Chapter 256: Dinner? Delectable. Desert? Delightful. Date? Done

Well, if they were going to steal his drink that left Ares with no choice but to steal theirs! While Enyo was having multiple sips of his coffee, Ares went for the cocktail and gave that a good old sipping in turn! Jesus! Ares recoiled from the drink and stared at it in disbelief. Was this what it was like to be pelted with fruit at the gallows back in the old days? He'd been bombarded by a fruity assault on his senses that was exotic and overwhelming in every way imaginable. Strong acidity from the pineapple combined with a real heavy coconut flavour was doing wonders but the peach, and whatever alcohol Gavel had put in this glass, were also lifting their own weight in this drink. Remmy was still underage and had, to her dismay, been kept far away from the alcoholic stuff. She was interested in learning how to mix drinks but wasn't old enough to do it yet so, instead, she simply planned out the various tastes she wanted to create and Gavel experimented on her behalf.

Gavel, although not a great cook, would make a solid bartender and knew her way around drinks so she was surprisingly very useful in the creation of cocktails. The best part, for her, was that she got to try them all whenever Remmy was in the mood to experiment so she had many a fresh and juicy fruit to delight in each and every time. It was something Gavel really enjoyed doing so she had her own unique place here and wasn't just a glorified waitress bringing people menus and dishes. Had she not taken Remmy in, there was a fairly good chance she would have worked behind a bar somewhere and earned herself a pretty decent reputation even without the tiny elf. Still, this way she got the best of both worlds and could fulfil her adopted daughter's dreams of becoming a chef as well as her own of relaxing with alcohol nearby. Her early life had been rough, and that was probably an understatement, but it had all been worth it now that she'd made a killing and found a comfortable life on the other end of things. Her hard work and perseverance had paid off and being kind and caring enough to take in some random elf when she barely had enough to get by on her own was being rewarded. Of course she hadn't taken in the elf with any kind of goal of making money off her but she wasn't going to complain about the end result now that precisely that had happened! Regardless, the long and short of this was that the cocktail was a glorious concoction of of vibrant yellow flavourful bombardment. Ares could hear the whistling wind at a beach and feel the sweltering heat on his skin just by drinking this thing, it was that transformative an experience. 10/10, it was a really vigorous drink that grabbed you by the nether region and dragged you along for a wild ride in paradise... But why was Enyo glaring at him for having some of her drink? What was this double standard hypocrisy!? It really was just an actual sip as well... Meanwhile his coffee was already three quarters gone!

Ares sighed to himself and put the cocktail down in front of Enyo before trying the milkshake next. He would come back for a taste of the Eton mess later as Enyo was getting defensive over her property right now and she would probably leap over Bellona to tackle Ares if he even dared mess with her desert. If her sweet was stolen from her then Ares could be her desert instead so, while Bellona was rudely finishing off Ares' poor, battered and bruised coffee!... Ares sucked on the straw in Bellona's milkshake and got a taste of the milky goodness and, damn, that caramel was silky smooth! It slid down his throat while thicker parts of the milkshake provided a nice texture alternative. The milkshake was chilled down to the last drop but not watery which was good news and showed that Remmy had a good grasp on how to make this stuff. The milkshake was pretty plain, yes, but there was nothing wrong with that and arguably made the experience better than if it were to be complicated unnecessarily with a million and one ingredients. Plus this was supposed to go along with the brownie anyway so that was where the real secrets lay with this drink. That's not to say it didn't stand out on its own, though, as it was a real treat that was incredibly hard to put down. It seemed as though Remmy had put a touch of ice cream in the milkshake to make it sweeter and really double down on the pure vanilla flavour coming through underneath the caramel. The caramel was the stronger flavour but that small undercurrent to wash it down with was expertly crafted, almost like the bisque earlier.

It was a real thirst quencher but Ares had actually drunk better from that burger place he was thinking of taking Bellona. Red Sun was highly competitive in the cuisine industry as leading professionals in different walks of food life were abundant. It was hard to beat any of the established shops in their specialties. Fixer for sandwiches, Remmy for classic dishes, Scratch for noodles, and Shu for pastry or sweets. Of course there were other examples but the list was long enough that if Ares were to go over it he would be here for a small eternity and so it was better to just explore those people and their individual cooking styles when and where he came across them on his journey. Speaking of, it was highly likely all the chefs in this city would go along with his crazy idea of turning Red Sun into a mobile, pseudo planet as it meant they could get access to a wider variety of ingredients and expand upon their craft by visiting far away worlds and learning about new recipes.

