⚝ bakery。

@tyler y。ᵇᵃᵏᶦⁿᵍᵖᵒʷᵈᵉʳ "I didn't know what else to get you," Lily said as she happily watched Tyler ogle the box. Even if she didn't it was always taught to her to at least bring something useful or that something can be eaten instead, as said by her grandmother. "No problem. I guess I should be happy you're addicted to coffee instead of energy drinks. I think an entire can of Monster can fit in that cup, you would probably die," Lily snorted softly. She looked down at the sizable slice of cake and dipped her finger in the icing and took a taste of it, humming in approval at the sweet yet light taste of the icing. "If this is store bought then I'm going to be disappointed, this cake is good," Lily commented as she watched Tyler put the much bigger mug besides his head, a laugh came from her belly once she heard the joke from the other. She let her figure sink back in the beanbag chair as the movie started to play, the whisper of Tyler's catching her by surprise. "Oh don't get sappy, I'm your friend, I'm suppose to be at every birthday party you have. I'm glad you didn't end up spending it alone," She said as she watched the screen turn colorful with the christmas town of whoville.

@lily easton。ˢᵘⁿⁿᶦ "It's still unopened," Tyler rolled his eyes at her threat, shaking his head a little. Of course he was joking. He was in the middle of unscrewing the bottle when the box got pushed to him. His eyes grew wide and eyebrows rised in surprise. "Me? Dude, coffee is my middle name," he chuckled, looking up at Lily with a half grin, still in a slight state of surprise. "You shouldn't have, Lily. But thank you!" He smiled, setting the bottle down for the time being, grabbing the box instead and opening it unceremoniously. "Well... Damn!" He eyed the toilet mug for a good minute before bursting into a fit of laughter. "I love it," he breathed out between laughs, tears stinging his eyes. "Dude, this is awesome. Let me drink my coffee first before you talk bull at me," he joked, holding the mug up beside his face. Of course, he did not mean Lily specifically. He found her company quite pleasant. Even more than that. "I love it. Thank you so much! Hey... Look," he set the mug down, opened the bottle of whiskey and poured a good, healthy amount into the mug. "You're the keeper of the bottle. I have my pooper," Tyler smirked, leaning back against the bed frame, turning on the movie this time. "I'm glad you're here," he whispered before taking a swing while the opening credits rolled.

@tyler y。ᵇᵃᵏᶦⁿᵍᵖᵒʷᵈᵉʳ Lily chuckled at Tyler's behavior, other than being a nervous mess it was nice to see him happy, excited even. "Let's sit on the beanbags, my is going to be numb by the time the movie is finished. But I think you should keep the pillow in case" Lily grinned as she opted to sit in the beanbag chair near his bed while carefully holding the plate of cake. She furrowed her eyes at him, wondering if it was a joke. "Human diseases? I'm not going to kill you unless you spiked it. I don't mind drinking from a bottle," she said lastly before shrugging, finding her friend amusing. "I'm not sure if you drink coffee but I bought you a mug, unwrap it," she urged as she pushed the packaged toilet mug over to Tyler with her sock covered foot.

@lily easton。ˢᵘⁿⁿᶦ Tyler carried the plate upstairs, the grin never fading. He closed the door behind himself before placing the plate with cake in Lily's lap. "You can sit in the bean bag if you'd like," he offered pointing at the quite worn out, dark green beanbag by the foot of his bed, facing the TV. "Or the bed. I don't mind," he chuckled, reaching for his movie-night supplies that were strewn across his bed. A bottle of coke and aged whiskey he got from his dad for his birthday, a bag of cheese puffs and his own plate with cake. He took a seat right beside Lily, not minding the sturdy seat made of floor boards. "Oh... Do you want a pillow to sit on?" He asked, pulling one off his bed immediately to give to Lily. "Do you like whiskey? I can get you something else if you want? Dude... I forgot glasses. Do you drink from a bottle? I swear I don't have any human diseases," he made a funny little face, though he was being honest.

