Kaitlyn's heart beat a little faster as she stared at the screen. A windowed version of Ian's game played across it, the polygonal background populated with low-res blobs that moved and attacked. Ian tapped away at the keyboard, sending the main character through a complicated series of dodges and strikes to take down the enemies.

There were clear differences between this version of the game and the one she'd seen before. Compared to later in the loop, this one seemed far less fleshed out. The movement and gameplay still appeared similar, but without the level of polish she'd come to know. It was also entirely silent.

Wow… this is where he started? He made all that progress in a few months? Dang, Ian.

"This is what you've been working on?" She asked.

Ian nodded. "I know it doesn't seem like much, but…"

"Oh, don't sell yourself short," she elbowed him. "This looks amazing. Way better than anything I know how to do, definitely. Can I try?"

"Er, sure."

He passed the laptop over and Kaitlyn began to play. As she'd expected, the game handled a little differently this time around. It wasn't quite as smooth as before. But that didn't make it any less fun to pilot the swordsman around the clearing.

"Huh… you're pretty good at this, too," he remarked after watching her for a while. "So… what do you think?"

She glanced over at him. "What do I think? I think it's awesome, Ian!"

Her response wasn't anywhere near the same level of excitement she'd had the first time around. It was hard to fake that kind of thing. Regardless, it was still an awesome achievement, and one worth being proud of. The very least she could do was encourage him.

"Thanks," he beamed. "It's nowhere near done yet. I have a lot to fix up and more stuff to add, not to mention assets and art and sound…"

"Is that what you've been thinking about all this time?"

He ducked his head apologetically. "Pretty much, yeah. Well, one thing in particular. I've been running into this issue with the bow projectile collisions. They're not quite lining up to the model the way I want them to…"

Sliding the laptop over to him, Ian switched out the character's sword for a bow and began to demonstrate. Just like he'd said, the little cylinders that darted outward from the character didn't quite strike their targets accurately. They always seemed a little bit off in one direction or another.

"Hmmm…" Her brow furrowed as she leaned in closer. "That's weird. Any idea why?"

"Kind of? I've already tried a few things…"

He began explaining the inner workings of the game, going into more detail than she'd ever heard before. At several points, Ian got excited enough that Kaitlyn had to have him stop and clarify some mechanic or another.

The fact that I'm even able to keep up this much is a good thing. I think I'd be completely lost if I hadn't tried to make my own sorry excuse for a game last loop… Still. He's clearly on another level.

"Wait, you can do collisions like that?" She asked as he highlighted a particular section of code. "I thought you'd have to do it based on objects intersecting. That just makes sense."

"Yeah, that's the most straightforward way," he admitted. "But it's not the most efficient. This way will get you way better performance and precision, especially when you're rendering a ton of objects quickly. Assuming I get it right, that is."

"Huh." She chewed her lip as he explained. "That… I think that makes sense. You really are going all out, aren't you?"

"I mean, no point in going halfway, is there?" He grinned. "If I'm gonna make a game, I'm going to make it the best that I possibly can."

They chatted back and forth, Ian explaining how the complicated mess of code worked while Kaitlyn continued to ask dumb questions over and over. At least, they felt dumb. The guy never seemed to mind them one bit. In fact, he seemed absolutely ecstatic to be talking to someone about his hobby.

I guess I can see why. It really is important to him, huh?

Memories of his bad ending crashed over her. The realization of what she'd done, what she'd been keeping him back from… it felt like a knife to the gut.

Dangit. It really was my fault… Inwardly, she cursed herself. I couldn't have been more wrong. I dragged him away from something that made him this happy. Even if it was for the right reasons…

"Oh! Wait!" Ian straightened suddenly. "One sec. That gives me an idea…"

She shook herself, banishing the frustration from her face before he noticed. Next to her, the guy dove into his code, fingers flying across the keyboard with blinding speed as they added, removed, and tweaked the colored text. A moment later, he launched the game again and pulled out the bow.

"Let's see…" With a few more keystrokes, the character began shooting arrows around the screen and into a collection of test targets. They struck true, the impacts landing right where they were supposed to be.

Ian pumped his fist. "Yes! Finally! Thanks, Kay!"

She snorted, her mood still darkened. "Thanks? For what? Pestering you with questions?"

"Yup. That's what made me realize what was wrong." He turned to face her. "If not for that, I might've been stuck on this for a few more days."

Despite the wet blanket that her memories had thrown over her, she couldn't help but smile. Ian practically looked like a different person. His usually nervous and closed-off demeanor had all but evaporated, replaced with the unbridled enthusiasm of a child.

Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

This… might be the happiest I've ever seen him.

Her heart clenched. Her smile took on a slightly strained note as she struggled to keep her emotions in check.

"No problem," she said. "Anytime."

***

Kaitlyn's eyes roved over the Chella's dessert display hungrily. An assortment of perfect little cake slices, cannolis, and pastries stared back at her, their tantalizing forms arranged in neat rows.

Her gaze lingered on the tiramisu for a brief moment, the sight calling to mind memories that sent her mouth watering. But for once, it wasn't her main focus.

I'm not here to ogle. I'm here to get ideas.

With a bit of effort, she tugged her attention away. As much as the cake looked delicious, it wasn't the most impressively decorated thing. Rather, its charm came from its simplicity. It didn't need any other decorations. A light dusting of cocoa powder was plenty. The other treats, though…

Burnt-sugar disks and sprigs of mint. Fresh berries and powdered sugar. Delicate chocolate curls that seemed to defy gravity. There was even a far-too-convincing white chocolate feather sitting delicately atop a miniature chocolate torte. She would have called the decorations extra, but they made the already delicious sweets gain an air of sophistication and class that simply couldn't be matched.

