Sugar and Spice

Alexis chose Wednesday that week to visit Mitty’s café. Her friend confirmed she would be working, so it was just a matter of coming in during one of her quieter shifts. With most Vistians at work or school, Lily Town would be a little calmer, and Vacerus knew Alexis needed all the calmness she could get. Lily Town at its most sedate was still too wild for her.

The bus ride to the town was uneventful, thankfully. Alexis didn’t leave the city often, so she was not well acquainted with public transport, nor did she have a vehicle of her own. Lily Town was a half hour away from Haldwell, so she passed the time listening to music and trying to think of Mitty in waitress attire to ward off her anxiety at visiting the town.

I still can’t really imagine her looking cute, she thought. Gosh, I can’t wait to see it.

She knew they were approaching the town when the streets became more packed with each turn the bus took, and if there was any doubt about where she was, it was dispelled by the wild, spiky hair every other Vistian on the streets seemed to sport. The bus passed by signs held up by Vistians advertising underground tattoo parlours, fortune telling, weapon enchanting (this was a little unnerving considering the city had little magic), and other services one wouldn’t find at a typical high street.

Once Alexis got off the bus, she was immediately assaulted by noises and smells of all kinds. She was near a pub, so alcohol was a given, but the sharp stench of vomit that followed it wasn’t exactly inviting. She wasn’t even in Lily Town proper but the locals were practically swarming the streets, and several buskers were competing for attention, their music blasting Alexis’ ears. A market stall stood just outside the town’s main entrance, the vendor shouting prices of fruits with such ferocity that his voice grated from overuse.

It was so much to take in, and Alexis wasn’t even at the heart of it yet. How was she going to deal with the ruckus deep inside the town? She never listened to music at full volume on her headphones, let alone visited a lively, raucous town with a rumoured black market. She had no training for this! She was beginning to regret not attending any of the parties on campus.

She took a deep breath. This was no time to chicken out. She said she would visit her friend, and dang it, that was what she was going to do! Even if she had to step into the heart of a dubious town to do so.

As she passed by the market stall and politely declined the vendor’s offer of half price oranges, she tried to block out the many smells and sounds around her. She was bumped around at every turn, helpless to the tide of Vistians going in and out of the town. She let the current take her, carrying her past lines of stalls selling all sorts of wares, from jewellery to posters of bands she’d never heard of, to…

Oh, my. She blushed and looked away. How this place hopes to advertise itself as family friendly, I don’t know.

The tide led her to an indoor market that reminded Alexis of a shopping centre. Though unlike a mall, the establishments it housed had banners hanging above their doors indicating what each shop was, and the walls lacked the typical cleanliness expected of modern shopping areas. The brick was weathered with age, giving the place a rustic atmosphere. Incense hung thick in the air, making Alexis’ head spin, and lights from some of the shops flickered on and off like they were in disrepair.

Mitty was supposed to be in one of the cafés in this indoor market. Alexis pulled up her phone to follow Mitty’s directions and separated herself from the crowds. As she walked further in, the lights dimmed, the brightness of the outside giving way to faint yellow mood lighting. Curiously, this section of the market was fairly empty in comparison to the rest of the town so far, so Alexis could finally walk without her shoulders hunched up to her ears. That was a relief.

After passing by a few notable establishments like an ice cream parlour with a gothic aesthetic and a superhero-themed restaurant--it had a statue at its entrance of a sheep woman in a black jumpsuit that looked much too tight for her, and no, Alexis did not fixate on this and no, that was not why she thought it was notable--she came upon something that could best be described as an assault on the eyes.

Pink!

Bright lights flashed pink from the café’s banner, but it wasn’t electricity causing it; the banner was made of cloth and appeared to be enchanted to flash whenever Alexis stepped near it. She took a step back, then one forward to test her theory, and her temporary blindness confirmed it. She winced and took off her glasses to rub her poor eyes. They’d been attacked so much already, and she’d only gotten off the bus fifteen minutes ago.

