Two hours later...
'Shit! It's bad! Very fucking bad!!!!'
Aqualina screamed inwardly as she sat stiffly on the chair, staring at the 'thing' called food placed before her.
Her back straightened on instinct, shoulders tense, eyes frozen as if the plate itself might suddenly attack her.
A blackish-green liquid oozed lazily over something roundish and red beneath it, thick and glossy like a cursed potion gone wrong. The smell hit her a moment later, forcing her breath to hitch. Questions exploded in her mind, but one rose above the rest.
"Aether... ate this?"
Aqualina lifted her gaze toward Delphine, who stood near the counter, calmly washing her hands while peeling off her apron with practised ease.
Delphine nodded, unfazed. "Yeah, he did. But… I didn't have some of the important ingredients today, so this is just the lite version."
She said it casually, like she was explaining a missing garnish rather than a crime against nature.
