"Ok, you can have the leftover stew from yesterday, but clean the dishes again before you leave."
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"Breakfast is available after weeding the garden and harvesting the vegetables for todays stew." Zokar offers.
"Who would need a map around here? I mean besides you. And I don't think you could afford one either."
"Yes, you can eat too. Don't want you to faint like a girl behind the counter."
"Serving stuff is the job of the nice boy behind the counter." Zokar points out.
"Just put a beer on every tab and bring those who hadn't one since your shift started another one." Zokar orders.
"Well, til we close of course."
"And don't forget to note it on their tabs." Zokar calls over.
As Tarjun brings the ale to Zokar, he tries it to see if it's done well. As he fids just the right amount of foam he tells "Good job! Keep it up."
"Only mugs." Zokar replies and points to the shelf. Then he walks over to one of the tables and takes a set. "An ale!" he call towards Tarjun.
"How about you do my job?" Zokar suggests. "You pour the drinks and you serve them."
"That's just in the kitchen behind that door. The hand pump to get water is in the garden out back. Make it warm in the cauldron before you use it. And try not to break any plates." Zolkar replies.
"If you get the patrons to give you some coin for your performance, I'm fine with that too." Zolkar agrees.
"Either water from the horse through outside, or a job of doing the dishes to earn a meal and an ale." Zokar replies. "I've never heard of this Oakstead."
"Welcome to Cartersville Inn in Cartersville. You have to be thirsty if you're lost. What can I get you to drink." the friendly barkeeper replies.
"No, no, everything's fine. I'll check in the back for the other six blankets." Zolkar replies and wanders off. A few minutes later he reappears with a big stack of blankets. "I've got 15 here. Just bring five more from there. You're taking them with you, or should I make a delivery?"
"Maybe count if there are twenty of them on the stack. I ordered some to stack up for winter, but I'm not sure if I put them out already, or if they are still somewhere in the back."
"Hello Persephone. They are 5 silver a piece. They are stacked over there if you want to take a look."
Zolkar is unsettled by the fact that Persephone does Marinelli's bookkeeping. He looks nervous at Finn and Persephone. "All good." he replies and keeps stacking boxes on his cart. He is glad once he can sign the receipt, accept the invoice and leave with his cart.
Spoiler:
At the store you find a distraught Zokar and some bruised guards. The shop looks like a whirlwind went through it. "Those whirlwinds appeared inside the shop and through everything off the shelves! And then they attacked the guards! And after a minute they vanished!" "Now looks at this mess! That'll take hours to clean up!"
"Thank you, but no thank you." Zokar replies.
All who walk to the shop make it there in time to arrive before the thugs with the cart and the wine. Zolkar greets Faerveren and after she introduces the guards he assigns them places in the shop to stand around inconspicuous.
Zokar see's everybody to the door and locks it behind them. "I'm too old for that s&@+."
"You mean, there could be people dying?" Zokar is aghast. Images of war play before his inner eye.
"No problem" Zolkar replies. He gets up and fetches some paper, a quill and ink. He sits down and quickly writes down the formal request. Honored Authority of the City Watch.
Sincerely Yours, Zolkar Elkarid "Done. Now only the others have to sign it and you can get the City Watch involved."
"I'm sorry, I'll get something." Zolkar fetches four more mugs and a jug of water. He fills the mugs and puts one in front of every one of the guests. "What would we write into such a document?"
"You mean a criminal charge?" Zolkar inquires.
Zolkar invites Menan and the ladies in. "Welcome to my shop. Father Grimburrow is already in. Please go through to the kitchen and take a seat." He closes the door after them, locks it and turns the Open/Closed sign.
"Sorry, they don't talk about their business relations, but from what is on their cart, I'd expect two more 'customers'" "Father Grimburrow might know more. He brought some guy here last week who was interested in doing something about this scam too. But I haven't heard of him since."
"They come every Wednesday in the morning and deliver a box of wine. See, the bottles there, prominently placed on the shelf. Want to buy one? For you only 8 gold." "The first time they came for a visit, they 'offered' the wine. They suggested, it might be better to buy it, or things could drop to the floor and break. And one of them toppled a piece of china over." "There were two that delivered the wine, but since last week there are four of them. Something must have happened. Last week I got my delivery, but the thug got distracted by some noise while I was fetching the coin and was gone when I came looking for him." "The next day four guys came and wanted to repeat the delivery, but I showed them that I got mine already and they moved on."
Zokar's face darkens. "Those insufferable bastards. Someone should shove the bottles up their arse until they puke cork!"
"Welcome to Zokar's Shop. I'm Zokar, how can I help you?" The shop is stuffed from the floor to the ceiling with all kinds of stuff. Pots, pans, lamps, cloth, clothes. Probably you'd have a hard time naming something the shop doesn't have. Zokar stands behind the counter at the entrance.
