20. Sweet and Sour

The day started like any other. Billy and I went to the bakery for our usual shift, but there was a difference in the air—or maybe it was just me. My mind buzzed with excitement, practically bursting with the possibilities of our new idea. I couldn't wait to start experimenting. The Zorlanth fruit, that notorious little sour devil, could be our ticket out of this cycle of odd jobs. My feet practically skipped as I walked into the bakery that morning.

Lena and Errol greeted us as usual, though Errol eyed me a little warily. Maybe I was radiating too much enthusiasm for a simple day at the bakery.

"Morning!" I chirped, tying my apron on with a little too much flourish.

Lena, smiling warmly as ever, raised an eyebrow. "Well, someone's in a good mood."

I couldn't help but grin. "Actually, Lena, I was wondering... after our shift, could I use the kitchen for a bit? I've got this... idea. And, uh, could I borrow some of that leftover syrup from the jug you were going to toss?"

Lena's eyes narrowed with curiosity. "Leftover syrup? What's this idea of yours, Elliot?"

Before I could ramble about the grand plan, Billy chimed in, wiping down the counter. "Trust me, Lena, you don't want to get involved. He's been talking about it nonstop for hours. I'm already exhausted just hearing about it."

I shot Billy a look but turned back to Lena, my enthusiasm undimmed. "It's an experiment. I want to try mixing the syrup with something else—see if we can create a new drink. I have a good feeling about this."

Lena gave me a thoughtful glance. "You want to use the syrup for something sweet, huh? You know what, sure. After your shift, you can have at it." She grinned, her curiosity clearly piqued. "But only if I get to taste whatever you come up with."

I beamed. "Deal!"

Errol, who had been listening quietly while kneading dough, shot Lena a side-eye. "I'll just stay out front today, thanks," he muttered under his breath. "No experiments for me."

Billy snorted. "Smart man."

The shift flew by in a blur of bread dough, flour, and the usual chaos. But all I could think about was getting to work on my concoction. Once the last customer trickled out and the bakery door was locked, I practically raced into the kitchen, already picturing myself as some sort of alchemical genius.

Lena handed me the syrup jug and leaned against the counter, watching with amusement. "So, what exactly are you planning to do with this?"

I grabbed a bottle of the sour wine I'd brought from Jorin. "I'm going to find the perfect balance between this sour Zorlanth wine and the syrup. If I get it right, we'll have something completely unique. Something no one's ever tasted before!"

Billy, lounging against a chair, folded his arms. "Sounds like madness, if you ask me."

But I didn't care. I was on a mission. Pouring the wine into a bowl, I added a small amount of syrup and stirred it together, my eyes gleaming with the excitement of a mad scientist in the middle of a breakthrough.

I took a sip, and immediately, I gagged, tears streaming down my face as the sourness hit me like a tidal wave.

My mouth puckered so hard I thought it might never go back to normal, saliva flooding everywhere as I coughed and sputtered. But instead of giving up, I started laughing hysterically.

"It's... it's getting closer!" I managed to choke out between gasps for air.

Lena, concerned, turned to Billy. "What exactly is going on here?"

Billy sighed, already resigned to the madness. "Elliot's decided he wants to make a drink using that Zorlanth fruit stuff. You know, the one that practically melts your face with how sour it is. And I guess he's roped me into it now."

Lena's eyes widened. "Zorlanth? That stuff? Oh, Elliot, you're brave to even try that." But there was a glint of intrigue in her expression.

"It'll be brilliant!" I insisted, my voice hoarse from the assault on my taste buds. "I just need to get the right mix."

With a sigh and a shake of her head, Lena grabbed an apron. "Alright, then. If we're going to do this, let's do it properly." She smiled at Billy. "And you're helping too."

Billy's face paled. "Wait, me? I thought I was just here to carry things around."

But the look in Lena's eyes—and my own unhinged enthusiasm—left no room for argument. Together, we dragged Billy into the fray, shoving a spoonful of the latest attempt into his mouth before he could protest.

He immediately regretted it.

Billy's face contorted in horror, his lips pulling back as he choked on the sour-sweet mixture. He flailed, trying to spit it out, but it was too late. His eyes watered, his hands shaking as he clawed for the nearest rag to wipe his tongue. "This is torture!" he gasped, his voice hoarse.

I laughed, even as my own face was still recovering from the previous sip. "We're getting closer though!"

Lena chuckled, though she hadn't yet dared to try it herself. "You two are absolutely bonkers."

Billy shot me a look of pure betrayal. "You dragged me into this, mate. And now I'm stuck tasting these monstrosities. If I die, it's on you!"

Lena handed him a glass of water. "Oh, come on, Billy. It's not that bad."

"Not that bad? My mouth's on fire from sourness! It feels like my taste buds are throwing in the towel!"

Meanwhile, I was tweaking the proportions of syrup to wine again, pouring small batches into cups and offering them to Lena and Billy like some overzealous bartender. Lena took a cautious sip of one, her brow furrowing in concentration.

"It's... interesting," she said diplomatically.

Billy wasn't nearly as polite. "Interesting? It's like someone slapped me in the mouth with a lemon and then tried to make it up to me with a spoonful of honey."

I snorted, unable to stop laughing despite the madness of it all. "We're getting there, though! I can feel it!"

At this point, Lena's husband, Errol, stuck his head into the kitchen, looking at the chaos before him—the syrup splattered on the counters, the empty wine bottles, and Billy's tortured expression. He shook his head slowly.

"Thank the gods I decided to stay up front," he muttered to himself, retreating as quickly as he'd appeared.

"Smart man," Billy repeated with a sigh, accepting yet another spoonful of the latest mix. "Why am I still here?"

Lena gave him an encouraging pat on the shoulder. "You're part of the team, Billy. Besides, it's kind of fun, isn't it?"

Billy's sarcastic grin returned. "Yeah, fun. Like a really sour, painful kind of fun."

We worked through batch after batch, each one getting a little closer to what I was imagining. Billy, for all his complaints, stuck with it, even if he dramatically gagged every time I handed him a new concoction. Meanwhile, Lena was actually starting to get into it, offering suggestions on balancing the flavors.

By the time we'd hit a mix that didn't make Billy want to run for the hills, I felt triumphant. Sure, we hadn't nailed it yet, but we were on the verge of something big.

"This is it!" I shouted, grinning from ear to ear. "We're almost there!"

Billy, red-faced from the sourness, slumped into a chair. "I'll believe it when my mouth stops feeling like a war zone."

But despite his suffering, even he couldn't hide the glimmer of excitement in his eyes. We were onto something, and we all knew it.