Mira stood in the corner of the shop polishing a set of newly purchased daggers. While trying to set up the perfect showcase for them, she was interrupted by the sound of the bell. A man with golden blond curly hair stepped into the store, his eyes glowing a pearl white as he made his way towards Mira. The man wore an immaculate white coat with beautiful embroidery of what looks like a representation of the sun stitched at the front. A glassy golden trim outlined his coat, giving off the air of wealth and nobility. 

“A darkling, It’s been a while since I’ve seen a darkling. What are you doing here? Are you the new owner of this establishment?” the man said, in a quick but refined tone. 

“N-no,” Mira replied, setting down the daggers. “I work here.”

“And who is the owner?”

“Master Luke.”

“Ah, good to see that fool’s not dead,” the man said with a chuckle. “Is he here now?”

“Y-yes, he’s in the back.”

“Fetch him for me.”

Unsure how to process the request, Mira rushed to the back of the store. “Master Luke, someone is here to see you.”

“Who is it?”

“I don’t know, they never gave me a name, but he's dressed like a noble.”

Pondering who it could be, Luke placed an item he was examining on the table and made his way to the front of the shop.

“There you are,” the man said. “It’s been so long since you last visited. So I decided to visit you.”

Luke stood at the doorway, his gaze fixated on the man trying to remember who this was. “I’m not sure who you are? When was the last time we met?”

“Come now, you’re telling me you don’t remember your oldest patron?”

Like a slap in the face, Luke rushed over to the man. “Oh… it has been a long time,” Luke said, with a hesitant voice. “What brings you down to my shop?”

“Well, I was in the middle of watching a fantastic battle when I felt a hunger for those little friend bread you made me last time I was here. I decided to drop by to see if you could make more.”

“Oh, you're talking about donut holes. Those take a while to make.”

“Oh?”

“B-but, since you were last here, there’s been a lot of new foods I think you would enjoy. Mira,” Luke called, waving her over.

“Yes, Master Luke.”

“Mira, I want you to take my friend… uh… Lira. I want you to take Lira around town, show him some of the places we like to eat,” He said, looking back at the man. “You’re going to love it,  Mira here knows all the best places to eat.”

Grabbing Mira’s wrist, Luke pulled her towards the back of the room. “Keep him busy till sundown,” he said, placing a heavy bag, presumably filled with coins, into her hands. “Also don’t get on his bad side, treat him with the respect you would treat me.”

“Yes, Master Luke,” Mira said, placing the bag in her front pouch pocket. Walking over to the door, she slowly opened it, gesturing to Lira.

With a shrug, the man walked out of the store, following Mira as she hustled down the back alley behind the shop. “So, where are you taking me first?”

“Well, there’s this place that Master Luke loves to eat at, they sell this thing called a kebab. They’re right over there,” Mira said, pointing to a stall billowing with smoke. With a quick pace, she shuffled over to the vendor.

The man was a hardy looking fellow. He wore a shirt that was once white but now gray from the smoke. Across his shirt, he wore an old rugged apron that looked like it had been discarded by one of the blacksmiths. Over his head, he had a rag strapped across his head to keep any sweat from flowing in his eyes. 

The stall, compared to other food stalls, was smaller than usual due to the cramped nature of being in between two buildings. In the middle of the stall was a fire pit filled with wood and billowing smoke. Above the pit was a mesh of iron, something Mira though resembled chain mail. And above that was the thing she was here for. 

The sound of sizzling meat and dripping juices took Lira by surprise. There were six rows of sticks above this pit of fire. Each one filled with meat and an assortment of vegetables all slowly cooking at the edge of the pit.

“Ah, Mira, what can I get you?” The man offered.

“Can I get two.”

“You got it, you want the usual for yours?”

“Yes please,” she replied.

Grabbing one stick, the man handed it over to Mira, which she in turn handed over to Lira. Grabbing another stick, the man placed it towards the middle of the fire. Fanning a small opening near the bottom of the pit. A fire erupted from the middle, engulfing the meat stick as sparks of fire erupted from the juices hitting the wood. Holding it there for only a few seconds, the man quickly pulled it off, handing it to Mira.

Not waiting for Mira, Lira took a large bite out of his kebab. His head pulled back as the taste of perfectly cooked meat slithered down his throat. Getting to the next piece which was not meat, but some sort of mushroom. He slowly chomped away at the perfectly cut piece. The mushroom, which he thought was going to be bland, was filled with so much flavor. Not only had it absorbed the juices from the meat that it sat next too, but also the smoky flavor from the burning wood. While enjoying the taste of the now half-eaten kebab, he was broken out of his stupor by the sound of heavy crunching. Looking over to Mira, he could see that she had the same stick of meat he had, but hers was darker, more charred on the outside.

