FSE

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Ethan and Brook stood outside the Culture, looking up at the huge building, bright and shiny, with a neon sign that displayed the image of some poker chips and a bowl of pasta; it really was a gem that lit up the otherwise dreary dock. Some sort of haven for the rich and wealthy in the otherwise poverty stricken Palegreen City; hard to believe that the two of them were now counted among those aforementioned rich and wealthy. Ethan dressed in a black suit with a subtle golden grid pattern along it, the outfit costing approximately 51,000 Shells. Brook meanwhile went with a more extravagant option. A red suit that sparkled in the light, whose sleeves and leggings became darker as they got closer to the feet and hands, with the pant legs even turning into frilly bell bottoms. She did say she would be getting a suit better than Ethan's and she really meant it. This suit's cost totaled out to 102,000 Shells.

This did beg the question: Did we really have to spent about 150,000 Shells on clothes that we weren't going to wear again. The answer: Of course we needed to, we want to look good to our colleagues. It was more surprising that they were able to find a store that sold such expensive clothing just a short walk from their house. They still looked like a pair of assholes walking into the suit store, dressed in retail clothing.

"Phew..." Ethan said, looking up at the sign: Culture Casino: Cards, Bars, and Good Food; the prospect of hitting the slots or any of the tables did sound really appealing right about now, he hadn't touched a slot machine in years. "So here we are." He said, inhaling deeply. It is just a business meeting with a fellow co-worker, there was nothing to get nervous over, he told himself. He looked over to Brook, who looked more excited to be here than he did; as usual, she looked like she was unable to stand still. Come to think of it, it was the first time she as dressed in a half decent way.

"You two look great, by the way," Kaya said, getting out of her car, a pink convertible; the two had to ride with her and surprisingly, she was a really comfy driver. "Let's wait right here, there's a fourth guest coming on the way."

"Fourth?" Brook asked, "Is it the fighter Eli's gonna go against?"

"Nope," Kaya shook her head, "He's... Someone of great importance, so just be on your best behavior, I really mean that. Normally he doesn't meet with people, especially in a city like this, no offense, but he was insistent on meeting you two. For what reason, hell if I know."

"How vague," Ethan said under his breath, leaning against a streetlight.

"That being said, I hope you two are hungry." Kaya grinned, patting her belly. "I also hope you didn't fast, it's always a good rule of thumb to have a snack or two before a large meal. It helps keep your stomach stay expanded."

"Yeah I know. I'm a glutton so I'm use to eating a shit ton of food." Brook said, looking down at her own belly, her normally ever present pot belly was now hidden by her suit. What's with all this focus on bellies?

A black car rolled up to the trio. A familiar symbol was on the side of it. Looked like a large, stylized V.

"Ah, there he is!" Kaya cheered. "Let me get the door, sir." She quickly skipped over, opening the car door.

Leaving the passenger seat, was an elderly man. Actually, elderly alone didn't quite describe how old this man looked. Incredibly elderly. Fur so grayed and skin so wrinkled, that Ethan nor Brook could figure out what species he was. Had to be some sort of gray furred canine; although it was hard to tell if gray was his natural fur color or just the result of achromotrichia. Maybe he was a wolf? His tired eyes, looked around the area, as he held himself up with his cane, that had the same logo that was on the car. He dressed in a nice suit and slippers, an interesting combination.

"Hello, sir," Ethan said, remaining polite. Unaware of the man's rank, not even knowing who he was, he was just doing what Kaya told him.

"What's up?" Brook said, in a less than polite way, but at least had a polite tone.

The old man said nothing, looking between the two, before walking towards the building, slow, yes, but faster than they expected from him. Ethan and Brook were left silent and confused, prompting the former to look over to Kaya.

"So, who is that guy?" He asked, watching the man slowly walking in front of them. "Is Brook in trouble for that 'what's up?'"

"He's become lax in his old age, but just don't say anything that'll anger him. What will anger him, well, that depends on his mood." She said, as she too started going for the building. "Before you, is none other than Alton Auger, Archdeacon of VAV.

