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Even with Josh's new job as a journalist and the constant need for travel, he had limits on the distance he would drag LuLu. Gambino was one of those places which lied past his boundaries. Josh would usually spend the night at a hotel while LuLu was left with We'rika.

Therefore, it was a mild shock when her guardian had thought it nevesary to drag Lu along to the islands. On top of that, he handed her his credit card. LuLu could not help but give him a skeptical tilt of her head. His response was a mumbled "Enjoy yourself today" and a pat to her head before he trudged into a tall glass building to catch his next interview. LuLu called after him, "Good luck."

LuLu concluded that her guardian must still be trying to cheer her up. It was not a particularly difficult deduction. Especially now that Josh and her were more forward with their words and communication. Since her growth, he had made it a habit of using his words and LuLu had done the same.

He was judicious in letting it be known that he simply wanted happiness for Lu, but he was still a long way from understand just what that meant.

Perhaps a blessing in disguise, the boy was nearly painful in his persistence once he put his mind to something. LuLu shifted the card in her hand before slipping it into her purse.

In this case, his mission was making his sigel smile.

The "mission" had gone into full effect once she had returned from the jungle a few months prior. The preceding days had been filled with small treats and Josh offering her encouraging words. It was a slow build. Yet, LuLu could feel the flutter of joy returning to her.

The girl could not help the quirk of her lips as she moved down the sidewalk.

She had never been to this bakery before. Almost never been to Gambino before. Yet, she had heard good things whispered between the regulars of other bakeries. They had been little slips of the tongue praising this particular shop in Gambino.

"Croissants to die for."

"The best cakes around."

LuLu could barely contain herself as she slipped into the Vermilion Bakery. The excitement burning just under her skin made her squirm until the very moment when she reached on the counter to ring a service bell. A faint 'ting' echoed and the sigel peeked over the counter. The long, baggy sleeves of her sweater nearly covered her fingers as they rested on the counter. Using the momentum, she then hefted herself even higher. The necklace dangling from her neck tapped lightly on the wood. LuLu's bright lavender eyes peered around for an employee.

By the time Rhedefre had come to the front to check up on things, the rabbit was already halfway sprawled onto the narrow space surrounding the cash register. Her necklace jingled on the smooth wood while the top of her torso hugged it closely, her soft curves molding to the surface.

A flash of pink hair and the flutter of a ribbon made LuLu freeze in place. She slowly slid off of her makeshift perch until she was reduced back down to a head peeking over the counter.

Suddenly, painfully, she was reminded of her manners. A mortified flush danced across her cheeks. It would not be the first time she had looked silly in front of this frei, but a dainty voice, oddly reminiscent of Meli, still rang in the back of her head "Good little princesses do not climb on things like monkeys".

Being 'good' still did not seem to come naturally to her. It was not instinct. Instant gratification was. Taking what she wanted was. Good was not. LuLu released a flustered sigh and quickly trounced the small well of doubt in the pit of her stomach.

Oh well, not everything was easy as pie. Speaking of pie. LuLu glanced at the display case and nearly licked her lips. She was beaming warmly again. The air of confidence she normally wore had returned; though, it was a bit subdued due to the presence of an acquaintance. She turned to Cesc, "It is. You work here? A pleasure to meet you again Cesc." Her eyes focused a bit more closely as she dragged out the 's' in his name.

The stag was different.

The difference was not glaring. In fact, the change was so subtle it could have been missed in passing. Perhaps accounted to a trick of the light or something of that nature. However, LuLu was an observer. She judged and knit picked. Frequently herself. More often than not, others, too.

A transformation would not go unnoticed to her keen eyes.

It was seen in the way he carried himself and not just in the new sprinkling of stubble, the boxiness to his frame, or even the lack of fuzz on his antlers. His docile smiles and controlled gestures now had a matured ease. As though smooth around the edges from wear.

It was a fact, things sometimes changed while they healed in order to become stronger. Skin would knit itself together rougher and thicker in order to become more durable. Maybe this new found maturity is how healing had effected the stag. Is this how he had grown stronger?

LuLu could not help but brush the spot on her shoulder where her own wound had been. It was long gone, healed the night after with a good feast of ink. Yet, the emotional wounds were something ink could not fix. That was something for time to mend.

She wished that she could offer her healing gift for the physical damage others had suffered while tracking down Dr. Kyou, but it just did not work that way. Her powers were not based in altruism. Ink only worked for her.

Her hand dropped and the sigel's eyes gave one more cursory glance to the case. Her finger dusted over its chilled surface. To her dismay, the object of her desires was nowhere to be seen inside. The sigel inquired with a bell-like chime to her voice. Pleasant and charming.... nearly persuasive. "Do you have carrot cake? I do not see any. It is my favorite." She fought the urge to pout.

There was a such thing as overkill.

LuLu seemed please when Cesc lowered himself to her level. Her expression lit up. Though she was at a disadvantage in height not many others ducked or stooped for her, not even Josh. Her guardian would give her head a pat to dismiss their difference in stature. However, it was not as meaningful as Cesc's actions. The rabbit reveled in the way she did not quite have to strain her head up to lock eyes with the stag.