@tyler y。ᵇᵃᵏᶦⁿᵍᵖᵒʷᵈᵉʳ "Oh yeah, I have candles, but I have a lighter on me in case anyone ask questions," Lily mentioned as her most recent purchase came back to her, her friendly smile turning a little devilish as he followed Tyler up the stairs with just as much vigor. With the bag dangling around her wrist she slid both of her slender hands inside her pocketsas she walked through the door to Tyler's room. It definitely looked like a room someone would have from their childhood. "The Grinch is fine with me, it's been years since I watched that movie." Lily spoke with a cool nod of her head as she took a seat on the floor in front of the tv. She looked around Tyler's room as he went downstairs, slight nostalgia filling her as she looked around at all the little trinkets and whatever else was splayed around. Although she didn't quite remember her old home as a young girl, she knew it felt very much like this. The rustling of the white plastic bag had caught her attention again, and she pulled out the pack of rainbow colored candles and a neatly packaged novelty coffee mug that looked like a toilet. In the store it made her snort, she thought Tyler would enjoy how it looked drinking coffee out of it. As she waited for Tyler, she took out her lighter and pried open the package of candles.

@lily easton。ˢᵘⁿⁿᶦ Tyler hanged the coat without much preamble and gestured for Lily to follow him. Did he behave like an excited child? Maybe. Did he care? Not one bit. "Alright, I have plenty. For myself anyway. That means we won't be /that/ drunk," Tyler chuckled, taking the steps by two as he hurried up to the attic room, trying his best to avoid his parents in the living room. "Come in, come in," he held the door open at the top of a narrow staircase, the warm light of his ambience light and the TV light illuminating the quite unpleasant stairway. "Is Grinch okay with you? Or do you want to watch something else? Oh, and I'll go get you some cake. Make yourself at home," Tyler grinned, first inviting Lily into his room before bouncing down the steps to the kitchen, loading a triangle of the professionally baked yet homemade cake, intentionally avoiding the curious glances of his dad and stepmom.

@tyler y。ᵇᵃᵏᶦⁿᵍᵖᵒʷᵈᵉʳ Lily pinched her bushy brows together, her expression scrunching with one of disbelief and amusement at the greeting. "Of course not! I can't say I was coming and suddenly ditch, I would be a terrible friend," she chuckled as she came inside the warm home. She untangled her arms from around herself and switched the bag back and forth as she took her arms out of her coat. "That's fine, you don't wanna see my place either," she said back as she tried to get a peek further into the home, a natural curiosity that always ate her up. Lily gave Tyler her coat and shrugged, her arms flapping up and then slapping against the sides of her legs. "You did say you have a booze right? I'll take whatever of that you have," she grinned widely at the other, ready to game and not go overboard while his elders were still there of course.

@lily easton。ˢᵘⁿⁿᶦ If Tyler said that he had any hopes that anyone would show up would be a lie. He didn't expect to have company other than his family on his birthday. But when he heard the knock, he had to race the stairs so it wouldn't be his dad or stepmom opening the door for the guest. Not that he had been expecting Lily to actually show up, but still. He jerked the door open with a breathless smile, almost too wide for his narrow face. "You weren't kidding," he chuckled, letting Lily in. "Come on in! This is a pleasant surprise," Tyler admitted, waiting for Lily to give him her coat. "I... The room's a mess so please don't mind that. I haven't actually lived here for a while now," he chuckled. He rented a small house now, but it would be quite sad if he was completely alone on his birthday. So he had decided to stay with his parents on this day and crash in his old attic room. "What can I get you?" He asked, overly excited to have a friend come to visit.

@tyler y。ᵇᵃᵏᶦⁿᵍᵖᵒʷᵈᵉʳ Although Lily had only hung out with Tyler once, her memory had surprised her as her feet led her from the grocery store with a bag in hand, and in the direction of the small family owned bakery. As promised, she had the pack of multicolored candles and a small gift inside. Lily had wished she knew other better so she could give him a more meaningful gift, but she had settled for something simple and light-hearted. Her memory was jogging as she noticed the same small alleyway, they pulled into the last time. Besides the change in weather, and the small yard of Tyler's house that had dulled as winter came, it all looked the same. Lily climbed the steps to the house and without an ounce of hesitance, she gave three knocks on the wooden door and stepped back, hugging herself and the bag, as the cold breeze swept over her coated figure.

