And we're back! Or, well, I'm back. So, Natsu, Lucy, Freed, and Cana are going to be making some candy and baked goodies. Do I have any knowledge on how to make them? No. Not really. Meaning this will be a little challenging, but it's a good thing the baking itself isn't the main focus of the story, the romance is! Anyway, let's continue.
(Lucy's P.O.V.)
"Alright guys, let's plan out some things we're making." I said. Natsu, Cana, Freed, and I were sitting at my dining room table, as Mira had dismissed us to go plan what we were doing. "We'll want to include some of our popular stuff, as that's the thing most people will like."
"Meaning that Fairy Sweet will be making some chocolate." Cana said. "That's our biggest seller."
"I believe you should add some of your specialty items as well." Freed chimed in. "Many people are fans of your sour gummies, and I personally enjoy the watermelon hard candies."
"You should make those big lollipops!" Natsu said. "The ones that swirl up all over the place! And those weird tube things."
"They're called Jelly Tunnels, Natsu." Lucy said. "They're made of, as the name suggests, jelly. Should we do all flavors or just a few?"
"Just a couple of them." Cana said. "Grape, strawberry, and apricot. The hard candies will have watermelon, apple, orange, and cherry. For the gummies we'll make both the sour version and the regular kind."
"Alright, and for the chocolate, we'll do milk chocolate, dark chocolate, and add in some things like cherries, caramel, nuts, and other things." Lucy said. "Should we include candied nuts as well?"
"I don't see why not, they're pretty simple." Cana said. "Oh! Let's get some of our boozy candy in there!"
"Cana, we can't. There are probably going to be children there, and I don't want to be handing them alcohol." Lucy said.
"Ah come one, the alcohol gets cooked out." Cana said. "Just the flavor remains."
"I would advise against it, you already have an extensive list." Freed said. "We don't want to overcomplicate things."
"So what will Dragon Tail Bakery bring to the event?" I asked.
"We'll have to do a lot of preparation on the day of the event, as like you mentioned previously, baked goods don't tend to lend themselves well to being made in advance and stored. The ones that do, like cakes and bread, aren't the best options to toss off a moving float." Freed answered.
"We can do cookies!" Natsu suggested. "Those store pretty well! I've stored them for like a week and they were still good."
"Alright, so cookies then." I said, writing it down. "What kind?"
"Chocolate chip!" Natsu shouted. "The best kind!"
"And some peanut butter cookies. Then oatmeal as well." Freed said. "And I believe we should put some sugar cookies in too."
"Can we do cupcakes?" Natsu said.
"Those will get smushed when tossed off." Freed said. "So no. But I think I like where you're heading. Individually wrapped things. Those can sustain a small amount of damage and still be perfectly fine. Maybe croissants?"
"That's so complicated to make though." Natsu groaned.
"And who's the one who brags about how good they are at making them?" Freed asked. I snickered at the face Natsu made.
"So we have four types of cookies and then also croissants." I said. "Anything else?"
"Donuts?" Cana said. "Those should be good, as long as there's no frosting to smudge."
"So glazed donuts, cake donuts, and jelly-filled?" I asked. Freed nodded.
"That should work, yes." he said. "I feel like we should put in more. Currently, as it stands, Fairy Sweet has 19 items to be giving out, and Dragon Tail Bakery has only 8."
"There is flavor variation in the donuts." Freed mentioned. "Different fillings in the jelly-filled donuts. And the glazed and cake donuts can be made of different materials, so it should be at least a dozen."
"That works." Lucy said. "So, Dragon Tail Bakery makes donuts, croissants, and cookies, while Fairy Sweet makes chocolate, lollipops, Jelly Tunnels, and candied nuts."
"That appears to be our list." Freed said.
"Alright, let's get started!" Natsu yelled.
"I'm surprised this was as simple as it was." Cana said. "I would've thought that it'd get more complicated." Lucy's phone rang. It was Mira.
"Hello?" she said, answering it.
"So, I may or may not have forgotten to mention something." Mira said. "You'll have to work with your partners on what you're making! That way the work is guaranteed to be spread evenly! Meaning that you and Natsu will have to make both candy and baked goods! I hope you know how to roll dough!" Mira hung up. Lucy slowly set her phone down and put her head in her hands.
"I jinxed us, didn't I?" Cana asked.
"Yep." Lucy said. "I swear that woman has a psychic sense. Apparently, to ensure equal effort as she says, We each need to do both parts. Meaning Natsu and Freed will have to learn how to make candy, and the two of us will have to learn how to make cookies and donuts." Cana groaned. "And she wants us to do it with our designated partners, meaning I have to work with Natsu and you have to work with Freed."
"So then all our planning was for naught?" Cana asked.
"No, she didn't say anything objecting to our plan, she knew we were doing that, she just wants it to be in those specific pairs." Lucy said.
(Mira's P.O.V.)
I giggled as I put down the phone. It was fun to make those challenges! Natsu and Lucy already got along well, why not make them work with each other?
"Demon." Laxus grumbled. "What are you giggling about? And don't say nothing, I know you better than that."
"I was just having some fun, don't worry dragon." I told him.
"I thought I told you none of your shenanigans." Laxus said.
"I'm just promoting teamwork and fostering a healthy work relationship!" I said.
"You're trying to get them together." Laxus said, narrowing his eyes..
"Of course not." I said, resting my arm on his. "I promised I wouldn't, didn't I?"
"I know you too well for that to work on me." Laxus said. "Now help me out here. Gramos wants us to be at that meeting, and you need to carry things." I went over to carry Laxus's laptop that had our presentation on it. Laxus had a box of samples in his arms, and the two of us got in his car, driving off to the city hall.
(Natsu's P.O.V.)
"What's so bad about working together?" I asked. "I can teach you how to make stuff! By the end of the month you'll be a master baker!" Canna snorted. "What?"
"Nothing." She said. Are all girls at Fairy Sweet weird?
"Now let's get moving!" I said. "We've got things to bake and I refuse to finish last!"
Well, looks like Mira was having some fun, and it was fun to write! Next chapter will get some actual baking done, I hope. I won't go into everything for it, but it'll be fun nonetheless. See you then!