It had been two weeks since Eilaen had presented Kaida with the paperwork for the bakery they would co-own. Now, they were finally standing in front of the building together. Eilaen’s slight unease at not knowing what to look for or where to start was visible on her face. Kaida’s face, however, was lit up with excitement at the blank canvas in front of her. 

“Are you ready?” Eilaen asked her.

“Ready,” she replied with a smile, her sapphire eyes twinkling like stars.

She inhaled a deep breath and slowly took a step towards the door, her hands and legs trembling in anticipation. With shaking hands, she slid the key into the lock and turned it until she heard the click of the mechanisms. Easing the door open, she slowly stepped in and began to look around. 

As soon as she stepped through the door, she stumbled down the small slope into a large, mostly bare room. She walked to the middle of the room before stopping, turning around in a complete circle to get a view of it as a whole. From where she stood, she could see perfectly through the large ceiling to floor windows that stretched from the side of the door to where the corner of the building was. In her mind, she could picture patrons sitting at tables next to the window, the falling snow illuminated by the soft glow of faerie lights.

Looking to her left, Kaida’s eyes trailed down the interior long wall that would be perfect for lining up at least four self-serve glass cases for cookies, muffins, and small pastries. Spinning quickly to the wall on the right of the window, she saw four tables and twelve chairs stacked together as they lined the wall. The wall directly in front of her, which was opposite the window, was the only painted wall in the room. It was the same, delectable shade of brown as the dark chocolate she loved to bake with, especially when combining marshmallows in the center of croissants, with a doorway close to the corner. This wall, she decided, would be the best place for a long counter to be built in front of it, and directly behind it would be a large mural painted on the wall. It would be the perfect place for a new register to be centered.

Eilaen stepped up beside her, interrupting her thoughts. “I see your mind turning, Kai. What are you thinking?”

Kaida turned to look at her friend and grasped her hands tightly. “It’s perfect, Ellie. Absolutely perfect.”

“You haven’t even seen the kitchen, Kai. What if-” Eilaen started to ask but Kaida stopped her.

“I already know,” she said with a smile, “that it’s going to be just as wonderful as you are. I know I have only said this a zillion times in the last two days, but I am so thankful to have you as my chosen sister, and constantly grateful to have you at my side to support my dreams as if they’re your own.”

Tears began to in Eilaen’s eyes at Kaida’s words, and she tightly embraced her friend. When she released Kaida, she sniffled and wiped her eyes. “Ready to go see, then?”

With a laugh, Kaida pranced toward the door on the dark chocolate colored wall and opened it with an exaggerated flourish. She took two steps into the room before stopping abruptly, a loud gasp escaping her. Concern washed over Eilaen’s face at the sound. Not knowing what had surprised Kaida, she walked in only a handful of steps behind her when she, too, stood in shock. Where they had expected a working kitchen was, instead, was something reminiscent of a desolate shack left to rot. 

Kaida was shocked to her very core. She couldn’t wrap her mind around the state of the kitchen, especially since the room they’d just been in looked like it was in perfect condition. Remodeling the kitchen could take weeks, if not months, and that would just be so they could get it in working order. Not to mention the financial costs that would accompany the work and the time it would take to complete such a project. Contractors, equipment, appliances… Kaida ran down the mental list she had from when she opened her Galbassi bakery. Her stomach knotted up as she began to fill with dread. 

Without looking, she knew Eilaen was staring, patiently waiting for her response. Silently, she reached over and looped her index finger around Eilaen’s pinky. It was a gesture she hadn’t made since the halflings were young, only using it when one of them sought comfort. 

Eilaen was the first to speak. “Ya know, Kai, with some hard work and a little extra grit, I know we can turn this into the kitchen of your dreams.”

Kaida nodded as she blinked the tears away, trying to collect her thoughts. After a few moments, she wiped away the tear that had escaped and cleared her throat. “You’re right, Ellie. All I need is a plan. Once I have that, we can turn this mess into everything I’ve ever dreamed of.” She turned once more to face Eilaen and smiled weakly. “Now let's go home. We’ve got a kitchen to design.”

🍪🍪🍪🍪

After a sullen trip back to their home on the farm, Eilaen decided to make quick work to walk Mable and Sorrel to the stable to feed them and rub them down while Kaida made her way to the study.  She was appalled by the sight of the bakery’s kitchen and needed to write down the things she’d need to reconstruct it. After she fully processed the situation and had her plan of action laid out, she’d be okay. It would take a lot of time, and even more money, to build it back into a functional kitchen, much less into the kitchen of her dreams. 