I mean, look at this! He could have just made a normal serving of mousse, but nope. He went the extra mile, stuck it in a fancy glass, then figured out some way to make it all diagonally striped and layered like that. I mean, seriously. No wonder he charges so much.

She squinted at the cups in question. The strawberry mousse really was striking. The alternating layers of whites and pinks cut astonishingly straight lines across the glass in a way that looked almost fake.

…I could do a mousse, she realized. That's doable on a cooktop. Maybe he'll teach me how to pull this trick off…

A striking image of Heather's eyes turning to dollar signs sprang to mind. With an amused shake of her head, Kaitlyn stood and headed back into the kitchen. She had things to do.

"Oi, Kaitlyn," Scarra grunted as she entered. "I need some onions diced fine and carrots julienned. Can you handle that?"

"Yes, chef," she nodded. "I'm on it."

Scurrying over to the metal prep table, she grabbed her favorite knife and got to work. With well-practiced efficiency, she transformed the raw vegetables into ingredients that Scarra could actually use.

As she worked, she spared an occasional glance toward the burly chef. He whirled about the kitchen in a flurry of tasting, stirring, and frying. The restaurant hadn't opened for the evening, but that didn't mean there was any less to do. This final hour was valuable time to get ahead before the rush really hit.

Not that they'd gotten behind in a long while. Quite the opposite. At this point, she was experienced enough to truly make a measurable difference in the restaurant's operations. They were almost always ahead on dishes, napkins, and anything else relating to prep work. Even Scarra seemed a little more relaxed most days.

The bags of vegetables sitting at her elbow quickly emptied until, soon enough, they'd all been sliced and diced. With a nod of satisfaction, she called to Scarra. "All done! Anything else?"

"Nope. Go clean or something."

Kaitlyn nodded. A quick trip to the sink allowed her to clean her knife and the small pile of dishes that had collected in her absence. As she busied herself with an assortment of small tasks around the kitchen, she saw Scarra finally slow down. He never stopped, not entirely. But the tasks he took on were far more menial ones now.

Kaitlyn grinned. Well, this is as good a chance as any. Might as well ask.

"Hey, Chef?"

"Hmm?"

"I was looking at the desserts up front, and I was wondering… how do you get your mousse all layered like that?" She nodded to the kitchen door.

"What, you can't figure it out?" He scoffed. "It's pretty damn easy."

"It is?" Kaitlyn perked up. "Then, can you teach me?"

"What, tryin' to steal my secrets?" He glared at her.

"I'm not asking for your recipe. I just want to make my own desserts prettier. Besides," she pointed out, "you've already shown me how to make your marinara sauce. That's way more of a secret."

And your nonna's tiramisu, of course. But you don't remember that one.

With a scowl, Scarra tapped a finger against one muscular forearm. "Hrmph. Fine. We got time. Lemme finish this up, then we'll prep some desserts."

"Really?" Excitement leaked into her voice.

"Might as well. Not like I've got much else to do while we wait…" Scarra grumbled.

Kaitlyn couldn't help but grin. Despite how disgruntled the man sounded, she knew it was just an act.

The fact that we're even doing this means he's pretty much out of things to prep. He's gotta be happy about that.

A few minutes later, Kaitlyn joined Scarra at the bench. At his elbow sat a silicone mat, some chocolate, and an empty piping bag.

She frowned. "That… doesn't look like mousse."

"Wow, that college education's really doin' wonders for you." He snorted. "We're not makin' mousse. I got plenty of those already, and they take too long. You gotta pour each layer in, chill it, then pour the next layer when it's set. The trick is settin' em in a cupcake tin to make 'em go diagonal like that."

"Oh!" She blinked in surprise. That was… simpler than she'd expected. It made sense, but did seem pretty time consuming. She'd have to try it at her own setup. "Then what are we making?"

"Decorations. How're your piping skills?"

"Er…" She shuffled nervously. "I don't really know. I haven't done it a lot."

Scarra shrugged. "Guess we'll find out, then. C'mon."

With that, they began prepping the chocolate. As they melted, piped, and cooled the different decorations, Scarra kept up a constant commentary of advice and corrections. She kept a close eye on his work, doing her best to mimic the man's technique. As much as she tried, though, this was one area where she was still lacking.

By the time the restaurant opened, she'd finally managed a few passable chocolate spirals and a single feather. It was nothing compared to the machine-like efficiency with which Scarra pumped the things out. But it was a start.

Dangit. Just when I thought I was getting good… She bit her lip. Guess I've still got a long way to go. Scarra's still got a few tricks up his sleeve for me to learn.

"Alright," the man clapped his hands, the sound sending her jumping. "That's enough for now. It's showtime!"

"R-right!" She set down the piping bag. "Thanks so much, chef. I really appreciate you teaching me."

He just snorted. "Thank me by cleanin' up those dishes. Now scram while I get these put away. Don't want no one messin' 'em up…"

As he set the chocolates aside to solidify, Kaitlyn hurried over to her station. Even if she hadn't been good at it, she'd certainly learned a lot from working alongside Scarra. Enough that she felt like she could go home and build off that knowledge.

At the very least, I think I can make some basic stuff. It might take a while before I'm fast enough to really make it worthwhile, though… But I'll get there.

She began cleaning out the bowls and spatulas they'd used. Maybe one day, with enough practice, she'd be making fanciful pieces of edible art. Or maybe she'd be satisfied with getting those feathers down. Either way, she had a lot more practice ahead of her.