"Might I ask what we are doing here?" Rachel inquired of Ragna. Her fingers were laced with his as they stood before Ayatsuki's Bakery managed by Celica Ayatsuki. The bright red awning protected them from an unusually strong heatwave assaulting the city. Rachel wore a breezy yellow sundress and sandals, hair tied in a single ponytail going down her back.
"Thinkin' it's about time you relax," Ragna answered. He insisted she take the day off, even going so far as to pay her for her time.
"Might I ask how you know Celica?" Rachel queried next.
"She and I used to date."
"Is that right?" One of her eyebrows arched high.
"You're cute when you're jealous, you know that?" Ragna smiled and she rolled her eyes. He pulled her against him and crashed his lips against hers in a slapdash kiss.
Rachel giggled as she wiped her mouth. "That was worse than pineapple pizza."
"Hey, made ya chill, didn't it? C'mon. Celica can be a little… frivolous at times, but you'll like her. She helped me out when I first got here, and I owe her a lot. Think you need a break from the cynical, too."
Bells jingled as they stepped inside, the scent of freshly-made pastries making Rachel's mouth water. "Quite the aroma…"
"Yeah, I'd live here if I could," he agreed.
"Is that…?" Celica's head popped out from behind the register and her eyes lit up upon seeing Ragna. "You're finally here!" She practically vaulted the small door behind the counter to bridge the distance. Celica threw her arms around him and smooched him right on the lips, then smiled broadly at a taken-aback Rachel, pulling her into an overenthusiastic hug. "Frivolous" seemed too light a word. "You're as cute as Ragna said you are, Miss Rachel!"
"G-greetings…" Rachel looked at Ragna and mouthed "You said I was cute?" Ragna didn't offer a response, endeared by the flush on her cheeks.
Celica grabbed Rachel's hands. "I've been so excited to meet you. Ragna's told me so much about you! I was so worried he'd never find anyone and live alone."
"Hey…" Ragna protested, wooden-faced.
Celica had turned thirty last month and was of average height with a curvy figure, her bright smile rivaled only by her caring heart. "So, while Ragna is off doing big boy things, you and I get to hang out. I can't wait to get to know you, Miss Rachel."
"There is no need to be so formal. Refer to me as Rachel," Rachel insisted.
Celica nodded. "Sure!"
"Thanks, Celica," Ragna said.
"Of course." She placed a handful of double fudge cookies into a bag and handed it to Ragna. "Go on. Go do your guy stuff."
Ragna gave Rachel a soft kiss goodbye and left her in the care of Celica. By noon Rachel felt far more at ease than she had in a long time. She had spent most of her life around critically cynical or obnoxiously irritable people whose intentions always had ulterior motives. Celica was a nice break from those types, easy to talk to and kind toward every customer who walked in. Perhaps Rachel had missed a part of town, but everyone who walked in seemed high-spirited. She surmised that Celica's nature gave the pessimistic denizens she had come to know some sort of reprieve, as it did her.
Each customer had a story to share: news of family coming from abroad, a planned trip to a resort, romantic endeavors, pregnancy. There were far too many to keep track of but Celica had little difficulty remembering all the details. She offered rather insightful advice and doled out well-wishes as if she were Santa on Christmas night. Rachel felt a little guilty believing her attitude a ploy to keep unsuspecting customers coming in. Ragna was right, she did need this.
The two were baking a new batch of cookies before another influx of customers swarmed the store, something Rachel hadn't done since her senior year of cooking class. "May I ask how you met Ragna? If you do not mind sharing," she said while sliding a tray into the oven.
A smile of recollection instantly appeared on Celica's lips. "He came here looking for work. A few weeks later he shared his plans for opening up a tattoo parlor. He was so passionate I wanted to help him. Then I… wanted to be with him."
"I see…"
"He was kind, caring, attentive. He acted mean and distant at first, but he always checked on me to see if I was okay. I knew then what it meant to be head over… Oh! Rachel, the oven is too high!"
"Bloody…!" Rachel quickly turned down the temperature and took the cookies out. She hissed on contact with the hot tray, forgetting to wear her mittens, and it fell from her grasp. "Forgive me!"
"It's okay. The broom is in the closet, the first door on your left." Celica pointed.
Rachel swept the burnt cookies into the scooper, saddened to throw away what could have been another masterpiece. "What am I doing?"
