Lyra had been awaiting the widespread release of Enjoyment magic for so long, and so anxiously, that all her other anxieties had become inextricably bound up with it. Ergo, she could be forgiven for believing that the successful resolution of this one problem would somehow solve all the others simultaneously.

She was wrong. The various conflicting melodies contributing to her internal anxiety chorus proved far too complicated for such a swift, harmonious conclusion.

First, there was the Filo Frenzy tune. The Puff Paragons still had four weeks of rigorous academy work ahead of them, with an exam waiting at the end. True, Enjoyment's proven reality did provide a constant balm to every layer of pastry stress, but not even the yellow light could eliminate those layers entirely.

Then there was the lingering question of Enjoyment itself. The 'emergency' board meeting had been set for three weeks away. Apparently, that was the earliest date when all twelve members could set aside sufficient time for this all-important gathering.

Caramelle was sure that her parents and Master Dacquoise had conspired to cause this delay. Professor Genoise and Professor Honeycomb joined in the second-years' indignation over this, but Professor Puff waved away their scowls with an unperturbed hand.

"They have merely given us more time to prepare," she observed when she stopped by the practice kitchen that Monday. "Which shows great lack of foresight on their part, or perhaps a lack of understanding about the nature of baking magic. Now that Enjoyment is out in the world, it is only going to keep getting stronger."

Mac's brooding face suddenly brightened. "Like the mixing bowls!"

"Mixing bowls?" Cardamom echoed.

Professor Puff pointed to the drawing on the wall. "I believe he is referring to this pictorial representation. Do go on, Aspiring Baker Fondant. We have time for a teaching moment."

With an encouraging smile from Caramelle, Mac left his stool to stand by the drawing.

"The potential of the magic was already in the air," he explained, indicating the cloud around the four mixing bowls in the picture. "Someone had to tap into it. That was Lyra. Her bowl overflowed first. The more she performed the magic, the more it mixed into the air, which made it easier for the rest of us to fill our bowls."

"So that's why we all felt the magic, even before it manifested for us," Boysen said.

Mac nodded. "Lyra's interaction with the magic kept releasing more and more of it into the world. Then Caramelle's bowl overflowed, which started a chain reaction for the rest of us."

"And now it's everywhere?" Cardamom asked. He was staring at the picture wistfully, almost as if he had never seen it before.

"Correct," Professor Puff replied. "Yet it is still early days. Just as with Lyra's repeated performance of the magic, all our interactions with Enjoyment will exponentially increase its volume in the world. This will make it easier for all bakers to tap into the magic. In fact, at some point, it will become impossible for any baker not to experience Enjoyment."

She favored them all with a slight smile.

"If the three bakers you speak of did have a hand in delaying the board meeting, perhaps we should thank them. They have merely guaranteed that Enjoyment will be too strong for anyone to deny its existence… not even a stodgy soul like Palmier Dacquoise."

Lyra knew Professor Puff was right. She also knew that there was no real cause to fret. No matter what Caramelle's parents or Master Dacquoise might say, Enjoyment needed only one more vote to be confirmed by the academy board. Madame Bundt's one condition for that vote had been met, so there was no doubt about the outcome of the board meeting.

It just would be nice to make it official, she thought, gazing at Mac's 'mixing bowls' picture with nearly as much wistfulness as Cardamom. Until then, it's just going to keep hanging over our heads, like it has all year. I'm so ready for the whole business to be DONE.

Part of 'the whole business' was the continued presence in their lives of Cardamom Coulis the Third. His chagrin at not being present for the breakthrough moment was surprisingly short-lived, mostly thanks to Caramelle's account of what produced said breakthrough.

"I am glad my words could contribute," he told them all graciously after Professor Puff left them in the practice kitchen. "Even throwaway words like 'do your own thing.' It's as I said: one never knows when a familiar phrase will spark something new."

