With my school term now back to full swing, and the amount of PAPERWORK and exams I'm going through, I apologise that I'm going back into my MONTHLY update style again. However, I'm now giving up yet! I'll try to upload faster, but I need to focus on my studies...
TheLegendaryFalconFall, dawnleaf1234, Button-eyed Rag Doll, and That Same honoured Guest, you are all entitled to a glass of sirop de grenadine, a Slateport cake, and a freshly baked macaron - delivered by Martine Grenadine herself!
By the way, TheLegendaryFalconFall, sirop de grenadine is not an alcohol.
Button-eyed Rag Doll, you greedy! You want one macaron, and now you want a dozen more?! Well, by all means, here's a plate of a dozen freshly baked macarons for you!
Chapter sixteen: The Right Kind of Dress
The woman who had briefly been in Steven's thoughts was operating her business as usual, albeit it had been a somewhat tiring day. Cilan, Cress, and Chili hadn't left, but instead were enjoying Cynthia's freshly-made desserts, and professionally critiquing the taste and effort she had put into them. Even Chili, who was normally hotheaded and such, had taken time to enjoy the original Unova cheesecake Cynthia had served to him.
It had been three hours since Cynthia had them sample some of her treats, whereas she had them pay for others. Unova cheesecake, macarons, and delicious smoothies were among the things that had been served. On demand, though, Cilan paid for a dark chocolate shaped to look like a Prism Tower replica.
The chocolate was served frozen, and the design of the chocolate was such that Cilan sort of felt guilty at the thought of eating it. Chili insisted on taking the first bite, to which Cilan started to eat the chocolate rather hastily.
"Shall I interest you three in a chocolate fondue?" Cynthia offered.
Cress held up his hands. "I think I've had enough of desserts for today, tempting as it may be."
"Come on, Cress, there's no need to fear more chocolate!" Chili lightly pressured. Before Cress could even say any more, Chili motioned to Cynthia for a fondue. Chili loved the reaction he was getting from Cress, when the latter frantically tried to stop Cynthia. Unfortunately, he was held down by his brothers.
In minutes Cynthia was back inside the café helping with more customers who stopped by for a coffee. She went around collecting empty cups and plates before heading to the counter and passing them to some of the staff.
"The gentlemen outside would like a chocolate fondue, with red or white, you decide," she instructed. "Fruit or bread, that's up to you too."
"Oui, chef," the barista nodded, and then he seemed to remember something. "Oh by the way, chef, we had a customer drop by who was looking for you. She seemed in a hurry, I guess."
"Oh, did you get the customer's name?" Cynthia asked.
The barista scoffed, as if he was failing to hide a joke, which annoyed Cynthia. Not wanting to risk losing pay or even his job, the barista replied, "She's sitting over there."
Immediately, he went for the phone to contact the kitchens on the upper floors. Vue sur la Lune had a chocolatier, a café, a dining area, and a lobby on the ground level, but much of the restaurant's dining occurred on the upper floors. As it happened, the chocolate fondue Cynthia created was a restaurant item and had to be prepared from the kitchens. That was what exactly happened when the barista made the quick phone call, and normally, one of the servers would bring it to the café when it was completely prepared.
At the same time, Cynthia went for the customer the barista mentioned. This customer was dressed in entirely white clothes, complete with a white coat, and white high heels. She sported a pink handbag and was wearing sunglasses. Sitting near the window, she was slowly enjoying a cup of freshly brewed coffee with a croissant on the side.
Well, doesn't that look sharp? Cynthia thought. If she didn't know better, she would have taken this customer to be a sort of rich girl.
"Salut," Cynthia greeted, casually. "Were you looking for me?"
The customer looked directly at her, and then gestured to the other chair at her table. "Bon après-midi, Champion."
Cynthia expected as much that at some point sooner or later in Kalos that someone would address directly as Champion. It occurred to her that this customer was making it more puzzling in that this customer was wearing sunglasses. Why so secretive?
"Um… I suppose you know who I am," she said. "But may I ask for your name?"
A smile crept up the customer's lips, and then she pulled off her sunglasses, and smartly saying, "You really don't know who I am, Cynthia? That's nice of you."
