Whenever John went off another one of his rants proclaiming the dastardly evils of that that was baked goods, Jade was always decorous enough to smile and nod appropriately. Nevertheless, she still had her doubts about just what the Heir spoke so passionately of. After all, how horrible could something that tasted so delicious be? Exactly the point—it could not possibly be a source of all that was wrong in this world. And yet, Jade was still the Witch of the Green Sun. She could not, by any means, afford to slack off on her duties. Especially so was the case if there was suspicion cast over a very specific sect or location. Jade would have to take the time to go over to the bakery in the Low District.

Thus was how the young Witch found herself standing within the center of the aforementioned establishment.

Much like the rest of Prospit, the general color scheme of the shop was a multitude of yellow hues. Underfoot, there were the rich, Maplewood floorboards, scuffed and scarred from years and years of being tread upon by such a multitude of customers as the locale served. Wide and tall glass cases stood against jasmine and cream stripes of paint, parts of which were obscured by framed photographs of founders and notable events that may have once involved the bakery. The room was alight from both the bright noontime sun pouring in through the floor-to-ceiling windows at the forefront of the store, as well as the backlights set under each row of baked goods within their crystalline containers.

Taking a deep breath through her nose, Jade takes in the intoxicating scent of rising yeast melting in with the decadence of baking chocolate and sweet, buttery frosting. Her head almost swims with sensory overload: there are colors everywhere within the containers. Pinks, spring greens, and pastel blues decorate flowery cupcakes, while there is the stark presence of maroon within the slices of red velvet cake. Leaning a hip against a tall, rounded table bearing the weight of braided breads and elongated loafs, Jade attempts to pick out just where she should start first. It is admittedly somewhat difficult, considering just how crowded the bakery is. Food was perhaps one of the great sources of unification. When she looks to her left, Jade sees a troll couple with hands intertwined and faces pressed up against a glass case holding some cinnamon laden cookies. Upon glancing to her right, the female sights a cluster of carapaces collecting several yellow boxes of their orders from the person behind the counter. Seeing all of these beings, so vastly different, yet coexisting so well, brought a wide, toothy smile to Jade’s lips. As quixotic as the thought was, it would be nice if all of Prospit, no, the Universe was like this. Such was going to be a dream hard won though.

“But that is why I am here,” the Witch reminds herself under her breath.

Pushing herself off of the table, the young woman marches over to the counter just as the group of carapaces leave the shop. A soft tinkle of bells signifying their departure rings through the buzz of the other patrons. The carapace behind the counter gives Jade an amiable smile. Yet before he can ask for her order, Jade is so generous as to give it,

“I want one of everything you are selling today.”

Well, it was not as if she couldn’t carry it! She was the Witch of the Green Sun. She could shrink the size of the goods as she saw fit. And money was not a matter of concern either. Jade had never truly experienced the trials of knowing meager funds, having grown up sheltered, aristocratic, and something of a prophetic figure upon this planet. Still, with her position, she could do as she saw fit. And attending to the matter of consuming each and every one of these delicious treats was a sacrifice that had to be made!

Yes, this was completely and utterly for the good of Prospit.

Totally.

The bell rang again when another customer walked in the bakery. The shopkeeper excused himself to Jade before yelling at his helper to help the newcomer. The young carapace quivered away and immediately abandoned the box he was filling with sweets for the Witch to leave the counter and held his hand toward a young lady. Terezi gave a soft nod as she took his hand and let him guide her to the counter, avoiding the maze of little tables and chairs set for the customers who couldn't wait to eat their sweets.

Terezi did acknowledge Jade's presence but did nothing to show it, not even a glance. She remembered her from the latest meeting they had and was still sour from their first encounter. The young detective even wondered why such an important as the Witch of the Green Sun was in the low district; she always taken from granted the aristocracy had everything they needed in their beautiful, clean and golden cathedral that glittered even in the darkest nights.

Oh no.
- Pull it together, Pyrope she thought as she bit her tongue, feeling her eyes sting

Terezi really hoped Jade would ignore her as much as she did. In a normal situation, the troll would have talked to her already, either in a friendly or mean way she wasn't sure but today was not a good day to meet people. She had been in a dark mood again, something that made her sober up if she dared to use this expression.

