Chapter 17: Job Interview
Ryo entered upon the Gate Inn to be greeted by Martha's smiling face once again, as was customary of her for the whole duration of his stay in her mother's inn. They held eye contact for a moment before she pushed her ample chest out and grinned.
"Welcome back Ryo." She said cutely. "Would you like dinner, or a bath..." She then put her finger to her chin as she tilted her head to the side and gave him an appealing expression, maximising her cute girl abilities to the max. "...or...perhaps...me?"
...
"Don't ever do that again." He said dryly. "I just cringed so hard, my scrotum retracted back into me."
"Urgh!" Martha's expression took upon one of disgust. "How uncouth! Seriously Ryo, what made you think that was a good idea in saying that?"
"I could pose the same question to you." He remarked. "Don't forget I'm still a customer. I'll be gone before long."
"I know I know." Martha waved him off. "It's just been so fun having you around and all."
"Literally, how is that the case?" He quirked an eyebrow. "I go out every morning and don't come back until the evening. The only times we get to talk is when I'm here and that doesn't happen very often. As a matter of fact, I've done everything possible to make sure I have little time as possible to talk to you." Ryo folded his arms. "So why are you still following me around and pulling stunts like this?"
"I haven't been that bad!" Martha protested with an angry little pout as she clenched her hands. Ryo couldn't help but notice she looked cute even when doing that. It seemed no matter what she did, Martha could not do anything but just be that cute girl in everything she did.
"You stood outside of my door the other day with your lips puckered up, hoping I'd run right into them on my way out."
"Can't blame a girl for trying." She said as she hid her mouth behind her hand. "It was so heartless as well. A girl offers you her first kiss and you don't take it." Her voice carried a mock-babyish whine.
"I'm not blind to what you're doing." Ryo said as he put his hand on his hip. "Alright then, let's settle this once and for all. Why exactly are you so eager for my attention?"
"Huh?" Martha looked genuinely stumped at that question before she straightened up again and put her finger to her mouth the way she always did when she was in thought. "I don't know. I guess...maybe because it's the first time really that a guy near my age stayed in our inn. It was fun to have someone else to talk with."
"I'm 19, and you're 13. There's a six year difference between us Martha. You're still a child to me, regardless of your..." He looked to her womanly assets. "...maturity."
"The eyes don't lie mister." She wagged her finger. "I can tell you dig me. You have since the day you walked in here. And anyway, if you are concerned about the age thing even though I'm pretty sure that doesn't mean anything to you, I've got good news." She opened her arms wide. "It'll be my birthday tomorrow! And you are invited!"
"What an honour." He muttered. "I could have sworn you said your birthday was next year."
"No. What I said was that a year on from now, I'll be 14. Which is true by the way. I'm still turning 14 tomorrow though." She then scrunched up her mouth in thought. "What do you look so concerned about?"
"I assume you're going to be celebrating your birthday?"
"Well yes. Though probably in the evening. The inn still needs running during the day, but at night we'll definitely be celebrating. You don't do well with parties?"
"It's not the party I have issue with." He said. "I'm quite used to parties. Plenty of experience in that field really, especially when it's probably going to be with a bunch of strangers. But no, the party setting is not what concerns me."
"Then what is?"
"If you're having a birthday party, then the guests are obligated to bring you a present."
"Naturally."
"Beyond your inability to comprehend the word 'no', or that you can't take a hint, I don't know the first thing about you. So what the hell should I bring you?"
"You don't really need to bring anything." She said. "Just you being there would be a present enough in itself."
Ryo looked taken aback by that statement as he stared her in the face. For a moment he hoped she was pulling his leg...but if there was one thing about Martha, she wore her intentions on her sleeve and her emotions like a mask. She was sporting a very honest expression right now.
"Are you okay?" She then asked him as she became a little concerned. "I mean, you're already pale enough but you look like you've seen a ghost."
"You're making a mistake trying to get close to me like this." He said in a bit of a hard tone. "For your sake, stop trying to be so familiar with me. You have no idea the type of person I am."
"I've seen a lot of tough guys in my life before Ryo." Martha said as she clasped her hands in front of her. "But you're the only one I've actually taken a liking to. Come on, I like you and mom likes you too. You're not exactly talkative yeah, but you're the cleanest and most respectful guest we've had. You've also tipped Yuni a lot, so she also likes you."
Yuni was the local girl that Mosa had hired to help with the upkeep during the day. A tiny little thing, she was definitely a hard worker, enough to impress Ryo that he gave her tips because he simply felt such a hard working child deserved as much extra reward as she could get.
Ryo respected work done properly, and those who were diligent in it. He didn't have much of a moral compass...but he had standards and principle. It was no charity on his end that he gave what he did to Yuni, it was simply a thanks for her labour.