Now Cynthia felt like slapping herself. If it weren't for the sunglasses, she would have recognised her right away. Everyone in Kalos, and maybe fans outside the region, would know exactly who she was. Cynthia wondered why she didn't recognise her at first glance, being former Champion.
"Oh! Diantha!" Cynthia exclaimed, with an expression of surprise.
"In the flesh," Diantha grinned. "How have you been?"
"Great!"
"Really?"
"Oh, you know…" Cynthia said slowly. "I'm just a simple woman now, doing business in something I really enjoy. Ever hear about people who want to retire early? I guess this is what it feels like, being free from Pokémon League duties."
"Cynthia, that is nowhere close to being retired!" Diantha lightly objected. "But in all seriousness, are you sure you're feeling great? After all, I did read the title article in my favourite magazine. So, have you two started yet?"
Oh no, not you too! Cynthia thought.
Unfortunately for Cynthia, her facial expression came long before her verbal response. Diantha read it a moment and she laughed, right before Cynthia said, "No!"
"It's alright, Cynthia, we can always talk about that later," Diantha said back. "Besides, I thought I'd try to give you an invitation to a dinner I'm hosting tonight."
Henri stopped by the table to check on his boss, where the latter asked she be served a cup of mocha. In five minutes, Cynthia was enjoying a conversation with the Kalos Champion over a hot drink. Diantha explained she had just returned from filming at a studio in Unova and was happy to celebrate over dinner with her colleagues. Cynthia expressed interest as well, until she asked where exactly Diantha was holding dinner.
"Oh, it's at the Stone Restaurant and Bistro," Diantha happily answered, not noticing the very slight disappointment in Cynthia's eyes. "I've made a reservation, but if you'd like to join me, I'm sure Steven would love to oblige. Hey! It'll be like a gathering of Champions! A reunion! Of course, keeping out the paparazzi isn't going to be simple either, so I've booked a whole private section on the top floor, when the sun sets."
Cynthia wasn't paying attention, but she was staring off, lost in thought.
Diantha ended up waving a hand in front of Cynthia's eyes. "Hey, Cynthia? Cynthia!"
Her spaced-off eyes blinked back to reality. "Oh, sorry, what?"
"Are you sure you're okay?" Now Diantha said it in a way as if she was acting smart. "Let me guess. You have something against me going to Steven's restaurant and not yours."
Thinking quickly, Cynthia replied, "Oh, no! I'd love to join you for dinner tonight, even if it would mean going to eat there! Well, not that I have anything against him."
Henri served Cynthia a slice of lotus cheesecake, with an appetizing drizzle of deep blue Belue berry and garnished with coconut shavings. If Cynthia was going to enjoy a mocha, she might as well serve it with a light treat. Diantha, noticing how appetizing it looked, asked Henri for a slice as well.
After making her order, Diantha faced Cynthia again. "Alright, so if you're really interested you could always drop by tonight. Dinner will be in… (she glanced at her phone) three hours? That's plenty of time, I'm sure. Now given that it's Steven's restaurant, you'll want to dress nice. No wait, scratch that. You need to be looking fabulous."
In an instant, Cynthia became self-conscious of the day. She didn't realise it at first, but the sunlight in the skies began to signal the coming of twilight, which meant that if she really was going to have dinner with Diantha, she was going to have to start organising an early leave from work. To be fair, at least, Cynthia was administrator. She would have to leave the duties to her managers, like she always did before.
She eyed one of the servers from upstairs who was bringing a fondue set outside to where the Striaton brothers were sitting. It appeared that the barista had opted to have the fondue served with strawberries. Outside, Chili and Cress reacted happily upon seeing the server place the pot over the burner, subsequently lighting it, and melting chocolate into the pot. In addition, some wine – specifically one from Steven's cellar – was used to help cook the fondue as well.
"I guess I better start picking out my dress," Cynthia said, albeit dully. "I think I'll have to look good just for you, Diantha."
Diantha grinned. "I'll make a phone call for an extra seat now."
At the same time a slice of lotus cheesecake with coconut shavings was placed on the space before her, while she made a phone call to the Stone Bistro to add one more seat at her table. As one would expect, Diantha picked up her spoon and scooped small portion of the cheesecake to eat it, after she had made her call.
