Talise made a face as she fixed her hair into a bun. She stared at herself in the mirror wearing her mandatory uniform. She admitted it was kinda cute. The dress was paired with white thigh-high boots, gloves, and a blue ribbon-tie for her neck. She just didn't think it suited her. Now if it was on Mirajane, it would be a different story. Talise patted her sides and gave herself another look around for the umpteenth time. Her self-consciousness was the only thing keeping her home. She should have been at work an hour ago.
She sighed sadly. If only she could get out of this somehow. But nothing came to thought. She would like to show up without the dress, but knowing Mira she would have a spare at the guild just in case she "forgot" to wear it.
It was evil of Mira forcing her to wear such a thing. She was going to be cooking! She didn't need to be in a dress while doing it. She would mind it as much if she could change when she needed to wait tables. But nooooo, Mira wouldn't let her. Saying it was a waste of time when there's members to be taken care of. Talise would have argued some more about the issue but Mira ignored whatever she had to say and sent her home.
Talise huffed as she grabbed the longest coat she had in her closet. She made sure it was tightly closed so nothing would be seen, just until she got to her kitchen.
Once outside she wrapped her arms around herself, as extra precaution, and hurried to the guild. Her boots tapped against the pavement loudly and was slowly beginning to gain stares from her suspicious appearance. Talise didn't care. She was too focused on getting to the guild as fast as she could.
At the front gate, she was a bit surprised to see several people longing out on the open café area. She gave a weak smile to Max, who was in the gift shop setting up, before she entered the guild. Inside there were a handful of people present; Talise made sure to go around the main floor and bar. Sure it was a longer route to the kitchen but it was less likely that someone would stop her on her way.
"Tali!"
She groaned. So much for that plan.
Talise turned around and saw Mirajane, her hand held out to her. The cook made a face and stubbornly turned around. "Tali. Give me the coat." Talise hunched over and gripped her coat closer to her. She definitely did NOT want to take it off out in the open like this. They were gaining a lot of attention from the other members, which made her go slightly pink.
"Tali! Coat! Now!" Mira demanded.
The cook saw the look she was giving her. It was her you–better–do–as–I–say–or–else–look. She hasn't seen that look since Mirajane used it long ago on Natsu for teasing Lisanna on her birthday. Talise groaned very loudly. She then swiftly took off her coat and threw it in Mira's arm.
"WOAH! Looking good, Talise!" someone yelled out. It was then followed by a lot of whistling and catcalling that made her face turn bright red.
She turned to the crowd and screamed, "Sh–Shut up!"
Everyone laughed and continued teasing her as she stomped away into her kitchen.
One of the things Talise loved about her job now was that she could be holed up in the kitchen for a long period of time. So no one would be able to see her in her stupid uniform. However, every now and then she would hear some more catcalls and comments of how she looks. She wondered if part of the reason why there was no door for her kitchen was to endure such punishment. If so, Mira was more evil than she'd thought.
It was after two and the lunch rush was dwindling down. Talise was surprised that her hair was kept in a decent form for once. Usually it would be a rat's nest by this point, especially since there were a lot of orders. She was busy on her final meal when all of a sudden she heard, "GAJEEL!" and "What's this bastard doing here!"
She cringed. Gray and the others were back. And they were right on cue, sounding beyond angry. Talise looked at the meat she was cooking then at the doorway. She would have gone out but she couldn't. Besides she really didn't want to get involved. Not because of all the yelling and screaming going on but because of her outfit.
It took more than ten minutes for the yelling to stop. That was about the same time Talise was finished. She ranged her call bell twice and in came Mirajane running. She gave her a smile and remind her of the new schedule before taking the plates.
Talise groaned.
She didn't want to go out. It was bad enough this morning and she knew that it was gunna get worse as the days passed.
With a lot of regret she took off her apron and hair net, fixed up her hair a bit, put back her gloves and stepped outside. She took a deep breath before screaming, "The kitchen is now close! Drinks will be half priced for the next ten minutes!" There were cheers and excitement voiced by the members of the guild, but that wasn't enough to drown out Natsu's laughter.
