I'm pleased that I have been able to make an uncommon rapid update today (less than two weeks, that is)! Of course, it doesn't help that my exams are condensed into this weekend. Nevertheless, apart from that, I have more downtime more than ever. It also doesn't help that I've got my hands on a copy of Pokémon Moon.
Oh, and you know what? I named my character "Sophie"! Why? Well, it helps that that was a byproduct of creating this story, heheheh.
So, as an early Christmas present, I'm uploading this chapter!
, SelfiesWithSprinkles, DaX0315, To Be Unamed, LEGAL-EAGLE53, and the honoured Guest, please sit down with a cup of coffee and a cake from Cynthia. LEGAL-EAGLE53, rest assured, your coffee has cream and sugar in it.
Sprinkles: be prepared for extra excitement!
Honoured Guest: no, I don't watch the anime - except maybe an episode or two of Generations. The things is that Ash has driven me away from watching the anime, in short. Plus, I highly doubt it's Diantha and Steven centric - they're just champions doing their job!
Chapter thirty-two: Fondues in the Air
Viola sat comfortably in the almost-new terrace of the Stone Bistro and waited for her order to arrive. With the spectacular view of the Kalos seaside in practically front of her, and a live band of musicians playing from inside the restaurant not far from where she was, Viola was absolutely flattered to be here at this moment and enjoying it.
The sound of guitars, bass and acoustic, blended well with the atmosphere. They were spearheaded by an accordion, and also well-supported by a piano. They were, in short, music to her ears. Just how much more could she ask for?
Sitting against the water beside her, Viola helped herself to a glass of sparkling Pomeg berry juice topped with a Rowap berry. Just drinking this was reward enough already, since it Rowap berries were known to be among the rarest and most expensive berries to ever come around. For what it was worth, Viola was clearly enjoying herself knowing her meal would be covered by Steven.
"Oh, salut, Metagross," she greeted Steven's Pokémon.
"Meta," it greeted while passing by Viola's table. Sure, Viola was given practically the best table on the terrace – spot in the middle, to be exact. As Metagross helped serve dishes to other customers, Viola patiently waited for her server to come back to with her order.
Her camera was positioned just beside her arm, since she was more than ready to take a picture of her next meal. Given it was at the Stone Bistro, it would be more than worthwhile, wouldn't it?
Moments later, she saw the red-haired waitress return with her server book and pen.
Before Viola took her order, her waitress had an agenda of her own. Well, her waitress was the same redhead who dragged her out of this restaurant three days ago. Who other than Martine Grenadine, anyway?
"I can't believe you actually had those embarrassing photos published on Lumiose Press," Martine complimented. "You can't imagine how many laughs I got out of it, honestly!"
"It's all in the job," Viola said, slightly smiling and swirling her glass around. "It doesn't look like you're smiling today, though. I can tell! You're not smiling!"
Martine had to admit Viola was right. Was it really that obvious that Martine was masking her own smile such that it looked fake? Sighing, Martine lowered her server book.
"It's that obvious, huh?" Martine replied. "It's just something that happened yesterday, you know? One would think my boss and Cynthia were made for each other, and then as of yesterday, it seems things are heading in the opposite direction."
"Enlighten me," Viola said.
Relatively, it wasn't that busy at the Stone Bistro, though Martine would bet Steven would slash her pay in half if he caught her conversing with the customer, Viola especially. While that wasn't really like Steven, Martine could tell her boss' behaviour said more than enough of what was going on, let alone what had happened yesterday. She took a seat anyway.
"I would think Steven and Cynthia's relationship has hit a huge low. To be honest, I don't know the details," Martine admitted. "All I saw was my boss giving Cynthia back her picnic blanket yesterday and that was it. He walked into her café and that was that."
Viola raised her eyebrows. "They had a picnic together?"
"So it seems! But not on that day!" Martine said. "After Steven had done that, Cynthia just took off her shoe and forced him out of the café. I watched him go back into the restaurant, ignoring everyone around him, and went straight to work. One would think that he and Cynthia were mortal enemies, if they weren't already."
Martine sighed. "It's sort of like he has no feelings anymore."
Viola sighed, as if she didn't know what to say.
"Anyway," Martine said, standing up and flashing out her server book. "Que veux-tu manger? Que puis-je obtenir pour-tu?"
"Uh… Je voudrais…" Viola muttered, eyeing the menu for some time, and then one item caught her attention. She pointed at it. "Oh! Est-ce nouveau?"