As she sat at the old wooden desk in the study, she began to make a list of the things she knew off the top of her head the kitchen needed. She knew that the counters would need to be ripped out and completely rebuilt. She’d need a stove, although two would be ideal. She knew that the gnomish community a few towns over specialized in new, more efficient ovens and she began to wonder how much it would cost her to get one. As she wrote down the appliances on her list, she made sure to write an asterisk next to “new stove?” before moving it lower on her list. The walls needed to be repainted and the floors… 

“Ugh. The floors,” she audibly groaned as she closed her eyes, tossing her head back. 

The existing floors weren’t awful but they weren’t in the best condition, either. In her mind, she was thinking of having slick, dark brown cobblestone on the floor. Just enough to fit the aesthetic she was going for but still giving her the ease of cleaning when she’d inevitably spill or drop something on them.

She continued to work on her floor plan even after she heard Eilaen open and close the front door making her way towards the kitchen. Even from the study, she could hear Eilaen ranting about Tillard squashing the acorn squash and mashing the pea plants. It wasn’t long before the aroma of something delicious began to make its way into the study and Kaida felt her stomach grumble in response. She’d just finished drawing out her blueprint for the kitchen in the bakery when Eilaen knocked on the study door, letting her know dinner was done. 

“Okay but come here first. I want your thoughts on this,” Kaida said, rising from the chair with a stretch. She hadn’t realized how long she’d been sitting in the chair until she felt the tingling in her lower legs as she stood. She shook her head hoping the wives’ tales she’d heard about it helping the feeling going away were true. 

Eilaen nodded and crossed the room, and Kaida excitedly showed her the floor plan. Then, she pulled out the list of things she knew they would need to buy and accomplish. After scanning the list twice and marking down a few objects of her own, Eilaen looked up and smiled. “I guess we have some shopping to do!” 

Three

The next afternoon, the two halflings happily made the trip three towns over to visit Lyrica that way they could make a day of visiting the largest shopping center that Kaida had ever laid eyes on. She held Eilaen’s hand as they both looked around, wide-eyed and amazed by the sheer number of beings. Kaida had never seen so many storefronts, which was saying something as she’d made several journeys to towns known for having exotic or other hard to find ingredients. 

They roamed around for a short time, stopping when they found The Gnomish Goods, a store that specialized in new appliances and other fascinating mechanical contraptions. They stepped inside slowly, not knowing what they’d be walking into. The store was unlike anything they’d experienced in Galbassi or Smallburrow, and they were both taken aback by their surroundings. It was as if they’d just walked into another world entirely. There were machines and appliances that they’d never before seen the likes of. Kaida let out a loud gasp as she looked around. Everything was so shiny and looked so complex. Suddenly, she felt small and unsure, which was extremely rare for the incredibly outgoing halfling.

As they slowly strolled down each aisle, they grew increasingly curious by the vast amount of things they were seeing. Finally, a male gnome found them and stopped. “May I help you two halflings with something?” he asked as he looked at them through a pair of thick, round spectacles. 

“Yes. Hi, I’m Kaida, and this is Eilaen. We’re from Smallburrow, and we’re opening a bakery. We’re in need of appliances and were wondering if you’d be able to help us decide what would fit our needs in the best way? Everything is so shiny and big and incredible,” Kaida replied with a wide smile that had her eyes shining with excitement. 

“Yes,” chimed in Eilaen. “Everything is so overwhelming! There are so many options.”

“Well Kaida and Eilaen. If it’s help you need, then help you shall get. My name is Ginkom and I am completely at your service.” The gnome peered up at them again, taking them in before continuing. Kaida felt as if he were sizing them up by the way he looked at them. “If you would follow me through this door here, we can get started on sorting out what you need.”

He swept his hand and gestured in front of them, allowing them to pass through the narrow aisle. Once the three of them had passed through an unseen door to their right, Kaida was amazed even further by the large, shiny, top of the line stoves in front of her. They were nothing like the small wood stove they had at home. She leaned toward Eilaen and loudly whispered, “I think I have died and gone to some kind of baker’s heaven!” 

Eilaen stifled a laugh as she leaned over and whispered in return. “I don’t think you know how to whisper, Kai.”

Ginkom cleared his throat to avoid interrupting the halflings, who clearly found themselves entertaining. “Now, Ms. Kaida. Please describe your needs for me. It will help me serve you best and allow us to pick out the items necessary.”

“I need a freezing case, two stove and oven combination things, and a huge sink. I would prefer it if everything matched. Oh, and whatever else you think I might have a use for, I guess, just in case I missed anything. We’re starting from nothing. Literally,” Kaida replied, looking at her list, rattling off what she thought Ginkom’s shop would have. 

