"Thank you ma'am, we hope you have a nice day!" The Leafeon offered a pleasant smile and a wave goodbye to the elderly Golisopod who she'd just finished serving, a happy sigh passing her lips as she set about dusting off the countertops. It'd been a busy day in the pâtisserie, what with all the new families who'd just arrived wanting to treat their children to something sweet. She couldn't help but allow herself a small feeling of pride, knowing that all those people had chosen her families business to treat themselves with, as opposed to the myriad other sweet shops and bakeries in the growing town.

"Juniper, dear! How are we looking out there? Do we need to start anything off baking?" The voice of the young ladies mother drifted from the office in the back, calling her back to reality.

"Oh, um... we're starting to run short on the mixed fruit flapjack, and we're all out of cookies. They sold really well today! Everything else still has quite a few in stock, though. So we should be alright. Do you want to take the front while I go help father?" Gentle laughter echoed down the hallway, before the Sylveon poked her head around the doorframe, grinning at her daughter.

"Oh, Heavens, no! You need to stay here! After all, didn't you ask that nice young man back around? You wouldn't be a very gracious host if you weren't there to greet him when he arrives, now would you?" The Leafeon pouted at her mother, folding her forelegs across her chest.

"Mother, don't start teasing me again! I'm telling you, nothings going on between us. We barely even know each other, how could there be?"

"Ah, not yet at least. But give it time, dear~" A soft whine escaped the grass type as she glared at her mother.

"Mother, please-!"

"Ease off, love. You know she don't take too well to constant teasin' does our little Juni." The rough voice of her father caught the Leafeon's attention as he lumbered into view, the Arcanine's grin was contagious, as she found herself smiling up at her father. "She's grown up so fast, ain't she? Seems like just yesterday when ye' were clambering around the kitchen with your ol' man, trying to help as best you could while making a huge mess! And now we're here teasin' her over a fella who's barely just walked into town not even two days ago!" The large hounds laughter filled the halls of the family business, accompanied by a grumble from their young daughter.

"I may not be a young kit anymore, father. But I'll always be your daughter. And I'll always be proud to be your daughter. Both of you. Even if being a baker isn't some grand job where I go out there and save people, or hunt outlaws, or explore the frontier and bring that information back- it's still an important role. After all, how will my friends keep their morale up without some nice, sweet treats to greet them when they get home? And that's nothing to speak of all the other people we serve in the day! Even more than bringing in money, seeing them smile at something we made with all our heart and passion? That's always been enough for me. That's something you both passed down to me. To take pride in my work, and the smiles that it brings!" The elderly couple smiled down at their daughter, her eyes ablaze as she spoke.

"You always were passionate about making people happy. I'm surprised ye' didn't take after ye' mother more. In the physical sense, I mean obviously. You've already got her fire."

"And her smarts, dear. Though the passion for cooking definitely came from you. She truly is the best of both of us, isn't she? I'm thinking it might be time we retire, dear. Enjoy the rest of our days in peace? What do you say?" The Leafeon's ears flattened to her head and she became flustered.

"Oh? Aye, I think that sounds lovely. I'm sure Juni can handle things here, she's taken after us well!" The two older Pokemon laughed at the expression of horror dawning on their daughters face.

"N-no, I'm nowhere near ready for all that responsibility yet! How would I find the time for all the management around serving and baking? And placing all the orders for the ingredients, I'd surely forget something crucial! And-"

"Juni, dear." The Sylveon's ribbon-like appendages wrapped around her panicking child, laughing softly to herself. "Honey, we were just joking. We love this place as much as you do, dear. We've no intention of leaving it behind until we can no longer put it off." A sigh of relief escaped from the flustered grass type.

"That wasn't funny, mother... I might be good at serving and baking, but I could never replace you two..." The swinging of the door alerted the family to the presence of a patron. Taking a deep breath, the Leafeon turned to greet their new customer, and her world faded away to white.

