2025-02-20 - Meeting the Head Chef

Phineas had made reservations. He had heard of this restaurant and wanted to come and finally check it out for himself. Considering he walked by it every time he led a group around the Boo'edwalk. He is likely grabbing dinner before his shift as he is in his suit. Black and silver are the colors. A black bowler hat on his head. He really gets into his act. Shadows painted under his eyes as if he really is an undertaker or something. Got to satisfy the guests after all. When he is wearing his suit, you know that is when he's about to tell ghost stories for the night or try to spook people. It's not quite the weekend, so there's not a big group waiting on him. Probably a couple of families who wanted to start their weekend already.

He waits at the front of the house where he thinks a host will be as he looks about and catches the ambiance. This alone makes him smile.

The foyer of the Château is indeed where a host might be found, and after a moment one appears with a polite greetings that only comes with a brief pause as she takes in Phineas's getup. "Oh, I've seen you around giving tours, haven't I?" she asks, smiling as she then confirms his reservation at the desk.

Shortly, Phineas is being led through the restaurant, which is laid out not unlike an old house might be, with fairly small rooms, one right after the other. And each is packed in with antique furniture, odd collections behind glass, and other curios around the edge of the room, surrounding the few tables that fit into each. Once he's been led to his table, Phineas is presented with the menu and given the following explanation:

"This is the table d'hôte menu, so you just select which of the two options for each course you'd prefer, and we'll bring them out to you. Please let me know if you have any allergies or other accomodations necessary that you didn't include in your reservation; we're happy to assist. And who knows, you might have an extra guest at your table tonight."

The hostess winks, and then glances upwards to the ceiling, just as a loud series of creaks as if someone were walking right above them. "So strange," she adds in a lilting voice. "There's no one up there in the attic... your waiter will be right with you." And then she swans off.

Given the early hour, all the tables aren't yet filled, and through the doors to the adjoining room someone in chefs whites can be seen standing by one, having a quiet conversation with the guests there. The cadence of his accent more than his words comes through the open doors; Cedric's from Manchester, though it isn't a particularly recognizable accent to those outside of England beyond being one that isn't particularly posh in comparison to what is commonly represented in popular media.

Is there a smile on Phineas' face when the Hostess recognizes him? Yes, yes, there is. Is his smile even bigger when she speaks about an extra guest at his table tonight? Yes, there is. He looks pleased that he chose tonight to come and see what this restaurant was all about and to get his curiosity sated. "I am good. Maybe a little light on the dairy." But he also knows what his limits are when it comes to dairy intake.

When the hostess leaves, blue eyes go upwards to gauge what that sound was. He murmurs to himself. Yes, this is an adventure ready to happen as far as he is concerned! Once he's done scanning the ceiling, his eyes drift over to that chef who is in white and catches the accent. He grew up in Michigan, but he was one of those kids who adored British cooking shows, and he's trying to place the accent. When a server stops by to put water on his table, he asks, "Is that the new Head Chef I heard about?" Pointing in the direction of where he saw Cedric.

The creaking doesn't reoccur right away, but there's plenty of other things to experience in the room. Like that Victorian doll in the corner that's probably haunted! Or the collection of ceremonial daggers that definitely weren't used in sacrificial rituals (don't worry, they're locked behind glass) in a nearby curio cabinet. Candles atop some of the antique furniture around the circumference of the room do seem to flicker as if a breeze has swept by, without the air so much as moving.

When the waiter arrives, he introduces himself with a prim, "I'll be your server tonight, sir," and is currently mid-pour with a water carafe when Phineas asks his question. A quick glance up is all the waiter needs to confirm the identify of the chef in question. "Indeed it is, would you like to speak with him? I can fetch him for you."

Though even as he says that, Cedric is excusing himself from the table he was speaking with and passes through the doors into the room Phineas is sat in. He and the waiter make eye contact and there is some raised eyebrows, a bit of head-nodding, and then he's heading over. "Alright?" Cedric asks, before his attention shifts from his staff member to the guest. "Welcome to the Château," and despite his accent, he manages that French word flawlessly.

Those blue eyes that had tracked the ceiling earlier start to pay attention to the other decorations found here in this room with Phineas. He probably should be afraid or spooked. But Phineas is not. He's actually charmed by it. Silly man. "Oh, hello, you." Yes, he's addressing the Victorian doll as if it were real. Brows raised when he saw those ceremonial daggers. "Oh I love this." Yes, Phineas is talking to himself or any spirits that are keeping him company. Either way, he does not mind a bit.