"What are you wearing Tali!?" he cried.
Talise blushed and spotted Natsu, Gray, and the rest near the bar. She shyly went over to them with her head down grumbling.
"You look really cute." Lucy said optimistically.
The cook turned even redder. Before she had to endure any more of Natsu's laughter she was called on by several people for an order. She quietly excused herself before taking a tray and headed to the mages with their hand raised.
Gray stared after Talise as she ran off. He was mesmerized with her outfit. It was a lot shorter than any of the other dresses she owned. Not to mention it hugged her figure a lot more and made her guild mark more noticeable. Somewhere in the pit of his stomach, he didn't like that. She looked great. He wasn't going to deny that. What didn't settle well with him was that a lot of their male members were staring at her–more than usual.
Natsu's laughter did not help with his mood. With no remorse he punched the fire idiot in the gut.
"What the hell was that for!" growled Natsu holding his stomach.
The ice mage said nothing as he made his way to an empty table.
Ten minutes later all the lights in the hall turned off. On stage the curtains were drawn and a spotlight was lit on Mirajane in a beautiful yellow dress. She was sitting down with a guitar in her hands and a microphone floating near her face. The crowd then started to whistle and cheer for the head waitress.
Talise ignored what was going on as she hurried back and forth from the bar to the customers; being careful not to trip and spill anything since it was poorly lit. As soon as Mira started signing, the orders slowly diminished, which made her glad. She knew she would be very busy but she didn't think she'd have to be running around so much. It reminded her of the old days when she first started off as a waitress.
As she ran around she spotted Gajeel in the same spot as yesterday. And just like that day, he had the whole area to himself. She was hit with guilt and sympathy for the guy. She had judged him so harshly that she had the need to make it up to him.
An idea then popped in her head. She was hesitant about it. For all she knew it would blow up in her face. But if it turned out okay it wouldn't be so bad. She filled up several mugs of beer and glasses of juice then made her way to her last order, which was Team Natsu.
Gray made room for her to sit, as she placed a grumpy Natsu his order in front of him, thinking she would take a little break with them. But he was wrong. Instead she took her tray and headed to the bar. He watched as she went behind the counter, grabbed something and went upstairs to the second floor. He was stunned when he saw it was the Iron Dragon Slayer she was heading to.
"Everything's too different." grumbled Natsu. "None of this is like the old guild."
The ice mage narrowed his eyes as he watched Talise give him a little wave before sitting down in front of the brute that harmed her and handed over something with a smile. For once he agreed with the fire idiot.
Gajeel was slouched over the table with boredom as he watched Mirajane sing. She was remarkably good, but he wasn't in the mood to enjoy her music. Thanks to the stupid Fire Dragon Slayer and the rest of his team. Their reunion was an unavoidable one and in his head he wanted it to be short and fast. The less he talked with them, the less he had to deal with their anger and death threats. However, it was far from short and fast. He counted his lucky stars that the Master was nearby to do damage control. Otherwise there would've been a guild fight right then and there. He knew he could've hold his own against each of them but a three-to-one battle was one he wouldn't last. Above all else with the animosity they held, he would've been killed.
He let out a low growl as his eyes roamed around the main floor and landed on the other waitress going about serving drinks. He was quite surprised when he spotted her. Her outfit was a drastic change compared to what she wore yesterday. He assumed it was new, since she fussed over the people teasing her heavily about it.
The dragon slayer return back to his senses and slowly sat up with confusion when she suddenly appeared and took a seat right in front of him. He wasn't expecting that. Then again he didn't expect her to apologize to him yesterday. The girl was full of surprises.
"U–Uh… I–I'm… I'm not sure if… if you know. B–But I'm the head chef." Talise started. She nervously took the menu in her hand and held it out for Gajeel.
He didn't know what to say as she gave him a weak smile. He looked down at the laminated piece of paper and stared at it. After a minute or two, he took it from her. The girl looked relieved and a bit happy, which Gajeel didn't understand. She then spent the next few minutes explaining the menu and her food magic.