"Oi, don't go springing onto people like that! Juniper may like you, but pouncing on her face like that's not something you should be doing young lady!" A soft whine was heard from above the Leafeon's head before the white furry mane that'd taken up her vision was pulled away.

"But Papa, I was just saying hi!" The soft voice of the Eevee filled the girls ears and she beamed up at the pair. The Glaceon held his daughter by the scruff of her neck, rolling his eyes before placing her down gently on the floor in front of the Leafeon.

"Then say hello. Don't use my head as a springboard to cover somebodies face, Sweetpea. You have words, use them." The Eevee spun to face her father, sticking out her tongue with a playful "nyeeeeeh!" sound.

"Yes, yes, nyeeeeeeh to you too!" The ice type returned his daughters expression, sticking his tongue out back at her.

"Pfffftt... doesn't she just remind you of Juni when she was younger?" The Leafeon's cheeks turned bright red at her mothers comment.

"That she does, that wee kit's got a fire in her belly, that's fer sure." The young Eevee stared up at the two older Pokemon, smiling brightly.

"Good afternoon Mr and Mrs Juniper's parents!" The rumbling laughter of the Arcanine filled the building again as he stared down at the Eevee wagging her tail eagerly.

"And a good afternoon to you too, lass! You've not been causing too much trouble for yer father now have ye'? The kit's eyes sparkled as she shook her head happily.

"Nope! Papa's been too busy mumbling to himself over the kiss Miss Lumi gave him!"

"Really now? Didn't we agree that you wouldn't bring that up?" The exasperated Glaceon groaned out to his daughter, who suddenly flattened her ears, realising what she'd just said.

"Oh, um. Oops? Sorry Papa..." The fluffball shrunk under her father's gaze, before he sighed, nuzzling the young girls cheek.

"It's alright, I'll just have to survive the-"

"Oh, my. Juniper's friend, making moves on an almost total stranger? What a time we live in~" The Sylveon giggled to herself as the boy shook his paws frantically.

"Whoa, whoa. It's not like that. The kiss was on my cheek. I think she was just thanking me for the company, that's all. There was nothing behind it. I literally just met her yesterday, I'd be hard pressed to make that much of an impression upon anyone in such a short span of time, right?"

"I don't know, lad. Some ladies look for the responsible type. And what screams 'I'm a responsible male' more than adopting an abandoned kit and looking after her?" The Arcanine grinned down the now blushing ice type.

"Well I- That's- I didn't-"

"Now, father, mother! Really, first you tease me, then you tease one of our guests? Have you no shame? Go on, shoo! The both of you, aren't there things that need to be baked? Go on, now. Leave the poor man alone!" Loud laughter trailed down the halls of the building as the Sylveon and Arcanine trailed their way into the kitchen, heading back to the ovens to check on the progress of the treats.

"I'm really sorry about them. As you might've noticed yesterday, they simply adore teasing people. Usually their daughter in front of her friends. I didn't expect them to turn their gaze on you." The ice type offered a soft chuckle and rubbed the back of his head.

"Yeah... that's kinda why I wanted to keep the whole "Lumi kissed me completely outta the blue with no explanation" thing a secret. But unfortunately, I've raised quite the chatterbox here."

"I SAID I WAS SORRY!" The Eevee whined and pouted, lightly smacking her fathers gauntlet with a huff.

"And I said it was fine, Sunshine. I'm not angry at you, silly." The kit was lifted off the ground beside her father, into the gentle paws of the Leafeon and she beamed at the normal type.

"Hi there, you! How'd you like those croissant's last night? Were they ok? I tried adding a little bit more of the jam than usual, so I don't know if they came out too sweet."

The Eevee eyes began to sparkle again as she squeaked out happily. "Oooooh, they were soooo good! Oh, and the things you made for Papa were amazing! Where'd you learn to make stuff like that?!" The Leafeon looked up at the Glaceon, tilting her head slightly.

"Hmm? Oh, of course I shared them with her. Was I... not supposed to?"

