I probably SHOULD HAVE announced I was on a three-week hiatus last month, since I wasn't anywhere near the computer, so no wonder I couldn't work on 'Culinary Rivals' last week. As if that kitchen fire I had last chapter wasn't enough, and now I'm taking full responsibility for the huge delay.
For dawnleaf1234, LEGAL-EAGLE53, R, and Great: please enjoy a round of fruit-filled mochi balls. Oh, and have a Slateport cake on top of that. Please, I insist!
I'm quite surprised with the popularity between Sophie and Laurent, frankly (and I love the ship, heheheh).
To R, just you wait!
To Great, how many times have you died?! Almost 2 billion times?! Bear with me here.
Chapter twenty-six: Under the Media's Gauntlet
Lo and behold, there was Wallace, Winona, and Lisia.
"My friend! It's great to see you again!" Wallace greeted. "Have you had enough of the media already? It's a wonder how you even got here! I even saw this morning on the news that you had violently attacked a helicopter, and then you took off with Skarmory. Hey, how has life been?"
"Not good," Steven said. In order to play it safe, it was much better the less Wallace knew about what happened earlier.
"I would have thought you had stayed in your home, all alone…" Wallace sang. "Besides, how have you been holding up since last night?"
"Also not good," Steven added, flatly. "The media has been impacting my business."
"You need to embrace this coverage. You saw her, right?" Wallace teased. When the response he got was utter silence, his smile grew. "Ah, I guessed right, didn't I? So, what did you do today? I thought that in light of yesterday, you must be burning with anger like the sun. But of course the power of love is greater –!"
Steven gave Wallace a glare (as usual, from the latter's point of view) and walked away. Wallace was enjoying the moment though, because Steven had the exact same facial expression as Sophie did earlier.
Wallace stood up to confront his 'best friend'.
"Friend," he said, which annoyed Steven further. "Martine has been telling me –"
"You will take anything that girl says," Steven said flatly. "I'm off."
Winona remembered something she had to tell Steven as well, but before she could say anything, Wallace put a stop to her by sitting down and looking at her straight in the eye.
"Finish your lunch, dear," Wallace coaxed, though Winona ended up rolling her eyes at that. She supposed talking to Steven could wait until later.
Lisia stood up to strike a pose. "I had to tell you about this last night! About the second chapter of your love story! I'm calling it, "Hearts Collide! My Culinary Rival!" In that case, Steven ignored the words and walked away.
Unfortunately, Wallace wasn't letting go that easily. He slapped a firm hand onto Steven's shoulder, and thus grinded the head chef to a halt. Steven looked back to give Wallace – for lack of better word – the glare Wallace was used to seeing. In Wallace's opinion, it was almost laughable.
"Now, now, mon ami," Wallace's voice was very smooth. "I know you saw her today, but you must consider how far you've progressed!"
"I have no idea what you're talking about," Steven said, as if Wallace was trying to force something on him.
"You know, here's my advice," Wallace stepped closer, which made Steven uncomfortable. "If there's anyone you should model your love life after, there's me and Winona, and your two –"
"Enough," Steven shook Wallace off. "There's more than enough advice you can give me without things going up in smoke like they did last night."
"– they might even teach you a thing or two," Wallace continued, and completely ignoring what Steven had said. As a result, Steven walked away and left Wallace where he was.
He joined James d'Arc at last, who was seated with a customer dressed in orange clothes.
"Salut, James," Steven said. "Ah, and this is…"
"The customer," James explained. He cleared this throat to continue. "Or, to be more exact, a critic. Madame LeBlanc, c'est le chef."
Madame Marie LeBlanc… Steven thought. Suddenly, Steven felt even more awkward that he was appearing before a critic in casual clothes. It was embarrassing, really. Would it perhaps damage his reputation even further?
"Pardon my appearance, madame," Steven said, as he brought a nearby seat to sit on.
"It's okay," the critic replied. "I want to talk about other things, though. Especially regarding a dish I just had. So please sit."
Steven didn't have his hopes up, especially as of what happened the previous night, but that didn't stop him from his eyes lighting up.
Across the street, at Vue sur la Lune, Cynthia was quietly sipping a coffee at her café. While the drink was soothing, she was anything but relaxed. She had no idea what state she was in right now, except all she cared about was getting away from her getaway.
She stared at her coffee; dully stirring away at it with her spoon.
How could I have lost it like that? Cynthia thought.
Henri Matin, still working as part of the café and barista, served a cocktail on a slider for Cynthia, fresh from the café. As he placed the glass on the table, he could tell his boss was slightly in a sad mood.
