Spells and Cupcakes (Skitzo and Lamenting_Quill)

Golden swirls rose up into the air as freshly baked cinnamon rolls were extracted from the massive oven of Sweet Treats Bakery, tantalizing the nose of Liliana Stardust Dè Moon, a lovely apprentice baker for two years. Soon Mrs. Gilden would let her start baking more complex goods like cakes and pies, all of them Mrs. Gilden’s own secret recipes. Such an honor to be trusted with.
Liliana inhaled deeply of the iced buns as she placed them upon the cooling racks, another job perfectly well done.

“Bailey! I’ve got a couple trays of cinnamon rolls that will be ready to placed in the cases in about five minutes!” She called through the thin swinging doors leading into behind the front desk where Mrs. Gilden’s granddaughter Bailey was running the cash registers and placing goods in the cases whenever she was told to.
“Okay!” The teenager called back, giving a loud crack of the pink bubblegum she was vigorously chewing as if continue to chew it that way would bring back it’s lost flavor. The girl had to have been working on that one gob of gum for a few hours now.

Liliana shook her head with a warm smile as she returned to her baking, this time she would prepare a large batch of snicker doodle cookies, a favorite here at Sweet Treats. Followed by Double Fudge brownies with caramel drizzle of course.



“Have my men had luck with the girls that ran away?” Emilio Teirnan inquired, staring out his office window reaching from the floor to the ceiling. His posture was perfect, his back erect and his arms folded neatly behind his back. His sapphire blue surcoat gleamed in the dim candle light, the golden threads of the embroidery gracing the edges in ancient runes seemed to hold a mysterious glow. His gilded hair was trimmed neatly to hang gracefully just above his ears. Wisps of blonde hair swept across his brow like stands of spun gold. His emerald eyes held a dangerous spark.
“Yes, my lord High Chairman” The secretary jammered, fear filled her breast as it always did when she had to report to the aggressive High Chairman Emilio “One has been tracked in New York, your orders, sir?”

Emilio spun around at that point with an annoyed expression upon his deceptively angelic face “What the hell do you think my orders are, you incompetent wench?! Send out the best mercenaries of my employ and have that girl brought back to the Order of Anubis where she belongs, kicking and screaming if need be”
The secretary gulped audibly before she nodded obediently and fled the chambers before she could incite her master’s wrath any more than she had already. Pity be upon the young woman located.

“Brother! Brother!”
“Bruvuh!”

Two young boys sprinted along the halls, excitement following their every step. The smaller of the two, only a toddler in appearance giggled freely as wisps of his blond hair slapped against his face as he struggled to keep up with his older brother’s speed. Neither of them cared though, their focus tunneled to only one thing as they knocked over the décor along the hallways and tripped over themselves.

“Brother!” the oldest of them yelled as he slid across the wood paneled flooring, spotting the person he called for ahead, red hair gleaming from a clean wash in the shower as he exited the bathroom. He was too busy toweling himself off and getting the water out of his ears to notice the mini stampede heading his way. Neither of the boys cared for is lack of acknowledgement and tackled him down to the ground anyway, a loud ‘Oof’ accompanying their impact.

“Ai ya! What did I do to deserve that?” A pained grumble escaped the red head as he ran his hand along his scalp in a soothing motion, very aware that it made a sickening crack against the floor. “Oh God, I may have a concussion this time.”

“More orders came!!” the older of the two boys spoke up, ignoring his elder’s complaints. The 3-year-old followed suite with the emphatic chanting of ‘Lookit! Lookit!’ as he bounced along the floor, still full of grins and giggles. The chanting seemed to only make the preteen he followed more impatient as he forced a sealed envelope into the face of his still fallen brother.

“Well? Aren’t you gonna open it?!” The tackled young man of the group groaned at the obvious impatience. It was clear they wouldn’t leave till he opened it, but he knew that the minute he broke the seal they would only become more fervent and shower him with question after question of what was inside even though they all knew he couldn’t tell them.

“Alright. Alright,” he spoke up through a defeated sight as he moved himself into a sitting position on the floor. He couldn’t help but take a moment to be grateful he chose to change his clothes in the bathroom rather than anywhere else. Having younger brothers who were prone to being extremely active, mischievous, and embarrassing him every chance they got had managed to teach him a few things to keep from some very awkward situations.

Incapable of waiting any longer for his brother to get himself prepared, the oldest of the two younger ones shoved the envelope into his hands and sat impatiently with the other, watching him closely as he opened it.