@tyler y。ᵇᵃᵏᶦⁿᵍᵖᵒʷᵈᵉʳ ( i'm trying!!! >< but thank you, i hope you aren't too busy )

Lily mimicked Tyler's slight face of disgust, a playful, small, and disgruntled noise sounding from . "It's still good," She said, loosely shrugging her shoulders. She looked back at the bowl of sweet batter sitting on the counter, she knew what she was going to do after eating the mug cake. "I'm still eating it," Lily stubbornly spoke under breath as she looked forward again. The response from the other pulled a breathy laugh out of her. Lily looked to Tyler, her sharp blue eyes were warm, and the underlying suspicion she kept under folds the whole time had become absent. "That went kind of dark," She chuckled, her brows slightly rising upwards. "When I'm not with my friends I like to go fishing. I don't catch much of anything but it's easier than doing any sort of meditation. I also like journaling and sketching," It was vastly different from the other wild things she did with her group of friends. "I thought you would be more fun than that. What's the point of wasting away at home when you can be doing something else?" Lily asked, curiosity killing the cat as she came closer to Tyler. She turned around to lean her back against the counter, her elbows supporting her petite frame and the knuckles of her hand grazed like a feather against Tyler's hand. A sharp shudder ran over Lily's body as a strong dose of exuberance flowed through her. The smallest of hairs stood up as strong goosebumps raised over her skin, and her heart pounded in her ears along with the connection to Tyler's thoughts that faded in out as she tethered with him. Lily hid it all under her suddenly blank expression, but she couldn't hide the way her pupils had suddenly blown. "Y-you don't have any friends?" Lily asked, her lashes flickering as if something was in her eyes, trying to hide it all. For once she couldn't follow her own rules.

@lily easton。ˢᵘⁿⁿᶦ () i hope you're coping with the crap! hold on and pull through! you can do it <3

Tyler couldn't help the stink eye when Lily mentioned the bowl. "It's batter. Not cream," he chuckled, shaking his head a bit. She would be eating raw ingredients, which... wasn't the best decision.

The comfortable silence was gone as she let the question out, wondering just what exactly did she expect. "Fun? What's that?" he asked, only half-jokingly. "Alright, no. I know what you mean. It's difficult," he chuckled, gently smoothing down the escaped baby hair at his nape. "Well, I used to research all the creatures in the town when I was younger. The biggest Ty project of its time," he smiled, folding his arms over his chest as he looked at the tiled floor instead of her. "But now, there's not much I can do. If I'm not at school, I'm working here, and if I'm not here, I'm dying a slow, lonely death at home. How about you?" he confessed, finally tilting his head enough to look at Lily's side profile. Well, she was one hell of an eye-catching person. But as he said, he was far more interested in her nature. The hobby of his youth still ever-present under all that self-pitying, nerdy front.

@tyler y。ᵇᵃᵏᶦⁿᵍᵖᵒʷᵈᵉʳ ( No need to feel bad I'm getting hit with a ton of crap right now so replies have been a bit slower than usual)

"Almost as good as you," Lily quipped as she gave a final swirl to the now silk like batter. It still had teeny tiny bits of dry lumps here and there, but if the baker thought it was good then it was for Lily too. She let Tyler take the bowl and whisk as she rubbed the burn that plagued her wrist from all the whisking she did. "If I can ever catch you in here maybe I could use my free discounts," Lily said as she made a face at him, the corners of her lips still curled, and her strands of hair falling in her face from her loosening ponytail. He was never there was she came inside the bakery, or she was too busy looking at her phone to notice him when she ordered her daily croissant. She watched Tyler pour the creamy batter into the mugs, her eyes tensely watching the colorful mugs as if it was a chemistry experiment instead of a small baking project. Lily nodded her head as she listened to Tyler, taking the mugs, and careful not to touch him in the midst of all of their movement around each other. "You know, I think a true professional always the bowl afterwards," She snorted as she put her set of mugs in the microwave as instructed. Once the microwave was shut and beeped on, Lily too leaned against the platform as she watched the mugs take their time with the cake batter inside them. As silence surrounded them, other than the noise from the microwave zapping their neurons, she found herself settling in it comfortably until a question fell from . "So what do you do for fun?" Lily asked, not looking at Tyler.

