It was tiring travelling back and forth from his apartment in Limsa Lominsa to the Shroud, and the inn rooms in Gridania were not entirely to his liking. Yen’to needed something that he could apply a personal touch to in order to truly feel comfortable. And a door that could lock and keep out certain trouble making co-workers. Gods I hope that rolanberry is not working the same shift again, but I am not that lucky.

Most of the furnishings he obtained locally... also for an exorbitant amount of gil. How do tables and chairs cost that much anyway? They are made out of wood, not gold... hmph. His back and arms were sore after hours of moving furniture around, but at least he did not have to carry most of it. That was what porters were paid to do. 

Yen’to frowned as he flopped onto the new couch, ready to start wearing it in. His gil pouch was disturbingly light at this point, but he figured the expenses would ultimately be worth it. Having more than one place across Eorzea to call his own could only work to his advantage, and it gave a greater sense of permanency to his new job. He could come and go much more easily during the nights he worked, as well as store some supplies and a change of clothes. My chocobo will now maybe stop glaring at me when I load up the bags.

The timing could not have been better, he supposed. The next sun would be his next scheduled day to work, and now he only need open his door and take a few steps down a hallway. Probably won’t stop me from being late again, though.

Yen’to grunted and stretched, then grimaced as he instantly regretted the painful movement of muscles reminding him of the long day he had. The furnishings were not quite as luxurious as at his Lominsan apartment, but it had all the necessities. Such as a tub for a hot, relaxing bath before crawling into bed...

For some reason, he indulged her - not that had much choice as she grabbed his hand and dragged him over to the table. Yen’to sighed as he was led over, the night was about to get much longer. It took an agonizing few minutes for the lady to finally pause and catch a breath before her friends were able to interject and introduce themselves: Mjrn, Magnus, and Zavanis.

The small talk was not as bad as he initially feared, and soon they discussed where they were from and what they did. One was from Lominsa like him, and another was a mercenary like him. They are not quite so different... except for the incessant giggling. The tea and scones slowly dwindled as their talk lingered on longer than expected. Conversing was not something he was particularly fond of doing for extended stretches, but the shared interests helped.

However, once the distraction of drink and food went away so did his patience. He made an excuse of having to leave and bade them all farewell. His thoughts returned to something that was troubling him that he had been putting off. He needed to find Lark.

It was at the Grindstone Tournament a few suns past where he overheard it. One of V’Hizu’s associates, a viper of an au ra, was talking with someone he had not seen before. The details were hard to make out over the din of combat and other conversations, but what he heard concerned him.

V’Hizu... female... stalking... too many ears. Yen’to had dared not get closer for fear of tipping them off since he was mostly out of sight. No name was mentioned, but he was convinced they were referring to Lark. Who else could it be? He wished she had been there that night, but if she had then they may not have spoken as freely as they did. She also would have already hurled a few insults their way and gotten them both in trouble... again. Before I met her, my life had far fewer complications....

Perhaps one day, he will remember not to judge how easy a shift will be by how it starts. Once again, Yen’to had arrived during a quiet period, with only a handful of guests present. The kitchen was currently catching up on orders rather than taking in new ones. Noriaki and Thalia were the greeters instead of Lady Faye - she must have been occupied elsewhere. Yen’to exchanged pleasantries, since he always tried to at least start out polite. Thalia was not being a brat for once, and he quickly took up his usual post near the kitchen. Tonight is going to be a good night, I can feel it.

Yen’to had opted for a change in uniform, something a little fancier than previous outfits. However, he still incorporated armored gauntlets and greaves, and his tunic was padded and included metal pauldrons. Functional enough, and it shouldn’t come across as overbearing for the setting he worked in. A feathered beret topped off the ensemble. The large axe that completed the uniform conveyed that he meant business, or at least he hoped so. Although punching someone with these gauntlets would be almost as effective, I think.

It was not long before the ran into problem #1. A loud clang arose from the kitchen, followed by a colorful string of expletives which caught his attention more so than the noise. Upon arriving at the scene, Yen’to found Drake doubled over and cradling his hand. Through clenched teeth he explained that his skin was practically melting off from touching the cake pan with bare skin after taking it out of the oven. Yen’to eyed Drake skeptically as various thoughts popped into his head. Looks pretty fine to me, I can’t even tell where the burn is. What was that old culinarian saying? If you can not take the heat, stay out of the kitchen? ...Probably should not tell him that.

