Elena and her group had made it back to the Red Queen's restaurant. Unlike Wazir, who
had eaten till he could drop, Elena, Mac and Forest were starving. Their faces were sullen due to
hunger, while Wazir trotted away, oblivious to their situation.
"That was filling. Thank you for sharing your meal with me!" He said as they settled
down in the restaurant.
"You're welcome," Forest answered drily, heading straight to the kitchen.
Elena went to her room, leaving Mac and Wazir alone.
"So, you asked me to remind you about the Job offer I was seeking?"
"Yes, I did. Now, what exactly where you doing before...? You know, we found you?"
Mac asked, genuinely curious.
"Well, I was what you would call a wanderer. I do small jobs for whatever pay you can
give. I was just unfortunate when Elena and Forest found me. I wanted to use what I had saved
up to enjoy myself." Forest came out of the kitchen, holding two medium-sized bowls filled with
food. He placed one in front of Mac and the other in front of Wazir, then returned to the kitchen.
"What made you suddenly want to work as a waiter?"
"Well, Forest did introduce me to the job, and I am getting tired of being beaten up-"
"Wait, so this isn't your first time?" Mac asked, shocked.
"Nothing to be proud about, sadly. But it is better to be working in one place, than going
different places looking for a job. Not only is it safe, but it's also the best because at least I know
when to expect my pay." He answered.
"Hmm. Well, you are lucky today. I am short on staff, as it is only Elena, Forest and me,
and we would need a new waiter. So, you are hired! If you need a place to stay, you can sleep in
Forest's room."
"Thank you so much!" Wazir said excitedly. His eyes shone brightly as he took Mac's
hand and shook it, expressing his gratitude.
"Thank you so much! It means so much to me! Thank you!"
Mac smiled as he gently dragged his hand away from Wazir's grip.
"You are welcome. Later, Elena and Forest will give you a tour around the restaurant and
give you details on what your job entails."
"No problem again. Thank you." Wazir said again. Mac smiled and left for his room,
holding his bowl of food.
Forest came out of the kitchen with his bowl and sat down where Mac had vacated.
"Welcome to the family. I guess I'll have to show you around then. But that will be after I
finish my food." He said, holding up a spoonful to his mouth.
"We need to get ready, we have visitors in the kingdom and we have to prepare just in
case they come here." He said in between chews.
"Okay," Wazir responded.
The Kingdom of Neba.
Joüs restaurant...
Joüstin was seated at one of his restaurant tables, calculating his income for that week.
He noticed a significant decrease in his customers and sales ever since the grand opening of the
Red Queen's restaurant. People seldom come to his restaurant, as they were all struggling,
looking and hoping for a way to get a reservation at the Red Queen's.
He threw his balance sheet harshly on the table and dragged his hands through his hair,
frustration radiating off him. He stood up and paced, thinking of how to remedy his situation.
Some customers were already complaining, asking him to cook something new as the
Red Queen does. He was starting to get tired of the comparison. People only came to his
restaurant if they had a late reservation at the Red Queen's.
He really couldn't fault them, though. The recipes he used were not his own, and he had
tried several times to come up with something new, but they all ended in a disaster. His former
partner was so lucky that he managed to snag for himself an excellent cook, adding that he could
also cook; it was no wonder his restaurant became a hit.
He had sent Malik several times to check out the ingredients used for cooking, but it
seemed that the more Malik ate their food, the less he remained loyal to him. And one could
count the number of times Malik had eaten at the Red Queen's in just one hand. So if that few
numbers of times were enough to change Malik's loyalty to him, he thought it important that he
didn't take it lightly.
He sat back down on his seat and started drawing randomly. Immediately, he thought of
an idea.
"The time has come to finally pay dear Elena a visit." He mumbled, a devious smile
etched broadly on his face.
*****
The Kingdom of Neba.
The Red Queen's restaurant...
The soft chirping of birds indicated the beginning of a new day. Elena rose from her bed
and stretched, then looked out her window, enjoying the view of the rising sun.
She stood up and went to carry out her hygienic duties; she took a bath and washed her
mouth before she finally left her room to prepare for the day.
She went to the restaurant serving area, only to see Forest dusting the tables and chairs.
"This is a surprise! You woke up before me?" She jested.
"One has to beat you in it so that you can end with your bragging," Forest responded.
"I do not brag! I just mention the fact that I wake up earlier than you guys every time and
take up most of the morning chores." Elena said, rolling her eyes.
"Well, be happy now. You don't have to complain about that anymore."
"Be frank with me. What prompted you to wake up early?" She asked. Forest released a
loud breath and sat down on one of the chairs he had just finished dusting.
"Guess I can't hide anything from you. It's because of Wazir."
"What happened to him?" Elena raised her brows, curious.
"He snores. Very loud. I couldn't take it." He let out.
"What's bad about snoring? You do it all the time." Elena said, shrugging.
"No Elena, his is worse. Imagine a herd of racing cattle coming towards you, very fast.
That's actually what he sounds like."
"It's that bad?" Forest nodded his head. He sighed, dragging his hands across his head.
"I'll have to tell him about his snoring habit, else one of us would have to end up sleeping
at the reception and it isn't going to be me." He concluded. Elena smiled. She headed towards a
small hidden closet and took out a broom and dustpan.
"We'll just have to wait and see how it goes." She replied.
"I'm heading out to sweep the entrance in case you look for Me."
"Okay," Forest replied.
