We'd cobbled together a second table for the dining area made of crates, but it just didn't look right. I kept straightening the crates and readjusting the tablecloth, but I knew it wasn't really a table. The whole thing just felt so shoddy. Kind of like me using old shields as serving trays and all these mismatched lanterns. It seemed like such a good idea at the time, working with what I had, but now people were going to actually see it. And judge it.

Matcha rolled across the floor, playing with Spark. Their little chirps and giggles usually would have put me at ease, but today it worried me more. What would adventurers think of this place? And what would I do if they didn't like the slimes? I'd joked about Boss being a bouncer, but I didn't want it to actually come to that. I'd tested out the cafe's supposed safe zone capabilities and they worked, but that still didn't mean I wanted the slimes to feel like they were unsafe here.

One thing at a time. I had to focus on what I could do before worrying about things that were out of my control.

I rearranged the lanterns hanging from the ceiling, trying to make a pattern out of the different types to make it look like they were mismatched on purpose. Some were open, with nothing but some bronze wires forming a cage around the flames, while others had actual glass surrounding them. They were all different shapes too from round like a glowing orb to rectangular like a normal lantern. All of them had their place, if I could just figure the pattern out.

"Stop fidgeting," Fiona said. "You're going to stress yourself out before anyone even gets here."

"Is somebody coming?" I asked, clutching one of the lanterns to my chest. "What do they look like?"

"No, I just meant...," she paused, glancing out the window, "actually, yes, it does look like people are coming. Two of them. One's obviously skilled while the other looks like a newbie."

My chest tightened. Customers were here and the slimes were lively. That felt like a bad mix.

"Should we go outside and greet them?" I forced myself to rehang the lantern and calm down. "Or wait inside?"

"We don't want to seem too eager," she said, propping a window open, "so let's wait here and see what they have to say."

Voices drifted into the cafe.

"Watch your step," a gruff-sounding woman said. "These glowing mushrooms scream trap."

Fiona gave me a pointed look. I rolled my eyes back at her. Maybe the trail of glowing mushrooms had been a bad idea, but oh well, they were there now and I wasn't about to dig them up again. I thought they looked nice.

"A trap?" A man moaned, sounding far too overwhelmed for some mushrooms. "No, no, no. They said this was a safe place! But we're going to die, aren't we? Just bring me back to the safe zone. If the slimes don't eat me, something else will."

Wait, that voice sounded familiar, especially the scared tone. I'd met him before, I was sure of it, but I couldn't place him.

"What about your quest for courage?" The woman laughed. "Stay strong. I bet you'd at least make it to the door."

Fiona peeked out the window as the man mumbled about rude bets. "Hey, it's that guy from the safe zone who kept getting eaten by slimes."

"Marvin?" I asked softly. "I thought he never left the safe zone."

"Maybe he wants more tea?"

I took a deep breath. Even though he was scared, he came all the way out here to visit us. This was all going to be okay. I rolled my shoulders, stretching out my arms to loosen up. I just had to cook my heart out and win them over. They'd see the charm of this place, just like Fiona and Cole had.

The door creaked open slowly, revealing the point of a sword.

"Hello?" A short, but stocky woman covered in leather armor walked inside carefully, gaze darting around every corner as if she was looking for tripwires. When her gaze settled on me, she frowned. "Are you the one who posted the ingredient gathering quest?"

"Yes, welcome to the Slime Serenitea Cafe!" I smiled at her, motioning for her to come in. "Take a seat. I'll make some tea, if you want."

"The Slime Serenitea Cafe?" The woman's face hardened. "So the rumors are true then. This is some kind of slime sanctuary and we're the ones on the menu, right?"

"Wait, what?" I opened my mouth and closed it a few times, not even sure how to respond to that. Matcha bounced over, looking up at me with those big eyes of his. "You think I'm feeding people...to slimes?"

"Slimes are ravenous," the woman said, her hand still grasping her sword tight.

"True, but I can't imagine you taste very good," I snapped. "Slimes prefer sweets."

She smirked. "So you're saying I'm not sweet enough for them, huh?" She sheathed her sword, chuckling as she sat down. "Fine by me. I like things spicy anyway."

Marvin hovered by the door, wringing his hands. His eyes widened as Spark bounced over to greet him. Spark was such a friendly slime, but Marvin was so nervous all he could do was back away. He squeezed his eyes closed, mumbling something to himself that sounded like a protective chant.

Fiona sighed, grabbing Marvin by the collar. "Oh just come inside and sit down. You got the courage to leave the safe zone; be proud of that. Anything you do now is just the cherry on top."