I guess this is one way to get somebody’s attention, she thought as she put her glasses back on.

Once her eyes adjusted to the light, which had thankfully stopped flashing after she came closer, she saw the café’s name written on the banner in elegant cursive: Bunbons. That’s a cute play on words, she thought. The windows were decorated with cartoonish cupcakes and hearts, lending to the cute atmosphere that radiated from the café not in waves, but in sparks. Muffled upbeat music struggled to push itself out of the windows to reach Alexis’ ears, and the sweet scent of sugary confections danced in the air.

All in all, it was… saccharine. Incredibly so. Even for Alexis, self-proclaimed lover of all things cute, this was a bit much. It was like she was staring at a café from a children’s show about sparkly unicorns.

And Mitty worked there.

Alexis was almost afraid to come in. So cute was this café that it crossed the line from adorable to intimidating, and Mitty was inside in her waitress uniform. It was too much, Alexis felt like her brain would explode from seeing her aggressive friend in such a place.

Still, she was also incredibly excited. She was going to see a side of Mitty she hadn’t known before. So, with a sigh, she straightened her back and opened the door.

A chime tinkled throughout the café as she opened the door and stepped inside. A girl’s soft yet excitable singing filled the room, coming from the speakers affixed to the cream coloured walls. A faint pink light permeated the café, giving everything a rosy tint, yet it was much brighter inside than Alexis originally thought. Pastel booths lined the walls, and round, heart-shaped tables filled the room. On one side of the room was a glass display of pastries, while a statue of a Faebun holding wrapped sweets in its paws stood on the other side. Waitresses in dresses and waiters in blue uniform swept through the room, delivering confections of all kinds to eager customers.

Alexis giggled quietly. Okay, it was all a bit much, but it was charming in its own way.

“Hello, welcome to Bunbons!” A sweet voice chirped. “Table for--”

Alexis’ eyes bugged out.

Mitty stood in front of her, dressed in the most adorable uniform Alexis had ever seen. She was wearing a sky blue dress that reached her knees, with puffed shoulders and white cuffs. A white apron-like cloth covered her torso, held in place with a ribbon at her back, and white knee-length socks hugged her legs.

That’s Mitty? She’s so cute, what the heck?

“Uh, h-hi, Mitty!” Alexis couldn’t stop grinning from ear to ear. Dang it, Mitty was too adorable! “Nice to see you.”

Mitty’s white face took on a red tinge that was noticeable even through the pink lighting. It just made her look cuter. “Likewise.” Her voice was back to its stilted tone.

“Um, you look…” Alexis’ eyes flickered to the small, blue bow clipped to Mitty’s pink hair. “Nice.”

Mitty glared at her for a second before squeezing her eyes shut and clearing her throat. She looked away. “Just follow me to a table,” she muttered, and off she went, her large, fluffy tail trailing behind her like a cloud.

Alexis had never noticed Mitty’s tail before, usually focusing on her hair. Her tail was so plush, so soft-looking, and so long, not like Alexis’ average blue brush. Feeling a little envious, she followed the tail to a booth, where Mitty placed a menu on the table.

“I’ll be with you in a bit to take your order,” she said gruffly, then turned again.

“Wait!” Alexis exclaimed. She wanted Mitty to stay, but she was working. Alexis couldn’t get in her way. So instead of being selfish, she asked, “What do you recommend?”

Mitty unfolded the menu and pointed to a page full of pictures of sundaes. They were all piled with ice creams of different flavours, wafers of different colours, and toppings of different kinds. “You got a sweet tooth?” she asked.

“Um, I guess?” Alexis scratched her cheek. “I like sweet stuff well enough.”

“So no,” said Mitty.

Alexis blinked. “Huh? But I just said--”

“Anyone who says they ‘guess’ they have a sweet tooth means they don’t,” Mitty replied, “or at least, not one strong enough to handle most of the food here.”