Cooking was a varied practice and often times learning from someone with more worldly experience was a good way to discover new and exciting ways to cook. All of the people who cooked in this town were dedicated to their profession and the only real reason most of them never left was either due to attachment with Red Sun, in which case they would stick with it anyway, or it was due to a lack of opportunities coming their way, which Ares would rectify. Someone like Remmy, for instance, would be overjoyed and go along with the proposed plan in a heartbeat. She was still at the starting line in terms of flavour exploration and the difference between giving her a small planet to explore or a massive, extensive dimension of cuisine... Well the choice she'd make was set in stone. Especially if she wanted to learn how to cook with the cooking pillar properly. There weren't actually that many cooking pillar chefs down in Sheryashka and so it was infinitely better for her to seek guidance, books, and even media that could change her perspective on things in higher domains. Her potential was limitless but Sheryashka was limiting, that was just the harsh truth of the matter.

Ah but Ares was getting distracted! The milkshake was delicious and then some!... But why was Bellona glaring at him for having some of her drink? Why did Ares feel like some serious Déjà vu was going on here! And why was his coffee invisible!? Of course it actually wasn't, that was just Ares' way of coping with his fully digested, not by him, coffee... He hadn't even gotten a single sip of it himself! Where was the justice these two Legion maniacs so often touted?! By their own logic, they should be turned in to the authorities for daylight robbery! Well it wasn't actually daylight... And Bellona wasn't as strict with the whole justice thing compared to Enyo... But surely here was still a case to be made about his behaviour!? Ares could only sigh to himself and curse his own foolishness for letting go of the coffee early on. He had no one but himself to blame for this error in judgement.

Still, at least his dessert was... Being moved across the table by Bellona's magic as he was stuck in his own head! "Alright, that's it! Now you're getting it you greedy little minx!" Ares lunged at Bellona and covered her mouth with his as he fondled her nips as payback. Bellona was not Enyo so this actually made her back down a bit afterwards as she gulped and shrank in her seat, not daring to steal food again lest she be punished lewdly for it... Although Ares had forgotten that this deterrence was nothing more than encouragement to Enyo who made a bid to swipe his cheesecake as well! Why wouldn't she? She either got the sweet or got Ares 'punishing' her. It was a win win situation so Ares simply snatched his own cheesecake away from her and hugged the other corner of the wall, staying as far away from the demoness as possible. He would have to fight her later for a chance to taste her desert but that was a problem for future Ares to figure out, right now it was cheesecake time!

Being a plain vanilla cheesecake, you wouldn't expect it to be anything special. It came with a berry sauce, sure, but the flavour profile of a vanilla cheesecake was pretty samey. Not that that had deterred Remmy who determinately and stubbornly refused to give in until she created a spectacular desert out of this otherwise ordinary, but still much appreciated, classic. And succeed she very clearly did. The base was crumbly and the biscuity taste worked well alongside the vanilla. Speaking of, the vanilla was amazingly potent but that was to be expected with Remmy's skills. Even Ares couldn't tell how she'd brought the flavour out so perfectly. It was similar to the vanilla in the milkshake but far more noticeable and Ares was simply clueless. This was another thing he would have to discuss with her because he really wanted to know how to replicate it. His own cheesecakes would never be so tangy with or without a berry sauce if he didn't check in with the elf.

Ares was also deeply impressed with the ease at which his fork could slice through the cheesecake as there was basically no resistance whatsoever. It almost felt like he was secretly using disintegration magic on his cutlery to make slicing his desert that much easier but the truth of the matter was just that Remmy was masterful at creating smooth textures. The milkshake and some of the main dishes were evidence of this through and through. Smooth texture, strong taste. Simple but highly effective. The presentation of the dish was also rather neat as the cheesecake wasn't messy in the slightest. Only the sharpest of angles and the cleanest slices along its sides were made such that it looked almost perfectly triangular. It could easily be used as a scoring wedge in knowledge based board games it was just that well defined a shape. The deep purple / red berry sauce was made of blackberries and blueberries it seemed. It was punchy and was very tingly in the mouth but Ares couldn't get enough of it. It paired well with the cheesecake and there were simply no complaints to be made about the quality of the food.

Now came the tricky part... Swiping some of his wives' deserts! But there was a solution available to Ares. A classic bribe! Ares put the cheesecake on the table and lightly nudged it towards Bellona. she was too focussed on her milkshake and brownie combo so he had to push it a little further along. When it got within visual range, Blo Blo paused on the spot and stiffly looked down at the cheesecake. She was the rat and Ares was offering her the cheese... But where was the mousetrap!? A game of cat and mouse ensued wherein every time Blo Blo move closer to the cheesecake, Ares inched ever closer to her own desert. This was the trap! She tried to be quick on the draw and take both but that was a doomed endeavour from the start and she just had to accept her loss. She won the coffee battle but lost the 'all deserts are mine' war. Instead of dwelling on it she just started chewing away at the cheesecake while Enyo was sneaking up behind her to take it off her hands...

