Your Wish Is My Command. (Private)

Esca was a fairly common individual within the fine dining establishment. She was a personal friend to the wife of the head chef. In by granting her access to some of the more exclusive fragrance lines, she was generally granted excellent service and feasted upon fabulous recipes on a semi-weekly basis. Taking her usual seat by the window up in a private area so she could dine without interruption, the woman ordered a simple dish and an iced mocha beverage as she peered out over the city.

The sun was beginning its descent as people hustled and bustled to make home after a long day at work. Of course, some people stopped by for their afterwork cocktail and enjoyment of happy hour. Such fun could ensue from the consumption of alcohol, but the woman was certainly pleased with her caffeine and milk mixture that she sipped from a cup. Of course, she couldn’t be classy unless her pinky was extended and not even a drop of liquid moved to stain her upper lip.

Once her food came out and she took her first bite, the bount blinked in surprise. Though she had had this dish dozens of times over the course of the last couple of months, the mixture of flavors and spices had somehow brought it to a whole new level. Had the chef changed his recipe? Had they hired a new sous chef? Whatever the case, she certainly would have to give the person quite a tip. After waving to get her waiters attention, she would send a little note and give it to the person who had constructed her dish.

On this said note was a personal invitation for the chef to come join her at her table so that she may personally compliment his craftsmanship. 

Esca had finished her meal in the time she awaited for the chef to come out to meet her. Though, when he approached, it certainly was not what she had expected. It forced her to arch a brow and release a curious “hm” as she looked up the other up and down. Rather than an adult, he was nothing but a boy who probably should have spent his time in school as opposed to working in a kitchen. Hell, was he capable of working? She honestly was not too familiar with the labor laws of this country. Tapping her nails on the table lightly, she would release yet another “hm” before offering him a seat directly across from her. “I must say, it certainly appears that the chef has taken on quite a young addition to his staff. I assume you are a recent addition to his team? Are you shadowing under him?” questioned the woman as she took a sip of her drink.

Truly, the elegant woman was certainly intrigued. Here was someone who was working in a four star restaurant who probably had more outbreaks of backne then he actually had hair on his chin. The world was certainly and interesting place that never ceased to amaze her. Pubescent boys being world class chefs? Oh how it had changed over the last century. “Well, whatever the case, I am quite pleased by your food. I have been here plenty of times over the last few months and I have to say this was the best I’ve had since I’ve moved to this country. But, where are my manners? I am Esca Renaldo. It is a pleasure to meet your acquaintance.” Releasing a soft smile, the woman would gradually extend her hand in a dainty handshake.

Esca knew that studying look. She had encountered it plenty of times amongst her years. It was the questioning look of why they could feel other people but suddenly not her. So, this boy was spiritually aware? That only made him all the more interesting to her. Aware humans certainly was a rarity. What was the figures? One in a thousand? Her lips merely turned into a soft smile. Oh how special this kid was. “So, his shadow, huh? I am a close friend of the owner’s wife. I would have heard on the grape vine of a new man working behind the scenes, especially if they were cooking. I’m quite the picky eater after all,” spoke the woman softly as crossed her legs, keeping both thighs pressed together to prevent any indecent exposure. What pose she had!

“My guess is that, despite your impressive skill, you actually don’t work here, do you? Am I right?” Honestly, the girl didn’t even wait for an answer before she continued. “So I am going to ask you this one question and one question alone: would you like to work for me instead?” Her azure eyes shined brightly as she stared directly into the younger male’s brown eyes. They almost even twinkled. “Since I’ve moved here, I haven’t quite found someone to prepare my food to my standards at home. Though I would need to try a few more of your dishes before you actually get the job, it is still I am offering to you.” Spoken just like a business woman, direct and too the point. It had all come down to whether the kid would be interested or not.

Truly, the woman was pleased that Liam had accepted her offer. Though the kid was young, this was perhaps a good thing for her. It allowed him to be shaped and crafted towards her ideal chef. Who knows, maybe he would be worth keeping until he eventually died of old age. She had done that a time or two in her extended life span. Most eventually just quite because of retirement or something. Tilting her head to the side, the woman eyed the other over up and down for a brief couple of moments before smiling once again. "Good. And as much as I would appreciate those samples now, I'm not quite fond of stealing this restaurant's food. You will be preparing them in my kitchen. Hopefully it will have everything that you need in order to create things for your interview."

Reaching into her purse, the woman would pull out a simple tube of lipstick and a compact. After reapplying the nude shade to her lips and checking to make sure the rest of her was flawless, she would graciously stand up after dropping a ¥10,000 note to cover her bill and tip before heading towards the door. There, she would wait and see whether or not the boy would even open it for her. How chivalrous was this child? Once they left, her car was already waiting for her. It, of course, was a piece of magnificence. It was Rolls-Royce that was a lovely white with a slight pink hue (but not overwhelmingly so). The driver kindly let her in where she quickly grabbed a bottle of champagne and poured them both a nice little "traveling drink" as she would call it. "So, besides your cooking skills, do you have any other talents that might perk my interest? I did notice you were struggling to sense my spiritual pressure, so I imagine you are at least somewhat spiritually capable?"

“Well do call me impressed. I would have not imagined someone as young as yourself to have even a knowledge of my race. We truly are a rare breed after all,” spoke the woman with a smile as she raised a cheers before taking a sip of the alcoholic beverage. Though she knew that Liam was a spiritually gifted human, to find out he was a Quincy was quite fascinating. The two of them had something in common: they had nearly been eradicated by the shinigami race. They also had the capability of manipulating that ambient spiritual energy that existed around them. Truly, her decision to hire him was proving to be quite beneficial for them both. They could probably teach one another quite a fair bit.