"Comment ça va?" he asked.
Cynthia's breathing was shallow and short. She didn't give an immediate answer and the only thing she did was stir her coffee around. She looked at the cocktail: it was a two-layer drink, with a serving of sirop de grenadine on the upper layer and pineapple juice on the lower layer. The layers were perfectly separated and had a straw in it waiting to be stirred, with a slice of orange to complement the drink.
"We're all worried for you, you know," Henri said. "Ou es-tu allé ce matin?"
"That is something I can't tell you," Cynthia replied. "I'm doing fine, though."
Henri based his guess on the attire Cynthia was wearing. Her light-blue vest added with the faint smell of grass suggested she must have gone somewhere out of Cyllage City, but where? Somewhere close, that's for sure. One of the nearby routes made sense.
"You were on the front page of Lumiose Press this morning," Henri added. "Care to explain what happened? All we know now is that Diantha is still in the Pokémon Centre, and as far as we're concerned, the Stone Restaurant and Bistro is starting to have a bad reputation."
"Can't blame them," Cynthia remarked, still not looking at Henri. Instead, she kept staring at her coffee. Shortly after, she picked up her cocktail and stirred with the straw, and watching the sirop de grenadine blend with the Pinap below.
Henri smirked. "You sure don't have any feelings for this guy? The magazine made it pretty clear, you know. Plus the media and that reporter, Alexa, made a pretty good story out of it."
"Well, why would I have feelings?" Cynthia's face read like she had suffered a mortal blow. "I'm not going to have my life governed by the media, as if there exists an author somewhere at his computer and deciding who my ideal partner will be. If he did exist, I'll have a word with him."
She looked at Henri, who in return looked like he was worried for her sanity. Alas, a smile curled at the edge of his mouth shortly after.
"Okay," he said, as if he already expected such an answer. After that, he left Cynthia on her own.
Perhaps a little expansion ought to lighten the mood a little, and lighten my mind… she thought.
There was a copy of the day's Lumiose Press on the other table. With nothing more to do but struggle with her thoughts, Cynthia read the paper. The entertainment section, surprisingly, made the headline. On the front cover showed an embarrassing photograph of Diantha collapsed on the table with Steven desperately trying to keep the media away, and herself merely sitting and – for lack of better word – avoiding the situation. Cynthia did open the paper, and took into account that there were more photos than article.
Even more so, there was Steven and his young waitress trying to haul Diantha away. How embarrassing! To put an end to it, there was the article.
So they reckon Diantha was poisoned, and it was all Steven's fault, she thought. Suppose it has to be his fault. It just has to be.
To business, she had to get plans to build an expansion. Whatever she had in mind, it would have to be open in two days' time. On other notes, the café was busy preparing new dessert recipes to sell, and she would be spearheading the effort. They depended on her to show them how it was done. Something with ice cream, probably, which meant Cynthia had to locate a supplier since Vue sur la Lune didn't stock ice cream.
She could only imagine what Steven's reaction would be if he found out about the recipe.
And then she desisted to even continue thinking about him. Why would she be thinking about him at this time? It wasn't like she was trying to affirm Henri's point, right? But she had just saw him today! And they ate together!
"Hey! If it isn't the usual lady!" a somewhat familiar voice said. Oh, if it isn't Chili.
Cynthia looked up. The Striaton critics, of course. Chili, joined by Cilan.
"Haven't seen you since yesterday," she commented. "Now that seemed like a long time ago."
"We saw you in the paper," Cilan said. "What happened last night, anyway?"
"Well, you don't suppose it was because of Steven's irresponsibility?" Cynthia replied. "He did knock out Diantha, of course."
Cilan and Chili exchanged glances. As food professionals, they had the right to analyse the different aspects of what had happened that night.
"Correlation isn't causation, Cynthia. Even you must know that," Cilan said. "You know, it might not be Steven's fault. Who knows the other factors that might have contributed? It could be that there was something in the food that could have been deliberately put in there to target her."
Cynthia stiffened.
"But you know, that's the stuff we see in crime dramas," Cilan laughed. "There's no telling if that's even possible."
Cynthia sighed, and noticed that the third of the brothers wasn't even present. "Where's Cress?"
"He's outside in the plaza," Cilan said. "He went over to the bakery across to get some Slateport Cakes for us."
"I see…" Cynthia muttered.
But Chili wasn't done with Cynthia yet. Nor was Cilan.
"Besides, doesn't Diantha have an allergy towards coconut? We saw that yesterday!" Chili said. "What if… someone smuggled coconut into Diantha's meal? That would be the perfect conspiracy theory!"