Archdeacon of VAV Corp

Alton "Biological Mastermind" Auger

Neither Brook nor Ethan said anything, both awestruck. Not at the old man's presence, no, they didn't even know about him until now; they figured VAV was just ran by a boring CEO, as most pharma companies are. What awestruck them was that someone of such a rank was willing to meet with them. Them of all people.

"Archdeacon?" Brook asked, walking beside Kaya, "He's a priest?"

"Well, yes and no? VAV is a pharmaceutical company, yeah, but their leadership and organization is set up more like a religious group, rather than a blue collar job. Don't ask me. Think it was a choice done by Alton's father."

Before she could continue though, Alton looked over his shoulder, staring at the serval, a strong glare in his eyes, his thin eyes now widened. Kaya gasped, being stared down by the man, practically frozen in space, her tail tucked between her legs. Ethan standing on her other side could feel it as tell. Brook, normally the oblivious one, too could feel the pressure the old man was exerting. But then, he smiled, showing his sharp, yellowed teeth. "Hmm... Please, enough talking about work, Kaya." He opened the door to the Culture, inviting the three to go in first. "I came here to eat food, small servings for me, I'd rather not hear about work if I don't have to."

Kaya breathed a sigh of relief, putting her hand over her chest. "Yes sir, sorry Archdeacon, sir." She then went in, looking for the table she reserved.

Ethan and Brook followed after her. Both of them getting the strange feeling that both of their lives were just spared.

The inside of the Culture was about what they expected. A long carpeted hallway split the room in two. One side, the right, had gambling tables, slot machines, and a large bar. On the left, there were a series of tables, people chowing down on all kinds of delicious food. Despite being a casino, the food being served there didn't look too greasy; well, at least that's what it looked like just by a glance. Sure, it wasn't too fancy either, not a piece of caviar in sight, or an orchestral movement to accompany the food. But at the same time the quality of the meals were nothing to scoff at; Brook was half expected there to be plenty of pizza and burgers, like a children entertainment center for adults.

"Come on, this way, we're going to the VIP lounge." Kaya smiled to the two, now walking next to Alton instead of behind him.

"VIP?" Ethan asked, "Are you sure? We're not exactly, well, the VIP type."

"Why wouldn't I give you guys a taste of the life of a high ranking handler?" She said, winking at them. "Besides, the tables are already reserved, so don't complain." The group walked up the stairs, going up and up, to the second floor of the building. Even up here, the smell of cigars, booze, and decadence was still ever present in the air; there was no way to cover it all up. It wasn't long before they made it to the top floor, followed by a quick turn to the right, where they ended up in a separate room. One that didn't even look like it belonged in a casino.

"Got the whole place to ourselves." Kaya cheered, doing a little spin as she entered the room, "Don't want the sound of slot machines, poker chips, and the misery of someone who just spent all their paycheck on a rigged game, now shall we?" She said, holding her arm out to the new room. The casino possessed a green, red, and black color palette, while this room was given much more warmer colors. Mostly white and sterile looking, but with an underlying green orchid pattern on the walls. The pattern, was something that Ethan couldn't take his eyes off of; he knew what the orchids meant and who owned this casino. Kaya continued, going for the table in the center of the room. A large table with plenty of room was all four guests, Kaya and Alton would sit on one side, while Brook and Ethan could sit on the other.

But, before they sat down, they passed by a waiter, a smiling brown Labrador, holding a large plate in one hand, and a rag in the other. In his hand, he held a plate of food. Offering them to Brook, he said, "Spinach puff?"

First Course: Hors D'oeuvres

Spinach Puffs

"Oh thank you," Brook said, taking two of them and popping one in her mouth, tasting the snack. Looks like the meal had truly began.

Kaya and Ethan also took one. Alton didn't do so, choosing to immediately sit down, ignoring the Hors D'oeuvres. What was that about enjoying food?