"Th-thank you," he stammered. "It's only because I hired Velda to take me here."

"Kicking and screaming for some of it," Velda said with a grin. "He told me to get him here no matter what though and to ignore anything he said afterwards."

"That sounds terrifying," I said softly. "Why did you want to come here so badly?"

He blinked. "You said you'd help me get over my fears." He turned to Fiona. "And you said you'd help me protect myself."

Velda had called this his quest for courage, which made a lot more sense now. He was here to move past his fears so he could finally leave the safe zone and continue adventuring. This was a big moment, one I had to respect and do my best to help with. If he could get over his fears, maybe others would see how nice this cafe was too. That we were a place of comfort, not violence.

I picked up Matcha, cradling him in my arms as I approached Marvin. His eyes widened with each step I took and he kept scooting his chair back. I paused, waiting for him to calm down. He reminded me of a scared animal, easily startled and prone to fleeing.

"It's okay," I said. "We can take this slow."

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Fiona stood behind Marvin's chair. "But no more backing away. If this is really your choice, then you've gotta own it. Matcha is the nicest slime here, so you should say hello."

"That's the spirit!" Velda said, slamming her fist on the table. "You can do this Marvin. Don't make me take you back to the safe zone in defeat. You know they'll treat you even worse."

"I know that," he said, gaze locked on Matcha, "but that doesn't make this any easier!"

"If it helps," Fiona said, "Matcha's too small to eat somebody your size."

"Fiona!" I gasped as she clapped him on the shoulder with a grin.

Marvin actually seemed to straighten up at that though. "You're right. That slime is far too small to eat me. The other ones were way bigger."

Fiona raised her eyebrows at me, mouthing, "See?"

I rolled my eyes and walked up to Marvin. "Remember how I told you I knew a blue slime who drank so much tea that he evolved into a tea slime? This is him." Matcha wiggled in my arms, like he was proud of his evolution. "He's been with me since the tutorial zone and he's my very best friend. He takes care of me, so there's nothing for you to fear."

We all seemed to hold our breaths as Marvin studied the tea slime, nobody moving except for the slight bounce every slime did all the time.

"He-Hello, I'm Marvin." He held his hand out, fingers shaking. "Nice t-to meet you."

Matcha chirped, bobbing forward to tap his finger softly. Marvin squeaked and jerked his hand back, but Fiona held his chair firm so he couldn't fly out of the cafe. Matcha just kept bouncing, a big goofy slime smile on his face.

"Look at him, Marvin," I said, holding Matcha out to the man. "How can you be afraid of such a sweet smile? He likes to be pet, if you want to try that."

Velda barked out a laugh. "You are one crazy lady, but I kind of like it. This place might grow on me."

Marvin took a deep breath and reached out to the little slime. Even though his hands were still trembling, he dared to pat Matcha's head. The slime cooed, happy as can be.

"He's warm," Marvin whispered. "Like holding a cup of tea."

Matcha leaned into his hand, leaning even further when Marvin pulled away. I held on tight so he didn't fall right out of my arms while Marvin stared at his hand, moving it in the air like he was shocked it was still attached. Man, he must have really been terrified of slimes. I respected him even more for trying his best to befriend them. Or at least, not fear them as much.

"Good job, kid," Velda said. "Now show the baker what you brought her for the quest. My stomach's rumbling over here."

"Oh, right, I–" his voice choked up as Matcha careened out of my arms and landed in his lap! He flung his arms into the air, sweat beading on his face. "You said it wouldn't eat me! I'm not sweet, I promise. I'm stringy and dry and probably taste terrible."

"He's not trying to eat you," I said, "he's just very friendly, that's all. And apparently has no boundaries!" Matcha swayed back and forth, doing a little slime dance like he was so proud of himself. I shook my head, determined to teach him some slime manners at some point. "I'm sorry. I'll take him back if you want."

Matcha nuzzled up to Marvin like he absolutely wouldn't be letting that happen. I sighed. What had gotten into him?

"It's f-fine," Marvin forced out as he awkwardly lowered his arms. "I can handle this."

My eyebrows shot up as Fiona stepped out from behind his chair. If Marvin thought he could handle this, then I guess she didn't need to stop him from fleeing anymore. He had to stand on his own, to prove he could hold a slime without panicking. Maybe Matcha had known this was what he needed, a calm slime to chill with for a while. Matcha's green eyes slowly closed as he fell asleep in Marvin's arms. His little slime snores sounded like thunder in the silence that had suddenly filled my cafe.

"He's asleep?" Marvin whispered. "What now?"