That was a problem for Blo Blo to sort out as Ares was directing all his attention to the new desert that had already been half eaten. Blo Blo seemed to be on cloud nine as she dunked the brownie into the milkshake so Ares followed suit and took a bite of the milkshake-d brownie. Gooey! The brownie was pretty warm and the middle of it was runny with chocolate so right off the rip this was guaranteed to be addictive but adding the milkshake just made it so much better. Remmy was still a kid at the end of the day so it was only natural that when her mind gravitated towards deserts she preferred sweetness overload. This was incredibly unhealthy and definitely not something to be eaten often but boy was it easy on the taste pallet. The warmth of the brownie mixed with the icy milkshake was a pleasant duality and the rich chocolate was mellowed out by the caramel and vanilla. No wonder Bellona had tried to keep this from him, it was bloody delicious! Sneaky Blo Blo! Well Ares wasn't going to deny her the brownie so, after a quick taste, he placed it back in front of her at which point she looked a lot less sullen than before. Enyo had nicked the cheesecake off her leaving her with basically nothing to eat as the coffee was also gone so all of Ares' stuff she stole had been finished or was no longer in her possession. The brownie lifted her spirits and turned that pouty frown upside down which made giving up the one dessert Ares had guaranteed access to all the more worth it.

That didn't mean he was quitting though, he wanted a taste of the Eton mess to round up his sampling spree but Enyo was a fierce guardian deity and wouldn't budge an inch... But she already had the cheesecake too! This woman was a desert dragon, hoarding all her wealth! This could not stand any longer and Enyo's sugary tyranny was not acceptable. That being said... What to do exactly? She wouldn't give it up without a fight... Meaning there was only one solution... An exchange. Ares had no coffee, no cheesecake, no brownie, and no milkshake so there was only one thing he could offer her that she would actually be willing to trade... Sensuality! For some inexplicable reason, this was a currency and bartering tool in Enyo's world so Ares' obliged and dipped his finger into Enyo's cocktail before wagging it at her face. She knew the second she sucked off the alcohol Ares would grab the Eton mess with his free hands but she couldn't resist the temptation and gave in. She held onto the cheesecake quite firmly though because she actually really enjoyed it, probably even more so than her own desert. If she was going to give up one, the Eton mess could go and she would be accepting of her loss. Not that she hadn't gained form this in her own twisted way as she rolled her tongue over Ares' finger while looking up at him with puppy dog eyes and batting her eye lids at him... This damn woman... She was getting it later! Or rather, Ares wasn't done with her just yet so he put some more of the cocktail in his mouth and kissed her to share the alcohol across their tongues, causing their faces to heat up. Alcohol definitely tasted better directly from the mouth of a beautiful woman, that was for sure. Now Ares was satiated! If Enyo was going to use him in such a capacity then he would damn well use her too.

Now that Enyo had been sufficiently dealt with, it was time for the Eton mess! Just because Enyo preferred the cheesecake that didn't mean this thing wasn't going to be great in its own right. Right out the gate, before Ares even tried it, the layering on the desert was rather pretty to just look at. Cream, fruits, meringue in that order and then repeated, formed a colourful lighthouse of sorts that was easy on the eyes and rather inviting. For something that was called a 'mess' it had been formatted cleanly into sections, each of which was distinct from the others. Enyo had already dug into it a bit, slightly giving it that messy edge, but for the most part the original vision for the desert was still currently present and preserved. Now that obviously wasn't going to last but it was a detail that could be appreciated before it was gone.

Regarding the taste, the meringue was as fluffy as the clouds up in heaven probably were. There were some small chewy parts that had been intentionally left in, as a lot of customers quite liked that part of a meringue, and it went well with the fruit. Due to the layering you would sink through the meringue before reaching the chewy part and the fruit, put a bit of effort into a bite, and then sink back into creamy smoothness once more. It was a fluid eating process that didn't overwork the jaw if you followed the guidelines Remmy had set via the aesthetic. Of course it was still called a 'mess' at the end of the day so just mixing everything together was also an option and that was equally as viable for the sake of enjoying the desert. Doing as such just made it a mish mash of light flavours with a fruity kick that was fun to eat. Not many dishes could claim to be enjoyable in terms o the actual eating process but Eton mess fell into that category sometimes as it was a bundle of surprises. You never really knew exactly how much chewy or soft meringue you were getting and which fruit you'd picked up was usually indecipherable at a glance.