What Viola pointed at specifically was a late addition to the menu, but it seemed appetising no less. La pierre de bœuf bourguignonne, it was called.
"I suppose," Martine said, writing it down.
"Oh, and by the way," Viola quickly added, pulling out Steven's business card. "Your boss said that he would be covering my expenses today."
Martine rolled her eyes. "Alright, I'll ensure this is written in the books. You know, I think he ought to take a vacation once in a while. That night when Diantha was here was supposed to be his other off day, but he had to make an exception– maybe I ought to press him to go to the beach. Did you know that he has been working non-stop for the past week? He didn't even bother having everyone to take time off! It's like he's forgotten! We had to force him on vacation and he still owes us one day off!"
Viola raised her eyebrows, but smirked. "Well, you all do live right beside the ocean."
It had only been an hour since Steven heard that Cynthia began serving higher-end chocolate fondues, which Steven interpreted as a threat to his business. In an effort to gain back customers and draw them away from Cynthia, he had spent the hour testing new recipes – regarding fondue, of course. But unfortunately, because of his lack of talent for making desserts, Steven resorted to making entrée fondues instead.
In that hour, Steven had already developed a new fondue and had suppliers come to give him what he needed. Within minutes, Steven had a new recipe on the menu and was eager to give it a shot. As it happened, Martine came in with the first order of such.
"Viola, the photographer, would like to try it out," Martine said, reading out from her server book. "Boss, did you really promise you'd pay for her meal today?"
"It's the least I could do for her," Steven admitted. "Alright, I'll have the dish ready in about eight minutes. She will be pleased with it."
"Oui, chef," Martine replied, whilst retreating away from the kitchens to see to the ground floor.
A bottle of imported oil from a land southeast of Kalos was what came first on the list and on the counter. Indeed, Steven had gone through the trouble of ordering James to purchase three bottles of it from a local speciality shop, but he certainly hoped it was all worthwhile. A special, but small, stone pot for the oil would serve as the basis for the fondue.
"Okay, I'll leave preparing the oil to you James. I'll start on the sauces," Steven ordered. "Oh, and can I get someone to prepare raw meats as well? I want this prepared in eight minutes."
"Oui, chef," James another cook said together.
James then took out cooking wine – red wine, to be exact – and vinegar. As the flame beneath the stone pot ignited James poured a healthy serving of oil in and waited for it to heat up. At the same time, he also opened the wine and the vinegar to make his time more efficient. Adding small garlic bits to the mix, alongside parsley, black pepper, a spoonful of salt and sugar, and lime juice from a freshly cut lime seemed more than enough to bring out the flavour. Why, even James looked like he was getting hungry.
The aroma wafted throughout the kitchen as many cooks turned to look at where the foreign smell was coming from, but their eyes showed no surprised, as it was the chef and the sous chef – the leaders of this kitchen – who were preparing it.
As for Steven himself, one thing was sure: his mind was focused on preparing this fondue. But his motive and incentive for doing so was a different story.
Cynthia.
Of course it was Cynthia. If Cynthia was going to be competitive, Steven would have to ensure counter-measures were taken. If she was going to make a fondue, then he would have to make a fondue too!
"Attention, chef!" a cook alerted.
Steven realised that the meat he was cutting was about to be cut into shreds, were it not for the noticing cook beside him. Thanking the cook, Steven slapped himself – mentally – as he sought to ensure he was serving the right portion of meat on the plate. This dish was for the customer, so Steven reminded he ought not to make a bad name for himself.
But his thoughts continued to dwell on that platinum-blond across the street.
Afterwards, Steven passed the small slices of raw meat to the cook beside him so they could be further prepared. The cook added olive oil, a sprinkle of crushed Nomel berry, squeezed lime, and a pinch of basil to go with it. Steven, meanwhile, washed his hands thoroughly before he went on to create the other portion of the dish which was the side sauces.
For this part, he had to make it flawlessly.
Meanwhile, the aroma of hot oil coming from the pot James was working on had intensified even more throughout the kitchen – that and the distinct smell of wine and vinegar was blending well together. That did nothing much to distract Steven, however.
He began grinding shallots (grown in Vaniville Town) and Tamato berries together into a paste on one board, doing what he could to enhance the flavour by occasionally adding pinches of salt whenever necessary. Moreover, Steven's use of the knife to do the grinding was perfect. At the same time, another cook provided support activities by preparing a different version – that is, a cream sauce partly made with lemons and garlic, but primarily created with Kelpsy berries and seaweed salt.
Kelpsy berries… what an innovative idea that was of Steven's!