For such a small piece of food, the spinach puffs were a multitude of flavors and textures. Upon putting it in their mouth, they were immediately hit by the dry, flakiness of the puff pastry that encased the inner contents. A tiny bit of seasoning was on the outside, but not too much, not much point when the inside was so overpoweringly flavorful. Once they bit into the savory pastry, they were then greeted by the slight salty sweetness of the cream cheese and the sharp bitterness of the spinach. Then, lastly, there was a slight bit of black pepper and... Was that cayenne? Delicious. Brook just had to have 2 more of them.

"Now now, Brook, don't fill up on too many, we still have the appetizer to get to." Kaya said, sitting down.

"I thought this was the appetizer?" Ethan asked, unsure on how these things worked.

"Nope," She shook her head. "We're slotted in for a Seven Course Meal." She held up 7 fingers. "Those courses being Hors D'oeuvres, Soup, Appetizer, Salad, Main Course, Dessert, and Mignardises. So up next we have a small soup." Incredibly, she nailed the pronunciation of the first and last one; a little less impressive when Ethan and Brook didn't know how they were spelled.

"Who has room for that much food?" Ethan asked.

"I do, bring on the food!" Brook cheered. "Oh yeah, what's the difference between the appetizer and the hor d'oeuvres?"

"Hor d'oeuvres are finger foods, Brook. Eaten before the meal proper. Kaya said, explaining things, as she took a bite of another spinach puff.

"I see... Rich people are weird." She nodded, "No offense, Kaya. Anyways, what about the fighter Eli's gonna go against. That's what we're here for, right?"

"You said he's a handful. What do you mean by that?" Ethan followed up on Brook's question, done with the spinach puffs, ready for whatever came next.

"You two are so quick to just talk about business!" Kaya groaned, leaning back in her chair. "This is a business meeting, yes, but it's also a meeting between new and old friends. Do we really need to get right to the business stuff." She looked over to Alton, who was staring off into space, glassy eyed, not contributing to the conversation. "Besides, Alton here wants to hold off on business talk, isn't that right, Archdeacon?"

He didn't say anything, not even nodding.

"Well, what should we talk about?" Ethan asked.

"Tell me about yourselves? You two are so close." Kaya's eyes lit up. "Are you two lovers!?" A bat and a hyena, what a bizarre combination! A wimpy boy with such a brash girl? That makes it so much better!"

Both of them responded with a series of "No way!"s, "Nuh uh!"s, and "We're nots!"

"Listen, it's a long story," Ethan said, finally able to talk clearly. "But I'm unable to see her as a lover, or in a sexual light for that matter! She's just Brook."

"Same," Brook agreed. "We've known each other since we were super young. So we know everything about each other. But we're not about to become lovers any time soon. Can't even pretend to be them for that matter, trust me, we tried. We met as a pair of fucked up kids, grew into fucked up teens, and now we're a pair of fucked up adults."

"Oh phooey," Kaya said. "That's disappointing, I thought you two would make a cute couple. But you shower together, that's certainly weird. Then again, I've showered and bathed with my females friends a lot of the time."

Alton didn't say anything on the matter.

Oh boy, that was a bit difficult to explain. Before they could go into detail about the whole shower thing, the next course had arrived. A quartet of waiters and waitresses came out, carrying platters, which each had a bowl upon them. It smelled really good, definitely spicy, Ethan with his more accurate sense of smell would smell the spices emanating from the bowls of soup.

It was some sort of red broth, very opaque broth. Tomato soup, but with something more. Within it, floated a slice of lime, a few jalapenos, and various vegetables, softened from the long time they've spent boiling.

Second Course: Soup

Tequila Lime Tomato Soup

"Tequila Lime Tomato Soup!" Kaya said, because none of the character can read the above text. "A nice little spin on a childhood staple."

Indeed, the soup tasted initially like ordinary tomato soup; but it was certainly greater than that. The sweetness of the tomato and the bell peppers, all of them boiled to the point of losing their solidity. But not only that, there was the lemon and lime, that gave it a bit of sourness; yet said sourness didn't overpower the rest of the meal. Then there was the tequila, definitely there, with its earthy taste; really, it was hard to describe the taste of tequila. Its alcoholic contents due to the cooking process. All and all, it was a huge combination of flavors, achieved through the simplest of means, that being throwing a bunch of ingredients into a pot and calling it a day.