“Can I have one like hers?” Lira asked, finishing off his kebab.

“No problem,” the man said, quickly grilling up another stick. Handing it over the Lira, the man dug through a box next to him and pulled out several uncooked sticks and placed them in the open slot of the grill.

Taking another bite of the stick, Lira was once again surprised, as the same meat he had just eaten, now had a crunchy exterior consistency. “This is magnificent,” Lira proclaimed, wiping at his lips with this expensive-looking outfit.

“Oh, here,” Mira said, taking a brush sitting in the bowl of dark liquid and slathering it over Lira’s kebab. “You forgot the sauce.”

Unsure what to make of the weird-smelling liquid, Lira took a bite of both veggies and meat together and was stunned by how well this weird liquid complimented the food. “This is amazing, I must have more.”

“Sure,” the man said, pulling out more uncooked kebabs from the box next to him. “How many do you want?”

“All of them.”

“What?” Mira questions, looking over to Lira.

“Yes, I need them all, I wish to bring these back to my servant so that they may learn how to craft such delectable food.”

“Uh, sure, but it’s going to take a while to cook all these. Do you mind coming back in a bit?”

“So shall it be,” Lira proclaimed.

“So total for,” looking at the remaining kebabs in the box, “thirty-four kebabs. That’s going to be forty-four silver and twenty coppers.”

Rushing up to the man in a panic, as she was not expecting Lira to buy out the whole stall, she pulled out the bag of coin Master Luke had given her. Hoping he had given her enough, she pulled open the bag and was amazed to see nothing but golden coins. Taking one out, she handed it to the man.

Happy with the exchange, the man handed Mira back several silver coins along with giving Lira an excited handshake.

“So where to now?” Lira said, already walking ahead of Mira. “So many stalls to choose from, how does one know what is good?”

“Well, we have plenty of options. If you want more meat...”

“Yes, more meat,” Lira interrupted.

Only needing a few seconds to decide on her next location, Mira made her way towards the middle of town. Stopping at an open plaza, she hustled up and down the wide-open district hoping to get a glimpse of the person she was looking for. 

“Where are you taking us?” Lira asked, his voice still perfect compared to Mira’s muffled panting due to her work attire making it difficult to traverse the road.

“I'm trying to find the food cart.”

“What’s a food cart?”

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“It’s like a moving caravan filled with food.”

“Oh,” Lira said excitedly.

“There she is,” Mira pointed, walking up to a small green wooden trolley. “Hello, Len.”

“Why are you looking so tired?” A woman dressed in dark brown pants with a dull cream top said. 

“Oh, an elf, no not and elf, half-elf,” Lira said. “Are you the one serving our meat-based dish?”

“Sorry Len,” Mira let out, “This is Master Lira, acquaintance to Master Luke. I’m taking him around town to try out some food.”

“Oh, why didn't you say so. You won't find a better burrito than mine,” she said with a practiced voice.

“What is this bull-ri-to you refer to.”

“You don't know what a burrito is? It’s basically meat with different toppings rolled inside a piece of bread.”

“Like a meat pie?”

“Not really, it's better if you just had one,” Len said, taking out a piece of flat white bread and placing it on a metal surface. Placing her hands over the metal top, she channeled her power into the trolley causing it to slowly heat up. Quickly grabbing the piece of bread, she slapped it on the metal surface, turning it with each hit. After a few seconds of heating the bread, she opened a large metal lid that was set into the trolley. With a spoon, she scooped out a large portion of meat and smothered it over the bread. “What toppings do you want? I have rice, cheese, and a bunch of vegetables to choose from.”

“What do you usually get?” Lira asked, leaning over to Mira.

“Oh you want the Mira special,” Len said, pointing to a wooden plaque at the front of her cart. Taking out another piece of bread, she heated this one and placed it next to the bread, overlapping them just a bit. Taking two additional scoops of meat, she evenly spread them across the two pieces of bread. Taking out a block of cheese that was stowed in a small box, she cut several small pieces and showered them over the meat. With dexterous hands, she quickly rolled the bread and meat contraption into a firm log shape. Taking the abomination of a burrito, she handed it over to Lira with her trademark smile. “Careful it's hot.”

Without hesitation, Lira took a large bite of the burrito and was assaulted by the explosion of flavor packed into an oddly shaped food. “This angers me,” he said, his eyes turning a faint red. “This bur-ri-to has been under my thumb all this time, and none of my servants has told me of its existence.”

“Makes sense,” Len said. “Many nobles I tried to serve this too said it was barbaric. They didn't like the idea of eating something without a spoon or fork. They also said it was a filthy food because it tended to drip all over the place if improperly made.”

