[center][img]https://fontmeme.com/permalink/201122/4be242acc24d8482090498ac901534fa.png[/img] [sub][color=gray]_ _ _______________________________ _ _[/color][/sub][/center] [i][sup][h3]A few days ago.[/h3] [color=gray]With: Hestia [@Ambra][/color][/sup][/i] [hider=A Dinner Conversation]The body was a strange thing. Most people’s appetites seemed to vanish when they were overly upset or concerned, but for Hestia it was the complete opposite. She craved sweets most of the time, and luckily it was easy to satisfy herself. Pine and Orion shared whatever cupcakes and ice cream she brought home with her, and together they munched away at the unhealthy snacks, sometimes late into the night as they watched drama movies. It was nice… for about two days, until she couldn’t stand being huddled away in Hammerlocke any longer. She had to get out, do something, [i]anything[/i] to get away from the negative thoughts that stormed in her mind, even if it meant eating somewhere completely different. A singular place came to mind. It wasn’t something she was wont to admit, but [i]High Steaks[/i] granted Hestia a certain amount of comfort during times of extreme stress. It was exactly what she needed at the moment, no matter if her already wounded pride was even more wounded in the process. She was only grateful that she arrived at the establishment with good timing– it didn’t seem as full as it usually did, which meant she didn’t have to deal with too many people at the moment. Good grief, if she had to withstand paparazzi or [i]those[/i] types of fans, she was sure she would lose it. [color=E38AAE][b]”I’ll have the apricorn and Poke-tail coconut curry, please. Oh, and can you throw some pechas in there too? And your best beer on draft,"[/b][/color] Hestia asked the waitress who had walked up to her table by the window. The woman smiled tenderly, nodding as she took the order and left. Sighing, Hestia leaned against the back of her chair and turned her gaze towards the window. Perhaps her usual dish would help lift her spirits. After a couple of minutes the staff returned with her drink. The waitstaff kept an eye out in case she needed anything, but mostly left her to her thoughts. She didn't need to wait for very long to receive her meal, though it was preceded by a familiar voice. [color=B0C4DE]"There's only one person that dares adding Pecha berries to the curry."[/color] The owner and head chef stood by her table, a glass of amber liquid in one hand and Hestia's order perfectly balanced in the other. Thanks to the chairman's decision to cancel the league, the first few days the restaurant had been swamped with people trying to get information out of Nordrin. Even the poor staff had been pestered with questions just in case they'd heard anything. After it was clear that the gym leader wouldn't be saying anything and threatened to start throwing overly nosy patrons out, patronage had gone back to its normal levels. Well, for the most part. Truth be told business was a bit slower than usual, reservations to watch Pokemon battles while dining had been canceled, and everything piled up on top of Ryker's continued disappearance - leaving Nordrin in an even more sour mood than usual over the last couple of days. When he heard this particular curry order called through to the kitchen, he took over the ticket as he usually did. It was a couple seconds later that his brain caught up to him and he realized who it must be for, though. It had been a while since Hestia last visited. If she was doing so now, given the circumstances... she probably needed a distraction. Nordrin needed one too - which is why after he'd set the Dragon-type leader's food down with professional grace instead of standing over her to gloat as he'd done in the past, Nordrin stripped off his apron and claimed the opposite chair at her table. It seemed the extra glass was for him, and he took a long drink from it, eyeing Hestia over the rim. [color=B0C4DE]"I know I own the place, but if you'd rather dine in peace feel free to tell me to fuck off,"[/color] he said. The taste of wheat and a slight hint of citrus teased her tongue as Hestia sipped delicately from her glass, her eyes briefly skimming over the people outside the window for a few more moments. A long, quiet sigh drifted out from her lips as she settled back into her chair and pulled out her phone. Still no news on what was going on with the whole kidnapping incident, great. She’d hoped there would be some sort of update by now, but alas… Hestia blinked up at Nordrin when he had appeared by her table, critiquing her for her choice in adding pecha to her otherwise hearty dish– though her look of distaste morphed into curiosity when he sat down across from her. She cocked her head at him as if pondering whether to shoo him away from her table, but the smell of food was too enticing to ignore. Instead of indulging in Nordrin’s suggestion, she instead tucked into her curry. [color=E38AAE]“I have to ask, what’s the occasion?”[/color] Hestia jabbed her fork in his direction, referring to his decision to sit with her. She smirked at him teasingly, though not before swallowing another mouthful of food. [color=E38AAE]“Usually you’re holed up back there doing fuck all. The kitchen too much to deal with today?”[/color] Nordrin raised an eyebrow at her choice of words. [color=B0C4DE]"How you managed to make it sound like I do no work and too much work simultaneously I don't know,"[/color] he scoffed. He leaned back in the chair and took another drink while he considered just blowing off her question. After a few seconds he put the glass down and sighed. [color=B0C4DE]"Believe it or not, the chefs get breaks. It just so happens to be mine, and [i]you[/i] happened to be sitting at my favorite table,"[/color] he said in a completely humorless tone. He didn't care if Hestia believed him or not (and to be fair it was kind of a stupid fib) because he moved the budding conversation right along. [color=B0C4DE]"I'm more interested in what you're doing here. I know the food's good, but we do takeaway now, y'know."