My Food Stall Serves SSS-Grade Delicacies!

Marron, Mokko, and Lucy closed up Comfort & Crunch for the day, giving her time to reflect on what just happened.

Zehra wanted to challenge me to a culinary duel. But Guildmaster Halloway wouldn't let her, because he wanted me to know what I was getting myself into.

Her opinion of him rose a bit more, after that. At least that doesn't sound like someone who's just going to bind me to a book of rules.

When they returned to the inn, Grathok looked up with a rare smile on his weathered face. "Gotten the attention of sister Zehra and Guildmaster Halloway, have you?"

"Y-yeah," Marron said quietly. "I don't know what to do."

"Well," Grathok finished wiping down one of his drinking glasses. "When that happens, cleaning usually helps me think."

Mm. That isn't a bad idea—especially since I haven't given my food cart a proper wash down.

"You know what, Grathok," Marron smiled. "I'll take your advice. Do you have a hose or a bucket?"

The elder orc grunted approvingly and shuffled off to fetch her what she needed.

Not long after, Marron found herself on her knees with sleeves rolled up, scrubbing every surface of the cart until her arms ached. She scoured the deep fryer, polished the cold box until it gleamed, and wiped down every corner that had gathered a week's worth of grease and flour.

Mokko fetched buckets of hot water, tail flicking, while Lucy made sure a lantern was steadily lit so Marron could see what she was doing.

By the time they finished, the cart smelled not of fried oil but of lemon soap and fresh wood. Marron leaned against the side, exhausted but satisfied.

"Mm. Feels like a reset," she whispered.

She straightened, brushing suds from her apron. "Alright. If I'm going to prove myself, I can't just copy dishes from memory. I need to start here, in Whetvale. With what's around me. No more leaning on cooking shows or blogs I read on Earth."

Her eyes glimmered with determination as she looked back at the shining cart. "Time to experiment."

"But before that, we rest?" Mokko asked.

Marron wanted to protest, but her aching back and shoulders had a different opinion. "...yes. We rest."

+

The smell of freshly made stew from the inn's kitchen awakened Marron from a deep sleep. Her muscles protested, but her head buzzed with ideas. She pulled on her apron, tied it snug, and whispered, "Balance. That's today's word."

Mokko's ears twitched as he stretched. Lucy used a washcloth to wipe her gelatinous face, and smiled faintly when Marron herded them toward Whetvale's bustling marketplace.

The streets thrummed with life: bakers announcing warm loaves, farmers laying out carrots still dusted with soil, fishmongers hefting glistening trout onto beds of rune-chilled ice. Marron's senses drank it in—the clash of smells, the noise, the promise.

Lucy used her tendrils to point at a stall stacked with golden squash and thick bundles of kale. "These look perfect. Someone asked yesterday for lighter meals, didn't they?"

Marron turned the squash in her hands. "Vegetables, protein… but what does balance taste like?"

Mokko, already eyeing the butcher across the way, grinned. "It tastes like not fainting after three bites. I'll carry the meat."

They left with baskets of squash, kale, carrots, jars of pickled radish, and a lamb shoulder wrapped in brown paper.

Back at the cart, Marron worked with fierce concentration: slicing, chopping, whisking.

Her first attempt, a lamb-and-squash stew, turned out too salty. The second, a baked kale custard, fell flat and bland. Mokko stole a carrot slice, chewing thoughtfully. "Still tastes like carrot."

Marron tightened her grip on the spoon. "Then I need to make it taste like more than carrot."

By midday the air inside the cart was a storm of steam and conflicting aromas. Lucy dutifully nibbled at every trial while Mokko fanned himself with a lid.

Charity's cheerful voice rang out as she stepped in. "Are you hiding in here or cooking a storm?"

"Both," Marron admitted, cheeks flushed. She shoved a plate into Charity's hands. "Tell me what you think."

Charity sampled the kale custard with measured grace. Her eyes sharpened. "It's gentle. Pleasant. But gentle won't get people queuing around the block. They enjoy what's comforting and familiar—like your chicken. Or a surprise so fun they can't stop talking about it."

