Night 37: Lumen, Starsea Yokan
The Late Night Diner is a part of Rhodes Island's canteen. That goes without saying – to whom had anyone ever heard of a diner in the boiler room?
As the name implies, it opens around midnight. There are only a handful of customers at a time.
Operators off their night shift could take an order and bring back to their quarters. Night owls could sit dining-in while leeching off the Diner's wi-fi. The Doctor would come for instant noodles from time to time.
Drinks are in the cooler. Anyone burdened by their own thoughts could take one and chug it down, anytime.
Menu? No such thing exists. What the Chef prepares is what you get. It all depends on his mood of the day.
Welcome to the Rhodes Island Late Night Diner. In here, you might even meet a familiar face or two.
"Woohoo~~"
The Diner tonight was rowdy with drunks again. They danced along with the newest trending pop songs from Higashi, and their barrel-like bodies twisted and twirled on the dance floor. Beer was spilt onto the floor and stained the carpet by the patches. Not far from the scene the Chef watched with a grimace and a heartache. It would be one hell of a clean up, but also the beer spilt was the top quality schwarzbier from Leithania.
When the disco ball stopped spinning it was already past the midnight. Drunken operators lay about the room in different postures. Trash littered the floor, accompanied by some other less mentionable filth. The Chef lifted the limbs of the drunks passing out on the counter with a frown, then proceeded to wipe the wet counter down with a piece of rug.
"Are you alright, sir? Please say something." A young Aegier man helped straighten an barely conscious operator upright, then carefully wiped the filth off his chin with his own handkerchief. "Let me help you to the Medical Department for some simple check up and treatment. Don't worry, you'll be fine come morning. "
"I wouldn't get myself involved if I were you, kid." The Chef threw the soaked cloth into the sink and took up a new one. "It would be the best just to leave them be."
"But they are all intoxicated. If we just leave them here they will catch a cold, and they would have their stomachs upset. Please, at least allow me to help them clean up a bit..." The Aegier man paused. He hesitated, yet still wouldn't let go of the operator with arms around his shoulder.
"It's precisely because of that. They need to be taught a lesson, otherwise they will come and wreck my business a week later." The Chef said with a humph. "Closure got hold a bunch of disco equipment from who-knows-where. 'Expand your business' she said, 'It would be profitable' she said. Pah, it's all 'Sarkaz swearing' rubbish. It'd be more helpful if she could come down and clean the mess with me,"
"Is it so...anyhow, I'd better get them to the empty tables over there. I will help you with cleaning in just a moment." The Aegier man turned away from the Chef's accusing eyesight, and picking up the slumbering drunks one by one. Then he moved them to a better spot and started cleaning up their faces. He even pour each and everyone of them a small cup of warm water. The Chef was not expecting him to do all these work by himself, though he gave his best. He even cleaned most of the trash and vomit sticking to the floor, albeit with some reluctance while forcing down a growing sense of nausea.
When the bar counter had finally returned to its original tidiness, the arms of the clock were pointing at two o'clock in the morning. The young Agier man collapsed on a chair and let out a long sigh. His snow-white shirt had been stained with a myriad of colours, and the collar and cuffs were soaked through. The Chef passed him a class of hot coca and a clean towel, and gestured him to wipe the sweat off his face.
"I thought you were here for a meal. Never knew you'd stay for volunteer work." The Chef chuckled. By this time the drunks had all awoken one by one and gained enough senses to move on, and with pounding headaches they had all left one after another. It was then the Chef had finally a chance to have a good chat with his saviour for the night. "You from the Medical?" He asked.
"Yes. I am medical operator Lumen from Iberia. I spent most of my time there, and only had a few opportunities to be on board the land ship. Guess I was lucky to caught the end of the party tonight. With everyone here drunk like that, I figured it'd better if I lend a hand..." He looked rather reserved, and his gaze stayed on the white porcelain cup in his palm.
