(26)
Serena was able to find the bar easily enough. It was right on the corner of one of the main avenues in South District. She was almost surprised she had never come across it before. Probably because she never really left North District as it was where the Guard Hall was located.
A large electrical sign overtop the entrance proclaimed its name in curvy, red letters: The Late-Nighters'. Like she'd expected, it didn't look like much. The outside looked like it had been painted over a few hundred times. All the angles and edges had been dulled down, almost like a rock that had been smoothed by a river. It looked out of place on that street corner, and she actually found herself wishing Grillby was there to explain its history to her. (Un)fortunately, he wasn't.
Grillby had gotten to escape the hall a few hours before her. Having maintained his reputation for good behavior since that second day, he had been allowed to leave early to go to his "other job" when he requested it, which she didn't think he did very often anyway, so they probably felt more obligated now that he finally had. Her thoughts automatically questioned if that had been his intended.
Serena also wasn't sure how she felt about him having time to prepare in advance. She'd been hoping she would be able to keep him off balance so he wouldn't get any funny ideas, but it looked like that plan had fallen apart already. "Alright then," she said to herself, "guess it's time to see how deep a hole I've dug for myself."
A monster came stumbling out of the bar as she walked up to the door. Even with four legs, they struggled to keep themself upright. They said something incomprehensible as Serena passed, and then disappeared into the night. Yes, she decided, she was in quite deep indeed.
.
The atmosphere within the restaurant was much more subdued than she had suspected. There was chatter to be sure, and some of it was definitely less than quiet and less than sober, but it was calm and sedate overall. Half of the tables and booths in the front room were filled and she could see from the door that there was another room tucked around the corner with more filled tables as well. Everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves. Some, perhaps, a little too much.
The place was very earthy, with dark-stained wood making up most of the walls, the tables and the floor. The upper halves of the walls were painted a dark green and held sconces full of lit candles every few feet despite obvious access to more modern amenities from the sign outside, giving the place a very subdued lighting. The air had a weight to it too. It wasn't stuffy, exactly, it was more like the humidity had come to life and took up position as greeter. The pleasant smells of food and pipe tobacco danced and shifted in the air, one fading to be replaced by the other with each moment. It was also warm, very warm, though also not unpleasant.
She found Grillby standing behind the bar. He was pouring a blue concoction from a shaker into a glass that he slid over to the only monster currently sitting at it. She took a place on the opposite end and waited for him to come over. When he did he smiled down at her and made a grand gesture to the arrangement of bottles on the shelves behind him. It took her a moment to decipher what that meant. "I don't drink, thanks."
He nodded and went over to the sink behind the bar and began washing out the shaker he had been using. Serena's mouth drew into a line. "Is there some reason-?" He cut her off by bringing a finger to his lips. He then snapped his fingers over his head, getting the attention of a monster who was moving between the tables taking orders. The monster turned and gave a thumbs-up in response to some cryptic gesture the fire monster made towards him. Then Grillby motioned for her to follow. She got up from her stool and was led down a flight of stairs.
As they reached a door at the bottom of the steps, a clamor that easily rivaled the one upstairs reached her before it was even opened. Grillby turned the knob and revealed the kitchen beyond. Monsters moved quickly between countertops, checking on large pots or steaming pans on one of several stovetop ranges and shouting back and forth to one another as they worked. In the center was a long table where a pair of monster prepared raw ingredients or put the finishing touches on plates almost ready to leave. Though monsters could technically make food out of anything, it was becoming a common belief that it tasted better if you started with things that were edible to begin with.
The aroma in that room was one of heat and spice. The whole spaced looked decisively newer than upstairs, or at least better maintained. Overall she was impressed by the sight, primarily the neatness and order of it all in contrast to the atmosphere above. All of the monsters moved at a pace that rivaled practice drills in the Guard without managing to interfere with one another unless it was intentional.
Grillby turned to her and loosened his tie. "Sorry about that up there," he said.
The words worked to bring her back to reality and remind her of what had happened above. "Yeah, what was with the silent treatment?" she asked him.
"I never talk when I'm behind the bar," he told her.
"Why not?"
He tapped the side of head. "Because if you're speaking, then you're not listening."
Before she could ask him what he meant by that, he grabbed her by the hand and they entered the room.
Dodging around the cooks with an experienced step, giving greetings as he passed, he led her to another door at the back that opened to reveal another, smaller kitchen. This one had a single stove, range, and a counter lining the back wall, a table in the center to sit at, and little else. It was also empty but for the two of them.
