Thanks to the generous hand-me-downs that Guido was able to donate to Ren, the twenty-eight year old man no longer had to endure wearing his dirty travel clothes. Having been given genuinely fashionable clothes— all of which were hand tailored in Guido's home country of Cerulea— Ren's outfit for the day consisted of dark-gray pants with two sturdy leather belts wrapped around his waist, a pair of knee-high riding boots, a wool-woven shirt that he wore underneath an open-button blazer that was cropped up to his midsection, and was made out of silk that had been dyed blue.
"What-a can I-a say? I was-a whole completely different 'frate' before I-a settled down with mi bambini's mamma! Why in fact, I-a was what you could-a consider to be quite-a popular with-a the ladies— used-a to live on-a the edge, go out-a on thrilling adventures!" Guido explained with a nostalgic smile across his mustached face; daydreaming of his exciting youth, while Ren stood in front of the full-body length mirror that the Zeppoli family had in their basement living room.
Raising an eyebrow at her father while gently rocking her reclining-chair back-and-forth with the balls of her feet, Karrah let out a soft giggle as she smiled bemusedly at him. "Papa, hehe! Quei giorni sono finiti— you always find a way to mention just what a ne'er-do-well you used to be…! Behave!" Karrah teased playfully, as her portly father turned around to shrug his shoulders at her with feigned innocence written on his face.
"Whaaaaaat?! This is-a the first time I've-a ever mentioned it to-a him!" Guido shot back playfully at his giggling daughter; entertaining her with his exaggerated arm gestures as he spoke in his thick accent. "Besides, if-a I didn't tell him all of-a that then he would-a probably have come-a to the conclusion that I-a used to be a stripper, or something!" The chef mused half-jokingly, and elicited a hearty laugh from his usually quiet child as he gestured at how tight the sleeves were on Ren's open-button blazer.
And shortly after having shown off how he looked in Guido's old adventuring clothes, Ren had some time to enjoy sharing a cappuccino with the Zeppoli family; sharing life stories with them, and being entertained by the playful father-daughter bond that the two Ceruleans had. Complimenting Karrah for her baking skills, after Guido had proudly announced to him that it was his daughter who was responsible for making the tiramisu that they had given to him for breakfast, Ren was told to come upstairs with them once the clock's hour hand had reached seven.
Walking up from the stairwell of the basement and into the back of the kitchen, Ren was impressed just how fast on his feet Guido was l; the fifty-year old man nearly went from one side of the kitchen and back around in nearly a blink of an eye. "You're-a gonna have to put these-a on, Ren," Guido said with a slightly apologetic grin across his lips, as he handed the young man a white apron and chef's hat. "Can't-a have one of-a those gray hairs of-a yours falling into customers' dishes! And we-a certainly can't-a have you staining my— I-a mean, uhhh! Y-Your-a clothes, eh?!"
"Certainly not, Mr. Zeppoli," Ren said with dry enthusiasm in his stoic voice, as he wrapped the apron around his waist before carefully tucking all of his voluptuous strands of hair underneath the brim of his chef's hat. "Thanks for everything, by the way; all of this, and what you and your daughter have done for me… It really does mean a lot to me," Ren said appreciatively, as he extended his hand out to shake Guido's as a sign of gratitude.
But that's when Guido caught Ren off guard by grabbing a hold of his hand, before pulling him closer to wrap his burly arms around his lean-muscular frame. "Ah, haha! Mi farai piangere! You're so kind like your sister, Ren!" The man mused endearingly with a heart laugh, as he gave the surprised young man a tight squeeze before setting him back down on his feet; patting the back of his shoulder as he added, "Think-a nothing of it! We're-a all here to-a help one another; it's what-a being a good neighbor is-a all about…!"
"… Now-a, uh… How much-a experience do you-a have working in the-a kitchen?" Guido asked with a curious smile on his face, as he motioned for Ren to follow him as he took him over to the sink he had beside his prep station. Turning on the faucet and getting a pump full of foam soap, Guido began lathering his hands thoroughly as he said, "Ms. Yoshimura already-a told me-a that you've only worked a- in an office before coming here, so while I-a don't expect you to-a know the insides and outsides of the restaurant business, I-a take it that you've-a at least cooked before at home, yes?"
"Yes sir— yes I have," Ren replied, as he swapped places with Guido to begin washing his own hands while the older man began drying his on a nearby hand-towel. "Granted, I used to just premake proteins bowls for the week and called it a day, so there's a lot for me to learn— I'm sure if it," Ren admitted, as he took the towel from Guido to dry off his own hands before using it to grab a hold of the twist-turned faucet knob; shutting it off without making direct skin-contact with it, before tossing the towel into the laundry bin that was posted by the prep station.
