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love's a game

wanna play?

As per tradition, a sun-speckled weekend was to be spent maintaining the household of its daily routines, and without a proper house to conclude those duties, the retainer simply found it better to find work around the neighboring cities with little control over her urge to busy herself in maid-ly responsibilities, much like an animal seeking something to quell a carnal thirst. Hence began her somewhat amusing endeavor that involved a top-notch restaurant situated peacefully in the middle of Oak Town's shopping center, and a frustrated old man who's chef hat was just about to drop of his sulking head.

Upon approach, the maid discovered that his name was in fact Jonathan, and he'd been head chef of the large establishment behind him, the Greater Gold, a place that the old man upheld with pride as one of the "prestige" places for amazing cuisine, and that it practically herded most of Oak Town's tourists like worshipers of an unnamed cult -a metaphor that Luce would only raise a thin eyebrow at, and nothing more.

Though Jonathan's plight was the untimely circumstance that befell one of his underling chefs the night prior to a grand banquet that would house an impressive ensemble of various professionals all the way from Crocus, a feast that cannot be ruined simply because of one man down. Luce would immediately assume a proposition to save the motley crew, however, and the mere prospect of another helping hand was enough to bring back Jonathan's chipper mood, so much so that he didn't waste a chance to introduce her to the kitchen and the rest of the kitchen armada that she'd be settling with for the remainder of the night.

love's a game

wanna play?

"Well, here they are, the Golden Five!" Jonathan said, a delight in his eyes that would only further the maid's distaste for the cliche nickname. "Or four, at least, but anyway!"

There were several faces to take into account, all of which were rounded to match a specific area that they'd done with expertise. At first, there was Big Bran, the hefty guy with a clean shave and a large cleaver to hack his way through strong bones and fleshy animals, though his stare was soft and light-hearted, a notion all too familiar to Luce as she fleetingly offered him a smile, one that prompted another in response. Then, there had been Maria Winkenston, the sauce and soup chef, who was a giddy sixteen year-old prodigy whose lively golden curls were but the surface of her otherwise cheery personality. Up next in the line was Chrome Megaldia, his fingers deftly twirling a rose as he stirred his way through the appetizers. His flair was uncanny and his voice sounded like he chugged a bowl full of lace and perfume, so the maid felt compelled to move out of his bubble if she wished to work in peace. And then, finally, there was Quinn, just Quinn, whose other eye was hidden under an eyepatch, but that didn't seem to hinder her progress as a masterful knife-handler, the blade twirling listlessly in her grip.

"You'll never be good as my bro." Quinn would retort as Luce attempted to greet her, the younger girl's black hair tossing backwards as she flipped her ponytail in a mouthful of spunk and attitude.

"...."

love's a game

wanna play?

The one other person was supposedly Quinn's twin brother, Lex, who came down with a hay fever and is stuck in bed, much to his disappointment. He managed most of the special orders that filtered through the door, and knew the complimentary wines to each meal like the back of his calloused hand. Luce wasn't entirely confident that she'd replace a man of his skill, that much was true, but she surely had enough to go by so long as she allowed herself to do so, and as such, her stare had not faltered despite the shaming she'd receive.

The maid was not trained to cook to pleasure her fellow kitchen workers, and whether or not Quinn disliked her was beyond the girl's primary train of thought.

"Think you can do it, Luce?" Jonathan asked as he swiveled his way through the remaining four. The woman would only give so much as a faint nod, favoring her gestures over her words, yet it didn't seem to faze the head chef as his laugh bellowed loudly against the kitchen walls. "Good, good, you'll do just fine then!"

The banquet was to be scheduled later that evening, so she had a whole day to spare before the fires would burn hot under her palms again. It was a little nostalgic to be thinking of how to twist the recipe a bit as she read through a catalog of the Greater Gold's menu. Most of them appearing drastically familiar from her time under the Schneider family, as her mistress Bree had a wide palette and a large appetite for anything divine. No trouble presented itself at her doorstep as she briefly skimmed through them, keeping track of the wine labels and their years that came with it.

She hypothesized that 8 hours was more than enough for prep time, minus the fact that 3 hours were the total of the minutes she'd spent fending a salty Quinn off from her personal space the further the girl tried to intrude. Fortunately, she stood little chance against a Retainer's brazen gaze that was comparable to having an icicle lodged deep into your throat, or so people had told her.