“Relaxation, mostly,” Malissa said. “We’re hoping to kick our feet back for a little. Have you been here long?”

“You could say that,” the man said, chuckling. “I’m Argus, by the way. I’ve already caught two of your names…”

“I’m Arek,” Arek said. He then nodded towards Malissa. “And this is Malissa.”

“A pleasure,” Argus said, but he glanced at Arek a second longer than he needed to before speaking. “If relaxation is what you’re looking for, I’m sure you’ll find it. The Floating Cities are one of the top vacation spots in the kingdom for a reason.”

“So we’ve started to gather,” Malissa said. “We’ve got a week. Any recommendations?”

“Depends on how much coin you have,” Argus said. He paused as a waitress stepped through the crowd with a plate stacked high with plates practically bursting with food. The woman swept around the table, setting them down gently before the group before disappearing back into the crowd. “I can give some suggestions after you all eat.”

Arek looked down at the plate of stew that had been placed before him. The broth was creamy and rich, with large chunks of juicy meat floating within it. He licked his lips and picked up the large wooden spoon, raising it to his lips and tipping it back.

The savory broth coated his throat as flavor danced across his tastebuds. The broth had been perfectly imbued with fatty meat and aromatic vegetables. It had so much flavor in it that Arek could hardly believe this was still just stew. It was like the meat within it was from an alien that didn’t exist upon the mortal plane.

“What is this?” Arek asked, his eyes widening as he took another spoonful and inspected it. “It’s positively decadent.”

“Aged wyvern steak,” Argus replied.

“No way,” Malissa said. “We had wyvern recently, and it tasted nothing like this. Granted, it was good – but nothing like whatever this meat is.”

“Ah,” Argus said, chuckling. “I assume you mean wild wyvern. The Floating Cities raise their own. They employ a special technique to ensure that the meat is marbled perfectly and the monsters don’t get too much exercise. This ensures the perfect cut of meat.”

“That’s… very impressive,” Arek said, taking another spoonful of the flavorful soup. “How do you know about this? And is it possible to buy this meat?”

“They offer tours,” Argus replied. “And you can buy it, but it isn’t cheap. A single cut often goes for several gold.”

Ming polished her soup off and smacked her lips, pushing the bowl back and scanning the room for the waitress to get another serving.

“I’m suddenly very glad this is complimentary,” Malissa said. “I’m not sure we could afford Ming sitting in this restaurant if we had to pay.”

“Indeed,” Arek said, but his words were halfhearted. He was completely concentrated on the dish before him. Arek examined the broth again, his brow furrowing in concentration. “The only special technique is the meat?”

“As far as I’m aware,” Argus said.

“But the flavor difference is so significant,” Arek muttered. “I know that there are differing qualities of steak, but this is on a different plane. I can’t even imagine what this would taste like if it was a normal steak. My own recipe wouldn’t even hold a candle to it. Can the quality of the meat really make that much of a difference?”

“Ah. I was wondering why you wore a chef hat,” Argus said. “You’re a cook?”

“I am,” Arek confirmed before taking another taste of the meal, trying to piece together what was in it. He could make out the individual vegetables and flavors in the broth – but not all of them. The decadent, rich base that pulled everything together eluded him.

“You might enjoy some of the events the city has,” Argus said. “All of our chefs guard their recipes closely, but they’re willing to share.”

“Oh?” Arek asked, tearing his gaze away from the meal and looking up at Argus with raised eyebrows.

“Every chef in the First City accepts challenges,” Argus said. “If you can put on a good showing, many chefs will share their secrets with you. You aren’t expected to beat them, of course. In fact, it wouldn’t even be possible to beat several of our chefs. But if you’re good, you have a chance at impressing them.”

“You’ve got my attention,” Arek said, licking his lips. “How do I find these chefs?”

“They prefer to take challenges in the morning, before the crowds really rush in. They don’t get challenged much anymore, so I’m sure they’ll be overjoyed to see another opportunity to show off.”

“Why don’t they get challenged?” Belmont asked, politely finishing his meal and setting his spoon down.

“Some people are just sore losers,” Argus replied with a dismissive shrug. “I wouldn’t worry about it. If you’re confident in your abilities to cook, you’ll be fine.”

“I’ll have to look into it,” Arek said. “Thank you for letting me know. If all the chefs here are like this, I fear I am direly outclassed. There isn’t much I wouldn’t do to learn from masters that can cook like this.”

Argus just nodded politely.

“You said you’ve been here a long time,” Ming said, glancing up at Argus. “What do you do here?”

“I’m something of a temporary employee,” Argus replied. “I help manage the Arena. We have sanctioned combat nightly, and there are some fantastic prizes for winning.”

“Interesting,” Malissa said, wiping her mouth with a napkin and setting it aside. “A temporary gig here sounds like quite the blessing. I can’t imagine living like this every day.”

“It has its perks,” Argus said with a low chuckle. He rose to his feet and inclined his head politely to the group. “I hope you’ll excuse me. I have duties to attend to. Please drop by the Arena at some point during your stay. I’ll ensure you get front row seats.”

The large man raised his hand and strode out of the tavern, leaving the Happy Sunflowers watching his back.

“Interesting guy,” Malissa said. “Anyone else get the feeling he was hiding something?”

“You beat me to it,” Belmont said, curling his nose. “Let’s get a better understanding of the city before we start dropping by any Arenas. One step at a time.”