Marron's shoulders sagged. "So…these dishes are useless?"

"Not useless," Charity corrected. "There's a growing trend: vegetarians, sustainability, light foods. That's one audience. But there's also a hunger for rich meals that remind them of home. Why choose? Do what only you can do. Bridge them."

The word settled into Marron like a seed. Bridge them. She tucked it away, rolling it on her tongue like a flavor.

Later, Marron wandered the spice stalls, vinegar on her shopping list but thoughts still circling Charity's advice.

As she weighed a jar of cumin, voices drifted nearby.

"…Zehra says the girl has one of the Tools."

"Impossible. The Legendary Tools? Myths."

"She cooks too well for a nobody. If it's true, Zehra won't let her use such tricks to win."

Marron's grip tightened on the jar. Legendary Tools?

She forced herself to pay (500 gold) nod politely, and walk away, but her heart raced.

Back at the cart, she dragged out her battered notebook and scribbled furiously:

Ask Halloway: Zehra suspects I have a Legendary Tool. Are they real?

She underlined it twice.

That evening, curiosity carried Marron to a quiet corner of Whetvale, where an understated sign read Aradal's Table. The air was rich with woodsmoke and herbs.

Inside, a tall elf with copper-ringed ears looked up from her counter. Her eyes were green as spring leaves, her silver hair tied into neat braids.

"Welcome," she said calmly. "I am Sylwen Aradal. You look like someone who listens more than she speaks."

Marron startled. "I… I run a food cart nearby. I wanted to see your cooking."

"Then sit. Watch."

Marron perched as Sylwen laid out a freshly caught rabbit. Her movements were reverent: dividing meat, bones, organs, skin, each placed carefully. She simmered bones for broth, roasted the haunch, fried the liver with onions. Nothing wasted.

Marron blinked. "I thought… I thought elves didn't eat meat."

Sylwen's lips curved faintly. "Most don't. I was a hunter once. A few of us eat both plants and animals, but with respect. Nose-to-tail, no waste. Food is life; waste is insult."

She plated the fried liver with onion and pushed it gently toward Marron.

Marron hesitated. "I've never cooked with this part before."

Sylwen arched a brow. "Most cooks don't. But memory doesn't always live in the cuts you expect."

The flavors startled her—the bitter-sweet bite of liver with onion, the deep warmth of broth, the crisp roast. Marron lowered her chopsticks slowly, almost reverent herself.

Sylwen's gaze held her. "You cook with memory. Respect that, and your food will carry more than flavor."

The walk back felt shorter than usual, Sylwen's words echoing. Respect. Memory.

And with them came the sharp scent of vinegar, garlic sizzling in oil, her mother's voice: Adobo lasts forever. Vinegar keeps it safe.

When her food cart was safely parked near the outdoor patio, Marron rolled up her sleeves and started cooking.

She crushed the garlic beneath her knife and lightly toasted it in hot oil. Marron added the soy sauce next, dark and salty in the pot.

Vinegar sharp enough to sting her eyes, just as she liked it, was poured next. Peppercorns scattered, bay leaves fluttered in.

She seared chunks of lamb, the pan hissing as meat caramelized, then drowned them in the marinade. The pot sighed into a slow, steady simmer.

Lucy leaned in, wide-eyed. "What is that smell?"

Mokko hopped onto the counter, nose twitching. "Smells like home, even if I've never eaten it."

Lucy's tendrils hovered dangerously close to the pot. Marron thought she would launch herself inside. "I think I could live inside this smell."

Marron laughed softly, stirring gently, steam curling around her face. "Adobo. My mom's comfort food. She said it lasts forever." She smiled faintly. "It's memory, and balance, all in one."

The rich, tangy scent filled their dining room. Marron exhaled, chest tight with something more than hunger.

She wasn't just making food, but respecting an animal and her own memories.

The lamb adobo was meant to bridge them together—her companions, her customers, and herself.