She drew in a breath of pain when Celica touched her red palms. "You burned yourself. It's nothing bad, thank goodness." Celica applied some cream before wrapping Rachel's hands. "I'm always handy with bandages! This happens to me a lot. I'm kind of a klutz."
"Most appreciated," Rachel said. "I ask for your forgiveness again."
"I said it's fine. I have another batch ready and raring to go anyway!"
Rachel shook her head. "It is not. I was not in my right mind."
"No, it's my own fault. I shouldn't have mentioned he and I used to date. But I just want you to know that I'm happy for both of you!" Celica was careful clasping Rachel's hands. "I want us to get along. He and I broke up a long time ago, and I don't want you to think I'm after him. I want us to be friends!"
"Friends?" Rachel couldn't help but smile at her childlike innocence. Her smile vanished upon seeing smoke from the oven. "Um, Celica…"
"Hm?" Celica looked to where Rachel pointed and gasped before rushing over to the oven. "My cookies!"
After cleaning the kitchen, baking another batch of cookies, and attending the last guests of the evening, Celica poured two glasses of lemonade and sat beside Rachel at a window table. "You know, I don't really know anything about you. Ragna said you moved here because of circumstances, but what would bring you here?"
Rachel suddenly felt her throat dry up. She chugged her lemonade so Celica simply brought the pitcher. Rachel poured another glass, drank half, and sighed. Celica was trustworthy, she had proven that much today. Although she was far too energetic for her liking, she appreciated Celica's efforts to make her enjoy herself and felt she could open up to her. "I was fired from my job as a professor due to my curriculum going against that of the board's. The students learned nothing of value, nothing they would use later in life, and there was no sandbox for them." She clenched the glass. "Seeing fellow professors disregard their students and blindly obey whatever they were told like pets, it disgusted me. Of course, as you can see, my act did nothing but get me sent here. Now I'm known by the Board of Education as a deranged professor who taught propaganda."
"That's horrible. You can't find another teaching job?"
Rachel shook her head. "The education system is just one big corporation. No school would hire a teacher with my 'track record'. I tutored for a time but it did not pay my bills. So, I moved out here."
"They should know better! That makes me so mad!"
Celica's pout and childish anger earned a giggle from Rachel. "Fiends, the lot of them. I pray for those children and hope they achieve what they are working toward. But might I ask what you are doing here?"
"Oh, I've lived in Kagutsuchi my whole life. I've always enjoyed baking and working with my mother here." Rachel observed traces of sadness in Celica's eyes she desperately tried to hide with her outgoing demeanor. "She loved this place and all the customers who came here. I want to do my best and keep this shop open as long as I can. It's all I can do."
"I see." Rachel rubbed her back. "You are doing a marvelous job. I am sure your mother would be very proud of you."
"Thank you." Celica wiped a small tear from one corner of her eye and finished her lemonade. Her smile reappeared when clanging bells alerted the two to Ragna's return. She practically leapt on him. "You're back!"
"Closed early today," Ragna said. Celica stepped away for Rachel to embrace and give him a long, passionate kiss. "Had fun?"
"Yes. It was quite the relaxing afternoon."
"That's good. Hey…" He gently lifted her bandaged hand. "What happened? Did you burn yourself?"
"A little. Tis nothing serious," Rachel explained.
"Alright. Thanks again, Celica."
Celica pumped her fist and grinned. "No problem, it was fun! We baked and talked about a lot of stuff."
Ragna laughed. "I won't ask about your girl talks. Well, think it's time I took you home, Rachel."
"Very well. And Celica…" She faced the brunette. "If you are willing, may I come here from time to time to assist you? I am sure running this shop by yourself can be rather challenging."
Celica nodded. "Of course! Come back anytime! My doors are always open."
The two waved goodbye to Celica and left. Now that they were alone, a much-needed question arose. "What were you doing all day?" Rachel asked. "Didn't you say your friend Kagura would hold the shop down today?"
"Yeah. I was making some reservations," Ragna answered.
Rachel's brow furrowed. "Reservations?"
"Yeah. Hope your Saturdays are still free and you've got a liking for Chinese food."
Beta-read by Wild Blue Sonder.
Next chapter and a few following might delve into Kokonoe and what she's going through, don't hold me too it but I feel a bit peeved at myself leaving her as a forgettable back-drop.