On the other hand, Cynthia got up to walk over to the café counter to make an internal phone call to her managers, informing them of her change in schedule. Elsewhere outside, Cilan asked his server if he could look at the wine that was being used to cook the fondue. The server agreed and left the bottle on the table for Cilan to look at upon departing.
After making her call, Cynthia returned to the table to rejoin Diantha who was halfway-through eating her cheesecake.
"I have to say, Cynthia, this is good cheesecake!" Diantha smiled. "You know, maybe after dinner at Steven's, I could head back here for a slice. What do you think?"
But before Cynthia could answer, Diantha coughed. This cough was pretty dry. Alarmed, Cynthia asked, "Hey, Diantha! Are you alright?"
Diantha held a hand to her throat, another to cover her mouth, and she kept coughing. "It – (cough) – I'm fine. It's just a little allergic reaction – (cough) –"
The coughing did not stop, and now Cynthia was getting very worried.
"Whoa whoa whoa!" she said. "Allergic reaction?! What are you allergic to?!"
Diantha rasped, "Co…co…nut."
CRASH
Immediately, Diantha's head, shoulders, and arms collapsed on the table. It was apparent that Diantha had fainted. Panic was the first reaction Cynthia had. Thankfully, the only customers at the café at the moment were the Striaton brothers.
"Cynthia! What's going on?!" the barista dropped a bag of coffee beans, spilling them on the floor, when he saw Diantha out cold on the table. "Wait, that's Diantha! Cynthia, what happened?!"
"She's knocked out," Cynthia answered calmly, trying to keep the situation steady. "I'll see that she'll be at the Pokémon Centre soon. It's really nothing serious, but hey, let's keep in mind that Diantha is allergic to coconut."
Still aware of Diantha's booking at the Stone Bistro, and that Diantha would have to wake up in… three hours, someone would have to show up in her place until she did. Cynthia wondered if she might take it as an advantage.
Diantha was carried away by two of Cynthia's Pokémon – Garchomp and Roserade – and Henri out of the café. It was an unusual scene, particularly for the Striaton brothers who were sitting outside watching.
"Remind the medical staff to notify me if she ever wakes up," Cynthia instructed. "She has a dinner reservation tonight, so we wouldn't want her to keep waiting."
"Oui, chef," Henri replied.
"Something going on here, Cynthia?" Cilan asked.
Cynthia nearly forgot how close the Striaton brothers were sitting to the café entrance.
"Nothing serious," Cynthia quickly replied. "Diantha here just got an allergic reaction to some coconut. That's all. Is there something you need?"
"I'd just like to talk about the wine you use for this chocolate fondue," he said. "I'm not criticising you, as the fondue is delicious, yes, but where exactly did you get this wine?"
Her face was frozen for a few seconds, but she made a quick reply.
"I'm… having dinner with Diantha tonight at the Stone Bistro," she said. "You think I can answer your question later?"
On the other hand, Cynthia knew that for one like Diantha, casual clothing was not going to cut it, and particularly at a place like the Stone Bistro where business casual was the minimal norm – Cynthia had enough clothes of that style than she could count. Well, if she wanted to impress others, including him, she would need something impressive.
She began to make her way back to where she stayed, leaving Cilan and his brothers behind. While walking, and keeping an eye on Diantha who was now being carried away to the Pokémon Centre, Cynthia began to wonder what exactly to wear for tonight. Plus, with the knowledge of Diantha's weakness to coconut, things might get interesting…
"Think I'll stop by the boutique for a dress," she said to herself.
It made sense since Cynthia only brought one or two dresses with her all the way from Sinnoh, but while she was here in Kalos, she probably would be better off if she bought new dresses. It helped to know that she had economic benefits from her business, and she managed to collect some profits.
For an event like tonight, though, arbitrarily picking a dress was out of the question. She needed some time to decide what to wear.
Steven's Pokémon could not have felt more satisfied with the meal Steven had prepared for them. After what felt like endless hours and multiple attempts creating an experimental recipe, and not to mention the sorry reactions the Pokémon felt when it tasted bad, Steven had managed to create… something.
"It's about time," remarked Steven.
