Hesperia- The Evening Star

The Bakery.

Chapter Twelve.

Koray had his breakfast, and headed out the door. The empty feeling he had felt in the morning was replaced with a full one in his stomach.

He forgot about his dreams when he heard the laughs of the villagers. Though the sun was out, it was chilly. He shivered, cursing himself for not bringing any warm clothing articles.

The ivy crept along the dark bricks of the bakery. It was a large building, with airy windows and a spruce door. Huge potted plants lined the outside of the door. The scent of freshly baked floated through the air, making him hungry.

Pushing the door open, he walks in and looks around for anyone. A short-haired blonde glances up and waves. He recognises him as the bartender at the tavern. He waved back, and set his satchel on the counter. "I'm Elendriel, as you may remember. You have come here to start work, yes?", he asked. He nodded.

"Well,", he scratched behind his ear, "Do you want to help with the dough? Kallias will be here at afternoon, if you were wondering." "Alright. I'd love to help.", he grinned. Elendriel handed him an apron, along with a bowl of dough. "Knead this. When you're done, you can set it to rise, alright?"

He hummed in response, taking the bowl from his hands and washing his hands. Then, he started to work on the dough. He wasn't very strong, but he wasn't weak either. It was tougher than he had expected, but he kept on kneading.

When his forearms started to ache, he decided that it was done. He placed the dough back in the bowl and covered it with a thin piece of parchment. "That should do it.", he mumbled. He set it on the counter and wiped his hands on a nearby towel.

Just then, a lady walked through the door. She had curly hair, that was tied back in a bun. She too, wore an apron with small flowers on it. "Hi!", she spoke clearly. Her voice was soft and bright. He gave her an acknowledging smile and went back to cleaning his hands. "You're the new employee, right?"

"Yes. My name is-", he began but was interrupted by the lady. "Koray. Yes, I know. My name is Lana.", she smiled, "I'm Elendriel's fiancée."

His eyes widened, but he let out a soft laugh. "I wasn't aware. My apologies, and I do wish you a happy marriage." This seemed to be amusing to her. "Of course. He's the sweetest elf ever!" Koray raised an eyebrow and huffed sarcastically, "I wouldn't be so sure of that, not when Kallias exists."

She burst out laughing, clutching the marble countertop to hold her steady. His mouth twitched, and before he could stop it, he chuckled as well. When she finally straightened up, she extended her hand. He shook it, and beamed at her. They shook hands for ae while, neither wanting to let go first to see who could hold the eye contact for longer.

"Now now, don't steal my future wife.", a voice called out from him. He whirled around, flushed. It was Elendriel. "Are you going to leave me for Koray?", he pouted. Lana giggled, and held his arm. "Maybe.", she teased.

He rolled his eyes and made his way to her, grabbing her waist and hoisting her up. She chuckled, and wiggled around in his arms. As he watched, he could feel a slow smile spread on his face.

"I would love to steal your fiancée", he joked, "But I'm looking for a groom myself."

They both looked at him, slightly surprised. "No way.", Lana mouthed. "I'm serious.", he shrugged. "I love that for you! We can go on dates together!", she squealed. He sighed with relief. He wasn't afraid that they would hate him, but he was slightly nervous as well. It was best he cleared up any misunderstandings. He didn't want to be friends with anyone who couldn't accept him for who he was.

Elendriel grinned at him, and set Lana down. "I know a couple of people who might be into you. Want to meet them?"
"I wouldn't mind that. In fact, I would rather like it.", he admitted sheepishly. He wasn't sure what his dreams were about, but he wanted to get a few other things off his mind, and meeting new people would help.

The rest of the morning went simply enough. He kneaded more dough, made some buttercream and placed some loaves into the oven. He wiped some sweat from his brow and sat down on a chair. It was almost afternoon, and his break would end very soon.

Koray sighed. He had no idea it would be this tiring to have a job. He just wanted his memory back. "What happened?", a female voice called in his ears. He jerked back, and saw Lana staring at him. "Oh, I'm sorry! Did I scare you?" "Slightly, yes.", he confirmed, "And nothing has happened. Why do you ask?"

"You looked really sad there.", she said apologetically. He shook his head. "No, no I'm fine."

She nodded her head and went back to the counter. A soft jingling of bells alerted him of a presence. He looked up, to see Kallias stumbling into the shop with Elendriel behind him. "Hello Kal! Eli, stop pushing him now!", Lana chided.

Immediately, he stopped and appeared beside her. "Anything you want, angel." She punched his arm playfully. Koray got up, and tapped the tall elf's shoulder. "Welcome.", he smirked, "Finally here?"

He turned around and his eyes widened. "What are you doing here?", he whispered, but his eyes were gleaming. "I work here.", he responded haughtily. Kallias laughed, looking around if it were a prank. When he noticed it was not, he smiled widely and hugged him.

"I can't believe it! I...I finally won't be bored at work anymore!", he teased. Koray thought he wanted to say something else, but he could've been mistaken. He returned his hug, and grinned up at him. "Hey! I don't bore you!", Lana called from behind them.

Koray swirled around, having forgotten she was there at all. "You don't bore me.", her fiancé flirted, putting his hand on her thigh. She swatted his hand away. "Just wait till we get home.", she scolded.

He smirked and winked at her. "I can't wait till we get home, my little flower." She blushed and pulled him in for a kiss. The kiss deepened. Kallias cleared his throat. They both broke apart, startled. "Oh, come on man! I wanted a kiss!", whined the blonde elf. He grinned, and turned towards Koray. "Not in front of Koray, please."

He crossed his arms and said, "What does that mean? I know what romance is!" He smirked at him. "Of course you do, little deer." He pinched his cheeks gently, and moved to get an apron.

Gingerly, he touched his face and felt it heat up. He wasn't a child! He stormed over to Kallias and turned him away from the wall. "Hu-?", he began but was interrupted by the deer pulling his cheeks rougly. "Ow!", he yelped. From behind him, he could hear the lovebirds roar with laughter.

He flushed, and grabbed an apron off the hook. "You win.", he admitted. He grinned and patted the elf on the back. Then, he stood on his tiptoes and whispered,

"I always win."

★★★★★

Nothing very exciting had happened after the exchange, apart from the couple showing him their rings. He grabbed his satchel and ambled to the door. He was starving, and couldn't wait to get home.

Just as he was about to open the door, he could hear someone ask him to wait. It was Kallias.

"Oh, Kallias! Is there an issue?", he inquired. He shook his head and rubbed the side of his neck. "I was just wondering if... You'd like to walk home together?"

He laughed. "You do realise we live in opposite directions, yes?" He nodded his head sheepishly and opened his mouth to say something, but seemed to think the better of it.

"What?", the deer demanded. "It's just that...", the elf began, getting more embarrassed as the seconds passed. "Kallias. What happened?", he asked, growing concerned.

"It's just that... A good da-...friend takes his friend home after work.", he finished softly. His eyebrows furrowed and he wondered,"Is that all?" Kallias nodded his head vigorously. "He's just like a puppy", Koray thought to himself. "You can absolutely take me home, Kallias, if that's what you want."

His eyes sparkled and he spoke eagerly, "Really? And please, call me Kal."

Koray laughed for what seemed like the millionth time that day. "Of course. Now, shall we get going?"

"Yes, let's hurry before it grows dark."

~~~~~

new people 🥱
GIRL I HAD SM TROUBLE WRITING THIS HELPPPP
anyway hope you enjoy this😔