"You are a bleeding heart, you know that?" The Chef poured himself a cup of hot coca as well, and clinked with Lumen's cup. "These guys are not worth your time and sympathy, really. It would have been better if you spent your time resting on Rhodes Island. I heard the work in Iberia was demanding."
"Yeah, perhaps you are right. But I just want to help. Even the smallest effort would do. " Lumen raised his head. Inside his orange eyes glowed a steely determination that did not match with the rest of his soft features. "Maybe it was not wise of me to lend a helping hand, but if my effort could help them sobering up sooner and return to their duties, it'd still be worthwhile work."
The Chef watched the young man spoke. This willowy young man might not be able to withstand a round of intense exercise in the Training Room, yet in his expression was a conviction great and unshakable like the mighty mountains of Terra. It brought out a sense of respect from deep down in his heart.
"You know kid." He produced two small bowls from the fridge. "Even them elite operators such as Blaze had not spoke of something that's as profound as you just did. Come, take a look at this."
"Is this...red and white bean paste?" Lumen looked into he bowls, then looked at the Chef. "What about them?"
The Chef then took two small copper pots, poured water, sugar and Higashi kanken powder into them. When the water boiled, he put in the bean pastes until they were fully melted in the water. The resulting mixture was slightly sticky yet still smooth. Afterwards he turned off the heat and took out a square mould from the cabinet. He poured the liquid into the mould till it was fully filled, and put it into the fridge.
"It'd take awhile for the mixture to fully cool down." The Chef said. "So I had some prepared beforehand." He took out another mould from the fridge. The red and white bean paste mixture filled the bottom of the mould, and the surface was smooth and without the blemishes from air bubbles. It shined like a mirror.
Lumen had heard of this treat before. It was called yokan. Originated from Yan, it was the Higashians who developed it further and carried it forward. He had heard that the thoroughly filtered bean paste was exquisitely smooth, though he never had the fortune to taste such a delicacy.
"Look at here now." The Chef brought out a small dish of dried flowers. The bluish-purple pedals were completely dry and lifeless. "You know what this is?" He inquired.
Lumen pondered for a moment, then shook his head.
"It's called pigeonwing flower. When soaked through with warm water it'd colour everything blue." The Chef poured a bowl of hot water as he spoke, and put in a few bulbs of the dried flowers. A moment later the pedals expanded in the water, and entire bowl gleamed with brilliant sapphire of the clear night sky. "Though if you drip in a few drops of lemon juice..."
He poured some of the blue water from the bowl into a saucer. When the lemon juice hit the water's surface, the blue colour instantly transformed into a hazy violet. The Chef mixed a few more bowls of water with different shades of blue, and prepared a saucer of milky white liquid with some coconut milk. He then mixed with some sugar and kanken powder in and lifted his gaze towards Lumen again.
"Just you watch, kid." He said, and poured spoonful of the colouring liquid into the mould. "Even the most common beans and flower could produce a breath-taking scene of the sea."
Blue, violet and white mixed and mingled under the guidance of the Chef's hands. Lumen saw in front of his eyes something resemble the endless ocean of Iberian coast. He saw the deep blue surface, snowy white brim of the waves, and beneath of it all, the dark lavender afterglow of a mesmerizing sunset. He was transported back to the halcyon days of his youth – atop the gigantic statue in Gran Faro, he gazed toward the Eye of Iberia in the distance. It was the beautiful ocean of his cherished past recreated in the small bowl before him.
"Oh..." Lumen looked at the Chef, not sure what he would say.
"Still need some cooling down before you can have it, kid. But I have one already made. Here it is." The Chef took the yokan he just made and put it into the fridge, then took out one already cut into proper portions and placed before him. "I am dead tired tonight and gotta close the shop now. Come tomorrow evening and tell me how it tasted, yeah?"
"I will. Thank you." Lumen said gently. He stood up and bowed slightly towards the Chef, then turned and was about to leave.
"Kid." The Chef called to him before he stepped out of the door.
"Remember this. One day you will be a man of greet deeds." He said.