“Alright,” Uncle Brit said, sitting down on the bench. The pair of otters were winding down the dinner rush. Chip took both of their aprons and stuffed them into his rucksack. “I’m of two minds, Chip. We need to perfect our sauce but I don’t know if that will be enough. I think you have the technical aspect of grilling down so I don’t need to work on that with you, but I also think that we need to get the best fishes for the contest.” “Aye, Uncle. And since the head judge is a mouse, do you want to think about making some vegetable dish? Something maybe the mice and rabbits will like?” Uncle Brit stood up and the two headed towards the eastern stairs. Chip loaded his two empty water buckets on his makeshift yoke. It wasn’t until they got to the stairs and Uncle Brit took one tentative step that Chip realized that his silence was because he was processing. “Make food for the rabbits, eh? Kids these days. Alright you’re on Chip. I’m going to ask the raft when we get back.” The raft was a grouping of adults that lived together raising children in a group. Uncle Brit strictly speaking wasn’t Chip's uncle by blood, but since Chip's father and his uncle had a polygamous relationship with the two other otters in the raft, the only reason he knew who his father was, was because his father and mother had been together before joining the raft. “Okay so, granted I’ll find the way to get the best fish I can. Maybe your father can get that for us. Do you want to work on the sauce? Perhaps we can get some foxes and rabbits and mice to test it out?” “I can get all the spices together and maybe some of the oil and vinegar?” Descending the final level to the base of the stairwell, the pair turned to the eastern gate of Yellowrock towards the river and the Riverfolk Mercenary Company and community trusts shantytown. Most of the otters worked for the company but a few of the retirees lived right off the river, and as they got closer, their two story house jutted out north of the outer wall. “So tomorrow morning before we head to make lunch, you need to get with the spices either in the indoor bazaar or the outdoor one.” Having to lug a bunch of fish to the top, the fifth floor of the Yellowrock mesa, that was tough. Luckily the pair only had to bring it to the central pully system. Because they made fish with open flames they couldn’t sell indoors, which was as well. The nobles of all the Yellowrock Union races worked on the top floors.