D20

-3-

You sit quietly on the couch, hands fidgeting in your lap as Dredax cleans up the tea spill off the carpet. You wiggle in your seat, turning to look at the newcomer as they move around the kitchen, pots and pans clattering quietly as they cooked and chopped and spiced.

The moment's following the door being opened were... hectic, to say the least. Dredax had dashed out the door, and you'd heard the sounds of what sounded like a fight. When things had gone quiet for a long moment, you'd feared the worst, but...

Somehow, there was an orc in your apartment now.

"So..." you begin, but aren't sure where to go from there. The word hangs in the air, catching the attention of the minotaur cleaning the carpet.

"Ah, my apologies," Dredax says with a grin, "But this is my second in command, by the name of Barakk."

The orc, smaller than Dredax but still well over your own size, turns and salutes with the spatula in his hand.

"Nice to meet you, little human! I hope you've been treating the Captain well since he got here."

You mutter something inaudible and politely nod your head, and Barakk laughs.

"Nah, no need for all that, now. I can tell you're not a bad kid." Whatever Barakk is cooking pops loudly before sizzling and his eyes widen in surprise. "Ack; lemme get back to this, we can talk after!"

He turns quickly and tends to whatever it was he was making, delicious smells filling the apartment as he moves. Dredax comes and sits beside you on the floor, leaning his arm on the cushions.

"He's quite the cook; was able to make basically anything edible we could find into something marvelously delicious without fail," he says, and Barakk yelps as something pops again. "Granted, he can get a bit carried away..."

You pinch the bridge of your nose as you feel your head start to hurt.

"Okay, sure, I'm glad that you know him and all, but... that's an Orc, in my kitchen, cooking. I'm having a hard time wrapping my head around exactly where he came from or why."

Dredax looks at your, heavy brow raised.

"I should think it was obvious, little one. He came from the same world I did, presumably under the same means as I did as well."

"Okay, but that still doesn't explain much."

"That's true, but unfortunately, he seems to be under the same mind-altering magic as myself. He can't seem to remember much during the transportation, only the preceding moments."

You look at the massive bull in confusion.

"How do you know all this?"

Dredax gives you a blank look.

"We spoke for a moment after I tackled him."

"Alright, alright, the main event has come," Barakk announces suddenly, and before you know it, there's a massive spread of food laid out on your coffee table. "All I could do on such short notice with what little I had in my pack, but hopefully it's still good. Dig in!"

A plate is pushed into your hands, and before you can really comprehend what's going on, is somehow filled with a variety of  delicious-smelling foods you'd never seen before. Barakk and Dredax both pile their plates high and begin eating immediately; you wonder if that was just the way meals went in their party.

Nibbling what you could safely call a sausage, you're overwhelmed with the flavors that dance over your tastebuds. A taste of anything in front of you yields a similar, decadent result, and before you know it, you've cleaned your plate and are going back for more.