Chapter 466: Place to place

The crack of dawn brought a pleasant touch to the eyes. 'Jen gave up after a few tries, maybe I'll call her later.' Saturday began with a message from the Head-chef. The recruits would take the weekend off as a recompense for winning the battle. Konoe packed his backs early morning and set out to meet his family. Igna awoke with a heavy burden atop the brows, a heaviness that soon faded into the far reaches of the mind. Warm and comfy to lay upon the cold floor, a jittering flash of discomfort shot upwards to the stomach.

'The days off is fine and all…' the windows opened to a mildly busy alley, '-what am I supposed to do?' The motion of brushing teeth, getting ready, and doing the bed was finished subconsciously. Habits he grew to learn during the stay at the academy were present.

"Good morning, Igna," said Ki across the hallway.

"Ki, do you stay here too?" asked he locking the door behind.

"Yeah," he smiled, "-I moved in a few weeks ago. The wife got angry at my work-ethic, said to focus on being the best cook I can possibly be."

"That's awesome."

"Yeah, thanks," giving a hard embrace, "-I'll head out, have a good day," paused across, "-I forgot. Guild Master Haru is looking for you," the large man turned towards the elevator to empty the hallway.

'Didn't we speak yesterday?' wondered he casually strolling to the stairs, '-Lady Haru's more hands-on than expected.' 

Two well-dressed figures sat outside the office. One stared out the frameless window while the other sat with the phone in hand. The appearance seemed to be somewhat of class. Anyone could wear a suit, yet, the slight aura given was of dignity.

"Good morning," said he knocking on the door.

"Good morning," replied the one who sat without lifting an eye.

"Come in."

"Good morning, Guild Master."

"Igna, just the person I was waiting for," she exclaimed rather slyly. A lady sat opposite wearing tailored pants and a buttoned shirt.

'Who's this new character?' wondered he stuck in place.

"About the deal, that is for him to decide," said Haru resuming the conversation.

"Should I leave?" 

"No, pardon me," said the lady, "-my lady is Beatrice Jola, the secretary of Mr. Lordon and manager of the Hidros branch of Loron's Restaurant. Lady Yuki spoke her mind about taking you in, right?"

"…" he nodded

"Excellent, yesterday's battle made it to popular news outlets. I'll spare the marketing side of things, long story short, Lady Yuki wants you to come work right away. She had planned on teaching you at a new establishment. Sadly, it's not feasible now."

"Igna," voiced Lady Haru,"-the day has come to train. Go make us proud, I'm sure Leko's waiting impatiently for the day you return. Learn from a legend and create thy own story."

"Should I suppose it's a yes?" asked the lady.

"Yes, the Guild has no qualms, do as is pleased. I do have one condition."

"Which is?"

"Freedom."

"Easier said than done," gritted the secretary, "-I'll see what's possible." Thus, the short conversation ended with Igna accompanying the less than conversational people. They surrounded as if bodyguards around a movie star. It hadn't been a week and the jump from place-to-place spawned mild anxiety. 

"Igna, refer to me as Manager from now on, ok?" she grinned fearsomely.

"Yes, Manager," he nodded. A shiny-grey car came from the left. 

"Manager…" 

"What is it?" she frowned at his vocal tone.

"May you please input the address on the phone instead?" 

"Sure, why, don't you want to ride in the car?" 

"No," he glanced over the shoulder, "-Lady Yuki gave me the bicycle as a present. There no way I'm leaving it behind."

"Very well," the door shut with windows rolling down, "-make it back before 18:00," it sped into the distance. No time wasted on his side, the boy pedaled up the hill to cross the massive gate leading inside the capital. The way the bricks and lines craved on said wall was interrupted by the passage. The sharp edges with less aging than the outer side pointed in one direction – the opening was built recently. The atmosphere changed instantly, there were more people for once. The buildings were taller from the get-go, the sky grew scarce. Not as tall as skyscrapers, but tall enough to be considered desirable. The roads were large with many younger people walking up and down. 'Is this the shopping district?' the multiples of shops and labels gave annoyance of choice. For people who hated the availability of multiple brands of the same item, the district would have been a hell-sent envoy. 

As the journey continued, the buildings differed in size, some were without any additional floor. The focus was placed mainly on minimalism and more often than not, 'nature'. Time went by without much thought, cycling across the vast capital was a treat in itself. The trader's district or commercial area was what interested him the most. He wanted to see how business was done and how the Trader's guild affected the area. 

Past the Central Adventuring Guild, as told by a sign and the people stood, he continued towards the town square. The roads changed from tarmac to stones. An earlier inn had him more than confused, 'the Pussy Palace.' Pink and far worst than anything he'd ever seen; the abundance of cats was the same as a swarm of flies around rotten food. 

Adverting airships would often block the sun, many windows had the faces of idols advertising products. Cars weren't allowed at the intersection into the square. Public Safety spared nothing to make the orders be heard. 

"You!" pointed a younger officer, "-get off the cycle and walk." 

"Sure," he obeyed, "-thank you for the advice." 

'Who was that?' wondered he baffled at the complacency. People had habits of arguing about the orders. Verbal prowess was a trait necessary for guarding the Town-Square. The capital of modernness preserved a moment of history. The older-styled tiled roof buildings were robust and lively. Green-painted lamppost, the reduced amount of technology. A trip to the past; the walk felt long and rightfully so. 

