorously before stepping back forward to paint over the unsatisfactory portion.

it took several more canisters of paint before she was truly pleased with her baguette dragon, and by this time the first rays of the sun were already kissing the tops of the trees, the streetlamp illuminating her art going out with a soft flicker. that was the cue.

"7AM, time to leave, eris!" she muttered to herself cheerfully, throwing everything back into the duffel and zipping it up before slinging it over her shoulder. "tomorrow, we'll work on this bad boy breathing fire onto some dough."

she laughed to herself, finding her own little joke amusing, before she paused, head turning to the alleyway. footsteps. she hoped she wasn't about to have another run-in with officer jinsoo.

@james lee。demogorgen Minkyung's eyes lit up at the mention of 'treats' and 'give' in the same sentence. "Free treats? Free desserts?" she said, tone taking on a rather child-like kind, which suited her face for some reason, but not her age. But she was obviously too weak for sweets, anything that could give her some sort of a sugar high—she wouldn't eat enough to reach that point, however. She leaned in toward James, upper body hovering over the table, supported by her elbows against it. "Give me the free treats!" she said, grabbing the other's hand between both of her own, clutching onto it as she looked at him with eyes almost mimicking those of a puppy's—it was out of character, and she wasn't aware if it looked weird and strange, but this always worked on Jun; maybe it'd work on James as well? One of Minkyung's weaknesses was sweets, and she wouldn't deny that. She could probably be lured into a trap with the right sweets, but no enemy had to know that. "Please? Pleaaaase?" she drawled out the last repetition. "Consider this as a welcome-home gift!"

A 23 year old soldier should not be doing this, but here she was.

@kim minkyung。enyo { keep our fingers crossed c: }

James could almost see how Minkyung recalled the memories of her time away. He always wondered how the young woman could live through such experiences, and yet still put on a brave front and come back relatively unharmed. If it was one thing he had learned from being humans for so long was that most would crack under such pressure and haunting memories. There were several soldiers he knew over the years that succumbed to their horrifying experiences, and figured they were better off dead.

"Looks like whoever shot you really did a number on you." James thought Minkyung would be one too, when he had first met her, but she seems to be defying his expectations. Although, James suspected that there was something else that attributed to Minkyung's attitude. It was the last thing he said about the situation, taking a sip of his latte before continuing. "Well...I was gonna give you a few treats as a welcome back, but if you prefer a discount on just the cake that's fine for me." James shrugged nonchalant, a smirk hanging on the corner of his mouth. "Just came out of the oven too, but you know what's best."

@james lee。demogorgen [ let's just hope james give minkyung a discount in the future o u o ]

Minkyung had to think at the question, emotion flickering in her pupils for the briefest of moments, as memories came flooding back in. Though she considered herself quite prepared for this question as the man often asked this after she came back from the battlefield, it was still sort of a different experience with each time. No matter how experienced she might be, it wasn't the same. New faces each time, some disappeared, some stayed. It was that kind of thing. A smile painted her lips, and she wasn't exactly sure what emotion it portrayed. She wasn't good with those anyway. "It was. . . the same, I guess," she answered. "They were too stubborn, even though they were obviously outnumbered."

She crossed her legs, tapping a finger on the table as she continued speaking. "Hmm, we managed to drive them far into the corner. Too far, I guess? But one of their snipers shot me in the shoulder. He missed, probably aiming for the heart. I sensed that - I don't know how. Instincts, maybe? But I was a few seconds too late." She gestured to her left shoulder, wincing as it ached when she took notice of it once more. "It was just supposed to be a patrol, but we ran into them. Fortunately, they didn't get any of my men. None died." That brought out a small laugh from her lips. "And I'm right here! In one piece! Now, shouldn't I get a discount for that?" Her tone was teasing, but there, in her eyes, was the truth.

She had to lift up the conversation somehow. If she proceeded to continue telling of her experiences, it would put a damp on it, and she didn't want that. If she had her way, she'd rather keep it lighthearted and friendly. None of those bloody killings. None of those gunshots. She didn't want to be the only one talking. If she did, who knew, he might get disturbed by it? She hadn't the chance to know him that well yet.

@kim minkyung。enyo { omg I feel bad for Minkyung why James gotta be such a ><;; }

James tossed his apron into a small hamper he had designated for all his dirty towels and aprons, now opting to put on a clean one once he returned from his little chat with Minkyung. In the bathroom, he made sure to thoroughly clean his hands, since flour and dough seemed to travel up and down all over his arms as well. James was lucky he actually enjoyed baking and sweets, or else he would have found having to clean himself so thoroughly every damn second of the day tedious as hell. It still was tedious, but he didn't mind it.