“Nonsense,” Lira said, waving away Len’s comments. “This bur-ri-to is worthy of many accolades. I was never too fond of elves, but you're the first to have my praise.”

“Thank you?” Len said, unsure if she should take that as a compliment.

“I must know your process?”

“Sorry but that’s a secret,” Len said. “There are a lot of vendors in town each one always trying to one-up each other. If I went around telling people how to make my burritos then I would be out of business within a day.”

“If that’s the case, why don't you come work for me?”

“Thanks for the offer, but my place is here. I have a family I need to take care of, and friends that I would hate to leave,” Len said, looking over to Mira.

“Well then, I will need to make it a priority to visit you more often, but for now, I would like to purchase as many of these bur-ri-tos as you can make.”

“R-r-really?”

“Yes,” Mira said with a smile as she pulled out the bag of gold. “How much is it going to cost?”

“Do you want them all to be Mira Specials?”

Pondering for a second, Lira looked at the wooden board of menu options. “I would like a selection of all of these.”

“Sure can do,” Len said. Opening the pot of meat, she briefly examined the amount, which was still very full as she had just opened for business. “That's going to be two gold and four coppers.”

Taking out the required amount, Mira happily placed it in Len's hand.

“You sure you don't want one? You already paid for all the ingredients.”

“No, we just had a kebab a little while ago. I also have other places I want to take Lira, and your food always leaves me with no room.”

“I wonder why?” Len said, looking at the monstrosity of a burrito Lira had amazingly finished. With a friendly laugh, they waved at each other, as Mira walked to their next decision while Len completed the rest of the orders.

“Where to now?”

“If you're still not full...”

“I’m never full,” Lira interjected.

“If that’s the case, do you want to go to another place that sells meat?”

Lira was about to open his mouth but thought about it for a bit. “Your last two choices were excellent, take me to the place you deem most worthy.”

“Really?” Mira said with a wide smile on her face. “There's this place that Master Luke and I rarely go to since it's very expensive, but since you insist.” Pacing to the next location, Mira pointed out several other shops on the way that Lira might enjoy on his next visit. “That place over there sells amazing deep-fried chicken. I would eat it every day if I could, but Master Luke told me it would be very bad for my health. Oh, and over there, that place sells this thing called french fries, it’s a potato cut into small strings and fried in animal fat. It sounds disgusting, but it's super good.”

“I’m curious, how did all these new recipes emerge?”

“I’m not exactly sure, but I’ve heard a few rumors floating around. Some of the new dishes came from Master Luke himself. He likes to make new dishes when guests come by, and whenever someone asks him for the recipe he would always tell them without any hesitation. Another source of all these new dishes is from the south. I’m not exactly sure what city, but my friend Len told me that her recipe originated from a trader coming from Vinesburough. He came to the city with a few burritos wrapped up as traveling food. When he stopped at an inn to eat one, the innkeeper was curious and traded him a night stay for one. After several failed attempts, he was able to copy the recipe, though not perfectly. The recipe has been passed around, and that’s when Len picked it up.

“Interesting,” Lira said with a nod. “So how much further until we get to the next destination?”

“Not too much longer, it's located at the center of the upper quarters next to a boutique.” After a bit of a walk, Mira stopped at a large pastel pink and yellow-colored building. Entering the shop, Lira wondered if this place even sold food. Multiple large copper vats sat on a large counter with different weird-looking knobs attached to them. Behind the counter were multiple shelves housing different colored potions.

“Welcome to Mystical Treats, what may I serve you today?” A gorgeously dressed woman said, her gown sparking with the same pastel pink as the building. 

“We would like two orders of your ice cream,” Mira said.

“And what flavor would you like?”

Scanning an ornately carved wooden plaque that hung on the sidewall, Mira pointed at one of the options. “I will have the leive berry. Lira, do you like any of the options?”

“Let’s see,” he said, walking up to the board. “So many to choose from. What if I just get them all?”

“I don’t think that's a good idea,” Mira said. “If you got all of them, it would ruin the flavor.”

“Then I will go with dartin, I do love the wine it’s made from.”

“Very well, please be patient while we prepare your food,” the woman said, ushering the two to a small round porcelain table at the center of the store.

 Walking to the back shelf, the woman pulled off two potion bottles, each one presumably containing the chosen flavors. Walking back to the counter, she unscrewed the lid of the copper vat and poured in a thick white liquid from a vase sitting underneath the counter. Adding a dash of the liquid from the potion flask, she closed it and tightly screwed the lid back on. Stepping over to another vat, she did the same thing, but this time pouring in the other potion. Calling over another woman from the back, they both placed their hands on the containers and murmured a spell. White cloud spewed from a small nozzle at the top of each pot which slowly poured onto the floor causing a mini fog bank to form.