"What's this?" she asked as the door closed behind them and the sounds of the main kitchen were muffled to a dull rumble.
"Test kitchen," Grillby said as he starting lighting the stove and turning on the oven. "If anyone has an idea for a new dish, they test it out back here whenever they have the time. I'm usually the only one that ever uses it though, which is why I was able to get it for tonight."
"Interesting…" The thought dawned on her that she was in a basement, alone with him, deep within his territory, and she suddenly felt like she should have brought a knife from the barracks with her.
"So, what would you like?" he asked, grabbing a basic set of pots and pans from the cabinets. "Everything's on the menu."
Serena thought for a moment then realized she had her chance to take advantage of the situation again. He was trying to impress her right? In that case, she wouldn't give him an inch.
"Surprise me," she told him.
He rolled his head back in exasperation. "C'mon, you gotta give me something. Do you prefer sweet or savory, meat or vegetables? Anything!"
"Nope," she maintained, grinning deviously. "Don't worry, I'm not very picky."
"You have no preferences whatsoever?" he shook his head. "That guard food has ruined you worse than I thought."
"Then it shouldn't be too hard to find something I like, should it?"
He paused to look at her. "Why do I get the feeling you're setting me up for failure?"
"I could be."
He smirked. "Fine. Challenge accepted." He turned to the stove, picked his weapons, and got to work.
Serena took a seat at the table in the center of the room. He disappeared for a few minutes and came back with a double-armful of ingredients. In a whir, he was chopping things and throwing them into the pots and pans faster than she could keep track. He kept his back to her all the while, making it so she could barely see what he was working with, let alone what he was doing with it all. The one time she tried to stand up to get a better look he shoved a spoon in her face and shot her a glare from behind his glasses. She sat back down in a huff and waited.
Eventually, he must have had everything together enough that he turned to face her. "So, why did you agree to this?" he asked her.
An interesting question, considering he was the one that suggested it. "Isn't it rude to question something like that?" she asked back.
He shrugged. "Maybe, but the curiosity is eating at me."
"Well, now you know how it feels." She nodded her head towards the oven behind him.
"Hey, you did that to yourself. You could have told me what you wanted and you'd know exactly what I was making. Besides you'll get to know soon enough anyway, meanwhile I'm left in the dark."
"Then you'll know when I know. For now, we'll say it was… temporary insanity."
He chuckled at that. "Fair enough," he said before turning back to his work, which looked to consist mainly of cleaning dishes at that point.
Finally, a timer went off and he opened the oven. He turned to her and placed his creation down on the table. Serena eyed it curiously. "A pie?" she questioned.
Grillby nodded. "You can blame the queen for this one. I'm pretty sure I've had some kind of pie every night since I arrived at the castle. She seems to have a thing for them."
Serena wasn't about to complain. "I can't say I've ever had pie for dinner before. Though I guess the kid in me is pretty excited by the idea."
"Ah, but this isn't a regular pie," Grillby said as he spun a knife into his hand out of nowhere and let it descend into the dish. He cut a slice out a placed it onto a plate, sliding it over before cutting one for himself and sitting down across from her.
Serena investigated the filling that was now visible to her. "It looks like… stew?" she observed.
"Pretty much," Grillby confirmed. "Personally, I can't stand sweet things, and I've had enough pies shoved down my throat now that this seems like a healthy enough dose of sacrilege to count as my petty revenge."
That earned him a chuckle from the water monster. "I'm sure her ears are burning as we speak. But, as novel as a concept as this is, it doesn't mean that it's any good."
"Well then," he said, sliding a fork towards her, "see for yourself."
Serena took up the utensil and, after a moment's more consideration, cut it through the slice. The flaky crust crackled as the fork broke through it and the filling offered no resistance at all despite it keeping its shape in the slice. She brought the bite up to her mouth and blew on it. As she did, the aromas began to waft up to her and she found her mouth watering more than it usually did. Grillby eyed her patiently from across the table, leaving his own portion untouched as he waited for her reaction. For a moment, with his eyes on him, this whole thing made her feel like she was letting herself be violated. She glared at the fire monster until he finally stopped staring at her and picked up his own utensils.
Frowning, she took the plunge, and found herself unable to hide her amazement. The meat and the carrots melted in her mouth. They were deliciously seasoned and perfectly tender. The crust stayed flaky up until the very last moment, its buttery flavor pairing with the filling perfectly. The more rendered of the filling formed a rich gravy that coated her mouth and she felt her whole body warm up as she swallowed. Afterward, she had to fight herself to not instantly dive for another bite. No matter how good it was, she would not give him that much satisfaction.
