The sun has risen fully before the first of my kinsmen make their way out of the tunnel entrance, doubtless drawn out by the smell of a prepared breakfast being fanned inside by the slightly chilly breeze. From the darkness shining blue lights slowly bob forth to coalesce into the familiar forms of stocky, bearded dwarves and the usually taller, but sometimes shorter forms of demis who ranged from burly to wiry in body.

As usual, it is the younger apprentices who make their way towards my cooking fire with eager grins and boisterous chatter filling up the formerly quiet ambience of my little breakfast station. A young dwarf whose beard only barely covers his face does his best to remain stoic as our kind are to do, but yelps when the two bird demis at his side chirrup happily at the sight of bowls being prepared and dart ahead of him at a sprint.

Sukhoi Oreson longingly watches the feathery haired twins Chi and Cho run forward before they stop, turn around, and rush back in an attempt to pull their friend towards the waiting food faster. The dark haired and eyed dwarf flushes and grumbles under his breath at the canaries before stumbling and looking backwards at his father with a betrayed look as he is dragged along.

Behind him, Journeyman Orlahn rolls his eyes before settling back into an easy conversation with a canary demi who shares the same shade of yellow hair and eyes her son and daughter do. Journeywoman Chacha Sweetsong giggles to herself with a bright smile and uses a down covered arm to lightly slap the back of the older dwarf whose tar black beard shakes in mirth.

And finally just as the youngsters make their way to the washing station, the oldbeards arrive at the mine entrance. Unlike the younger Dhurger, these Master Miners say little and remain unaccompanied by demi companions, carrying only small trinkets of faded feathers or fur. Still relatively youthful for our kind, the middle aged dwarves do a final, quiet headcount before shutting off their lanterns and sliding their tools in their belts within easy reach.

The eldest among them, Foreman Horvul Oreson breathes deeply to himself, rubs a calloused thumb over a grey feather charm and offers his thanks to the spirits of the mine before making his way to the end of the line of our kinsmen who are already washing dirty hands and wiping dusty faces with wet cloth.

Mable had already left to continue her deliveries some minutes ago, but serving twenty people isn’t difficult for someone with as much practice as myself.

“Keeper Yums! What did you make today? Something good?” Chi wonders aloud as she frets energetically to rub her fluffed down into place as her brother squawks to wipe down the still smudged face of the excitable canary demi.

“Nothing good if you keep poking fun at Ironhand’s name.” Sukhoi grunts and lightly taps a fist against the flighty girl’s helmet, causing her to yelp as the steel implement covers her eyes.

“Hey Yum,” The young dwarf says in the correct pronunciation before taking the offered bowl and hunk of bread from myself. “Boring shift?”

“Nothing worth noting.” I said, lightly tapping my unfired breechloading rifle with a fond roll of my eyes and passing another bowl to the cheerful canary girl. “It’s not like anything smart enough to get past the walls would be dumb enough to try its luck with a Dhurger. And it’s just the usual stuff Chi, winter isn’t quite over yet.”

“Usual is still good! Thanks Yums!”

The girl flits away before I can respond with my usual, dry response correcting her how to pronounce my given name.

Bah.

“The elders still worried about Feral sightings?” Cho correctly intuits at the lack of fresh ingredients with a cocking of his head.

“As they should be.” Sukhoi’s father, Orlahn nods and places his hands on the shoulders of the two teenagers. “This is the first time Ferals have ever been sighted so close to the edge of the forest, they are right to forbid entry into the woods for the time being. Now go on and leave the Hearthkeeper to his task.”

Cho nods with a small frown mirrored by the younger dwarf for differing reasons.

“Yes Oathfather.” “As you say Father.” The two boys say, picking up their food and heading towards their sister and friend who is excitedly waving them towards their usual eating spot.

Orlahn watches them go with a soft snort, easily accepting his portion when his Oathsister Chacha makes her way forward and bumps her shoulder against and sends a wink my way.

“Don’t worry too much about it dear. I swear you could find a way to make tree bark and mud taste good if you had to. Not that you’ll need to, I’m sure you’ll be allowed to go gathering in the forest soon enough.”

“I’m not that good at my job Miss Chacha.” I drawl, ladling an extra heap of mushrooms and meat into her bowl. “But I do enjoy being flattered by a beautiful woman.”

“Oh you~ such a sweetheart our Hearthkeeper is, isn’t he Orl?” Chacha titters, dancing around the elder dwarf who snorts good naturedly and bats at her with a spoon taken from his mouth and ambles along after her.

And so do various tidbits of conversation occur between myself and the miners, many of which come back for seconds. Eventually the miners finish their meals with soft sighs of contentment and continued conversations as they wash their utensils and a few are assigned to help me clean the cookware.

With many grateful exclamations or muttered thanks, the miners once more head in to continue their work and I make my own way back into town proper where my kinsmen are likely already being served breakfast in the dining hall.

While I don’t have any apprentices yet, there isn’t anything complicated about a self serve buffet and the only thing I need to see to is preparation for a cold cut sandwich bar for lunch and see how my bean fermentation projects are coming along.

There must be something like a soybean in this world. I can live without tofu just fine even if I love the stuff, but no soy sauce?

No doenjang or miso?

Call me an Isekai/Rebirth/Dimensional Traveler stereotype all you want, but past life demands satisfaction in the form of common east asian cuisine.

I don’t care if I have to start cultivating plants from scratch, but I will introduce a taste from my original home even it takes all the centuries of my dwarven lifespan to do it.