Mark woke up lying in his new bed. He thought about the nap on the rocks yesterday and then compared it to this fantastic bed. He slept so soundly last night, and when he woke up this morning, he just stayed in bed. He was not looking forward to what he had to do next. Things were coming to a tipping point, and change was needed.
He was just lying there enjoying it when he heard a knock on his door. That was so odd to have his own door. Anyway, he did not want to answer it; he was just not yet ready for the next thing on the list to do. He pulled up the covers and just covered his head.
But the knock came again, and it was persistent. They were not going away, so he finally got up and dressed and slowly trudged to the door. Who would it be today? What problem was there to solve? Then came another louder knock.
He finally opened the door and at first saw nothing and then felt the kick on his foot and looked down. Clara was there. His first thoughts were that he was unwilling to peel potatoes today, no matter the cooking disaster going on. But the look on her face was not the disaster look; it was something fantastic.
Clara then squealed, “I did it, Mark. I did it.”
Mark just looked at her and then said, “What did you do, Clara? I am not going to peel any more potatoes for you.”
Clara said, “No, silly, I leveled up. I am Level 8 and I have three class choices. I did it!”
Mark said, “Pretty cool. What are the choices?” He finally noticed Dale standing a short distance away with a broad smile.
Clara said, “I have the choice of Apprentice Cook, Kitchen Steward, and Provisioning Assistant. They all sound super fun.” She shared the screen with Mark.
[Class Selection]
Option 1: Apprentice Cook
Bonuses:recipe learningmeal qualityfood preparation
Option 2: Kitchen Steward
Bonuses:organizationkitchen efficiencytask coordinationfood storage
Option 3: Provisioning Assistant
Bonuses:inventory awarenesssupply trackingresource management
◈ ◈ ◈
Mark looked over the list, and the first one that stuck out to him was Kitchen Steward. His class was Frontier Steward, and he knew what that meant for her class choice.
Mark said, “So tell me what you like best about each class choice.”
Clara replied, “Cooking. I get to cook.”
Mark laughed. “Well, you could cook even without the cooking class.”
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Clara replied, “But then I would be terrible, like you. I heard what Dale told you.”
Dale laughed. “Clara, you know I was just messing with him when I told him that.”
Clara replied, “I know, but it was true.”
Mark and Dale both laughed at that. Clara finally started telling Mark about all the reasons each class was great. She talked about inventory, supplies, storage, efficiency, recipes, and food prep.
Clara said, “What should I pick, Mark?”
Mark laughed. “This is your class; you must pick what you feel would best help you.”
Clara said, “Dale, what do you think?”
Dale said, “What do you want to become?”
Clara sat and thought for a moment, then said it. “Okay, I think I like the Kitchen Steward best. And it also sounds like your class, Mark, so that’s super cool too.”
Mark also thought that was a cool choice.
[Class Selected]
Kitchen Steward
A kitchen functions through planning, organization, and attention to detail.
You have demonstrated exceptional awareness, reliability, and dedication.
Class Benefits:Improved task coordinationIncreased kitchen efficiencyEnhanced inventory awarenessMinor leadership growth when directing food-related activities
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Clara said, “Okay, we need to test this out.” Then she ran off toward the kitchen, and Mark and Dale just followed along. Just before they got to the kitchen, Dale said, “Wait up, Clara. Did you check what your upgrade requirements were?”
Clara came to a halt and said, “What do you mean?”
Dale replied, “Look at your class screen, find the advancement requirements, and share them with us.”
[Kitchen Steward — Apprentice Rank]
Advancement Requirements:Coordinate 500 prepared meals (0 / 500)Train 3 kitchen assistants (0 / 3)Prevent 500 units of food waste through proper organization and storage (0 / 500)Successfully support a food operation serving 100+ people (0 / 1)Maintain accurate food and ingredient inventories for 30 consecutive days (0 / 30)Organize and oversee 3 large-scale meal preparations (0 / 3)
Potential Advancement: Journeyman Kitchen Steward
◈ ◈ ◈
Mark just started to laugh when he read them, thinking back to the Grand Harvest Banquet and all the bossing around she did to him. This class was definitely made for her. He just knew she would not wait long until she was training kitchen assistants. He bet that her little brother would be there tomorrow peeling potatoes and getting instructed.
Clara said, “All that stuff looks fun. Too bad I did not get the class before we did the cave; you could have been my first assistant, Mark. Okay, now stay back. I am doing this; you can’t help, Dale.”
Dale and Mark just stood outside the kitchen door peeking. Then they heard it start. She asked the cook why that spice that was sitting on the counter was not put away, as it would start to go bad if left out. Then she went to another and saw a mistake they were making and started correcting them.
Clara was amazing; Mark watched how she worked with the staff. Mark laughed when she showed the lady cutting vegetables how if she held the knife just at this angle, it worked better. Mark remembered her telling him the same thing. She found and fixed many small issues. Nothing they would not have survived on their own, but they were still small improvements.
Dale and Mark just sat there for a while watching; then Dale started laughing and grabbed Mark, and they headed over to Mark’s cabin. Then they went inside and sat down to chat. They talked about the food issues that were happening, fresh and local items being harder to find, and costs going up because of the extra effort in finding them.
Dale then told Mark that when he moved south, he planned to go too. He wanted to open up a real restaurant and maybe a tavern or inn to go with it. He wanted a stove and a bigger kitchen. He wanted to also teach and train new chefs like he had been taught, maybe in a school of some kind.
Mark talked to Dale about how Clara, at eleven, had no fear of telling adults when they were doing something wrong. She gave them directions and pointers, and they followed her, not because of her age, but because she was usually right. Dale mused about when he went south; maybe Clara could manage the kitchen here while he was traveling back and forth.
Dale then stopped and looked at Mark. “You know Clara’s going to be trouble.”
Mark replied, “What kind of trouble?”
Dale replied, “The competent kind.”