Thursday:
I think that interview from yesterday made me lose my confidence. It felt a bit more like a courting service, since I look very flustered in there. I'm overthinking things here. Taking my mind of things, I decided to go to this new bakery store I had recently heard of at Book End after school.
On the way, I heard a voice calling out for me.
"Excuse me!"
I looked around for the voice that was calling out for me, until I looked down and saw a frog wearing a crown.
"You can talk?" I muttered.
"Why yes, my good man! I would like to introduce myself as Hopper Croakington the II. It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance." the frog said.
I was a bit unsettled by a talking animal of all things, but I shrugged it off.
"It's nice to meet you. Judging by your crown, I presume that you're the prince of frogs?" I asked.
"That is correct." he answered.
"I was curious as to why you were calling for me, Prince Hopper?" I asked.
"Oh, I would rather prefer that you call me Hopper. To answer your question, I was wondering if you would assist escorting me to the bakery down the village." he requested.
"How come?" I asked.
"With my current condition, I'm afraid there are too many obstacles that are coming down my way." he said.
I looked at the village and saw how crowded it was becoming.
"Very well. Hop onto my hand." I told him, no pun intended, as I laid out my hand.
"Thank you, Cayden." he said as he did hop onto the palm of my hand before we began walking to the bakery.
"So what do you mean by condition?" I asked.
"Oh, 'tis a shame indeed. I was cursed to turn into this form whenever I lose my own words in front of the ladies." he explained. "The only way I can undo this curse is for one to kiss me."
"There's a catch, isn't it?" I questioned. There's always a catch to these kinds of things.
"Aye. Unfortunately, it is a cycle that I am forced to endure until I finish my story."
"That is...indeed unfortunate." I muttered.
The walk was silent from then on until we reached the bakery. I opened the door, which had a small bell ring.
"Welcome to the...oh, hey Hopper!" a girl had called out.
She had long hot pink hair in two low pigtails, brown skin, and brown eyes. She wore glasses. Her outfit was bright in color; typically the colors pink or yellow. Her outfits somewhat tied in with simple food designs.
"Good evening, Ginger. How fares thee?" Hopper greeted as he hopped off my hand and onto the counter.
"Oh, it's doing pretty well." she said until two rather chubby kids ran into the store.
"Do not eat those sweets!" The boy exclaimed.
"She is trying to lure us in!" The girl shouted.
"RUN FOR YOUR LIVES!" They both yelled before running off.
Ginger sighed. "More or less."
"What was that about?" I asked.
"Oh, it's just that I'm the daughter of the Candy Witch." she answered.
"Candy Witch?" I repeated.
"Oh, I remembered that you're new here. I'm Ginger Breadhouse." she introduced herself.
"Pleased to make your acquaintance." I greeted back.
"So, did you come here to pick up the usual?" she asked Hopper.
"Indeed." the frog answered.
"Well..." she ducked below the counter to take out a box. "Here you go!"
"I give you my thanks, Ginger." Hopper said.
"Oh, it's no problem." she said, while I noticed a tint of pink on her cheeks. "Do you need to turn human so that you can eat those?"
"Well, I might become full..." he thought. "Very well."
Ginger gave Hopper a peck and a slight flash appeared before my eyes before it died down.
There stood a boy with burgundy hair, green eyes, pale skin and freckles.
"This must be your human form." I mused.
"Yep!" he turned to Ginger. "Thanks, Ginger!"
"No problem!" she replied.
"By the way, you look delicious." he said, before making a realization. "No, wait-"
He transformed back into a frog. "Blast." he muttered before landing on the counter.
"You really weren't kidding when you said that you transform into a frog after...fibbing." I said, hoping that I got that last word right.
"Aye." he said dejectedly.
Ginger rolled her eyes before kissing Hopper again, turning him back into a human again.
"Thanks again, Ginger." he said. "Oh, and you-"
I cut him off by placing my hand on his mouth. "I think she gets the point."
He nodded as he took the package. "Well, I gotta go. Thanks for the pick-me-up, Cayden!" he said as he left. After he left, Ginger let out a small squeal.
"You have some sort of affection for Hopper?" I asked.
Ginger froze as she slowly turned to me.
"You noticed?" she asked.
"I'm very perceptive of others." I said.
"Well, please don't tell anyone." she begged. I raised my hand in front of her.
"Of course. Knight's honor." I promised. She sighed in relief.
"Thanks. So what would you like?" she asked.
"A slice of cake would be nice." I said.
"Well, I think you're going to enjoy this." She took out a slice of cheesecake from the bottom of the counter.
"Looks good. How much?"
"Just 10 coins." she said.
I gave her the coins and took a bite. It felt like a banquet in my mouth.
"This is delicious!" I exclaimed as she giggled, happy at my praise.
"Thanks."
"When did you start baking?" I asked.
"Oh, when I was little." she answered.
"No wonder. It must have took a lot of years to gain such experience." I remarked.
She nodded. "I hope I can expand Spells Kitchen into something even bigger."
"Spells Kitchen? What is that?"
"It's a show that I'm hosting here that also serves as a bakery store." she answered.
"A show? Like Blondie Locks's Just Right MirrorCast?"
"Yep! Except that it's a cooking show instead." she said.
"Well, I look forward to watching an episode soon."
"That's great to hear! I mean, it's weekly as well. So you can catch my show on the Tuesdays."
"I'll keep that in mind." I said. "So, what's the story of the Candy Witch?"
Her smile faltered. "Well..."
She told me about the story. I was horrified by the time it ended.
"How did she manage to get out of the stove?" I asked.
"Oh, she's the candy witch! She had her little gingerbreadmen get her out of there." she said.
"That sounds a little bit...farfetched, isn't it?" I asked, quirking my eyebrow.
She shrugged. Well, weirder things have happened here in the Fairy Tale World.
I finished my cake. "Well, that was really delicious. I'm looking forward to coming here again next time."
She smiled. "Really? It means a lot to me." She looked away in a downcast look. "It really hurts me that no one would try my treats out, all because I'm the Candy Witch's daughter."
I gave her a pat on the shoulder. "I'm here, right? And I'm pretty sure that your friends would come here to enjoy the delicacies here." I gave her a small grin. "Let's not forget Hopper."
She let out a blush again. "Y-yeah. That really helps me. Thanks."
I gave a nod. "I'll see you later, okay?"
With that, I left.
A/N: And that's done. So who should he interact with next? As usual, same or different.