The delay in the board meeting was another ingredient in Cardamom's good mood. Madame Patisserie had allowed him to continue helping at the academy until the Enjoyment matter was officially resolved, so the second-years had another three weeks of practice kitchen sessions to get through with 'The Coulis.'

Which meant another three weeks of the Boysen wall.

That was the most disappointing failure of Enjoyment magic. After the shared moment in the academy kitchen, and especially after that grin, Lyra had been convinced that the Treble-Berry recipe was back to normal. She had promised herself to pull Boysen aside for their long-awaited private conversation at the first available opportunity.

Yet something was still off.

True, the Flavor King was decidedly less thistle-ish than he had been all term. The odious generic grins were gone, replaced by a far more pleasant menu of genuine Boysen smiles. There were even a few Lyra-only specials in the mix.

She also noted with relief that the air around him was vibrating at a much gentler frequency. They got through a whole Monday and Friday in the practice kitchen without a single spike of animosity. Boysen's attitude towards Cardamom would never be friendly, but it was certainly more polite that week than Lyra had ever thought possible.

You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

Still, the wall remained.

Its chief manifestation lay in the lack of opportunity for that 'heart-kitchen' conversation. Boysen seemed determined to avoid being alone with Lyra.

He always showed up late to breakfast and dinner, as if ensuring the table would be full when he arrived. He stuck to Mac's side like toffee through every class and lunchtime. He vanished entirely after dinner, returning to his room just in time to host the Puff Paragons for their nightly Review.

That Friday night, Lyra could hardly concentrate through Puff Paragon Recreation. This was a shame, as it was definitely a special evening. It had been her idea to invite Marzy and Arch to the academy kitchen for another Enjoyment session.

"I can think of no better way to mark the one-week anniversary," she had told her friends and Chef Flax, to unanimous agreement. Chef Flax had even chosen to forego his night off to be present for the occasion.

The first-years embraced the 'do your own thing' formula with delicious enthusiasm. Marzy simply chatted through her entire baking process, often slipping into uncanny impressions of professors or Apprentice Bakers while tempering chocolate for truffles. Arch gave free rein to his architectural tendencies. Every inch of his station was covered in detailed pencil sketches as he constructed an elaborate gingerbread castle, complete with a working drawbridge.

Marzy's squeal when yellow light enveloped her was among the most beautiful sounds Lyra had ever heard. The silent wonder in Arch's serious eyes was just as moving. Lyra could feel the Enjoyment magic thickening in the air as two more bakers joined the ranks of participants.

Even better, careful observation throughout the evening convinced Lyra that Marzy was showing no signs of a 'Flavor King fever' relapse. All the giddy first-year's energy was devoted solely to the celebration of Enjoyment. She didn't even blink when she happened to be standing next to Boysen in the group victory hug.

Completely cured, Lyra thought as she joined in the general applause that followed the hug. That's a relief, at least.

But Lyra couldn't enter fully into the merriment. She was impatient for some time with Ginger, who had returned for another weekend at the academy. If anyone could give Lyra honest advice about the Berry wall, it was the Crumble.

Accordingly, as soon as Chef Flax brought the 'Recreation' to a close, Lyra grabbed Ginger's hand and nearly ran all the way back to the dorms. She then had to wait a few more minutes, as Ginger refused to have any earnest conversations without hot chocolate. Only once they were safely ensconced on the couch in Shortcrust, steaming mugs of chocolate courage in hand, did Lyra have the chance to share the week's frustration with her friend.

"I don't know what to do," she wailed, after Ginger had listened patiently to her account of Boysen's new 'Avoid Lyra' routine. "Surely he's not still mad about Cardamom. He must see by now that I am well and truly spice-free."

"Maybe," Ginger said cautiously. "He certainly seems lighter than he was last week. When Caramelle was telling the story of last week to Marzy and Arch, and she mentioned Cardamom, I made sure to look at Berry. He was just listening and nodding along. Didn't even grind his teeth."

