When the pair returned to the hut, Erik immediately got to work, preparing the meat and vegetables for the burgers later. Talia, on the other hand, went inside for reasons unknown to Erik.

"I thought she was going to help me," Erik grumbled to himself, flipping over a meat patty. His stomach growled, reminding him that he hadn't eaten breakfast yet. Or lunch, for that matter.

He glanced up when he heard a soft gasp from inside the hut. He frowned, putting down the spatula and slowly walking over. The door to the hut was slightly ajar, and he could see Talia's silhouette moving about within.

"Hey Talia, what the hell are you doing–"

Talia, in a particular set of arguably revealing clothes that Erik had conjured from his world, was pacing back and forth in front of a small table. On the table were several sheets of parchment, a quill, and a small vial of ink. Her face was flushed, and she seemed to be deep in thought.

"Why the fuck are you pacing around in the lingerie I conjured instead of helping me?" Erik was irritated, though he couldn't stop the blush from spreading across his face.

"I am helping you, just in a different way," Talia said, not looking at him. "I've been thinking about how we can make the bikini idea work while also keeping my... dignity." She paused, glancing up at him with a determined expression. "I was working on a design for a more modest bikini top."

Erik blinked. "Wait a minute, the majority of the plan revolves around risque swimwear to bring in rich men- to bring in interests from outside the village," he paused, "I'm not even sure why we need to worry about that."

"Look, it's just an idea, alright? I know it's not what you want, but it's what I'm comfortable with," Talia said, a hint of desperation in her voice. "And I can't just ignore the fact that it would make more money. We need that money to survive." She pointed at the sketches on the table. "This design still shows off enough skin to be attractive, but it's more modest. I think it would work."

A part of Erik wanted to shoot down her idea, but the inventor in him couldn't help but be intrigued. He moved closer to get a better look at the sketches. The design Talia had come up with was indeed more modest than what he'd conjured, but it still showed off a fair amount of cleavage and midriff.

"Well," Erik murmured slowly. "I don't want to give outsiders the wrong idea after all... I suppose I got a little too excited and ahead of myself. Maybe these would work better as a soft launch. Then we could start going more risky with the designs."

Talia's face lit up with relief. "Thank you, Erik. I really appreciate that. I know it's not what you wanted, but I'm glad we can find a compromise." She picked up the sketches and held them out to him. "So, do you think we should start working on these?"

"After we finish preparing the ingredients for the burgers tonight- wait, did you say keeping your dignity earlier? Where'd that come from? You just told me earlier that you strip for others in order to get what you need."

"Regardless, we also need to think of ways to keep the other demographics engaged in this park of yours," Talia ignored his comment.

"Oh, uh, well, I mean, we'll have the normal stuff, like swings and slides, and a small lake for boating and fishing–"

"Yes, yes, I know," Talia interrupted. "But what about things that appeal to both men and women? Like, a small amphitheater for live music or plays? Or a garden maze or a puzzle house?"

Erik blinked. "You're awfully... prepared for this," he said, glancing at her with newfound respect. "I didn't even think of those things. Okay, I'm in. Let's do it." He smiled, feeling a sense of camaraderie with Talia that he hadn't expected. "But," he added, holding up a finger, "we're still having the burger shack. And we'll make sure the swimwear designs get even more outrageous in the future."

Talia grinned back at him. "Deal."

"Alright, let's go prepare the ingredients for the burgers and then we'll start brainstorming."

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The sun was beginning to set after the two finished preparing the ingredients outside. They went back inside the shack and sat down at the table, their minds already buzzing with ideas. They spent the next few hours discussing various aspects of the amusement park, from the design of the swimsuits to the layout of the garden maze. Talia seemed to have an endless supply of creative ideas, while Erik brought a practical and inventive touch to the table.

"I guess we're pretty much ready to implement this," Erik said, looking at the notes they had taken. "Now, let's just hope the people who come to the amusement park will enjoy it as much as we hope they will."

Talia nodded in agreement. "And we can always make changes and improvements based on their feedback. This is just the beginning, after all."

The conversation flowed easily between them as they worked together to plan out every detail of their amusement park. There was an undeniable spark of excitement in the air, a sense of camaraderie that neither of them had expected to find in each other. As the sun began to set, casting a warm glow through the windows of the shack, they continued to work side by side, their minds filled with ideas and plans for the future.

As the evening arrived, they headed out in front of the hut to set up their makeshift burger joint, with Erik conjuring up another generator to power the electric lamps he'd designed earlier. As he rested on the ground, he watched Talia start the grills and Illyanth drag the tables into place.

"You know," Talia said as she flipped burgers, "this whole plan of ours... it's actually really ambitious. I mean, I've never done anything like this before. I'm not even sure if it'll work out."

"Uh, you know it's too late to back out now," Erik scowled as he picked himself off the ground. "Don't you start having second thoughts."

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Talia paused, looking up at him with a small smile. "No, it's not that. I'm just... this is a lot more work than I thought it would be. And I'm not even sure how we're going to afford all of this."

A devious grin flashed across Erik's face. Talia couldn't help but flinch.

"Ah, but I've thought of that already. What do you think would be the best way to expand our burger business? Here's a hint: there's only two of us right now."

Talia raised an eyebrow. "You're planning on hiring help?" she asked skeptically.

"Indeed," Erik replied with a mischievous grin. "What better way to make sure our business grows than to have more people working for us? You see, I've been planning to save up a little extra money here and there. Not enough to open up another shack, but enough to hire a few workers. We can train them up, give them a share of the profits, and focus on coming up with new ideas while they handle the day-to-day operations. That way, we can expand our business without burning ourselves out."