"Doesn't make me familiar enough to just invite to your coming of age party. You'll become an adult which I'm sure will be quite the occasion. A practical stranger has no place in an occasion like that."
"If you don't want to come to my party you can just say you know." Martha deflated a little. "You don't have to come. I'm not and I won't force you. I just get the feeling you'll be leaving us soon and I've enjoyed serving you here. I just want to send you off with a good time. We don't have to be friends Ryo, but at least let me make good upon what relationship we do have here."
"...Will it make you leave me alone if I say yes?" Ryo asked.
"Nope." Martha shook her head. "I'm still going to bother you whether you come or not. How much I bother you however will depend on your answer."
Ryo examined her behaviour and her body language, and so far he could tell that she was being completely honest in all she was saying. He'd no idea that he'd managed to pull of this act so well, that he could sell a fake persona somewhat endearing enough that this girl would invite him to her birthday party. For a moment, he considered being his usual cold self and outright rejecting the invitation.
He cast his eyes over to the Curse that was still wrapped around Martha's shoulder. It had grown a little bigger in the fortnight that had passed, no doubt feeding off of the negative energy that Martha was creating during her labours. And now that he thought about it, the girl seemed a little sluggish and frail lately. Despite her generous assets, Martha was a very petite girl with quite a thin waist, thinner than many other girls he'd seen. And lately, she looked a bit skinnier and her cheeks had less colour in them.
As she seemed to be losing good health, the Curse seemed to be growing stronger. A quick Appraisal on her revealed she was actually feeling quite lethargic and she had a growing fever that she was trying to keep off. It seemed Martha hurtled through her illnesses by continuously working and staying active, instead of just resting and letting the affliction pin her down. But it was most certainly getting to her, that was for sure.
The Curse was giggling a lot as it drank in her negative emotions, feeding off of her suffering and celebrating them with bouts of horrible gurgled laughter that she could not hear unfortunately. It was nothing new to Ryo. Fly Heads had appeared everywhere back where he came from, so it was quite easy to determine the cause and purpose of the Curse. But for the first time ever, seeing the suffering that the little bastard was making Martha go through...
...didn't sit too well with him.
For some reason, he found himself regarding this creature with a bit more contempt that he usually would. It went beyond his disgust of it being the lowest of his kin and so abhorrently weak. It was like just the idea of it harming Martha the way it was doing just seemed to irk him a little more than it should have. It was at that moment that she decided to open her mouth for one last thing to say.
"If you did come, it would take a weight off of me for sure." She said as she rolled her shoulders. "My back has gotten a lot stiffer lately and my shoulders feel so heavy. Mom's massages aren't really doing so well for me. But for some reason, whenever you're around, it doesn't feel so bad. It would be nice to have that on one of my happiest days." Martha then clasped her hands in front of her and looked up at him with her big brown eyes. "Please say yes."
...
"Fine, I'll come." He sighed and shook his head. "I do have to ask who else will be there though."
"Oh just Mom, Yuni and some other friends of mine." Martha said. "When the rush hour is over, we're going to have a huge dinner. Mom's broth is just the best! Trust me, you'll be glad you came just because of that."
"I'll take your word for it." Ryo said. "Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to my room."
"Sure." Martha said as she beamed at him while he started going up the stairs. She then smacked her head as she remembered something and held up a hand. "Wait a moment!"
"What now?" He asked in a tired voice.
Martha held up her hand in front of her while using the other to dig right into her shirt and into her cleavage where she rummaged around a little, before pulling out an envelope, and handing it to Ryo who now sported wide eyes at her behaviour.
"Someone came by earlier from the Guild. Said something about the people you were looking for being found and then he just left this letter for you."
"How long have you kept that thing in there?" Ryo asked.
"Enough that I'm sure it's scented with me." She winked as she waved it about enticingly.
Ryo just rolled his eyes and took it from her, tearing the letter out and reading out what instructions had been left for him. He nodded more and more as he read down each line before folding the piece of paper and slipping it into his pocket.
"It seems I have to make a change of plans." Ryo said as he came back down and headed to the front door. "I'll be staying out all day again today."
"Just have dinner here today!" Martha called out to him. "Half-price just for you."
"I believe that decision lies with your mother." Ryo commented as he opened the door, and then paused as he looked at her over his shoulder. "Get some rest. You look tired."
"Will do." She saluted.
Ryo closed the door behind him and stood idly by in the street as he scrunched his eyebrows in confusion and tilted his head. Usually he was quite steadfast in his attitude and his tendencies. He'd never really had the time nor the care for pleasantries...yet today he'd given an affectionate head rub to a boy he swore to himself that he really hated, and had now acquiesced to the demands of another little monkey...even if said monkey was more tolerable and enjoyable as company than others.