*The Pride of Hidros returns,* plastered on the window of a closed shop. The rotting wooden door didn't spawn confidence. Part of the roof was close to breaking, the insides were dusty and covered by sheets. The produce displayed were telephones and a few electrical appliances. No name, nothing, only the advertisement of a movie and the few items. 'Dates to seven years ago, damn.' 

Few steps later the land cleared into benches and a massive fountain with the statue of Syhton. Couples and children alike were spotted running around with smiles. The vicinity was layered with shops and restaurants. The purpose of a town-square was to do business – a market. Plenty o' decorations made it eye-fetching. 

'This nostalgic feeling is whelming,' he walked to the fountain. *In remembrance of the Hero who saved our apostle, Xenos,* a dragon-crest was engraved onto the top-right corner. 'The hero who saved an apostle,' taking a step back, '-I wonder what sort of person he was. Someone with a strong sense of justice. Adventurers sure have the best job in the world.' Across the fountain laid a building with 'Loron's' written across the black window. Well-maintained flowery bushes grew to accentuate the peaceful look it portraited. 

'That's the place,' thought he reaching the closed doors.

"They don't open until later tonight," said a stranger out of kindness.

"Thank you." 14:00, 'it's too early. Should have asked where to meet the manager. I don't have her number either…' 

"Good afternoon, is there something I can help with?" 

"Yes," he turned to stare at a well-build man with short hair, round glasses, and a stern face, "-Is there perhaps a number I can call to reach the manager of Loron's?"

"Not really," said the man relaxing into a confident pose, "-might I know the reason for the visit?"

"And who are you?"

"A sous-chef at Loron's."

"The manager told me to come by this address, I'm Igna."

"Lyoko Igna?" the stance relaxed.

"Yes…"

"I've been waiting," he smiled with the mouth only, upper half remained stern, "-I'm Joe Aldina, call me Joe. Follow me," they took to a back-alley. Cleaned with the trash nicely resting atop bins, "-I can't believe I didn't recognize you. The video sure made headlines."

"What news?" wondered he.

"You don't know?" the back-door unlocked, "-keep the cycle over there."

"No, I really don't," inside was a darkened room, *-click,* the explosion of light blinded him to the point of covering the face. 

"It's a shame, you're a full-blown star on the Arcanum. People are searching hard for your identity. Still is peculiar that an unknown would impress our head-chef into bringing you into her sanctum of a kitchen. Word of advice, don't try to stand out, the lady hates when people try to improvise meals. Tis a fine-dining establishment. I don't doubt the potential and skill shown. Watch your back, the world of cooking is far more tenacious and heartbreaking than people would often admit."

"Am I supposed to get scared?"

"Not really," he laughed, "-you have guts kid, I like it." He soon took out fresh unprepared ingredients, "-come on and help me. You came to work, right?"

"Sure," he removed the apron from the backpack and began. 

"Lady Yuki."

"Yes, where is my prodigy?" asked she over the phone.

"My lady, the boy has reached the restaurant."

"Why there, didn't I ask to bring him to the mansion?" 

"I apologize, the boy asked for the address of the restaurant – the mansion slipped my mind."

"Whatever," she sighed, "-who's going to prep the ingredients?"

"Joe…"

"Please don't tell me…" her reserved tone fluctuated, "-that man is trouble, why is he at the restaurant?"

"I told him to fetch the recruit…"

"Are you out of your mind?" yelled across, "-Joe is known as Carnage, he doesn't care about people. His work ethic is extreme. Manager, take care of the mess you made if Igna is broken before I even have a chance at teaching then-" the phone hung.

'Well, my lady, if the boy can't keep up with Joe, there's no way he'll survive your lessons.' 

"Come on boy, move quicker," said he cutting vegetables. 

"On it, sir," it hadn't been a few minutes and the pace had him panting. The orders kept on coming, they stacked faster than the body could move. 

'Is that the talent my lady chose to teach?' a sigh had him roll the eyes, '-what a disappointment.'

'This chef is worst than I imagined, is this how a real restaurant works?' stuck facing the full chopping board, '-my arms are cramping, this is bad.'

"THERE'S NO TIME TO REST, COME ON, WE HAVE TO PREP THE NOODLES TOO!" 

'This guy is insane,' taking a deep breath, '-focus, preparation is easier than cooking. Go one at a time, refine the techniques on the fly, don't waste motion, work efficiently. Those are Chef Leko's advice, there's no room to fail. It's most likely a test.' A heavy presence dowsed the floor in a stomach-turning tension.

'What's happening?' wondered Joe taking a break from the chopping board, '-what the fuck?' 

'There's no way I'm losing,' a piece of cloth tightened around the forehead – a makeshift bandana, '-refinement comes with experience, and experience is learned via practice, no wasted motion, come on, do it.' 

'I ought to check on the boy my lady fought to recruit,' thought the manager scattering across the alleys. 'The lights are on, that's a good sign,' the closer she got the more the sound of rattling grew ominous, '-what's this supposed to be?' she entered to a show of insanity. Joe leaned across the counter and kept on ordering. Young Igna moved around the kitchen with unusual dexterity, the speed increased, the sous-chef held the biggest smile since being employed. 

"This guy is a freak," laughed he at the sight of the manager.

"What's with him?" wondered she shuffling behind the boy's back.

"No idea, he's a great catch that's for sure."

"Why?" she frowned to bit her inner cheeks.

"Look there, everything for tonight was prepared in less than two hours. He's been like that for more than an hour now; I'm running out of things to say."

"DONE," he pulled the sweaty cloth letting the hair crash on his face, "-Chef Joe, I've completed what you asked."