Book 5: Chapter 25 (1/2)
Cold sweat ran down Helden’s back. In front of him, there was a table made of dirt. Despite the material of the furniture, it looked like it belonged in the kitchen of royalty. Intricate designs were carved along the side of the table, and the edges were lined with a thin layer of gold. On top of the table, there were a few plates made of ice, something the humanoid dragon had conjured out of thin air with a wave of his hand. On the plates, there was a lavish display of food, none of which had ingredients that could be found in the nearby forest.
Helden watched as the humanoid dragon, Vur, ignored the chopsticks and picked up a piece of sushi with his bare hands. Vur shoved the piece of rice and fish into his mouth and chewed twice before swallowing. His brow furrowed, causing Helden to gulp. “You’re supposed to dip the sushi”—he pointed at the plate of food Vur had retrieved the sushi from—“into the soy sauce.” He pointed at the small bowl placed in front of Vur. “If you want it to be spicy, you can mix the wasabi, the green paste, into the sauce.”
Vur dropped a wad of wasabi into the soy sauce and mixed it with his finger. When he was done, he licked his finger clean. His eyes brightened, and he exhaled out two jets of smoke from his nostrils. He nodded to himself and picked up another piece of sushi. He dipped it into the sauce and shoved it into his mouth. After he finished chewing and swallowing, he glanced at Helden. “Not bad.”
Helden exhaled. “I’m glad you like it. I can make this for you whenever you want.”
Stella flew down from Vur’s shoulder and landed by the bowl of soy sauce. She dipped her finger inside and retrieved a droplet. She put it in her mouth, and her eyes widened. “It feels like my face is on fire!” She wrinkled her nose and shivered, trying to send the uncomfortable sensation away to no avail.
Vur ignored Stella and munched on the sushi. The rest of Generis Squad was standing around, not daring to make a sound as Vur ate. When he was done with the sushi, he moved on to the next plate. He grabbed a bowl of cloudy liquid off of it and glanced at Helden. “What do I eat this with?”
“That’s miso soup,” Helden said. “There’s no special way to eat it. It’s consumed like regular soup or stew.”
Vur downed the bowl in one gulp. “A little bitter,” he said and smacked his lips. “I think Tafel will like this.”
“Vur!” Stella flew over and poked her head into the bowl, but it was completely empty. “You didn’t save any for me!” Before Vur could respond—or eat any more—she flew to the next dish and hovered over it, keeping herself between the bowl and Vur.
“Those are ramen noodles,” Helden said. His face twitched when Vur shoved his hand inside the bowl and pulled out a few strands of noodles. “You’re supposed to use the chopsticks to…, never mind.” He wasn’t going to tell a humanoid dragon how to eat. If the dragon wanted to be a barbarian, he was going to let it be a barbarian.
“Ooh,” Stella said. She licked her fingers clean. “This is pretty good.” Her eyes shone as she stared at Helden. “You can take food out whenever?”