856 C-7, Rain Month 2, Moon 27
This might be the first time I’d ever seen someone who actually had portalphobia. Logically, I knew that everyone had a thing or two that they feared, but I never thought that I’d meet someone actually afraid of portals, especially not an elder dragon. I’d found it kind of cute, but in the interest of not putting her in a foul mood, I’d decided to keep my mouth shut.
In the next moment, she appeared from the portal and fell flat on her face.
“Oof!”
It reminded me of the cute sound she’d made when I’d hit her with my stun spell. Back then, I’d never expected that I’d be showing her around the school and eventually taking classes with her.
El quickly stood up and patted down her clothes. “Where’s the food?” she asked, looking around as if to distract me from her fall.
I’ll be nice and pretend I didn’t see you gloriously face-plant into the ground. “We can order it over there at that counter, and then we can sit at any of these tables.”
El looked around curiously. “This fits all the students?”
“Oh, no, this is just one of three dining halls. Though they’re not officially split up like this, the first and second years typically eat here, the third and fourth years eat in another one, and the fifth years eat in the third one. It’s not like the food’s different or anything, but I guess it’s kinda like a tradition of some sort, a rite of passage maybe?”
“Hmm. So what are the offerings here?”
“Well, they have all kinds of foods here. You can pretty much ask for anything.”
“Anything?” she asked, her mind clearly wandering to some kind of dish that would raise eyebrows.
“Maybe we should start with you just ordering the same thing as me,” I quickly suggested.
“If we can order anything though, I’d like to order various raw meats that I’ll cook to perfection with my flame. I’ll even share some. Be honored; this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. There’s no greater luxury than having a dragon cook your meats.” She grinned proudly. “They should have troll, right?”
“Sorry, troll?”
“Ugly-looking bastards with probably some of the most surprisingly tender and flavorful meat you’ll ever have. I’m thinking about getting at least some thick slices of their breast and thigh meat. Maybe a flank steak as well? What would you like?”
“Yeah, no. You should definitely just order what I get.”
She gave me a look of dissatisfaction but ultimately didn’t fight me too hard on it.
As we reached the counter, the goblin there smiled, calling out to me. “Late dinner, Karen?” she asked in her usual husky voice.
“Yeah, I’ve been a bit busy with new student orientation.”
“Oh, aren’t you a cute one,” she said to El. “Welcome to the school. What can I get you two?”
“Can I have an order of today’s special?” I asked. “Extra spicy.”
“Sure thing,” she said in a gruff voice. “What about you, young lady?” she asked El.
El glanced at me before speaking. “Tell me about your troll mea—”
“She’ll have the same, just no spice,” I quickly said, cutting her off.
The goblin nodded and called out to the kitchen, “Two specials, one extra spicy!”
I led El over to the pickup counter, and as we walked over, she began grumbling. I couldn’t really tell what she was saying exactly, but it was something about trolls being a delicacy. I found that really hard to believe though.
“What is this special you’ve ordered for us? And why is yours extra spicy?” El asked.
“You’ll find out soon enough. I don’t want to spoil the surprise,” I giggled. I remember the first time I gave Ca’al a bite of the extra spicy. I wonder if El will make as fun of a face as he did.
“Little known fact about me: I despise surprises,” she growled, unamused.
“Noted... Well, I guess there’s no real point keeping it a secret. Spiciness essentially refers to how hot the food feels in your mouth. It’s kinda like feeling fire in your mouth.”
“Fire? In the mouth? How novel,” El said sarcastically. “So, why isn’t mine extra spicy?”
“Spiciness is kinda different from fire. I’ve been told that my tolerance is a lot higher than most people, so even though I think most food tastes better spicy, I thought I should be better safe than sorry with your food.”
“Humph. You think an elder dragon can’t handle flames in our mouths? You ignoramus.”
I sighed. “As I said...spiciness is different from literal fire. If you want, you can try some of mine to see what I mean.”
El nodded with satisfaction. “Now tell me more about the contents of the special.”
“Well, it’s a dish that changes each day. Today, it’s a braised-sausage-and-cabbage dish with herbs and spices, along with a salad on the side.”
“Isn’t that too much vegetation?”
“It’s a normal amount for us, at least. But now that I think about it...elder dragon diets probably don’t have too many vegetables in them, do they?”
“The only vegetables I’ve ever ingested are the ones that my food had already ingested. They’re completely unnecessary for our nourishment.”
“Can you really get that big from just eating meat? My parents always said that I need to eat a balanced diet if I want to grow.”
Suddenly, El surveyed my body from top to bottom. “That doesn’t seem to have done you much good.”
“Hey!” I could feel my face getting warmer.
“You don’t seem very tall for your age. From what I’ve observed, you’re the shortest individual I’ve met so far.”
I let out a small sigh. “Oh, that’s what you meant. Well, you haven’t met many people yet. I’m average in height for my age and species.”
“Does that averageness apply to your bust and rear as well?” I could feel her scrutinizing my upper and lower body.
“Hey!”