Vaggie reached up and let her hair down to conceal her wings under it and followed Husk into the bakery. She looked around and noticed a myriad of different pastries from cupcakes to cake pops. Near the back there was what looked like the area where you'd go to put in an order; next to it on the left was a curtain with a sign next to it that read 'invitees only.'
Husk motioned for Vaggie to follow her as he walked over to that very counter and said to the young cannibal lady working the station, "Excuse me, is Bébé in?" "Husker?" the woman asked. She turned around and gasped excitedly as she saw Husk's face, "Husker, it is you! Oh my goodness, it's been so long! How have you been?"
"Well, I've been dealing with a whole lotta bullshit lately." Husk sighed. "So what else is new?" Bébé joked. "Hahaha, ah… yeah." Husk sighed, "But, at least there seems to be a lull in the BS, so my friend and I were hoping to find some nice sweets. Speaking of sweets," Husk beckoned Bébé closer and whispered, "I know Rosie likes to frequent here every couple of weeks, and I was hoping I could meet up with her to, uh… discuss some important business."
"I'm so sorry, Husker," Bébé apologized, "But she just left with her clients about ten minutes ago. But, she said she'd be back the day after tomorrow for some of our famous eyeball salad. If you want, I'd be more than happy to let her know you're looking for her." Just then, Bébé turned and noticed Vaggie looking around one of the stands, pointed to her and said, "Who's she? Your latest little venture?"
"Uh… you could say that," Husk droned, "She's my friend. Don't worry about her, she's cool. Vaggie, don't roam off too far. Some of the folks here are a bit… touchy." Vaggie rolled her eye as she pointed to a stack of cupcakes and asked, "How much for these?"
"Individually they're $2.95. The four-packs are $5.99 and the six-packs are $9.75. We also do party packs starting at fifteen dollars for cupcakes and twenty for a big cake. And, that's assuming you're not requesting any of our… cultural ingredients in the recipe." Bébé explained. Vaggie nodded and said, "Right. Let's see… I have twelve bucks on me. Can I get one of the six-packs? Um… just the regular cupcakes, please?"
"No problem," Bébé smiled, "Grab whichever flavor you want from the stand over there and I'll check you out before you leave." Vaggie smiled as she looked around at the selection while Bébé and Husk continued their conversation. "So, tell me, Husker. I heard through the grapevine that you're expecting some pretty big news." Husk's eyes widened nervously and he hummed, asking, "Hehe… um, by 'the grapevine,' you wouldn't be referring to Alastor, would you?"
"Well, of course," Bébé smiled, "Who else would I be talking about?" Husk's ears twitched as he tried to keep them from turning back, letting out an uncomfortable chuckle, nodding along as Bébé continued, "Glad to see Hazel's finally doing what she's supposed to do. I mean, she's been married for, what, three years now? It's been time for her to settle down and have a couple of kids."
"Yeah, sure, alright." Husk muttered, trying to resist the urge to roll his eyes, "Anyway, while we're here… I've got a craving for one of your famous deserts. You still carry that blueberry drizzle?" "The cheesecake? Absolutely! It's one of our biggest sellers. Unfortunately, we don't have any made up; last one was sold just a few hours ago. But, I'll tell you what, come back tomorrow and I'll have one set aside just for you. Oh, you ready to check out, ma'am?" Bébé said as Vaggie walked up with a six-pack of chocolate cupcakes.
"Yes, please." Vaggie nodded handing Bébé the cupcakes. "Alright, I'll ring you up over here. Follow me." Husk sighed as he followed the girls over to the register, resting his chin in his hands and let his eyes close, resting them for a moment as Bébé rang up Vaggie's purchase. "Husk, are you alright?" Vaggie asked, placing a hand on Husk's shoulder. "Hmm? Yeah, I'm fine, Vaggie. Just a little tired, that's all. By the way, Bébé, I need to pick up a few ingredients for something later this month. Would it be okay if I brought in a list tomorrow? Then you can call me when you've got everything set aside. I'll pay a nice tip."
"Of course, no problem." Bébé said as Vaggie handed Bébé the money for the cupcakes, thanking her as she slid the cupcakes across the countertop. "By the way, Husker," Bébé said cheerfully, "Rosie wanted me to give you her regards. She got your little… package yesterday, and it was just what we needed for that engagement party. Thanks so much; wish you could've been there." "Yeah, well, I'm glad it helped," Husk chuckled, "Maybe I can make the next one."
"So, we'll see you again tomorrow?" "You bet. That cheesecake is absolutely worth the trip; sore back be damned." The two enjoyed a laugh before Husk escorted Vaggie to the door, exchanging smiles and waving goodbye to each other before Husk left. "That was kind of fun," Vaggie chuckled, "Bébé's a really sweet girl. Except… what was that crap she was saying about Hazel 'finally doing what she's supposed to do'?"
"Eh, let's just say Bébé is a bit… too old-fashioned. She believes every woman has some sort of duty to bear as many children as they can. I mean, personally I feel like if you can have kids but chose not to, you're really missing out on something special. But," Husk took a deep breath and gave a heavy, sorrowful sigh, "I also understand that some people have good reasons for not wanting kids. Plus… let's be honest, some people just should not be allowed to be in charge of children."
"Ugh, tell me about it," Vaggie snickered, "That's like, every den mother any member of the exorcists army ever had." "Damn," Husk chuckled, "They as bad as the drill instructors?" Vaggie's face fell a little as she said, "They… were kind of one and the same." Husk shuddered and shook his head, "I am so sorry, Vaggie." Vaggie chuckled, giving Husk a gentle sideways hug and said, "Thanks, Husk. Come on, let's get back to the hotel and pop these babies open."
"Yeah, let's go." Husk chuckled, "Oh, really quick." Husk pulled Vaggie's ribbon out of her pocket, carefully pulling her hair back and tying it back so it wouldn't be in the way so much when she flew. "There," Husk nodded, "Now we can go." Vaggie felt a smile stretch across her face as she noticed her reflection to see Husk's handiwork; he'd even tied her ribbon into a lovely bow like she liked. "Thank you, Husk." Vaggie smiled. Husk chuckled and gestured for Vaggie to go first, saying, "Ladies first."