Talia considered this for a moment, her brow furrowed in thought. "That's... actually a pretty good plan," she said finally. "But how do we find these workers? And what if they decide to just take our ideas and start their own businesses?"

"Well, that's why we're selling these burgers right now. We've already garnered interest in the dish, so all we have to do tonight is suggest to our customers if they would like to work with us. You know, something subtle..." Erik winked at Talia, who rolled her eyes but couldn't help but smile.

They spent the rest of the evening serving customers and subtly dropping hints about their business plans. The response was overwhelmingly positive, with several people expressing interest in working with them. They exchanged contact information with the potential workers and even received a few ideas for expansion themselves.

As the last customer left, Erik and Talia collapsed into their makeshift chairs, exhausted but exhilarated. The stars twinkled above them, and the sounds of the forest and village filled the air. They looked at each other, grinning from ear to ear.

"That was... the most work I've ever done in my life..." Talia said, panting slightly as she wiped her forehead with the back of her hand.

"All you did was bring out the food to the customers and talked to them. Also, did you try to get extra tips by showing off some skin? I didn't even know tips were a thing in this world," Erik replied.

Talia gave him a playful glare. "You focus on your burgers, and I'll handle the customer service," she said, a hint of tease in her voice.

"Oh? Are we turning this burger establishment into a sexy restaurant?" Erik asked, half-jokingly.

Talia scoffed, rolling her eyes. "Don't be ridiculous. I just want to make sure our customers feel comfortable and have a good time. Besides, I think we both know that this is about more than just burgers."

The pair fell silent as Erik brought out a bag of coins.

"How... how much did we make?" Talia asked quietly.

Erik dumped the contents of the bag onto the table, coins of copper, silver, and gold littering the surface.

"We made enough to cover our expenses for the month and then some," he said with a devilish grin. "And with all these potential workers, we should be able to save up for even more. We're on the right track, Talia."

Talia eyed the coins hungrily. Erik sighed and grabbed a few silver and gold, handing it to her.

"Here's your share. Good work today. The rest will go back into the burger business and for my future projects. I'll need to come up with a way to harness the lake using a plumbing system," Erik said, his eyes glinting with excitement.

"Thank you, Erik Park," Talia seemed to salivate as she counted the coins. "I'll use this for dinner."

"Don't blow it all in one place," Erik warned, firing up the grill one last time to cook himself a burger. "Are you sure you don't want to save that money and eat a burger? It's technically free."

"I've had enough of your burgers for today, thank you," Talia said with a laugh. "But you're right, I should save some. Maybe I'll even treat myself to something special tomorrow."

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Talia had changed clothes, trying on the black leggings and burgundy top that Erik had sketched and conjured earlier. He didn't know why she was so fond of the warmer clothing, but he figured that temperature wasn't a problem for a mage such as herself.

Erik remained back in the dilapidated hut, eating his burger and coming up with designs and plans for a water system using the nearby lake. Despite his avoidance of Illyanth, who had followed Talia into the village, Erik couldn't help but feel lonely without the baby dragon around.

Finishing up his dinner, Erik changed into a thin gray shirt and comfortable shorts as he packed straw underneath a thick blanket he had also conjured earlier. Erik let out a satisfied sigh as he laid on the makeshift straw mattress. The burgers had been a hit yet again tonight, bringing in more than triple what they made the night before. With his stomach full, Erik felt a sense of excitement and pride as his eyes closed, eager to finally fulfill his dream of wealth...

The shack's door slammed open, and Talia drunkenly stumbled in, followed by the dragon infant Illyanth.

"Erik Park!" she shouted, slurring her words.

"What, what?! It's the middle of the night, and I'm trying to sleep!" Erik shouted back, annoyed as he sat up on his straw mattress. "Why are you so damn loud?!"

"I'm drunk, and I'm here to celebrate!" Talia slurred, her face red and her eyes glassy. "We're rich, Erik! We're rich!" She threw her arms around him, nearly toppling them both onto the hard dirt floor.

"What the fuck do you mean we're- oh god, your breath reeks of alcohol," Erik complained, pushing Talia away. "What do you mean we're rich? We just started earning money."

"No, no, no," Talia giggled, her words slurring even more. "I don't mean we're rich now. I mean... we're going to be rich. Look at this!" She held up a handful of coins, nearly dropping them as she stumbled. "We made this much just tonight!"

Erik blinked. That was a lot more coins than he remembered giving her.

"Hey... where'd you get those extra coins? I swear, I only gave you a couple earlier."

Talia blinked, her gaze unfocused as she tried to remember. "Oh, uh... I think someone gave them to me. Or maybe I found them somewhere." She giggled, her voice slurring slightly. "Or maybe they just grew on trees."

"...Please tell me you didn't strip for money again."

"Of course not, silly!" Talia giggled, leaning on Illyanth. "I didn't even take my clothes off this time. Besides, you're the only one I've actually been completely nude for. You and your world's customs are weird."

"I said, I'm sorry for flashing you back- wait, did you say ‘this time’? So you were planning to! What is up with you and-" Erik paused for a second. "Wait, I'm the only guy who's seen you in your birthday suit?"

"Yep, just you. But it's not like it's a big deal. I mean, it's just my body. Why are you making such a big deal out of it?" Talia slurred, giggling.

"No, it's just... I don't... ugh, you bitch!" Erik scowled as he laid back down and turned around. "Whatever, I'm just gonna get some sleep. We've got a busy day tomorrow, you know."

"Yeah, I know. I'm sorry, okay? I'll be more careful. I promise." Talia mumbled, her voice already sounding asleep. Erik heard her blow out the candles and stumble into her bed. He relaxed as silence descended on the shack.

Then Talia began to snore loudly, preventing Erik from sleeping.