The gnome stood by and listened patiently as she explained her predicament and how the kitchen in the bakery was having to be completely refurbished. When she’d finished her excited rambling, she stood and fidgeted watching as he rubbed his chin for a moment. He appeared to be lost in thought. Standing still a moment more, he tapped his chin three times before his face lit up. “Aha! I have it. Follow me, please. Right this way. Please mind the cables stretched across the floor. Don’t want to trip over those.”

Kaida and Eilaen followed Ginkom as he sped off towards the corner in the back, where the large kitchen appliances were located. Every time Kaida thought she couldn’t be more impressed by the equipment being shown to them, Ginkom would walk them by another row of even more impressive appliances. After what felt like hours, the girls were finally done picking out their purchases for the bakery, as well as having snagged a few things to upgrade the farmhouse. After handing Ginkom their coins and setting up a delivery day for the following Friday, Kaida looped her arm in Eilaen’s, skipping happily as they went to their next stop. 

By the time they had arrived back at the farm, everything on Kaida’s list had been selected, bought, and scheduled to be delivered the next week to the bakery, with the exception of the shiny new stove and the large upstairs heater that Eilaen had purchased from The Gnomish Goods. With the sky growing darker by the minute and both halflings exhausted from their extensive shopping, they each wandered on over to one of their neighbor’s houses to invite them over for supper. By the time Kaida and Jareth entered into the house, Eilaen and Ms. Kestrel had already been at work in the kitchen, and dinner was almost done. The warmth of the house combined with the delicious aroma filling the air, was enough to calm Kaida’s mind down from the swirl of thoughts that filled it. 

“We’re in the kitchen, slaving away, my dears!” Ms. Kestrel shouted after Kaida had announced their arrival.

Kaida kicked off her boots as Jareth hung his scarf and hat up on the hook closest to the door. A loud, hungry noise erupted from Kaida’s stomach, causing Jareth to laugh. His laughter, being infectious as always, caused Kaida to begin to laugh with him. By the time they reached the kitchen to see Ms. Kestrel and Eilaen, they both had tears streaming down their faces and were clutching their sides, their stomachs hurting from laughing so hard. 

“Wh-what are you making for di-dinner, Ellie?” Kaida asked between gasps. 

Ms. Kestrel looked at the halfling in front of her and shook her head. “Kaida, you are a sight. We leave the two of you alone for a few moments, and you come inside looking like you’ve been bit by a tickle bug.”

Eilaen rolled her eyes at the sight of them, before shaking her head. She instructed Jareth to grab cups and cutlery for everyone and put them on the table. He’d finished setting the table right as Kaida had decided what she was going to whip up for dessert. In a flash, she put it all together and popped it into the oven. It didn’t take long for the aroma of the chocolate and hazelnut she used inside a thick, flakey pastry dough to begin filling the air. 

The four of them sat comfortably around the table, and Kaida filled their friends in on their adventure, as well as their success at The Gnomish Goods. After she finished, she looked at Jareth. “Do you know who would be the best for the construction work for the remodel? The floor is atrocious and the walls are in deep need of some help in some sections. Oh, and I need painters. Oh! And someone who can build and put in counters and an island. Oh, and I need a plumber, Oh, and-” she rambled off through her list only to be cut off by Jareth.

“Whoa, whoa. Take a breath, Kai. Yes, I know exactly who you need to contact for help with everything you need but you’ve gotta chill. You’re going to run yourself ragged just speaking about what needs to be done. If you don’t pace yourself, you won’t be able to do what needs doing,” he said gently. Ms. Kestrel and Eilaen nodded in agreement. 

Kaida made a noise somewhere between a sigh and a laugh, nodding. “You’re right. I know you are. I’m just so extremely excited that we’re finally doing this. All of the feelings are just building, and building, and building. I feel like my insides are going to explode!”

Before anyone was able to respond to her, Kaida gasped and leapt out of her seat, screaming about her almost forgotten pastries and bolted towards the kitchen. Moments later, a loud sigh of relief was heard before she hollered out that all was well and nothing had been burnt. The three remaining at the table sat still, anticipation filling the air as they waited on her to reappear. When she did, she carried a large platter stacked high with the chocolate hazelnut pastries and Kaida could practically sense their excitement at dessert. 

“Okay. Where were we? Oh yeah. Okay. So, my plans for the bakery. Wait, you guys dig in, but be careful. They’re hot! Anyways, like I was saying. Oh traps. Wait. I forgot the hot cocoa. One moment,” Kaida rambled, trying to reclaim her train of thought but instead only rambling in circles. Eilaen was fond of referring to it as “Kai chasing mice.” 

When she brought out the hot cocoa, she’d been able to mostly organize her thoughts and began to explain her overall vision for the bakery. By the time Ms. Kestrel and Jareth left for the night, Kaida felt calmer about the things she needed to do before they’d even be able to think about opening. When the door closed as they left, she released a long breath.