Mincho

It was dawn—though the land remained dark, thanks to the heavy rain falling outside. Mincho, however, sprang awake right on the dot and flitted to where the two hatchlings lay. She’d taken care of them since they’d come to her shop some months ago, staring longingly at the treats on display. They remained fast asleep, so she tucked the blankets around them and then went to prepare breakfast.

A while later, she had finished eating and left several covered dishes on the table for the children. She now headed down to where her shop, The Dragon’s Delight, was located. There were the cooling racks, which held trays of chocolates, iced cakes, cookies, tubs of ice cream....

The front of the shop, where Mincho did business, was as sp ic-and-span as ever. All she needed to do was give the counters one more wipe. The food went onto the display racks, where it gleamed enticingly.

She then flipped the sign to Open and took her place behind the counter. Outside, the rain continued to pour.

The Dragon’s Delight was a chocolate shop: not a large one, more like a kiosk attached to the front of Mincho’s home. It was quite popular with the locals— “Though with the way the rain’s bucketing down, there probably won’t be many customers today,” the young Skydancer thought, a split-second before the bell above the door rang.

“Good morning, Mint! Terrible weather we’re having today...”

“Welcome back, Edwin. Will you be having the usual bonbons? Or perhaps you’d like to take a look at some of my newer creations...”

The Snapper’s eyes lit up. “I would like to see something new, thank you! Ah, these are wonderful. Delectable work as always!”

His purchase complete, the Snapper lumbered back out into the rain. Mincho had only just stepped back behind the counter when the bell rang again.

And again. And again...

Midmorning—and still more customers came to the shop, despite the thundering rain. Mincho fought back a stab of alarm when she noticed the shelves were nearly bare. “One moment, please! I’ll be back with more selections shortly....”

She ducked into the back of the shop. There were still some trays left— “But at this rate, I’ll run out, and we can’t have that!” Running out of food before noon would badly affect the shop’s—and her—reputation. She imagined the customers becoming irate and demanding better service—

“And there’s one of them now!” Mincho groaned inwardly as the door opened behind her. “Excuse me, this area is off—”

“Cool it, Mincho, it’s only me.”

The Skydancer spun around, delight flooding her face. “Yuubi! What are you doing here?”

“Helping out,” the Nocturne said with a shrug. “Cadbury said you looked like you could use it.”

“Cadbury? Is he here, too?”

“I passed him earlier. He and Macchiato are on their way now.” Yuubi examined an apron critically. “Huh. Not my color, but it’ll do.”

“Yuubi, really, I’ve got it under control. Please tell Cadbury and Macchiato that I’ll be fine—really, I will!”

A wry smile tweaked Yuubi’s mouth. “You’re drowning in customers—emphasis on drowning. I’ll handle the register. It won’t be difficult; I’ve done this before.”

She obviously meant it as reassurance, but the Skydancer couldn’t help feeling guilty instead. Yuubi had helped her before, several times, and so had Cadbury and Macchiato. They were friends, not employees; they took it upon themselves to help Mincho, and they always refused payment from her.

“I really should be able to handle this myself,” she thought as she began making a new batch of chocolates. “After all, this shop is my responsibility.”

But Yuubi’s presence was a great relief, and it made her feel more buoyant, more energized. She decided that, for now, at least, she could accept her friends’ help.

Some time later, there was a quiet tapping on the back door. “Mint? Are you there?”

The door opened to admit two Bogsneaks. Cadbury was as impeccably dressed as ever, despite the droplets clinging to his clothing. His daughter peeked out from beneath one of his wings.

Mincho knew it would be bad form to refuse their help now—not after they’d come all this way in the rain. Still, she greeted them with genuine warmth and relief. The reticent Macchiato put on a fresh pot of coffee, while Cadbury joined Mincho beside the racks. It took only a few minutes to lay out the chocolates and put them away for cooling. Mincho picked up some fresh trays and flitted out with them.

