The next morning, Syl came out of her room already prepared to head out. She was wearing her high-level cloth/defense equipment and had already arranged her space so it was easier for her to find the important things.
She held the doorknob of her room, but her hands paused, feeling a bit heavy. After she left this Inn, she’d be facing a lot of adversaries again...
Her eyes flickered, but she turned it anyway. She had already rested enough. She had allowed herself to breathe for too long.
She blinked, however, when she was greeted with a fresh and savory scent as soon as she opened the door.
She saw that the table was already filled with food, and Finn was already seated and smiling in her direction. The cute pet was also on the table already, obviously impatient to eat.
Have they been waiting for her?
Finn stood up and pulled back the chair next to him. "Let’s have breakfast before you go."
Her red eyes stayed on his face for a moment before she did as she was told.
The food was different from the previous night’s. It was sliced tuber, golden and soft, and there was meat and some other toppings. It looked simple, but the sight of it stimulated the stomach.
"It’s called Roasted Thornroot with Sweetened Citrus drizzle, with some meat at the side."
Syl took her cutlery and started eating as well. Her red eyes once again widened slightly as the delicious flavors touched her tongue.
It started out earthy and filling, followed by the zesty and herbal taste of the greens, adding a sharp sparkle in her taste buds.
Not including the food’s effects on her health, the pleasure the taste and flavor gave her— a cold person—was already unusual, let alone to other people.
She wondered if Finn knew how special his food was.
The trio ate deliciously, but slowly, chatting about a few things. (Well, Finn was doing most of the talking, while Pang also made a lot of commentaries while he asked for seconds, or thirds).
The inevitable could not be delayed, however. Syl had a lot on her plate (no pun intended), and her responsibilities lay elsewhere. Finn was curious about them, but he knew they were not that close yet, so he could only send her off with well wishes and a lot of food.
"It is time for me to leave now..." she said, voice a bit lower than usual. Finn sighed, also feeling sad.
Pang chewed his food while watching the two alternatively. Something slimy was going on, but he couldn’t point out what it was.
Suspicious...
"Before you go, I prepared these for you," he said, showing a little box made of leaves. It was quite creative, and using leaves to make small boxes was something she had only seen among commoner elven families back home.
However, those were much plainer than this one, as she had come to realize when Finn showed how they worked.
"These are surgefern leaves," he said, lifting up the small box slightly bigger than his hands. He put his other hand over it and lifted part of the leaf, which seemed to be a lid of sorts. "I checked and they’re pretty neutral. It also adds a special scent to the food."
While the surgefern, according to the description, ’feeds off the poison’ of the sapsurge trees, it wasn’t actually poisonous. It breaks it down and emitted a scent that would push insects and beasts away.
For humans, this scent was not bad. As a lunchbox, it was a great way to reduce (even if only slightly) his food’s attractiveness to beasts.
It was also the largest leaf type available within the barrier, so he was using it like a banana leaf. As a chef who had been through several restaurants and had a passion for exploration, he had studied the art of wrapping food with leaves because it added to the experience and the taste of the food.
Not to mention, he had to come up with a lunchbox because the utensils and plates, et cetera, from the kitchen could not be taken out of the barrier. They were like Pang, in a sense.
The food in these boxes was all snacks with relatively long shelf lives. They were also essence food that could, hopefully, help her out.
The first box was filled with jerky. He added different flavorings there, too. One was a bit sweet, marinated in fruit, while the other was more salty, and so on.
The next was filled with thornroot snacks like French fries, chips, and hash browns. They were seasoned as best as he could, considering what he had.
Another one—thicker and multiple layered with leaves—had jam. They were formed into a triangular shape instead of a cubic box, so that Syl just had to cut off the tip, and the viscous liquid would come out.
They were to add sweetness to her days. He had a feeling that she’d be facing some hardship after leaving, and—as his first customer and someone who helped them out so much—he wanted to give her some comfort even if they were apart.
To get the materials for these and to prepare them, he woke up quite early and went around and farmed nearby resources. Sure, he was almost bitten by a random beast that appeared, but he managed to get back in the barrier just in time.
Syl blinked, staring at him. She realized he had woken up early to prepare all of this, including breakfast.
Her eyes shook a bit, and she felt warm, so warm. "You are... very kind."
"It’s just a bit of help. You’ve done much more for me, and for this Inn," he said, smiling cheekily. "I hope it will help energize you, help you focus on your task—whatever it is you are facing."
He then raised his hand and gently patted her silver hair. "If you get tired, remember you can always return here," he said.
"You will always have the ’first customer’ discount."
...
Finn watched as she left, graceful and beautiful, but his trained eyes could tell she was flustered.
He chuckled.
He watched as she finally exited the barrier and soon went deep into the forest. It was also around this time that he received the long-awaited Ding! Sounded in his mind.
[Customer Successfully Checked Out. Review: Excellent and Heartwearming.]
[Received! 100 Hearth Points]
[Received Good Review! Bonus 100 Hearth Points Received!]
[Active Mission ’Welcome your first paying guest!’ Completed!]
[Received! 500 Hearth Points]
[Hearth Market now Available!]