Chapter 2

Food for Thought

Heatherfield

Irma Lair fixed a smile upon her face and looked up. Above her, the name Moxie's was written in big, red, cursive letters, so that all of downtown Heatherfield could see. Irma had seen the sign many times before, but the letters never had the meaning that they did tonight. Tonight, it stood for more then just a restaurant. Tonight, it stood for style, class and distinction. Withering under the sign's neon glow, Irma felt like she had none of those things. Still, she was Irma Lair. She had faced monsters, tyrants and beings made out of sand, and she would not be stopped by a simple sign.

Wearing her brightest smile, the one she had spent hours practicing in front of the mirror, Irma boldly pushed open the doors and strode inside. In front of her, standing behind a small wooden desk was a young woman, no more then twenty, wearing a black and red uniform with two large buttons attached. One button explained that the woman's name was Emma, while the other urged patrons to inquire about the restaurants' daily specials. Upon seeing Irma, Emma looked up, and beamed a smile that put Irma's to shame.

"Hi! Welcome to Moxie's!" Emma said, reaching for a nearby menu. "Table for one?"

"No." Irma replied confidently, "My name is Irma Lair, and I'm here for my first day of work."

"Oh. You're the new kitchen girl." Emma said, making both the menu and her smile disappear.

"Um, something like that. I'm supposed to talk to Mr. Reid?" Irma replied.

"Yeah, yeah, follow me," Emma replied, her charm completely evaporated.

Irma was led past crowded tables towards a room marked 'OWNER'. Irma's guide seemed in no mood for conversation, and Irma was happy to oblige with silence.

"Hey! Bill!" Emma yelled, banging on the door loudly. "Your new girl is here!"

The door was quickly answered by a short, bald man, who shot Emma a quick glare before spotting Irma. His glare was replaced by a beaming smile.

"Irma! Hello! It's good to see you again! How are you?" he asked.

"Uh, I'm fine, I gue…"

"Wonderful! Glad to have you as part of the team!"

Emma began to snicker until a glare from her boss sent her scurrying back to her station.

"As you can see, you'll be working in the best culinary environment in the city." Mr. Reid continued, making sure Emma went straight to her desk.

Mr. Reid proceeded to give Irma a quick tour of the restaurant, spending most of the time in the kitchen area, where Irma was to work. Once Irma had seen everything, and all the proper introductions had been made, he brought Irma to the back of the kitchen.

"Now, as for your station," Mr. Reid began, searching for something among the countertops.

"What will I be working on first?" Irma asked impatiently. "Drinks? Appetizers? Desserts? I make a mean Upside-Down Lava Cake!"

She was interrupted by a green blur heading towards her, which she instinctively caught. Her face wrinkled in disgust as she saw what it was.

"A rag? What's this for?" she asked, holding the offending object at arms length.

"It's for your duties," Mr. Reid explained, keeping his carefully positioned smile. "You'll be our new dishwasher."

"Dishwasher?" Irma exclaimed. "But… But I thought I was going to cook?"

"Oh, my dear Irma, heavens no. We don't just let anyone walk on off the street and let them cook in our kitchens. That would be ridiculous. No, you'll start with dishwashing, and then something may open up with the cleanup crew."

"But I won the competition! Against Josh!"

"Yes you did. Speaking of Josh, he'll be the person you're working beside."

Irma's jaw dropped as Mr. Reid revealed the tall boy, up to his elbows in soapy water. At 6 feet tall, dark curly hair and just a hint of stubble around his chin, Josh made Irma feel very small as he glared down at her.

"I didn't out cook a real chef?" Irma asked weakly. "He was just a dishwasher?"

"Yes." Josh replied sternly. "And now, so are you!"

"I'll leave you two to your work." Mr. Reid said, slowly backing out of the kitchen.

Irma smiled sheepishly at Josh, who only continued to glare.

"No hard feelings?" Irma asked.

Josh said nothing, and turned back to his dishes with disgust. Irma sighed dejectedly, and got to work.

As time passed, the work seemed endless. Every hour brought more dishes with little relief. Irma would not have minded it so much if she had had someone to talk to, but Josh seemed to have little interest in making conversation. Even as the restaurant closed for the night, Irma continued to work until every last piece of cutlery was cleaned and put away. When the day was finally over, she hung up her apron dejectedly. With slumped shoulders and weary legs, she exited through the employee's door and slumped up against the nearby wall.

