Happiness is a Warm Octopus Cookie

who: Pandect and Jamie
where: Just A Bakery
when: Early Morning

Pandect was having a Very Bad Week, if he hadn't given his word (something he needs to watch more closely in the future) that he'd finish the roof and the water heater he'd be driving out of town so fast he'd be an orange blur on the horizon. But he had given his word. So he was staying in town for a little while longer.

Sundays were usually his special days (way to perpetuate the angelic stereotype, he knew) but normally he parked somewhere when he was traveling and hunkered down when he was in town and just rested. But today, after that spectacular spill off the roof, he needed something special. Which was why he was dragging himself into town on the scent of something that smelled like baked goods. He was going to enjoy his Sunday even if it killed him, even if he had to beat his grumpiness up with breakfast pastries.

Jamie couldn't actually remember his week. In fact, everything felt very foggy. He was actually use to not keeping track of days anymore... What was it? Wednesday? Or maybe it was Monday... Hm... Oh well, it didn't matter. In Jamie's world, there was no need for days. He didn't have off days, he just sort of... worked. Whenever.

Well, now he was working. He'd actually spent the past few days... walking. Or something. And then he remembered this morning, 'Oh yeah. I have a bakery to tend to. Better get on that.'

And so, here he was, with his feet propped up on the front counter, his chair leaning back, and his arms hanging lazily by his side. He yawned, sleepy, but for a different reason! This time, it was pretty much because he spent the past day knocked out and sprawled over his bed like an octopus of some sort. Angel octopus! Baking angel octopus.

Baking, he did it! So he was ready for any passersby to be lured in by the warm, sweet scent of his cookies and actually do his job.

Pandect opened the door of the bakery, one of those little shop bells ringing above his head as he came in. That gave him a little something to smile about. There was a rumpled man who looked like he probably had been up all night baking. He settled his wings again with a wince and started giving studious focus on the pastries in the glass case. It looked like someone had baked about a hundred octopus cookies. Or they could be jelly fish, he wasn't sure.

"Good morning," Pandect said. It was important to at least try to be polite.

Jamie's eyes had been drifting back and forth on the ceiling. And at the moment, the ceiling looked blank. Maybe he could pretty it up a bit, draw a couple pictures... Hmm... At the sound of the door chime ringing, he perked up a bit, leaning forward on the chair so all four of its legs were settled on the ground.

He nodded a greeting towards the man. "'morning."

"May I have four of those orange muffins," they were each about the size of his head, but they would be a good snack for later, to soothe his grumpiness. "And a dozen octopus cookies."

Jamie got up, taking a box out, and set the goodies inside. As he packed them, he was aware of the moment of silence, and the awareness of course, only made it louder. So... he glanced up at the man, and offered a piece of conversation:

"How're you today?"

...What? It was better than talking about the weather, right?

His inability to tell a lie (or at least his inability to be willing to tell a lie) as it was he couldn't exactly say 'fine.' "I could be worse," Pandect said instead, the man had a kind of funny bunch of hair sticking up on the left side of his head like he had been sleeping wrong on it. He made a vague sort of smoothing done gesture at the man.

Jamie nodded, eyes looking back down at the packing for a second. "But could you be better?" He mumbled, looking back up, setting the box down on the counter. The customer made a strange gesture, which he had to think on for a moment before, 'Oh.' He lazily ran a hand through his hair, not really caring about physical appearances. (Wasn't it obvious already?)

"Couldn't we all?" Pandect said reaching for his wallet.

Heh. Well, that was the truth, wasn't it?

Jamie nodded, thinking for a moment, before adding: "But some problems are easier to fix than others. ...Anything I can do?"

Pandect tried not to sigh dramatically, sighing dramatically never helped in situations like this. There was just something odd about this town, it made his wings itch. There was a weird sort of draw to it, pulling things in in waves, pulling at people, and for some reason it kept pulling at him, trying to draw him out. Yesterday he had revealed more about himself than he had in decades. The last person to know he was an angel had been dead now for more than a hundred years. It almost frightened him, he wasn't used to people being that close. And words kept tripping out of his mouth despite himself.

"The cookies probably help enough, I'm just trying to get used to the town. I just got here a few days ago."

Another newcomer, huh? Jamie remembered the talk he had about the town getting weirded up, and the warning that he should leave... Maybe he should mention that?

"Mm. Same. Heard it's a strange town."

Pandect laughed, holding out the crisp bills he had just gotten out of his cashed pension check, "I didn't even get a forewarning, I just got hit across the face with it." There was an honest and slightly aggressive bedraggledness that was soothing. He got the sense that the town's baker was, if nothing else, at least honest, and that was something he could admire. He held out his hand, "Pandect Garnier." He didn't feel the need to hedge up when talking with an honest man, if the baker had a question, Pandect thought, he would ask outright. With an outright attack you can at least deflect it.

"Me neither." Jamie shrugged. Though he wouldn't really call it 'hit in the face'... personally it was more like he got lightly tapped on the head with a rolled up newspaper. He accepted the hand, offering a firm handshake. "Jamie Heart."

He glanced down at the offered money, and mentally sighed. He failed at business. "Keep the money." 'cause if the guy was having a crappy day, and food was all Jamie could offer, then making it free was the least he could do.

While Pandect's face went to passive mode, his eyebrows communicated a big 'Pardon me?' "Are you certain Mr. Heart?"

Jamie waved it off. "Yeah. M'not trying to make money here." He ran his hand through his hair, glancing up at the ceiling. "And just Jamie. M'not much of a mister."

"Jamie then," Pandect smiled, the vague underlyings of his French accent flavoring the name. "Thank you then. If I come back after having a really good day while you charge me extra?" he teased.

Smiling small to acknowledge the joke, Jamie shook his head. "Nah, I'll just charge you the regular amount."

Pandect suddenly wished he had more experience with people, he was frankly out of practice, he stared at the box of baked goods for a second before falling back on that old constant, "Well then, thanks. Have a nice day."

"Yeah, you too. Come back any time." Jamie took his seat back onto his chair, leaning it back once again, and zoning out onto the ceiling.

'Maybe a sky...'