Even though this was Mira’s third time seeing this, she was still astounded by the process. If she had the magical aptitude to conjure up such magic, she would have tried to make herself one ages ago. 

After a minute of this, the woman grabbed a knob that was set into the lid. Making slow precise rotations, she churned the mixture while also keeping her other hand channeling magic into the vat. After several more minutes, she looked visibly tired as she let go of the container. Wiping her hands with a cloth towel under the table, she slowly and carefully unscrewed the lid. Grabbing a glass goblet along with a large wooden spoon, she scooped out the content making sure they were nicely fitted into the cup. 

Grabbing the cup from her companion, she smoothly sauntered over to the table and placed them in front of the two. “Enjoy,” she said, motioning to the cups while placing two ornate looking spoons atop a finely weaved cloth. Each glass was filled with an oddly colored looking substance; Mira’s was a bright purple, while Lira’s was a pale cream-colored.

“Thank you,” Mira replied, grabbing her spoon with anticipated delight. 

“So what is this?” Lira asked, also grabbing his spoon.

“I’m not too sure,” Mira said. “When I asked Master Luke, he told me it was like finely shaved snow.”

Unsure what to make of Mira’s description, Lira gently took a half spoon full for the frozen treat. Placing it in his mouth, he was taken away, mentally and physically, by the texture and flavor of this odd ice cream.

Mira, not wanting to be left behind also took a spoon full, but unlike Lira, hers were much larger. “This is so good,” she said, pressing her hands over her cheeks. 

“If I may, can I try some of your?” Lira asked.

“Sure,” Mira said, pushing her cup closer to him.

Taking a bite, Lira perked up at how much sweeter hers was compared to his. “This one is so much sweeter and a lot smoother.”

“What do you mean?”

“Please,” he said, pushing his cup in front of her.

Taking a bite of Lira’s ice cream, what surprised her was not the flavor but the somewhat chalky texture, but not in a bad way. It was dull in flavor compared to her’s but was packed with a very soothing aroma. “That is odd,” she noted.

“I can explain that,” the woman behind the counter said. “Miss, you ordered leive berry which we extract the juices from giving the ice cream a smooth and concentrated taste. Yours, on the other hand, was made from dartin, a root found commonly in the forest. Extracting flavor from a root is not an easy task, so we ground the root into an extremely fine paste which we add into the ice cream. The paste causes the ice cream to adhere to a completely different texture which, like you, is widely enjoyed by adults whereas children prefer the sweeter flavors.”

“I see,” Lira said, unaware that he had just hit the bottom of his goblet.

“I already know what you're going to say,” Mira said, “but taking a bunch of ice cream to go is like grabbing a bucket of snow. It will quickly melt if not eaten quickly.”

“Oh,” Lira said, somewhat saddened. “In that case, why don't we get one more to go?”

With an enthusiastic nod, Mira agreed, quickly finishing her glass as she noticed that the sun had already faded from the sky. Paying the exorbitant six gold eight silver, the two made their way back to the other vendor. Purchasing a large woven basket, they stacked all of the burritos to one side, and the kebabs to the other.

Getting back to the Golden Sink General Store, Mira happily greeted Luke.

“So how was the trip?”

“Worthy of a god,” Lira said.

“I’m glad. Here, I made you your donut holes, along with the accompanying donuts,” Luke said, slamming down a large basket on the counter. 

“Along with my other goods, this will make a fine feast. I must repay you for such fine hospitality.”

“No, it’s fine,” Luke insisted.

“Nonsense, this day has opened my eyes to such great possibilities. I must repay in kind,” he said, clasping his hands.

“No, no, no, no, no, no,” Luke tried to hurriedly say, before being blasted back by a small explosion. “Uhhhhhhhhhh.”

The sound of a heavy thump sounded as Lira toppled across the floor. Rushing over to him, Luke held him up by his head.

“Hey, are you ok?” Luke said, tapping at his face. “Looks like he’s passed out.”

“What just happened?” Mira asked, looking around the room and seeing that the baskets of food had disappeared.

“Uuuh,” Luke let out. “ You may not know this, but gods can walk amongst us, taking over the bodies of their worshippers. The person that was with you this whole time was not Lira, but Liramos, the god of hunger and thirst.”

“I’ve never heard of a god of food before,” Mira said, taking the news quite calmly.

“No, he is not a god of food, he’s the god of war. He does not hunger for food, he hungers for battle, and the thirst he has is for blood. In peaceful times like these, he gets a bit angsty. I usually invite him out for food and drink because for his namesake, that somewhat quells his needs for hunger and thirst. Come help me carry this man over to the bed, we have a lot of work tonight.”

“Why is that?”

“We need to take down every weapon in the shop. They have all been blessed by Liramos, and people that wield his weapon get the same hunger for battle.”