@lily easton。ˢᵘⁿⁿᶦ ( thank you. i still feel bad for leaving you hanging like this )

Tyler returned with a mug hanging from each finger on one hand, bouncing back beside Lily to check on the progress. He smiled widely. "Look at you, you're a natural," he chuckled and slowly settled the colorful mugs down beside each other into a row. "And you can call me chef more often. I might give you bigger discounts next time you come around," he laughed and slowly reached for the bowl, tilting it to look at the consistency. "That's about right," he nodded, taking the whisk from Lily's hand as well as the bowl. He slowly started to pour the mass into the mugs, each about threequarters full. "It will fill up," he started to explain, "That's how you know when they are done. Once the batter rises above the rim of the mug, then it's done," he smiled. Once the bowl was empty, he dropped the whisk inside and left it on the work counter. He handed two of the mugs to Lily, while he took the rest, and motioned with his head towards the microwave not far from them. "So, now we put them in the middle," he said as he set the mugs inside, waiting for Lily to follow. "You will be a true professional once I'm done with you," he grinned playfully, his eyes bouncing with mischief as he leaned his elbow against the elevated platform on which the microwave was settled. He looked at Lily more intently, suddenly taken by her profile. His smile quickly dropped and he also forced his eyes onto the microwave, transferring his attention on baking instead.

@tyler y。ᵇᵃᵏᶦⁿᵍᵖᵒʷᵈᵉʳ ( You're fine! reply whenever you can I won't rush you for a reply : D )

Although baking with Tyler was the closest thing to a "professional" kitchen experience, she at least had the decency to wash the whisk off before thinking to use it for the mix. "I think that's cool," Lily said with an approving nod. "A lot of people are usually comfortable with what they're already surrounded with, and a lot of times they don't really know what to do. When I was a freshman I thought I would just go through college doing whatever until I made a few friends," Lily spoke as she watched Tyler dump all the dry ingredients into the bigger bowl. It all looked pretty to Lily, just sitting there all still while the eggs slid allover the settled powders. She almost felt bad having to mix it all up before she envisioned how good those mug cakes were going to taste. "How did you know?" She jokingly deadpanned. The idea made her laugh because she knew they would do something like that, and probably have plenty of times. "Don't worry, I got it from here chef," Lily waved Tyler off with the whisk in her hand. She watched him walk off to the front of the bakery, a grin painted on her face as she looked back at the bowl in front of her. Lily stretched her slightly toned arms out to her sides before she dug the whisk inside the bowl and worked her magic as she tried to get the dry clumps of powder to smoothen out.

@lily easton。ˢᵘⁿⁿᶦ () I'm also very sorry. I had internet issues and now I'm trying to catch up on work, replies, and everything><

Tyler was only slightly distracted by Lily's presence. He was more or less used to working while his friends entertained him. It became a habit of the past, it was a rare occasion nowadays, and yet, it still felt very pleasant to have company in the back. However, when Lily dropped the whisk the first time, he turned to look at what had happened and let out a chuckle. He hadn't had the heart to tell her that he couldn't use the whisk anymore since it was 'contaminated'. "Oh, do I?" He asked with an out-of-focus snort. "It's a side effect of growing up with this. Every day since I could stand and use my hands coordinately, I've been kneading dough and decorating cakes and pastries. For the longest time, I thought I couldn't do anything else than this. But then I said it and challenged myself," he spoke with speck of pride. He knew his major was quite odd, but he had good reasons. "As long as he won't have to make macaroons, I think he'll accept," Tyler chuckled, giving Lily a mischievous side-eye. He placed the prepared bowl of dry ingredients on the counter, all scaled and measured, keeping the milk in the measuring cups for now. He broke one egg, dumping it in the powdery mixture, before adding the first cup of milk. "Would you do the honours?" Tyler asked, pointing at the bowl while looking invitingly at Lily. "You don't have to if you don't want to. I'll just go get the mugs and be right back," he said with a soft smile, strutting away to the front of the bakery.

@tyler y。ᵇᵃᵏᶦⁿᵍᵖᵒʷᵈᵉʳ ( HOLY CRAP i'm so sorry i thought i replied!!!)