“So nerve-racking,” the oldest couldn’t help but mumble to himself as he pulled the seal under their stares. He touched the faux wax seal with his fingertip and watched it burn away and form ashes along the floor before blue sparks erupted from the paper itself, making a loud popping noised that echoed along the halls. The effect only lasted a second, but it was enough to keep the two younger boys in awe as he opened the envelope and began to look it over slowly. They watched with amusement as his face went from intrigued to annoyed over the course of the reading.

“Is it bad?” the youngest asked with a childlike gleam of sadism. Well, that’s all the oldest could call that look after reading the letter. Clearly someone had been glorifying his job to the small boy. He blamed the 10-year-old sitting next to him.

“Is it a murder?” the troublesome, middle child asked with the same expression, “Are you going to go kill someone?”

Yup, he was the culprit.

“Not telling,” the red-head answered in a sing-song tone, an amused smile forming on his lips as he brought himself to a stand. The smile transformed into a sadistic grin at the disappointed groans that followed.

“Awwww… Come on!” spoke the middle child once more, “Can’t we get a hint this time?”

“Nope,” his brother answered, popping the ‘p’ for torturous emphasis, “You know the rules.” More whining ensued, but like always they were ignored as the red-head began his long stride off to his room the two younger brothers following.

“How long will you be gone this time?” The oldest of the youngest asked.

“Can’t say,” the oldest of all three answered, “I could be back in the morning or it could take me a while. Either way, you know the rules.”

“Yeah. Yeah. No strangers, No cooking without Sydney around, No opening the door for anyone, No roughhousing or breaking anything, and most importantly ‘No spell casting’.”

“See? I’m already proud,” the oldest one spoke with a chuckle at the irritation that came from his brother’s voice, “Sydney will be here soon, and you know I’ll send you letters when I get the chance, but don’t—”

“We know. We know. ‘Don’t write back,’” the oldest of the young ones spoke as their baby brother grabbed at his hand and began to pull at it playfully, “Believe me, you won’t have to worry about us.”

A sigh escaped the oldest of the group at the comment as he quickly got his stuff together. “I know,” was his only reply.

---

“Riley Mitchell?” he mumbled to himself as he looked down at his information before tossing it away as if it was nothing, “Talk about boring.” He picked up the other papers with a bit more interest, thankful to have at least a day free before he actually had to start his life as Riley Mitchell for as long as it would last. “Liliana Stardust Dé Moon,” he spoke the targets name aloud before reading through the information on her a second time.

The job seemed simple enough. Well, it was simple and boring enough. He just had to confirm that this Liliana that had been found was in fact the one in this file, determine her value to her future husband to make sure she wasn’t soiled or taken by any of the magically incapable, then bring her back. True, it would take some time and effort on his part but really compared to the kind of orders and jobs he could be getting this was pretty much a snooze-fest. Of course that was probably the intention. No one believed him to be of any value and the fact that he was extremely good at casting and learning spells and enchantments was just a mere fluke in their eyes.

He was only one lucky son of a bitch in a world full of talent as far as the superiors and clients were concerned, which is why he only got the boring and humdrum jobs no one else would take. Still he needed the money as well as the poor scrap of status, so it didn’t bother him all that much just yet. He could only take so much underestimation and disrespect, but for now everything was at a tolerable level. For now he’d just do this job and all pathetic others just like it and earn his way upward like everyone else.

He sighed in frustration as he looked at the information. The words were meshing together before he could finish them. “People are so BORING!!!” he groaned out before tossing the papers aside on the cheap little desk that came with his small studio apartment. There was a better way of finding information on this girl and that was by meeting her. Reading papers and books and such were only fun when you had something to learn from them other then age, weight, and family status. This way he was learning nothing, so he came up with an idea and decided to throw himself together and head out the front door.

Pulling out his track phone he dialed the number of the bakery, best to let them know he was on his way. After all, the new supervisor needed to introduce himself to the staff and get an understanding on just what he would need to do. What better way to take care of that than in person.

Singing softly as she spread some pale pink frosting upon some blue cupcakes, Liliana sashayed her hips delicately to the tune in her head.
This would be the last baked good of the day to be made and if she had to say so herself, they were absolutely adorable. Everything she baked was adorable, she had the gift as Mrs. Gilden said.

Her ears perked up a bit when she heard the front desk phone ringing and Bailey's upbeat voice answering. At least the spacey kid actually answered the phone this time.
Apparently from what Liliana could hear, they were getting a new supervisor, a guy most likely from the slight flirtatiousness in Bailey's voice as the phone conversation continued. Liliana couldn't help but chuckle at the teenager.

