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[color=silver]There was no excuse for a lack of perfection.[/color]

[color=silver]It was 5am and Atelier Noir was dead silent. This was what Lincoln Darby preferred at the start of his morning. It was a time to process before the day truly began. Yet, the inner peace that Link desired was not there, not on that particular morning. There was a stain on the surface. Not just any stain, egg yolk. Nothing they had served during the previous night's evening service contained egg yolk. Their breakfast menu did though. That meant that the spillage had been on the service for an entire day.[/color]

[color=silver]Unacceptable.[/color]

[color=silver]He thought back to the previous day, specifically who was working at this station. Lincoln stood resolutely as the silence wrapped around him. He tapped the tips of his fingers rhythmically on the counter top, feeling the vibrations on his skin and trying to use their waves to carry his mind backwards. He wandered through steam and heat and voices until he came upon a face; it was young, inexperienced and he knew exactly who it belonged to.[/color]

[color=silver]By 9am, Lincoln found himself in some absolutely disgusting rat filled top floor apartment in Merchant Square. Vile. As the city began to awaken below him, he turned his gaze away from his window and to, well, what he assumed was an attempt at a feature wall in this pig sty. It was decorated with various different trends of photography and portraits that had graced TikTok in the last twelve months. Highland cows, neon signs about love and, oh my god, a check pattern? Internal vomit. Lincoln looked at a photograph of two identical boys, arms around one another in front of a statue of Bleeko the Clown, long since deceased former member of Vanguard and quite possibly the worst superhero ever.[/color]

[color=#cb1b95]“Oh wow, there’s two of you. Your poor mother.”[/color][color=silver] Link said as he turned to look at the man duct taped naked to a dining chair. His mouth was sealed shut and his entire body was covered from head to toe with open slice wounds, each still actively bleeding. [/color][color=#cb1b95]“So,”[/color][color=silver] He paused for the briefest of moments before clapping his hands together. [/color][color=#cb1b95]“Matt, let’s refresh. I am a multi Michelin star chef, the current proprietor of the most elegant restaurant in the state and, if I do say so myself, I’m a very affable and friendly guy.”[/color]

[color=silver]Lincoln crouched down to meet the terrified Matt’s gaze, clasping his hands together as he did. [/color][color=#cb1b95]“All I ask of my employees is perfection. And I really don’t think that’s too much of a request. Really I don’t but apparently you do because not only did you damage my kitchen surface but you left it there for hours. I mean this is basic, kitchen etiquette and hygiene Matt. It’s so…unsanitary.”[/color][color=silver] Link shivered dramatically before standing back up to his full height. [/color][color=#cb1b95]“You are a good chef, Matt, so I almost let it slide. Almost.”[/color]

[color=silver]As Matt tried to say something, muffled by the tape across his mouth, Lincoln exhaled deeply. [/color][color=#cb1b95]“But you see, I’m going to meet someone very important today. The most important person in the world.”[/color][color=silver] From around the chef’s feet, two broken shards of glass began to lift off of the ground, still dripping with blood. [/color][color=#cb1b95]“And yet here you are, distracting me from her because you can’t clean up after yourself.”[/color]

[color=silver]Link sighed again, trying to release whatever anger was building up inside with a breath. [/color][color=#cb1b95]“Maybe I’m being dramatic.”[/color][color=silver] He looked up to the ceiling, as if scouring its nooks and crannies for some sort of answer. When none presented themselves, Lincoln looked at Matt once more with another sigh. [/color][color=#cb1b95]“At least you have the good sense to be frightened. I appreciate that.”[/color]

[color=silver]With a flick of his finger, the two bits of broken glass propelled themselves forward with speed and inserted themselves into both of Matt's eyes. He didn’t scream, he didn’t get the chance. Lincoln looked once again at the photo on the wall of the two boys, smiling in front of the statue, young and happy. [/color][color=#cb1b95]“Bleeko the Clown. Really?”[/color][color=silver] He shook his head in disgust. Link turned towards a sliding patio door and looked at his immaculate reflection in its pane. He raised his hand and it began to ripple like a surface of water that had been broken by a falling stone. With his arm he pushed forward through the glass, disappearing into its waves like dust into wind.[/color]

