It starts like any other morning, really, a little way's past the middle of the night. Fluff begins his rounds in the kitchen, feeding the starter, preparing the dough, chopping the fruit, sorting out the extra ingredients; powdered sugar, nuts, the previously mentioned fruit, and so on. Frequently dusting and re-dusting his arms as he does so. He hums to himself as he kneads, a song he and Shen had known since childhood, taking care to not be too loud but knowing he'd be down there within the hour. He's so sure of this he's already set aside a cinnamon roll with a honey drizzle fresh out the oven, Shen's favorite.
As expected, Shen follows suit not too long after. With gratitude and his morning dessert in hand he begins damn near militantly cleaning and brushing the floor, the ovens, the tables, and anywhere Fluff had been in the past 10 minutes; likely annoying for anyone else, but his own form of meditation. In the downtime he'd be making the morning deliveries, but Coffee was the only one of the four who really knew how to package the goods. Alternatively he'd be making the two of them coffee, but Bean was the only one who really knew how to brew something drinkable. The two resort to relaxing by the fireplace, though Fluff takes care to not accidentally bake himself like he did last winter.
But Coffee always wakes up eventually, and luckily for them it's usually before the sun even peaks above the horizon; no doubt to the scent of pastries and fresh bread wafting up the tower. She's groggy as she shuffles down the stairs, her tail dragging behind and thudding against the hardwood steps one by one, but she's swift and efficient at organizing all the baked goods that had finished so far. Making sure the shelves are stocked and pretty and the goods intended for early morning delivery are neatly wrapped with love and care. Joining Shen in the deliveries is the only thing that would keep her awake afterwards.
Bean is always last, sometimes even minutes before the morning rush. Deeply ironic for someone of his affinity but not very surprising for those who've known him for more than 10 seconds. He's hyperactive the moment he enters the kitchen, already helping himself to the pastries Fluff set aside with waggling fingers and a sly "Don't mind if I do~". An absolute menace he is, but a welcome one. After all, his awakening actually means peace for the rest of them, if you can believe it; means they get to have a shot of that special brew of his. A lifeline for the busier days.
