from cinders, her dreams will fly.

“Hm... what to get?”

There were just too many trucks to choose from, eh? Her stomach was begging and pleading for her to make a decision about what to get for lunch, but her mind was overwhelmed with all of the options. Everything looked so good, how in the world could she ever decide?

ツ*.:::.* HEARING HER NAME from a familiar voice, edna looked up to meet cindy’s eyes, her usual smile resting on her face. “hello my darling, it’s very good to see you!” she responded before chuckling at the girl’s reaction to the insane amount of feathers all along her outfit. edna knew not everyone would appreciate it, but it was most definitely the kind of outfit she’d pick out. her eyes moved down to the feathers practically taking over the entire sidewalk in front of her. “i needed something different. considering i don’t usually work with feathers, i figured it’d be a nice treat. the world needs to understand how proud and beautiful the LGBTQ community is,” edna said, proudly placing her hands on her hips. 

nodding, she gestured for her cindy to sit down with her on the ground. edna had placed enough newspaper and protective materials underneath her work, as to not dirty it up or get glue or glitter stuck to the pavement. “i will never say no to help. in fact, i appreciate it, greatly,” she explained. picking up a paintbrush, she handed it to her. “i’ve discovered this paintbrush works well with covering a large area to place the feathers along the headdress.” moving the headdress away for a moment, she pointed down at the dress. “and this dress, the glitter should blind you. which would you prefer to work on, darling?”

“I think I’ll tackle this headdress. It’d be an honor to help you with your headpiece.”

Cindy sat down on the sidewalk right next to Ms. Mode, taking the giant paintbrush from her and looking at the foundation for the headdress. Right now, the headdress was about as bald as an egg, but her eyes wandered to the design plans next to her. As per usual, the headdress was grandiose and fabulous, perfect for any queen of Sunnyside.

As she began layering on the glue, following the carefully arranged plans sitting by her (metal) foot, her mind began to wander to a sight she had seen earlier- those cookies at the Old Mill. There were so many other flags on display, not just the rainbow one, and yet... she was still just as clueless as ever as to what they all meant. There was one in particular that had caught her eye, one she could have sworn she’d seen on her street somewhere before, waving proudly in the wind. 

...The revelation of the flag’s location then struck her like a freight train. 

“Ms. Mode?” Cindy waited until she was finished with the row of feathers she was working on, before gently tapping her shoulder. “May I ask you something?”

“The rainbow flag is general, while the other flags are specific about how you identify yourself“, Tiana smiled. She had tried to make all of them, she didn’t want anybody to feel excluded; aromantics, non binaries, trans, even the straight allies. “Oh that one is the transexual flag, the pastel blue is the traditional color for boys, the pink is the traditional color for girls and the white is for people who are transitioning”, she explained with a nod. “The one with the rainbow arrow going through the black and white flag is the straight ally flag”, she commented, “or I could give you a regular pride flag cookie, if you’d like, there’s ginger or butter flavor”. 

“Transsexual... huh.” 

After glancing at the cookie for a second more, Cindy scratched her head. Somehow, despite the look of the cookie being so familiar... the memory was lost to her, as distant as a worn photograph. Perhaps it would come back to her later, like a jolt of lightning. 

“I see...” She nodded, looking at the variety of options that lay before her. There were so many different identities on display, and yet here she was, unsure of her own. Romance was a distant dream when your life is full of chores. “I’ll take... a straight ally flag cookie, then. I’m glad to help support anyone I can.

☁*·ﾟA LOUD LAUGH slipped through her lips at the response from cindy. she knew the routine quite well by now, but it was always rather amusing to hear her complain about her step sisters. walking over to the wall of jellybeans, camila took one of the extra large bags and filled it near the brim with the pickle flavored jellybeans. she grabbed one more bag, and placed them both in a larger bag. “the second one’s on me. i know the stress you go through, might as well make them a little extra happy.” 

these women chose the strangest flavors of candy, the kind that she really didn’t understand why any sane person would eat. in fact, there were even flavors that she hadn’t even thought about trying to eat. scrunching up her nose, she started to ring her up for the items she’d picked up. “okay, but how in the hell does it work if they don’t know his name? where are these girls getting these guys?” she asked, tilting her head to the side. camila was really seriously confused. “i mean, they say a way to a guy’s heart is through his stomach, but…. not like this,” she explained, sticking her tongue out, making an icky noise. “what about for you? what do you want? it’s on me too.”