Eventually, her driver would pull up onto her estate. It was a beautiful mansion that had a lovely overlooking view of Naruki City. The front of her property was filled with bountiful roses of every shade and color (besides the dreary black) that just put a lovely aroma into the air. After being assisted out of the vehicle, her glass still in her hand, the driver would leave to park the vehicle and leave them both to their lonesome. “Well this is my home and where you would be allowed to stay should you pass my tests. I’m sure you will find the servant’s quarters quite comfortable.”

Leading him inside, she would take him down the hall into the large kitchen. It was massive in size and comparable to a full size kitchen with all the fixings. “I would like you to prepare me two different meals and a desert. Take your time as there is no rush but at the same time do not take all day as I have matters I will need to attend to.” A quick check to her watch made her hm slightly as she spun on her heel to leave the kid to his work. “I will check back with you in an hour or so. Just don’t ruin or break anything.” And with that, she was gone.

The woman smile at the compliment to her home. It was quite stunning she had to say so herself. Well, that was all in part to the fact that she was the one who drew up the plans and had it built to her specific expectations. It had plenty of rooms to explore and maybe, one of these days, Liam would be granted an opportunity to do so. But, for right now, his time was to be spent in the kitchen. Giving him her brief goodbyes, Esca would head down the other end of the hallway to go into her study. Not only was it typical in that it was filled with large bookshelves that had novels and research material in virtually every main language, but it had a large oak desk with a large computer in which she had to do her work on. She did her best to work from home as much as she could. It allowed her to keep her anonymity after all.

After making a few business calls to make sure her inventory was up to scale and that her shipments would be shipped before deadline, the woman was truly glad that nearly an hour had passed. She had only hoped that the boy would have been finished by now. Because honestly, she was a tad hungry. As she returned to the kitchen, her normal boots had been replaced with a simple pair of fuzzy bunny house slippers. They may have been cheap, but lord were they comfortable. "So, I imagine you've finished with your meals?" she questioned as she looked about to examine his craftsmanship. She could at least say this, it at least smelled good.

Esca was greatly pleased to hear that the meal was finished and only need the final touches. Clapping her hands quickly in excitement, the woman graciously nodded her head in thanks at the pulling out of her chair before sitting down within it. Just as she had asked, there were two main meals and a simple desert. All in which looked quite appetizing. Though, she had to admit, it could have used a bit better plating. She could work with that, for now anyway. Picking up her utensils that were coated in a fine sheet of gold that would not directly influence the food’s taste in any way, she would start with the first one.

It was a halibut dish smothered with proper use of herbs and served overtop of wild rice. Slicing off a piece of the tender fish, she would give it a brief sniff before taking her first bite. Immediately flavor would rush through her taste buds. Truly, it was quite impressive. She personally loved the outer crust that gave a slight crunch to balance out the otherwise tenderness of the fish. “Well, you receive a gold star on this one. I recommend putting the rice in a small bowl before placing it on the plate upside down just to give it a more uniformed shape. But that is me being picky,” she said as she slide that plate forward only to replace it with the shrimp dish.

As shrimp was one of her favorites, the woman was certainly going to be a bit more picky about it. Instantly, she frowned to not see it butterflied and to have their tail still on them. Truly, it made her a tad hesitant to even eat it. Still, her knife quickly chopped the tails off before she plopped the crustacean into her mouth. The flavor was good, but she wasn’t quite sure if the work to eat it was honestly worth the effort. “I’m not as pleased with this one I’m afraid,” she said as she slid it forward. “Cut them down the center to allow them to cook more evenly, chop off the tail since you really don’t need to eat them. While I didn’t check, might as well take out the intestines. It’ll improve flavor tremendously.”

Raising a napkin to cleanse her lips, she stared down at the last desert. It was a mousse. Honestly, she wasn’t quite sure how you could mess that one up. Using a fork to take off the top raspberry to sample it first, she hummed pleasantly. It was her favorite berry after all. Truly a good choice. While white chocolate wasn’t her favorite, the two flavors complimented one another tremendously. She ended up eating a good half of the meal before setting it aside.

“Well, we have to work on some of your technique, but you are hired.”

The woman was pleased by the fact that Liam not only was listening to her critique but was actually jotting down notes for reference later. That in itself proved that she had made the correct decision in that regard. He was a young boy that was quite ready to learn. She would train him right in a fairly short time frame if he kept such an attitude in mind. Truly, she was pleased with her selection. It looked like perhaps that little café lost a potential hard worker. She was a business woman after all. Sometimes you just had to take them off the market before they became competition. She had done that in the past with transactions. People, in many ways, were similar in that regard. Especially when you were as old as she was.

"That we do. I am not much of a morning person so I don't expect a meal when I first wake up, but I do quite enjoy something caffeinated such as tea or coffee. Preferably hot. Breakfast I expect to be served around a traditional brunch time with lunch being around two or three and dinner around six or seven. As for duties, your responsibility is the cleaning and maintaining stock of food. It should be stocked with everything you need at all times. You'll be given an 'allowance' for the lack of a better word for the purchasing of these items. Abuse of this money for things outside of supplies for this job will result in instant termination. I keep a close eye on my money and will know when it is spent incorrectly."

Her tone had certainly shifted into a more stern, authoritative flow. She was certainly not one that you wanted on her bad side. "I also would like you to keep the house tidy and to accompany me on any business trips that I might take. Eating out is questionable these days, and I certainly do not want to consume the food of anything prepared by some snot nosed teenager. No offense to you of course."