[/color] A slightly bitter smile crossed his face, the same that denoted his particular brand of sarcasm. Hammerlocke wasn't that far away, a curry would have still been hot if delivered by flying taxi. Hestia glared at Nordrin over the rim of her glass as she took another sip of her beer. It was tempting to go along with his tune, but she wasn’t really in the mood to carry on the back-and-forth with her usual gusto. Instead, she gave him a furrow of her brow and a slight frown. [color=E38AAE]“I had to get away from Hammerlocke for a bit. Things are getting too crazy over there. Every time I go out, people run over to me as if I had all the answers.”[/color] She took another bite of her food, although the Pecha berries had soured in the course of a moment. Hestia glanced down at the table as a flurry of questions and doubts threatened to resurface from the depths of her mind. [color=E38AAE]“I tell them that the challenge is still going on, but you know how people are. It isn’t enough for them.”[/color] Her conversation partner blinked, evidently not expecting an honest reply like that. He'd thought that she'd needed a distraction, but he'd also thought she'd snap back at him. Nordrin let a moment of quiet pass between the two of them before he sighed again, more heavily. [color=B0C4DE]"Ah. I had to start throwing people out on their arses for pulling the same thing here, so everyone else's too scared to try asking anymore,"[/color] he told her. [color=B0C4DE]"So for hideout spots, you picked a good one."[/color] Nordrin crossed his arms over his chest, tilted his head back and fixed a glare at the ceiling. [color=B0C4DE]"I can't wait for this to be over."[/color] Though for every day that passed with no sign of Ryker, the more confusion the situation was to Nordrin. Sure he hadn't been bugging the police, true to his word, but that was because he was choosing to trust that the chairman would let them all know of any developments. So far there was nothing but radio silence. No clues, no leads, not even a ransom. Maybe some of the other leaders were right and he just skipped town on his own, but damn, he should have left a note if so. Hestia hated to admit it, but seeing Nordrin bothered about the travesty at hand soothed her a bit. Yet, no matter how much more she felt at ease, she couldn’t bring herself to polish off the plate of food in front of her as she usually did. It felt like there was a big rock in her abdomen that blocked off a section of her gut from the rest of her body. The Pechas had only grown more bitter as well. She clicked her tongue and dropped her gaze to a certain spot on the table. [color=E38AAE]“Don’t worry. The police has this all covered. It’ll be over soon, like Hyacinth says. Best to just focus on our work and it’ll blow over in no time.”[/color] Hestia spoke the words, though there was no emotion behind them; it was a blatant cover for how she truly felt. Betrayed. Hurt. Worried. But damn her if she allowed Nordrin to see her vulnerable side. Who knew, maybe he’d use it against her the next time they faced each other in battle. Hestia forced a smirk on her face as she looked back over at Nordrin, her tone of voice regaining some of its typical furor. Though, despite her desperate attempt of maintaining her charade, the fire behind her eyes did not rekindle. [color=E38AAE]“You’ll be even busier than usual soon, so no need to worry too much about something you can’t control. Might accidentally let a few more challengers than usual squeeze past you if you don’t focus on your gym leader duties~”[/color] At that Nordrin scoffed, having brought his attention back down to the woman across the table. [color=B0C4DE]"You remember I told Hyacinth I was only going to run the restaurant side of High Steaks, yeah? 'Sides, I doubt any challengers are even going to make it to me. They have to get through Iris, Isiah, Bianca and Holly first, and who the fuck knows what they're doing. Doubt it's their job, though."[/color] And that wasn't even counting the minor leaguers who had to get through Astrid, Sebastian and Sawyer first. The chef really didn't expect anyone to turn up this year while everything was still going on with the champion's disappearance. This was even more true for Hestia in her position as the final obstacle before the real deal. Poor girl, battle was really in her blood. It was apparent that she wasn’t acting like her usual self either. Nordrin regarded Hestia through narrowed eyes, working his jaw as he turned his next words carefully over in his mind before saying them aloud. [color=B0C4DE]“...”[/color] Hm, this was harder than he thought it would be. He and Hestia didn’t really have the kind of relationship where they could confide in each other. He barely had that at all with any of his peers in general. But he wasn’t a quitter, so after an extended pause he finally asked, [color=B0C4DE]“...how are you holding up, really?”[/color] There came the tense silence. She almost expected it; Nordrin was obviously too smart for her to fool. Her eyes flickered back towards the window as the quiet only thickened, only for it to be cut through by Nordrin’s question. [color=E38AAE]“I’m [i]fine[/i].”