"Man," Ethan smiled, feeling humbled. "I ate tomato soup all the time back at St. Moya's. It was a regular thing."

"St. Moya's?" Kaya asked, unfamiliar with the place.

"It's an orphanage, far north of here." He explained, a combination of joy and sadness in his voice. "It's a long story."

"Well you don't have to tell it if you don't want to." Kaya nodded, "But I am still curious to hear."

"It's fine. The short version of the story is that my father disappeared when I was about 3, don't really remember him, then my mother passed away when I was 8. So, I was sent off to St. Moya's, until I was grown up enough to live on my own. Even met my landlady there, Mrs. Siebert."

Kaya nodded, thinking on the massive info dump. The one thing that stood out to her, was, "So your father disappeared, huh?" Kaya asked.

Ethan was silent for a moment, looking down at the soup, stopping his eating. "Yeah, disappeared. I don't know what happened to him."

"It was actually one of the first things that he brought up when we first met," Brook laughed. "He was 9, I was 6. Six year old me walked up to him and he was just like 'My mom is dead and my father went away.'"

"That isn't how it happened." Ethan said, furrowing his brow. "There was so much more build up to it!"

"It's how I remember it!"

"So you're an orphan too, Ms. Rivers?" Kaya asked, looking to Brook.

"Nope, both my parents are still alive. But my mother did work at that orphanage, she was kind of a babysitter or nanny for them. Father was a soldier in the war as well. So I regularly visited the orphanage. That's where I met him and we've been friends ever since."

"I see, how charming," Kaya laughed.

The group continued to chow down on their meal. The bowls were small, small enough that they could be finished in the span of a small few minutes. By that time, the appetizer was brought out. As mentioned by Kaya, it differed from the Hors D'oerves by being served directly to the table. Brook's eyes widened as she immediately smelled tuna.

Third Course: Appetizers

Tuna Kebabs

"Oh hell yeah!" Brook cheered, practically drooling over the skewered fish. It was a recipe she could easily make at home, one that they actually made on special occasions, so this was really a nice dash of home. The savory smell of the salty soy sauce, the honorable helping of honey, and the terrific taste of the tuna. It was a meal she could enjoy, maybe not every day, but at least once a week; maybe even twice or three times a week. She was quick to take a bit of the meal, before anyone else. Yes, the taste was exactly as she expected. Her favorite meal, all it needed was some beer to go with it, they should be serving drinks here other than water!

Even Alton looked like he was enjoying it, despite not eating much else today, or even talking for that matter.

"Figured you'd like this meal. I saw the miniature grill in your guy's house and thought that you enjoyed a bit of amateur grilling." Kaya nodded, enjoying it herself.

As they ate, Ethan looked at Alton, watching the old man eating his smaller portion of food. 3 Primal handlers, then there was him; at least Ethan was sure he wasn't a Handler. The current CEO, or Archdeacon as he liked to be called, of one of the largest pharma companies in Qest. Why was he even here? He had ties with Primal, yes, if the Regenerators were anything to go by, but why was he here, eating with them?

"It's impolite to stare," Alton said, snapping Ethan to attention.

"Ah, sorry, Archdeacon, sir." Ethan nervously explained

"Have something to ask?" He said, resting his chin in his hand.

"No," He shook his head, "Well, maybe."

"Ask."

Actually, Ethan didn't have anything to ask him. But everyone else stopped talking, so now Ethan was in the spotlight, exactly where he didn't want to be. On the spot, he came up with a question. "How'd you come to join Primal?"

"I've been involved in it for 80 years." He said simply, "My grandfather founded the company, but only 80 years ago did the company join Primal."

"80 years..." Ethan murmured.

"Wait, if you've been in it for 80 years, Archdeacon, sir," Brook asked, making sure to keep a polite tone. "How old is Primal?"

