We hauled the last of my purchases inside, filling the cafe with a strange array of treasure chests, crates, shields, empty potion bottles, and even a few clubs I had hoped would work as rolling pins.  It looked pretty ridiculous now that it was inside the cafe.


    "What was I thinking when I bought all this?" I slumped onto a crate, nudging a shield on the floor.  "Cafes are supposed to be warm and cozy, maybe even cute.  Not full of weapons."


    Cole hung a few mismatched lanterns from the ceiling, rearranging them to make a semblance of a pattern.  "It''s...unique that''s all."


    "Unique.  That''s a kind way to put it."  I laughed, shaking my head as Matcha hopped inside a treasure chest full of fabric, wiggling like he was finding just the right spot to settle down.  A small smile tugged at my lips.  "I''m sure it''ll work out.  We''re in a dungeon after all.  People can''t expect it to be nice, not like a real cafe."


    "What''s that supposed to mean?" Cole frowned.  "You don''t think the dungeon''s nice?"


    "Of course not.  It''s a dungeon." I stacked a few crates into makeshift shelves, smiling as a fire slime got close enough to one of the lanterns to light it.  The flame danced inside the glass.  "I think he wants to help."


    I nodded at the fire slime, but Cole seemed lost in thought, clutching a lantern to him without moving.


    "You okay?" I asked.


    "You really don''t like the dungeon? But it''s full of adventure and new experiences.  You get to level up and feel accomplished.  Isn''t that what everyone wants?"


    He tilted his head, his frown deepening.  It was the first time I''d seen such a serious look on his face and I honestly wasn''t sure how to respond.  I picked up the fire slime, lifting the lil'' guy up to the lanterns Cole had already hung so he could light those too.  The slime''s flames brightened as he made a happy noise, slowly filling the room with the warm glow of dozens of lanterns.


    "Well, the slimes are pretty wonderful," I admitted, "so I''m sure there''s more to like in the dungeon. I just meant that it''s not really, well, cafe-friendly, you know?  You can''t even buy a mixing bowl or a whisk."  I motioned at the crates we''d stacked into makeshift tables.  "Or furniture..."


    The fire slime was warm and toasty in my arms, but somehow didn''t burn me.  It was a pleasant feeling, like a hot water bottle or a heated blanket.  I patted his head, my fingers sliding through his flames without any harm.  These slimes really were so cool.


    "That''s fair," Cole said, hanging the lantern in his hands finally.  "So furniture would make you like the dungeon better?"


    I laughed.  "What''s with this weird conversation?  Sure, comfortable furniture would make it better.  So would a decent rolling pin.  It''s like the dungeon is only focused on fighting and slaying monsters, so there''s nothing left for a baker like me.  I am grateful I got this cool class though. I just–"


    The lid to Matcha''s treasure chest slammed shut, making me jump.  The slime squealed inside.  I rushed to open it as the fire slime in my arms hopped inside, nuzzling up to Matcha who''s green eyes were wide in shock.


    "Are you okay?" I asked.  "Maybe a treasure chest isn''t a good place to get cozy."


    Matcha leaned into the fire slime for a moment, then chirped and hopped out of the treasure chest.  I pulled the fabric out and let it pool on the floor for him to curl inside safely and he happily wiggled into his new makeshift bed.  Then I turned to the fire slime.


    "You''re such a nice slime," I said, patting him on the head.  "I wonder what kind of food you like?"  The slime shifted this way and that, but obviously couldn''t answer. I glanced back at Cole, since they seemed to like him so much.  "Any ideas?"Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    "Something charred?" He shrugged.  "I don''t know.  I don''t feed the slimes."


    I sighed, standing back up.  "Nobody does and it''s a real shame.  They''re so adorable."  I crossed my arms, staring at the fire slime.  He reminded me of something. I kept staring into those flames until the idea finally came.  "Marshmallows!"


