(Morcster Chef) Rest at last - Ch. 103 (Patreon)

The other members of the Happy Sunflowers voiced their approval through a series of caveman grunts and sighs. None of them bothered with any meaningful conversation as they shoveled food into their mouth. It had been a long time since they’d eaten something other than jerky and none of them wanted to sully the experience.

Arek polished off the mushrooms in record time. He licked his lips clean of the butter and claimed a good portion of the pasta salad. The noodles were slippery on his fork, and it took two tries to actually get a good bite lined up.

He popped the fork into his mouth and sucked up a stray noodle that nearly slipped free. The crisp bite of the citrus instantly cut through the decadent sauce from the mushrooms. The noodles had little flavor of their own, but they’d been completely transformed by the dressing.

The hints of umami and sweetness from the soy and fish sauce intermingled with the earthy taste of the peanuts and the unmistakable flavor of pork. Arek had to once again admit that Grandma Bella knew what she was talking about. He’d been slightly skeptical of the fish sauce, but it had worked perfectly in this dish.

Time ticked by as they ate. More than one envious glance was sent towards their table, but nobody bothered them. Arek polished off his plate, not completely full but satisfied enough to tear his eyes free of the plate. He wasn’t the only one. Belmont met his gaze, polishing off the last morsel of food on his plate.

“So…what now?” Belmont asked, setting the plate down. As an afterthought, he adjusted the position of his fork so that it was parallel with the plate.

“Nothing,” Malissa said. “I’ve had my fill of work over the last few weeks. I just want to do nothing for a few days.”

“But…there are still so many questions,” Belmont said, frowning. “The incident from before we entered the River Crypt, the arch…”

“At least we don’t have to deal with the Starpiercer guild,” Ming butted in. She tried to smirk, but her cheeks were full of food so she ended up looking more like a smug chipmunk than anything else. “They cleaned themselves up for us.”

“It was quite considerate of them,” Arek agreed with a chuckle. “I honestly thought it would have ended up in a slugfest in a back alley. Say what you want about them, but the adventurer’s guild takes their laws very seriously.”

Ming claimed another portion of mushrooms as the others sat back.

“So, what do you think of today’s meal?” Arek asked Malissa. “You practically did everything yourself after all.”

“It tastes really good,” Malissa said. She wiped some mushroom juice from the side of her face with a napkin and cleared her throat. “Better than I thought it would, actually. Like, much better.”

“I thought it might,” Arek said. A knowing smile crossed his face and he chuckled. “Food always tastes better if you make it yourself.”

“That would explain a lot about you,” Malissa said.

The Happy Sunflowers chatted amongst themselves for a short while. As they spoke, Arek’s hands seemed to grow heavier on his lap. They clenched into fists as the orc forced his features to remain unchanged.

It had been too long since the party had gotten a break. The last few weeks had been hectic, even for him. Now, as they sat around the table, Arek could practically see the stress sloughing off them. Well, most of them. Belmont was still scanning the room as if the tables were about to come alive and try to strangle them.

Arek couldn’t really fault him for that after his previous experience in the adventurer’s guild, but it still brought a smile to his face. Evidently, some things wouldn’t ever change.

He unclenched his hands and let them rest on his knees. Arek ignored the burning desire to stare at them. He’d lived with the damned things for years. Ignoring them until after their meal wouldn’t hurt anybody.

“Arek, how much time is left on the apple crumble?” Malissa asked.

The orc blinked, suddenly aware that he’d zoned out slightly. He cleared his throat and rose from his chair with an embarrassed smile.

“Ah, sorry about that. Got a bit distracted. It should be ready now,” Arek said.

He turned just in time to see Voulier stride out of the kitchen holding the crumble with both hands. His chef hat clipped the doorway as he exited, nearly knocking it off the man’s head. He wobbled across the room like a drunkard, dodging past patrons before arriving at the Happy Sunflower’s table. The chef shoved the dish into Arek’s hands and readjusted his hat before it could fall.

“You forgot your crumble,” Voulier said, glaring at them. He stroked his moustache aggressively, and the barest flicker of a smile danced across his face. “I gave it a quick taste. Not bad.”

He spun and strode away. The top of the doorway caught his hat on the way back into the kitchen and knocked it off his head. The door closed on it, squishing the hat against the ground. The tall hat slid a few inches backwards as Voulier tugged on it from behind the door, then vanished as the chef reclaimed his symbol of power.

“Interesting guy,” Malissa said.

Ming nodded, but her eyes only saw the steaming apple crumble on the table before them. Arek chuckled and served a portion of the dish to each of them. They each dug in, and even Belmont paused his observation of the room eat.

Arek sat back, observing his new friends as a warm feeling grew in his stomach that had absolutely nothing to do with the food he’d just cooked. Well, maybe it had a bit to do with it. Regardless, a slow smile crossed the orc’s disguised face as he watched them eat. They were happy and relaxed, and the emotion was contagious. There would be time to worry later. For now, the Happy Sunflowers were content, and so was Arek.