"Mastering culinary arts takes-a practice, Ren! I certainly won't-a be able to teach you-a even a fraction of what I know in-a one day, but I can-a teach you enough to get you-a started on the job!" Guido said optimistically with a warm in his accented voice, as he put on a pair of disposable gloves before tossing a pair to Ren. "The tavern opens in-a couple hours; that'll give us more than-a enough time to-a get started!" Guido declared with determination in his voice, as he waved for Ren to once again follow him. "Now let's-a go to the fridge; we've got-a lot of work to do!"
For the first three hours of his shift, Ren was taught both the technical skills that were required of cooking, as well as helpful tips that Guido was more than willing to teach him when it came to time management and multitasking. Being a fast learner, Ren was able to quickly pick up on how to finely mince vegetables with the array of kitchen knives that Guido had taught him how to use, and when to use them. Once Karrah had set up the front, and made sure that there were enough condiments and cups to have easily accessible for when customers started to come in, she began lending a hand in the kitchen as well; showing off her barista skills to Ren, as she taught him basic coffee recipes in-between the training he was receiving from her father.
Once ten o'clock hit and the usual morning regulars began entering inside to place their order with Karrah, Ren took on the role of being Guido's sous chef— cooking simplistic sides such as fried eggs and bacon, while the more experienced chef took charge of handling the more complex orders; such as making eggs benedict and monte cristos. With the 'brunch-rush' lasting from ten o'clock to all the way up until two in the afternoon, Ren was feeling mentally exhausted by the time Guido had him turn in his apron and chef's hat for the day.
"So? What do you-a think? Could you-a see yourself-a coming back here to-a help with the brunch-rush again? Or is this-a really not your-a kind of-a thing, Ren?" Guido asked kindly with a tired smile of his own, as he leaned up against the edge of the bar counter; across from where Ren was sitting with the iced-coffee that the man's daughter had whipped up for all of them.
Basking in the warm steam coming from the freshly brewed beverage in his hand, Ren brought the brim of the ceramic cup up against his lips; taking a careful sip of the piping hot cappuccino, before placing it back on the small plate Karrah had served it to him on. "Working in the kitchen was… Definitely a lot more difficult and stressful than I expected it to be; it certainly isn't like what I thought it would be."
'Oh? Here I thought he'd say something else… But, what did I expect? Working in the restaurant industry isn't for everyone; at least he gave it a try,' Guido thought cathartically to himself, all while not holding anything against the young man who he had felt as though he had bonded to. "I completely understand, Ren; still, you've got to-a give yourself some credit where it's-a due: you did excellent for-a your first time working in a tavern!"
"Well, uh… While that certainly means a lot coming from you, Mr. Zeppoli, I, umm… I wasn't trying to imply that I didn't enjoy my time here; on the contrary, I actually had a lot of fun working with you and Karrah today," Ren explained with an embarrassed soft laugh, while Guido's eyes went wide with pleasant surprise.
"I- Oh?! OH!!! Mi dispiace, Ren— my mistake! I-a thought you were-a trying to-a tell me that-a you didn't want to-a come back for another shift," Guido explained with his cheeks growing red; softly chuckling to himself, as his daughter made her way around the bar counter to where the empty stool next to Ren was.
"Oh, let me get that for you," Ren said with a mild sounding urgency in his voice, before scooting off of his seat to quickly pull the bar stool beside him back for Karrah; smiling back at her with his usual soft-stoic demeanor, as he offered a hand out to help her get situated.
Blushing as a cheesy grin found its way on her face, Karrah nervously laughed as she awkwardly grabbed a hold of Ren's hand. "T-Thank you, Ren…! Haha, t-that's very sweet of you…!" Karrah said appreciatively with a shy look in her eye, as her father reached over the counter to take her cane for her while the young man on her right side assisted her onto the red-cushioned seat.
"You're welcome, Karrah; it's the least I could do," Ren replied assuredly, before letting go of the cashier's sweaty palm to walk around behind her to help push her stool closer to the bar counter.
And as Ren made his way back to his own seat, he was oblivious to the teasing smirk that Guido was giving Karrah; the father and daughter seemingly communicating an entire conversation's worth of playful banter, all without having to say a single word to one another. "Like what I was saying though… I wouldn't mind occasionally working here whenever you could spare the extra work, Mr. Zeppoli. After all," Ren said, as he reached into his pocket to pull out his to-do checklist before beginning to unfold it on top of the bar counter, "Some of the tasks that I've been given require me to spend coin that I just don't have on me at the moment. So any work that I can get my hands on would definitely be welcomed."
