Chương 77: Chapitre 36 : Partie 2 : Dîner

Aldric finished the last of the preparations nearly an hour before Emma's arrival. The meal had been planned, the ingredients were waiting in the refrigerator, and the table had already been set. Two plates faced the two chairs, the glasses were positioned at equal distances from the cutlery, and the napkins had been folded into neat rectangles. Nothing seemed to be missing, yet the System still displayed a preparation level of ninety-eight percent.

He had eventually accepted that the remaining two percent probably escaped any objective measurement. Even so, he checked the apartment's temperature one more time, adjusted the cushion on the sofa, and wiped away an almost invisible mark from the edge of the table. When he checked the time, he saw that Emma would arrive in less than five minutes. He put the cloth away, washed his hands, then took his place in the entrance hall. The doorbell rang at exactly seven o'clock.

Aldric took a breath before opening the door. Emma stood in the hallway, wearing dark trousers and a light-colored sweater. She was carrying a small bag in one hand.

"Good evening."

"Good evening, Emma. Welcome to my home."

"Thank you for inviting me." Aldric stepped aside to let her in. Emma removed her coat, then glanced down at her shoes. Before she had even decided where to leave them, he pointed to the empty space beside his own.

"You prepared a place for them?"

"Yes." She took off her shoes and placed them against the wall. Aldric hesitated briefly when he noticed they were not perfectly parallel, but resisted the urge to straighten them. Emma noticed nothing and walked into the living room.

"You've cleaned," she observed.

"The level of cleanliness could still be improved." She walked over to the table and examined the napkins.

"Did you measure them?"

"No."

"Really?"

"I simply used the first one as the model for the others." Emma burst out laughing. She handed him a bag. Aldric opened it and found a small box filled with pastries.

"For dessert," Emma explained.

"Thank you. This contribution improves the meal's organization."

"I'm happy to improve your organization." He placed the box in the kitchen before returning to her. Emma had wandered over to the window and was looking at the plants arranged along the windowsill.

"They're still alive. I'm impressed."

"Why?"

"Because you made watering them sound like an especially complicated mission."

"I first had to determine the appropriate amount of water, the proper frequency, and the correct exposure to sunlight."

"That's exactly what I mean." She leaned closer to the flowers.

"They look healthy."

"I water them every Wednesday morning."

"Always at the same time?"

"At six forty-five." She smiled as she gently brushed one of the leaves with her fingertips. When they had bought the plants, Aldric had not understood why anyone would keep one simply because it made a room feel more pleasant. Even so, he had continued taking care of them. Aldric checked the time before heading toward the kitchen.

"The meal should be started now if we wish to eat at the scheduled time."

"You made a schedule?"

"Yes."

"How many pages?"

"Only one."

"You're making progress..." He took the ingredients out of the refrigerator. Vegetables, meat, butter, cream, and several herbs were laid out across the countertop. Emma expected him to pull out his cookbook, but Aldric simply rolled up his sleeves before picking up a cutting board.

"You don't need your notes?"

"I know the steps now." Emma leaned against the counter with a smile.

"Very well. I'll watch." Aldric washed the vegetables before beginning to chop them. He kept an eye on the cooking, adjusted the temperature, and prepared several ingredients at the same time.

"You've really improved."

"Repetition improves one's skills."

"I know, but the first time, you stood in front of a saucepan for eight minutes without moving."

"The recipe required me to wait."

"You could have prepared the rest while you were waiting."

"I know that now." He placed a frying pan over the heat and added a piece of butter. As soon as it began to melt, he added the vegetables and lowered the temperature.

"You've even learned to improvise," Emma remarked.

"I am not improvising. I observed that the food was cooking too quickly."

"That's a form of improvisation."

"It is more accurately an adaptation based on experience." She stepped closer to look into the pan.

"Do you want me to do something?"

"You are my guest."

"That doesn't mean I have to stand here watching you cook."

"Everything I read said the host should prepare the meal""What guidelines?"

"The ones I consulted." Emma burst out laughing.

"Did you really study how to host someone?"

"It seemed like the prudent thing to do."

"And what did you learn?" Aldric stirred the vegetables before answering.

"That I should prepare the meal, offer drinks, maintain a comfortable temperature, and create a welcoming atmosphere."

"A welcoming atmosphere?"

"Yes."

"And did you figure out how to do that?"

"Not completely. I could not find an objective method for measuring an atmosphere."

"You can't measure it."

"That is precisely the problem." She walked over to the table and lightly brushed one of the napkins with her fingertips.

"You've prepared dinner, cleaned the apartment, and kept the plants alive. As far as I'm concerned, that's already very welcoming." △ OBJECTIVE COMPLETE △ If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it's taken without the author's consent. Report it. Comfortable Atmosphere"Is everything alright? You look surprised."