[color=silver]Lincoln reappeared a few seconds later, no longer in Merchant Square. He was now in the Lantern District, specifically outside of the Velvet Room. He emerged unseen from a ground floor office window. He straightened his jacket and made his way inside of the club and up the stairs towards his Sienna’s front door.[/color]

[color=silver]It was a vast understatement that Link was saving Sienna’s ass here.[/color]

[color=silver]She was well aware that he had much more important things to concern himself with than stepping in for her recently departed chef, which made her all the more appreciative that he was up to the task. He was talented - well decorated and revered - yet, she didn’t want to take advantage of his kindness, so the brunette sat at her kitchen counter, diligently reviewing resumes. The job listing on her Instagram had gained a lot of traction in the 12 hours since she had posted it. [/color]

[color=silver]Looking over the applicants, there were plenty of talented people in Calder who could assume the role, but were they the right fit for her bar? For the atmosphere she was trying to create? That she didn’t know, and only time would tell.[/color]

[color=silver]A strong knock took her out of her thoughts and she quickly padded towards the door, bare feet making little to no sound against the hardwood. Turning the knob and swinging it open, she smiled as she came face to face with her old friend.[/color]

[color=#b77b89]“Hey, stranger,”[/color][color=silver] Sienna greeted with a smile, inclining her head as she invited him to come inside. [/color][color=#b77b89]“Do you want coffee?”[/color]

[color=#cb1b95]“Hey you!”[/color][color=silver] Lincoln smiled widely as he whisked the smaller Sienna off of her feet and into a big hug. [/color][color=#cb1b95]“Feels like I haven’t seen you in forever!”[/color][color=silver] He put her back down gently before following the brunette's invitation into the apartment. [/color][color=#cb1b95]“No coffee, thanks. I don’t touch the stuff.”[/color]

[color=silver]Entering into the first room of Sienna’s home, Link quietly drank in every detail. He was a man who liked things a particular way, she knew this. She had always known this. Sienna had been in Lincoln’s life for as long as he could remember. Their parents were close both professionally and personally; Cedar Grove wasn’t that big and the families that ruled its streets were all connected in some way or another. Link hadn’t been well liked for one reason or another but Sienna was different, she was special. She saw him, truly saw him and looked at him in the type of way that nobody else ever had.[/color]

[color=#cb1b95]“I must say this place is looking great.”[/color][color=silver] Lincoln caught sight of his reflection in a nearby mirror. His fine grey suit was pressed beautifully and his crisp white shirt sat perfectly on his fit body. [/color][color=#cb1b95]“Downstairs too. You’ve really done well here, Si. As much as I love hearing from you, I’m sorry for the circumstances of your call. Losing a chef is never easy.”[/color]

[color=silver]Sienna poured herself another cup of coffee and smiled.[/color]

[color=#b77b89]“Thank you,”[/color][color=silver] She accepted his compliment appreciatively, looking around at her space with a sense of pride. The brunette had worked hard to make both her bar and loft something special and it clearly had paid off.[/color]

[color=#b77b89]“But yeah, I’m pretty bummed,”[/color][color=silver] She expressed, shaking her head. Chef Eric had been with her since the beginning - he was someone she trusted, and she’d be lying she didn’t take his sudden departure as pulling the rug out beneath her feet. [/color][color=#b77b89]“I can’t be too mad though, he’s going to that new place in Midtown.”[/color][color=silver] She paused, a thought crossing her mind, [/color][color=#b77b89]“I think you actually might know the owner? I’m pretty sure he also owns Atelier Noir?”[/color]

[color=#cb1b95]“Yes, Mister Xanatos.”[/color][color=silver] Lincoln began. [/color][color=#cb1b95]“I’ve only met him a handful of times. He’s a writer, mostly. Over the last few years he’s diversified his portfolio by dabbling in restaurants.”[/color][color=silver] A truth but only a half of one. Link had only met Xanatos a handful of times, after all, he was the man that hired him. Still, what Sienna didn’t and wouldn’t know was that it was Lincoln who had suggested to the author of “Thin Places” that Chef Eric would be a fantastic addition to his new venue, The Granary.[/color]