"Hey! Irma!"

Irma sighed and closed her eyes at the sound of the familiar voice. When she opened them again, Will, Taranee, Cornelia and Hay Lin were walking down the alley way towards her.

"How's our favorite chef?" Hay Lin asked, giving her friend a hug. "Working overtime? I thought you would be home by now."

"Probably slaving over a hot stove." Cornelia added.

"Try a hot sink." Irma said with a faint smile. "I'm no chef. I'm a dishwasher."

"What? But Hay Lin said…" Will began.

"I know, I know, I thought so too." Irma replied. "Guess I was just dreaming if I thought they were going to give someone like me a job like that."

"Aw, don't be so hard on yourself." Hay Lin said with a smile.

"Yeah, washing dishes is still a good job. It builds character." Taranee added.

"Thanks, 'mom'." Irma replied, rolling her eyes. "I know it's not a bad job. Besides, what's one more disappointment, right?"

Irma looked away from her friend's sad faces. Will put a hand on her friends' shoulder, but Irma shrugged it off.

"Irma," Will said, "if you're feeling really down…"

"Come on Will, you know me!" Irma said with a laugh and a smile. "When am I ever down? Now, what are four fine, fancy girls such as yourselves doing in a rotten alleyway like this?"

"That's the Irma I know." Hay Lin said with a smile.

"We're just on our way home from a movie. Thought we'd stop by to see you on the way home." Cornelia said.

"Aw, I knew you cared." Irma replied.

"Oh, no. Dark alleyway? Not my idea." Cornelia said.

"We're just glad to see you're doing alright." Will said. "Now let's get out of here and get some rest. Tomorrow's the big dinner on Balsilide remember?"

"Great!" Irma said, walking with her friends. "Um, I don't have to clean dishes afterwards, do I?"

Balsilide

The next night, as the sun began to disappear behind the Towers of Balsilide, the interplanetary feast began. Delegates, diplomats and dignitaries from both worlds sat down and began to eat. In the center of these arrangements was the Table of Honor. At the west end of this table sat Elyon and the Honor Guard, while King Rikar of Balsilide and the R.E.G. sat at the east. In-between these two groups were the Guardians and Matt.

The food was a variety of different shapes, sizes and tastes, ranging from bizarre to delicious, and sometimes both. There were enough different items that everybody managed to find something they like, even if it wasn't on their first try. After a few minutes, Julian glanced over at Cornelia, sitting next to him, and noticed her poking at her food with little interest.

"Is everything okay?" he asked.

"Hmmm? Oh, yeah, everything's fine," Cornelia replied, still stabbing at her food. "I just, you know, thought I would be sitting next to Caleb."

"Am I not providing enough stimulating conversation?" Julian asked, fork halfway to mouth.

"Oh! No, no, it's not you." Cornelia stammered. "I just, um, that is, uh, you know…"

"I understand." Julian said with a smile. "To be honest, I'm a little surprised to be sitting here as well."

Both Cornelia and Julian glanced down at Caleb, eating quietly on the right hand side of Elyon.

"I know that by her side is where he belongs," Cornelia began, "but we just have so little time to spend with each other. I thought tonight we would be able to…"

"I wouldn't take it personally." Julian replied. "Between the preparation for this dinner, and the events on Kandrakar, it has been a busy week for us all. Caleb's been very quiet ever since he got back from Kandrakar, so I'm sure it has nothing to do with you."

Cornelia seemed pleased with this, and returned her attention to her plate. Julian, however, glanced back at his son. Love had never been Julian's strong point, that much was for sure, but he did know his son better then anyone else. And he wished he felt as confident as he had sounded.

Irma glanced to her left, and then quickly looked away. Walli, sitting beside her, paid her little attention. Irma took a quick drink from her cup, calmed herself, and then took another drink before attempting to start a conversation.

"Hi."

"Hello." Walli replied, barely looking up from his meal.

"It's uh, it's a beautiful night, isn't it?"

"Yes, it is. Balsilide is a beautiful world." Walli replied, looking up at the night sky.