Alton grinned a wide smile, yet again showing his yellow crooked teeth, "Longer than you think, dear."

How vague and forboding. Brook only nodded, Ethan remaining silent, grateful that Brook managed to pull him out of that conversation.

"Why not ask me less questions about work?" he asked again, "I told you, I wish to dine tonight, not work." He said, putting one of the golden skewered, tip down, on his plate, perfectly balancing it. "Save the work talk for later, at least."

"Yeah, tell us more about yourselves," Kaya asked, looking away from Alton and over to the two across from her. "I mean, we know your history and how you met, but don't know about you guys. Go on, tell us."

Brook was the first to start, but before she could start talking, the next course was brought out. This, the most humble, was the salad. Unfortunately, Brook wasn't much of a veggie person but Ethan certainly was.

Fourth Course: Salad

Nicouise Salad

A mixture of several ingredients. Lettuce, spinach, hard boiled eggs cut into halves, potatoes, and green beans, with a bit of tuna thrown in, as if to please Brook. Ethan happily at the small serving of salad, pleasantly enjoying the greens. He wasn't vegetarian though, but meat was still just a sometimes thing. The green beans gave a satisfying pop when bitten on, while the eggs broke up the otherwise uniform leafy green taste of it all.

Brook, meanwhile, sat there staring at her meal, eating only the eggs and the tuna, maybe a green bean or two. She promised she was trying to eat healthier, really, she was. But tonight probably wasn't one of those nights. "So, anyways," Brook said, "I'm just a butch woman with nothing else about her. She shrugged. I like booze, I like martial arts DVDs so good thing I'm watching Primal fights, and I like my job at the fishery just a few blocks away from here." She pointed to the window. "I think you can actually see the place from here! That's crazy."

Everyone, even the waiters and waitresses, looked out the window, but no one could properly tell which building out on the dock was suppose to be the fishery. Everything looked the same, truth be told.

"But yeah, that's about all I can say about myself." Brook shrugged, before looking over to Ethan. "Ethan, what about you?"

Kaya looked up from her own salad, awaiting Ethan's answer.

"Ah, me," His wide eyes looked around the room. "I mean, I don't have anything to say about myself either. I'm just a boring guy who kind of stumbled into this thanks to Eli.

"There's no way that's true," Kaya scoffed, "Hallmark showed interest in you, there is no way he'd just pick someone normal. He has incredible judgment."

"Well..." He said, looking down at his now empty plate of salad, just a few scraps of leafy greens were left. "As I said, my mother died when I was young, but I still carry the stuff she taught me. With an absent father, she raised me by herself."

"What did she teach you," Alton asked, suddenly interjecting.

Ethan held eye contact with the old man, spoke clearly, "To be kind. To those you know and to those you don't, don't be passive or be a pushover, be miserable if you want to, but no matter what you have to be kind." Those were the exact words, words that he still had memorized to this day.

Alton rubbed his chin, murmuring one word, "Platitudes."

Ethan said nothing. Yeah, he didn't follow that don't be a pushover part. He only had his mother on his mind now. The burning question that he intrusively entered his mind again: Why did she kill herself?

As the awkward silence penetrated the room, Brook cut through it. "Hey, can we move on? It's kind of a rough spot for him." No matter the situation, she was always there to stand up for Ethan, guess you could call her his second mom; but don't, that'd be weird.

"Very well," Kaya said, looking over to Alton, who still had his eyes on Ethan. "I think it's time to talk about their opponent. Is that okay with you?"

"Very well." Alton nodded.

Before they could get started, a voice was heard at the end of the room. "Main Course!" The waiter called. A second waiter rolled a cart in, holding a large platter, covered by a dome shaped lid. No one but Kaya knew what it was going to be, but it certainly smelled really good. The mystery only made it all the more enticing.

The lid was lifted, revealing a slice up slab of medium rare meat, covered by a layer of bread and other fillings.