After she was done with the basics, she then said, "I know you're a dragon slayer… a–and I kind of pride myself on building Natsu's personal Dragon Slayer menu… I–I… I was hoping if you wouldn't mind me doing the same for you." Gajeel was silent which made Talise back track. "I–I mean–that is if you want to. Y–You don't need to! Y–You can order whatever you want!"
The chef got nervous when he didn't say anything back to her. Their silence was drowned by the cheers and applause of the other members. Talise fiddled with the pen and notepad she had in her lap. This felt like a bad idea as she watched Gajeel glare at her menu. Maybe she should've just stayed at the bar instead.
"What's your name." he muttered.
She blinked. Talise would've kicked herself for being an idiot. She started babbling about her work and didn't properly introduce herself first. "T–Talise… Talise Aguarian."
Gajeel looked back at her. She was being way too nice to him. He didn't know if it was her nature or she was put up to it by the Master of the guild. His red eyes were fixed on her teal ones. The latter made the most sense, since no one in the guild, besides Juvia, was this friendly towards him.
Talise became self-conscious as he kept staring at her intently. He then said, "I eat any kind of metal. Nothing else." and slid the menu back to her. Talise jumped in her seat and quickly wrote down what he said on her notepad.
Soon the lights were back on and that was her cue to leave. She got up from her seat and slid back the menu to him. "Y–You keep it. It was meant for the guild members to keep."
He said nothing and stared at her as she went back downstairs.
As soon as Talise entered the kitchen, she let out a deep breath. Her hands were clammy and trembling. It was so nerve racking talking to Gajeel. She didn't know if he was always mad with the glare he had on his face. Or maybe that's how his face naturally is. Just like Elfman or Laxus.
She looked at her notepad. She wished he would've said more than just "any kind of metal". It was going to be difficult creating a menu with just that. Talise sighed. But at least he responded. That meant he wasn't a total evil jerk.
He just needs time to settle down. Just like any other person in a new guild.
The next several days, Talise was super busy. Between cooking, waitressing, and figuring out/creating Gajeel's dragon slayer menu, Talise had no time to herself or with Gray and her friends. At most she would give them a hello or a wave but then went back to work. This vastly concerned Mirajane. She knew when Talise starts taking her breaks in the kitchen; she was creating a personal menu or a new item for someone. But because of her passion for creating something delicious for others, Talise can over doing it and not take care of herself.
And it was starting to show.
During the week, Talise was forgetting orders, drinks, as well as moving slower.
Normally Gray would get her on the right track: by forcing her to eat and rest. But the ice mage hasn't stayed in the guild long enough to see the cook as he's been away on multiple job requests. The same was for Bisca, who was Gray's backup.
Mirajane sighed and stared at the kitchen doorway, shining and glittering. The lunch rush was over but Talise was still working, despite not having any orders. At this point it was going to be her to pick up the slack.
She went in front of the kitchen and claimed that it was closed for the rest of the day. Several mages groaned and questioned her. Mira didn't explained why but gave the guild half priced drinks for the next hour. That managed to get their minds off her sudden decision.
As Mirajane went around taking orders, loud BANGS were made. Everyone's attention went to the kitchen, wondering what was going on in there. It took three minutes for the unusual banging, and everyone's curiosity, to stop.
Most mages brushed it off, thinking nothing of it. If Talise wasn't running out screaming, they assumed she was ok.
When Mira went back to the bar with her orders, she saw the cook peek her head out. Mira raised a brow when she didn't say anything to her and gazed around the guild. Before Mirajane could say something Talise went back in and then came back out with two trays, each with two plates covered.
The waitress tilted her head as she watched the cook take a deep breath and walked to the far west end of the guild. She lightly gasped as she saw Talise stop in front of the Iron Dragon Slayer's table. She wasn't the only one. Other members of the guild stopped and gapped at the scene. They didn't think it was Gajeel that Talise was cooking for.
The dragon slayer was sitting in the most remote table he could find. His head was buried in his arms as he tried to ignore the whispers and glares aimed to him.
He was tired.