Drakes’s sarcastic replies to Yen’to’s statements of the obvious were likely just his coping mechanism, but put him in a bad mood nonetheless. It took several follow up pleas from Drake before Yen’to finally agreed to cut the cake and bring out the order. I was not hired for this, but I also do not want unhappy customers who do not return. No customers, no profit. Yen’to figured Drake would owe him later, anyway. He did mention testing a new fish dish earlier that set his mouth watering in anticipation.

Next came the worst disappointment of the night and problem #2. The deranged and delusional rolanberry of a Hyur just arrived- Elyn was starting her shift. She spent a sickening amount of time chatting up and flattering Lady Faye, who had since resumed greeting guests. Faye seemed to be taking the compliments evenly, as expected, and did not give much of a reaction. The picture of poise, unlike certain others who seem to be over-compensating for their shortcomings. If the rolanberry’s words were any more honeyed we could use those as toppings instead.

Problem #3 soon followed. Haruhi Puma, the one who tested the weapons policy and his patience last time he saw her. What gods had Yen’to angered? She was perhaps more playful than mischievous, but did little to dispel his prejudice against miqo’te Seekers. She gave him a salute for some reason, and eyed his hat for far too many moments for his liking before taking a seat. The hat soon became an obsession for her throughout the night, boggling Yen’to to no end. He was well aware it offered no protection. He would rather not wear a stuffy and imposing helmet unless he had to. Brat. Yen’to was far from reassured when she claimed he needed a good bar brawl to truly break him in. Then again, perhaps I should wear my helmet next time, just in case. ...Or even my plate-mail.

At this point, irritations just kept flowing like a burst dam and Yen’to stopped keeping count. The tension in the kitchen had became so thick one could cut it with the knife that was used on the cake. Drake, Elyn, and a woman apparently named Charlotte began trading barbs sharp enough to cut skysteel. Something about Drake pushing Charlotte, then Charlotte lashing back at Drake. Do they realize customers can overhear them, and... wait... Drake has a rash? How do they know that anyway? Considering how he flirts I suppose I should not be surprised.

With a raised brow, Yen’to watched as Faye approached the kitchen with a determined look on her face. This would not end well. She called the three all by name and took them into the back of the kitchen. Yen’to did not have the chance to listen in since his worst nightmare was suddenly thrust upon him - being forced to interact with guests. He suppressed a growing sense of panic and greeted the newcomers with a bow, then directed them to the counter to begin handing out menus. 

For some reason, Elyn escaped the noose and was soon able to take over. She is as slippery as a snake, that one. Oh well, not my problem now. Yen’to could now hear Drake and Charlotte, and it seemed that getting them to apologize to each other was going about as well as persuading a fish to walk on land. Lady Faye was firm, though, and everyone was soon back to working together without having to scrub down the chocobo stables with their tongues. Well, at least physically work together if not in spirit. I am glad to see Lady Faye is observant enough to have realized I had nothing to do with their shenanigans. They got off too lightly, though, hmph.

Their antics also frustrated Noriaki, so far the only co-worker he would consider something of a friend. Competent and professional, at least when not handling the gil register. And apparently capable of speaking to... spiritually possessed automatons... or mammets? A... thing in badly worn-out Doman armor had come in shortly before the arguments- it had no true face and barely spoke Eorzean. But it could speak Hingan fluently, or was that Doman?, and Nori was able to converse with it. Yen’to never did learn what they talked about, but Nori was mortified at the behavior and attitude of his fellow “professionals” who had just received a stern lecture. Hopefully it enjoyed the tea and will not hold their behavior against us. Wait, how does something with no mouth drink tea...? Where did the tea -go-?

Tired, and with the situation now mostly peaceful, Yen’to went over to inform Lady Faye that he was retiring to his room. Such a desire must have apparently been akin to spitting in the goddess Nymeia’s face and defying fate. The guest who just arrived was absent minded and had forgotten to disarm. She complied somewhat reluctantly once Yen’to quickly reminded her, but the real trouble was Drake. For some reason, he became desperate to handle her sword. What came next was a rare occurrence, and reflecting on it caused Yen’to a small amount of shame - he lost his temper and angrily yelled to Drake’s face before stalking off to place the sword safely in the cabinet. I am not handing over someone else’s weapon without their permission, and he would probably just cut his own arm off anyway or put someone’s eye out. It was surely just part of some convoluted scheme to impress the lady.

After several more pointed reminders to Drake, Yen’to finally headed off to his room, now firmly in a sour mood. He had two main thoughts as he fumed on his way to his room: Is it finally time to ask for a pay raise? ...Oh, I am probably not getting that fish meal now.