But still, it didn't make sense as to how she'd manage to drag the answer she wanted out of him. For a moment there, he was definitely going to decline.
What was going on with him?
---
"Right through here Lord Ryo." Rehmer opened a door for the Spirit which led into a small room. There was a small desk and chair for Ryo to sit, while there were a bunch of other chairs in the room with a few more people sat down in them.
Ryo ignored his seating place for a moment and cast his eyes over the occupants in the room, all prospective workers vying for some opportunity in the city, his job offer being amongst them. The people ranged in ages but what could definitely be noted as of immediate fact was that all the interviewees were male. They stared back at Ryo, immediately recognising him as their new boss should they accept or be accepted to work under him.
At once Ryo could feel their judgement of him and his appearance definitely played a part in it. He looked little more than a young boy, and in the eyes of the grown men in that room, he saw the twinkle of more than just opportunity...these fools actually expected an easy life with him, like they could move around as comfortably as they pleased.
Those people whom Ryo could see possessed that kind of glint in their eye were immediately crossed off, no matter what they offered. In no world would he be taken for a ride, not when it came to his business.
"I feel like I know the answer, but are these the people I asked you to find?" Ryo asked Rehmer.
"Yes sir, absolutely." The Chienthrope rubbed his hands and clapped them a little. "They are all experienced people, so they claim, with a culinary background in confectionaries. They are willing to answer any questions you pose them and I suppose the judgement if left up to you Lord Ryo, to see if they are eligible or not. After all, it is just one position that's available." Rehmer than patted Ryo's shoulder like he were a friend. "Good luck."
The Section Leader tipped his head to the candidates and promptly left the room. Ryo let silence hang in the air for a moment before he called out to them.
"I'll make one thing clear, so if any shitheads in here are having any funny ideas just because of the way I look, you'd better listen closely." Ryo pointed a thumb at himself. "I will only expect the best, the very best and the absolute best out of all of you. Every second you spend in my kitchen, I want to be filled with 100% concentration and effort. No cutting corners, no under-preparations, and no delays when I give orders or when orders come in. You will do as you're told." Ryo leaned his hand son the desk. "More than that I will not be taken for a ride. I'm generally a prick even outside of business, but in the kitchen, I will be your nightmare if you perform badly. So if you have any problem with someone as young as me bossing you around and making demands, then please kindly f*ck off out of here. The job is not for you."
Ryo cocked his head to the door, and made straight eye contact with the men in the room. Tension rose a little as he saw that he had indeed bristled some of them. Without a word, most of them got up, seemingly disgusted or bothered by his attitude and language. They decided that no job was worth the indignity of having a boy cuss them and boss them about. They left the room gladly, leaving only a handful of people behind.
Ryo sniffed before sitting at the desk and grabbing a sheet off the desk and a quill.
"Alright, who's first?" A fat dwarf sat opposite him in the interviewee chair. "What are your qualifications?"
"Well I've actually worked in two restaurants before this, and..."
...
And thus Ryo's afternoon went by as he interviewed several potential dessert chefs, ascertaining their attitudes and dedication while also scrutinising their acumen and their history in the trade. After they were done, they would leave and allow him to deliberate thereafter as he interviewed the next person. All up until one person was left.
Ryo looked at the final applicant and cocked his head a little at their appearance. They were quite small and rather childlike, which immediately made him think that this person was a Pallum. But as Ryo focused closer upon the boy's features and the boy's scent as well, he was suddenly hit with a feeling of familiarity. The 'Palllum' was only about the size of a small child, with pale hair and brownish eyes, and even though the boy tried to hide it, Ryo could spot a dignified manner in his gait.
There was no general slouchiness of the common people, but a distinguished way in which the boy walked and the aura around the boy exuded a calmness that indicated a mind wiser beyond its years, and someone who was not quite use to common company, even if the generic tunic and shorts made him look like any other boy.
"You're not a Pallum." Ryo said in a matter of fact tone. "You're just a human boy."
The candidate froze for a moment before rubbing his cheek sheepishly.
"Yeah, I am." The candidate responded. "You got me."
"You do realize there is no make believe and this is not play, right?" Ryo asked. "You're here applying for a job with me in my business, and I'm expecting talent and hard work. Not the fantasies of some runaway noble brat."
"How did you know?" The candidate asked in shock, his pale hair swishing about over his brown eyes.
"The way you walk and how you carry yourself. Commoners are much more ruggedy." Ryo answered as he narrowed his eyes further. The boy seemed to look very familiar to him, like he'd seen him somewhere before. "But I'm willing to listen. What is your name?"
"Pastry." The boy said. "Pastry Mille Morteln."
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