"So what do you think?" His eyes said he knew exactly what she was trying to hold back.
After she felt like enough time had passed to justify a second bite, she took it and said, "Alright, I'll admit you are a lot better than the cooks at the Hall."
"Thank you," he said humbly. He took up a bite of his own without blowing on it.
They ate in silence for a few minutes. Serena forced herself to eat at a normal pace, though that didn't stop her from taking a second helping after. "Well," Grillby said as he finished his own meal. "Do I get to know your reason?"
She shook her head as she swallowed. "First I wanna know why you were being so secretive making this. What, don't trust me not to give away your magic yet?"
His grin slipped at that. "Don't use magic to cook," he said simply. "Don't use it for much of anything, actually."
She narrowed her eyes at him. "Really, why?"
He shrugged. "Personal reasons. Plus, I think the results of my work prove that I'm not exactly selling myself short with its lack."
She couldn't argue with that. She took another bite of the pie.
"Now, how about keeping up your end of the bargain?" he pressed.
Serena thought about continuing to leave him hanging, but decided there was no point to it since he probably would never let the subject drop if she did. "It's because I'm starting to think there's hope for you yet, criminal," she told him honestly.
Grillby rolled his eyes again. "Gee, thanks."
"Hey," she fought, "it's better than before, isn't it? So, how about dessert?" The fire monster groaned, but didn't refuse, and Serena laughed as he stood back up.
.
A few hours later, the two were walking next to a small pond in a nearby park. Dessert had gone as well as the meal, and they each decided they had an excess of energy to walk off before calling it a night.
"You never did tell me how you ended up in the guard, you know," Grillby was saying. The two kept a small distance from one another as they watched the water twinkle with the light of the crystals overhead. "And no, I'm not trying to imply you don't belong there. You just seem like the type that could have fallen into anything, so why the guard."
"Do you really want to know that badly?" she asked him. "It's not the most interesting story."
"So I was right then? Your average, cushy life story?"
She hesitated. "If I said yes, would you drop it?"
Catching the pause, Grillby stopped in front of her. "Something wrong?" he asked.
"No, I just… I don't like talking about it very much."
"Alright, then forget I asked." He started walking again. "You should have just said so in the first place. I don't like digging up unpleasantness any more than the next guy."
A few steps ahead, he stopped again when he noticed she wasn't following. Serena's gaze was lost in the water of the pond.
"I grew up an orphan too," she began quietly. "I got separated from my parents one day when the three of us took a trip to Waterfall. There was a cave-in right in the middle of our trip that caused a whole section of tunnels to flood. We might be made of water, but getting hit by a torrent like that hurts us just as much as it would any monster. The only thing I remember from that day was the first time I used my resonance: My mother and I were barely holding on to a rock as the water rushed passed us when she lost her grip. I reached out to catch her, but then my hand just turned to mist." Serena paused, squeezing her eyes shut. Grillby remained silent, giving her a moment.
"After I made it out of the water, I sort of just… wandered for a while. Eventually I made it back here to the city and ended up wherever I could get food. I was thankful for all of the kindness so many monsters showed to someone like me. So whenever I saw the other kids causing trouble, kind of like your group was, I would try to stop them. Safe to say, I got in over my head a couple of times. One of those times, Gerson found me and asked me if I wanted to join the guard. I was fourteen then and saw no other way my life was going, plus I thought it would let me be a part of something that could make a real difference."
"You know-" Grillby began, but Serena cut him off with a finger in his face.
"I swear if you say something like, 'oh, the two of us aren't that different, you know!' I'll see how well you do being thrown into a lake."
"Alright then, subject change," Grillby said instead. "Speaking of feats of extraordinary strength, I've been wondering, how does the guard do all of the crazy things they do? You are all way too strong and way too fast to not have something up your sleeves. So what is it?"
"Why do you want to know? Are you thinking about joining up?" Serena asked.
"Absolutely not," Grillby assured her.
"Then I'm not going to tell you."
"Why not?"
"Because if everyone knew it, it would be a lot harder to pull them out of trouble, trust me."
"But don't I technically work for the guard already?"
"Maybe, but you're still not in the Guard."
He stopped again, standing in front of her. "What will it take to get you to tell me?"
"Is this a bribe, criminal?" she joked.
"I'm shameless," Grillby told her, "but also serious."
"You really wanna know that badly?"
"Yes."
She thought it over for another moment. "Alright," she said, "but it'll cost you another dinner." The water monster winked up at him before starting her way up the path again.
Grillby rolled his eyes as he watched her back. "Of course it will."