Watching all of this unfold, Sol did his best to hold back his laughter as he quickly pieced together what was happening.
Reena had only said it was okay to avoid giving them too much credit, but Amber had taken her words at face value and now seemed dead set on figuring out what she could have improved in the dish. She hadn't meant to be threatening, but the snapped fork in her hand and her intense stare definitely sent the wrong message.
Sol was pretty sure she hadn't meant to break the fork either. Amber was someone who put her all into whatever she did, and she'd likely snapped the utensil out of sheer surprise that Reena didn't find the food, something she'd poured her all into, good. Such a result was unacceptable.
While he was tempted to sit back and see where this awkward situation would lead, he figured it was best to step in before any accidents occurred.
"Amber, put the fork down first." Sol said, after finishing another bite of the mystery meat. "She thinks you're about to attack her."
Amber blinked and glanced down at the broken utensil still in her hand. "Ah." She placed the bent metal shiv down beside her plate only now realizing how it misinterpreted her intentions.
Turning to Reena, Sol continued, "And Reena, she's not mad or anything. She just really wants to know what could've made it better."
Reena stared at him, then back at Amber, who had returned to her seat. She still wore the same intense expression, but without the makeshift shiv, it wasn't as threatening.
"…You're serious?" she asked cautiously, trying to lower her own alertness.
"Very." Sol replied with a grin. "You can't tell her it was okay without offering real criticism."
Reena lowered her fork slowly, still wary, but now feeling more embarrassed than threatened. She let out a breath and glanced at Amber again.
She gave a small huff, her eyes flicking between Amber and her plate. She could still taste the perfectly balanced flavors in her mouth, and despite her earlier attempt to act unimpressed, it was clear that saying it was "just okay" wasn't going to cut it anymore.
She wracked her brain, trying to think of something, anything, that could justify her earlier statement without fully admitting defeat. Then it came to her.
"…It's missing selenleaf," she mumbled, hoping the made-up critique sounded believable.
Sol raised a brow. "Selenleaf?"
Amber tilted her head, taking a moment to process the name before firmly shaking her head. "Impossible. Orc dish. Meant to use local ingredients. Also clashes with flavor."
While Sol, Amber, and Thorwyn had traveled through Sylmasera, they'd encountered a lot of the local food and ingredients, so they knew what selenleaf was. It was a flavorful leaf that grew from the top branches of a selen tree. It had a soft taste that, when mixed into a meal, made it somewhat milky, something that would completely clash with the bold, savory flavor of the mystery meat.
Amber's voice was as neutral as always, but the decisiveness of her response struck like a hammer. Adding such an ingredient wouldn't just detract from the flavor, it would go against the origins of being a traditional orc dish.
Reena blinked, stunned by the immediate dismissal. She opened her mouth to argue, but nothing came out. She rarely ate anything with selenleaf, she'd only said it because she hoped it was obscure enough not to be questioned! How could she have known that the three who infiltrated Sylmasera also stopped at every opportunity to try out new foods and ingredients?
Seeing her flounder in silence, Sol finally let out a laugh. "You're a bad liar. Also… I thought you said only bad people lied?"
Reena's head snapped toward him, her cheeks reddening. "Shut up! I'm not lying! And only humans lie!"
Her voice was defensive and a little too loud. She glanced around the table for support, but the others only stared back with varying degrees of amusement. Even Thorwyn had lifted his head slightly from his now empty salad bowl, tilting it at her with a wag of his tail.
"Woo! (Bad liar!)" Thorwyn barked in agreement with Sol.
She didn't understand what he'd said, but the teasing tone and the way his ears perked told her all she needed to know.
"I—! That's not what—ugh!" Reena groaned and covered her face with one hand. The embarrassment was unbearable. She hadn't felt this foolish since the time she mistook a mimic for a chair in front of her entire clan.
Sol chuckled as he watched her flail in embarrassment. "Hey, if you really don't like it, you don't have to eat it."
The moment he said that, Reena's hand dropped from her face. "I didn't say I wasn't going to eat it. It's bad to waste food!"
Her voice was firm, almost proud, as if refusing food, even if it wasn't good, was a greater crime than admitting she liked it.
Sol raised his eyebrows at her sudden shift but said nothing. He could still see the faint pink on her cheeks, and it was clear to everyone that she was just trying to save face.
"…Right." He gave a small smirk. "Well, as long as you eat it."
Reena resumed eating with a forced calm, but the way she quickly cut another piece and popped it into her mouth betrayed her real opinion. She still wouldn't admit it tasted good, but by now, that didn't matter.
Everyone at the table could tell.
Sol decided to leave it at that.
Once their meal was done, Reena stacked her utensils on the plate and took them back to the kitchen. When she returned, she asked, "So… are we heading out today?"
"Out? Why?"
Reena shrugged, avoiding his eyes. "Since I'm stuck here with you people, I might as well do as Chieftain Kuruck suggested and… explore the town. With the festivities and all."
Sol blinked once, then smiled. "Sure. I was thinking of checking things out myself. It'll be interesting to see how the Frostaxe Clan celebrates."
He turned to the others. "Thorwyn? Amber? Want to come?"
Thorwyn's ears perked up and he nodded eagerly, his tail thumping against the floor.
"Hrmm! (Sounds fun!)"
Amber, however, remained seated. She stood and brought the rest of the dishes to the sink, then turned back to Sol and said one word:
"Training."
Sol gave a helpless smile, not surprised in the least. "Figured as much."
Amber shook her head slightly and added, "Dungeon. Call if needed."
The capital of the Frostaxe Clan, like many others, was also home to a dungeon, this one called Glacial Fields, which was inhabited by many ice and snow type monsters. It wasn't an A-Rank dungeon like Necropolis, but a step below, at B-Rank. While nothing inside could contend with Amber besides maybe the final boss, it was always better to train against real targets.
"Fair enough." Sol stretched and got to his feet. "Then we'll leave you to it."
He gave a small wave to Amber before leaving with Reena and Thorwyn to explore the city.