As Bailey hung up the phone, Liliana poke her head through the door and smiled "Who was it you were flirting with on the phone, I heard you giggling up here like a school girl peeping at naughty magazines"
A deep shade of dark pink spread across Bailey's face "Our new supervisor will be arriving any day now, he sounded very cute"

Liliana laughed in good nature and smiled at Bailey "And most likely twice your age, little girl. Behave or I will tell your Grandma"
"Oh no, not Grams" The teen gasped "I'll be good, don't tell Grams"
Hugging the teenager, Liliana instructed the girl to place the cupcakes she had just finished in the cases. Liliana was going to head home for a hot bubble bath.



When she arrived at her front door, she could hear her cat Diana scratching at the door, the little love always knew when Liliana was home. She smiled, she would be lost without her kitty cat.
Opening the door, the calico rubbed around her ankles and ushered her inside, meowing insistently which told her mistress that she was hungry and required more of her delicious meow-mix; Seafood medley, Diana's favorite.

"Alright, alright" Liliana laughed sweetly, the sound like tinkling music "You shall be fed immediately, Miss Diana"
The cat meowed in satisfaction as Liliana strode the kitchen where Diana's pink bowl with the green polka dots sat by the kitchen counter. The luminous green eyes watched the witch retrieve her meow-mix from a high up cupboard and pour a generous amount into her bowl. Chow time!

"Oh Diana, I love you" Liliana laughed before she departed the kitchen to head up the oak stairs leading up towards her bedroom and the bathroom.
She decided the lavender scented bubble bath would be perfect for this night. Very relaxing.
Maybe some candles too, eucalyptus scented if she had any left. That sounded divine.

An exhausted breath was the only sound the now named Riley Mitchell could manage as he wearily opened the door to his small apartment and seemingly dragged himself inside. With no effort to bend down and properly untie his shoes, he stepped on the backs and forced them off before flinging them across the hall to a place he may remember later. Right now though he could care less.

Fabric lazily slid against itself as he let his overcoat fall off his back and onto the floor at his feet. Hastily he did the same with his shirt and his belt, relaxing instantly as he felt the air against his chest and his pants hanging about his hips. Feeling less restricted he sighed instantly before falling face first into his couch, which in no way smelled clean… or looked it for that matter. Still compared to what he was used to this small, lonely apartment was a luxury vacation he much needed.

Curious about how much time he had to sleep before he needed to get up again, he let a tired eye look across the room at the alarm clock a top the TV. 9:45pm. He let a muffled groan escape into the couch. Not even eight hours. That was nowhere hear enough for him, especially since he had to be there early enough to open the damn bakery. The senior manager thought it would be a good idea for him to see how it was done, and since tomorrow was his starting day there seemed to be ‘no better time to start learning’ as the woman known as Ms. Gilden had put it.

Why-oh-why did this ‘Starchild’ chick chose to work in a bakery? Was she out of her mind or plainly a morning person? Both didn’t seem too far from the truth considering the situation. Either the girl was crazy and left the chance at pureblood society for the chance to bake muffins or she was simply a morning person with other reason (which still left her insane in his opinion).

He chose not to dwell on it. Tomorrow would be the time he started asking questions, when he saw her and got to know her as one ‘normal human being’ to another. For now he would just take the time to relax and enjoy the silence while he could.

Not wanting to get up from his stomach, Riley reached his leg across the floor to hook his foot into his jacket and drag it within arm’s reach. Then with a slow and steady pace he reached into one of the pockets and pulled out a box of cigarettes. He took a stick and let it rest on his lips as he pulled his flip lighter from his pants and lit it, taking a deep inhale before finally letting his muscles relax.

“I’m definitely not built for this kind of work,” he mumbled before rolling onto his back. How ‘Starchild’ did it he couldn’t know. Sure, he had had a few labor ridden jobs in the past. Technically he had one now, but none of them had him getting up at god-forsaken hours or being on good terms with nearly everyone. From what he gathered while he visited the cupcake place this managerial job had all that plus responsibility over everyone and nearly everything. This entire job didn’t look like it was going to become pleasant anytime soon at all.

He chuckled at the though. No wonder this girl’s case was given to him. More punishment he presumed. He sighed. How much more of this journey through the mud would they drag him through? Four years of it seemed like more than enough. By now they should have at least acknowledged him. Was he making any progress at all?

He groaned and took a pillow from the couch, throwing it across the room just for the sake of throwing it. Great. Now he was questioning his choice of lifestyle. It was looking to be a journey from one bad train of thought to the next. Clearly the day had been more exhausting than he initially thought.