Irma kicked herself under the table. Weather? Of all the things to talk about, she chose the weather?

"Are you enjoying your meal?" Walli asked.

"Yeah," Irma replied, relieved. "I mean, I've heard about putting your heart on a plate, but I think this is a real heart!"

"Yes, Yoxen heart is a delicacy here on Balsilide." Walli replied, bringing a forkful of the food to his mouth.

"Uh, actually, I was just trying to make a joke..." Irma said.

"I know."

"Oh."

Irma raised an eyebrow, studying the boy as if he was some strange object she had never seen before.

"You don't laugh or smile much, do you Walli?" Irma said, regretting the words as soon as they left her mouth.

"No. I don't." Walli said seriously. "I find laughter very distracting, and I can't afford to be distracted while I work."

"Work?" Irma said with a laugh. "This isn't work! This is just an ordinary dinner!"

"I haven't spent much time around the Guardians or the Honor Guard, but I've learned enough to know that there is no such thing as 'ordinary'. Therefore, I'm always on guard against attack."

Walli leaned in closer to Irma, as to not be overheard.

"Between you and me, there is a collapsible bow and several collapsible arrows hidden in a hollow compartment in my boots."

Irma raised an eyebrow, and resisted the urge to glance down at Walli's footwear.

"Ok, so you're dedicated, got it. But there must be something's you enjoy!" Irma said, exasperated.

"Yes," Walli replied, "I enjoy spending time with friends. It's one of the reasons I stayed in the castle."

"Oh. Well, I guess that's something." Irma said with a sigh.

Walli was a mystery to Irma. She knew nothing about him, and he wasn't exactly the talkative type. He was serious and stoic, and Irma didn't think he had ever smiled in his life, but that wasn't going to stop Irma from tying to make him start now. It was a mystery Irma wanted to solve, and so she wouldn't give up until she did.

"Irma?"

"Yes Walli?"

"You would consider me a friend, correct?"

"Of course."

"Ah. Good."

Irma looked at Walli once more, but this time with a smile. Quite the mystery indeed.

Two seats down from Irma, Taranee sat next to Laris, a member of the R.E.G., the finest warriors of Balsilide. Laris was the lone female member of the R.E.G., but was also considered the strongest person on the planet. Taranee would be hard to argue the point, as Laris towered over any man she had ever known, including Vathek. The young girl felt like an insect next the Laris's intimidating form. Still, this was a social event, and so Taranee would be social, even if it killed her. Which, if she got on the bad side of Laris, was a distinct possibility.

"Must be nice, huh?" Taranee asked, smiling up at Laris.

The Balsilidian warrior looked down on Taranee, eyebrow raised.

"The dinner," Taranee explained. "You know, a chance to relax and get away from the training and fighting for a day."

"Do you know what R.E.G. means?" Laris replied coldly.

"I-"

"It means we do not relax. Everything we do is for the greater good of the Balsilide people."

"Oh." Taranee replied. "But surely the festival earlier…"

"That the festival was a success is a testament to the weeks of training before hand, and the constant vigilance of all seven members of our team."

Laris shot a gold glare down at the Honor Guard end of the table, where Tynar and Drake were laughing at Raythor, who had just tried a particularly spicy delicacy, and was now going through a multitude of mugs.

"I wish the same could be said for our foreign counterparts."

"But, don't you think that's overreacting?" Taranee replied cautiously. "I mean, Meridian poses no threat, and you must want a day off."

"It is not my place to decide such matters." Laris replied, turning away from Taranee. "I simply follow orders."

Taranee opened her mouth once more, but thought better of it, thinking it was better to not push her luck, and quit while still alive.

Across the table from Taranee and Irma, Will and Matt sat together, eating in silence.

"Well, enjoying your night out?" Will asked Matt.

"I guess…" Matt said, lazily poking at his food.

"Oh, come on! You want to be a part of my Guardian life, well, here we are! How can you be complaining?" Will replied angrily.

"I'm not complaining." Matt replied calmly. "It's a nice dinner and the food is… interesting, but…"

"Yes?"

"It's not really what I was expecting." Matt finished. "It's too boring. I can do so much more then this, Will. I want adventure, and excitement, and…"

It was at that moment when the first explosion turned the sky red.