Following the first prompt of my daily writing challenge for October! Written in 20 minutes and edited afterward.
Thatcher opened the front door to Leoian’s bakery, causing the bell to chime delightfully. A small pouch of coins jingled in his hands as the little mouse boy skipped to the counter where the half-elf Leoian stood watching him with a tight smile.
“Good morning, sir!” Thatcher chirped as he approached the counter.
“Good morning, Thatcher,” Leo replied, his tight smile clenching tighter.
Thatcher opened up his pouch and dumped out the few coins inside, saying joyfully, “may I have one of your delicious, buttery bread rolls please, sir?” His big green eyes looked up at Leoian, and that’s when he noticed just how uncomfortable the baker looked.
“Sorry, but…” Leoian rubbed the back of his neck, looking off to the side of the room. “...I’m all out of bread today.”
Thatcher blinked, in disbelief that such misfortune found him that day. “What? You’re...all out? But you only just opened, didn’t you?”
Leoian fully turned his head to the right side of the room and Thatcher matched his gaze to see a familiar face. A crimson kobold girl about his age sat there with her feet up on the table. She smirked at Thatcher with her ugly snout and sharp teeth, gnawing on a bread roll. Bags and baskets full of delicious morsels crafted with Leoian’s divine artistry surrounded her like a palace of breads and pastries.
The girl snickered at Thatcher’s horrified face and croaked, “oh, hey, fancy meeting you here, Thatcher!”
Leoian put a hand to his face and muttered, “she bought everything I had. I’m sorry.”
Hesitantly, the little mouse boy slowly walked over to the kobold girl in her seat. “Yi Yi? You...you bought all...of the bread?”
“Sure did!” she cackled, shoving the rest of the bread roll she was eating into her mouth. “Bought every single roll, loaf, cake, pastry and crumb this place had to offer!” With a claw, she swiped away the crumbs that were stuck in the crinkles of her massive grin.
Thatcher looked at her with wide eyes that kept flicking around at the contents of the baskets surrounding her. “M...May I…” he reached out for another roll in one of the baskets, his tiny paw shaking.
Yi Yi slammed a leg in front of his hand, making him retract it. “No, you can’t have any! This is all mine, twerp!”
The mouse boy frowned, the corners of his mouth shaking. “P-Please? I saved up to buy a roll myself...I was really looking forward to it...please, Yi Yi…”
“I said no, numbskull!” the kobold shrieked as she swiped another roll out of a basket and made an effort to chew with an open mouth as Thatcher watched. “Why’d you think I bought out the whole place? Just to give some to you? Hell no!” She chewed loudly, smacking her lips and clicking her teeth together. “I bought out the place so you can’t have anything!” Throwing her head back, she cackled, spewing out bits of bread everywhere.
“That’s so mean! Why would you do that?” Thatcher whimpered, puffing out his cheeks. “How did you even get that much money?! You don’t have a job anymore!”
“I held up a caravan.” Yi Yi shrugged and tossed the last bit of roll into her mouth. “They handed over all their coin just like that.” She snapped and then pulled out two massive bags that jingled loudly. “I still have this much left. Looks like you won’t be able to have any of your favorite bread rolls for a long, long time, mousey boy.” Again, she threw her head back and snickered evilly.
Thatcher swung his head to look at Leoian with a face full of heartbreak, sniffles escaping him.
Leoian looked back at him guiltily and rubbed his arm. “Sorry, Thatcher. I needed the money.”
Thatcher rubbed at his nose with his sleeve before turning around and running at the door before the baker could stop him, leaving behind the coins he worked so hard to obtain.
“Yeah, go run to your pissy tengu and smelly orc daddies! See if I care!” Yi Yi called out to him and leaned further back in her chair.
“I really wish it wasn’t illegal to beat up a child,” Leoian snapped at the kobold girl. “Or else you would be in a ditch somewhere right about now.”
Yi Yi laughed, shrugged, and grabbed an entire bread loaf to chow down on.
