Y read over the recipe again. He looked at the pot of cheese. And back at the recipe.

“I don’t know,” he admitted, handing the book to Avi. “She’s short on instructions; maybe there’s some magical heat-based trick to getting the cheese to melt properly. You watched her enough times, don’t you know how she did it?”

Avi scanned the page. “She just put water and cheese into the pot and stirred, I think.”

Y shrugged. “Well, thankfully we have enough cheese to play with. Can’t you give the raptors non-melted cheese, with blackberries on the side?”

“I don’t know if they’d eat it,” Avi said. “They’re very picky.”

The kitchen door opened, and Nikki walked in. She saw Avi and stopped dead, staring. Avi stared back, claws digging into the cookbook. Y paused, feeling tension grow. Seconds ticked by in silence.

“Ah, Nik!” he finally called, picking up the pot. “Why is the cheese curdling?”

Nikki tore her eyes away from Avi, stepping towards Y. “Did… the water boil? After you put cheese in?”

“Yes,” Y said. “Brought the water to a boil, dumped in cheese, stirred until the cheese became this.”

She shook her head. “Cheese doesn’t like to be boiled,” she said. “A simmer is about the highest it can go without… separating.”

“Mystery solved,” Y said, looking at Avi.

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Avi was frozen in place, half-hiding his face with the book. Nikki kept glancing at him, ears pinned back against her skull.

Y checked an imaginary watch. “My, that late already? I must be elsewhere immediately! Nikki, Avi…” He teleported to Kimi’s shop without waiting for a reply.

*****

Dear Diary,

I’m home at last! Being home feels so good. There’s something about sleeping in your own bed that’s just the best.

I don’t know when Mika will get here with the others, but I hope it won’t be for a few days. I’ve kinda decided to join them again. It was rude to leave without saying good-bye. And watching the yetis get beat up does sound kinda fun. Also the bugs on Floor 98 are fun to fight. I won’t let anyone hurt the wolves, and I’ll just bring ranch balls for the slimes.

Oh, I mentioned to Larissa a while back that sharks like carrots, and she asked if I ever poisoned the carrots. I was horrified at first, but it makes sense. I could poison food. And the sharks have resisted every attempt made to become my friends, so I guess there wouldn’t be anything too bad about poisoning them.

I mean, I’d still feel bad. They’re only doing what they think they have to do, and in return Players kill them in all sorts of horrible ways. Not fair. And then someone drops in food, which they’re supposed to like, but it poisons them? Super not fair.

Also there’s a… professional pride. It’s not like doctors have, with their hippocratic oath or anything, but I make food. I make good food. Making food with the goal of hurting whatever eats it just feels evil. And I’m not evil.

Or, at least I try to not be.

Sure, I’m not perfect, but I don’t do mean things on purpose.

Usually.

Unless someone deserves it.

Which the sharks don’t.

So yeah, not gonna poison any carrots.

Goodnight, Dungeon!

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