Chapter 57: Getting to Work
Morning light spilled through the tall windows of Inigo’s newly leased restaurant as he knelt by the dusty tiles, a pencil between his teeth and a rough sketchpad in hand. Lyra leaned over the counter behind him, watching with a curious expression as he traced out yet another square on the paper.
"That makes four different versions of a stove you’ve drawn so far," she said, raising an eyebrow. "You designing a war machine or a kitchen?"
Inigo chuckled without looking up. "Trust me, the battlefield and the kitchen aren’t so different. Both need good layout and precise tools. One mistake in positioning and someone loses a limb—metaphorically."
Lyra shook her head with a grin and stepped around to peer at the paper. "So that’s the deep fryer?"
"Yep," he said, pointing. "This rectangle here. We’ll need a special iron cauldron for frying, adjustable heat channels underneath—kind of like a forge, but tuned for oil instead of flame. We’ll mount it right next to the prep table, and beside that, we’ll have the bun oven. Then the wash station goes in the corner."
"And this?" she asked, pointing to the counter layout.
"Customer-facing service area. Just like the food joints back home. Simple menu board above, one person takes orders, another preps and serves. Clean, fast, efficient."
Lyra gave a low whistle. "You really thought this through."
"Had a lot of time to observe during lunch breaks back in my hometown," Inigo said with a shrug. "It’s muscle memory at this point."
"Okay, genius," she said. "Let’s talk permits."
They made their way to the Guild’s civilian bureau that afternoon—a wing of the massive stone complex that handled everything from construction approvals to guild-sponsored education grants. After navigating a surprisingly short queue, they were ushered into a modest office where a sleepy clerk, thin and balding, greeted them with a bored expression.