“From what I can tell, Madame Tremaine does a lot of socializing with other rich folks. You know, other business people and whatever. She wants her daughters to marry rich.” Cindy sighed, glancing down at the list in front of her again. What was the next one? ...Ugh. Bacon flavored candy canes.

“She finds a son that they might be interested in, they go crazy over his photo, it’s the same thing over and over and over again.” Cindy shrugged her shoulders, looking around for any signs of those pesky candy canes. (In summer?) “I just don’t see what the appeal is, you know? Why spend your time going doe-eyed over a rich guy who won’t even bat an eye at you? Maybe I’m just stuck in my books, but... I’d want a man who understands me, with a kind heart and a good soul.

“As for me? I just want a break.” Fatigue began to plague her shoulders and her back- those darn chores, sapping away her precious energy- and she sat down on a nearby bench to take a breather. Phew. Perhaps this party prep caught up to her quicker than she expected.

Hearing the faintest of laughter come from the phone, made him crack a smile. He always told his clients there was no use in worrying but only few really took that advice to heart and let their worries melt away like snow from the sun. “You just keep up ‘em high spirits, missy. I’ll be with y'all in a jiffy.” Felix promised before hanging up and after confirming it wasn’t the infamous lady of the house. Must be one of her daughters, he reckoned, she sounded like a more caring soul than whispers on the street would have given her credit for though. As he rolled up to the impressive mansion, Felix couldn’t help but take note of the blotched and patched up mailbox. Duct tape only performs so many wonders, it seems. Though he didn’t let that ominous welcome sign scare him away. (Perhaps had he known how much more of the roll duct tape he would see inside, he might’ve changed his mind but now) if anything, it made him feel even more motivated. Grasping his pen and notepad from his overall’s breast pocket, he rang the shrill doorbell and prepared for (what he assumed could be) the worst. “Good afternoon, miss, I’m Felix Wright Junior. From the company Fix-it-Felix and Junior, we spoke on the phone earlier.” He took off his cap and folded his hands neatly in front of him. Second impressions were as important as the first, weren’t they? But as soon as he spotted the girl’s notepad, a grin broke out and with a nod of the head he pointed at it, saying, “Looks like great minds really do think alike, aye!" 

Rolling up his sleeves, in neatly tucked layers, Felix tried his hardest not to peek inside. It would be considered rude even in the kindest pair of eyes. “Why, since ya look all set and ready… I’d say you’re the best one to lead the way? And don’t mind if I do tag along miss.” And with that, he thoroughly wiped off his shoes on the doormat.

At the sound of the doorbell ringing, Cindy perked up, setting her book down and taking her notepad with her, before walking over and opening the large door of the manor.

“It’s nice to finally meet you, Felix Wright Junior, of Fix-it Felix and Junior.” 

She couldn’t help but show a teasing smile at that mouthful of an introduction, (He says that every time? Impressive.) before taking a quick glance at the man in front of her. To her, it was clear Felix dressed to be the textbook definition of a repairman: trusty toolbelt at his side, scuffs on his shoes, and a well-loved blue cap in his hands. The man’s million-watt grin could light up a whole room, and there was a twinkle of kindness in his eyes- as if there were no tricks or schemes here- just his honest self. The world needed more people like that.

“Oh! I guess we are, huh?” Cindy fought the urge to press the notepad to her chest, (Don’t arouse suspicion, now.) instead choosing to step aside to let Felix into the manor.

The foyer was tall and majestic, reaching an impressive height to the point where she had to crane her neck to see the top. On the ceiling, a chandelier adorned with crystals, and on the walls, various oil paintings of still lifes and other classical art of that nature. However, the main attraction was the grand staircase which reached up to the second floor- and right when you walked in the door- there she stood at the top of the stairs:

Madame Tremaine herself, in the flesh, standing in front of her cold, life-sized portrait on the wall. With the dignity of a hawk soaring through the skies, she descended the stairs before them, before stopping right in front of the duo, staring Felix right in the eyes.