"I'm interested enough," Lily chuckled. She was happy she decided to tag along, despite the misunderstanding inside the store. She was having fun and it had nothing to do with a party, it was simple, something she thought she would get bored of since moving here. "Alright, got it!" Her voice strained a bit as she reached in the cabinet for the bowls Tyler needed, and not forgetting the whisk. Lily walked back to Tyler's side, her blue eyes blinking at the scale, but she took in all the information Tyler was telling her. "You know you sound reeeally passionate when it comes to baking, I'm kind of surprised that wasn't a life long dream of yours," Lily remarked. She was being genuine, she never thought linguistics would be up Tyler's alley from the short amount of time she spent with him now. Lily childishly played the whisk in her hand, trying to twirl it around with her fingers until she almost dropped it the few times. "I'm sure your dad won't mind catering to one of the sorority houses, will he?" She asked. Her attention was back on Tyler as she watched him do his thing with the scale.

@lily easton。ˢᵘⁿⁿᶦ "You're a fast learner, huh?" Tyler chuckled, a jolly little smile was almost permanent on his face by now. It's been a while since he'd spent time with someone out of his comfort zone, and frankly, there was still some magic to meeting new people and to making new acquaintances. "The bowls are right over there," Tyler pointed over to a cabinet, "you can grab whisk too," he added, aware that Lily would find those in the same cabinet on a different shelf. "You see, the biggest problem with these is that the measurements are completely off," the baker began explaining as he himself brought forth a professional scale and made a half circle of ingredients around it. "For example, adding a whole egg into one mug is too much. The cake will be really eggy. That's a no-no. Without it, however, the dough will just be too heavy and dry. What we'll do instead is that we'll make more batter, just enough for a few mug cakes," Tyler proclaimed looking over at Lily. His tone reminded him of his science teacher back in high school. He didn't like him all that much. "Ehm... It's not that difficult, so you can recreate this at home whenever. And you will have extra for some guests," he chuckled and started opening up the packages and weighing the dry ingredients.

@tyler y。ᵇᵃᵏᶦⁿᵍᵖᵒʷᵈᵉʳ "By then you can never say you have nothing to do," Lily chuckled. She lifted her head up from the mixer she was ogling when the front of the apron obstructed her view, she stood still long enough for Tyler to tie the back of it, although a bit stiff from the sudden intrusion of her personal bubble. "Thanks," she said as she looked over her shoulder at the long straps hanging behind her. "I didn't come here to just watch, what do I need to do?" Lily asked enthused with the little dessert they were about to make. She fished in the front pockets of her shorts until she found a hairband and lifted her tresses into a loose ponytail. "I know we need a bowl," she said as she gently pressed the nails of her fingers into the palm of her hand, a small habit she's always had.

@lily easton。ˢᵘⁿⁿᶦ "Yeah, that's what dad intended," Tyler admitted with an exaggerated eye-roll. Meanwhile, he walked inside after Lily, getting the ingredients for the promised mug cake ready. "But he expects me to take over once he really can't work anymore, you know. Which, in his case, I have a good few decades to enjoy what I want," Tyler laughed, opening his arms like a dramatic host. After everything was set up on the counter, the baker grabbed two aprons which were hung in their designated places. He had to put a little effort into chasing the curious guest around the kitchen before he very confidently put the neck strap of the apron over Lily's head. "Safety precaution and outfit protection," Tyler smiled while he tied the apron's strap at the back, tight-lipped and awkward, before snapping his fingers, "and please keep all your hair inside the vehicle at all times," Tyler grinned, moving to putting his own hair into a thick yet small bun. "So...," He clasped his hands, ready to roll, "wanna help or just watch?"

@tyler y。ᵇᵃᵏᶦⁿᵍᵖᵒʷᵈᵉʳ ( it's okay! )

"They thought it would be nice for me to be on my own," Lily said, her nose crinkling upwards at the lie she just told. She was over the endless apologies when she gave the honest one, it always made her feel awkward afterwards, and she was in too good of mood right now. "What?" Lily asked, grinning when she heard the scoff of disbelief from Tyler. "Oh c'mon, I wasn't so eye-catching in the early stages of puberty, I was pretty unpopular in high school for a long time until my junior year," She admitted, her left hand waving in the air as she spoke. That was going to be the one thing she heavily believed in, all Tyler needed was a little makeover and to talk to people more. "You have a house? You're quite the adult," Was the only thought Lily could come up with as Tyler's list of other responsibilities fell to the wayside of her brain. She nodded briskly, of course he should come to a party with her, it would be more fun. "It's not a might, you will," Lily corrected with a chuckle. As they pulled up to the small lot, Lily had started to poke her head out the car window, her eyes running over the little details of the cute yard they had. "I don't see a dark side here, you should see my home," Lily spoke as she unbuckled herself and stepped out the car.