When Phineas was going to answer the waiter after the pouring of water, Cedric captured his attention. "Thank you!" Phineas says when Cedric gets closer. "I love what you have done with this place. It was highly recommended, and I had time to check it out before the shift. I appreciate that you stopped by. I am Phineas Mercer." Not that he expects the chef to know who he is, but his mother always taught him to be polite when introducing himself to a new body, which is what Phineas does. "How long has this place been around?" He's been here since the beginning of the park opening but has not paid attention to some businesses until now.

"Thank you," is Cedric's immediate reply, but then he waves a hand, gesturing to their surroundings. "But I can't claim any of it. It's all the hard work of our host and curator, Mr. Quincy Oglethorpe." At least, that's the story of the restaurant, and he sells it well, only a faintly amused quirk of one corner of his mouth as he says it. He motions to a large painting on the wall of an older man, as if to indicate that is Quincy's portrait.

Then introductions happen, and as the waiter departs, sensing his presence not being needed, Cedric gives his own name, with a nod to Phineas. He's about to pull away when the follow-up question comes, and that gives Cedric a moment of pause. "Believe it's been around since the park opened, or nearly there," and then he casts his gaze around, though there aren't any waitstaff handy to snag to confirm.

"Sorry mate, I have to ask, did you just dress up for the occasion or is it a specific character you're playing? Most of the time people just come in formal wear. Love the commitment though, wish I saw more of it. Fits the vibe."

"Quincy Oglethorpe." Phineas repeats. He obviously does not know who that is but takes Cedric at his word, turning some to get a better look at the portrait that gets pointed out. "Ah. Yes. I think I have seen him around then." He would not swear to it. There are a lot of people here in the park. With the hours he keeps, it is easy to miss people, but at least being pointed out to the portrait helps.

"Ah, neat!" When told that the restaurant has been here the whole time. This means that Phineas needs to be more observant. At Cedric's next words, he looks down at himself and chuckles as he looks back and over at Cedric. "I did not realize there was a dress code. My bad. I am on my way to work. I dress the part for it. I am what you would call a Tour Guide. I do Twilight Mysteries and do not do them till it is fully dark. Take families and even some peers around and tell ghost stories. But ever since the New Year it seems the spirits have woken up." Shrugging a little. He then asks, "How long have you been here personally? Have you noticed any changes at the park?"

"Nah, it's mint!" comes the immediate rebuff from Cedric, about Phineas's outfit. "Fits right in, doesn't it?" More with the decor and the vibe than the rest of the staff, who wear very standard waiter fare, or the other patrons, who are in a true variety of anything from business casual to full three-peice suits and dresses. Unfortunate that no one dressed to theme the way Phineas did, which Cedric's mournful expression says as he looks around.

His head tilts to the side as he listens, and as soon as Phineas mentions his ghost tours, Cedric's whole expression lights up. "You're lying," he says, then gleefully adds, "I can't believe it! I'll have to sign up for one, that sounds amazing. Suppose I'll have to wait until my next day off, at least, but I'm there." Even mention of the spirits waking up has Cedric grinning wide. And the timing is perfect for a distant, spectral moan to come from above, which he only reacts to with a quick upwards flick of his gaze.

As the questions continue, he answers first: "Just hit the two week mark," and then Cedric can only shake his head. "Can't say I have. But I'll keep an eye out, just in case. Why? Have you seen anything specific?"

"Mint..." Phineas questions as he is not up on the slang being used, but the way Cedric is acting, he will take it as a compliment. "Thank you. I try." He grinned when he took in Cedric's mournful expression. "So on your days off do you dress in gloom and doom?" He raises a brow when he asks that question. Trying to visualize Cedric in something not white.

"Yes, please come," Phineas says with enthusiasm. "I will have to dig deep and find out what stories I can find of the establishment you have found yourself working in now." Or he's going to spin some BS. He's good at what he does. Just check Yelp.

"Are they friendly?" He looks upwards when he hears that moan and how Cedric looked upwards. "I can speak to them actually. And before the park woke up more, it wasn't much. But now? There are so many stories they want to tell me now that they know I can talk to them. Especially when I start looking like them." Actually, the black probably shows this more on Phineas, but his skin is very pale and looks like he could be a ghost himself, but he's not being incorporeal. It was what he was gifted on New Year's Day. He doesn't call attention to it.