[color=silver]Taking a seat at a table, he looked down at the pile of resumes that Sienna had obviously been pouring over. He recognised a lot of the names. Calder was a big place but the fine dining arena was not, at least not the calibre of dining that he offered. Most, if not all of the resumes that she now had, Link himself had turned down for Atelier Noir. He was a man of standards after all.[/color]

[color=#cb1b95]“You know, you don’t have to stress about this right?”[/color][color=silver] Lincoln smiled at her with the same easy smile that he had for nearly fifteen years. [/color][color=#cb1b95]“Like we talked about on the phone. I can come help out at Velvet for a while and it won’t conflict with my time at Noir and I’ll even help you find a replacement worthy of you…and everything you’ve built. I’ve got contacts everywhere.”[/color]

[color=#b77b89]“Oh I’m not [i]that[/i] stressed,”[/color][color=silver] Sienna combed her fingers through her wavy hair, a sigh escaping her lips. [/color][color=#b77b89]“Somehow this is at the bottom of my list of concerns right now,”[/color][color=silver] She commented under her breath. For as long as they had been friends, she had been pretty open with him. He’d always known she was a Gray, for one, and yet she still wasn’t sure how much of the current situation she wanted to clue him into. Selfishly, she wanted to handle things herself. Even more so, she didn’t need word getting back to her parents that the Velvet was attracting the wrong kind of crowd. [/color][color=#b77b89]“It’s more inconvenient than anything.”[/color][color=silver] She spoke up, completing her previous thought.[/color]

[color=#b77b89]“I just don’t want to take you away from your job for longer than necessary, especially since you’re doing me a massive favor here.”[/color][color=silver] She picked up her mug from the granite countertop and went to sit across from him at the table. Looking over the papers, she slid three specific sheets his way and silently asked for his opinion. [/color][color=#b77b89]“I’m hoping to interview them this week and then you’ll be off the hook.”[/color]

[color=#b77b89]“How is work going for you anyway these days? Are you giving your chefs a hard time as always?”[/color]

[color=#cb1b95]“I don’t think of it as giving them a hard time.”[/color][color=silver] Lincoln briefly thought back to his earlier “meeting” with Chef Matt and he tried to stifle a smile. [/color][color=#cb1b95]“I only expect the same of them as I expect of myself. That’s not too much to ask, really.”[/color][color=silver] He placed a hand down onto the table and began tracing his index finger along the pages of the resumes. Silently, he took in all the personal information of each prospective employee of the Velvet Room. Link had always had a good memory, it wasn’t photographic but it was the closest thing to it.[/color]

[color=silver]With the information stored in his brain, Lincoln looked up at Sienna with his soft smile. She looked resplendent, radiant. It didn’t matter to him if she had just woken up or if she hadn’t even gone to bed yet. She was the heart in his day and the stars in his night. She was the girl, no, the woman, that he held above all others. The best thing his parents ever did in the waste of a life was introduce themselves to the Mercer family. The second best was breathing their last. Sure, it meant that Lincoln’s idiotic uncle controlled their estate but that was a price worth paying to have them out of his life. Link didn’t need, nor care for their money but it was good to know that if he ever needed it, well he could just kill his uncle too.[/color]

[color=#cb1b95]“You’ve got some halfway decent applicants here.”[/color][color=silver] The smell of smoked vanilla penetrated his very soul as she brushed her hair back. He loved that smell, her smell. [/color][color=#cb1b95]“I can probably vet some of them for you? Make some inquiries and check if they are legit?”[/color]

[color=#b77b89]“Well, if that’s the case, you’ve got some high standards for yourself,”[/color][color=silver] Sienna commented, [/color][color=#b77b89]“Then again, I do as well, so I can’t blame you too much.”[/color][color=silver] At his offer to personally look into some of the folks who had expressed interest, Sienna felt some of the tension, what she'd been carrying since the week began, ease slightly from her shoulders.[/color]