Cynthia kept her head down. Instead, she calmly picked up her cup of coffee to sip, and as soon as her lips left the cup she shuddered.
But to add more to her misery, Cilan pitched in with a question of his own.
"We still demand answers from you," he said. "Where did you get the wine for the fondue yesterday? We have to know!"
"Oh let it go already…" Cynthia begged. "I can't reveal my suppliers. I can't reveal company secrets just because!"
Cilan nearly wanted to press for more answers, but Chili pulled his arm to direct his attention to outside.
"Ah, and there's Cress now," Cilan added. "We'll be going, but I hope you'll answer my question eventually. We just need to grab some coffees to go. They sure taste wonderful with those cakes. Ooh… the taste of honey in cake with coffee… It's a wonder you and Steven aren't married."
So the two brothers left the café right after, only to leave Cynthia on her own again. If anything, she was in an even more uncomfortable state than ever. Currently, she was flustered. The most embarrassing part for Cynthia was that it had taken a long time for her to process the words.
"We are NOT getting married!" she shouted after them.
But by then, Cilan and Chili had left the café.
Steven could have talked all day with Madame LeBlanc, but eventually the critic had to make a quiet exit to ensure her comments went public. The head chef made it apparent that he would escort her out, as a show of respect for the critic. Skarmory would be joining them.
"Skarmory. Let's keep this clean," he ordered.
Skarmory let out a low cry, and followed Steven to show Madame LeBlanc to the lobby. When they arrived, Sophie was working away with taking orders and reservations, and hadn't bothered noticing Steven who had walked right past them. Laurent, though, gave Steven a wave and face that clearly read "You got this".
It was Steven's decision that Madame LeBlanc should exit through the front doors, since that was only appropriate. What Steven expected, however, was that he would have to face the media again. Microphones and cameras were down, since they were oblivious to his approach, but by the time Steven and Skarmory opened the doors to let Madame LeBlanc out, the opportunity was too hard to miss.
"That's Steven Stone!"
"Mr. Stone!"
"Monsieur Stone!"
"What are your thoughts on the accusations you've poisoned Diantha?"
Steven's face became pretty blunt. "I deny the charge that Diantha was actually poisoned. There's no evidence that it was my fault."
"Yet it happened as Diantha was eating last night –"
"What about Cynthia?" another journalist jeered. "Is there something fiery between you?"
Steven could have continued to speak, but he was interrupted.
"What kind of fire?"
"Oh, of either the lovey type or the hateful type of course!"
"No! No! It's nothing like that!" Steven denied. Turning to Skarmory, he ordered him to clear the path as he showed Madame LeBlanc out, but the critic had already slipped past the crowd and was on her way. Oh, so much for escort. Now Steven would have to face the might of the media gauntlet again.
"Is it true that you shot down a helicopter this morning?"
Steven turned to glare at the person who said that.
"Whatever gave you that idea?!" he demanded.
"Morning coverage showed –"
Steven wished he hadn't asked.
"What about your food? Is it actually safe for anyone to eat?"
"Of course it's safe," Steven replied shortly. "My restaurant is well acclaimed and I suspect this is just a plot to destroy my reputation. If there is someone who emerges responsible, I will sue whoever. Fortunately, I created a new dish that I am now advertising for everyone in Kalos to try out."
The journalists showed signs of doubt.
"Would that happened to have been the dish that was responsible for Diantha's collapse?"
"Not in the slightest!" Steven denied. "I assure there's nothing in the dish that could have –"
"Diantha is still unconscious, rumour has it," someone else said. "Is it because you're trying to make it clear you're in a relationship with her? We know she's older than you, and you have a much better alternative across the street."
Steven only responded with a glare, and he quickly retreated into the 'safety' of his restaurant before the people had more chances to take a stab at him. For all Steven knew, he might as well be stabbed in the back. For the time being, he had to get Skarmory to clear the people away. It would help if Skarmory could shoot down one of those pesky drones or two.
Wait. He could do that!
"Skarmory, do me a favour?" he whispered, as he eyed one of the drones in the air.
It wasn't before long that one of the drones had mysteriously disappeared from the air.
With business still going at a moderate pace, Martine got to spare extra time to talk with Lisia. That is, after having cleaned up Wallace's bowl and Lisia's plate via sending them off to the kitchen, Martine rejoined their table.
