Location: Pierre’s Bistro
Chef de Cuisine Pierre
Nope, not this, that won’t do either… I can’t seem to find the one that strikes me with inspiration!
Pierre’s Sous-chef Jack
Hey there, Pierre~ Brought you some fresh ones this time.
Pierre’s Sous-chef Jack
They got bruised a bit too hard, but they’re still breathing.
Pierre’s Sous-chef Jack
What, busy developing a new dish?
Chef de Cuisine Pierre
Welcome, Jack~!
Chef de Cuisine Pierre
Dishes are one thing, but we’re running way too short on ingredients these days.
Chef de Cuisine Pierre
Luckily I have my reliable friend Jack here, so I won’t have to worry about that for a while.
Pierre’s Sous-chef Jack
What happened?
Chef de Cuisine Pierre
‘The Musicians of Bremen’ say they’re no longer selling ingredients to us.
Pierre’s Sous-chef Jack
Those freaks were always unpredictable.
Pierre’s Sous-chef Jack
What about ‘Little Piggy's’, then?
Chef de Cuisine Pierre
Same deal, stopped trading with us…
Chef de Cuisine Pierre
We’ll have to do this the old way. You and I, together.
Pierre’s Sous-chef Jack
I’d love to, but we can’t go to our usual spot anymore.
Pierre’s Sous-chef Jack
The, uhh… ‘Zwei Association’ is safeguarding that area now.
Chef de Cuisine Pierre
Then we should pioneer new supply chains!
Chef de Cuisine Pierre
While we’re at it, I want to be more experimental with new ingredients. I’ve been using only young ones for far too long.
Pierre’s Sous-chef Jack
Aw, that’s unfortunate… I’ll miss the pasty hand pies that you make…
Chef de Cuisine Pierre
You’ll have to deal with it, unfortunate as it is. Since we’ve lost several vendors that used to provide quality meat for us, sticking to conventional dishes won’t cut it. Gourmets will surely notice the drop in the quality of our ingredients.
Pierre’s Sous-chef Jack
You were aiming to become one of ‘The Eight Chefs’, right, Pierre?
Chef de Cuisine Pierre
That’s right! The Eight Chefs are the brightest of the Stars of the City that shine over us.
Chef de Cuisine Pierre
They never fail to present us with stunning and sensational flavors.
Pierre’s Sous-chef Jack
What kind of new ingredients are you looking for?
Pierre’s Sous-chef Jack
Aged ones should be easier to get, though their meat tends to be squishy. It’s not everyone’s favorite, but some like it.
Chef de Cuisine Pierre
I’m not looking for a compromise. I want a taste that differentiates us from other restaurants.
Chef de Cuisine Pierre
Ever heard of the Library? I heard monsters live there.
Chef de Cuisine Pierre
It may still be an Urban Myth, but monster meat is usually hard to get unless we travel all the way to the Outskirts.
Pierre’s Sous-chef Jack
Oho… Now that’s promising…
Chef de Cuisine Pierre
Isn’t it? I got an invitation from that library some time ago, see?
Chef de Cuisine Pierre
I’ll surprise the gourmets with a dish that’s so stimulating and novel, it could even rival the Eight Chefs themselves.
Chef de Cuisine Pierre
So, Jack, you can just count on me and follow my lead, understand?
Pierre’s Sous-chef Jack
What are we gonna do with the ingredients I brought today then?
Chef de Cuisine Pierre
Ah, let’s turn them into jam.
Chef de Cuisine Pierre
We’re bottling them alive, so put ‘em on drips of anesthetics and repressors and store ‘em in the kneader.
Pierre’s Sous-chef Jack
Meat jam’s nice…
Chef de Cuisine Pierre
I knew you’d love it!
Chef de Cuisine Pierre
Oh, and as I said before, you have to put ‘em legs first, not headfirst. We gotta keep them alive as long as possible, you know.
Chef de Cuisine Pierre
It’s not as flavorful if they die too quickly.
Location: Inside the Library
Library Director Angela
Cannibalism is a thing in the Backstreets it seems?
Servant Roland
There are quite a few perverted maniacs who are into that, yeah.
Servant Roland
But it’s kind of a taboo even in the Backstreets. You certainly can’t go around saying how tasty human meat is.
Servant Roland
It’s actually the wealthy folk who consume human meat the most.
Servant Roland
However… The Backstreets of District 23 are an exception.
Servant Roland
People there only care about pursuing the ultimate flavor, and will do anything for it.
Library Director Angela
Each part of the Backstreets seems to have its own set of characteristics.
Servant Roland
It mostly depends on the policies set by the Nest and the Wing.
Servant Roland
Though most of the Backstreets are being neglected anyway.
Library Director Angela
Is human meat particularly delicious or anything?
Servant Roland
Heck if I know. Never tried, never wanna.
Servant Roland
Those guys are kidnapping ordinary people and cooking them right after.
Servant Roland
Gourmets seem to think that such cruelty only adds to the flavor…
Servant Roland
Even worse, they believe cooking people alive and making them suffer as much as possible is key to perfecting taste.
Library Director Angela
Humans eating humans. What a sight to behold.
Location: Library Entrance
Chef de Cuisine Pierre
Mmm~ This is a brand new smell.
Pierre’s Sous-chef Jack
I don’t think I like this scent.
Chef de Cuisine Pierre
Now, Jack, it’s unfamiliarity like this that brings forth new ideas, you see?
Pierre’s Sous-chef Jack
If you say so.
Library Director Angela
Greetings, dear guests.
Library Director Angela
I am Angela, the director and librarian of my role’s namesake.
Chef de Cuisine Pierre
Woooooow~ What a wonderful-looking ingredient, with such a glossy appearance…
Pierre’s Sous-chef Jack
She certainly looks like a fresh, top-grade ingredient on the outside, but… Pierre?
Chef de Cuisine Pierre
Yeah, I know. She’s unfortunately not a human.
Chef de Cuisine Pierre
But! That’s why I’m even more excited. How do you taste?
Library Director Angela
I’m afraid you cannot do any harm to me.
Pierre’s Sous-chef Jack
We never know until we try.
Chef de Cuisine Pierre
Stay calm, Jack. We should keep our manners. She’s the wonderful individual who’s invited us here, you see?
Pierre’s Sous-chef Jack
Oh, yeah… I apologize for my rudeness, ma’am.
Chef de Cuisine Pierre
Now then, Miss Angela? May we enter now?
Library Director Angela
May you find your book in this place.
