#back for seconds

The moment the bells of Blackstaff Academy announce the end of the lesson, students stampede out of the classroom, forgetting all composure. Interrupted mid-sentence, Professor Gale Dekarios sighs and shakes his head. If only those youths were as enthusiastic about his classes as they are about their lunch break! He clears out the blackboard and locks the room behind himself. It's time for him to get some rest and nourish himself, so he crosses the large halls towards the canteen, dodging the sea of learners and instructors trudging in all directions.

Gale holds a tray and stands in line. A sloppily handwritten sign announces that today's special is roasted duck with mashed potatoes. Roasted duck? Unusual. Sounds quite far from good old Wilhelm's comfort zone. The dwarven chef is fairly kind and considerably talented, but rigid as a rock and probably the same age. Regardless, the smell that reaches Gale's nostrils as the queue advaces makes his mouth water.

His surprise only increases when he gets closer to the counter. Instead of the grumpy, long-bearded man he's used to seeing behind it, there's the most beautiful woman he has seen in years. Or possibly ever. Her honey-golden locks are covered by a hairnet, only her pointed ears sticking out of it. She's got high and sharp cheekbones, slightly reddened by the hot meal she's distributing into bowls, contrasting with her skin the color of vanilla. When his turn comes, Gale can't help but stare at those full lips curled into a smile that seems to brighten up the whole canteen.

“What happened to Wilhelm?” he blurts out.

“Oh, nothing. I just killed them, chopped him into pieces and put him in the oven,” the elvish woman replies casually. “Would you like a taste?”

Gale's face must have been the very definition of horror. The woman chuckles, a mischievous twinkle in her big eyes, which are the same shade of green as fresh basil.

“I was joking,” she says. “But now I realize it wasn't very funny. Sorry about that. Wilhelm has retired, so I'm afraid you're stuck with me now.”

At a loss for words, Gale responds with a small nod. He points to one of the bowls resting on the surface with his index and notices the woman's cheeks turning an even brigther red.

“Right! Sorry!” she reaches for the food and places it on his tray. “Here's your mashed potato. And here's your duck. I promise it's one hundred percent duck; no cooks were harmed in the process. Would you like some bread with it?”

“Uh... yes, of course.”

Her grin widens as she picks up a breadroll from a basket behind herself.

“I made it myself. It's my special, tavulous recipe.”

“Your what recipe?” Gale stammers in confusion.

“Oh. I said tavulous. Like, fabulous, but with my name. I'm Tav. Should have probably mentioned that before.”

“My pleasure. I'm Gale,” he introduces himself with a little bow.

“The pleasure is all mine. Enjoy your meal!”

It takes Gale embarrassingly long to react. He finds himself completely dumbfounded by this new acquaintance. Tav. Even her name is beautiful. As is her voice. It is soft and melodious, like butter melting on your tongue. Only when the man behind him clears his throat meaningfully does he realize he's supposed to move on.

“I will,” he says.

His gaze lingers on Tav as he hands the cashier the ticket – free food is one of the perks of working there – and steps away. And they'd remain glued to her if he didn't need to look around and find a table to sit at.

Of course, he chooses a seat from which he can continue looking at her. Her smile stays on as she serves all the customers, never faltering. It's nice to come across such a cheerful individual. Students are disappointingly apathetic, way more focused on results than on enjoying the amazing journey to develop their skills. His fellow professors appear constantly stressed and stuck in their old ways, more interested in burying themselves in the written words and theories of the great wizards of the past than in experiencing the world. Both in a literal and metaphorical way, Blackstaff Academy could use a little sunshine.

He was so caught up in his own thoughts that, before he knows, he has eaten everything on his tray. Didn't even have time to mentally complain about the cheap table wine he usually drinks for lack of better options. Or to open the book he has brought, his only company. Looking at the big round clock on the wall, he's surprised to see that there are still a few minutes left of his break. Talk about unbelievable occurrences! Most days he gets distracted by reading and the wretched cuckoo startles him in the middle of the meal, half of the food lying cold on his plate.

Since he's got plenty of time to get to his next class, he decides to perform an act of kindness. While most customers leave their dirty dishes on the tables, expecting the cleaning staff to pick them up, he stacks the two bowls on top of one another and brings the tray back to the counter. Not only is it a nice gesture – one he rarely gets to do, being invariably in a hurry – but it also gives him a chance to have a closer look at Tav. She seems to sense him approaching, raising her head from the apples she's slicing. Her strawberry lips turn upwards.

“Aww, you're sweet! Thank you so much!”