"This is cute," She commented as she walked behind Tyler into the back entrance of the bakery. Her eyes lit up as she saw everything she never had the chance of seeing, being a customer of course. "Do you think you would take over the shop when you get older?" Lily casually asked. She snooped around some more as they reached the kitchen area, she was engrossed by everything she saw as she pulled out drawers to see utensils she never seen or used before. Lily felt like a kid in candy store.

@lily easton。ˢᵘⁿⁿᶦ [moving this to the bakery if that's okay]

Tyler snickered at the suggestion, images of the weird kids jumping out of moving cars to do some internet trend dances popping into his head. "Why didn't they, if you don't mind me asking?" Tyler asked, aware of the possible turns the question could bring forth. The next comment silenced Tyler. He had an elongated surprised look to him, rolling the remark around in his mind. "Huh," he exclaimed, wondering what exactly could be eye-catching about him. His unruly hair, most likely. He scoffed right after, shaking the thought out of his head. "It's easy for an eye-catching person to say that," he retorted, shrugging, not taking his eyes off the road. "A diligent student," Tyler chuckled. "No, yeah, I mean, I have to study, I have to work, I have to take care of the house and my dog. I've never really thought of partying," he raised a brow. "I should?" that took him by surprise, so much so that he had to look over at Lily, observing the change in her face. He expected her to be a menace to some extent, but not so early on. "Alright, if you think I should then I might," Tyler broke into a chuckle, looking back at the road.

Soon enough, he was pulling up into a narrow alley, which led to a private parking space framed by a tall fence and another adjoining building. The asphalt spot was between the back entrance of the bakery and a little grass patch that was designed as a minimalistic family yard. A swing, garden furniture for some outside dining, and few flower beds Tyler's stepmom tended to. "Welcome to the dark side of the bakery... and my childhood home," Tyler switched off the engine and grinned at Lily. "C'mon," he beckoned, getting out of the car before getting the supplies out of the trunk, and then he headed inside through the back door. It opened to a small hallway, where one door led to the bakery's kitchen, the other to the storage, and a set of stairs led up to the residential part of the building.

@felix l。ˢᵖʳᵉᵃᵈᵐʸʷᶦⁿᵍˢ "Well, not many of these are your regular toppings. It's called Couch Potato for a reason," Tyler chuckled, sprinkling the hot Cheetos over the pizza, before he took the peel, slid the raw pizza on it and inside the preheated oven. "There's everything you might want on a lazy Saturday evening, during a good soccer match or a movie. You have a nice pepperoni pizza with cheese, that's a given, you have fries, chips, Cheetos, and sometimes, when I'm feeling extra, I add some cheese crackers into the dough. It's quite special and dad's wife quite literally hates it," he started laughing, pushing his wavy hair out of his face, before moving to clean up the work station in the mean time. "She says it's unfair how I'm always lean and thin while eating all this crap. It's unbelievable to me too," Tyler admitted, talking as he had no boundaries set for strangers. It's been a while since he spoke to someone out of his comfort zone, and making friends has become quite difficult after... well, it's in the past anyways. "I don't know if dad will come back this evening, but you're welcome to stay and wait. Also I can just call him now that I think about it. What do you say?"

@tyler y。ᵇᵃᵏᶦⁿᵍᵖᵒʷᵈᵉʳ 'Did I say something wrong?' Felix wondered as he noticed the other male's reaction to what he had said. Then it clicked and the angel found himself nodding slowly, understanding now. "I see," he murmured thoughtfully. "So he's different when he's around you. Perhaps it's because your his son that he is more firm with you... I suppose I'll know how he is when we meet. /If/ we meet - I don't wanna assume he'll say yes." There was no need to get ahead of himself. This is a very good opportunity for him to learn and grow, so he didn't want to rush it by being too excited. Following Tyler into the back area, Felix looked around the kitchen with wonderous eyes that sparkled with growing giddiness. It was definitely a lot bigger than his own kitchen back in the cottage. It also /clearly/ offered more materials and supplies that Felix was unable to get ahold of on his own. He's only doing the basic, easy stuff at the moment due to low funds and low experience. "Whoa..." The angel marveled, too busy inspecting some of the machinery that when Tyler spoke up once again, he jolts, letting out a small noise of alarm before quickly shuffling over towards him to pay better attention to his first lesson. He was immediately alert and focused, listening to everything the other said. "Fries on a pizza? That's interesting - I never considered trying that as a topping before! I do love Cheetos, yes. I can handle spice very well so add as much as you want."

