Brothers in Hooves (Shorts)

Memorable

  Will had been enjoying spending some of his free time at the Bull Brothers Bakery. The pastries were great, the ambience too, he had a chance to chat with his old friend Takoda and even befriended some of the other staff members. It also smelled great to keep his swine nose at ease.
  And it was no different in that hot summer afternoon. It was nice staying inside there since the place had good air conditioning, and at that time specifically, it was pretty chill too. But the bigger customer flow was imminent.
  Still, at least Takoda had a moment to come and chat with him.

Will: So... Any plans for the weekend?

Takoda: I don't know... Probably finish the series I'm watching with Hailey, and then go to lunch with Loo and Sierra tomorrow.

Will: Are they dating?

Takoda: Don't know. But they sure have grown quite close. He rarely streams alone nowadays.

Will: Awn. They are a great duo.

Takoda: Yeah. But how about you?

  The pig then puffed up his chest, very proud.

Will: I have a date.

  The bison rolled his eyes, but kept a daring smile on his face.

Takoda: Really? Who's the lucky geezer?

Will: A boar I met at the supermarket. He likes marshmallows, camping and... And... He has a really nice beard.

Takoda: Heh. Can respect that. So you guys are going roughing tonight?

Will: Pretty much. Rented a Cabin on the Garden Park for the occasion and...

  But before he could finish the sentence, someone got into the pastry shop, and Takoda sprung into action.
  It was a light blue elephant dude, with short dark hair and glasses on his face. He was holding a pretty new-looking paint brush, that he probably just bought on a store down the street, and was inquisitively sniffing the air with his trunk as Takoda got closer.

Takoda: Hello. How may I help ya?

Elephant: I felt the smell of banana bread all the way across the street, so I had to come check.

  But that quote just seemed to puzzle Takoda, and even Bryan who heard it too all the way from the counter.

Takoda: Weird. We haven't made banana bread the whole week. Right?

Bryan: Yeah and I don't think there's a batch in the making. Lemme check.

  He went into the kitchen to confirm, as the order window was jammed.

Elephant: Oh. Must have been you then.

  He turned his gaze (and trunk) towards Will, who blushed a bit at that.

Will: Are you... Hitting on me?

Elephant: Impossible. I'm not even close enough to touch you.

  That made Takoda snort from holding his laughter, and even Will couldn't help but smile. Bryan came back just in time to see it.

Bryan: No banana bread indeed.

Elephant: Fair enough. My trunk does play tricks on me sometimes.

  From a corner of the establishment, Raff spoke too, as she approached the scene. Back to work after a few days of rest, but still taking it easy.

Raff: Okay, I like your attitude. What's your name?

Elephant: Does it matter?

Takoda: Guess so.

Elephant: Don't think so.

Bryan: Fair enough. Do you still want anything?

  The elephant took some time to think, as he looked towards what they had on the display. Still sniffing the air with his trunk.

Elephant: How about... One of those chocomint cookies.

Bryan: Oh, they're just chocolate.

Elephant: Really? Still good though.

  Bryan then picked one of the big cookies on display, and put it in a small paper bag before handing it to the blue pachyderm, who then paid with the cash he had on his pocket and started to walk away.

Bryan: Wait, your change!

Elephant: Keep it as a tip. Mr. Mint.

Bryan: Thanks!

  But he was already gone, as quickly as he walked in.

Takoda: What an odd fella.

Will: Do I really smell like Banana Bread?

Bryan: Nah. More like cheap cologne.

  The orange pig then stared directly into the brown bull's smug facade.

Will: I'll take that as a compliment.

Raff: Do you know him Bryan?

Bryan: No. First time he comes here too.

Raff: Then how does he know your last name?

Bryan: Oh. Good point.

Takoda: Our name tags only have our first name.

Raff: Or nicknames.

Will: What's your name then?

Raff: Rafflesia.

  She said that with a sassy grin.

Will: Huh. Exotic.

Takoda: Don't joke around Raff. He will call you that forever.

Raff: Heh, fine. It's Raffaela.

Will: Oh. Makes sense. And I'm not that dumb, Koda.

Takoda: Remember Kenji?

Will: You mean Kenny? That Japanese bunny from high school?

Takoda: See?

  It took a moment for the pig to process what he was implying.

Will: Oooooh. Fair point.

  And after a wave of laughter, things went back to normal at the pastry shop, with a new batch of customers arriving shortly after that.
  Will didn't take long to leave either, as he had to organize his backpack for his evening adventure. With the compliment from that quirky elephant still in the back of his mind.