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A woman with striking black hair arrived at a house located in Mesagoza’s residential area. She stood in front of the entrance and rang the doorbell, then waited until the door opened—luckily for her, it didn’t take long. On the other side was a middle-aged man wearing a white and violet suit.
The woman lifted her chin. “Well, Clavell, I made it…despite your directions.”
“Ah, Chairwoman Geeta, welcome,” Clavell greeted, taking on a straight posture. “I hope you’re prepared for an unforgettable luncheon!”
“Yeah…” Geeta nodded with hesitation.
Clavell led his boss towards the dining room and pulled a chair for her to sit on. That get-together was Tyme’s idea, she thought it would make the apology letter even more effective. The woman was actually upstairs, ready to intervene in case Clavell couldn’t convince Geeta to turn a blind eye to his battling-related slip-up.
The man noticed Geeta was carrying a bottle of grape juice with fancy labeling. "That's a great present, I'm sure it will make a great combination with today's meal."
"Oh, what would that be?" Geeta asked.
“You will see in a moment, it should be ready by now." Clavell slightly bowed his head before turning around. "I'll be right back."
“Alright, I’ll be waiting.”
Clavell went towards the kitchen. He had woken up early to prepare a fancy roast to impress Geeta with. The man even asked Saguaro for some advice and, having followed his instructions to the T, Clavell was sure the meal would come out perfect…except it wouldn’t. The first thing Clavell saw upon opening the door was a cloud of gray smoke coming out of the oven.
He gasped. Sweat ran down his forehead. “Oh, ye Arceus! My roast is ruined!”
Hoping Geeta didn’t notice the smoke, Clavell took a panicked glance at the kitchen door. It led straight to the dining room, so there was a chance the Chairwoman caught a whiff of it. His eyes wandered to the window next to the oven, hoping it held the solution to that setback. Conveniently, there was a potential one just across the street: an Every Wich Way.
Clavell took a hand to his chin, eyes set on the building. “What if I were to purchase fast food and disguise it as my own cooking?” The man chuckled at what sounded like a great idea. “Delightfully devilish, Clavell.”
He opened the window and began climbing through it, but the kitchen door opened. Clavell’s heartbeat raced upon seeing his boss and her stern expression on the other side. “Chairwoman! I was just…uh—just stretching my calves on the windowsill. Isometric exercise! Dendra taught me about them recently. Care to join me?”
Geeta ignored the Director’s offer. “Why is there smoke coming out of your oven, Clavell?” She pointed at the appliance.
“Oh, that isn’t smoke, it’s steam! Steam from the steamed Shellder we’re having.” Clavell rubbed his stomach. “Mmmm, steamed Shellder!”
Geeta groaned and left the room, closing the door behind her. After waiting a few seconds, Clavell breathed a sigh of relief and climbed out of the window. He ran across the street and towards the nearby Every Wich Way, where he bought the best sandwiches on the menu with a side of fries. He then ran back to his house, climbed back up to the kitchen, and set everything down on a silver tray.
Clavell entered the dining room with a smile on his face. “Chairwoman, I hope you’re ready for some mouthwatering sandwiches.”
Geeta lifted an eyebrow. “I thought we were having steamed Shellder.”
“Oh no, I said ‘steamed sand-ches’. That’s what I call sandwiches,” Clavell explained as he sat down.
“You call sandwiches ‘steamed sand-ches’?” The Chairwoman tilted her head.
“Yes! It’s a provincial dialect.”
“Uh-huh. Eh, which province?” Geeta asked.
Clavell’s posture stiffened. “Uh…South Province, of course.”
“Really? Well, I live near Area Two and I’ve never heard anyone use the phrase ‘steamed sand-ches’.”
“Oh, not in Area Two, no,” Clavell said while shaking his head. “It’s an Area Three expression.”
“I see…”
Geeta took one of the sandwiches and bit down on it. Clavell sipped on grape juice as he watched the Chairwoman chew slowly. Her wrinkled brows were hard to read.
“You know, these sandwiches are quite similar to the ones they have at Every Wich Way.”
“Hohoho, no!” At that point, Clavell wondered just how he was able to keep his composure. “Patented Clavell sandwiches. Old family recipe!”
“For steamed sandwiches?” Geeta inquired.
“Yes.”
“Yes, and you call them steamed sandwiches, despite the fact the meat is obviously grilled.” Geeta opened the sandwich she was eating.
“Y-Uh…you know, the…one thing I should…” Clavell couldn’t hide the fact he was sweating. He got up from the table. “Excuse me for one second.”
“Of course.” Geeta put down her sandwich.
Clavell opened the kitchen door and walked in, but retraced his steps upon seeing the room was now on fire. That’s not something he wanted the Chairwoman to see. However, he forgot to fully close the door.
The man yawned. “Well, that was wonderful. A good time was had by all. I’m pooped.”
His guest got up from her chair. “Yes, I should be—” Geeta took her hands to her head. “Good lord, what is happening in there?!”
“Aurora Borealis?” Clavell shrunk back.
“A-Aurora Borealis?!” Geeta raised her voice as she gestured towards the flaming room. “At this time of the year, at this time of day, in this part of the region, localized entirely within your kitchen?!”
“Yes.”
The woman narrowed her eyes. “May I see it?”
“...No.” Clavell tugged at his collar.
Somehow that was enough to convince the Chairwoman to leave. Both exited the house as the kitchen’s fire grew larger, now eating the window’s frame.
“Clavell! The house is on fire!” Tyme’s cries could be heard from the sidewalk where Geeta and Clavell stood.
“No, Miss Tyme, it’s just the Northern Lights,” the Director answered.
“Well, Clavell, you’re an odd fellow, but I must say…you steam a good sandwich.”
Geeta walked away without giving her subordinate a chance to answer. At that point Tyme screamed for help once again, causing Geeta to look back toward the house. She was met with a rather fake smile from Clavell and a thumbs up. The woman shrugged and left.
Once Geeta was out of sight, Clavell rushed into the house to deal with the fire. Tyme was still crying out for help and Clavell only hoped he wouldn’t have to write an apology letter to her, too.