Book Four – Chapter Five – Part Seven – Surrounded by Love

“Oh my… Claire, this is utterly amazing! Not in my wildest dreams have I ever thought it was possible to stuff a mushroom…”

“I’m glad to hear you’re such a fan of it, Srassa,” Claire said will a partly full mouth. Her favorite aspect was biting right down the thickest part of the cap and drowning her tongue in an ecstasy of flavor…

“Ah… Why… Why is it all gone…?” Momo whispered in a defeated tone. She stared at an empty bowl… It was gone…

All gone…

There wasn’t even a spec of cheese left on the plate…

The Singi had even licked that plate completely clean, and she wasn’t alone. Srassa, Servi, and Claire… The former and latter, at least, were stunned into depression at having to devour their entire snack in what felt like seconds. “I swear I had like eight in this bowl, but… They so good…” Momo honestly felt a bit upset, even though it was childish to think that way because there was more food coming momentarily.

“I… I really should have made more…” Claire confessed. The sudden, dramatic atmosphere was swept away with the intensity of a hurricane’s winds as she stood up. The Elf grabbed the cute mittens Momo had used and brought the pot of stew over to the table. She placed it right down in the middle, and Claire announced it was done. She asked for the girls’ bowls and began to dish out a hearty helping.

The very first thing Momo saw was just how yummy the broth looked. Even from sight alone, she knew it was creamy and possibly even more delicious than the mushrooms. The cubed chicken was obviously the star of the show, but the carrots, celery, and other veggies and spices weren’t wallowing in laziness.

“This… This doesn’t look like any chicken stew I’ve ever had…” Srassa said. She poked at the chicken with a spoon and tilted her head.

“Should I take that in a good way? Or a bad way?” joked Claire.

“Ah! No, I don’t mean any disrespect. It just looks so colorful… Is this what...real stew should look like?”

“What you’re seeing there is flavor. Pure, pure flavor. The secret is letting it simmer. That allows the broth to get nice and thick, and the deliciousness gets packed together.”

“That’s another thing. The stew the cooks make at my house is runny, like water. And what they bring out is just downright dull when compared to what I see…”

“All this praise is going right to my head… Haha!! But if you think it just looks good,” Claire said while grinning. She brought a full spoon to her mouth and very gently blew on it. Then it disappeared inside her mouth, and her expression said it all. If she had a tail, it would certainly be trying to break the chair. Because of that, her lovely pointy ears had to take over and twitch. Pure enjoyment filled her face, and she quickly went back in for a second spoonful.

The other three girls began to chow down, and Srassa had nothing but endless praise after each bite. Claire did her best to positively respond, but the truth of the matter was that she was starving. She worked right through lunch to get off on time, and the snack she had only a moment prior was only the second thing she had eaten all day.

The thickened stew was perhaps a bit too chunky, a mistake by the gluttonous Elf since she had forgotten the starch from the potatoes would help in that matter. On the flip side, the potatoes were wonderfully flavored by the extra simmering time. The carrots were a popular hit with Momo, who saved the star of the meal for last.

Srassa favored the broth more than anything and commentated that it would be the perfect meal for a snowy winter evening. “Drinking the stock by itself? My cousin has a flask with a thick cap that functions as a cup. He mainly used it for his liquor, but I don’t see why it isn’t possible to make one a little bit bigger. Might be a pain to carry, but isn’t that what Dimensional Storage is for?” Claire said. She wiped her pretty, stained lips with a nearby cloth and drank some water.

The evening continued in earnest, then simmered down into the casual, fun party it was supposed to be. That was only when the stew was devoured, and that impossible feat was accomplished by Servi and her literal endless stomach. Each time Claire asked if anyone wanted seconds, Servi raised her hand. Did she mean to? Momo didn’t know. She thought it was likely Servi was just responding to a question asked by her friend without thinking it through.

“Just… Where does she put it?!?!” Srassa exclaimed. She could only handle one and a half bowls. Momo clocked out a full two helpings, and Claire managed two and a half. But Servi? The nearly mute girl seemed like she had the hungering spirit of Abaddon living inside her belly.

“That’s… That’s almost half the pot… I made enough for ten bowls… Momo, please don’t lie to me… Are you sure you two are eating enough?!” Claire turned to the shocked Singi and placed a pair of hands on her shoulders.

“I swear we are. I honestly don’t know where she puts it all,” said Momo. It took some extra work to fully convince Claire and Srassa that she wasn’t starving for anything. The latter even offered to use her vast wealth to assure her friends wouldn’t go hungry. “That’s nice, but I swear we’re doing fine. We still have a lot of money saved up from when we went questing. Besides, the play Servy’s in is a paid job. So she’ll get some money on the 24th.”

“Fine… But if you are ever hungry, or if you need anything all, you can come to me.”