The baker-helper held up the new products for Terezi to smell. It seemed she came here often seeing this young man so used to this particular routine. The troll nodded when she made her choice.

- They all smell so good. Give me two of the colourful double chocolate, cream custard layered with the lemon crust. A red and a blue. Pack the blue one in a cute box. And I'll take an order of my usual.

Her voice was a lot softer then it was at the meeting, without any random high pitches that made it so unique. She didn't smile either, keeping her monstrous teeth behind tightly shut black lips she only opened to lick a broken red chalk she was holding in her hand under her cape.
The carapace nodded and quickly got her order together, handing her the new pastries in a box and a golden sash with colorful macarons in it. She thanked the man and left the shop.

As Jade found herself leaning up against the front counter, waiting for the carapace before her to register her order, her ears picked up the soft chime of the entryway bell. Overall, Jade did not pay the sound too much mind, though she still kept at the ready, lest it be an enemy. Overall, the bakery tended to be a safe location for the majority of the time, despite being in the Low District. Still, Jade could not afford to let her guard down completely. So it should have not been all too much a surprise she spotted the troll garbed in the dragon cloak that came to stand next to her.

She most definitely recalled this troll--it was hard not to. The female, Terezi, had been remarkably memorable, and not singularly because of that unique cloak of hers. There was the way she had held herself that time before. She had been so self-assured and verbose. She'd also been quite something to hear, what with the way she spoke. Oh, and she licked people. That was somewhat difficult to forget as well. Yet, today, she was immensely different. At the moment, she was withdrawn, speaking in hushed towns with not a shark-toothed smile to be seen. While they certainly were not friends--the two of them--Jade still felt something pang within her chest at the sight of such a boisterous person so reserved.

Curious and maybe even a bit concerned, Jade observes how the carapace serving Terezi seems so practiced in accommodating her. Did the troll come here often? The Witch wondered what she liked here. No! Now was not the time to be contemplating those kinds of things. Jade was supposed to be picking up these orders to test them. But wait-!!! If Terezi came around this bakery often, she would most certainly know those who worked here. There was a mutual sort of trust customer and worker built with one another if there was enough time involved. The troll would most certainly be able to confirm or deny whether these treats and where they came from bore allegiance to evil. Goodness, that sounded horribly dumb the more Jade considered it.

Shaking her head of such thoughts, Jade shoves the necessary money into the carapace's hand, eagerly awaiting her order. If only she hadn't gone and asked for so much! The longer this took, the farther and farther Terezi was going to get. Nervously, Jade bites at her lower lip before giving a cheerful exclamation when the boxes are placed before her. After shrinking the boxes and storing them in her bags accordingly, the Witch waves her farewells to those behind the counter before bolting out the door. Her feet kicking up a trail of dust behind her, Jade fervently searches for the dragon-cloaked troll in the Prospitian crowds.

"How could someone garbed in such a way be so difficult to find?" Jade exclaims in her frustration. Finally, she sees the young female and begins waving and trying to garner her attention, "Terezi! Terezi, please wait!"

Terezi froze in her track when she heard Jade calling her name. Her heart began to race, her lip quivering as she heard steps closing the distance. She had the impression the yellow brick road was collapsing underneath her feet from how dizzy she felt. Terezi suddenly dashed milliseconds before Jade could touch her hand.

The girl ran blindly, zigzagging between the carapaces and seldom trolls and tossing whatever she bumped into. Terezi ran around a lot, her breathing fast and hard. She didn't want to talk. If she couldn't talk to her friends in this state, talking to this not-so-cool-with acquaintance was out of the question.

Terezi avoided going to the high district were she lived. She didn't want Jade to know where the troll lived. Though, with her brain set on ''survival mode'', it was as if she couldn't remember another other path then the one leading to the security of her room so she was just basically running around aimlessly hoping that Jade would get tired and leave her be.

Her race eventually lead her deep into the slums toward the dumpster. In her broken logic, since Jade was a noble, she wouldn't dare to venture on such a crummy place and get her fancy robes dirty.

[to be continued here: https://skaianwars.rpg-board.net/t65-delicious-dangers-continued#606 ]