@felix l。ˢᵖʳᵉᵃᵈᵐʸʷᶦⁿᵍˢ "Constructive criticism," Tyler snorted. "My dad has the patient of a monk, though his criticism is just that, nothing constructive about it. But I guess it's because I am supposed to know everything already, I don't know how he is with other," he shrugged, being accustomed to his father. The man was nice, no doubt, very fatherly and friendly to everyone, welcoming and kind, but when it came to his craft, he only desired the best of the best. "No bother," the baker said honestly, "I'm finished with school for the year, so I have time over the summer," he admitted. In the back room, specifically in the bakery's kitchen, Tyler immediately made his way towards the air fryer, which was beeping a moment ago. The dough and the first ingredients were already prepared on the breadboard. The raw dough was rolled into a slightly thicker, medium sized circle. The homemade tomato base was spread across it, with slices of mozzarella cheese adorned with a heavier amount of pepperoni circles, sprinkled around with thin, raw, pre-prepared potatoes, which Tyler often used to make homemade chips with different flavorings. "Okay, so, count this as your first lesson, like a preparatory class or something. We have the dough, the base, the first few toppings. The fries in the fryer are only semi-done, so they have the soft inside and get slightly crunchier on outside in the oven," Tyler described as he pulled the container out and spread the golden potato sticks over the already fixed toppings. "Now, we'll add the grated cheddar and the crushed Cheetos. Do you like hot Cheetos? If not, I'll give you the regular," Tyler asked, raising a inquisitive brow at Felix while he sprinkled the cheddar on top of everything that he had added before.

@tyler y。ᵇᵃᵏᶦⁿᵍᵖᵒʷᵈᵉʳ His own baking skills were showing some good progress as of recently. He's been working hard to understand each ingredient and how they work together, sometimes improvising and replacing one thing with another just to see how it'd turn out. Seeing all of these pastries before him, Felix realized that there's still a long way to go. No matter, though. He's always as curious as ever and so, so eager to learn. "Is that so? I've never tried solstice before but it sounds fascinating!" The angel admired, completely unbothered by the fact that the afforementioned woman was a witch. He held no prejudice or judgement towards anyone. "Some harshness is healthy, though. We all need that constructive criticism, don't we? It's the only way we can improve. Ah, really? I don't mind at all! I don't have any reason why I would be against having you as my mentor," himming thoughtfully, Felix tilted his head to the side with a light purse of his lips. "Nope. Can't think of anything. Of course I don't want to be a bother to you - if you don't have the time or if you don't want to, there's no need to mentor me!" Not expecting the timer to go off, he too flinched in alarm before quickly relaxing when he realized what it was. He exhales and places a hand over his chest. "Gosh, that scared the hell outta me... But yes! I'm right behind you!" Hopping off the stool, Felix happily followed after Tyler with the smile still plastered on his face.

@felix l。ˢᵖʳᵉᵃᵈᵐʸʷᶦⁿᵍˢ "Most of the things you see here are made by me or my dad. His wife often helps but her speciality is the solstice cake since she's a witch and all," Tyler affectionately rolled his eyes, putting the information out there just in case Felix wasn't aware of the fact, which was likely, and also as a warning if the other had a problem with it. He nodded at surprised question. "Of course you can. He might be a little harsh at times because he values his craft, but you'll learn a whole lot. Yeah, I'll have to ask him, but he might make it my responsibility so if you're against that, that's fine," the baker half-smiled, obviously not taking it to heart if Felix would reject being mentored by Tyler himself. The echoing ding of a timer made Tyler instinctively jump to his feet, but seeing how enthusiastic the other was about baking, he let out a little snicker. "Come on, I'll show you," he beckoned and walked towards the back room where the well-equipped kitchen was.