“And me as well. My kitchen is always open for you three,” added Claire with a wink. She brought the empty pot over to the sink and grabbed her cute mittens. Momo trailed behind her with four bowls in her hand, and Srassa placed a hand over Servi’s finger. The noble’s skin was as soft as ever, even when regarding the lumpy callouses on her hand.

“Servi, Claire's about to melt the chocolate after getting the bread out. Let’s watch, okay?” Srassa said. Two sets of eyes watch Claire and her adorable assistant. Momo walked over and retrieved the chocolate they had bought. Claire pulled the loaf pans out and sat them on the table.

“Okay, so you want to chop up the chocolate into small pieces, then add that to the glass bowl over there,” said the Elf. She retrieved a small saucepan from a cabinet and filled it with just a little bit of water. She set it down on the stove, and Claire instructed Momo to place the bowl on top. Momo didn’t understand, and that led to another explanation about double boiling.

The most important thing, in Claire's opinion, was the size of the bowl placed inside the pan. If it was too small, it would just drop to the bottom. Too big, and it would take too long. Even if it was the right size, the glass bowl had to fit snuggly inside. That was because it was imperative to keep all the steam inside. Next was the amount of water. Claire noted that if the water touched the bottom of the bowl, it would force the chocolate to cease up, ruining it.

“You see, it’s the steam that does all the work. The water is there just for that. And it is also important to never make the burner too hot. This is a marathon. It isn’t a sprint, so slow and steady wins the race. Also, it wouldn’t be the worst thing if we cheat a little and have a few small pieces to tide us over, right?” The sneaky Elf waved Servi and Srassa on over, and she stole four pieces from the glass bowl.

Utter sweetness brutally attacked their tongue, spreading sugar and the powerful taste of happiness. When they bought it, the store had a tag that said this chocolate was handmade with a hint of coconut to provide it a unique aftertaste.

“Mmm… You guys, if you think this is good, just imagining spreading this over a batch of coconut bread pudding.”

“Claire, I’m gonna have to stop you right there… You can’t possibly say something like coconut pudding and not elaborate further.” Momo swallowed the rest of the chocolate, and her eyes rolled in ecstasy. “Servy, you gotta try this! It’s amazing!!!” Momo pinched a piece between her thumb and index and fed her darling Servi. The girl didn’t react in any way, but Momo knew her friend was enjoying it.

“I’ve only ever had it once before when a merchant wandered into the forest. He was trying to find a shortcut and lost his way. He thanked my father by giving him three coconuts. He even wrote down the recipe, but I’m not good enough to make it yet. I wasn’t at the time, but I might be now. Too bad I don’t remember it.”

Srassa’s emerald eyes went wide, and on the inside, she frowned like a pampered kitten who was told no for the first time. Oh! How she was desperately hoping for a good outcome! She briefly thought if Evie knew how to make it… If so, she would definitely have to invite her new group and favorite Warden receptionist over for a tea party.

Before long, the chocolate had melted into a gooey, delicious mess as Momo stirred it around the bowl to make sure it didn’t stick. Claire handled it with her adorable mittens, and the four walked back to the table. By now, the bread was cooled off enough that Momo could slip them out of the loaf pans. “And thanks to the butter—plain butter, I mean. You don’t want to use compound butter for something lubricating a bread pan because you don't want all of those spices meant for beef and chicken. Regular butter works just fine, and the bread falls right out without giving you any trouble. That’s a good omen, right there.”

The Elf aligned the 42 pieces of sweet sugar bread into three circles that gradually shrunk in size. It was a good thing she had a serving platter large enough to hold it all. She asked Srassa and Momo to sprinkle some cinnamon while she fetched some milk and tea from the fridge. When she returned and sat the two jugs on the table, it was time to lay down some chocolate. She did so with a flat utensil, then swapped to a brush specifically for smothering frosting. The cherries, strawberries, and bananas they had bought were sitting right nearby. Srassa was in charge of taking the stems out, and Momo had the task of peeling the yellow fruit and cutting them into pieces. Servi’s job was to watch and stare, but it wasn’t like she could do anything to substantially help out.

It was a task the Singi, green-eyed Human, and red-haired Elf needed to do together to finish, and perhaps it was the growl of their still-hungry stomachs that provided the necessary encouragement. In Momo’s case, it was seeing the pretty brown bread disappear under a layer of dark chocolate. It was still steaming hot, and Claire  mentioned that was good. Her favorite way to eat it was freshly melted chocolate over just-baked bread. That way, the chocolate would dig down into the bread and spread out even more of its flavor.