Fiona patted him on the shoulder. "Now you sit there while Hazel cooks something delicious."

"I just have to sit here?" He gulped. "With a slime?"

I nodded. "Yup, think of it like training. Once you're so comfortable around him that you don't scream when he moves, then I'll introduce you to the others."

"You two are very kind," Velda said with a sigh. "People will take advantage of that. Be careful."

"That's why she's got me," Fiona said. "I'd never let that happen. Neither would the slimes."

Velda leaned forward. "How many does she have?"

I frowned. "Ummm....there are maybe a dozen dirt slimes, five fire slimes, Matcha, Boss, and a few others that come and go. So around 20?"

Marvin paled. "That's basically an army. You've got a slime army!"

"Of nice slimes," Fiona said. "Remember the nice part."

I gave Fiona a grateful smile. I hadn't thought about it like that before, but I couldn't really say he was wrong. Not that I'd ever use them like that, but the more slimes that joined us, the bigger a threat people would think they were. I had to be wary and not casually answer questions like that again. Maybe there was a way for us to show off the sanctuary aspect of this, proving that we meant no harm. We were just here for good food and leveling up, that was all.

Speaking of good food...

"Velda said you brought ingredients for the quest?" I asked. "What would you like me to make with them?"

"I'm not picky," he said, pulling ingredient after ingredient out of his item box. "I remembered you saying you needed ingredients from the safe zone, so I brought a few..."

"All of them," Velda said. "He brought all of the ingredients in the safe zone."

My eyes widened as flour, sugar, butter, cheese, chocolate chips, beef, chicken, salt, pepper, and more filled the table, piling higher and higher until I almost couldn't even see Marvin.

"You didn't need to bring all of this!" My mouth dropped open, staring at the treasure trove of goods on the table. "Let me pay you for it at least. I can't possibly cook you food worthy of all this."

Fiona leaned closer. "Well, you could try. That's how you make a profit."

Marvin scratched the back of his head, blushing. "I just wanted you to have options. You were so nice to me last time and I just wanted to repay that. And..."

I waited, but he didn't continue. I glanced at Velda, who sighed loudly.

"And the boy wants to stay here a while," she said. "He only paid me to bring him here, not to bring him back. So if you don't keep him, he'll be screwed."

She made it sound like he was a pet I should adopt or something. But he was a person! A person who was terrified of slimes!

"That's not true," Marvin said, shaking his head vehemently. "I'll gladly pay her to take me home too. Unless you like the idea of me staying?"

"Ummm, I'm not sure," I said slowly. "There are a lot of slimes here and I think you'd be pretty uncomfortable."

Not to mention he was basically a stranger and I didn't want him living in my cafe all of the sudden!

Marvin's blush deepened. "That's the idea. If I'm forced to be around them, I'll have to get better. R-r-right?"

I glanced at Fiona for help, but she just shrugged.

"I did tell him I'd help him protect himself," she said. "He can stay outside with me, if you want. We can turn the side yard into a camping area. I'll train up his fighting skills and you'll train up his slime skills."

"His slime skills?" I took a deep breath, trying to calm down and think about this rationally. He wanted to like slimes, so I should help him with that. But why did he have to stay here to do it? What would I even do with him? Wait. "If you're going to stay here, then I'm going to put you to work. You can learn about slimes while you tend the garden and help with customers."

He blinked. "You want me to work here?"

"Yup, this is a cafe," I said. "I'm sure I'll need help once things get busy. And once you're ready to leave, you can move on. Sound good?"

"Sounds very good, Miss Hazel!" Marvin almost jumped out of his chair, but froze when Matcha started rolling off his lap. He held the slime steady, which was more than I expected, before smiling. "See! I can handle this."

"I'm sure you can." I felt myself smiling back. Maybe this cafe could be useful in lots of different ways, all valid and important. "I appreciate any help you can give me."

Velda shook her head. "Far, far too kind. Take care of that one."

She directed that last part at Fiona, who nodded. "With my life."

How had today gone from finding customers to gaining a bodyguard and an employee? How was I even going to pay him? I guess it would have to be in food for now. The table was pretty full of ingredients to work with after all. And once business started booming, I could pay employees with gold too.

Fiona helped me carry the food into the kitchen so I could get to work, leaning over to whisper. "Think you'll ever serve normal customers? Or will you befriend them all and fix everyone's problems in the dungeon?"

"Guess we'll have to wait and see," I said with a grin. "Now go entertain them while I figure out what to make."

Spark poked out of the oven, flames dancing like he was just as ready as I was to get cooking. I rubbed my hands together. What should we cook today?