Upon hearing Ren's eagerness to work for him— and about how much he genuinely enjoyed being around him and his daughters— Guido's mustached face lit up with joy. "Bellissimo! We're-a glad to-a have you join-a the team, Ren!" Guido shouted excitedly, before reaching forward to pat Ren on the shoulder. "All you-a need to-a do is give us a call, and either mi bambini or I will-a come by in-a the morning to-a give you-a ride to work!"
Letting out a content chuckle, Ren turned to look at Karrah's still blushing and shy grin, before looking back forward to meet Guido's proud expression. "I would really appreciate that, Mr. Zeppoli… Hopefully after a week of doing this, I'll be able to afford to have Vivi's car fixed by, uh… 'Rikka Sparkmax'?" Ren read aloud from his unfolded list— raising a single eyebrow up, as he quietly repeated the name under his breath before commenting, "That's… Quite the unusual name, now isn't it?"
Having regained the normal color balance on her face, Karrah piped up in her seat as she said, "Oh, Mrs. S-Sparkmax? Heh! If you think her 'common' name is unusual, you should try asking her what her actual 'Ghukliak' name is."
Caught off guard by exotic sounding word that had just come out of the cashier's mouth, Ren gave Karrah a bewildered look as he mouthed to her, "Ghukliak…?"
"Y-Yeah, Ghukliak; that's the ancestral language of goblins," Karrah answered back as though what she had said was common knowledge, before letting out an embarrassed chuckle as she swiveled in her bar stool; so as to face Ren. "Erm… G-Granted, I… I don't think she's fluent in Ghukliak; I think she, uh… I-I think she actually mentioned before that no one really speaks it anymore— other than like, you know, linguists and historians who study that sort of stuff."
"… Goblins, huh?" Ren asked with a concerned look in his eye, while trying his best to remain respectful as he mentally tip-toed toward the question that popped up in his mind. "I didn't exactly see any of them when Ms. Yoshimura showed me around town yesterday… Tell me, do they get along with the rest of the people?"
Feeling a bit perplexed as to why Ren seemed more reserved with his words, as though he were figuratively walking on eggshells, Karrah gave him a confused look as she replied with, "I mean… You probably didn't see any of them outside because they were all still sleeping inside their homes; they're naturally nocturnal, after all…"
"… And as far as them getting along with everyone else in town? That's… That's a strange question to ask, Ren. What would make you think that they wouldn't?" Karrah asked inquisitively; feeling genuinely curious about why Ren would ask something like that, while accidentally coming off as judgemental.
Fearing the idea of coming off as a bigot, Ren was nervously trying to think of a way to voice his own impressions of what he thought of goblins in general; all without offending either of them. Luckily for the young man with the figurative foot in his mouth, Guido picked up on what Ren was trying to get at, and quickly intervened before things went south for him.
"Ah, you-a see bambini, what-a Ren here was-a trying to ask was if-a the goblins in Crescent Bay were-a anything like the-a ones who live in-a cities," Guido clarified smoothly— de-escalating his daughter's wary curiosity, all while slyfully giving Ren a reassuring wink. "He's-a only asking because just-a like a lot of the-a people who live in-a largely populated urban areas, goblins who-a live in cities are-a often treated very poorly for-a many unfair reasons; thus, they've-a develop a reputation for-a having a dislike of humans— same goes for a lot of-a races who aren't human-esque as well."
Knitting her brow as she began frowning, Karrah began lamenting on what her father had just told her. "That… That sounds really terrible," Karrah muttered with disapproval in her voice, as she looked over to the young man before asking him, "Is that true, Ren? Do goblins really harbor resentment towards humans and people who look human, because of the way they're mistreated by them?"
'If only it were that simple,' Ren thought to himself with a quiet sigh escaping his nose, as he bit down slightly on his own lip while thinking of how he would reply to her question. "… It was unfair of me to ask that question; just like in the city, you can't really blanket everyone from one race into the same group… But to answer your question… Y-Yeah: goblins— and a lot of other races that aren't 'human' looking enough— are oftentimes do get mistreated for reasons that really don't make sense anymore; a lot of the stigmas that paint them in a bad light stem from outdated stereotypes… Stereotypes that are oftentimes perpetuated by their own communities, who've given up on trying to better themselves in an environment that seems to them thrives on their suffering…"
"… And because of the way cities are dominated by humans and elves who outnumber the 'monster races', most people usually end up adopting an 'us versus them' mentality that only reinforces that divide," Ren said while beginning to reflect on his own biases— silently wondering if too had been part of the problem, simply by remaining neutral to the many social social movements that he could have participated in.
