tucked in a window seat of the sweet dreams bakery, sabrina engrosses herself in rereading the evaluations of her gym trainers, tuning out the bustle of customers clamoring for their morning coffee and baked goods. she’s a bit dissatisfied with the evals; at this point, she’d have hoped her trainers would be delivering improved performances. maybe i haven’t been as attentive as i should be, she ruminates between sips of her chai latte – perhaps she should revise her training regimen?
she glances up as the bell at the door tinkles, alerting the arrival of a new customer, who proceeds to make a beeline for the display case of pastries. “welcome!” the girl on shift calls, her hands full with what appears to be a tall cake. sabrina does a double take at the bright colors and flowery accents, then at the petite girl carefully attempting to maneuver it, arms visibly straining with effort.
scratch that, a very tall cake.
the girl starts to make her way across the bakery to assumedly deposit the cake behind the counter, but sabrina’s sharp eyes notice the glameow that had entered the shop, trailing after its owner (who was currently immersed in his pastry selection and had neglected to note that his pokemon had lingered upon first entering.) the feline is now making its way to its trainer, but sabrina realizes with a start that the bakery worker’s vision is obstructed by that monstrosity of a cake, and as such, doesn’t see the pokemon walking by her feet. “watch your ste-!” sabrina stands, but she’s a second too late, as the girl stumbles over the cat with a startled shout (and an outraged screech from the glameow.)
the cake goes sailing towards her.
its a testament to her sharp reflexes that sabrina’s hands move as fast they do, and in a flash of red, the cake is suspended in the air, delicate frosting and fondant flowers intact. a heartbeat later, sabrina lets the cake drop upright into her hands, feeling a bit foolish for revealing her abilities for the sake of preserving a dessert of all things. she breathes a sigh of relief (more for herself than the cake) when she notices that the girl had been too preoccupied with her stumble to notice sabrina’s little slip up, and the other customers had been too engrossed in the girl’s ceremonious tumble to notice the cake’s odd trajectory.
the customer scolds his glameow while simultaneously offering the worker a hand off the floor, and the girl looks immensely relieved to see that the cake has remained intact.
the girl takes back the cake and thanks her profusely, and it seems like sabrina’s in the clear – that is, until she makes eye contact with the dark haired male behind the counter, who had seemingly witnessed the whole thing, he stares at her with confusion written over his fair features, and sabrina’s eyes widen involuntarily.
005. High five with Dawn and Toni maybe? (that's like Peak Physical Contact for him rn agdjfkf)
*:・ﾟ✧ soft touch
Clock finally strikes 11:15PM and the timer goes off, Dawn’s head perking from beyond the sofa. She can catch a hint of cinnamon wafting from the kitchen space just beyond her penthouse’s massive den, the glittering lights of Hearthome’s neighboring skyscrapers bathing her carpet with twinkling colors. The glow of her lamps is accompanied by the TV’s late night showing of ‘The Giant Woman!’, a favorite of Dawn’s, one she can quote down to a ‘t’.
She rustles from within her nest, complete with quilts and pillows, one on which rests Risu in a curled ball. Toni, on the opposite end of the couch, fades in and out of rest, occasionally peeking sleepily at the television. But, what with Dawn’s rustling and the oven’s timer binging monotonously, he rouses, stretching before bee-lining straight toward’s the Champ’s oven, like the true professional he is.
Dawn follows, wiping sleep from her eyes, while watching as Toni grabs a knife to check the cake’s center. She invited the baker over, deciding a quiet afternoon of movies, chit-chat, and treats would be a cool way of getting to know him better. After several hours of laughs and stories, the two have reached a state of ultimate relaxation following a day full of good company. Even laid-back excitement can take a toll, the two growing more tired as the night drags on…
…Not too tired to collaborate on a cake, though!
As the young woman watches her guest pull the baked goodness from the oven and place it on its appropriate tray, she quickly fetches the made-from-scratch buttercream icing, placing it among the other equipment for later use: still too hot to ice, but she marvels at the deep, golden color of the aromatic dessert.
“Looks like it turned out pretty good, if I do say so myself!” She shoots her newest friend a winning smile, perhaps the biggest she’s ever revealed in front of him. Dawn holds up the palm of her hand, mouth already anticipating the savory sweet that cools atop the cake stand; Toni, any bit of reluctance flushing away, meets her palm with his own, the congratulatory gesture bringing a bit of pink to both of their cheeks. “We make one hell of a team,” Dawn chimes, as they head back to the sofa, patiently awaiting the time to finish decorating their creation before finally getting to enjoy it, together.
Pulling from her own feelings on inadequacy and self-esteem, Dawn would initially be really inspired to watch Antonio open up and flourish. She appreciates those who aren’t as bombastic as others (ie, people who don’t remind her of mom), and so he is the best type of company for her. I absolutely can see them becoming friends over time, Antonio being someone she calls upon immediately in any case she needs something catered, or just to have a movie night and bake goodies with their Pokemon!