“So you’re Mr. Wright’s son, I take it? Felix Junior?” A chill ran down Cindy’s spine at the very sound of Madame Tremaine’s voice, but she held her posture and her tongue, as instructed many times before. “His reputation precedes you. I trust you will uphold your family’s reputation, yes? I only expect the highest quality work from any individual I associate with. 

Patiently, he waited for the other to calm down. It wasn’t Felix’s first time consoling clients. Sometimes there were even waterworks involved, especially when it came to… well, water works. (Leaking roofs and exploding dishwashers were problems everyone could miss like a tooth ache.) That’s why he loved his job so much, it would never stop being rewarding to help people out on a daily basis like that. “Of course, miss! Don’t think I could put a prize on just measuring up the size of a problem, now, can I? I’m sure ya would be just as able to describe them to me, but if I got the time on my hands, that hardly makes any sense to make you work for my money, doesn’t it dear?” A lighthearted chuckle fell from his lips.

When she told him the address, a little gasp of recognition fell from his lips. “Jolly gosh, that must make us practically neighbours then!” Surprise and excitement were laced in the words he couldn’t stop in time to keep up his professional manners - truth be told these five minutes must’ve been a record time. The math came too late, the person on the phone already clarifying which house they were talking about. Tremaine Manor… About the only house on his block that he had yet to set foot in. “This is… Do I have the honours of speaking to the lady of the house herself, right now?” He wondered out loud, though he had his doubts. Playing with his bottom lip, he surveyed the rest of the office. Based on the many gossipy lunch hours that had passed the review in here, Felix figured most of his coworkers sure would have a thing to say about this conversation and the possible new client. He wasn’t as easily perplexed by prejudices however so he grabbed one of the company van’s keys off the hook and made its way outside. “Everything’s alrighty, miss. A-okay. In fact, I’m packing up my tools as we speak.”

Although Felix was just a voice coming out of the old house telephone, the bouncy, confident enthusiasm of the handyman on the other side made her crack a smile, easing her tension and making her laugh a little. It’s funny, how someone’s infectious attitude could make her day just a little bit brighter. Whoever this man was, it was clear he at least had the passion and drive deserving of such a prestigious name on Bavaria Street, (wait, did he just say they were neighbors?) but whether Madame Tremaine would approve of him is a different story altogether.

“About that- she’s a little bit preoccupied right now.” Cindy looked up in the vague direction of where her office was, her face scrunching up again into a frown. “Wouldn’t want to bother her when she’s in the zone, you know? But I’ll let her know you’re coming.”

In her hands was her trusty notepad, always containing the most important details of the day, and this time, the top page was filled with complaints relating to the house. Broken lighting in the basement, leaky faucet in the kitchen, no hot water in the left wing bathroom, all complaints that ran to the bottom of the page. At the back of her mind, however, she knew somewhere in the middle of the page was one phrase in her loopy handwriting:

Fix the Nightingale.

...Her heart skipped a beat at the mere thought of the task, but the fleeting thought left as quickly as it came, like a puff of dandelion blowing in the breeze. Easy, now. Don’t get too ahead of yourself. The man wasn’t even here and already her mind was wandering from the task at hand. 

“I’ll greet you at the door when you come, Felix,” she replied, pressing the notepad against her chest. “Oh, and... make sure you don’t run over the mailbox on your way in. Madame Tremaine wasn’t too pleased when it happened last time.” (That poor, poor repairman.) “Thank you again for your service, sir.” 

With a flourish, Cindy hung up the phone, before looking up at the grand staircase she would have to climb in order to reach her stepmother.

ツ*.:::.* HEARING THE MESSAGE left on her answering machine, edna quickly changed out of her robe, putting on one of her favorite designing outfits and put on a pot of tea. she knew when cindy called her like this that she desperately needed some help. any of the dresses she designed for her and her step-family were always extravagant. she wouldn’t necessarily say no, but she had to admit she was highly amused by the stories cindy arrived with. as she heard the knock on her door, she opened it, smiling brightly to her.