Alexis balked at that. “It’s that sweet?”

One side of Mitty’s lips quirked upwards in a small, lopsided smirk. “Just look at the sundaes. I’ll be with you in a bit.” And she left to attend to the other customers.

Alexis looked down at the colourful page of ice creams. Most of them were… terrifying. They were sweet piled on top of sweet; chocolate, strawberry, flowerberry, cinnamon, vanilla, butterscotch, more flavours than Alexis could name, and that was just in one sundae! Her teeth ached just looking at them. She liked ice cream, sure, but there was a limit, and most of these sundaes didn’t know of the concept. She did manage to find a chocolate, strawberry, and whipped cream sundae, which seemed downright plain compared to the others on the menu. It would do.

“Man, the waiters here are so cute!” said a voice behind her. She perked her ears up to listen to the conversation.

“Not as cute as the waitresses. They’re just so… so…”

“They make you wanna take ‘em home and eat ‘em up?”

“Yeah…”

Alexis buried her burning face in her menu. That last comment had been delivered far too dreamily for it to mean anything chaste. I wonder if they’re talking about Mitty…? No, no, that’d just be weird. She fixed her eyes on the menu, blocking out any other unfortunate conversations.

Once Mitty came back, it was a welcome relief. Alexis asked her with wide eyes, “Do all your customers have free dental care?”

Mitty blinked in confusion before giving that little smirk again. “It’s a lot, huh?” she said.

“Yes, it’s a lot! My teeth are rotting from the pictures alone!”

Mitty narrowed her eyes, her small smirk growing just a bit wider. “That’s because you’re an amateur."

Alexis raised a finger to make a point, but she had nothing to refute that. Mitty’s playfulness was a rare sight, and she had yet to really see it face to face, so she wasn’t going to shut it down. Instead, she would capitalise on it. “Are you suggesting I train here?” she asked.

“I’m suggesting you start small,” said Mitty, her face giving nothing away.

Alexis took a deep breath. She was in a safe setting and Mitty was in cute uniform, so the girl’s scariness factor had gone down several notches. It was still a little hard to talk to her, though. Despite that, she said, “With you working here, that’s enough incentive to keep training.”

Mitty blinked. Stared. It lacked her usual analytical or hard edge. Instead, her face was completely blank; the look of someone taken so off guard, they couldn’t think of anything to say.

Alexis found her cheeks growing warm with embarrassment as Mitty continued to stare. “Um, sorry, was that out of line?” she asked, ducking her head in shame.

This seemed to knock Mitty out of her stupor, for she hurriedly replied, “No, no! I just didn’t expect it.” Was Alexis seeing things, or had her face turned pinker than the mood lighting? “You know, you should be the one working here. You have the perfect disposition.”

Alexis smiled. “What, me? Goodness, no, I’d make a terrible waitress, I can barely remember my passwords, let alone people’s orders!”

“You’re sweet,” said Mitty, and she frowned again, looking away. “You’d fit right in. Your forgetfulness would just come off as ditzy; the customers would love you.”

“Oh…” Alexis giggled self-consciously. Her, working as a waitress? It was still impossible, but she appreciated the encouragement. It didn't escape her notice that Mitty was paying her a compliment. What had she done to deserve such an honour? “Well, thank you.”

Mitty nodded, her frown fading to her normal apathetic expression. It clashed with her cute outfit, but Alexis thought that only added to the appeal. “So, you decided on a sundae?”

“Yes, I’d like the Very Berry Chocolate Sundae, please,” said Alexis, handing the menu back to Mitty.

“Good choice, perfect for beginners.” Mitty took the menu, then stiffened. She looked around to see one of the staff watching her, then she swiftly turned to Alexis and fixed a bright, wide smile on her face. “One Very Berry Chocolate Sundae coming right up!” she announced, her voice chirping like a bird’s, and she turned sharply away to fulfil Alexis’ order.

