breaktime, (c)

The bakery this morning smells like cupcakes.

Hunter always had loved the smell of the bakery, it smelled like her house when she was left alone for far too long. Usually by the time the weekend was over her little modest apartment building was overflowing with sweets, and Hunter never did find it possible for her to finish them in one go. Especially when she could just as easily make more for herself - so she liked to hand them out instead! As an added bonus, people usually really liked baked goods, so it was a win-win situation in the end anyway.

But man, the bakery smelled as good as ever, as she opened the door with the bell ringing to signify that she had arrived. Bright grin on her face, Hunter had set her things down next to where she usually worked - at the cashier - and did what she did best: greeting people, wearing a smile, and handing change back.

Eventually, it ticked closer and closer to her break time, and out of the corner of her eye she saw a head of red hair start down the street. The odd color had caught her eye, compared to the blondes, browns, and blacks of the street he really did stand out. But when the familiar head peeked into the door, Hunter greeted him with a brighter smile than ever. "Axel!"

With a quick nod, she had grabbed her bag and was reaching him out to drag him out the door along with her. "Where do you want to go?"

The first thing Hunter noticed was that he was smoking, which was one of her less liked habits of his, but she didn't let it bother her. But at the same time, it wasn't any of her concern of what he did in his free time, and so Hunter brushed it off with a grin as she looped her arm through his.

She half-hoped they'd eat somewhere cheaper, if only because she knew that Axel wasn't too fond of letting her pay and it didn't help that she knew the both of them weren't too rich. "The cute one down the street? I say sure." Her grin grew, casting a sideways glance up at him.

"How was work at the coffee shop?" A chuckle, she knew he didn't really like the place, but it was nice that it wasn't too far away like some of his other jobs. This way, they could meet up for lunch on their breaks! It seemed worth it to her in the end, but then again she loved her job.

Laughing, Hunter listened to what he was saying they matched their pace. "Don't we all? If we didn't need money, then what would be the point of working?" But, then no one would work and everyone would instead have to farm their own food, dig their own gas to refine and put in their own cars - all that other complicated stuff that Hunter was certain she could never do. At least not on her own. She could make a risotto, not an automobile.

"I think you know the answer to that. I love my job!" While she wasn't a barista - which was a nasty job, she heard. People always were rude before getting their daily dose of caffeine, it was a fact. "Not everyone is nice, but I serve them with a smile anyway. And then I get to smell what the chef cooks up, and sometimes he lets me have a few treats to take back home." There was one time he let her even cook out back, and that was an adventure of its own. A fairy tale come true.

"I think we're almost there."

She laughed at his response, shaking her head. "If you had my enthusiasm, then I'd be talking to a mirror. I like you how you are." She moved to bump his shoulder, with a little more force than usual and the hopes that maybe he'd drop that cigarette. Then again, probably not. He'd stop when she wanted to, and she was going to have to respect that - which wasn't that hard! Maybe.


She curtsied, or as best as she could in her jeans, walking in as he held open the door. "Thank you, dear Axel. How about we take a window seat?" She loved to people watch - if it had to have a name, that was what she would have called it, at least. Sitting at a table by the side of a sidewalk, just watching people walk past. 

Screwing up her face to be that of more concentration, Hunter shot Axel a bright grin as she sat down in the seat he pulled out. "I can give you some tips on how I stay so enthusiastic?" Whether he wanted to hear it or not - she doubted that he wouldn't - Hunter had a feeling that she was going to tell him anyway. "As much as I might dislike a customer, I use the 'kill them with kindness' tactic!" It was a start, though it didn't seem like it would have fit Axel's style.

"A chicken club sounds wonderful." Partially because he insisted on buying, and the other partial being because she really didn't want to use that much of his money up. She'd end up feeling guilty. "Always try to smile, too! Like you're with me all the time."