[PQ] baker's dozen [seasonal event]

Amalia i'll light a fire in your new shoes It is a beautiful day to start anew - or so the girl tells herself, sleeves rolled up and hair pulled back, as she opens the bakery door. A deep inhale; it smells of musk and wheat, stone and ash, but that will all change soon. There is a vision in her mind: a roaring oven, a steaming hearth, a counter lined with bread and pastries, the smiles of strangers, a warmth in her heart. She sees this through the lens of memory and dream; reality, alas, looks rather more grim. The bakery has stood empty for ten long years, since... ah, but it does no good to dwell on that now. In the interlude it has fallen into disrepair, become possession not of people but of mice and motes. Birds have nested in one of the ovens, and the cast iron pans are nowhere to be seen, though the girl remembers packing them away. The garden in the back is similarly feral, though the herbs seems to have flourished in her absence, growing wild and shrouding the once orderly beds in delightfully aromatic chaos. Perhaps too wild- the girl is certain she saw something moving back there, though it was difficult to tell for sure. She has not looked into the storerooms, and is rather afraid to do to - since her youth she has despaired of the decrepit larder, secretly fearing the demons she is certain must lurk in their depth. The whole thing is both painfully foreign and shockingly familiar, and for a moment all the girl can do is breathe, her black eyes bright with bittersweet memory. Ghosts have lived here too long, as her grandmother would say. It is time to reclaim this place for the living, to fill it once more with sweet smells and warm smiles. But oh, where to begin? ------------------- Amalia is re-opening the bakery! There are 3 spots open for the PQ. Keep an eye out for killer pumpkin sneak attacks. 1. Deimos 2. Joresval 3. image by tambako @ flickr.com