Once satisfied, he gently dried off his hands and arms, and looked over himself in the mirror. Thankfully there wasn't any flour caked to his face or hair. Sometimes after a bout of vigorous mixing and creating, James was just about covered with flour from head to toe. He deigned himself presentable enough, and walked back to the front of the bakery. James craved himself a latte, and promptly made one behind the counter. He grabbed himself a couple of chocolate covered biscottis, something simple to pair with the latte, and made a mental not to pay for the treats once he was done. Even he was stingy about paying for anything he grabbed himself.

James spotted Minkyung at a secluded table, and made his way towards her. He set down his coffee and biscottis with ease, and swiftly sat down. Since James was quite tall and tended to stretch his legs out, he angled himself a bit to side and crossed his ankles. He gently lifted a brow at Minkyung, "So? How was the life of battle treated you these past few months, Lieutenant?"

@james lee。demogorgen "Aww, I thought I'd get a freebie or something," Minkyung said, letting a soft sigh pass through her lips, expressing a pretense of dejection. She was quite hoping for that discount, but she had known really well that James, even to his friends (now that she thought about it, she'd rarely ever seen him friendly with other people, or maybe that was just her being away for far too long), would never give them a discount. Not on pastries, no. She could remember the surprise she initially had once she found out that he was the owner of the bakery she had been frequenting to. "But I'll take that military discount on coffee."

She watched him leave, disappear into the kitchen, before she looked around. Fortunately for her today, it wasn't buzzling with people, at least at this time of the day, or just today. She, so she couldn't be seen by anyone who'd come by later on, chose the table that was the most hidden when one entered through the doors. It was one of the rare times she was ever free, no duty for the month or so, unless she got called in because of something urgent. Being a high-ranking officer at quite a young age truly had its perks, but instead of her partying like most of her colleagues and perhaps living her life in her mid-twenties, she'd rather spend her free time being with the people she knew, as she was never too sure when she'd see them again, after all.

She leaned against the chair, relaxing onto it. Here and one other place that she loved, were the only places she felt comfortable, but not safe. Never safe. She tapped her fingers on the table, the inside of her lower lip. She shouldn't think like that on a day-off—she deserved to relax every once in a while.

@kim minkyung。enyo James snorted from Minkyung's playful comment of being a mortal. If only she knew, he thought to himself. At times when the two talked, James could see the weight of the atrocities she committed for the sake of her country on her shoulders. She carries it with her where ever she goes, and James thinks there's only a brief respite when Minkyung tastes his pasteries, or really any type of sweet. James thinks they're almost alike in the same way; over the centuries he has lived as a human, he has had to do unsavory things to survive and while for him, there's no guilty conscious (at times), his baking offers an escape. A small part of James is a bit happy he's able to provide such escape for Minkyung.

"Discount? On my creations? Hell no. You're paying full price, soldier." James plastered a overexagerrated, sweet smile on his face, tilting his head at the same time. "We do give military discounts on coffee, so please ask about that at the register."

He quickly dropped the act after a few seconds, "Let me get this apron off and check on a few things. Pick any table, and I'll meet you soon." Without waiting for a response from the woman, James his heel and made his way back to the kitchen.

@james lee。demogorgen Killing off bad guys, probably would not be the rightest phrase for it, but for the citizens, anyone who'd try to do harm to their country were just that. Dangerous, it was, but Minkyung wouldn't deny that while she already had one foot on her grave once she had stepped into battle, it was thrilling. She couldn't let that cloud her judgement, however, or she might turn like her brother, her whole adoptive family. Her eyes wandered to the display case, eyes widening at all the wondrous-looking treats, lips parting. If this were a cartoon scene, she would have been drooling. She wouldn't deny how much she missed the taste of all these. This had been her favorite from the moment she had first stepped into this place. And coming back to this, after a hard-fought battle, was a kind of heaven she'd go to anytime. "Well, give me that strawberry glazed tiramisu cake, and I shall tell you the tales of my heroic battles, mortal one!" she said, pointing at the said cake on the display, straightening her posture as she put a hand on her waist, tilting her chin up proudly. "And do I get a discount since I came back alive?"

