Since making a simple meal such as this required neither much effort nor concentration on Mae's part, the headless horror could focus on soaking up every word that issues from Riny, like a heel of bread mopping up the leftover dregs of a stew. Though no expert storyteller, the huntress painted a picture of her life well enough. Being the perennial pariah from this region's communities she couldn't describe many things in great detail, but she could describe a lot from a distance, and with approximately zero knowledge about this new area, Mae wanted broad strokes first and foremost anyway.

So, this place was called Anzelgard. In an odd parallel with the current state of Infactorium itself, this kingdom was in a sorry state, only a shadow of its former self. Made vassal to the reigning Nyll Empire, the former nation had at some point been reduced to little more than a mining colony, its strongest sons and daughters laboring day by day in the dusty darkness of the aluminum mines to sustain the treaty made by a royal wedding, all in hopes that Nyll wouldn't finally decide to snuff the smoldering embers out. Personally speaking, politics interested Mae less than the valuable news about it being breeding season in the woodlands, but even she knew that wherever there was turmoil, there was opportunity.

While Mae harbored no real ambitions beyond restoring her restaurant -which would, to be fair, require quality materials and helping hands- she had no doubt that her boss could make the most of this situation. Just thinking about what Faetalis would do, and how her head chef might be able to help out even beyond her official capacity, filled Mae with excitement. No matter what she picked, though, a confrontation with the locals seemed inevitable at some point. Even once people caught wind of the indescribable horrors that came down the mountain, they couldn't give up on the resource that kept their kingdom afloat. They'd be back with more men, better weapons, and in broad daylight, Mae bet. And if the Guild routed that party, too, and Anzelgard went kaput, Nyll might very well drop by to take care of things themselves. Out of the frying pan and into the fire. Infactorium needed a strategy, and since Mae made better flans than plans, she knew just who to call.

But first it was mealtime, and that wasn't something Mae took lightly. With the food done, she ladled a bowlful for Riny. Tired and hollowed out by the events of the night, and not well-fed to begin with, the huntress accepted it gladly. The moment she laid hands on the bowl she seemed captivated by the simple dish. "W-what is this?" she stammered, taken by surprise. "It smells...unreal."

The nearby Maneaters flinched, and Riny looked around with a start, wondering if she made some mistake. The abominable cook had crossed her arms under her chest, and even without a head looked annoyed. "Hmph! Feelin' kinda rude all of a sudden, huh? I know I ain't got the best ingredients right now, but I put my heart in everythin' I make! Woulda figured a li'l gratitude'd be in order..."

Riny waved her free hand in a panic, eyes wide and fearful, nearly spilling brother on herself. "Nonono, I'm sorry, ma'am! I meant 'unreal' as in, uh, too good to be true. It smells better than anythin' I've ever had--better than the king's feast I delivered some game to, a while back!"

In an instant Mae's mood changed, turning from irate to pleased. "Oh-hoho? That's more like it! Well then, hurry up an' give it a try!"

Riny quickly obliged Mae's request. A moment after the spoon went in, she froze solid. Mae kept still, surprised and confused by the lack of reaction, her blindsight detecting nothing. Until, that was, Riny's eyes squeezed shut, and tears began to roll down her face. Mae was taken aghast until she realized exactly what was going on. "It's...so good!" the huntress wept, her shoulders shaking. "I've never...in all my years, never...tasted the like! It's like heaven!"

Embarrassed by what she saw as undeserved praise, Mae raised one arm behind her head to scratch at the base of her neck, jiggling her underarm folds in the process. The thought that Riny might be faking crossed her mind, but those tears seemed totally genuine. "Aw, geez," the headless horror chuckled. "I guess the ingredients we salvaged were pretty high-class. But still, I'm ashamed to call what I did here cookin'. Just you wait an' see what I can really do!"

Her words seemed lost on Riny, however, as the starved huntress wolfed down her meal at breakneck pace. Nothing else in the world seemed to matter, and when she finished she barely stopped herself leaping at the stewpot. "P-please, can I have another?"

Mae gave a thumbs-up, seemingly pleased. "Be my guest. Just don't make yourself sick, bahaha!" With some effort Mae hauled herself to her feet. "Alright, I'm gonna go an' let the boss know what we're lookin' at. Sit tight." The master of the Gorging Trough left the newcomer to her staff's care and began her hunt for Faetalis.