@tyler y。ᵇᵃᵏᶦⁿᵍᵖᵒʷᵈᵉʳ "I-I mean yeah, but I didn't think you'd make it for me now!" The angel laughs, rubbing his earlobe between the pads of his thumb and forefinger. It was a little habit he picked up whenever he was flustered or nervous. The pastry was beyond delicious and the only response Felix was willing to give was an enthusastic thumbs up as he took another bite. "It's delicious," he eventually answered once he finished chewing. It's never polite to talk with his mouth full no matter how excited he got. "Lemon bars are my favorite pasry, honestly. Gosh, I'm in love with these - and you made them?" His blue eyes flick up towards the other male, twinkling with admiration and wonder. Felix goes still when Tyler starts talking about his father and the chance of being mentored. Speechless at the offer, the angel couldn't do much but blink in shock before a wide smile; overjoyed and practically buzzing with happiness. "Really?! No way - I could actually get mentored?" Leaning forward a little and bracing himself against the counter, Felix does his best to not show how much he's freaking out on the inside. He has been wanting to do more recipes but he wasn't sure where to start. "Ty, I would love to be mentored by your father! If he would have me as his student, at least. I imagine you'll have to talk it over with him, yeah?"

@felix l。ˢᵖʳᵉᵃᵈᵐʸʷᶦⁿᵍˢ "Sure, you said you'd like to try it and that you'd like to come and visit," Tyler shrugged, bringing up the conversation they had online. "So? You like?" he asked as soon as Felix took the first bites of the pastries in front of him, wondering what kind of a taste palette would the new baker have. "Great! I'm glad you're tackling the challenge of baking. And please, I'm only joking with those messages. I'm glad you enjoy it. We're an established bakery as you can see and have a quite stable clientele so I'm not worried of being out of job. And I'm more than willing to help you if you'd like. Or I can ask my dad to help you if you want the /pro/ pro mentorship. My dad's been teaching many of my friends how to bake," Tyler chuckled, propping his elbows on the table reminiscing for a bit. "If you ever want to try some more complicated recipes, you can always come down here. More equipment and possible help."

@tyler y。ᵇᵃᵏᶦⁿᵍᵖᵒʷᵈᵉʳ It took a few seconds for the angel to realize that this would be the first time they've met face to face. Conversing in the app was one thing, and looking a small display photo was another, so it was quite refreshing to be able to see the person behind the computer screen. However, Felix has always had shorter hair in his display photos while his silver hair is long enough to be in a bun. He /has/ been thinking about cutting it, though. "It's good to see you, Tyler." His smile grew some more, freckled cheeks bunching up slightly, as he nears the counter. "What I asked for? I don't think I asked for anything- oh! Oh, you mean the pizza? You're really making it now? I didn't expect you to make it so soon!" Felix was clearly pleasant surprised by this and also quite thrilled. His expression practically lit up. As the angel took a seat, he took a gander at the pastries that were on display. There were a couple that were lemon and a few others that were raspberry, which happen to be his two favorite flavors. He eyes them with much interest before quickly snapping his attention back towards the other male. "It's going good, actually! I successfully made my first tart the other day! It was quite a challenge, honestly. I don't think I'm that good yet but it's definitely got some progress going."

@felix l。ˢᵖʳᵉᵃᵈᵐʸʷᶦⁿᵍˢ "Hey," Tyler greeted from the back room, where all the preparations and bakings happened. Only after he made his way out through the archway did he realize it was actually the silver-haired boy from the app. "Oh, hey!" He smiled welcoming, lifting his chin in greeting while wiping his flour covered hands into his apron. "I'm making what you asked for," Tyler chuckled walking over to the front counter. "You might also smell all these, no clue," he nodded towards the pastries on display, shrugging nonchalantly. "It will take some time, so you might as well take a seat," Tyler grabbed a clean plate and prepared a few complimentary appetizers for Felix which he could enjoy while waiting for the Couch Potato pizza. Normally, if a friend came into the bakery, he'd have them in the 'backstage' with him. Though, he hadn't known Felix for too long and he wasn't sure how he'd explained that to his parents. "So, how's the baking going?" Tyler asked with a friendly smile, placing the plate of finger food pastries on one of the marble tables.