@kim minkyung。enyo James huffed slightly when Minkyung made a peace sign with her fingers, noting the irony in the statement because of her occupation. "Hmm...a few months maybe? I didn't keep track." The man murmured, settling his eyes on Minkyung, but then clearing his throat and averting his eyes from the unexpected look gracing her expression. "Everything has been okay so far. Still...here." He chuckled. He waved toward the display cases, "I've actually created some new pastries since you were killing off bad guys," James stepped a bit closer to the case and tapped the glass with his knuckle, right where a new treat sat. "Puff pastry with hazelnut filling, also a strawberry glazed tiramisu cake. Some other things as well." James smirked lightly at Minkyung, knowing the young woman probably couldn't resist a few sweets since she's been away for awhile. "Wanna choose something and you tell me where you've been off galavanting?

@james lee。demogorgen [aaah no worries, no worries! i type on mobile a lot too so cx]

A wide smile painted itself on Minkyung's lips, glad to see that the other hadn't forgotten about her just yet. They weren't that close, just two people who both enjoyed sweets and craved it like no other. "Yep! Kim Minkyung at your service!" she said, almost doing a salute, but instead she chose to lift a hand, a peace-sign forming on her fingers. She looked around the bakery, as though she hadn't been inside for a very long time, though the boring months did seem like that. Her smile became small, but still genuine and sincere. "It's been a long time, hasn't it?" she uttered, and she turned her gaze back to James, expression softening. "How have you been?" She had never expected to be acquainted, or come close to the level of a 'friend'—at least, she /believed/ she was a friend—to the other with the personality he had shown her the first time they met. Sweets were truly the only thing that they could agree on without much arguments, but she believed he wasn't as bad as his personality showed—despite what many would have thought.

@kim minkyung。enyo { my replies will probably vary in length now, hope you don't mind! And sometimes I'll be replying on mobile so excuse the typos e u e; }

James turned sharply when he had felt someone tap on his shoulder. His first instinct was to sneer at however had touched him so suddenly, and while deep in thought, but then he heard a familiar voice. Then a familiar face entered his field of vision...of the young woman who was a fellow lover of sweets. A young, passionate, and fierce warrior: Minkyung. When James had first saw the woman, she was no different than every other face at the bakery, but she had kept coming back. Her visits were irregular, to James at least, and he had observed she feasted on the sweets and actually savored them as meant to be. Not scoffed down while looking at a phone screen. James thought Minkyung would be as close as a kindred spirit he could get. James felt a small feeling of elation, as close as he could get without scoffing at someone at least. The baker turned fully to face the solider, the corner of his mouth turned upward in a smirk. "Well...look who decided to show up. Done playing hero for the time being?"

@james lee。demogorgen Minkyung had found this town rather nice to come back to, even more do than her own 'home.' There was this sense of feeling at home in this town—there were people she could go back to here, unlike back at the mansion. She had wondered when it was she had started caring about this—when she grew up, she didn't really give any care whether she survived the battlefield or not. The battlefield was her home, where she belonged and reigned as a queen like no other. It was like she had another identity, one she didn't know existed until she stood, facing a field of corpses. Unlike to some, for her, her profession was fun—a thrilling experience that one wouldn't be able to get anywhere else. It was quite tempting to just lose herself in that addicting feeling, but—

—but she had more reasons to come back than not, especially for her soft childhood friend. And the sweets, definitely the sweets. Her lips curled up to form a small smile, as she stopped right in front of the bakery she had gone more frequently than the others. Oh, how long had she last stepped in this place? It had only been a couple of months, but here she was, feeling as though she hadn't been in this town for /years/. What greeted her the moment she walked inside was the familiar figure of a man, and her smile only widened, approaching him quietly, steps almost silent, though she was certain that he was too focused on the displays to notice her presence. She tapped his shoulder once and leaned forward to look at him. "Good morning!" she greeted, before she glanced at the clock and realizing the time. "Or should I say good afternoon?"

