And the beat went on....
Julianne: And now for you, Rose, mon amie.
Rose: Eeeeep!
She got up and excitedly shook her hands in what one could only describe as a girly way.
Rose: I can't wait!
Julianne smiled back at her. In a way, one could say that she had always wanted something like this.
One could also say that Rose had always wanted the same thing.
Julianne put her hand on the cloche on the charger between Max and Tiffany, with Rose's eyes fixated on the dish.
What she'd wanted was pie. And what she got...
Julianne: Presenting....
And Rose's eyes shone with glee....
Julianne: ... la tarte legendaire. Or, rather... the legendary pie.
.... was a pie.
The pie, even on the outside, looked incredible. It was on a small tray, decorated with what one could only assume to be some kind of secret sauce on the top with a particularly interesting flower design on the brown red crust.
Rose: It's sooooo pretty.
And then for the aroma. It was simply divine. Something of a meaty as well as bread like scent emanated from it. But that was to say nothing of the sauce.
Julianne: Mmm hmmm.
Rose: And the smell...
She took two sniffs of the pie.
Rose: What meat is in it?
Julianne: Well... it does contain meat from some of the most expensive chicken in the world.
Rose: Really?
Julianne: Mmm hmm. One of them, is a chicken breed thats completely black.
Rose: Completely black?
Julianne: Mmm hmm. From the beak, to the feathers, to the comb... even its meat is black.
Rose: No way!
That was a shock to them all.
Even Max was suddenly interested having heard that. Just what kind of chicken was black all over?
Julianne: It's only grown in certain parts of the world. In fact, they say its meat is some of the most delicious of all chicken meat in the world.
Rose: That's sooo cool!
Julianne: And the other breed...
This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.
Rose: There's another?
Julianne: Uh huh. It's a chicken known for growing especially big legs. Its also, only kept in certain parts of the world. After all, is someone fails to properly care for it, the whole breed will die.
Rose: Oh...
And without skipping a beat...
Julianne: And as for the last ingredient...
At that point, Tiffany, Ken and Luke were all asking themselves.... "Just how expensive wa this dinner anyway?"
Julianne: ... white truffles.
Rose: (gasp) Truffles?
Julianne: Uh huh. They're mushrooms that only grow underground, so they are very hard to find.
Rose: Really?
Julianne: Mmm hmm. Especially this kind. Buuuuut.... luckily for us, I just so happened to have a guy.
And then, Rose took a deep breath.
Rose: Oh thank you, Mrs Hunter. Thank you soooo much!
Julianne: Oh, it's no trouble. Really....
Rose: This dish looks so amazing.
Julianne: And it'll taste amazing too.
Rose: (girly squeal) Thank you, Mrs Hunter.
The mother could only chuckle to herself. Her son would never react this way in front of a meal or presentation.
Speaking of....
Julianne: Alright then Rose.
Max's sulking suddenly went into hyperdrive. He knew what was about to happen.
Julianne smiled upon her son who looked away.
Julianne: (thinking: Awwwww... never change sweetie. Never change.)
And then, pinching his cheeks...
Julianne: And for my baaaaaaaaaaaabbyyyyy boooooooooyyyyyyy!
Max: Mmmmmmm.....
At that point he was too fed up to protest.
Rose simply giggled.
As for the others, they were far too stunned to say anything.
Julianne: Presenting, mon magnum opus....
And then.. she opened the cloche, revealing what one could only state as an almost cartoonishly decorative pizza with a side of fries.
Max's own eyes widened as he looked at the meal.
Julianne: ... mon pizza creme de la creme!
Max: Woah!
Rose: It's amazing!!!
Julianne: Mmm hmmm. Of course, I wouldn't spare a dime when it came to my...
She gave him a hug from behind.
Julianne: ... baaaaaaabyyyy boooooyyyy.
But this time, Max could give a rebuttal.
Max: Moooooooom!
Rose giggled again as Max's mother let go of him.
Rose: Oh, whats in it?
Julianne: Oh, that? That would be an especially expensive pizza made especially for Max.
Rose: Hmm? For Max?
Those words rung confusion amongst not only Rose, but also the others.
But for Max, whos ears suddenly pirked up, those words held meaning.
Max: Wait! You mean......?
Julianne: Uh huh. The fries come from a foreign country, and they're grown near the ocean to give them an extra special flavour. As for the pizza...
Her eyes turned to her son, who she knew would almost immediately understand who she was talking about.
Julianne: ... it was made by my former personal chef, Gustavo Reyes.
Max: Really?
Julianne: Mmm hmm.
That name meant something only to Max and Julianne.
Rose: Who is Gustavo?
The others simply remained silent.
Julianne: He was my personal chef back when I was acting.
She giggled nostalgically for a moment.
Julianne: Back then, he used to let my Maxie try his recipes every once in a while.
Rose: Really?
Julianne: Uh huh.
She smiled nostalgically again.
Julianne: He wanted to make the perfect pizza, and so... he hired Max to try as many of his pizzas as possible.
Rose: No way...!
Ken: (thinking: Indeed. So... that must mean...)
Julianne: And so, this pizza... is his "finalised creation"
She then pulled out a piece of paper from her pocket, saying...
"To Maximillian Hunter, here it is. Sorry I couldn't say hello personally. However, I present to you, my Magnum Opus."
Max: Gustav...
Julianne: He just so happened to be passing by Hypercity when I called him. He's still busy cooking for actors and all. But when he heard that you needed a pizza, he dropped everything and got started. And he took the entirety of the day just to cook it in time. But... he was able to finish it.
Max: Hmm.
His own eyes looked nostalgically upon the pizza, even upon those days. Gustav. It had been a while. A long while since he'd last seen him. And right there and then, he couldn't help but smile.
And Julianne, she couldn't help but smile too. After all, she could share this moment with her son.