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It was a beautiful day in Sunharbor, as it always seemed to be, and Mr Wizard was in a great mood. The sunshine warmed the pavement and brightened the colorful stalls that lined the seaside market. The city was bustling with activity even at this early hour, and the vendors, mere amateurs, shouted their lackluster deals at the hurried passers-by. Mr Wizard was in no such rush however, and was taking his sweet time inspecting the variety of ropes a young genasi was selling.
“Robert, can you hurry up?” Max grunted. His nose scrunched up in a silly way when he frowned and it was one of Mr Wizard’s favorite sights. “What do you even want rope for?” Before he could reply, Max reconsidered the question. “Actually, don’t answer, I don’t want to know.”
Too late.
“Ah, Mr Bolder, haven’t you heard?” Max’s eyes widened as he realized there was an impending monologue about to begin, and Mr Wizard relished in the look of annoyance on his face. “There is a deep-rooted tradition in the city of Sunharbor called the Tideheart Rope! The legend tells the story of a young woman who was in love with a sailor! He traveled seas far and wide, and saw many distant lands. A wanderer he was, but too poor to afford a wedding ring for her! So, instead, he bought her a piece of rope—”
“And are you going to buy any rope, Jerry?” Max interrupted him.
Mr Wizard looked at him. The seaside breeze tangled his golden locks, which were starting to break free from the braid he had wrangled them into. The early summer sun turned them into a halo, making him appear more divine than usual.
“Nope,” he declared, dropping the ropes he was holding back into some basket, much to the seller’s dismay. “It turns out, we have missed the Tideheart Festival by about a week! Very unfortunate. Hopefully we’ll make it on time next year.”
Max dismissed him and turned around to walk ahead again, facing the sun, the wind, and a couple of halflings that were carrying a massive fish and almost crashed into him. Ruby giggled at that.
“I’m famished!” Max whined. “Are there any decent places for breakfast in this town? I’m getting sick of all this fish.”
Mr Wizard, for his part, always appreciated some nice sashimi, but he had a feeling this realm was not that advanced just yet.
He sped up to match Max’s pace. “There are some, indeed! Since we are in Sunharbor, we simply must try one of their local delicacies, the Moofin burger!”
Max’s eyes sparkled with interest and Mr Wizard couldn’t be happier to have found traveling companions that shared his love of food. In his opinion, tasting the local dishes was an essential part of traveling. Flavors weren’t something that could be easily replicated outside of their native areas, outside of their specific window of time. The person cooking, the quality of the ingredients, how lucky they were with the harvest, were all factors that would change a dish, all opportunities to experience something that would only happen precisely once. It was fleeting in nature, but Mr Wizard was determined to have as many one-of-a-kind experiences as possible.
Max probably hadn’t given these topics as much thought as Mr Wizard had, but him stuffing absurd quantities of food in his mouth was always a sight to behold. Who would have thought that such a short guy could eat so much? Mr Wizard loved seeing him enjoy himself.
Ruby did not share his opinion.
“Whenever I think I'm used to your eating habits, you somehow manage to get even worse,” she said in her most disgusted voice.
The McMoofin burger joint they had ended up in was, admittedly, not the fanciest place in the world. Or the cleanest. And definitely not the most trustworthy. The meat was of dubious origin and the floor was greasy, but it was cheap and filling, so Max was having a great time.
“Dude, look at this!” Brodude laughed as he waved around the small toy that came with one of the meal deals they'd gotten. “Isn't it cool?”
Max mumbled some enthusiastic reply with his mouth full and Ruby gagged.
“Hoho, it is customary for kids meals to come with toys!” Mr Wizard chuckled over his much more reasonable nuggets.
“But I'm not a child?” Brodude tilted his head.
“It's just the name of the menu,” Ruby sighed, sipping her coffee.
Max took a swig of his beer and swallowed at last. His cheeks were rosy and Mr Wizard could tell he was a tad tipsy already before he even opened his mouth.
“We should eat this everyday,” he declared, completely serious. “I could live off this alone.”
“Well said, Max!” Brodude, also buzzed, cheered. Ruby stared at them aghast.
Mr Wizard felt a bubble of laughter rising up in his stomach, warming him up from the inside. “Ohoho, dear Max, but then you'll miss out on so many other delicacies if you only eat this!”
Max furrowed his brow, his nose scrunching up in that silly way again, as he stopped to seriously consider the situation. He stayed silent for a good few seconds, his mind likely a bit clouded from the alcohol.
“Okay,” he conceded. “We will eat this sometimes.”
Now it was Ruby's turn to burst out laughing.
“He folded so quickly!” she exclaimed, delighted. Then, she gave Mr Wizard a pointed look. “They do say that the way to a man's heart is through his stomach,” she added smugly.
Mr Wizard only smiled, content. His heart fluttered comfortably in his chest.
Sure, adventuring was a ton of fun. The adrenaline rush of battle, the thrill of landing a critical hit, of succeeding on a dangerous mission, were all fantastically exciting. It was no wonder why so many people were drawn to the roads, to traveling and going on quests.
But, as enjoyable as those were, there was nothing Mr Wizard treasured more than these casual, ordinary moments with his boisterous party. He’d love to have one million more greasy breakfasts, to hear Brodude’s easy laugh, Ruby’s annoyed groans and, of course, Max’s delight at whatever the dish of the day was. It was a small, ordinary happiness. It could turn any day into a good one. And Mr Wizard would make sure that they would always eat well.