Furthermore, more Kelpsy berries were boiled to produce an extract that added a dash of flavour to the meat Steven had already cut. When the extract was ready, a cook brought it to the uncooked meat and delicately added a spoonful to each piece – and the meats looked even more appetising than ever.
It really didn't help Cynthia that she could smell that particular fondue oil at her workplace. Even though she was holed up in the domains of Vue sur la Lune's second floor, the smell of oil was distracting her. Even so, she was glad her newly produced fondue was having a great effect on customers.
That is, her chocolate fondue that was infused with the flavour of Oran berries and white wine, served after an entrée of salad. To complement the flavour, Cynthia recommended it be served with either freshly baked macarons or pieces of biscotti.
Seriously. What is it that he's cooking over there? Cynthia thought. She shook her head. Just how could she be thinking of him at this time? It was only natural, on the contrary, since she was practically competing with him.
Eventually, the smell of her Oran chocolate fondue wafted around senses. A fondue pot with a small fire beneath it was supplied to customers, though unlike Steven's, the pot wasn't made of stone.
The customers looked delighted by even smelling the thick chocolate aroma as Cynthia approached the table. Even though this was a very new dish, created just hours earlier, Cynthia was pleased with the outcome. A number of customers tried it, and word of her new chocolate fondue had spread throughout Cyllage City. For all Cynthia knew, for better or worse, the news would have reached Steven's ears.
What was the result? A really, really, strong scent of oil was firing back at her, like the scent was attempting to besiege her restaurant from multiple fronts, and Vue sur la Lune was a fortress making its final stand.
"Mmm, doesn't this taste nice after having a fondue over there, eh?"
"Sûrement," the other customer replied. "Fondue bourguignonne there, and fondue chocolat here. This is a perfect way to complement two kinds of dishes of fondue."
That caught Cynthia's attention – evidently. It was a conversation she couldn't ignore.
"I'm sorry?" she said. "Are you saying that you came here after having lunch? You're having dessert now? Or are you only here for dessert?"
"The latter, of course," the customer said. "Okay. To be honest, I was just there at the Stone Bistro just half an hour ago and wow did the chef have this pleasant dish he taped on the menu. Not very professional, but I have no regrets ordering it."
It took time to digest, but Cynthia realised that she could perceive this as a threat. Hold that thought – this was a fight he was bringing to her, wasn't it?! Cynthia figured it must be. She picked up her pace and went straight for downstairs.
"I have to leave for a bit," she told her servers.
"Bon appetit," Martine said, finally bringing the newly created la pierre de bœuf bourguignonne to Viola's table. The fondue – the entire dish to be exact – was served with a really, really, big cloche on top which should have blown the dish out of proportion. The flavour and the smell were contained underneath.
"Merci," Viola said, waiting so impatiently for Martine to remove the cloche.
And right when Martine's hand was just about to touch the cloche, she was interrupted by an approaching woman – namely the receptionist, Sophie.
"Martine!" Sophie said. "Nous avons un problème! Cynthia est ici!"
"Comment est-ce un problème?" Martine said, not really registering the issue. If Cynthia was here, then Martine could think of all kinds of possibilities why. However, in light of yesterday, perhaps Sophie had a point.
"Venez avec moi! Vite!" Sophie demanded.
Now although Viola would have loved to stick around to enjoy her meal on the best seat on the terrace, as Martine quickly walked away past the staring customers, she decided to follow. Sure, the food probably might go a little cold, but that's what the cloche was for. Oh, and perhaps it helped that the dish she ordered was an oil fondue – it had to come with a fire, didn't it? That was what Martine had explained to her.
As a result, Viola ended up following Martine and Sophie through the ground level tables and to the brightness of the Stone Restaurant and Bistro's lobby.
What did they find?
A heated argument between Cynthia and Steven. The sounds of their voices roared throughout the space and if they didn't know better, the chandelier above their heads would have fallen down in a fiery crash. Nevertheless, their exchange caught the attention of customers near the doors (be it in the dining floors, the bar, or even the museum).
Their eyes were fixed on each other as if lightning bolts were shooting at each other – ending with a clash that was tied in stalemate.
"Don't copy my ideas!" Cynthia shouted.
"Don't steal my customers!" Steven shouted. "I've never even copied your ideas!"
"Sure, SURE!" Now Cynthia raised her voice and it became a yell. "Fondue?! Really?! Just when I was about to show –!"
"Look, you never even thought about it! Who are YOU to say –?!"
Arms were raised in the air on both sides.