"It's… It's an overall complicated issue; one that you'd think would have an easy fix, but somehow… Somehow it doesn't; and the reasons for that are so all over the place," Ren vented with him now being the one to sound upset, as he found himself opening up about the subject. "… I-I'm sorry; I didn't mean to put a damper on the discussion like that. It's just, uh… I guess I had a lot more to say about all of that than I thought."
Being the one with the most life experiences, Guido once again took it upon himself to be the reassuring voice of reason, and chose to speak only after giving his uncomfortable-looking daughter a soft nod. "Ren… If-a there's a few things that I-a won't tolerate in-a my tavern, and one of them is-a seeing a friend feeling the-a need to apologize for-a opening up," Guido said in a comforting voice, while meeting Ren's widened eyes with a big smile across his mustached face.
"I-don't mean to-a sound pretentious, but I was a lot like-a you when I was a young man," Guido said while pointing a thumb at himself, before proceeding to tell Ren, "I used to-a live in the city of-a Stella, back when I was-a in Cerulea. The problems Stella had were-a more or less the same as you would-a find anywhere else during that time period: only humans and elves were-a allowed to purchase property and-a vote, while everyone else was-a expected to either pay-a rent at unaffordable prices, or-a face homelessness; as you'd imagine, neither were-a favorable options. But, it was-a either choosing one of-a those two things, or— taking your-a family out in the wild, where genuinely dangerous monsters alike called-a their hunting grounds…"
"… That's why I-a used to go adventuring so often when I was-a younger; it wasn't to seek thrills, or to find-a my fortune— it was all an escape for me, so I didn't have to-a live in a place that was-a built on the misery of those who I couldn't even-a look in the eyes," Guido explained with open honesty, while Ren noticed from the corner of his eye the saddened look that was finding its way on Karrah's face. "But you-a see, Ren: what I failed to-a realize back then was-a that living in a city wasn't-a ever the problem… In-a truth, what made me miserable was-a my own inability to-a feel as though I could-a make a difference in-a my environment— it was-a easier to blame all of those problems on-a Stella, than it was to-a blame myself."
Taking a moment to catch his breath and let Ren and his daughter digest the story of his life that he had shared with them, Guido let out a sigh as he softly closed his eyelids half-way— reflecting on his own distant memories, as he picked up his ceramic cup to take a soothing sip of his cappuccino. "… I used to-a think that my problems would-a stay behind me in Stella; that I could-a escape them, if-a I only I could-a get myself as far away as I could-a from Cerulea," Guido said with a nostalgic smile forming on his lips, as he continued to hold the cup close to his mouth. "So… I traveled the world, thinking that-a I could find my happiness in-a somewhere new, somewhere exotic— somewhere that-a wasn't that city…"
"But… Things don't-a work that way, Ren; I-a had to find that-a out the hard way," Guido said in a cathartic voice, as he carefully set down his cup before letting out another sigh as he stared warmly into Ren's watery eyes. "Everywhere you-a go, there'll always be-a heartache that awaits you-a there; you-a can't run from your-a own perspective on life. Happiness won't-a ever come to you, nor will you-a ever find it in some far-off magical place. To find happiness, you-a first need to-a look inside of here," Guido said with a comforting voice, before leaning forward over the table to gently tap his finger on the left side of Ren's chest.
Tightening his jaw as he felt his stomach turn from the flurry of emotions he was trying to repress, Ren took in a shaky breath to calm himself down before finally whispering in a raspy voice, "M… M-My heart?"
"Sì, your-a heart— your-a cuore," Guido said with a sentimental voice, before turning to comfort his quietly crying daughter by reaching his other hand out towards her face— gently wiping her tears from her cheeks, and sharing a tender moment with her as they smiled at one another. "It is your-a compass, Ren; it'll guide you-a through whatever sea of-a heartache and-a pain that we-a all find ourselves getting lost in-a throughout our-a lives," Guido said sweetly, as he gently brushed his fingers through Karrah's bangs before turning around to smirk at Ren with a aura of confidence lifting up his mood. "Easier said than done, I know; but you're-a already on the right track to-a getting there Ren— whether you-a can see that now, or-a not."