Re: Timeless Apocalypse

They made their way out of the entertainment districts, then back into the residential zones as they headed toward the city’s edge.

There, in the distance near the city walls, they could see a dozen stands, a thin crowd gathered in lines in front of each structure as rich aromas drifted through the wind.

The food stands.

...

The two continued to talk as they made their way.

Uriel learned more and more about Samael, careful not to bring up his older brother and not to antagonize him too much.

While part of him wanted to learn more about the Wildlands’ secrets through him, a bigger part of him simply wanted to get to know him.

It had been a while since he had talked to someone without any caveat attached.

Eventually, though, they made it. In front of them, near the city walls, a plethora of stands could be seen, each with lines in front of them and each offering different cuisines.

They stood in front of the lot for a couple of moments, unsure of what to choose.

There was just so much.

"Have you ever tried Kaim Bowls?" Samael asked at last, pointing to the busiest stand.

Uriel looked at it. "No, never heard of it. What is it?"

Samael explained as he walked toward the stand and got in line. "They kind of reimagined fusion bowls."

"You know, usually fusion bowls at their core are all about diversity of flavor and range of texture, and variety of contents as well."

Uriel nodded. "That sounds good."

"In short, it’s just a bunch of stuff put together in a bowl," Samael continued. "But Kaim bowls are a bit different."

"For your bowl, you choose one main subject, and the entire bowl is based around that, but that’s where they innovate."

Uriel held back a chuckle, finding that Samael truly sounded like a salesman as he spoke. ’Much better as a salesman than a merchant.’

’Eh, I guess in a sense it’s the same thing.’

"You choose one thing, and then they work to create a bowl using only that—purées, sauces, synthetic flavored meats, new types of variant vegetables. It is genuinely insane."

"I tried the cucumber bowl a couple of weeks ago and—"

The person in front of them, a short young man, suddenly turned around, excitement sparkling across his gaze.

"Oh, no way! That’s your favorite too? Did you also get the shake they make with it?! It is to die for—"

The young man froze. "Ah, sorry, I didn’t mean to interrupt!"

Just as he was about to turn around once more, Uriel shook his head. "No worries."

"Do you come here often? You seem to really like that stuff."

The young man laughed as he scratched his head. "Yeah, I usually go out to hunt during the afternoon and only come back around now, so it’s really the only thing I have available."

"And over time, you know, I just kind of became addicted!" he said.

Samael laughed as he nodded. "Yeah, I heard that a couple of months ago there was this hunter that—"

The trio continued to talk as the line moved forward and they got closer and closer to their respective turns.

But though Uriel smiled and laughed, a thought had surfaced in the back of his mind, and it refused to leave.

’How did he sense us?’

...

Eventually, it was their turn.

In front of them, a counter packed with open containers could be seen, each filled with different ingredients and culinary subjects.

Behind the counter, a chubby man with a rather fine mustache stood, smiling at them, wearing an apron too tight for his frame and holding an old knife in his hand.

He looked quite friendly.

"Hey there, how’s your night going?" he greeted them.

"What can I offer you on this fine night?" he asked as he waved a hand to present the plethora of choices.

"Hey, how’s it going? Our night’s going alright, I hope yours is as well," Samael greeted back with a smile.

Uriel took the moment to look at every option, which barely took a couple of seconds given the speed of his mind. Still, he was unsure.

’A cucumber bowl doesn’t sound good... what even is my favorite ingredient? I’m not sure I have one.’

He caressed his chin.

"I’ll take the savory cucumber bowl, then take a fruit storm sweet bowl for dessert," Samael said. "I heard you guys now have shakes?"

The jolly man nodded. "That’s right! It’s a new thing we’re trying. Should I add that to the order?"

Samael nodded. "Yes, please."

The man then turned to Uriel. "What about you, young man?"

His voice snapped Uriel out of it. "Ah, apologies. How’re you doing? I was a bit dazed by the amount of choices."

The man laughed and dismissively waved a hand. "Don’t bother, it takes more to get past my thick skin."

"You’re new to our stand, aye? Would you like a recommendation?" he asked.

Uriel was intrigued, so he nodded. "Let me hear it."

"I suggest the savory fruit mix."

Both Uriel and Samael’s eyes widened.

"Savory... fruit mix?" Samael muttered in shock, unable to even imagine the taste of such a thing.

"And for dessert, how about you try our vanilla avalanche punch bowl? With a cinnamon extra? How about that?"

Uriel smiled. "Alright, I trust you. I’ll take a dozen of each then."

Samael’s eyes glimmered. "You know what? I’ll also take that. Could you change my previous order?"

"..." The man seemed shaken. "A dozen... bowls? For each?"

Uriel nodded. "Yeah. Is that not possible—"

"No! I mean yes, of course it is! I’ll get to it immediately, haha!" the man said with a laugh, immediately discarding his knife to take a scoop and begin his task.

Uriel chuckled. ’Seems business has been slow as of late.’

"It’ll be ready in fifteen minutes!"

...

A bit more than a quarter of an hour later, the duo received their massive order, along with a plethora of thanks from the man and his wife, the couple holding the Kaim stand.

In fact, they were so happy about their massive order that they added a couple of extra bowls, which prompted Uriel to leave a rather substantial tip.

The two left before the couple began to cry in their arms.

"I’ll see you around!"