"UMMPHHH?!"
Emery was taken aback by the girl's sudden cry but he still had to see what she felt about his food. Was it that good or that bad?
'Fuck, maybe I should have added some more pepper,' He thought, 'Or gone to find some herbs first.'
But the look of dissatisfaction he'd expected from the start never came. Instead, her face sprung up with a blooming wide smile. The meat was still being ground but one could not deny the satisfaction of her face.
The meat burst into multiple flavourful pieces within her mouth exploding with much. There wasn't even a lot of seasoning on the 'steak' but from the look on her face, it appeared that fact no longer mattered.
"So… was it good?" He asked, slowly inching towards her.
He wasn't sure how she understood his words but the frantic nods were the proof of that.
"Good," he gave a brief sigh of relief, "I'll get back to making more. I'm sure you must be starving."
Emery loved to see it. The smile on a satisfied customer's face. It was what he lived for. The only thing he could truly take joy from in such a messed-up world.
The homeless people couldn't respond. They could barely even nod their heads. So this girl–wherever she came from–had reignited something in him.
Across the span of the next few minutes, Emery quickly spiced the pieces of meat with the oldest seasonings in the world and placed them on fire. Sooner or later, there wasn't much of the tiger's meat remaining.
He let the girl eat as many as she could.
'She was the one that got this meat. She deserves that much.'
"Un?" the girl cocked her head, still chewing the meat.
Her fingers were pointed at something. It was the last piece of meat he had cooked.
"What, you want me to eat it?"
"Un."
"No thank you," he shook his head, pushing the plate back to her, "You killed it, so you deserve to be the one to eat the entire thing."
Then she did something unexpected. She pushed the plate back to him and turned away entirely, finishing her food in the other direction.
"Hey, what's that supposed to mean? Just take it!"
Emery received no response. He was ignored.
'But is it really right for me to eat this?'
His stomach rumbled with anticipation at the mere sight of the dish but he still couldn't help but hold himself back from doing anything just yet.
'Can I really have it?'
It was a thought, but it seemed the answer was right in front of him. The girl still hadn't turned back to him despite all that.
"Fine, I'll just eat it!"
He picked the hot piece of meat up, singing his sensitive fingers. The gash in his arm also throbbed, threatening to release fluids everywhere. Luckily it didn't.
Next, as Emery held the piece of meat up to his mouth, everything disappeared and all resistance collapsed.
The smoky smell of the open fire mixed with the natural juices of the tiger meat combined to form a strange type of dish he'd never smelled before.
'Here goes nothing.'
He bit into the dish and chewed slowly, trying to get used to the texture and then there it was almost at the same time…
'The flavour!'
It didn't make sense. He was the one who cooked the dish. He was the one who seasoned it. A dish made with only salt and pepper should never have this much flavour.
No reason came to mind and he could only stare at the void in what was epiphany. The broken buildings were still everywhere and detached limbs jutted out from under the heavy debris. But none of that seemed to faze him anymore.
'It's amazing.'
Something in his stomach was quenched and the hunger plaguing him for so long was gone.
Tears streamed down his eyes at the taste of meat or food in general. How long had it been?
'No, I need to stop crying.' he wiped the tears away, 'I promised myself. I promised her. A calm chef is the best chef.'
But those words rang rather hollow. He'd been unable to do anything when Carlos took those people away, unable to do anything when the Class 5 attacked.
'That was all in the past now,' he thought, 'According to that screen, this girl is my summon. Our lives are bound together now. And with her strength, I'll be able to make a slight difference,'
[Ding!]
[Dish Being consumed. Injuries are too severe. Unable to be healed properly. Partial regeneration taking place.]
His mind slipped as the new screen popped up in front of him. So the dish could actually heal him even if was only slightly?
Upon seeing that, Emery didn't waste any more time and wolfed down the remaining meat. His hunger was barely sated, but it was still better than running around on a completely empty stomach.
"What should we do now?" he muttered.
His words caused the girl to turn back to him and look. She had long finished eating and was merely waiting for him to eat his as well. And it looks like she got what he wanted. The girl revealed a smug look and stuck her tongue out.
Emery's concentration faltered, if only for a brief second.
But there was really nothing he could do in that regard. She seemed to understand more of his words so perhaps he could try making basic conversation with her once more. He wasn't sure how successful that would be, but he was willing to try.
"Can you speak now?"
Silence passed. She looked at him blankly, but her mouth was parted.
'She's trying to say something. Come on, talk to me. Please'
"I-"
'A word!'
More silence again, but he didn't give up, looking at her with even more expectation than before.
Seconds turned to minutes, and minutes felt longer than they should have.
Until finally…
"Me," she pointed at herself, "Elyn"