Something New

A bright blue xero scurried along the bustling streets of Harbor. Dodging carts and patrons to the colorful markets along the way, Haven was careful not to lose her grip on the large satchel at her side. It hung heavily over a shoulder, buckled strap straining with the weight of its cargo. Luckily, the adventurer was used to hauling her newfound wares over long distances. Or rather, she always seemed to find too many interesting trinkets out on her travels and had grown accustomed to accommodating overstuffed packs.

As she carefully navigated her way through the marketplace, Haven wondered if she should have picked a better time to make this particular trek. With the Owai-6 sun high at its peak overhead, many xeros were strolling about sampling the exotic foods and eyeing all sorts of goods. From colorful fabrics draped over shop stalls to shiny new tech with flashing lights and whirring sounds, the streets of Harbor came alive. The myriad of sights, sounds, and smells could be overwhelming for xero more suited to the soft jungles of Jurupa. She couldn't let herself get distracted by the perfume seller spritzing a bottle into the air or the spinning pinwheels of a toyshop. Blinking as she came to the corner of an intersection, she crinkled her nostrils at the sudden scent of lilies in heavy bloom.

Squinting into the distance, a welcome sight spread a smile across her face. Just across the street hung a quaint little sign painted in soft blues and whites. The hand painted letters spelled out "Nilla's Bakery" in a familiar scrawl. Once a part of the original structure of a former building at the square, bricks supported the storefront as opposed to the open air shops beyond. Haven picked up her pace and soon hustled her way into the cozy sanctuary she'd grown to love, door thudding against the wall as she announced her exuberant return. 

"Nilla!" She hollered, one hand waving while the other stayed latched to her bag. "I'm ba-ack!" Her feet nearly skipped to the counter, relieved to exchange the busy streets for fresh baked cookies and cupcakes. Desserts topped in icing and sprinkles of all colors lined trays behind the glass-sided counters. The front room itself offered the comforting scent of sugary sweets and a certain warmth that hinted at hot ovens just past the curtain separating the kitchen from its customers.  

A fluffy brown xero suddenly poked her head out from behind the partition between the rooms. "Haven!" she exclaimed, quickly walking through and up to the counter. "It's so good to see you!" Arms outstretched and pink apron speckled with flour, Nilla greeted her guest. “You’ll have to tell me all about your trip!” Haven had been stopping by her shop for a couple of years on visits from Jarupa. She never failed to bring fresh new ingredients from her jungle excursions for Nilla to sample in her baked goods. Just a few months ago the pair had rolled up countless Koronok bait balls with ru berries supplied by the adventurous xero.

"Sure will, Haven beamed, "And you’ll never guess what I found this time!" Right to the point, she couldn't wait to see how her friend reacted to the latest food craze of the jungles. Digging in her bag, she pulled out a small pouch and deposited it proudly on the counter.  

Peering curiously at the little bag, Nilla moved to untie it. Three round and crumb-coated morsels sat nestled inside. As a baker tends to do, the xero gave a subtle sniff but couldn’t distinguish any specific ingredients from the treats other than sugar- And lots of it.

Grinning, Haven leaned into the counter and pointed. “They’re super popular in Aberion right now. I’m not sure how they’re made, but they’re delicious!” Pleased with her find, the xero continued, “I thought you’d be able to figure it out and make some here. I bet you’ll sell a ton!” Haven had been snacking on these little treats ever since she’d discovered them at the markets back home. Excited, her blue eyes stared expectantly.

Nilla picked one up, careful not to crush the crumb coating between her fingers. With a bite, she found that the morsel had a sweet cocoa flavor and a delicious crunch hidden somewhere within the nougat that was similar to a truffle.

“See?” Haven smiled, “it’s good, right?”

“Yeah,” the baker nodded before finishing her bite. “It’s sort of nutty, but I’m not sure what flavor this is?” She pondered the taste.

Haven‘s smile shifted suddenly towards concern. “Um, Nilla…” a hesitant finger pointed towards her friend’s face. “Your ears?”

The brown xero lifted a hand to feel frills along the fluffy edges of an ear. “Oh-“ confusion flickered across her face until her thoughts clicked on a cause.

Her eyes widened with the realization, “Haven, these are made with harvest fairies!” 
A shaky laugh tumbled from her mouth, smile growing at how silly of a conundrum her friend had served her. Native to the Samara trees of Jaurupa, harvest fairies were particularly abundant in the cooler months of autumn. Of course a local baker would have taken notice of the nutty flavor and made a decadent truffle with the seed.

“What?!” the adventurer only laughed after she noticed Nilla’s grin and sheepishly admitted, “I had no idea! I-“ Haven’s hand raised to feel her own ears, which had been frilled since the start of her time on the planet.  Naturally, the harvest fairy treats hadn’t affected her any differently since frilled ears had been within her original ARC labs genetic coding. The two shared a glance at their joint revelation. 

Laughter bubbled between the two xeros, growing until their sides hurt at the silliness of their little mishap. While the interchangeability of their alien XNA could be such a benefit on a planet undergoing restoration, it also allowed for odd mix-ups if a xero wasn’t knowledgeable on the native fruits and seeds. Finally catching her breath, Haven apologized. “Sorry, uh, I must’ve missed a label.“ All treats containing trait items should be labeled to prevent mixups just like this. 

The tundra xero nodded, laughter subsiding with a final chuckle. “It’s alright, I’m just glad you brought more than one,” honestly, the new look wasn’t bad or permanent. All she needed to do was eat a second harvest fairy truffle within the hour and her new trait should vanish when the extra XNA didn’t match her previous genetic configuration. Any longer and the genetic code would settle for at least a week before it could be challenged with another harvest fairy since frilled ears hadn’t been in her original ARC labs XNA code. “It’s been a while since I’ve tried something new. Can’t say I’ve ever baked anything with harvest fairies either.” She thoughtfully picked up a second truffle from the pouch and studied it for a moment. Well, no time better than the present to enjoy another, especially if she wanted to revert her ears back to their usual un-frilled state. With a grin and a shrug, Nilla plopped it in her mouth. Haven was right about one thing. Harvest fairy truffles would be a fresh delight if she could whip up a similar recipe- complete with the appropriate ingredient label. 

Haven smiled, both relieved and glad her treats weren’t a complete disaster. “Let me pick a few up for you if you’re still game for some experimental baking? It’s the least I can do after-“ she chuckled and twirled a hand in Nilla’s direction as her friend happily nodded her agreement,, “Definitely! They’re delicious.” Next time, the adventurer would be sure to double check the labels of any goodies she picked up on her travels.

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Disclaimer: I know frilled ears can stack onto folded ears, but I’m not quite sure how you’d undo a trait back to standard/folded from an in-character world perspective? I might have totally been head-cannoning this wrong lmao, I always figured the characters ate the fruits and could change in-world?! Perhaps eat another harvest fairy to undo a harvest fairy with a few XNA rules (gotta eat it within an hour to undo it, or keep it for at least a week?!) Since Haven’s had frilled ears straight outta the orb, I’m head cannoning this one-shot drabble to think Haven would need an extra step at the Atelier to weaken her genetic code to where an original orb XNA trait could be removed.