"I don't know. It was an annoyance, but it was only one delivery that got lost. It cost me nothing and I got it two weeks later. Also the bullies. They were there for a few days. They stopped that mostly. Maybe once a week one walks by, hammers oh the window with a fist, laughs and moves on." "It is the fear what could happen that is supposed to wear my resolve down and keep the customers away." Zokar explains. "I know two more shop owners that had a similar experience. But we're talking shop owners here. Like me, we do business. We fight with special offers and good service to win some customers. But we don't know what to do about this. For sure some would chip in if you find a way to fix the issue, but beyond that?"
"It is getting late anyway. How about I close my shop and we sit together in the back?" Zokar suggests. As Vorkatos agrees Zokar locks the front door and turns the open/closed sign. At the back is the kitchen with a large dining table. Zokar offers Father Grimburrow and Vorkatos a seat and some watered wine. "My family lives in this city for many generations. Since back in the days when there was only the city up here and the harbor down at the shore. And my grandparents on my mother's side opened this shop. It's nothing big, but it has fed our family well and we even got wealthy enough to build a fancy house." "But now this wannabe important guy comes with offers 'you can't refuse'. Like selling the shop to him. Or buying my supplies from him. And as I told him to get lost, my supplies from other suppliers got lost on the way as the transport was raided. Or some bullies loiter around my store. And of course nothing can be directly blamed on Marinelli." Zokar talks himself into a rage.
"Good to see you. How are you?" Zokar greets Grimburrow. "Hello. I'm Zokar. Nice to meet you." Zokar offers a hand to Varkatos.
Dina runs into Zokar Elkarid. "I'd say come into my tavern. But we are closed this evening. But why don't you come along to the celebration in town hall. There you'd get at least a free beer."
Zokar collects the coins and returns with a bottle of hard liquor and two shot glasses. Pouring two he hands one to Jominda. "Now I need one too." he tells.
"No, no, no! First you tell, then you get the drinks to forget for free." Zokar replies and comes closer - eagerly waiting for the stories.
"Hey, Jominda!" Zokar replies. He fills a bowl with stew and fills a glass with Jominda's favourite wine. He brings both to her and takes a seat at the table. "How's it been at the old ruins? Is it true what the rumours say?"
"Why, what do they say about him?" Zokar asks curiously.
"I for sure didn't check that. Might be a ghost or some cat in season. But if you find out please tell me. I love such stories." Zokar replies. He takes a swig from his mug of ale. "But tell me, why are you so interested in all those stories about the Harrowstone?" Zokar inquires.
"They are good an honest people here. But they are farmers and craftsmen. They like a joke about undead like my menu. But no one - including me - wants to meet anything like that in person." "But if you want to deal with such things the people don't want to deal with you. It's really easy. It only gets complicated if you want to be friends with them and deal with such horrors. The easiest thing would be to find different friends. Such friends who have the time and the money to take an hour to discuss these fine differences. Instead of toiling all day until you got enough to feed the kids."
"I wouldn't say friend. He was a regular customer and I really like talking to him. He had always interesting stories to tell. The vampire steaks here on the menu were inspired by one of his stories." "I guess his interest in undead and necromancy ruined his reputation. I think the line is a fine one between fighting it and using it and most people don't care to make the distinction. And the thought he did his thing here at the Harrowstone makes me shudder. Look here, goose bumps." he says pointing to his arm. "But I have no idea what he wanted at the Harrowstone. And I bet he told no one that he wanted to go there. Maybe his daughter." "But let me fetch your stew before we continue." Zokar rushes into the kitchen and only a moment later he comes back with two bowls of a thick meaty stew and places them on the table for Herm and Amira to enjoy.
As everyone else seems to need more time Zokar asks "So you're friends of the deceased Professor?"
"Has anyone decided already what you want to eat? And I promise there are only fresh corpses in my corpse chowder!" Zokar asks.
"Take a seat at the table then. I'll bring you the menu and something to drink." Zokar replies. He grabs the slate with the menu written on it from the bar and puts it on the table. "I'm back in no time." Zokar explains as he leaves to draw some beers. The menu lists vampire steaks, wolf balls, corpse chowder, and liquid ghosts. Zokar returns with a mug of ale for everyone including himself. "So you you're taken by Ravengro. Then you're either the most special snowflake that has ever come through or you're trying to pull my leg." he chuckles. "It is just a few huts in the middle of nowhere that was an infamous place half a century ago."
A well fed man stands behind the bar. He puts down the towel and approaches the strangers. "Welcome to the Laughing Demon. I'm pleased to meet you here. What would you like? Something to drink? Or a delicious stew? You can sit at the bar or here at the table." he says pointing to a large table at the wall with a bench and chairs for up to eight people and waits for the guests decision. |