"I've just realized that a comfortable atmosphere may depend more on the person you're welcoming than on how the furniture is arranged."

"That's a very good conclusion." The meal continued to cook as they talked. Emma told him about a disagreement she had with a landlord who refused to replace a faulty boiler, while Aldric explained that Lucas had tried to convince Patrick to install a coffee machine in the moving truck. Their conversation occasionally paused whenever the knight needed to add an ingredient or check the food, but the silence never lasted long. Emma noticed the faint scent of cleaning product near the kitchen doorway.

"Did you clean this area just before I arrived?"

"I finished about an hour earlier." A few minutes later, Aldric tasted the sauce with a small spoon. He remained thoughtful for a moment before adding a pinch of salt.

"You're not measuring anymore?" Emma asked.

"No."

"So you've improvised a second time."

"I corrected the seasoning."

"I'm proud of you." He handed her the spoon.

"Taste it." Emma did.

"It's very good."

"Is there enough salt?"

"Yes. Maybe just a little more pepper." Aldric added a small amount before stirring the sauce.

"And now?" She tasted it again.

"Perfect." He finally plated the meal. Aldric pulled out Emma's chair with a seriousness that probably reminded her of the formal banquets from his former world. She sat down, suppressing a smile, while he took his seat across from her.

"You know, you didn't have to do all this."

"I want this evening to be enjoyable." She picked up her fork before smiling at him.

"In that case, your mission is already a success." △ GUEST PREPARATION △ 100% He continued watching Emma's reactions, paying close attention to the way she tasted the sauce, the speed at which she ate, and any hesitation that might reveal a flaw in the meal.

"You can stop looking at me as if I'm judging a cooking competition," Emma said, looking up at him.

"I'm simply making sure the meal suits you."

"I already told you it's very good."

"A first impression may lack precision."

"Very well. After a thorough evaluation, I can confirm that it's still very good."

"Thank you." Aldric finally took his first bite. The meat seemed properly cooked, the sauce was well seasoned, and the vegetables had retained an acceptable texture. He made a mental note that he could slightly reduce the cooking time on his next attempt, but resisted the urge to take out his notebook.

"So, how was your day?" she asked.

"We completed two moves. The first went smoothly. The second involved a sofa that was four centimeters wider than the doorway."

"And what did you do?"

"Patrick suggested removing the legs. Lucas insisted that pushing harder would be enough."

"I assume Patrick was right."

"Yes..."

"And Lucas?"

"He kept pushing for nearly two minutes before admitting that the method wasn't working."

"I'm really starting to like Lucas without ever having met him."

"He is remarkably persistent." Aldric then told her how Karim had discovered that a box labeled Fragile contained nothing but cushions, while another with no label at all contained plates. Patrick had spent the rest of the move reminding the owner that proper labeling prevented accidents. Lucas, meanwhile, had suggested writing Probably Dangerous on every box so they would never have to take any chances.

"They seem to like you a lot," she observed.

"We work efficiently together."

"That's not exactly what I meant. They also seem to enjoy having you around." Aldric took another bite before asking,"And your day?"

"Less physical, but exhausting. I spent nearly three hours with a client who wanted a bright apartment but rejected every unit facing the street because she thought the traffic was too noisy."

"That request seems contradictory."

"It was."

"Couldn't she have chosen one overlooking an inner courtyard?"

"She thought the courtyards were too dark."

"Then it was impossible to satisfy her requirements."

"Exactly. But she was convinced the perfect apartment existed." Emma then told him that the client had criticized the size of the kitchens, the color of the walls, the height of the ceilings, and even the orientation of a balcony that hadn't even been one of her original requirements. After the fifth viewing, she had finally asked to see the second apartment again, only to declare that she needed a few weeks to think about it.

"It will probably be rented before tomorrow," Emma concluded.

"Did you explain that to her?"

"Yes."

"More than once?"

"At least four times."

"You are very patient."

"I could say the same about you whenever Lucas tries to force a sofa through a doorway that's too narrow."

"The situations were different. The sofa was incapable of understanding the explanation."

"My client apparently wasn't either." They finished their meal while continuing the conversation. The topics shifted from work to public transportation, then to Aldric's neighbors. He told her about the man on the fifth floor who regularly ordered stacks of cardboard boxes and occasionally left his apartment in the middle of the night. Emma reminded him that the man probably just kept unusual hours and was not necessarily running a secret organization.

"I never claimed he was."

"You described him as someone whose movements deserved to be monitored."

"His habits remain unusual."