“Uh…” Alexis sat, dumbfounded. What had just happened?

She looked at the staff member, but they’d gone to attend to their business. She understood that Mitty probably had to act a certain way in a café like this, and she’d seen a glimpse of it when she first entered, but seeing that attitude out of Mitty was…

Well, it was scarier than Mitty herself.

She couldn’t really call it unnatural. Mitty was definitely performing, but she hadn’t seemed unwilling to do so. It was more like she’d just changed characters for a moment when speaking to Alexis.

She didn’t have much time to ponder, as Mitty swiftly returned with her sundae balanced deftly on a tray, along with a glass of water. She put the glass and the ice cream on the table, holding her tray against her chest. “Enjoy,” she said, giving Alexis a smile that twitched just a little too much.

“Is this too weird for you?” Alexis asked. “You can stop with the cutesy stuff now, nobody’s looking.”

Mitty glared down at the floor. Yep, cutesy stuff gone. “It’s not that,” she muttered. Then she clicked her tongue and said, “Okay, it is that, a little. I don’t like you seeing me like this.”

“Mitty, it’s okay, I’m not judging you,” said Alexis. “Uni students need money.”

At this, Mitty actually winced, her plush tail curling over her legs. “It’s not about the money,” she muttered, her eyes glaring intensely at the tiled floor as if to drill a hole through it. “Never mind. Enjoy your sundae.” She turned away to leave.

Alexis sank into the booth. Wow, she really was the champion of unintentionally pissing Mitty off. At least she knew roughly where she went wrong. It seemed that Mitty genuinely enjoyed, or at least didn’t mind, working here.

Vacerus, it was still hard to believe that the Mitty from class, the Mitty in her texts, and the Mitty in this café were all the same person.

Alexis watched her chocolate ice cream drip down her glass. The sundae was starting to spill out of its container. She sighed and spooned some of the whipped cream and strawberries into her mouth; quite sweet, but not overly so. As she ate, she watched Mitty flit from customer to customer, that bright smile lighting up her face. She still twitched and let irritated glances slip, but for the most part, she was filling the role of the cute waitress with relative ease.

“Hi, welcome to Bunbons! How can I help you?” ”That’s hilarious. You forgot my name.” “I recommend the Citrus Blast Sorbet, it’s both sour and sweet!” ”The stuff you wrote. It doesn’t help me.” “Did you enjoy the cake, sir?” ”People pleaser.”

Alexis thumbed her napkin, making little creases in the corners. This Mitty, that Mitty, how many other sides did she have?

Who are you, Mitty, really?

***

Alexis choked back her tears, clutching the spoon in her hand as though it was the only thing holding her to the world. She shuddered, a chill seeping through her body to settle in her brain, freezing all thoughts in place. Her mouth burned with ice, and so much of it… so much, too much…

“Alexis?” A voice, harsh in its delivery yet gentle in its intention, pierced through the veil of cold. “Are you all right?”

Alexis looked up at her saviour, the one who would bring her back from the brink of collapse. “Mitty…” she begged, pleaded, Vacerus darn it, she would get on her knees and pray to this Fillian woman standing before her in her divine waitress uniform. “Mitty, I can’t do this.”

Instead of offering a hand of the purest white, or smiling the smile of the Gods, her saviour simply rolled her beautiful teal eyes. “Come on, you’re so close,” she said, but her tone lacked any encouragement.

“I can’t do it, Mitty. Please, make it go away.” Alexis ran her hands through her blue hair, keeping them there, and she shook her head.

“Just a few more bites. What do you say?”

“Don’t do this to me, please.”

“It’ll be a waste of money if you don’t finish it all.”

Alexis eyed the frozen poison in the glass. The Very Berry Chocolate Sundae sat unfinished on the table, the chocolate ice cream melting into a puddle inside its cup, pieces of blood red strawberries swimming in the sweet pool. Traces of whipped cream clung to the edges of the cup.

