In their guest suite, Raveena stood before the dresser mirror, smoothing down the folds of her formalwear with her hands.
Tonight was the night, the Concorde Summit's grand banquet.
For the past week, the venue had been busy with debates, negotiations, and long-winded speeches. Now, the talks had finally wound down, and tonight's gathering would draw nearly every delegate and envoy into one hall.
After she stared at herself in the mirror, she gave herself a small nod of approval.
"Ready?" came Professor Vask's voice from beside her.
"Yeah," Raveena replied.
"By the way, I'll keep you as my assistant until the banquet itself."
"…Wait. Up until the banquet? Why?"
Her aunt raised a single brow. "Why not? You'll have nothing to do once everything starts. Everyone will just eat and maintain good posture."
Before Raveena could reply, Professor Vask handed her a folded pamphlet.
"What's this?" Raveena asked, unfolding it.
"Banquet seating. Delegates have their own reserved placements in the grand hall. Any other guest will be directed to a separate dining hall."
"So… I fall under 'any other guest,' then?"
"Unfortunately, yes. Unless you're a designated right hand, like someone officially recognized to represent a delegate in talks."
Raveena scoffed. "That's a weird arrangement."
Professor Vask shrugged without looking up from fastening her cufflinks. "Take it up with Headmistress Vivienne if you want to complain. We're the ones hosting this year, right? And frankly, it would be embarrassing to have you standing over my shoulder while I eat. The tables are mapped tight. No space for stray panthers, I'm afraid."
Raveena clicked her tongue and let out a sigh. "Okay then… at least I won't be stuck the entire banquet just watching over you."
Professor Vask gave a quick chuckle. "Darn right you won't. But hey, you'll have all the time you want. Eat, wander, make yourself busy, whatever you like. Just… nothing your mother would normally disapprove of."
Raveena rolled her eyes. "Please. I'm an adult, not a teenager."
Her aunt crossed the space between them, and before Raveena could step back, a hand landed atop her head. Her ears perked instantly at the touch, surprised.
"Yeah, sure," Professor Vask teased. "Because an adult would definitely bolt the moment she's approached by her old teacher with nothing but hot air in his skull."
Raveena looked aside. "…I didn't run away. I felt sick. And I'd rather leave than waste time trading insults with someone who doesn't deserve the effort."
Professor Vask then gave one of Raveena's ears a light pinch.
Raveena flinched, ears flicking back. "Hey—!"
"You deserve credit for that. Restraint was not your strongest suit back then, so I'll take this as a victory."
"Ugh…"
"Come on," Professor Vask went on before taking the pamphlet and tucking it under her arm. "We've got a few animal-folk to greet before the banquet begins. Best not keep them waiting."
Raveena gave a quick nod. "Fine."
Now finished with their preparations, the two left their room and went out into the venue's halls.
As the group moved briskly through the halls, Ciela walked at the front of the culinary team, clipboard in hand, calmly explaining how the prep for the banquet would be divided.
Meanwhile, Aya stifled a yawn into her sleeve.
Richard, catching it, leaned over with a half-smile. "Did you even get enough sleep last night?"
Aya shook her head. "Just a little."
"A little? Why only a little?"
"Well…" Aya pressed a finger to her lips, embarrassed. "I suddenly remembered I hadn't finished studying all the dishes for today. So I woke up in the middle of the night and… um… spent a few hours with the ledger Chef Tulliver gave us."
"You woke up just to study recipes?"
Aya laughed lightly. "It wasn't on purpose! My mind just wouldn't let me rest."
At that, Richard couldn't help but feel worried. "You're serious? Aya, are you going to be alright?"
For a second, Aya didn't answer out loud. "I do feel a bit groggy… but it's nothing I can't handle."
Then she flashed him a reassuring smile. "Of course I'll be fine. Don't worry."
Richard sighed. "If you say so. Well then, good luck to all of us."
"Good luck to us all!"
When the team arrived at the Hearthgarden Kitchen, there stood Chef Tulliver beyond the doors, waiting for them.
But she wasn't alone. Beside her stood a familiar, tall horse-folk man. It was Mr. Smithson, the logistics director's assistant who had first welcomed them into Rosequartz Town.
"Good morning, team," Chef Tulliver greeted.
"Good morning, Chef! Good morning, Mr. Smithson," Aya and the others greeted together.
Mr. Smithson inclined his head warmly. "Good to see you all again. I trust you've settled into Rosequartz quite well."
"Before I run through our plan for this evening's service, Mr. Smithson would like to say a few words for you," Chef Tulliver added.