    Images of golden marshmallows toasting over a fire came to mind.  The sweet sticky treat was exactly what I wanted, but how could I get marshmallows in a dungeon?  I''d need sugar, vanilla, gelatin, and corn syrup.  Maybe I could use honey instead since I had a quest to visit whatever sugarstingers were. Better yet, if I had graham crackers I could make s''mores with the chocolate I had.  Now that sounded tasty.


    I tapped my finger against my thigh, wishing I had all of those ingredients.  This was really going to become a problem as time went on.  Sure, I''d managed to find enough ingredients to cook for me and the slimes, but running a cafe was a whole different story.  I''d need so many ingredients, especially if I wanted to create any semblance of a consistent menu.


    "What''s on your mind?" Cole asked as he finished hanging the last lantern.  Warmth glowed around him, shining against his dark hair and clothes.  "Maybe I can help."


    "I just realized that I can''t really make a menu for the cafe if I don''t have a good supply of ingredients.  Simple things like milk and butter are hard to come by.  I only managed to get so much chocolate because Fiona got addicted to chocolate chip cookies, but I can''t keep relying on her."


    She''d said she purchased the chocolate from a shopkeeper in town, but when we''d stopped, they hadn''t had any anymore.  Apparently their stock changed day to day, so I couldn''t rely on that for my cafe.


    "I can help with that!" Cole grinned.  "I know just the thing.  There''s a herd of goats on floor 38 that have the best milk."


    I whistled.  "You''ve been to floor 38?  You must be pretty high-level then, huh?" When I focused on his level, a bar appeared above his head, but it was full of question marks instead of an actual level.  "Or maybe not?"


    "Uh, yeah, I am."  He smiled awkwardly, rubbing the back of his neck. "You just can''t see a level if it''s too much higher than yours."


    "Makes sense, but that doesn''t really help me. I can''t exactly hop over to floor 38 every time I need milk."


    "But you can bring a goat home with you," he said, his grin widening.  "You''ve already befriended so many monsters.  Why not a goat too?  I''m friends with them already, so it''ll be fine.  They''re practically pets."


    Something about his excitement had me more concerned than reassured, but I did want milk.  You could make so many things with milk.  Like homemade cheese!  Oh how I wanted that for my grilled cheese.  I could make it a staple of my menu, the sandwich that gave me a whole new class.


    "But, how would I even get to floor 38?" I asked.


    His face fell.  "Oh, well, um, I can take you?  We''ll go from here to there, no need to risk the other floors."  He leaned forward, lowering his voice.  "Just don''t tell anyone I did it.  This will be our little secret."


    Should I really trust a man I''d just met who apparently could skip almost 30 floors?  Not only was his level a big question mark, but so were his motives.


    "Why would you do that for me?"


    "Because your food tastes amazing," he said, closing his eyes with a sigh.  "That soup was wonderful.  I want to try everything you make, but can''t do that if you don''t have ingredients.  Plus, you''re always doing something interesting.  It''s kind of fun."


    The look on his face was so pure and innocent, like he really did just want to eat my food and have a good time.  I felt myself nodding even though it was a terrible idea.  But if the goats were like pets, it couldn''t be that bad, right?


    "You''re sure this is safe?" I asked.


    He smiled, warm and bright just like the lanterns.  "I''m sure.  I won''t let a single monster touch you."


    "Okay," I said, hoping I wouldn''t instantly regret this decision, "let''s go befriend a goat then."


    Cole pulled out a key from his menu, holding it in the air to summon a door.  Matcha bounced against my leg, but I shook my head.  If the goats were dangerous, then I didn''t want the slimes anywhere near them.


    "Sorry, not this time.  Keep the cafe safe for me, okay?"


    Matcha deflated with a big sigh.  I bent to pet him.


    "When I get back, we can harvest the tea and experiment with different kinds.  How does that sound?"


    He bounced faster, eyes bright.


    "It’s a deal then.  I''ll be back as soon as I can."


    Cole offered me his hand as a door opened to a new floor.  "Ready?"


    "As I''ll ever be."


    I paused just outside the door to glance back at the cozy cafe I was about to leave.  These goats better be worth it.