Page 6 of That’s My Orc, Tusk Off

I followed Traig and Brovish down the hallway toward the break room, the delicious smell reaching me before we reached the door. Inside, I took in a long table built for orcs, windows looking out over a back pasture, and a kitchen area where Drogar stood at the stove.

“Sit,” Brovish said, gesturing to the table.

I pulled out a chair sized for someone twice my height and climbed up into it, feeling like a toddler in the adult playroom.

Krem sat at the table already, a clipboard face-down beside his plate. Greth had taken a seat at the far end, his folded hands lying on the table. A human woman I didn’t know smiled at me from across the table.

“You’re Willa,” she said. “I’m Laina. Facility vet and Brovish’s mate.”

Mate.

Right.

I’d read that in the information booklet Brovish had emailed me last week. Orcs didn’t say girlfriend or wife. They said mate.

“Nice to meet you,” I said.

“Likewise.” Laina leaned forward. “How’s your first day going?”

“I’ve met Fred the grumbletoad and learned that the filing system here is actually intentional.”

Laina laughed. “A lot of things here are. You can credit Traig for the filing system.”

Traig had taken a seat to my right, his tablet on the table beside his plate.

“I’m efficient,” he said.

“And creative,” I said.

Krem snorted.

Drogar turned from the stove, carrying a large ceramic dish. He set it in the center of the table with a flourish.

“Kelthara,” he announced.

The dish had been layered with thin slices of something pale gold and translucent, alternating with a dark filling that looked dense and savory. The top had crisped in places, caramelized at the edges, and the whole thing smelled like roasted nuts and herbs.

Drogar set down a second platter holding thick slices of dark seeded bread, each piece scored across the top in a crisscross pattern.

“Vrindal,” he said. “I toasted the seeds first this time rather than trying to toast them after.”

“With a blowtorch,” Laina said. “He set off the smoke detector with that one.”

“How was I supposed to know the building could shriek?” Drogar asked. His lips curled down. “Brovish took away my blowtorch.”

“As I should.” Brovish rubbed his hands together. “This looks fantastic.”

“I experimented,” Drogar said, sitting down to Traig’s right. “The kelthara has shredded vrellfruit this time instead of sliced. I think it’ll add more texture.”

I had no idea what vrellfruit was, but it didn’t matter. I was about to eat an orcish dish for the first time in my life, and I couldn’t wait.

Drogar scooped a portion onto his plate and passed the platter around. Laina handed me a piece of the vrindal, and I held it for a second, testing the denseness and weight. Heavy but with some give.

I took a bite, savoring the nutty, faintly sweet taste.

“This is delicious,” I said.

“Right?” Laina grinned. “Drogar doesn’t cook often, but when he does, I swear I gain at least a pound because I eat so much. He offered to make a special meal for today to celebrate Willa’s first day.”