"Welcome to Spellbound, formally then." He says this when he hears that Cedric has only been here for two weeks. He remembered how that was. "If you have any questions or need a guide, let me know, and I will try to help you."

When asked about specifics, "I think the park is not done with us. I am sure you have seen that some of our co-workers look unusual now. It does make sense that the ghosts would wake up too. I feel like they were always there; I didn't know it."

Cedric's eyebrows go up. "Oh, did I say I actually have days off?" he asks, with a tone of voice that suggests he has no idea entirely what Phineas is talking about. Then he laughs and shakes his head. "Nah, I do. But I mostly just stay home. I wouldn't have signed on if I didn't think this place was interesting though, yeah?" He nods over to a gramophone sitting in the corner. "First day I walk in and that thing starts playing on its own. Wild, that."

At any rate, he's absolutely down to go on this ghost tour, as his whole expression has morphed into something wonder-filled and child-like. He's practically beside himself with excitement about the whole thing.

"I can't really speak for any of our occupants," he says, looking upwards again to indicate who he's talking about. "I'm just in charge of the food. You should talk with Mr. Quincy if you get a chance, though. The two of you might enjoy swapping stories." In fact, Cedric pauses to look into the two adjoining rooms, though after a quick sweep with his eyes, he doesn't spot the man in question. Just in time for him to look back as Phineas suggests he looks particularly ghost-like, and while Cedric does focus his gaze on him for a beat, he doesn't call anything specific out.

"Cheers," he says to the welcome. And to the rest, "I'm looking forward to seeing what it has in store, then. Sounds like a party."

Phineas grins at Cedric. "Look, even a chef needs to have days off, right? What is that saying? All work and no play makes a dull boy?" A slight shrug. "That quote seems pretty solid even if I butchered it."

Phineas looks at the gramophone as if he's expecting it to come back to life as they sit here and talk. Well, it's more like Phineas sits and Cedric stands. "I will definitely see if I can't find Mr. Quincy and have a word with him. He does sound like my kind of person." Laughing, it could be seen as a party. Never thought of it that way."

"Comes with the territory," Cedric says, with an apologetic shrug as if to say it can't be helped. There's a bit of a cheeky smile in play as he adds, "Hope my dullness isn't boring you too much then."

Sadly, the gramophone does nothing except sit there and add to the general ambience. "You should," he says of Quincy, "I can tell he is." And then he glances at his watch in a distracted sort of way, only to pause and do a double-take when he catches the time.

Regretfully, he nods down to Phineas. "Been sound, talking with you. But I have to head into the back, check on the lads, make sure everything's going smoothly." Cedric smiles. "And stop hindering you from ordering," is tacked onto the end there. "But I'll do my rounds again later, and we can talk more then if you like?"

Embarrassment shows in Phineas' cheeks when Cedric says Hope my dullness isn't boring you too much then. "Oh no, I was not implying that I thought you were boring! I love the accent, and I love that you work here. I am so looking forward to trying your food. Tell me what your speciality is before you go. Or should I order one of everything?"

Phineas winces when he sees Cedric looking at his watch and realizes that time has escaped him. "Please do not let me keep you. It was really good to talk with you. I will look for you at my next tour. I think I have some stories already brewing in my head." Looking relieved when Cedric says he will come back. Phineas might have a hard time making friends, and he would never want to insult someone, so he hoped he did not do that to Cedric. "Yes, only if you have the time, of course. I won't say no to the stop by."

Cedric's cheeky smile returns as Phineas compliments his accent. "That's a new one for me," he admits. "I do French fusion, that's my speciality. And either order all of the first items on the menu, or all of the second items. They go together the best, that way."

He catches the eye of the waiter waiting in the wings and beckons him over with a tilt of his head. "I'll leave you in this lad's capable hands," he says of the man, clapping him lightly on the shoulder before he looks back down at Phineas. "And have the wine pairings, too," he adds, after a moment of thought.

And then sadly it's time for him to go, but the waiter slides smoothly into place where Cedric was just standing. Only the distant creak of floorboards above gives him momentary pause, before he asks, "Have you had time to consider the menu, sir?"