"Oh- OH! N-no, of course you were allowed to! I was hoping to get your opinion on the pastries I baked for you. Like I said, it was something new I'd been meaning to try for a while, what did you think?" The ice type perked up, nodding slightly to himself.

"Right, I did say I'd give you my opinion didn't I? I thought they were really nice." The boy hummed softly at the end of his sentence.

"I'm sensing a 'but' coming." The Leafeon groaned softly.

"...But. It felt like... something was missing? Like, don't get me wrong. They were lovely, and I really did enjoy them. They went very well with a hot drink. But I guess I expected more... bite out of it? Like, it was really sweet. And the spices really accentuated that nicely. But that's all there was to it. I feel like it was missing maybe a bit of tart to it? To even out the sweetness of the berries?" The Leafeon gave a thoughtful hum, thinking over what the boy had said.

"That could work... I'll admit, when I tried one of them, I also thought they were... maybe a bit excessively sweet. So perhaps something like apple or a cheri berry to add a bit of zest, make it a little tartier... I'll need a different blend of spices to go with the new mix of fruits, but I feel like that could make it better. I'm glad you also thought the same. I was kind of worried I'd be the only one that thought it was a little too sweet." The girl shyly rubbed the back of her neck, laughing awkwardly.

"Oh, don't worry. Even if you did decide to go with the original mix, I'm sure people would love it. I know someone here did. Honestly, I have no idea where she puts it all. You're like a bottomless pit when it comes to sweet things, aren't you?" The Glaceon reached out his paw, ruffling the kits headfur gently, eliciting a giggle of joy from the young girl.

"So... how did lunch go? With Lumi, I mean. She, um... wasn't weird or anything was she?" The ice type met the Leafeon's gaze, quirking an eye at the odd question.

"Weird? In what way, exactly?"

"I dunno, like. She didn't do anything strange? Say anything uncomfortable? I know about the whole kissing you thing, so that was a little weird. But..."

"Well, she was asking me questions. Trying to get to know me a bit better. She... pried a little too deep. And I might've gotten a bit snappy with her. After that, she seemed... different somehow. I dunno. She seemed a lot more thoughtful?"

"Eugh... I told her not to push it too far. She came in here this morning talking about how she was gonna get some answers out of you, and I told her to be careful. I'm really gonna have to have some serious words with her about this! Honestly, that girl sometimes!" The Glaceon couldn't help but laugh at the sight of the Leafeon angrily grumbling to herself.

"Really, it's ok. I need to learn to control myself a little more around people. It's only natural they'd be curious, and I can't fly off the handle every time it gets brought up. Please, don't concern yourself too much."

"If you're sure... I just don't want you to feel like you're being pressured into talking about things you're not comfortable with. We've all got our skeletons in the closet, right?" The ice type lowered his gaze slightly, a pensive look crossing his face.

"Some bigger than others..." He muttered softly before shaking his head. "Anyway, I didn't come here for therapy, did I? I think Sunshine wants to try something new from here. What would you recommend? And no, young lady, we are not going to get 'one of everything!' understood?" The Eevee pouted from within the embrace of the Leafeon, huffing as she folder her paws.

"Hehehe... You look so adorable when you're pouting, honey. As for what I'd recommend? Hmmm... oh! I know!" The Leafeon gently placed the kit atop the counter, opening the sliding glass doors to the shelves below. Reaching in, she grabbed what looked like clump of nuts and berries.

"Here, try this sweetie. This is what the townsfolk dubbed 'Explorer's Delight'. It's a selection of crushed nuts and diced berries, drizzled generously with fresh honey before being pressed into a nice, flat rectangular bar and topped off with a candied nut. Explorer's took to calling it that because it's a nice healthy snack item they can take out with them into the field. Well, mostly healthy. The candied nut is just a little treat! Can't go wrong with a bit of sweetness, right~?"

The Glaceon smiled as he watched his young charge begin nibbling on the snack, before reaching under his cloak. "Kaguya? Is something wrong?" The grass type tilted her head, confused by the young mans actions.