“I’m too weak,” said Alexis. Her tongue, fuzzy from sugar overload, moved clumsily, fighting against the pull of ice.

Mitty gave an exasperated sigh and finally scooped the accursed glass onto her tray, and rolled her eyes again from Alexis’ grateful mutterings. “You are weak,” she agreed, “but that just means you need to start smaller.”

“So I have to keep training?” Alexis whined.

Mitty raised an eyebrow at her. “It’s the only way you can keep visiting.” Then she turned away and in a quieter voice, so quiet in fact it could barely be heard over the chime of music, said, “That was what you wanted, right?”

Alexis tilted her head. “Yes, of course.” She’d agreed, hadn’t she? To see Mitty at work again. Not in those words, but the contract had been implicit and sealed with Mitty’s shocked stare. It looked like her other friends hadn’t offered to visit her at work, if they even knew about it.

For a second, a spike pricked Alexis’ heart. Other friends. Other people that Mitty spent time with. Other people that she shared more with than she did with Alexis. The spike pricked further, but she pushed it away. Jealousy wasn’t a good look on anyone.

“So how was Lily Town?” Mitty asked, balancing the tray in her hand as though it weighed nothing.

Alexis furrowed her brow in thought. “Not too bad, actually. Busy, but I wasn’t stopped by creepy dudes or anything.”

“Hm.” Mitty frowned. “People are gonna get out of work soon. Will you be okay then?”

“Oh.” The time after work was the worst for any travelling, but for Lily Town, it was nightmarish. Not to mention the town’s real residents would be out and about… Alexis suppressed a shudder. “Yeah, I’ll be fine! It’s not like Lily’s dangerous or anything.”

Mitty’s frown deepened. She must have seen something in Alexis, as she said, “Listen, my shift ends in a few. I’ll walk you home.”

Alexis’ first instinct was to protest; this she managed to suppress, but not the little grin on her face. She hadn’t walked home with anyone in ages, let alone had anyone offer to take her! Sure, it was because Mitty didn’t trust her to leave Lily Town safely, but it still counted.

Before Alexis could conjure up any kind of response however, Mitty had already turned and left, allowing no time for objections. Smart move. Alexis probably would have tried to think up an excuse to go on her own, if only because she didn’t want to burden Mitty.

When Mitty next returned, it was in her usual black leather jacket, jeans, and striped top. Now she looked out of place in the sugary pinkness that was Bunbons. Alexis was a little sad to see the waitress uniform go, but she figured she’d see it again in due time. She wasn’t sure she’d be too frequent a visitor so as not to annoy Mitty, but every so often, definitely. Alexis paid her bill, got up, and left the café with Mitty.

The faint scent of incense in the distance coupled with frying from one of the neighbouring restaurants met Alexis once she stepped outside, and the sudden change from the sweet smell of sugar hit her like a truck. She coughed, rubbing her nose.

“You really aren’t used to Lily, are you?” said Mitty as she closed the door behind her.

“No,” Alexis admitted with a sigh. “It’s a lot to take in every time I go.”

The reek of alcohol alerted the two to an incoming drunkard, and Mitty narrowed her eyes. “Stick close to me, then. Don’t get lost.” She turned to go, glancing over at Alexis before she started walking.

“Okay.” Alexis wanted to argue her case, say that she was not some scared, lost little girl, but she caught sight of a burly wolf man made more of piercings than of fur, and kept quiet.

As they left the café, the drunkard approached them. He was a canine of some sort, but with his face partially obscured by a hood, Alexis couldn’t be sure which one. Mitty stiffened in front of her.

“Well ain’t you a pretty little fing,” he drawled, toxic fumes leaking from his mouth. Alexis couldn’t see his eyes, but his muzzle was pointing in Mitty’s direction. “Wait a second, ain’t you one o’ them waitresses at that pussy café?”