[/color] Her answer came forth through grit teeth as she crossed her arms. Her fingertips buried themselves into the sleeves of her shirt. [color=E38AAE]“Like I said, I’m only stressed out because of the people hounding me for answers.”[/color] Her vulnerability had turned into frustration– which in turn transformed into anger that was promptly aimed at the man sitting across from her. [color=E38AAE]“Why do you care so much, anyways? You hardly gave a shit before,”[/color] Hestia huffed as her cheeks turned red. [color=E38AAE]“You trying to catch me off guard or something?”[/color] Nordrin stared at her, and then promptly barked out a laugh. The restaurant's few other patrons glanced over at their table. [color=B0C4DE]"[i]There's[/i] that fire. For the record, I still don't give a shit,"[/color] he said. [color=B0C4DE]"But Hestia Joy, moping around just because of some nosey arseholes? That doesn't add up."[/color] Was he actually concerned for his fellow gym leader? Of course he was, you didn't spend years working with someone without developing some sense of camaraderie, even a twisted one. For Nordrin, it was unnerving to see the spunky woman acting so out of the ordinary. When she snapped at him just then it was much more like their usual interactions. If he had to play the bad guy to breathe some of the usual life back into her, he'd do so gladly. He lifted his hands in an exaggerated shrug, but he finished his next sentence with a toothy smirk. [color=B0C4DE]"If you don't want to talk about it, we won't talk about it. I'm no shrink after all. But when I see a fire that looks like it's going out it makes me want to stoke it, is all."[/color] Nordrin’s response only drew out a deeper, much more crimson blush from Hestia’s cheeks. So, that had been his plan– to nag her enough just to break her facade. Of course, that was just like him. She gave him a deadly scowl, one that could kill, before she reached over to her glass of beer. Her intrusive thoughts begged her to just chunk it at him. Instead, she tossed back what remained of the stout and slammed the glass down on the table. [color=E38AAE]“You’re an asshole,”[/color] she grumbled, half-defeated as she turned to dig through her purse. Her haphazard rummaging ended with her producing a wad of money– which was enough to pay for the meal, drink, and provide a hefty enough tip. She slammed that down on the table as well before she shot up from her seat and glared down at him. [color=E38AAE]“Thanks for the food, but next time you should add a little bit more Pecha,”[/color] she snapped. Before Nordrin could reply, she turned on her heel and left. He watched her go, all the way through the restaurant until the doors closed behind her. Then he gathered up the dishes, nodding for her table's server to come back and grab the cash. The waitress glanced at Nordrin, and chanced a comment. "You blew it, boss," she said, raising an eyebrow at him. The two of them made their way back towards the kitchen. [color=B0C4DE]"Ha? How so?"[/color] "Well you were trying to cheer her up, right? Seems like you just pissed her off." She was surprised when Nordrin laughed. [color=B0C4DE]"Seems like it worked to me. She didn't leave with that mopey expression on after all."[/color] The waitress sighed, figuring she wouldn't have been able to understand her boss' thought process even if she tried. Once Nordrin had freed his hands he clapped them loudly together, getting the attention of the staff that had been not-so-subtly watching the two gym leaders earlier. [color=B0C4DE]"Alright, chop chop! Show's over, back to work!"[/color] [/hider] [hr][i][sub][h3]Present day.[/h3][/sub][/i] The sudden call itself did not come as a surprise. Nordrin had been waiting for further word from the chairman, whether it was good news or bad news. Some kind of update at the very least. After a week of silence from the man, the chance of the eventual call being "good news" was almost completely diminished. He did not, however, expect the call to asking for help. [color=B0C4DE]"What-"[/color] he managed to ask, just before the call dropped. Hung up on, probably in order to ring the other gym leaders. The quick, frantic message had barely processed in Nordrin's head, and he felt a vein of frustration become visible on his forehead once it sunk in. [color=B0C4DE]"Do you know how fucking far Wyndon is from Hulbury?!"[/color] the leader shouted into the dead receiver, just before chucking it in frustration. Luckily Puck had flitted into the kitchen at the sound of his trainer's agitated voice and he caught the phone before it struck the wall, flying it back over to Nordrin. The fairy leader pointed at the Ribombee, commanding him to, [color=B0C4DE]"get some of the others and meet me 'round the front, now!"[/color] Puck gave him a chirp and salute, speeding away to sound the call to the other Pokémon. Nordrin ripped off his apron and made to leave the kitchen. It was another slow day, though as Hestia predicted business had picked up since they spoke - probably due to Iris entertaining the first challengers. That was today, wasn't it? And a robbery now, of all times? "Trouble again, chef?" One of the cooks asked as the leader walked by. [color=B0C4DE]"Of course,"[/color] Nordrin scoffed. He stormed through the gym, dialing the city's taxi service as he did and demanding their swiftest Corviknight. If emergency calls and meetings were going to be a thing for the future, he'd have to invest in a flying Pokémon large enough to carry him on short notice. As it was now, at least he'd have a ride waiting. When he exited, he found the taxi just touching down and a group of his own Pokémon ready to go. They were returned to their Pokéballs and Nordrin hopped into the cab before it landed, barking the destination: Wyndon.