“i got your message, darlin’. cats are foolish creatures. it’s why i have a fish. they can’t do much to my clothes.” shaking her head, she gestured for the girl to head into the sitting room for a cup of tea and a chat. “of course i can help. it’ll be my honor. come sit, have a cup of tea and explain to me what you need.” edna sat down in one of her arm chairs and passed cindy a cup of tea. “take a moment to breathe, honey.”

“God, Ms. Mode, I don’t quite know what I need right now...”

Stepping into the luxurious living room, Cindy let herself be guided in, her hand still clutched onto the garment bag containing the emerald dress. Compared to the furniture and the house, she was just a poppy in a field of rye- awkward and out of place in the home of such a famous celebrity. However, with Edna’s calming words of reassurance in her ear, her heart had felt right at home, more at ease than in her own house, even.

That’s the funny thing about a home- it doesn’t always have to be in a location. Sometimes, it can exist in the kindness of others.

“Thank you. You’re very gracious.” Breathe, Cindy. In and out. Her brain ran a mile a minute, always accounting for every detail of every day, to perfection, just for Madame Tremaine’s standards. But now, she needed none of that.

Clear the swirling thoughts, put the doubts at ease, and focus on what must be done.

“...I’m okay, now. Or, well- I think I’m going to be okay.” After setting the garment bag on the back of her chair, Cindy took the cup and saucer from Ms. Mode, being cautious not to let the tea burn her fingers.

“It’s... just a lot, you know? I’ve been running around, doing this prep for this ‘party,’ and then the cat from hell goes and wrecks the dress the day before. His name ‘Lucifer’ is no joke.” She’s sipping her tea. God. What a week it’s been.

“I just don’t know how one old cat can make so much damage. I feed him and maintain his fur, without an ounce of kindness in return. I’m a true lover of animals, so he just... boggles my mind.” Cindy shook her head and sighed.

As frontman of his family company, Felix was often the one to answer the phone at work. After all, he was a man of the people and clients always loved to hear a familiar voice on the phone. But this number seemed to stay unrecognized by their digital address system, so on the third rang he answered a little slower albeit with a healthy amount of curiosity and interest. “Ah yes, you’re speaking with Felix himself, miss.” He blabbered a little once the voice on the other side beat him to ranting off the company introduction. Immediately, he straightened his back to pick up on the rest of the conversation intently. A job was a job, after all. No matter how chaotic it sort of sounded right now. 

“Plumbing and electrical work, you say? Sure, we fix up all sorts of problems, but excuse me, did you say for months?” He scratched the back of his head, trying to make sense of his own scribbles on the notepad in front of him. A kind smile remained on his lips, however, while his pen hovered over the paper. The voice on the other end sounded rather young - higher and softer than most of his clients and above all, a little panicked. Which was only natural when you couldn’t handle everything yourself but he doubted he would get the valuable information he needed out of this conversation. “It sounds like you’re dealing with a lot at the moment so how about ya take a slow breather for me, ma'am and we can reassess the situation together?” Felix tried to reassure the other as best as he could. 

Eyeing the clock next to the work schedule, he made a quick calculation before speaking up. “In fact, how about you give me the address and I’ll see if I can come down there to check up on everything for the time being? Don’t worry, it’ll be free of charge until ya want to pursue one of the solutions we can offer you, alright, but it seems the quickest way to get something done today, wouldn’t you say?” He waited patiently for an answer, though he couldn’t deny his ears were still trying to pick up on any more shouting in the background. Part of him wondered what that was all about.

“Take a deep breath, alright...”

She followed his instruction, letting the steady air rise and fall in her chest, calming her nerves. As per usual, her mind was thinking about what needed to be done (the pipes! the heater!), how it needed to be done (by a professional, the best in town!), when and where (top floor, bottom floor, all by the end of the week!), all the details spun her head into a dizzy-

...Phew. Perhaps she had been holding her breath for far too long.

“A free consultation? That would be wonderful, Felix.” Hm... Felix? The name sounded familiar, (Why did disco music come to mind? Strange.) but she brushed the thought aside for now. “I live at 1950 Bavaria Street. Truth be told, it’s... really not that hard to miss my house.”

The freakishly huge, life-sized portrait of Madame Tremaine on the wall bore into her soul, as Cindy held onto the phone a little bit tighter, her face scrunching up before her next words.