"Well, people usually pay for food and services, right?"

"Oh, no! This is-"

"I think we've had enough freebies, Juniper. I'm thankful and all, but I don't want it to become a habit. Besides, I'm willing to pay whatever it costs to put that kind of smile on her face." The Glaceon grinned, motioning towards the beaming kit who was gnawing upon the candied nut currently.

Placing the cost of the bar upon the counter top, the ice type smiled at the girl before his ears perked up slightly, clearly remembering something. "Oh, right! I almost forgot." Once more, the Glaceon reach beneath his cloak, fishing around in his satchel for something.

With a soft "aha!" the young man pulled out a pawful of red lilies, tied neatly in a bow while smiling bashfully. "So, um. Sunshine saw these on the way in a florist's. And she badgered me to pick them up because they were 'pretty like Miss Juniper!'. And unfortunately for me, I'm not able to say no when she pulls the puppydog eyes on me." Gently pulling one of the lilies loose from the ribbon binding, he reached his paw out to gently place it behind the Leafeon's ear, making sure it was firmly in place before retracting his paw, offering the rest to her in their small bouquet.

"She wasn't wrong, you know. That... really suits you." Both Eeveelution's looked away, their cheeks slightly red. One from embarrassment and the other thinking they'd made a fool of themselves.

"O-oh, I- Um... that's... really sweet of you. Thank you. They're beautiful..." The grass type stared at the vibrant red flowers she'd been given. Not her favourite colour, by any means. But they were truly lovely.

"Hey, don't thank me. It was her idea." The Glaceon pointed towards a happily wiggling kit, staring up at the older girl with sparkling eyes.

"Oh, yes. And thank you as well, honey! They're lovely, did you pick them out?" The Leafeon cooed to the little girl, nuzzling her forehead softly.

"Mmmhmm! Papa let me pick them out, so I picked the biggest ones I could!"

"Bigger is always better, isn't it cutie~?" A genuine smile crossed the girls face as she looked back up to the girls father. "Thank you though. Really... for both the flowers and the compliment. It's... not often I hear them."

The Glaceon's response was to give a slight shrug. "Can't really see why. You're always so cheerful and nice. Even to complete strangers like us. That's a rare quality, at least, it was where we come from. I... admire that gentleness. It's something worth protecting. It's why I'd fight so hard for Sunshine, too..." The boy shook his head slightly, stifling a yawn with his paw. "I think we'd best start heading home, Sweetpea. The sun's gonna be setting soon, and somebody kept Papa awake cause she was practically vibrating with excitement at the thought of seeing Juniper and Lumi again."

The kit stuck out her tongue and giggled. "But they're so nice, Papa! Of course I wanted to see them again!"

The Leafeon kissed the young kit on the forehead, pushing her slightly towards her waiting father. "And you're nice too, cutie. I always enjoy seeing you! Both of you. You'll always be welcome here. So... feel free to drop by and see me? See us I mean! My family and I. Of course..." The young ladies cheeks flared up at how that'd sounded.

Another yawn from the Glaceon, followed by a small smile as he lowered his head to allow his daughter to climb up onto his shoulders. "Don't worry, I get the feeling Little Ray here would never forgive me if I didn't drop in at LEAST once daily to see you guys. So you can be rest assured I'll see you tomorrow, Juniper. I hope you have a good evening. Sleep well, too. Say bye to your parents for me?" And with that, the boy turned to leave.

"Kaguya, wait a moment!" The boy was confused, stopping as he turned to see the Leafeon scrambling to get from behind the counter.

"Juniper? Is something wro-" The boy was cut off when, just like with the vixen earlier, the Leafeon leaned in and kissed him upon the cheek. The visibly flustered girl then turned and ran back behind the counter and into the kitchen out of sight.

The Glaceon blinked once. Then again. Then a third time before a sigh parted his lips, listening to the giggling of his daughter, the boy turned to exit the family pâtisserie. "What the heck is with all the kisses today...?"