As for the toppings for the cisseanate bread? In Claire’s opinion, cherries were the best fit. They were just small enough that a few could be placed on top, and it wouldn’t overcrowd the overall taste. Her grandfather preferred diced strawberries, but she said they were too small for her liking. “You know, it’s a lot of, obviously, because you’re chopping it into thin pieces. But for me, the flavor is too thinly divided to add any flavor. My cousin was the weird one out and liked bananas on his, so that’s why we bought some. Well,” said the Elf as she poured the remaining chocolate out. “I’m just about done, so be ready with your toppings!”

Claire brought the chocolate-stained bowl, brush, and flat utensil to the swamped sink. Her sharp eyes failed to notice that the dirty dishes were nearly as clean as a whistle, no doubt thanks to the friendly Goddess lurking inside an inauspicious ring. Itarr figured the least she could do was clean up so Claire wouldn’t be stuck doing something boring. Besides, it took the divine voyeur mere seconds to tidy up while taking about as much effort as breathing.

The Elf returned to a fabulous display. A triple ring of cisseanate bread decorated with colorful fruit, a stunning exhibition amazed even her grandmother. The seas of cherries sat like apples atop a sea of mud, while the thinly sliced strawberries were like a blanket for the delicious brown dessert. Unfortunately, the bananas just reminded the Elf of her bone-headed cousin, but it was all in jest. Claire loved her family with all her heart, and even though she gave him a hard time, she wished happiness would find and grant him all of his dreams. That included marriage, of course, since their grandmother wanted to see pamper her forthcoming great-grandchildren.

Ah, marriage… While most Elves stayed away from pledging their life to another for a few hundred years, some ended up falling in love before they were a hundred. Claire still had over two centuries left before being considered unmarriageable. She had someone she liked, but she wasn’t at a point where she was comfortable in revealing. Even though that was the case, Claire enjoyed talking about romance and love. In one case, she was out drinking with a certain green-haired Elf who had a tattoo on her hand and babbled about her sex life.

Or the lack thereof since Claire was on a dry streak and had to resort to masturbation. Gods, that was an embarrassing conversation that only ended with Dineria giving one of her favorite ‘toys’ for Claire to try. She still had it, of course. The girthy thing was sitting in her safe since she just couldn’t leave it out in the open.

Gods… it has been a while… Probably wouldn’t be wrong to…test if it still works… Claire, you donut… It’s wood… It isn’t like it'll stop working because it’s been a few months…

“Claire?” squeaked Momo. The Elf was brought out from her mind. The sight of a drunken Dineria, who was so intoxicated she had trouble walking upstairs, loaning her a vaguely phallic-shaped present was replaced by a vividly pleasing concoction of chocolate and fruit-covered sweet bread.

The Elf sat down and only said she was just too stunned by the work of edible art to move. Without any more hesitancy, it soon turned into an open buffet of sugary sweetness. And like everything else they had eaten, it was absolutely phenomenal. The time Claire spent daydreaming was just enough for the chocolate to slightly harden, and since the fruits were inside it, they were stuck in place. If anything, it enhanced the cisseanate bread’s beauty into something else if one were to look at the drizzled chocolate as a frozen river of mud. Or perhaps if  they had replaced the dark chocolate with its whitened variety, it would be akin to powered snow? To transform a tasty treat into something festive and trendy wouldn't be difficult at all. A few marshmallow-like snowmen would do the trick quite well.

Perhaps tiny cut pieces of fudge could act as the snowman’s buttons? At its core, cisseanate bread was designed to be highly modified to suit any theme or season. And since chocolate came in multiple colors, with some being harder or more expensive to create, it functioned as a fantastic base.

Claire explained this and more, including her grandmother came up with the recipe as the 42 slices of heaven slowly dwindled down to zero.

The final count had Momo devouring 8 slices, Srassa managed to swallow 6, Claire toughed it out and forced down 11, and the endless abyss that was Servi and her stomach conquered the remaining 17.

“I…give up… I said you all wouldn’t be going home hungry, and it seemed I failed…” Claire slumped in her chair and finished the rest of her tea. So much sugar had found a home inside her tummy that she felt bloated and uncomfortable. Even as she tried to swallow her spot, she just couldn’t get the taste of sweetness off of her tongue. Srassa was the same way. She placed a hand to her stomach and quietly murmured, her belly having been pushed to its utmost limit. Even the pink-haired Singi, who had the second biggest appetite, found herself groaning in agony… Her mouth was parched and dry, feeling like the aftermath of a dust bowl, and even her favorite milk sent disgust through her nerves. For a moment, she was afraid a chocolatey stream of vomit was going to cast an end to the gluttonous night the girls were having.

“Servy… Where do you put it all…? Uuugghhh… And why is the world spinning…? I feel…like a bird…”

“I’ve…never eaten this much before… It…was so delicious and delectable…like a drop of ambrosia from the Heavens Above, but I couldn’t stop after one bite… Or two… Or three…” Srassa saw stars twirling around her eyes as nausea warped its ugly head across her essence. She groaned, reaching out with arms that were heavier than lead to reach the remaining glass of water. With a shaky hand, a stream of refreshing liquid did its best to cure her cottonmouth, but it was to no avail.