“It’s... the really huge one at the end of the cul-de-sac. Tremaine Manor.”

‘Tremaine Manor.’ Her own home felt unfamiliar to say on her lips, as though the place was in some far-off fairytale instead as her own, living prison. Ever since Tremaine had inherited her father’s modest house and bought all the land around it, it has since then been rebuilt and remade to loom over the other homes like a palace, with Madame Tremaine as its queen. With high quality, Madame did pay others handsomely- but at what cost?

...Please last longer than the last repairman, Mr. Felix.

☁*·ﾟSINGING TO HERSELF in the candy shop, camila was glad she’d worn her favorite kit kat bar shirt today. it was safe to say that this girl knew more about candy than she probably should and in fact, she was a little crazy for it. her favorite part about working in the store was helping the customers. with her extensive knowledge of candy, she was the best person to assist anyone’s requests. when the bell above the door rang, camila lifted her head to see cindy walking into the shop. she knew what that meant. there was gonna be a long list of candy and she was more than ready.

stepping out from behind the counter, she smiled brightly. “you’d honestly be surprised. it’s some weird niche market. i hate them, but they look pretty. they’re a dark green with little lime green speckles. they started out in one of those bean boozled games and sort of caught on. how much of them do you want?”

“You know the drill. Too much for any reasonable person to consume in a week.”

The technicolor jellybean dispensers on the wall vyed for her attention- cherry, root beer, bubblegum- all flavors that sounded so much more appealing than whatever kind of flavor pickle was supposed to be. Eventually, she spotted the infamous jellybean in question, sitting proudly on its speckled, evergreen throne. 

“Get out the real large bag, please.” Cindy pointed to the dispenser, before crossing off the candy on the list. 

 “This poor guy, Camila. I don’t think they even know his name.” At this point, she stopped trying to keep track of her sisters’ “hottie of the week,” he seemed to change every month or so. “Likes a looot of pickle stuff, though.” She spied a tub of pickle cotton candy and threw it in her bag. Another one down.

“Miss Mode, I’m so sorry to intrude on you so suddenly, but I’m afraid I have to ring in a fashion emergency. A giant fashion emergency.”

Just when she thought Lucifer couldn’t get any more twisted and malicious, that old black cat always found new ways to make her life even harder than it already was. 

As she was about to pack away step-sisters’ gowns for the party tomorrow, the feline had made Drizella’s emerald green evening gown his new scratching post, tearing away the wispy tulle and shimmering rhinestones which had adorned the skirt of the dress. Running down Bavaria Street to the Edna Mode’s house was a desperate last resort, but she was a woman who was running out of options.

“I tried so hard to fix the damage from that damned cat, but…” Cindy bit her quivering lip; she didn’t need to break down on this woman’s doorstep on top of everything else.

“Thank you so much,” Gogo replied earnestly, grateful to feel Kimchi settle in her arms as soon as she offered him the treat. “He can be a real brat sometimes, but he’s my brat.”

“Really? I don’t think I’ve ever met a truly mean cat before,” she said in surprise, letting out a chuckle. “With a name like Lucifer, what did they expect? I wish I could offer words of advice, but this one’s always been a glutton for affection. And treats. Has he always been so mean?”

“I’m not sure, truth be told. I don’t think he ever liked me, even when I was younger.”

Her eyes started to stare off into the distance, turning into a thoughtful stare as her mind began to wander back to when Lucifer had first come into her home. Cindy vaguely remembered a birthday party- perhaps a gift from one of Drizella or Anastasia’s uncles? 

“Maybe he’s got some troubles that I don’t know about...” she mused, as she looked back at the stranger. “Or, maybe my uncle really needed to get rid of a rowdy cat.”

“What kind of stuff do they need to get now?”

Cindy let out a long-winded sigh, as she glanced down at the notepad in her hands. Typical week, it seemed, where the demands of her step-family were always a mile long. What was the source of her headache this week? Candy. Lots of it. Apparently, there was some high-end party going on, and some young, rich man was hosting. Clearly, in their opinion, the best way to this man’s heart was through his stomach.

Or, well, by pumping his blood with sugar, at least.