Reading those files on Starchild and his own cover had taken a lot out of him, and like a responsible fool he headed to the bakery early to be passively-aggressively flirted with by a girl only a few years older than his younger brother and told to come in 2 hours earlier than his initial starting time. To top it off he had been told that he just nearly missed Starchild herself. He’d see to it that he’d never do that again. Being too responsible only led to severe disappointment and added to whatever stress he was already struggling to bury.

He finished his cigarette and snuffed it in the ashtray on the nearby light stand before turning his gaze to the alarm clock again. 10:15. He’d wasted enough time thinking. It was time to go to bed. He’d leave his complaints for the morning. So with a tired mind and body, he turned off the light near his head and rustled up whatever sleep he could manage on the couch.

Today was the day that the new manager Mrs. Gilden hired, Liliana was told that the man was very professional and that she should make sure to keep the bakery running in tip top shape as always to help him along.
Of course Liliana agreed to do whatever Mrs. Gilden required, that woman was an absolute angel to her; giving a young woman she knows nothing about a job. Mrs. Gilden had told her that she sensed goodness in Liliana and knew the girl was no criminal, she was willing to provide her the means to start her life over.
So it was today that Liliana strode through the front doors of the bakery right on time as she always was and made her way immediately to the back after clocking in, she perused the menu that Mrs. Gilden had prepared for today and got herself right to work.

By the time Bailey walked yawning through the front doors, Liliana already had three batches of sugared donuts done and five batches of fudge squares; their best sellers as of late.
"Bailey, come back here please" Liliana called as Bailey set herself up at the cash register "I have some items that need to be put into the cases"
"Coming, Lily!" Bailey called, closing the register she'd just restocked and entered the kitchen to load the baked good into the cases up front "Mmm, these smell good, Lily! Can I have just one?"
Liliana laughed and smiled at the teenager "Wait until closing time, you know your grandmother lets you take stuff home"
"Aww, but this is fresh" Bailey whimpered as she picked up a tray and carried it up front to be stocked.

Liliana couldn't help but chuckle as she turned back to her work, next of her list of baked good was the carrot cake slices and then slices of Boston Cheesecake.
She contemplated the new manager as she worked, she wondered if he was going to be as kind as Mr. Gilden whenever the elderly man had the time to come to the bakery, if he was then Liliana would certainly have no problem working under the man.
It seemed odd to Liliana, but baking took her mind off everything; it gave her something to do so she didn't ever had to think about her past. Being mage nobility was not the life for her and she was not about the let the order of Anubis tell her who she had to marry to preserve their magical bloodlines.
It irritated Liliana how their wanted to snub those without noble magical blood, it was just so stupid and pointless; so someone couldn't trace their heritage back thousands of years, so what!

By the time Liliana had set the cheesecake and the carrot cakes out to cool, she heard Bailey call back to her that the new manager had arrived.
This was it, Liliana found herself thinking, time to meet my new boss.

Riley stifled a yawn as he entered through the front door, the small chime of the bakery door alerting the other employees too his arrival. He paid it no real attention as he struggled to hide the clear signs of his tiredness and fixed his clothes so that they kept the pristine look he preferred them to have. His appearance was pretty much flawless, leaving everything looking clean and tidy from head to toe much to his pleasure. The only real trouble he had was trying to hide the slight bags under his eyes and the few hours of missed sleep. Thankfully the shower he chose to take that morning helped a bit.

He took a deep breath and stretched a bit in an attempt to relax himself for the day ahead. The deep inhale of pastries was definitely intoxicating, causing his mouth to salivate at the mere scent of the sugar in the air. His stomach rumbled quietly and he rested a hand on it as a disappointed look of shame crossed his face. He shouldn’t have skipped breakfast, especially working in here. He was sure if he forked over some money he would get a fresh baked pastry, but the idea of eating the company goods on the first day of work put a bad taste in his mouth. It wouldn’t be a good sign to have the manager scarfing down what was behind the counter now would it. Of course, his brain argued, it wouldn’t be good to have a manager who was on the verge of passing out from hunger either.

He didn’t get much time to contemplate it as he heard the young girl he had come to know as Bailey in his previous meeting the day before announce his arrival. Almost startled by the sound of it he jumped a bit and shot her a wide eyed glance before moving to the counter. “How can you be so loud so early in the morning?” he asked tiredly at he brought his hand to his eyes and rubbed at them both with his finger and thumb.