Rowan looked up as he heard a knock on the back door. The bakery was closed for the day, but this was a guest he was expecting. He wiped his hands on the dish towel he had hanging over his shoulder and opened the door.
"Malon! It's so nice to see you!"
She leaned in for a hug, which Rowan happily returned.
"And you as well, dear. Thanks for inviting me over."
"You're welcome here anytime." He pulled away and gestured for Malon to come inside.
Malon looked around curiously. She'd never been to the bakery before, but she'd heard many good things from her husband. And from Warriors, of course, whenever he came to visit. The kitchen took up most of the space on the first floor, and from the back, she could see the empty display cases and dimly lit front room. She could smell something baking, though she wasn't sure if they were something for people or pokemon. Malon knew that the bakery catered to both.
Rowan led the way upstairs, and Malon could already hear whining and scratching at the door. Warriors had said that Rowan rarely kept his pokemon in their balls, and if she had to guess, it was his Fidough waiting on the other side of the door.
Rowan pushed open the door a crack, laughing at the excited barking. “You have to get away from the door if you want us to come in!”
The barking stopped, as if she understood Rowan’s words. Malon wouldn’t have been surprised if she had. After a few moments, there was a huff and quiet tapping as she presumably backed off.
Rowan pushed the door the rest of the way open and dropped to the floor, blocking Fidough from rushing through the door. She threw herself against him, paws scrabbling against his chest as she struggled to escape his arms.
“Fidough, behave yourself! You’ll scare her away!”
“It’s okay, I can assure you that I’ve been around plenty of rambunctious pokemon in my days.”
Rowan stood up with Fidough in his arms. Malon hurried over, taking pity on the poor girl. Fidough immediately licked her hands before she could even attempt to pet her, and Malon laughed.
“You’re a sweet one, aren’t you?”
“She’s certainly the excitable one. The real charmer is looking at us from his spot in front of the fireplace.”
Malon looked away from Fidough, though she kept a hand on her head to appease her.
Rowan’s bidoof was indeed laying in a bed by the fire, but she could see his beady black eyes watching her. He and Fidough were about as opposite as they could be, and yet she didn’t sense any animosity between them.
“If it’s alright with you, you can stay up here while I take out the last batch of cookies out of the oven. The poké puffs should be cool enough to share by the time I come back up.”