Cesc was nice. She liked Cesc. He was polite in a way that did not seem forced or fake. It was as though being courteous came naturally. LuLu felt herself growing more comfortable in his presence. She gave the quaint interior of the cafe another glance, from the precisely set tables to a small display of flowers on the counter. She responded with a knowing nod, "I have heard many good things. I am sure it will."

LuLu was both delighted and horrified to hear they only had once slice of carrot cake yet. It was both a blessing and a curse the the cake crazed rabbit. She could not help but follow the stag with her eyes as he prepared the slice for her.

It appeared so perfect. The gold edging on the crisp white plate it was served on was like a halo. Irresistible. When Cesc's gaze fell on LuLu again, he would see her lips drawn around a finger. A dollop of cream was missing from the cake. She gave the digit a quick suck before it left her mouth with a wet pop. An embarrassed crinkle showed in her brow, but she could not help but give in to the draw of her favorite confection.

LuLu shook her head at his offer for a drink. "No thank you." She did not want anything that could potentially dilute she pure, delicious magic that was carrot cake.

There was nothing stopping LuLu once the fork was given to her. She cut off the first big chunk with haste. The prongs of the fork passed through the confection so easily as a testament to its light texture. It practically looked liked it would float away before it got into her mouth! The rabbit wasted no time in consuming the first piece. Her eyes snapped open wide and a elated squeal rumbled in her throat, "Amazing! Wonderful! Ah!" It seemed like she was running out of words to describe her experience, or she was caring less and less about talking by the seconds and more about finishing the cake off.

She savored the last bite with a pleasant hum that faded into a saddened groan when she realized there would be no more cake after this. She gulped then licked any remains from her utensil. "I would love to live and work in a place like this. I could eat carrot cake all day," Her expression grew blissful, "I had hoped I could take some back home with me. It is so yummy. It would have made my day. But, I guess you have none left now." The girl's ears drooped against her head. This was indeed a woeful turn of events. She was the epitome of pitiful, like a kicked puppy.

LuLu tilted her head at Cesc's comment. Honestly, she did not see anything wrong with eating all day. He made it sound like a problem. The sigel did not see it that way. As long as you were enjoying yourself as you did it, what was the harm?

The rabbit's gaze followed the stag's to the clock then back to his golden eyes. Lu was eager to hear what plan Cesc was putting together for them. Whatever it was, the girl was half certain it might involve cake and that was all she needed to know in order to agree. "I can make some room in my schedule." Her smile grew wider.

LuLu's eyes widened by increments as Cesc made his offer, growing larger and larger until they looked as though they would pop from their sockets. They gleamed with excitement. Energy danced just under the surface of her skin. "Yes! Um.. yes, please. I would very much enjoy that."

Not even the idea of the frosting being separate from the cake was off putting. In fact, the notion might have caused the rabbit to conjure up the fantasy of eating up the sweet cream based concoction with a spoon once she got home. She also wondered idly if things covered with the rich frosting also happened to taste like carrot cake. It sounded like an experiment worth completing.

It truly was a shock that she had yet to experience a sugar coma.

LuLu floated past the threshold which separated the customers from the true inner workings of the bakery. She released the softest 'woosh' of breath as she settled behind the counter. Things looked different from this perspective. The girl was accustomed to seeing bakers working from behind the hazy warped view of glass display cases. Yet, everything was so crisp now. This was something new and exciting; the pinnacle of grass being greener on the other side.

The sigel returned Shep's nod with one of her own. Her lips upturned at the end of the gesture just before their eyes parted as if promising conversation later... after she had replenished her carrot cake supply. She continued her way into the litchen following behind Cesc.

LuLu could not help if her curiosity made her hands linger and flick across shelves as they passes them by. Fingers gently danced across a glass cookie jar, a metal sifter, and numerous other essentials before they settled onto the center-most counter with a click of nails. The rabbit waited for the frei to finished before she cleaned her own hands. "Yes, how do we start?" Her eyes flicked around a bit too energetically unsure what to settle on. However, they eventually refocused on the stag.

LuLu was awestruck as a labyrinth of boxes slowly and steadily encompassed the counter top. Each component fell onto the metal surface with a soft ding.

Ding

Ding

Ding

The girl had never realized just how much went into baking. Her hand reached out to brush along a cartoon of eggs then the bottle of vanilla before her finger tips finally settled on something she was more familiar with, the small writing pad. She picked it up and leafed through the pages briefly before settling on a clean sheet of paper.

LuLu took the apron from Cesc with a smile as she admired its pastel pink color and the smallest lace details on its edges. She wondered idly if the other man in the bakery ever wore this one or if Cesc had another guardian she had yet to meet. She slipped the neck strap over her head and then twirled so her back was facing the stag. She offered both ends of the waist strap for him to tie.

The girl corrected him softly in response, "I am not a sous chef. I am a Lu chef." It was apparent that the girl still had more to learn about cooking than a recipe.