In terms of personal rankings, he would place it second after the brownie but also ahead of the cheesecake in third. Not that the cheesecake was bad or anything, Enyo's gusto with it firmly in her spoon's grip made that obvious, it's just that Ares preferred the powerful chocolatey flavour it provided. Bellona seemed to roughly agree with Ares although she placed the Eton mess last with the cheesecake in second. Enyo liked the cheesecake, then the Eton mess, then the brownie. The Eton mess didn't come first on anybody's list but it was still a better desert than you would get from basically anywhere that wasn't Shu's place so that said a lot about the quality of food you could order here. It was the crème de la crème and probably, overall, considered the best restaurant in Red Sun. If people knew it was run by a young kid they would be floored and then some. Only the locals really knew much about Remmy and, to everyone else, she was this mysterious and talented chef who like to work behind the scenes and maintain an elusive air. This was inaccurate, Remmy would just rather cook than socialise as people could frequently wind up being loud for no good reason... Although not as commonly as Gavel who'd set a bad example and perhaps given Remmy the wrong idea about most people from a young age. She'd met countless normal-voiced people, and had that illusion partially dispelled, but Gavel had really drilled it home that there were people out there who were more than capable of seemingly random outbursts.

Anyway, the deserts were now gone completely and utterly. Ares had fought tooth and nail to get his tasting session done and dusted without missing anything and had barely come out on top here. As that was his primary goal, he wasn't too fussed about not having had as much food as the other two. Rather they seemed to have had a blast and were already having a lengthy conversation about how good everything was, when they were coming back here, and what they were going to try next. It was hard to listen to though as they were clearly a bit too intoxicated to have the discussion without forgetting where they were in their sentences half the time. Ares had never seen them this drunk but, then again, he'd never been this drunk either. They'd really gone all out here tonight but that was fine. Enyo could cure them at a moment's notice if need be with an art so there was no risk involved with this as long as Enyo was around!

Enyo? More like Dionysus!... Actually, the series of arts involving alcohol were all named as boons of Dionysus so this was oddly fitting... That aside, the trio were done eating for the night but they stayed around a little longer to chat away about silly garbage that only drunk people would ever even discuss. Dumb ideas that seemed clever in the moment like world domination or a one hundred wife harem... Ares had to be careful with drunk Enyo, this woman was unhinged! Their talks continued on for a while until closing time was near, at which point they all got up, with Ares and Bellona falling back down into their seat immediately and needing Enyo to pull them up again, and managed to somehow exit the booth with their poor hand eye co-ordination. Getting home in this state would have been difficult but Ares had specifically set up a long range Shift for this exact scenario before the drinking started. He didn't need to walk the other two home, or Voidwalk them, he could just snap his fingers and they would all be right back in their abode. Before doing that, however, they wanted to say goodbye to Gavel and Remmy, both of whom were currently in the kitchen and washing up.

The trio stumbled into the kitchen and all darted straight for Remmy who was drying her hands with a towel after cleaning some dishes. She was cute and the trio were drunk, thus her hug and head pat fate was all but sealed. The tiny elf disappeared among the sea of bodies and Gavel chuckled off to the side. After being showered with praise for the incredible food she'd provided tonight, the trio eventually, begrudgingly, let go of the small elf and started saying their goodbyes proper. Gavel did check with them that they had a safe way to get home and was relieved to hear they'd planned it out already. She offered them some more hospitality but no matter how drunk the trio were, they weren't the type to exploit friendly intentions and refused kindly. Both Gavel and Remmy encouraged the trio to return at a later date, to which they received two immediate responses from the sisters who really liked this place. Ares would come back here regardless to chat with Remmy so his answer was already known and he didn't need to say it out loud.

Seeing as how the staff were still cleaning up some of the tables and what not, Ares figured it was high time the trio got out of the restaurant's hair so he put his hands on Enyo and Bellona's shoulders and, with a wink goodbye, left Gavel and Remmy to their own devices with one final show of gratitude in the form a 'thank you' just before he left. The night wasn't quite over yet but all the food had been devoured down to the last drop and everyone's stomachs were gladdened with the result of their outing. So far, the date had been a success and even the young master's appearance had already been put to the back of their minds. Still, it wasn't quite over yet as they'd been Shifted directly back into the bedroom and, before Ares and Blo Blo could even blink, Enyo was already getting frisky. She might have been looking forward to this part more than the dinner, honestly, and now she was about to get her wish as Ares joined her in advancing upon defenceless and drunk Blo Blo. Though this alliance was very much only temporary, as it could be either one of them joining forces with Bellona in a bit to torment the other one, for now they were in accord and Bellona was the target! The two looked at one another and grinned as their minds were perfectly in sync. 'Lewd the Blo Blo!'