His Explorer Kit was stored in the back of the room wardrobe, and in light of the event tonight, digging for rocks would have to wait. Tonight, he would bring this mastered recipe to the kitchens for everyone to follow. If the critics at Lumiose City saw this, they would have been impressed.
Metagross echoed happily. For hours, Steven had been experimenting with a written-down recipe he had in mind in the time he was resting. After he went out and came back with Cradily to do some grocery shopping, Steven initiated the experimental recipe, dressed in his business casual clothes with a black chef jacket over top. He had sampled parts of it himself, while giving other samples to his Pokémon. The ingredients he had were of decent quality enough, inexpensive as they were, and only when he would bring the recipe to the restaurant would he switch to higher quality ingredients.
For now, though, his Pokémon were satisfied with the food, and that was enough for Steven.
"I'm going to get dressed now, but…" Steven laughed as if it were a shame to say it, "could you do me a favour and help me wash the dishes?"
The only one actually willing to wash the dishes was Armaldo, but eventually the other Pokémon took a stake in washing and drying the dishes. It was a miracle that not even a plate was scratched.
Facing the mirror now, Steven began to dress up. Beginning with his steel-blue dress shirt and then his charcoal gray dress pants, all freshly ironed. After he had buttoned up his dress shirt, he faced the mirror again, and started to put on the slim alpine white tie Metagross had picked out for him. Bowing his head down, he wrapped the tie around his collar before raising his head up again.
After that was done, he put on his charcoal gray dinner jacket.
Ah… right, maybe Diantha would appreciate it more if I wore cuffs, he thought. That'll make me more look more businesslike.
Reaching into the nearby wardrobe, Steven took out the classic cuffs he had always worn back in his Pokémon League days, and was still impressed that he had a use for them in the restaurant business. In some respect, he operated the restaurant and the League like they were businesses anyway. He slid one on each arm, up to chest height, and felt their familiar grip.
He looked back at the mirror to make sure the cuffs were symmetrical, and adjusted them where needed. On the other hand, Steven then proceeded to make sure the cuffs of his dress shirt were smoothed out beneath his dinner jacket sleeves.
When that was over with, Steven straightened his dinner jacket, fixed his tie once more, and then went for some hair gel. Not that he was a fan of gel, but he figured he should look good tonight. He could only imagine how Martine, Sophie, or the other waitresses would react to him now.
Elsewhere, wearing a black bathrobe in her washroom, Cynthia had just washed her platinum-blond hair and was in the process of putting on makeup. She had perfume laid out before her, but she was trying her best to brush her eyebrows carefully, with the aid of a lash thickener and conditioner. It would probably take hours to have the makeup done, and that was time Cynthia didn't have.
"Back already, eh?" she said, hearing the familiar scuffle of Garchomp entering the premises. "How's Diantha doing?"
Garchomp briefly walked into the washroom to place a written message on the counter in front of her before turning away. Cynthia ended up placing her thickener brush aside and picked up the piece of paper.
So she'll be up in three hours, the nurse says, she thought. Just in time for her reservation.
She continued of the process of treating her eyelashes, but after that, Cynthia really needed to think about combing her hair and picking out her dress. Thankfully she bought a new one at the boutique, and she seemed happy with her choice. That reminded her, she still needed to have it washed and dried.
"Garchomp. Be a dear and get Milotic and Roserade to wash my new dress, please?" she asked.
Garchomp took this to be an odd request from her master, but complied nonetheless and walked out of the washroom. Cynthia was still carefully brushing her lashes, and when that was done she would be adding eyeshadow to her eyelids and then combing her hair. She could only imagine what reaction she would get from those around her. It was enough that Wallace called her attractive (in Wallace's case, in particular, it was more than enough), and the article in the popular Kalos magazine made that point thorough, but speaking of which she wasn't going to fall victim to matchmaking that easily.
Besides, she was only dropping by the Stone Restaurant and Bistro on Diantha's behalf, right?
It always makes me laugh when I think how Steven looked when he was facing the mirror and putting on that suit, and especially when he was fixing his tie...
Alright, leave a review, and you can - guiltily - enjoy a slice of the lotus cheesecake drizzled with Belue berry and coconut shavings which was responsible for knocking out Diantha.