Fifth Course: Main Course

Kew Wellington

Kews were a common beast in the world of Qest. Large fuzzy, pill shaped creatures that walked upon six legs. Docile and lazy, living in large grass lands or out on farms. Due to their tough and delicious meat, they were commonly kept as livestock, going on to become burgers, steaks, and other meals such as the Wellington in front of them. Their milk too, was the most common export coming from them.

"Gods damn!" Brook said. Now this was a meal she could get behind! Everything else before this was tasty, but she didn't expect to be hit by the wellington. She had only heard about them in books and movies. Back in the day, as a matter of fact, she use to think they were an entirely fictional food. "So what's it made of?"

"Kew steak," Kaya explained, "Coated with a layer of porcini mushrooms and black pepper and salt, then coated in a layer of puff pasty." The waiter sliced the wellington into four slices, 3 big ones and 1 small one, the latter going to Alton. There was still a bit leftover, maybe they would ask for a takeout box if this place had those. "I asked them to cook it medium rare, I prefer rare, but not everyone does. For me, it's anything but well done... It you like meat well done, I kindly ask you to leave now."

"Don't worry, we're the same." Brook nodded.

Kaya smiled, happy to get along with Brook. She cut it into a bite sized chunk, making sure to get both the meat and the bread, then took a bite. The meat wasn't too tough, she was still able to bite through it just fine, so it was definitely cooked right. Incredibly juicy, just the right amount of seasoning. She made a mental note to give a large tip to the chef for cooking it just right. There was very little you could say about a steak when it was cooked just right, other than "This is a really fucking good steak." The breading gave a similar presentation to what it brought to the spinach puffs at the beginning of the meal. A bit of flakiness that broke up the otherwise uniform flavor, while packing all the flavors in. Then, there were the mushrooms, with their savory, umami taste. She wasn't a big fan of mushrooms, but she would eat them if they were cooked right, such as in soups. Brook was the same way, she didn't like the texture of mushrooms, but she loved the flavor of them. There had to be a way to enjoy mushrooms without the disgusting texture. Ethan and even Alton, had the same thoughts. Their compliments to the chef would be, again, "This is a really fucking good wellington." This was, of course, not said out loud, but the waiters and the waitresses, could all tell that all four people agreed that it was a really fucking good wellington.

"This is pretty good," Ethan said, in his own, more polite way.

"That it is," Kaya nodded, wiping her mouth with a hankerchief. "So, anyways, before we talk about your potential opponent. Are you aware of the bounty system?"

"Bounty system?" Ethan asked, "No, I don't think so, we've only had one fight."

"Ai, that's a bit of a pain," She said, "But it's simple. Just open your Primal app and I will guide you through it. You first should go to the fighters, you can browse opponents, see their schedules, and their availability."

Ethan took out his phone, doing as he was told, going to the menu of various fighters. There was even a search function. Brook leaned over his shoulder, getting a good look. Ethan searched for Eli, finding him. When did they take this picture of him? It looked like it was taken in the supermarket from that one time. There, above his picture, was 1 and a half stars. "So that's Eli's profile, huh?"

"See the stars?" Kaya asked.

"I see a star, singular." Brook said. "1 and a half actually."

"That right there is the bounty system." She explained.

Ethan went back, looking at various other fighters. All of them having 1 to 5 stars. Some of them were given half stars; no one was below 1 though. Ethan checked Darnelle, seeing that he had 2 stars.

"Search Cutter or Wes," Brook asked.

Ethan nodded, and saw that Wes had 2 and a half stars. Then there was Cutter who had 3 stars. He saw another guy named Ravi who had 2 and a half as well.

"Oh! That's his name! Ravi!"

"So, anyways, the bounty system," Kaya said. "Think of it as your reward. But also the difficulty level. The more stars, the more skilled and dangerous that person is, but at the same time, the higher the reward."

"Didn't expect Cutter to be so strong."

