Some people meditate to find peace.
I hop through dimensions into a floating town powered by pastry magic and try not to cause a breakfast-based apocalypse.
That's just how Mondays go in Atheria.
I woke up in the tiny loft above my café, "The Wandering Whisk," to the smell of burning jam. Again.
The enchanted stove had gotten too enthusiastic while pre-heating, and the cinnamon roll dough had started spinning in place like it was preparing for liftoff.
I calmly paused time, cleaned the jam explosion, and resumed it like nothing happened.
Perfectly normal.
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Breakfast Rush… Emphasis on Rush
As the sun rose over the glimmering peaks of Lira, the townsfolk trickled in.
Bellan the dwarf baker came to exchange pastries.
Mistress Tallea dropped off enchanted honey that sometimes hums lullabies.
Two mushroom-folk ordered mushroom-free muffins, which felt awkward, but I didn't question it.
Everything was peaceful… until it wasn't.
Because that's when the Breakfast Council arrived.
Three elders in egg-yolk colored robes.
They claimed they were doing a "routine quality assessment of morning establishments under Article 7 of the Dawn Meal Accord."
In reality, they just wanted free samples.
I served them sleepy tea, scone sandwiches, and my infamous Cloud Butter Pancakes™.
All was well—until the pancakes floated off the plate and declared independence.
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The Great Pancake Rebellion (Again)
I had accidentally over-sweetened the batter with Dream Sugar.
Dream Sugar gives food opinions.
Now five pancake stacks were circling the café, chanting, "No more forks! No more forks!"
One customer applauded.
I sighed and grabbed my time-freeze stopwatch.
But right before I could stop time and fix things, Gorko the Muffin Golem—a sentient breakfast creature I accidentally created during a past baking experiment—woke up in the pantry and joined the pancake rebellion.
"BREAD SOLIDARITY!" he roared, knocking over a teacup tower.
One of the Council elders fainted. Another took notes.
I froze time for exactly 47 seconds, cleaned everything, stuck a "BEHAVING NOW" label on the pancake stack, and gave Gorko a blueberry smoothie.
He calmed down immediately.
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Midday: Reputation Reinforced
By noon, everything was back to normal-ish.
Customers came and went.
A hedgehog wizard left a tip in the form of a riddle.
A sassy teacup tried to unionize.
Someone offered me a crown made of fried dough "in tribute."
I politely declined.
And as I washed dishes in the back, I overheard two students from the Atherian Culinary Institute whispering:
"She's the one who turned a pastry duel into a food festival, right?"
"Yeah. They call her the Uncrowned Duchess of Delicious Mayhem."
"I heard she once bribed a goblin king with cookies."
"Respect."
I sighed into the bubbles.
At this point, I'd stopped correcting the rumors.
Because honestly?
Some of them were true.
Evening: Calm… Briefly
The sky turned soft lavender. Lanterns floated in lazy circles around the balcony.
I sat on the roof with a cup of stardust cocoa, watching the sky sparkle. No chaos. No time magic. Just peace.