[color=#b77b89]"Actually,"[/color][color=silver] she replied, [/color][color=#b77b89]"that would be really helpful."[/color][color=silver] She slid the remaining resumes across the table toward him, the gesture carrying more relief than she'd intended to show. [/color][color=#b77b89]"I trust your judgment on this more than mine, honestly. You know this world better than I do."[/color][color=silver] She picked up her coffee, leaning back in her chair with the easy comfort of someone in the presence of a person they'd known long enough not to perform for.[/color]

[color=#b77b89]"Just-”[/color][color=silver] The brunette paused, a small smile finding its way onto her face. [/color][color=#b77b89]"Be gentle. Not everyone has Michelin star standards, Link. I just need someone who can hold their own on a Friday night and won't lose their mind under the pressure."[/color][color=silver] She glanced down at the three resumes she'd already earmarked, then back up at him.[/color]

[color=#b77b89]"The third one,"[/color][color=silver] she stated, tapping the page. [/color][color=#b77b89]"Jonah Park. He trained under someone in the Lantern District, which tells me he already understands the kind of crowd I get. Keep an eye on that one for me, will you?"[/color]

[color=#cb1b95]“Absolutely. Not a problem.”[/color]

[color=silver]The look on her face. Gratitude. Whatever aura was, he didn’t really know or care but if it was real, the one Sienna gave off was like crack to Lincoln. It had been feeding him, sustaining him for nearly three decades. The time he spent away from her, when he was off training in Copenhagen, Paris, the Islands, they were the absolute worst time of his life and may he be damned to the lowest circle of hell itself if they were ever parted again.[/color]

[color=silver]Link glanced down again at the resume of Jonah Park and made note for later. [/color][color=#cb1b95]“I’ll take care of it all, Si. Don’t you worry.”[/color][color=silver] His dark eyes lingered on the page for but a second longer before returning to look upon her.[/color][color=#cb1b95] “I’ll always be around to help you out. You’d do the same for me.”[/color]

[color=#b77b89]"Of course I would,[/color][color=silver]" she responded, simply and without hesitation, because it was true. That was the thing about Link - however particular and exacting and occasionally exhausting he was, she had never once doubted that their friendship was mutual. There was a steadiness to his presence in her life that she had come to rely on in the way you relied on things you'd stopped consciously noticing. They’d given it a try at one point - simply fooling around, something that never carried a label - but Sienna much preferred his companionship over anything romantic. At first, she was nervous how he’d take it, but Link had taken it in stride, and no hard feelings remained between them.[/color]

[color=#b77b89]"I mean it, though,"[/color][color=silver] she added, setting her mug down. [/color][color=#b77b89]"I don't want this to eat into your time at Noir. A week, maybe two at most, and I'll have this sorted."[/color][color=silver] Sienna reached over and gathered the remaining resumes into a loose pile, tapping them against the table to straighten them before sliding them toward him.[/color]

[color=#b77b89]"And then I owe you dinner,"[/color][color=silver] she stated.[/color][color=#b77b89] "Somewhere that isn't here and doesn't involve me cooking, because the last time I tried that it was genuinely distressing for everyone involved."[/color]

[color=#cb1b95]“You know I’d cook for you if you asked, hell even if you didn’t. Don’t go playing those games”[/color]

[color=silver]There was no question, no confusion. Whatever Sienna asked of him and more specifically what she didn’t ask, he would do without question. There were also times that she didn’t really know what the right thing to do was. That was okay, Lincoln always knew what the right thing for her was and he would act accordingly.  [/color]

[color=#cb1b95]“But!”[/color][color=silver] He continued. [/color][color=#cb1b95]“I’ll hold you to that. Once we get this Velvet business out of the way, we’ll have dinner. Nice, easy, no stress. Just the two of us, good food and good conversation.”[/color]

[color=#b77b89]"Deal,"[/color][color=silver] Sienna said, and meant it. She watched him over the rim of her mug, something comfortable and familiar settling between them the way it always did - the particular ease of a friendship old enough to have its own shorthand, its own rhythms, its own unspoken agreements about what needed saying and what didn't.[/color]