"Shall I get you anything else, or are you good?" she asked. Before they could respond, Martine also presented the bill to Wallace as well, saying, "You are kind of obligated to pay the bill, mon ami. You have to serve the lady, and especially –"
"I know, I know," Wallace said shortly, with which only Lisia could smile.
"So we know Steven has a huge crush on that woman, right?" she said, giving Martine a nudge. "Oh gosh. Let's picture how his story will keep going!"
"And it just gets better," Martine added, slightly twirling one of her red locks as she said this. "I bet he went on a date with her this morning."
"Oh, stop daydreaming, Martine. That's wishful thinking!" Wallace jeered. "Though, I must remember to persuade him to get into that mood. He's way overdue for it."
He looked at the bill and wasn't surprised at the price he was paying. Though it cost a few ten thousand Poké, he supposed it was worth it. Steven might not appreciate his presence here, but at least he was adding some revenue for his 'best friend's' business. At the same time, his girlfriend could enjoy some food too!
Speaking of which, Winona stood up.
"Going somewhere already?" Wallace said. His eyebrows were raised.
"I have to look for Steven," Winona stated as if it was out of duty. "Don't stop me. Okay?"
"No, you can't!" Wallace looked hurt. "What will I do without you?"
Winona stared.
Wallace stared back.
"You know, that sounds more offensive to Lisia that me," Winona added slyly. Before long, she was well away from the table.
"No…! Don't leave me –"
Wallace's eyes became round as if it was the first time this had happened to him. On the other hand, he could hear the snickering of Martine Grenadine, and when he looked at her she looked like she was about to burst.
"Heheh… She got you there," Martine remarked.
She picked up the payment and handed Wallace the appropriate receipt. However, Wallace was more or less in a state of (questionable) shock, so Martine merely left the receipt on the table. After the transaction, Martine figured she could use a break now.
"So you reckon Steven went on a date with Cynthia?" Lisia questioned. She was glad she had this opportunity to talk, as she didn't need to worry about probable interruptions from her uncle. Winona was gone too, so that helped.
"I guess so, but I have no evidence," Martine replied. "He wasn't here this morning, and for good reason, but he gave me one of his usual glares you know? The glares he always gives whenever I press the issue about her to him."
"So is it true?" Lisia said. "We'll never know! Not unless we force him to speak!"
Lisia saw Martine flash a smile.
"Maybe we can."
What Steven hadn't counted on either was to find Laurent being harassed by Viola and Alexa. Gosh, when would those two girls learn to let go? Laurent looked – in Steven's strict opinion – annoyed by the attention he was getting.
With Skarmory keeping the main door at bay, all Steven needed to do was flush out whoever made their way into the lobby. The media coming here once was enough, and Steven couldn't stand it a second time.
Even Alexa had time to ask him one more question before she got pushed out.
"So, Monsieur Stone, how do you reckon you can re-establish your reputation?"
Steven's answer was short.
"Whoever said it was damaged?" he replied. "Out you go."
"And how do you feel about having half of Kalos looking at your home?" Alexa started.
But his patience was exhausted. The moment Steven managed to push the last of journalists out of the lobby (especially those who came to loiter and not eat), Viola and Alexa included, he felt like he had taken a victory that should have been his last night.
Lastly, he approached the receptionists' table.
"You okay, Laurent?" Steven asked. "Need anything?"
"I'm okay, Mr. Stone," Laurent replied. "If there's anything I need, that's what Sophie is here for."
The only response Laurent got was a pair of raised eyebrows from Steven, and before Steven could even think about saying anything, he was interrupted by approaching footsteps. He turned to see Winona approaching him from behind the receptionists.
"Do you have a moment, Steven?" she asked.
"Oh, are you finished eating already, Winona?" he said back. "Something you need?"
Winona stiffened. "Well, I thought there would be something you'd be interested in. Something I should have told you days ago. It regards… Cynthia."
Steven blinked. He wasn't interested in conversations about pursuing a relationship with her. Hadn't that been made clear already?
"I'm afraid –"
Winona cut him off. "Plus, there's wine involved."
Suddenly, Steven's flat emotions were replaced by surprise – just for an instant – before they quickly became suspicion. Wine and Cynthia… The opportunity was too much. Could it possibly be true? Could it be that Cynthia actually –? No. Steven couldn't believe it.
"Let's talk in my office," he said, gesturing for Winona to follow.
Cynthia's cocktail is inspired by an actual non-alcoholic drink I had. I was a simple two-layer blend that actually looked nice and pleasant to the eye. That being said, thanks for being patient! I'll have Cynthia's sirop de grenadine with a layer of Pinap berry juice served to anyone leaving a review!