Lyra stopped herself just in time from gesticulating wildly with her still-very-full mug of hot chocolate. "See? He seems to be doing better, but I can't tell for sure. I have not the slightest pinch of a clue about what he's thinking. If he has any lingering sour notes about Coulis, I could fix that tuning in thirty seconds. But for that, I'd have to talk to him. How am I supposed to clarify the butter in his brain if he won't let me talk to him?"

Ginger raised an eyebrow, staring at Lyra over the rim of her mug. "Salts, Treble. That's some impressive metaphor-switching. Berry really has you rattled that much?"

"It's me, actually. I'm the rattler." Lyra carefully set her mug down on the coffee table, out of harm's way. "I have only myself to blame. Even if I could talk to him, would any words be enough? It's like you said a while ago, about letting things go unspoken for too long. I overmixed the batter. The air bubbles got too big. The cake collapsed. It's… it's…"

"A disaster?" Ginger smiled. "Then it's a good thing you're such an accomplished baker. You know it's possible to turn a disaster cake into a truly Enjoyable creation. It just takes a bit of magic."

"But what kind of magic?" Lyra demanded. "You know how strong Enjoyment is. We've been swimming in yellow light all week. If that level of joy isn't potent enough to bring down the wall, what is?"

"Good question. Requires careful thought… and Especially Delectable Croissants." Reaching into her bag, Ginger pulled out a large box bearing the cheerful Crumble Corner Pastry logo. "You were all in such a rush to get to the kitchens earlier that I forgot about these. My parents sent them to help us celebrate last week's Enjoyment win."

Lyra closed her eyes, breathing in the especially delectable aromas emanating from the box. "Your parents are perfect plums. We should share these with everyone tomorrow."

"We should, and we will." Ginger plonked the box down on the couch between them, opened it, and handed Lyra the largest pastry she could find at a moment's glance. "But you and I will also have some now. These croissants are proven to stimulate clever ideas, especially when paired with hot chocolate. No more talking until you've eaten that and drained your mug."

There was no arguing with the Crumble Concentration. Lyra forced herself to savor every bite of the delicious croissant's raspberry cream filling. She took slow, deliberate sips of the decadent hot chocolate. Though she couldn't feel any special clever-idea stimulation at work, she had to admit that the treats did make the confusion more pleasant.

Then Ginger gasped.

"Talk!" she exclaimed, setting her empty mug down on the coffee table with a smirk. "You keep saying you want to talk to Berry. But that's not magic, Treble. Not your magic. What can you do better than anyone else here?"

Lyra stared glumly at her last sip of hot chocolate. "Annoy Florentine Clafoutis? Make the Meringues despair about the future of the baking world?"

"Sing! Sing, you silly little sassafras!" Ginger took the mug from Lyra and placed it beside her own so she could hold both her friend's hands. "Words might not be enough to fix a collapsed cake, but music is. Whatever you want to say to the Flavor King, put it in a song."

The Berry melody roared into full volume in Lyra's mind, as if eager to remind her that she had a tune ready and waiting for such a purpose.

"But…" She swallowed, trying to speak quietly over the raging internal music. "But what good is a song if there's never a chance to sing it? He won't let me talk to him, remember?"

Ginger grinned. Releasing Lyra's hands, she chose a croissant for each of them. "I'll take care of that. Mac will help, I'm sure. You focus on songwriting. How long will that take?"

"Crafting all my deepest feelings into one song powerful enough to pierce through a couple years of calcified silence?" Lyra gave a short laugh. "Oh, at least a month. Maybe two."

"You have two weeks."

"Two WEEKS?"

"Two weeks," Ginger repeated firmly. "The day of the board meeting. That's what I'll coordinate with Mac. The official recognition of Enjoyment will pack a powerful punch, I suspect, so that Berry wall should be extra thin and shaky. Add a cup of your supreme music powers, and voila! One Treble-Berry cake saved from disaster!"

Lyra opened her mouth to object, but Ginger cut her off by 'clinking' their croissants together like wine glasses for a toast.

"Cheers, Treble. Especially Delectable Croissants strike again!"

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