"See?" He accepted the remark without replying. Once their plates were empty, Aldric gathered them together.

"You can stay seated." Emma stood up anyway.

"I'll help."

"You are my guest."

"And I'm perfectly capable of carrying two glasses into the kitchen."

"I do not question that ability."

"Then let me help." Aldric handed her the glasses. They walked into the kitchen together. He transferred the leftovers into an airtight container while Emma rinsed the cutlery.

"You really thought of everything," Emma remarked as she opened the refrigerator.

"Almost everything."

"What was missing?"

"The System indicated that the preparation was incomplete." Emma turned to look at him.

"What system?" Aldric closed the container holding the leftovers.

"My organizational system..."

"Oh. And what did your organizational system consider incomplete?"

"The atmosphere. I checked the temperature, aired out the apartment, adjusted the lighting, and moved one of the plants."

"Which one?" Aldric pointed to the one by the window.

"That one."

"And why did you put it back in exactly the same place?"

"The new location was less satisfactory." Emma shook her head with a smile.

"How long did you spend looking for the perfect arrangement?"

"About an hour."

"An hour?"

"I also reorganized the spices." She opened the cupboard and looked at the jars.

"In alphabetical order?"

"Initially. Then I tried arranging them according to their use before returning to the original method."

"I can't decide whether I should be impressed or concerned."

"The first reaction seems more appropriate." She burst out laughing before giving him a light tap on the arm. Once they had finished cleaning up, Aldric made coffee. They then sat down by the window. The windows of the neighboring buildings formed golden rectangles in the darkness, while the headlights of passing cars drifted along the streets below. Emma wrapped both hands around her mug.

"So you've gotten used to coffee after all. The first time you tried it, you said it tasted like an extremely bitter potion."

"That description is still accurate..."

"And yet you drink it every day."

"Its effect on alertness is useful."

"You could simply admit that you like it." Aldric took a sip of his coffee before thinking it over.

"I believe I do like it."

"There you go. Another important discovery." They spent a few moments quietly watching the city. Aldric watched people returning home, buses stopping at intersections, and the lights gradually going out in the neighboring apartments. Emma turned toward him.

"You know..." Aldric looked away from the window.

"Yes?"

"The first time I came here, you barely had anything." Emma smiled as she remembered that first visit. Back then, the apartment had been cold and empty. Aldric had kept his sword beside the bed as though he might be attacked at any moment. Now, the place was different. Plants lined the windowsill. Books filled the shelves. A table stood in the middle of the living room, surrounded by several chairs. A few photographs and postcards rested on a shelf.

The kitchen contained utensils, spices, and enough supplies for several meals. A work jacket hung near the entrance beside a bag and a pair of shoes.

"Now it really feels like home."

"I believe this apartment has become a home."

"I think so too..."

Emma checked her phone.

"It's already almost ten o'clock."

"The time passed quickly."

"That's usually a sign that you've had a good evening."

"That hypothesis seems reasonable." They set their mugs down on the table before heading into the kitchen. Emma turned on the faucet.

"I'll wash?"

"I'll dry and put everything away."

"Deal." Emma rinsed the plates before handing them to him. Aldric dried each one and placed it back in the cupboard.

"Do you realize something?"

"What?"

"The first time we cooked together, you checked the recipe after every single step."

"That method was reassuring."

"Today, you cook almost without thinking."

"Experience leads to fewer mistakes."

"And you don't even ask me to check every ingredient anymore."

"Because I recognize them now."

"You've changed a lot." A few minutes later, the kitchen had returned to its usual calm. The plates were back in their places, the glasses had been put away, the countertop had been wiped clean, and the last saucepan was drying beside the sink. Aldric ran a cloth along the edge of the counter one final time before folding it.

"You always do one last inspection. Even when everything is already clean."

"A final inspection confirms that no detail has been overlooked." She burst out laughing.

"I don't think you'll ever change."

"That possibility exists." They left the kitchen and walked back to the entrance. Emma put on her coat while Aldric opened the apartment door. When she was ready to leave, she paused on the threshold and let her gaze wander across the living room one last time.

"I really had a wonderful evening."

"So did I."

"Good night, Aldric."

"Good night, Emma." She stepped through the doorway and started down the stairs. Aldric waited a few seconds before closing the door behind her. The sound of the lock echoed through the apartment before silence gradually settled back in. He returned to the living room. His gaze fell on the table, where the two coffee mugs still sat side by side. He picked them up, carried them into the kitchen, and washed them quietly. As he rinsed the last one, his eyes met his reflection in the window.

He noticed that a smile had appeared on his face. △ QUEST COMPLETE △ Host Your First Guest △ MAIN QUEST UPDATED △ Continue Living.