Elena took her broom and dustpan and walked out of the restaurant. The air was still a
little damp and foggy, and the sun hadn't fully reached the sky. The sounds of cricket could be
heard in the silent street, though not a soul could be found occupying it. Elena surmised that
most were just waking up or were still sleeping.
She began to sweep the dusty corners of the entrance. She swiped the top corners of the
entrance for cobwebs and behind the slate bearing the name of their restaurant. Using a rag she
always had on her, she took a stool placed outside and stood on it to clean the slate. When she
was done, she came down and continued her sweeping. She couldn't help but take satisfaction in
that she was easily made happy doing simple chores like those. Unlike back when she was in
Pres, where everything seemed like torture.
The sounds of footsteps coming towards her were a surprise for her, who normally didn't
see anyone walking around at that time in the morning. She paused her sweeping and faced
whoever was coming towards her. Once she saw who it was, she frowned.
"What do you want?" She said immediately.
Joüstin walked over to her with a perfect smile on his face. If Elena hadn't known about
him, she would have thought him genuinely happy to see her.
"Good morning Elena, Fancy meeting you here. Do you always sweep here every
morning?" Elena placed a hand on her waist while the other held the broom.
"What do you want?" She repeated.
"Nothing just decided to take an early morning walk. Then I saw you, and now here we
are." He answered with a shrug.
"If you have nothing to say, please leave," Elena said, then continued her sweeping. She
knew that his visit wasn't coincidental. So many times, they have caught Malik using different
names to catch a reservation. Mac at first never wanted to serve him, but Elena had another idea
and always fed him the best. She did it just twice, though, and they never accepted him again
since then.
To see Joüstin standing in front of her restaurant at that time proved that her plan worked.
Malik had lost interest in Joüstin and his food, which greatly troubled Joüstin because he had just
lost his secret weapon. Elena smiled secretly as she swept.
"Perhaps you would allow me to make a bargain." He suddenly said.
"I am not interested, if you have nothing else to say, please leave."
The door to the restaurant opened wide with force. Forest came out, a table rag wrung
tightly in his hands. He had dust on his cheeks and forehead, and he looked so adorable looking
like that while standing, poised for attack. Had they been in another situation, Elena totally
would have laughed and teased him a little.
"Elena, are you having any trouble?" He said. Elena shook her head and smiled.
"No. I just had a visitor. He was just about to leave. Let's continue with our work." She
said, silently nudging Forest inside. Forest looked at Joüstin vehemently. Mac had also told him
the tale of how he was betrayed by his former business partner, so he did his little research. That
explained why he was able to recognize Joüstin immediately.
"Can I just ask a simple question?" Joüstin asked. Elena and Forest paused what they
were doing and turned to face him.
"Where is Mac?"
"What do you need him for?" Forest asked back.
"I was just wondering why you guys are the only ones doing the chores. Aren't you guys
like helping him with his business?"
"He pays us. It's our job." Forest replied drily.
"Oh then? Then how about I promise you a much higher pay? I can- "he paused as Elena
burst out laughing. Forest and Joüstin looked at her weirdly.
"I knew something was strange when you came over here suddenly. Now I understand
why." She said with a secret smile on her face.
"How is your restaurant? Have you had any customers lately? Oh, what about Malik? I
haven't seen him for some time."
"Yeah, that's true! Where is that hungry son of a badger? I always see him first thing in
the morning once the restaurant opens. He always ballots like a crazed fowl just to get a
reservation! Now that you mention it, I haven't seen him too for days now."
The sound of Joüstin's teeth-gnashing could be heard loudly in the early morning
atmosphere. His face scrunched up in anger as they threw his secret attacks back in his face.
"I have no idea what you are talking about." He said, trying to form a smile.
"Oh come on. We aren't stupid. We know that Malik is your secret weapon for stealing
secret recipes. Wondered where you found the guy." Forest taunted. Facing Elena, he then said,
"I can't believe your plan worked!"
"What can I say? I'm just naturally smart." Elena said with a proud smile. Joüstin was
getting angrier by the minute. He took in a deep breath and forced out an extremely huge smile.
"What do you think about my offer?" He questioned.
"Isn't it obvious by now? We aren't interested." Forest answered.
"I wasn't talking to you!" Joüstin retorted with a scowl.
"Well, I'm with Forest here. We aren't interested. Thanks for your humble offer." She
answered mockingly.
"You can never have another chance like this! Imagine all the money you would be able
to make." He pressed.
"Please, like that helped Mac one bit," Elena said while Forest rolled his eyes.
"Once a thief, always a thief. I'd rather work here where I know I would be genuinely
safe from your thievery."
"You!" Joüstin pointed at them, his face red with anger.
The restaurant door opened, and they all turned to see who came out. Wazir and Mac
rushed out of the building.
"Who is making all this ruckus?" Wazir said angrily. Mac saw Joüstin standing there and
frowned immediately.
"What are you doing here?" He asked. Wazir looked at him and looked back at Joüstin.
"You know this man?"
Everywhere became silent as all eyes turned to look at Joüstin.
"You! All of you! I swear you would regret this."
"Come on, don't be petty!" Forest teased.
"Just because we didn't accept your job offer, now you are going to take your revenge on
us? Don't make me laugh."
Joüstin ground his teeth in anger. He faced Mac and told him.
"Enjoy your fruitful days well." Then he left them and walked away, anger and
vengefulness radiating off him.