Aya and her teammates straightened instinctively, turning their attention to the horse-folk.
Mr. Smithson cleared his throat before explaining. "By now, you all know that this banquet isn't just another meal; it's the centerpiece of the Concorde Summit. Tonight, you won't only be cooking for esteemed guests; you'll be representing Saint Maribelle's Academy, and by extension, your entire home regions. Logistics has worked closely with Chef Tulliver to ensure everything runs smoothly… but that means we'll be relying heavily on all of you."
Richard leaned slightly toward Aya, his elbow brushing her arm. "This is it," he whispered. "The big event."
Aya smiled back. "I'm… a little nervous."
"Who wouldn't be?" Richard chuckled under his breath. "It's a big event."
"I know…" Aya nodded.
Mr. Smithson continued, "Chef Tulliver, as you know, already screened our guest list for allergies on the first day of the Summit. However, with more attendees arriving for tonight's banquet, she's had to revise those notes. Which means, before anything else, you'll be working with an adjusted menu."
Chef Tulliver stepped forward, raising a few papers in her hand. "Don't worry," she said. "The adjusted menu still follows the one I provided earlier. Nothing's been turned upside down. All that's changed are certain ingredients, swapped or modified to account for the newcomers' needs."
She fanned the papers lightly, offering the sheets to Ciela so she could begin passing them out. "These here outline every adjustment. Thankfully, there's not much. Reading through will take you about thirty minutes, and after that you'll adjust accordingly. By now, I expect most of you have the main banquet menu courses committed to memory."
"And remember," Chef Tulliver went on as she watched the students receive their copies, "for recipes that absolutely depend on one key ingredient, say, a nut or shellfish base, the servers will take care of it. They'll make sure those guests are served something else. So you're not alone in ensuring every guest eats well tonight."
Aya's eyes skimmed the page in her hands. Sure enough, the notes were tidy, precise, and, most importantly, not as daunting as she thought. A few substitutions here, a change of garnish there. Nothing earth-shattering.
She let out a small sigh of relief. "Thank goodness… I was worried there for a second," she murmured under her breath, ears easing back.
"You'll all spend the next hour studying those sheets before we move to prep. I've already sent a few helping hands to work on the early prep work, so your load will be lighter today. That way, you can give your full attention to these adjustments."
"Yes, Chef!" the team answered in a chorus.
"Any questions before I step out with Mr. Smithson to coordinate with the other departments?"
Everyone glanced at each other, but no one spoke up. "No, Chef," came their reply.
"Good." Chef Tulliver smiled before she turned to Mr. Smithson who bowed his head once more to the group, and together they stepped out through the doors.
As soon as they were gone, Aya hurried to her station and set her copy neatly on the counter. She smoothed the page flat with both palms and leaned in to read.
As Aya ran her eyes down the notes, a shadow crossed her station. She looked up to see Richard setting down a small stool beside her.
"Here," he said. "You should take it easy. Didn't get much sleep, right?"
Aya, touched by the gesture, smiled as she accepted the seat. "Thank you, Richard."
Richard leaned back against the counter beside her, unfolding his own copy to study. "So, how're these adjustments looking to you?"
Aya looked up at him. "Hmm… they don't seem to be anything difficult."
"That's good," Richard replied. "I think so too. Just… let's hope the banquet itself won't be too much of a killer."
Aya tilted her head. "What do you mean?"
Richard gave a half-shrug, still scanning his page. "I heard we're cooking for multiple dining halls. Not just this one. Apparently, one or two external kitchens in town are pitching in too. With all the newcomers suddenly arriving, there was a need for more manpower, even Chef Tulliver probably didn't see it coming."
"Oh dear, I didn't know that."
"Mm." Richard nodded. "Bit of a surprise, really. But thankfully, somebody sponsored those other kitchens to act as extensions of the Hearthgarden Kitchen. Still… we're the primary team. Which means the big stuff falls to us."
"Well, I believe we can do it, though!"
Richard huffed a small laugh, about to reply, when Ciela's voice rang from across the room. "Richard? Excuse me, I need a quick word with you."
"Yeah, coming," Richard called back, folding his copy. Then he turned to Aya. "Anyway, I'll let you study that in peace for now. I'll be right back."
Aya nodded. "Of course."
Left alone at her station, she lowered her eyes back to the notes. As she read, the lines of substitutions blurred just slightly, and she felt her eyelids growing heavier with each blink.
"Mm…? Oh, dear no…" she mumbled, giving her head a little shake. Her hands came up to pat her cheeks lightly.
"Focus, Aya. No time to get sleepy now…"