Not just from the jobs he had but also from the treatment he was getting from his guild mates. To say that it didn't affect him was a lie. He was just as human as anyone else. He just didn't like showing his emotions on the regular. He didn't know how long he'll last like this.
Juvia saw his dilemma and gave him some advice: "Try making a friend, then everyone else will see Gajeel-kun is no longer the evil brute, who attacked and destroyed their guild."
Gajeel grumbled. That was easier said than done. He wasn't her, who was automatically liked and welcomed by everyone.
He lightly sighed. Why bother fighting it? He never had any real friends, besides Juvia, back in Phantom Lord to begin with. Everyone either feared and/or resented him. It'll be the same with Fairy Tail, he just knew it. There's no point in changing the inevitable.
His nose then picked up the scent of a certain cook.
Gajeel slowly raised his head as two trays were placed in front of him. He stared at the covers then at Talise, who was jittery and nervous. His face defaulted to a glare, which frighten the cook even more.
It didn't take a genius to see what she was doing. He remembered their conversation the other day. He didn't think she would actually go through with it and in such a short amount of time. He was a bit touched. But then he remembered this wasn't done out of her own free will. Her actions were being controlled by the Master's, which made all this, and her, fake.
Talise gulped and started to sweat. She didn't think he would be pissed off by her presence. She would've run off back into the kitchen, were it was safe, but she was already this deep in. There was no point in running now. She took a deep breath and tried to calm her nervous, as much as she could from the glare she was receiving. "I… I brought you–"
"Stop." he growled. The cook froze. "It'll be better if you treated me like the rest of the guild." he muttered and pushed the trays away from him. "Tell the Master I said you don't gotta be nice to me."
Talise blinked. What was he talking about? She hasn't spoken nor seen the Master in days. Where was he getting this from?
Gajeel retreated his head back into his arms and whispered, "I don't need friends."
It was very low but she caught it. Talise frowned. It made her sad that he thought he didn't need friends. Even the shittiest person had at least one friend. Her fear went away as she sat down and stared at his solemn form.
She waited for a moment before she cleared her throat. "Wh–What… are you talking about?"
He lifted his head, his eyes glaring at her even more. "It's obvious the Master's behind this. You're not fooling me."
Talise shook her head. "I'm not following any orders. Not the Master or anyone else." She then pushed the trays back to him and said, "If I was, I wouldn't have been working so hard during my breaks and after work–putting in sleepless hours trying to come up with a way to incorporate metal in food for you."
"You sure don't look it." he sneered.
"You'll be surprised at what makeup can hide." Before Gajeel could rebuttal, Talise lifted all four covers from the trays. "I didn't know whether you like sweet or savory, so I made both for you."
Gajeel stopped and was surprised. On the plates were various appetizers, finger food, cakes, and sweet bread. But what was shocked him was that it was all covered in metal. He looked at her, then at the food, and back. He'd never believe that metal could be shape like real food.
His bewilderment made Talise smile. "Go on, try one."
The man gave her a cautious look before he took a metal onigiri. He took a whiff. It didn't smell like metal which confused him even more. Talise watched him with bated breath as he bit off half of the rice ball. Gajeel was taken aback with the taste of rice and salted salmon. It's been years since he tasted those flavors.
He was about to tell her off on how he ONLY ate metal, not real food when the onigiri in his mouth started tasting metallic. Not only that, he started feeling a small surge of power slowly go through him. It's as if he was eating regular metal.
Gajeel looked at the food, then at her weirdly. He couldn't believe what he was eating.
Talise slowly grew a smile. "Well?" she asked. "Do you like it?"
He quickly swallowed what he had in his mouth and asked, "How… did you do this?"
She had a cheeky grin. "With my magic of course." she teased. He gave her a dry look before helping himself to more of the metal food.
As Talise properly explained to him more about the food on the plates, nearby was Mirajane; watching them from the corner of her eye as she waited tables. A smile appeared on her face as the cook eagerly spoke to the frightening dragon slayer, who looked content eating her food.
It reminded her of the time she first made Natsu his own menu.
She was glad Talise was able to move past Gajeel's assault and be friendly with him. Mira sighed. Now if only the rest of the guild would follow suit.