[ Goblin! ]
Ryul stared at himself in the mirror, turning his head side to side and peering at his chin. Tucking his hair behind his ear. He was cute, right? He brushed the backs of his fingers over the scales on his pale cheek, the shimmery silvery scales. The bright eyes. Ryul sighed and tugged the hairbrush through his silvery hair before he braided it back, pulling it over his shoulder and posed.
More head tilting.
It was sad. He knew it was. Ryul knew that he was never coming back. Though he also knew that he was alive somewhere out there. He could feel it like someone was pushing him in one direction and he wanted to go in that direction until the pushing stopped but... Maybe he just didn't want to come back. Ryul glanced at the mirror again, features wobbling at the thought of him but... Quickly he schooled his features and looked at the clock.
Almost four am. Time to go to the bakery and start the day.
A bright smile and he pinched his cheeks to give himself some colour - blue on blue, not much for colour. Ryul grabbed his backpack, flicked the light off in his bathroom and set off. Patting his pocket to make sure he had his keys. As usual, the travel was a nice quiet walk and he got to his shop with little trouble. Then it was getting to baking.
He made a list of what was going to stale out at the end of the day, made a list of what was a day old and therefore discounted. Another list for himself of what he needed to bake. The little com chat helped with business at Sweet Dreams and now he had a few meat dishes for the hungier-less-dessert-seeking ones. Ryul put some tunes on, put on a hair net and started his day for real.
It was a few hours later, with nine o'clock rolling up that he finally put the finishing touches on a few pies. The cupcakes were left to cool on a rack and he made sure to have the more breakfast-ie grab 'ems closest to peering eyes. Nine was when his helper was to come in. A community service type thing. Dash wasn't the most pleasant person to be around but... Ryul managed. A quick slicing look. A few solid words.
Ryul dragged the back of his sleeve over his brow, cheeks flushed from the heat of the ovens. Another glance at the clock and he flicked the coffee pot on and made sure people popping in for a breakfast quiche and a coffee would have it all fresh and delicious. To any normal person, it was an insane amount of work. Ryul was at the bakery for almost sixteen hours a day, prepping, cleaning, getting things ready for the next day.
If he couldn't spend it here though, he'd fall apart. It was good. People got to eat yummy things, drink fresh coffee and Ryul got to be distracted by making those things for them. Dash was a nice distraction when it was quiet. The store front was cleaner too, Ryul had always missed a few crumbs before.
Ryul pulled his hairnet off, fixing his braid before he replaced his plain white apron with a flowery purple one, the ends and shoulders frilly with the middle of it tied back in a pretty bow - or at least it felt like a pretty bow. An unlock of the door. Open sign on. Dash should be by soon and then... The day.
Ryul returned back behind the counter, eyeing his lists. Making sure everything was in order. Did he want to teach Dash til today? Maybe how to make frosting for the cupcakes while it was quiet later? The notepad on the counter and the pen in his hand, Ryul scribbled non-sense between a name and the drawing of what looked like a very happy potato with stick limbs.
Maybe just... Talk to Dash. While Ryul was no shrink he tried to know people. Be the sticky sweet person people felt bad about hating. What was the point of being angry? No one gained anything. Ryul could be angry that he was gone and didn't want to come back. Ryul could lash out at everyone because of how terrible he felt inside but... It was fuel. To run his nice little bakery. To see the smiles on faces when they ate a cupcake or the smiles on a face when one person bought a dozen peanutbutter cupcakes and ate six in one go.
If anything, having the bakery let him meet a number of amazing people.
Also a number of amazingly weird people.
Ryul didn't look up at the sound of the chimes at the door, instead he remained doodling his happy potato and glanced over his shoulder at the pot of coffee. "Good morning," He said, voice pleasant before looking forward again, "Lovely day today. The breakfast quiche is fresh and the coffee is almost done," And then he looked up, eyes closed and smiled brightly. "Haven't decided if I want a cup myself yet. I think it's a tea day for me but I love the smell of coffee."