Izaya stepped out from his employers office, a smile on his face as he fiddled with the generous amount of money that sat heavily in his pocket. He could already imagine the screaming that would soon ensue do to his information.
Really, couldn't cheating couples really learn to not leave evidence? It just made his job easier.
Shoving the thoughts of his previous assignment from his head, he thumbed the bills in thought. He felt like splurging a bit. Treating himself to something, rather than putting it into savings. It wasn't as much as he was paid when working with shady people. But it would pay for something small.
That's when he smelled a strangely delectable scent in the air. He cocked his head to the side and glanced across the street to the source of the smell.
On the other side of the road was a small shop; freshly painted and new to the strip. Coming from the open window was the sweet aroma of freshly baked sweets and confectionaries.
Normally, Izaya wouldn't be drawn to such a sickly sweet scent. But the strange underlying tones of bitterness drew him closer to the shop. He was curious how the harsh flavors he craved could be mingled in with sugar and sweets.
Peering in the window, he saw various treats sitting in the glass case. The expected treats were lined up perfectly; cookies, cakes, chocolate dipped fruits, and donuts. All traps for those with a sweet tooth.
However, none of those made his mouth water. Except for the one treat sitting along the edge. A row of freshly made and chilled truffles were placed delicately on wax paper. Drizzled in what seemed to be a white chocolate glaze, the dark dollops caught Izaya's eyes immediately.
Curiosity leading him, he stepped into the store, taking in a deep breath. Spices of all kinds attacked his nose, and surprised him. To think he was smelling cinnamon, basil, and…was that cayenne?
"Oh, hello there!"
Izaya glanced up to see a young woman prance up to the counter. Her strawberry blonde hair was pulled back into a bun, her glasses were slightly askew on her face, and there was a hint of batter on his cheek. Pulling out mask number eight, Izaya smiled.
"Hello. I was curious as to why I was smelling some strong spices coming from the shop."
The woman smiled, "Because it's fun to have different spices in baking! Would you like to try some?"
Izaya grimaced a bit, but didn't show it much. He didn't want to try anything per say, he just was interested in the ingredients, more or less. However, he was vaguely reminded of Shizuo, and thought that the brute might need something to crave other than those disgusting cancer sticks. "Ahh…what exactly do you have?"
Her eyes beamed as she leaned over the counter to point to each treat with enthusiasm. "Here, we have our variety of ice creams. We have everything from vanilla to moose tracks. But our surprise flavors are lime basil and apple rosemary."
"…Eh, I'll pass."
"Hmm, ok. How about our hot chocolate cake? It has chocolate batter and chocolate drizzle, with a bit of cayenne pepper in the cake to give it an extra kick!"
Izaya tapped his finger to his lip a bit, in feigned contemplation. "No no, my fr-"
He choked for a moment. To think he was slipping into a character that would consider Shizuo a "friend". He cleared his throat, "My roommate doesn't like spicy foods. Anything extremely sweet."
"We definitely have some sweet sweets! We have a deep chocolate cake with a strawberry icing and whip!" The shopkeeper beamed, gesturing toward the chocolate cake that practically looked black.
Izaya shook his head, remembering the files stored away in his computer, and remembering the contents in Shizuo's fridge, "Vanilla. Anything vanilla."
"I have some thing perfect! A vanilla bean cupcake filled with a raspberry jam and topped with a tangy cream cheese frosting."
Izaya nodded, "Yes, that'll be fine. I'll take five of those."
"Would you like anything, sir?"
Normally he wouldn't bother tasting something like this. But his curiosity was peaking. "Something bitter, if you have anything."
"Oh yes! We have these truffles." She clapped her hands and smiled widely. "They are called bittersweet truffles. It's my mothers secret recipe, so I can't say what's inside. Unless you have any allergies."
"None that I'm aware of." Izaya chuckled. He watched her as she reached in and grabbed one of the truffles he had been looking at prior. She handed it to Izaya, who tentatively grabbed the sweet. He bit in gently, rolling the bite in his mouth as he savored the flavor.
His eyes widened with natural surprise. She was right, it was bittersweet. The flavors of the dense dark chocolate and the mystery bitter ingredient - which he assumed was almond - mingled well with the soft coconut and mint that were laced in the crumbled cookie center.
It was pretty good. He took another bite.
Scratch that. It was addictive.
"So…? Do you like it?" she pestered, watching as he took another bite. He nodded quietly. "Would you like some to take home?"
Izaya pondered for a moment, before nodding. "Yes, I'll take a dozen." Although deep down he had a feeling a dozen wouldn't be enough.
He finished his truffle and licked his fingers as she rung up the price and neatly packaged twelve of the little morsels into a carry out box. Izaya absentmindedly gave her the money, and walked out eating another truffle very slowly, so he could continue to savor the unique taste.
Shizu-chan could eat all the cupcakes he wanted. But he wasn't allowed to touch the truffles.