Gusteau’s calves burnt as he walked quickly up the steep slope of Haran Hill. With the sun setting rapidly behind the tall townhouses set into Haran Hill, the roads that wound up Haran Hill were packed with all manner of people and carts hurrying to finish their work for the day. Gusteau hugged the right side of the road and focussed on trying not to sound too breathless. He tugged at the collar of his shirt, and tried to force the shirt off the sweat that had begun to bead on his back.

Too much speed and he’d sweat through his nicest shirt before he even got to meet Sebastian and well before he would meet Khlen in the markets. Butterflies danced around in his stomach at the thought of seeing her but he first needed to give Sebastian a heads up of how poorly his conversation with Louis had fared. 

All afternoon, he had been indignant. He’d planned to discourage Louis and wash his hands of the whole incident. He’d send word to Sebastian that he had talked to the kid and then pick up the coin from the Board when he went in next. Perhaps even tell Viera what Sebastian had asked of him when they finally met again. Now, he found himself hurrying to a restaurant to beg the very same Sebastian not to tell people he’d beaten up a teenage boy and to deal with any guards that might listen to Louis’ stories. 

Arriving at the restaurant, he felt only more consternation. The Finer Tastes was known to be one of the most pretentious places in southern Weidenland. One dinner there would be the equivalent to a month of his military stipend back in the day. And on a Wednesday night, Sebastian was out fine dining. There was no way a Family out here would be close to being able to afford such decadence on a normal night.

Gusteau spotted the attendant waiting at the front door booth and beelined for them.

“Hi, I need to come in to talk to someone inside. They will be on the table under Sebastian Joi.” Gusteau tried to hide how out of breath he was.

The host looked him up and down and turned their nose up, “Msr, Mr. Joi is currently indisposed. Would you like me to see if we have a table out on the balcony for you?”

Unbelievable, Gusteau took a breath and tried to will his heart rate down, “He is in there waiting for me. He should be here by now, can you go in and let him know I am here. I assure you he wants to talk to me.” 

The host looked at him uncertainly before relenting. They disappeared into the restaurant and Gusteau peered through the window to see them moving towards Sebastian and his bodyguard who both sat at a table in the middle of the restaurant.

The conversation was only a few seconds long, a whisper in Sebastian’s ear and Sebastian’s face lit up with excitement. 

When Gusteau locked eyes with Sebastian, Sebastian said something to the host and waved at Gusteau from his seat. Gusteau awkwardly waved back but didn’t move inside. 

Behind Gusteau, several people had begun to line up behind him. He let them past and the host appeared at the door shortly after.

“Please come in, we will have a chair and table brought over to join Mr. Joi.” The host explained with a bow.

“No need,” Gusteau walked through before pausing in the doorway and turning back, “I will be here for just a minute.”

“We’ll organise a chair and table.” The host replied pleasantly as Gusteau moved past. 

Gusteau worked his way through the restaurant and felt horridly underdressed. It was still something that he found difficult at times. He still had a good idea of what the fashion was in the Families and what was expected when attending the locales of the higher society but he had left all of his clothes back in Kudraul long ago, before even the war. 

Not that he would want to go back. He’d been trapped in the capital. More a puppet trapped than anyone powerful. But a very well dressed, well-fed puppet.

Gusteau straightened the collar of his shirt and sucked his stomach in while he walked around the restaurant to get to Sebastian. Inside the Finer Tastes, they had live music playing on a stage set extravagantly at the back of the room. Gusteau paused to let waiters get through the busier sections of tables and stuck close to the booths that worked their way around the room.

“Gusteau!” Sebastian called out loudly across from the room as he approached. Sebastian stood up and held out his arms to welcome him, completely oblivious to the looks people on the surrounding tables gave both of them.

Gusteau hurried over and stood awkwardly at the edge of the table, “Hello again.”

“Look at him, a born killer! Gunther didn’t think you had it in you.” Sebastian leant over the table and excitedly whispered, “Now come sit, join us for dinner, I can get the chefs to expedite your meal so we won’t be done by the time you start.”

Sebastian laughed and Gusteau joined him out of instinct.

Gusteau stopped and cleared his throat instead, “I am just here to let you know I talked to Louis,” Gusteau said quietly, “and it went poorly.”

“Oh, agree to disagree. But sit and tell me the full story.” Sebastian sat back down and a waiter gently appeared and gently rammed the back of Gusteau’s legs with a chair. Gusteau relented and sat down but didn’t pull the chair into the table. The waiter stood next to him, expertly positioned to command attention but not impose.

“Nothing, thank you,” Gusteau told the waiter and turned back to Sebastian, “I have a date later so I can’t eat. But I need to talk to you, I met Louis but it got complicated, we had a bit of, well, an altercation.”

Sebastian’s grin excitedly when Gusteau told him and he stopped him from continuing, “Wait wait, have you never told a story before? You have to reel me in, my good man.”

Gusteau reeled back slightly, “I am telling you that he might go to the guards. He knew I was sent by the Families.”

“And? What would he tell the guards? And what would the guards even do? Oh, Gusteau. This is the way the world works, this can’t be the first time you have seen things like this happen.” Sebastian leant back and gave him a playful scowl, “Tut tut. This awkward naivete takes away from the whole persona you have going for you. I hired the bandit-killing, madman mage, not some stuttering oaf.”

Sebastian pursed his lips together and pulled out a coin purse. He made a show of it before he pushed it across the table, “I had someone pop by his bakery in the afternoon and they said he looked positively horrid. They think he might have a black eye and a broken nose with any luck and they said that he certainly looked shaken,” Sebastian let out a cruel guffaw, “So you have done your job well. I wonder how much Jasmine will like her lover boy now his face is bent out of shape.”

“You told me that he was harassing her.” Gusteau reacted immediately, “Not that they are lovers.”

Sebastian scowled, “Louis is a bastard conceived by two drunks and he has been sniffing around the Resthart house since he was young. He isn’t just harassing her, he is ruining her.” Sebastian stared at him sinisterly. Gusteau held his stare and said nothing. 

In a flash, Sebastian’s facade returned with his easy smile and he lay back in his chair with his hands placed on his stomach, “I find my curiosity and my stomach stuffed to the brim. Enjoy your date, Gusteau.” 

Gusteau took the purse from in front of him and opened it. He grabbed a handful of silver coins from inside and counted them on the table until he reached twenty. He stood up and took up his pay but left the purse with the rest of the money, “Pleasure.”

Sebastian nodded his head in return and the bodyguard, Gunther, gave no response back. Gusteau stood, turned, and moved back through the restaurant. 

“So, how about some dessert, big man?” Gusteau could hear Sebastian ask loudly as he navigated his way back out of the restaurant.