“Maybe…and don’t hate me for this… I should make more…or else Servi isn’t going to get full… Why, if we were at my grandmother’s house…she’d die before letting anyone leave hungry…”

“Please don’t… If I smell one more cisseanate bread, I’m liable to have a spot of sickness…” moaned Srassa.

It took about an extra forty minutes for the girls to recover from their sugar crash. Servi, being the only one unaffected by rich, decadent bread, kept one hand on both Momo and Srassa. And like the perfect mime, she sat there with a neutral expression on her face.

Claire soon yawned, and that spread to the two other girls who needed to sleep to restore their exhausted bodies.

“It is getting late…” Momo said. She didn’t want to leave, but she could hardly keep her eyes open.

“It is… Did you all have fun?”

“Very much so. I had a fabulous time,” said Srassa. She smiled and wiped her tired emerald eyes. Momo stood up and raised her arms. Claire took the platter to the sink and dropped it in, and Itarr had it sparkling clean before the Elf even had a chance to turn around.

Claire watched as Srassa placed two hands on the table and stood up. Her arms went to her stomach, and another yawn escaped from her cute mouth. Momo walked over to the door, and Servi and Srassa were right behind. It wasn’t as if they had a choice because the three of them were holding hands through Servi, and she wasn’t going to let go. Claire brought up the rear.

“Srassa, thank you for paying for the ingredients. From what I saw, it seemed my food went over a little too well, but I hope you really enjoyed it.”

“Honestly… I’ve never had anything tastier in my life… Even when father would take us out to dinner in Adenaford, the restaurants in the Nail couldn’t compete. And I’m being serious… I should be thanking you,” replied the noble. Her high words of praise did a lot to soothe the Elf’s ego. If someone like her gushed over her food, then Claire briefly wondered if she had a future as a chef. Maybe, but giving up her desk at Warden in exchange for a knife wasn’t in her immediate future. Maybe later, but right now, she wanted to stay right where she was because her genuine friends were here.

“It really was amazing… I just know that tonight helped a lot in Servy’s recovery.” Momo squeezed her hand, and she felt Servi return it.

“I’m glad. Now, you three take care, okay? Be safe on the way back. I’ll see you tomorrow at Warden. Oh, and please let me know if Servi’s situation changes. I want to be right there to welcome her back,” said the Elf. One by one, a collection of hugs were shared all around. Then Momo grasped the doorknob and turned it, revealing an unsettlingly quiet city.

Darkness had encompassed Canary as a whole, and only a couple of brave lamps fought off the encroaching void. Three girls walked out from the safety of a rather unique house. From behind, Claire waved at her darling friends for another few seconds before shutting it. She was so utterly exhausted after working all day on her feet. More than ever, she wanted to sit in her shower and let the water drizzle her. Warm? Hot? Cool? Cold? She didn’t care at this point.

“Ah, but that exhaustion is a good thing, right?” she said to no one. Her amethyst-colored eyes fluttered to the kitchen table, where so much fun was had. Even now, her pointy heard could still hear the adorable chuckles of two girls who shared similar loneliness. Claire couldn’t claim to have experienced that since, all things considered, she had a wondrous childhood with friends and family that loved her. Her father was always there to read her a story, her grandmother had fun teaching the young Claire how to bake and cook, and even her cousin offered endless hours of entertainment when they swung through the trees and engaged in archery competitions. But right now, she was too tired to fondly reminiscence on her past.

“Yeah… That can wait… Ugh… My boss wants me to come in early, and I just don’t want to do that… Can’t complain, I guess, since it’s my work that even allowed me to host this get-together. And here I am talking to myself… Might as well get clean and head to bed… Then again, I’ve been a bit stressed…” Claire doubled checked the windows were closed and doors were locked, and she hurried off to her bedroom. Underneath that pile of clothes in the corner sat a safe, and the key to it was on the dresser some distance away. After fetching the latter and excavating the former, she pushed in the key and turned it. Inside was her beloved bow, an emergency fund, some other doodads, and a particular phallic object covered in leaf paper.

Claire took it out and carefully unwrapped it. Her hands slid gracefully along the shiny, polished shaft, and she felt something warm between her legs.

“I’ll just do this in the shower…and then I’ll go to bed…” said the Elf as she hastily stripped her clothes off. She stopped for a moment to gaze at her slim, slender body in the mirror. A smile crept along her mouth, and her worries for tomorrow sizzled away from the weight of her soul. Servi was fighting hard to come back, so there was no reason Claire couldn't face each day with a smile.