"Dolce!!" Ember is already by his side, fingers in his curls, helping him into an apologetic bow. (It doesn't yank at all, don't you worry, Dolce. This is a well-practiced and carefully trained Classical Head Guidance in the Howling Honey style. Just yield and let Ember show you what to do, the way that you've been yielding this whole time. You're doing such a good job of it.) She bows even lower, the absolute figure of Ceronian contrition.

"I'm terribly sorry, my lady," she says. (Nod nod, Dolce.) "We agreed he was going to say something along these lines, but only after we finished the Bake-Off! Oh! Now we will have to come up with some new gesture, some even grander expression of how humble his love is!" And it is, perhaps, the magic of Redana Claudius that she is entirely sincere when she says this. "Please, forgive us for disturbing the tranquility of the tea ceremony!" Head up, goofy smile, there we are, Dolce, now head back down. Oh! If we don't do this right, then surely our lovely Taurus and Gemini will be disappointed! And we have yet to thank [i]them,[/i] too!

So do your best, Dolce! The two of you will just have to incorporate humble expressions of love brainstorming alongside the final dish design brainstorming! Now, perhaps Vasilly might realize something is off, since one team in this contest is coordinating so closely with the supposed prize, but can she resist the temptation of even [i]more[/i] from her lamb-my-love, and how could she possibly resist the temptation of what will be baked for the two of them as the final contest? It will take all the baking prowess of Ceron[1] to meet her lofty expectations!

So do your best, Redana! And do your best, Dolce! Big smiles, wagging tails, and beams of sincerity! Sheepheart!

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[1]: limited, but having one of the judges ensorcelled will really help with the final score.