Chương 24: Meeting Chez

Misty saw as she hurried to the kitchen that the halls were bare of décor. Austere shades of wood and stone were not very inviting and made everything seem cold. The bedroom that she had come from was grand, but now that she thought about it, the furnishings were the barest minimum. No flowers or knick-knacks decorated any of the spaces.

The second floor of the house had windows along the hall that faced out into a courtyard. There was no glass in them, but hinged shutters allowed them to be closed off from the weather. In the distance, she could see a wider pair of towers flanking a wooden gate masking the world beyond. The courtyard contained a central path to the gate that was at least twenty feet wide with raised garden beds on either side.

Misty continued her way down the hall and to the steps from last night. Soon, a delicious smell engulfed her. The bang and clatter of food preparation reached her ears before she turned into the kitchen. Last night, the only light had been from the lanterns. She could see glimpses of the well-stocked kitchen, but the daylight streaming in through the bay of windows facing the courtyards revealed a massive kitchen. She was surprised at how similar it was to modern ones from her old world. With the exception that the appliances were replaced with fire and magic powered ones, she couldn't help but think that she had misunderstood just how close to modern the world of Tamult was.

She realized the beach she had woken up on had been deep in the wilds of the jungles. Even the caves run by the Cixin Syndicate seemed to have been carved from the hills as opposed to forming naturally. Maybe it was because everyone was in some way a beastmen, but she imagined a more primitive society.

In her arrogance, Misty thought that she might make money for herself with some of her knowledge from her old world, like the farmer fantasies she had read in the past. She had a feeling that she wouldn't be able to do that. Misty grimaced at the realization that she was treating Tamult as if it were in some way inferior to where she had been. She promised herself that she would be more open and less judgmental of what she found in this world.

CLANG!

Misty pulled herself away from her inner reflections and focused on the unfamiliar man in front of her. He had tied his long hair back with a green string and covered his kaunak with an apron. Standing over the stove, he wouldn't have been out of place in a five-star restaurant. He expertly flipped the food with a large spatula and dumped little bowls filled with different ingredients into the pan.

She pulled out one of the stools on the island and watched while he expertly tossed the ingredients into the air from the pan.

"Are you going to just watch?" He glanced over his shoulder at Misty. She could see deep wrinkles all over his face and the edges of a long-healed scar slashing across one of his cheeks and through his eye. It was obvious that the eye had been damaged beyond repair in some kind of accident.

"I wouldn't want to get in your way." The man chuckled. He grabbed the towel slung around his neck and wiped at his glistening forehead.

"Then you'll just have to listen to me and do what I ask." He lifted the heavy pan from the heat and pointed to a set of cupboards across the room. "There are plates in that one over there." Misty sauntered over to open the door.

"How many do you need?"

"Just four for now. You can find utensils in the drawer to the left." Misty stacked up the plates and silverware and headed back to the island.

Misty watched as he served the food onto the plates. Setting the pan back on the stove he opened one of the cabinet doors to reveal a set of cords. He pulled on two of them before turning back to Misty.

"Jay and Kason wanted to wait to eat with you when you woke." He snatched up two of the plates and headed into the house. "Grab the last plate and the silverware. You all can eat in the dining hall." Misty grabbed the food and rushed after him.

"I'm Chez Duan." He grinned back at Misty and pointed to a set of closed doors. "Your men are in there."

"I'm Misty." She said. Remembering last night and this morning, Misty blushed and hesitated, looking at the door.

"Nervous, are ya? Newly mated are sometimes like that." Chez beamed at her. "You won't go wrong with Jay, and I've known Kason almost as long." He gave a short laugh and leaned his back on the door to open it. "Not like my son Muckle, but almost as good." Misty giggled and followed Chez into the dining hall.

"I can't believe you are comparing us to Muckle again!" Jay sprung up from the chair he was relaxing in to walk over to Misty. He took her plate and set it on the table, his hand in the small of her back, guiding her to sit next to him. She set one of the spoons next to her plate. Before she could hand one to Jay she felt a warm hand on her wrist.

"It is his right as Muckle's grandfather." Kason leaned down to kiss Misty on her forehead and took the spoons from her hand. Jay scowled at him and snatched one, but Kason just laughed at him and took one of the plates from Chez. Sitting next to Misty, he began to dig in. Jay turned to Chez and thanked him, grabbing the other plate and sitting on Misty's other side. Chez smiled and shook his head. Before heading back to the kitchen, he shut the doors to give them some privacy.