With both her and Yuubi handling the cash register, the queue began to move more quickly. It was easy to get lost in the constant noise—Mincho nearly missed the chime from the clock.

“Noon? Oh no—I forgot to prepare the children’s lunch!” But almost at the same moment, there was a soft touch on her arm.

“Dad said you and Yuubi looked really busy, so we made lunch for you. Umm. It’s ready anytime you want it,” Macchiato said in a low voice.

“Thank goodness. I don’t know what I’d do without you!”

And there it was again—that little stab of guilt, that she had to seek help from other dragons...

Macchiato misread her distressed look, and her own face softened. “Dad’s been telling the kids jokes.” She rolled her eyes. “You know how it is.”

Mincho unfortunately didn’t, but she thanked Macchiato and advised Yuubi to take a break. It was easier to manage the flow of customers now, the queue showing some signs of actually abating.

She traded places with Yuubi later on, gratefully sinking onto a chair to eat lunch. Her two wards were curled up near Cadbury, giggling at his stream of stories.

“I must apologize,” she couldn’t help saying to him. “I’ve never been this overwhelmed before. Isn’t Valentine’s supposed to be next week? I didn’t expect there to be so many customers before then.”

“There normally wouldn’t be, but some clans have put together an event of their own. It’s gotten people in the mood for sweets, it seems.”

“I wasn’t aware,” Mincho fretted. Cadbury chuckled warmly. “You need to get out more—and I mean that in the best way possible. Your success in such a short time is remarkable! But remember to come up for air every once in a while.”

“Thank you so much for the lunch, Cadbury. Please excuse me; I’d better assist Yuubi....”

“Of course, Mint. Hmm, you will remember what I said, though, won’t you?”

~ ~ ~
It was dusk. The rain, finally, was tapering off, and so were the customers. From what Mincho had gathered, the next two weeks would be just as busy. She needed to buy more ingredients.

Cadbury waved her off. “Indeed, now’s the best time to go shopping! Go on, young Mint. We’ll hold the fort while you’re gone.”

Mincho slipped out the back door. It didn’t take long to buy what she needed, and she headed home. The bags were heavy, however, and she had to pause in the middle of her trip to get her breath back.

“All right, Mint Chocolate Latte Cookies Whipped Dream Delight,” she muttered to herself, “time to get going.” But her legs didn’t move. Her voice echoed in her ears, her mind, stirring up old memories.

“What kinda name is that? Huge name for a tiny dragon...but with a huge mouth!”

“A shopkeeper? Who’d want to buy your stuff?”

“Who’d want anything to do with her? Hah, even her parents didn’t want her!”

Mincho slowly exhaled. The sound pulled her back to reality. All around her, raindrops sparkled in the fading light, and birds and crickets sang drowsily. Voices rang out from a nearby shop—the sound of laughter, happy shopkeepers and customers.

She smiled to herself. She had a few more purchases to make.

All was as she’d left it, back at The Dragon’s Delight: Yuubi at the cash register, Cadbury tending the kitchen, and Macchiato very grudgingly reading a story to the children.

“Would you like to stay?”

“Certainly. What do you need help with?”

“Only these.” Mincho began laying out her other purchases: meat and insect pasties, crispy salads, jugs of tea...

“You were all a tremendous help to me—you always have been. This dinner is the least I can do.”

“But of course, young lady! Always a pleasure...and I won’t say no to those lovely insect pasties. Look, Macchiato, aren’t these your favorites?”

“Thank you,” the younger Bogsneak said shyly, a rare smile lighting up her face. Mincho grinned back, and she went to help Yuubi close up the shop. The dinner invitation was extended to her, and at last they gathered around the table.

Mincho, looking at all her friends, felt the exhaustion fall away, replaced by the glow of gratitude. “I know I’ve said this already, but it’s worth repeating: Thank you again for your help.”

“Of course, Mincho. Rather cliched, but really...” Despite her wry tone, the warmth in Yuubi’s eyes was genuine. “What are friends for?”

~ written by Disillusionist (254672)
all edits by other users