"It's not always a difficulty level, a lot of the time it equates to someone's infamy and how much people want to bring them down. People's bounty levels rise and fall all the time, Cutter is on a winning streak, hence his high level; Darnelle, meanwhile, use to be 2 and a half stars, but his loss bumped him down a bit. Another example would be Wes, use to be 3 and a half stars a year or two ago, but it lowered a bit in recent times. The average is 2 and a half stars, so don't be ashamed to stick around there.

You could also search by bounty level. Out of curiosity, he sorted the fighters by their rank. All the 1 stars and 2 stars were the newbies, of course, seeing Eli there, along with a wolf named Criva, a red furred dingo named Pavlov with 2 stars, and the coati named Pocketknife. Quickly scrolling down, he wanted to see the 5 star fighters. Not very many of them, less than 5 of them. But one of them stood out. A lion, whose rank wasn't 5 stars, but a single large star, colored silver instead of gold. Rakkan, Primal's undefeated champion. Looks like he had a massively lined up schedule. Wanting to fight him would take a several months wait.

"Enjoying looking at the fighters." Kaya giggled. "Anyways, search for the one by the name of Pilotte."

Ethan nodded, coming upon the profile of a komodo dragon, dressed in a tattered prisoner uniform. His rank: 3 and a half stars.

"Wait, he's a newbie!" Brook said, "His bio says he joined this year? How the hell did he get so famous so fast?" Indeed, there it was. Right next to his photo, alongside his birthday (or hatch day considering he was a reptile), and a few other bits and pieces of info. He joined around the same time Eli did.

"If someone already has infamy or puts on a good display in their first few fights, they get a huge boost to their bounty as soon as they start. The bounties are decided by the Primal staff and audience. Opal Lightstone, that wrestler from Yisk, is a celebrity where she comes from. She's already at 3 and a half stars and has had an amazing showcase. Rosemary, this one assassin no one knew about til recently, has shown to be a monster in a fight, so she's already at 3 stars. Pilotte, well, everyone is scared of him, so he was given 3 and a half stars super quick."

"An assassin, a wrestler, and a criminal in one company, you guys are crazy," Ethan laughed, finished with his meal.

"So, what do you say?" Kaya said, looking over to the door, as she watched dessert get brought out. "Oh! Hold that thought actually, dessert is here!"

Sixth Course: Dessert

Medovik

The waiters walked in once more, carrying their plates, delivered to each of the guests. Four slices of cake. At least it looked like cake. 10 layers of incredibly thin pastry, with frosting between each of them.

"I've eaten this before!" Brook smiled.

"Oh?" Kaya smiled.

"Yeah, I went through a baking phase a few years ago, haven't touched a cake pan in years though. Baking was too much effort. But this, I ended up making this." She said, happily smiling at the medovik.

"I remember the one you made wasn't as pretty looking." Ethan said, slicing the cake with a fork. Taking a bite, his taste buds were assaulted by an explosion of sweetness. The pastry itself was anything but plain. It tasted strongly of honey, quality honey too. The frosting, meanwhile, was some sort of cream; likely something as simple as heavy cream and sugar. He had to get Brook back into baking, which would be a tough task, just so they could regularly enjoy this! The subtle crunchiness of the crushed graham cracker coating was also great.

It was clear, the looks on everyone's faces, that the sweetness of the cake brought joy to all of them, even the old and cynical Alton couldn't help but smile at it.

"That's really good..." Brook murmured.

"Yeah," Kaya nodded, "I hope they have more, I need to try this again." She breathed a sigh of relief. "So, anyways... Are you in or are you out?"

Everyone was looking at Ethan. He was Eli's Handler after all, so it was his decision. "Right, I'm reading about Pilotte." Thankfully, the app showed everything he needed to know. He was a serial killer with an unknown place of origin. A man who murdered his victims with pure brute force, even going as far as biting his victims. He even killed his first opponent in Primal. It's unlikely he's going to change his methods, even if his opponent is more than 2 decades younger than him. "I need to think on this. I'll have to talk with Eli, he's the one going against him after all, not me."

"From his first fight, Eli seems to not care about who he is fighting, as long as there is a fight and his opponent can fight back, right?" Kaya said, having watched the broadcast of it. "I see no reason to have to talk with him."