Alexis’ heart froze, but her face burned. How dare he call Mitty’s place of work something so foul? She wanted to retort, but fear kept her mouth clamped shut. There was no telling if this guy was just drunk, or actually dangerous.

Mitty’s already narrowed eyes turned to slits. “Mind your business,” she hissed.

“Oh, look at miss tough girl ‘ere.” He grinned, revealing cracked teeth. “What, got tired of them little girly dresses?”

Mitty sucked in air through her teeth, the sharp whistle piercing Alexis’ eardrums. She gestured sharply to Alexis with her head, muttered a, “Come on,” and made to leave.

“Oi, you ignorin’ me? Too scared to say anything?” The canine’s tongue lolled with mirth. “I was just havin’ a chat! But fine, walk away.” He clicked his tongue. “Pussy.”

It happened too quickly for Alexis to react. Mitty whipped around and slammed the drunk canine against the brick wall, pressing her elbow into his chest. He yelped, but that just made her dig her sharp elbow in harder. Fury burned in her teal eyes as she glared at him.

“Call me a pussy again, dickhead,” she spat.

He coughed, his legs wobbling. The only thing keeping him up was Mitty’s elbow pinning him to the wall like a dartboard.

“Go choke on your vomit.” Mitty let him go, and he stumbled past Alexis, almost falling to the ground. She hurriedly got out of his way as he left, hobbling away and muttering curses to himself.

Alexis blinked, watching him leave. She couldn’t quite process what had just happened. One minute she’d been scared, the next Mitty had threatened him and he left. “Do you… know him?” she murmured.

“No. He’s just a Lily creep.” Mitty’s lips were curled in a sneer. “Come on.”

As they walked through the indoor market, Alexis stuck behind Mitty like a shadow. It was true, and she’d never really realised it until this moment; Lily Town was not the place for her, and she needed protection from it. Protection Mitty could provide. One of the perks of working there, Alexis supposed.

“Does that happen a lot?” she asked quietly.

Mitty walked a few paces before answering, the click of her boots on the cobbled floor filling the silence. “No,” she said eventually. Her voice was soft, barely audible even with the little noise in the market. “I’ve never done that before.”

“Really?” It seemed only fair to assume Mitty, who dressed like a punk, had gotten in plenty of fights before, but it was yet another wrong assumption Alexis had about her. “But you looked so… well… is it rude to say experienced? I’m sorry, I don’t mean it in like a bad way, I didn’t mean to imply anything either, but--”

“It’s fine.”

Alexis was grateful for the interruption. When she got to babbling, she couldn’t stop. “Still, that was so cool, Mitty! I think you handled it well.” Her initial shock gone, she was left thinking about how her friend had handled the encounter. The same Mitty who had been dressed in a cute outfit minutes before had pinned a creep against the wall. It was hard to believe it happened.

“Thanks. I guess.” Mitty didn’t look up.

Alexis hoped her compliment might bolster Mitty’s ego some, but no luck there.

Then she noticed Mitty’s hands trembling.

Alexis’ ears flattened against her head. Poor Mitty… she shouldn’t have had to go through that. He really set her off… She wanted to reach out to steady her friend’s hands, but had a feeling that wouldn’t go over well. “I’ll pay your bus fare,” she said instead.

That got Mitty to look up. “Huh? You don’t have to.”

“But I want to! You’re walking me home, it’s common courtesy!” Alexis gave her a wide smile in an attempt to cheer her up.

“But…”

“Please?”

Something in Alexis’ tone must have gotten through to Mitty. She sighed, rolled her eyes, and looked away. “Fine.”

Alexis beamed. “Yay!”

Mitty snorted. She opened her mouth to say something, but whatever it was got caught in her throat. She sighed again, then said instead, “Thanks.”

“No problem.” Alexis’ smile threatened to split her face, but that was fine, because it was genuine. Mitty still didn’t seem any happier, but that was okay; Alexis just had to be happy for the both of them.

They walked back to campus together, grateful to leave Lily Town behind.