[color=#b77b89]"No stress. No casino, no threats, no terrible church coffee."[/color][color=silver] She rambled absentmindedly and paused, realising she'd said more than she intended to, and smoothed past it before he could pick at the thread. [/color][color=#b77b89]"No drama. I could use a night like that."[/color][color=silver] She set her mug down and glanced toward the window, the Lantern District going about its afternoon business below, entirely indifferent to the week she'd had.[/color]

[color=#b77b89]"God knows I've earned it,"[/color][color=silver] she added, more to herself than to him.[/color]

[color=silver]Sienna’s references to casinos and church coffee were not ones lost on Lincoln. He was well aware of her recent activities, especially when she was out and about with that church going British guy. Still, she didn’t need to know that. There was no point, it would only add to her stress and that was the last thing he wanted. All Link wanted was to make Si happy and give her the life that she deserved. He knew above all else that he was the only person that could give her what she needed, wanted and deserved. There was no room for anything or anyone else between them.[/color]

[color=#cb1b95]“Why don’t you take the night off? I’m sure I can handle the Velvet for the evening.”[/color][color=silver] He leaned forward, elbows down on the table as his eyes caught his reflection in a nearby mirror.[/color][color=#cb1b95] “Rest, put your feet up, watch superhero love island with a glass of red and then come back tomorrow. You’ll feel all refreshed and more together.”[/color]

[color=silver]The brunette blinked. [/color]

[color=silver]It wasn’t something she did often - that particular involuntary pause of someone who had heard something so contrary to their nature that their face hadn’t caught up with their response yet. She set her mug down on the table with a small, decisive sound.[/color]

[color=#b77b89]“Lincoln,”[/color][color=silver] She said his name the way she said things that required a certain amount of patience. [/color][color=#b77b89]“I’m not leaving my bar in anyone else’s hands.”[/color][color=silver] She stated it without apology, just the simple settled certainty of someone disclosing a fact about themselves they never once questioned. [/color]

[color=#b77b89]“Not even yours.”[/color]

[color=silver]She picked her mug back up, taking a long, drawn out sip.[/color]

[color=#b77b89]“The wine and trashy television can wait until after closing.”[/color]

[color=#cb1b95]“Fair enough.”[/color]

[color=silver]There it was again. Sienna’s distinct lack of self awareness and what was good for her. She’d always been the same, even when they were kids. It had to be her way or the highway. Lincoln blamed her parents. They were too nice, too soft. Sienna needed to understand that there were better ways to do things, his way of doing things. If she carried on the way she was going, Si would end up burning herself out, falling into a pit of anxiety where she would struggle and then putting herself in a position where someone would try and take advantage of her. [/color]

[color=silver]He knew better than to argue though. Link had learned very early in their relationship to let Sienna believe what she needed to in the moment. She was not a forward thinker like him but that was ok, he still loved her anyway. [/color][color=#cb1b95]“Listen. I’m gonna get out of your hair. I’ve got to go get some prep done for Noir and then I’ll head straight back here when I’m done to get started downstairs. I’ll try and get some information on these applicants for you too, if I get the chance before service.”[/color]

[color=silver]Lincoln got up from his seat and moved around the table to Sienna’s side. [/color][color=#cb1b95]“I’ll message you later.”[/color][color=silver] He leaned forward and kissed her cheek. There was that smell again. That intoxicating smell. Hers. He straightened up his jacket before departing her apartment via the stairs. [/color]

[color=silver]Once outside, Lincoln took out his cellphone, unlocking the screen and smiling at his wallpaper of Sienna. He stroked her cheek delicately before typing in a number he memorized minutes earlier and giving it a call. [/color][color=#cb1b95]“Jonah Park? Chef Lincoln Darby from Atelier Noir. Your resume fell into my lap today and I was wondering if we could have a meeting and quick chat about some opportunities?”[/color][/color][/indent][center][color=#B77B89]_________________________________________________________[/color]
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[color=silver]Collaboration with [@Melissa][/color][/sup][/center]