"Eli did seem to be content with dying. At least he didn't care about it." Brook said, looking at Ethan's phone. "But, I can't say I'm comfortable with him fighting someone who kills for a hobby. Someone who kills innocent people at that." Brook handed Ethan's phone back to him, "I'm sorry, but we're going to turn you guys down."

"You're not a Handler." Kaya bluntly stated, "It's Ethan's decision."

"I said I'll think about this." Ethan said, shocking Brook. "We can go ahead with this at anytime, it doesn't have to be this second, right?"

"Ethan...?" Brook murmured.

"It doesn't," Kaya shook her head, "Just keep in mind the reward. After all, the money is good, but sometimes, Primal can reward its employees with things money can't buy."

Ethan, with the taste of the sweet cake still in his mouth, nodded. "I understand. That's exactly what I thought."

Brook, was less amused. The sour look in her eye said everything. "Ethan, can we talk after this?"

A few minutes passed in silence. The awkward situation wasn't enough to ruin the optimistic joy the cake brought, but it was still awkward and uncomfortable. That was, until, Kaya got up. "Well, I say this meeting is adjourned." She looked over to Alton, only to realize that he was asleep, drooling onto his shirt. He was 109 years old, what can you do? "Think about it. Might I suggest, actually, a two vs one fight?" She grinned, "Find a second party to help you out? Again, little bat, think about it and call me anytime. My line is always open."

Standing at the exit to the room, was a waiter, holding a platter, which held 4 tiny, hand sized tarts. The final serving and a parting gift.

Seventh Course: Mignardise

Cranberry Tarlet

"Thank you for having us," Ethan nodded.

"It was good food, been a while since the two of us talked with anyone but each other." Brook said, still looking a bit pissed off. "But once we get outside, would you mind waiting in the car a bit, Kaya? I want to talk with Ethan before we head home." She said, as she took one of the tarts, taking a bite of it. Sour, sweet, with a flaky crust. But, with the conversation that had just transpired, and the delicious cake from before, the poor tart felt like a mere after thought. But, she had to compliment its delicious syrupy flavor. Plus, the small size meant it could be eaten on the way out. She would never say no to such an adorable pastry.

So, the dinner was over, their bellies full of more food than they thought they could stomach in one night. They had eaten a larger and more complex variety of meals in one night than they usually do in a week. Now, Ethan and Brook were outside the building, looking up at its neon sign, saying goodbye to the place. "We're going to look like a pair of douchebags if we walk home in these suits, thank goodness Kaya's driving us." Brook said. "But, damn, that food was good. We need to do this more often. Maybe not once a week, it would get old and repetitive if we do that. But once a month sounds amazing though."

"Yeah," Ethan nodded, "Never thought I'd get to have a decent salad again. Never thought I'd enjoy a kew wellington at that."

"Mmhm," Brook smiled, leaning against Ethan. "Sorry for getting mad at you there. If you think it's a good idea, I won't stop you, but I'll blame you if Eli dies in this fight. If he does, then I'll truly be mad."

"No, I should be the one to apologize, I should let you have more of a say in this for now on. But it's just that there's just something that I want to know and I think that only Primal can help me with it."

Brook stopped her leaning, "It's about your father, isn't it?"

"Yeah," Ethan admitted, "I don't care if he's dead, I don't think he is, I just want to know what happened to him. I just want closure, more than anything. If I don't learn it, my mom won't rest in peace."

"Well, til then, let's avoid talks about death and misery, at least save that until we actually meet the guy who kills people." Brook said with a smile, as the two walked on over, back to Kaya's car, ready to end this long night.

---

My goodness, this is the longest chapter yet, but also a really fun one to write. This isn't the first time I interrupted the story to go into long descriptions of good food, but definitely the first chapter to be entirely focused on it.

Also got to slot in a lot of backstory, a lot of characterization, and a lot of info.

But this Alton guy? Wonder what his deal is. I don't know.