"I'm only carrying on my business to –!"
"Sure you ARE! Creating an oil fondue and then stealing MY customers –"
"– says the woman who stole MY expensive WINES!"
"You stole something too! What are you?!"
"– and now you're really trying to strike a low blow! Fondue for you! SURE! I only created an oil fondue to survive –!"
"DON'T LIE! You've been spying on my work this whole time! It's no wonder you created a fondue to steal back customers!"
"I wasn't STEALING!"
"So EXPLAIN why you created something!"
"What can I SAY? My fondue is obviously more authentic than yours!"
"SAY that AGAIN!"
"Is that a challenge?!"
"You're asking for it!"
"Fine!"
"Fine!"
Their eyes were locked into each other's once more – but the anger that blazed between them was such that one would know better than to get caught in the crossfire. Martine kept her distance and so did Sophie, needless to say Laurent.
But unfortunately, Viola was the poor soul who had stumbled into the midst of it.
Terrifying glares were directed to Viola's face and she was nonetheless startled at how fearsome they looked. The two former Champions looked anything but the Champions they were.
"You," Cynthia shot. "Come with us."
Viola stepped back a little in shock, while everyone else looked just as surprised. But Steven somehow snuck behind Viola and dragged Viola outside.
"B-but mon déjeuner!" Viola complained helplessly as she was dragged. Taking that into concern, Martine hurried back to the terrace to retrieve the dish with its cloche still covering it.
"Boss," Martine said. "I've got your dish here… But I don't think you should leave the kitchens unmanned."
"That's what James is there for," Steven said shortly, unfazed by Viola's constant berating and demands to let her go. Laurent and Sophie exchanged glances, unsure of what to do. Given Steven owed everyone a day off (on the night Diantha was here), now they wondered if they'll ever get to see it.
It happened in that hour, that afternoon, when Steven and Cynthia met up with each other at the square plaza at the end of the street. The location was not far from the Stone Bakery and was well in sight of Vue sur la Lune's café. One would agree that this place served as the perfect social spot to bring the tastes to all worlds here. In reality, there were two of them in sight.
What exactly was catching the public's attention, however, was that a space had been cleared out for the two popular chefs in charge of the most dominant restaurants in Cyllage City. Steven, in his black chef jacket, was standing on one side of the plaza and Cynthia, in her white chef jacket, stood a short distance away.
There was a table placed with a tablecloth on it separating the two chefs. Viola was seated with her unfinished glass of sparkling Pomeg berry juice with a Rowap berry and looked like she was burning with anticipation to have lunch. Did lunches usually take this long to come, anyway? Funnily enough, the table was supplied by Vue sur la Lune, as its café provided the convenience having tables outside, but the tablecloth was supplied the Stone Bakery.
"What are you doing here, Wallace…?" Steven asked grudgingly as if he just realised Wallace was there.
"I saw the lights, and I thought something was up," Wallace said. "Did something happen between you and her? Well, according to Viola, something's wrong, so I am here for you, Steven! I'm going to set things right!"
What really struck Steven was that Wallace's usual smile wasn't there; was it because Wallace knew Steven's relationship with Cynthia's had approached a low? Finally! About time Wallace could acknowledge this!
How wrong Steven was.
"My friend," Wallace whispered in Steven's ear such that Steven shuddered. "Are you really trying to impress her with your skills now? Now that's manly of you – you're going for it! But I thought you would have had more peaceful tactics, you know!"
"No and no," Steven calmly said, trying his best to suppress his annoyance. "You're not going to eat this, by the way."
That went without saying that this commotion was drawing the attention of Cyllage City locals who frequented this area of the city. Given the two chefs standing opposite each other was enough to rouse their curiosity, the locals gathered in the plaza to witness what looked like a duel.
And for those who came close, they could smell in the air the warring aromas of chocolate and oil.
"Well, bon appetit," Steven said, lifting the cloche off his dish.
A whiff – a super strong one – of oil aroma instantly spread throughout the plaza. Even those bystanders on the side simply had to take at least five steps closer to see what the dish was! The aroma was warm, helped by the bubbling sound of oil in the pot, and even Viola didn't need to taste it to know just how good it was going to taste.
Hope this chapter was worth the relatively short wait! I'll probably upload another chapter as quickly as I can before Christmas, as another present to you reading customers! Leave a review, and... I'll serve you a glass of sparlking Pinap berry juice with a rare Rowap berry inside.
Ha, you really thought I was going to serve you the la pierre de boeuf bourguinonne, eh? Don't worry, that comes later...