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[Thrax]

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Night after night the Inn was full to capacity with native Papuans and wealthy visitors from cities as far away as Zento. Chairs and tables had to be made and brought in to hold them all and a king's ransom had been spent to make the garden dining area a spectacular sight. It was all designed to resemble that of larger, wealthier, establishments in the realms. But it was not the atmosphere, nor the service, which was fast, courteous and professional, nor the ordinary cuisine that drew such large crowds. It was a specific dish, a native Papuan stew, quite familiar with the denizens of the town but with Poppy's own "secret" ingredient added to it... a special marinade it was believed... that drew them in by the droves. The taste of it was incredible. Someone actually said it was worth dying for.

This made Poppy very happy. She no longer had to wait on tables but had been recently promoted to head chef. Her pay had more than doubled and she was no longer saving her gold to move away. Why should she, when she would never find a job that paid a simple country girl like her so well? All she had to do was make sure she did not use too much of her special ingredient on the meat for the stew, make sure none of it touched raw food and things would proceed nicely, as they had been thus far.

She untied her apron and laid it on a counter, informing another cook that she had to go deal with nature. The cook, a younger woman named Jana, nodded absently but continued preparing a salad. After Poppy left the room, Jana stopped tossing the salad and went to where Poppy had been preparing the meat. Lying on a large plate on the counter were chunks of beef and pork that had already been prepared for the stew. Jana had heard about the "secret" ingredient and had been slipping pinches of it for her own use for some time now. She was not using it on food at home, but for times she could get away to a hidden place with time enough on her hands to imbibe it without anyone being the wiser. She was now fully addicted to it and just had to have more. Noting the simple, nondescript, leather pouch lying beside the plate, and knowing it contained the powder, she opened it and grabbed a small amount. In her haste, she carelessly allowed a small portion of the fine powder to slip out of her fingers to spill upon the meat lying on the plate. Having no time to correct her mistake, she instead put the remainder of it into a pouch of own and turned away, nonchalantly returning to her work area to finish the salad.

Poppy returned soon, having first taken ample time to wash her hands carefully, and took up where she left off. While lost in thought, she did not notice the change in her ingredients... the thin powder that lay upon the meat. Humming to herself, she began placing the raw meat into a saucepan to brown. Tonight was to be a very special night, she thought to herself. Seats had been reserved for royalty! And this serving of the stew was made specifically for the Grand Duchess Molly of Luna and her entourage.

She couldn't wait to see the look on their faces after the first taste!