@kim minkyung。enyo Being head baker of the town's bakery meant James was in charge of producing all the pastries and savory treats for the day, with the help of a couple assistants (which were total idiots that confused salt and sugar sometimes). He had to be at the bakery by 4:30 in the morning to make preparations for the day; he made sure the dough for the day was proofing properly, created the sweet and savory fillings from scratch so it'd be ready to be piped into the treat, and for the most part make sure a quarter of the days food is ready by 8AM when the other workers come in and opened up the shop. By then James is elbow deep in kneading dough once again while his assistants are piping and finishing up the fresh-out-of-the-oven foods. The days are long and tiring, but it was something he grew fond of over the centuries of roaming this earth. There was nothing like the sort of work he did when he was done in the Abyss, and even though it's be totally uncharacteristic of someone like him being a baker and a lover of the sweets, it's the one of the very few things we enjoys while being a human. It was near 12 in the afternoon when James glanced at the clock. His hands were covered in stains of the pastries, his apron and shirt looking absolutely abysmal, but he really didn't mind. Most of the foods were done by now, his assistants now cleaning up and finishing up what was needed, and James figured he deserved a little bit of a break. James wiped the his hands on the apron, not sparing a glance at his assistants while walking up to the sink to wash up. "Don't screw anything up while I'm again, please. And make sure the croissants come out in exactly 23 minutes, got it?" His assistants murmured their confirmations, and James finished up washing his hands. Before he went on his break, James made his way towards the front of the house to inspect the display of his creations. He wanted to make sure they were placed correctly as he had instructed. The other workers only warily glanced towards him as James stood with his back to the main entrance, scrutinizing the display with his hands crossed over his chest. He paid no mind to the soft chime of the door opening, announcing a customer had arrived.

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@james lee。demogorgen Outfit--> http://i1.wp.com/www.koreaboo.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/05_424235C49BFF.jpg?fit=1000%2C663
Flower arrangements--> https://static.wixstatic.com/media/93ab33_bf93920d4a4b44f392e63f02771059c4~mv2_d_2048_1365_s_2.jpg/v1/fill/w_498,h_331,al_c,q_90/file.jpg
http://photo.foter.com/photos/pi/274/13pc-set-5bouquets-2corsages-6boutonnieres-horizon-royal-blue-white-wedding-silk-flower-arrangement-bouquet-corsage-boutonniere.jpg

Another day, another order, something I find myself loving nonetheless, with how easygoing everything is, not to mention the fact that things are pretty effortless for me as my fingers mercilessly work on getting everything perfect. As soon as I'm jumping out of the truck outside, from the delivery guy who works for us, I'm giving him a soft smile as I simply shake my head. "It's not as much Jay, I can do this on my own so no worries! Let me get a chance to socialize a bit, I heard of this bakery but never found myself in here before." Chuckling over at the male, not minding that he helps me with the arrangements, stacking them on a trolley for me, I simply tug at the handles, the dinging sound of the bell has me pursing my lips and flashing a bright smile as I walk in with a dainty step in the mix. Clearly, pleased and cheerful to be around and about, being the bright sunshine I am, I'm instantly bowing and flashing a cheery grin at the worker's way as they're busy fluctuating about. However, my orbs are instantly finding an uptight male behind the counter, which has me cocking my head and feeling a tad bit wary in the pit of my stomach. Simply shrugging it off, I murmur more to myself than anything else. "Do not judge a book by its cover Sooyoung." my lips nervously, I shuffle over towards you, suspecting you must be the man who's in charge, possibly so because from the manner in which the workers are all focusing on you as if they're trying to give you answers of some sorts. Leaving the trolley on the side, I showcase the flower arrangements with a soft smile and speak up clearly. "Hello Sir, I'm Sooyoung from, 'Your Neighborhood Florist,' and we've gotten a couple of orders, so I'm just popping in to deliver said bouquet arrangements. Of course, we're one of the finest and unique floral places one can ever come across, so I surely hope you'd adore the works we've performed for you guys. If you have any complaints whatsoever, please do reach back to us via our contact information, but I am positive we wouldn't have to be hearing anything negative from you." Chuckling briefly, I start reaching down, pulling up a single blue flower assemble, placing it on the counter and fiddling with the supple petals as I look at you intently, ignoring the churn in my stomach from making me nauseous. "Would you like me to place them on this countertop? Or leave it on the floor and you would have your workers set it up around the bakery?" Questioning a bit, wondering why are your eyes so dark - obsidian colored orbs are hella attractive, however, yours...Feel so chilly and eerie that I cannot help but feel my pores rising on end, making me nervous and anxious at the same time. It's as if you're reeling me in, wanting me to come in for more, see what's new and jump into that dark mystery that you clearly are. Along with wanting to have a tug of war and run for the hills. Yet, I have to stay, wait, collect the payment and then I can be on my way, but I'd be lying if I was to say that I don't want to know more about you. I truly do, you're a mystery left unsolved and a new face I'm seeing around- after all, I'm the new flower girl in town.

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