Bismuth mostly sends the bird messages so i wouldn't be surprised if she was making them explode when they didn't have to. I hadn't really thought about it too hard when they just all ended up erupting into a shower of feathers afterward.
There is. His name is Molly, and we've both been here about 3 months. He's got a few friends about, too. I'm sure they'd be happy to offer support as well. And there's a fee places around here that might suit. I'm not sure about a full fledged bakery, but the pancake house is rather nice. And there's always ice cream as a second option?