"It was going great until I accidentally predicted his kidney stones... in explicit detail... during dessert." Delilah bit into the muffin, which immediately tasted like chocolate-covered strawberries—comfort food with a hint of optimism.
"No!" Ivy's freckles seemed to darken with her sympathetic wince.
"Oh yes. I got a vision when our hands touched over the check. I tried playing it off as a medical intuition thing, but when I mentioned the exact size and which kidney?—"
"He bolted?" Zelda finished, licking buttercream from her fingers.
"Faster than Fabio at a clearance sale."
From behind the counter, Fabio shouted, "I heard that, Miss Hart! And I'll have you know I got these shoes at seventy percent off, which practically makes them an investment!"
The dough he was kneading briefly flashed indignant pink before settling back to a pleased golden hue.
Ivy leaned forward, her flowing sleeves narrowly missing a hovering éclair. "Speaking of predictions, my moonflowers are showing the strangest resonance patterns. Similar to when I first met Rafe, but stronger, like they're responding to something bigger."
"Magical amplification?" Zelda asked, suddenly serious.
"Maybe. Rafe thinks it might be connected to?—"
The bell chimed again, this time playing a warm, earthy melody as Mac ducked through the doorway. His tall frame and broad shoulders made the bakery seem suddenly smaller.
"Ladies," he nodded, heading toward their table, his sapphire blue eyes landing warmly on Zelda. "Fabio, the usual please."
"One Shifter Special coming up, handsome!" Fabio called, dough instantly forming into paw print shapes.
Mac stopped at their booth, "Good to see you, Dee. Heard you found Mrs. Shufflewick's ring. Nice work."
"Just doing my job," Delilah smiled, noting how different Mac was from most shifters she'd met—calming rather than intimidating.
"Actually," Mac lowered his voice, "we've had reports of magical items going missing all over town. Nothing major yet, but if you notice anything unusual..."
Zelda exchanged a quick glance with Ivy. "The resonance patterns..."
"Could be related," Ivy nodded.
"I might need your help soon, Delilah," Zelda said, stirring her tea with a cinnamon stick that dissolved into tiny sparkles. "Something's shifting in Assjacket's magical fabric."
"Isn't something always shifting in this town?" Delilah sighed, but her second bite of muffin suddenly tasted like black coffee and determination—her taste buds apparently more honest than her casual tone.
Delilah climbed the narrow staircase to her apartment, each step creaking its own distinctive note—a peculiar melody she'd grown to find comforting. The afternoon sunlight filtered through her dormer windows, casting prismatic rainbows across the mismatched furniture as it passed through hanging crystals.
"Home sweet chaos," she murmured, dropping her bag on a velvet armchair that had once belonged to a Victorian medium.
Jinxie announced her presence with an imperious meow from atop a stack of divination books. The calico stretched her three legs in sequence before hopping down to weave between Delilah's ankles.
"Yes, I missed you too, despite seeing you literally four hours ago." Delilah bent to scratch behind the cat's mismatched eyes. "Mrs. Shufflewick says hello. Actually, she said you were 'delightfully peculiar,' which coming from a woman who collects garden gnomes is quite the compliment."
Jinxie purred, then abruptly trotted off to bat at a forgotten catnip mouse under the coffee table.
Delilah moved to her collection of houseplants crowding the windowsill—a spider plant with babies cascading down like falling stars, a temperamental African violet, and a pothos whose vines had been trained to spell "BREATHE" along the wall.
"Breakfast was informative," she told the violet as she misted it. "Ivy's plants are acting up again, which means something magical is brewing. Last time that happened, she met Rafe and got her happily ever after."
The violet's leaves seemed to perk up.
"Don't get excited. That's not happening for me." She moved to the pothos. "I'm perfectly content with my glamorous life of finding lost objects and talking to houseplants."
From across the room, Jinxie made a sound suspiciously like a snort.
