The evening passed. It did not do so quickly, nor peacefully, but it passed. Losing Yadra was noticeable, as me and Betha had to work double time to get through it. The landlady spend the evening chatting up guests, and I suspect she made an effort to keep the pressure off us. Not enough of an effort to do any actual work, of course, but every little helped.

When I got back to my room, the moons had been up for a while already. Paraton was heavy and red in the sky, showing it’s dominance over the heavens. The moonlight was pale white, showing off the towns quiet. I spent some time wondering where Yadra had gone. I have to find her tomorrow, as soon as the breakfast is over. I go to bed, trying not to think about whether she’d found somewhere to sleep tonight.

You have 3 days left of your debt to the Salty Swine.

I woke up the next morning without the well rested status. I guess I didn’t sleep long enough. I got up anyway, finding the inn colder than usual. I heating seems to be another one of Yadras tasks. I pick up my items from a pile in the corner where S had left them. It was all there, buckets of hops included. I head out the door, stopping at Bethas door to let her know I was up. The kitchen was as clean as we left it, and I hurried through the prep. Since I had no idea what was on the menu, keeping it simple seemed like the safe choice. Oatmeal with fruits. While the porridge cooked I arranged the plates, getting them ready for serving.

Skill increased: Cooking.

Betha comes down with a hairdo that would make a crow jealous. I put another log in the boiler so the water would heat up faster, then got out to the main hall while she made herself presentable.

Putting the main hall in order was a quick job, and I felt pretty good about my progress in the job. Throwing open the doors let the town know we were open for business, and like zombies they shuffled in. The service went without any issues, and as soon as I got the opportunity, I ran to check my mail.

Mr. Houg was his usual self, not showing much interest in my existence. I had three letters waiting for me. The first one from Rain.

‘..|.’

Okay. She still needs time to process. The next one from Mika.

‘Hi Tee,

You wouldn’t believe the stuff we get to do here. Rish was given an honour from the knight captain of a fort up in the mountains. She snuck into an enemy encampment and returned with the leaders head. I’ve been working on rearing a horse. The little guy is growing insanely fast, I’ll be able to ride him into battle soon.

I wish you and Rishi would make up soon. It’s getting her down. Worse than I thought it would. She got drunk after she saw your letter. Afterwards she was crying, like really crying. She was talking about Rach, but kept referring to “him”, so, you know…

Oh, and I got a reply from tech support. There was a mistake in their software that prevented us from accessing the portal. We’ve already uploaded some videos. I’m sure the adventures of Rain will get us a bunch of viewers.

Take care,

Mika.’

How are they doing so much better than me? I’m barely qualified to pick my own nose, and they’re heroes of some kingdom already! Ack…

‘Hi Mika,

I think I have to leave her alone for now. She’ll take the time she needs. She’s going to beat me badly when we meet, then we’ll have a chance to mend things. We’ll work it out.

Aw man, I miss Rach. She’d kick my ass for being so slow, focusing on all the wrong things and not going for the prize I want.

On the upside I’ve started unlocking a profession, and I’m nearing the end of my servitude here. Then, as soon as possible I’ll get out of here and find a good piece of land. I’ll make sure there’s a nice stable for your horse. What are you naming him?

Thanks for being there man, I appreciate it.

Love,

Tee.’

It’ll have to do. The last letter is from tech support. Dear Mister Collier, please excuse bla bla incorrect bla bla fixed now please try again and accept our bla bla. Sounds about right. I loaded the portal to test, and got in immediately. Shame I haven’t really done anything interesting yet to upload. I’m sure footage of S would be popular, but she might not appreciate the limelight. I have to check with her the next time I get a chance. A deep sigh from the clerk lets me know that I’ve outstayed my welcome, and I head out. Before I leave, I turn back to him.

“Mr. Houg? I was wondering if you’d seen Yadra the barmaid lately? She wasn’t at the inn last night, and I’m getting a little worried.”

He looks up with an unexpected expression. Concern was visible in his eyes.

“Really? That’s worrying to hear. I wouldn’t get too worried though. Yadra is a grown woman, and she’s well loved in the community. I’m sure she’s found a place to stay.”

I smile, nodding at him.

“Yeah, you’re right. Thanks Mr. Houg.”

Your relationship with Mr. Houg has increased to Amicable.

Unexpected. Does Mr. Houg actually care about his flock? I put it aside for now, deciding to focus on looking for Yadra before the lunch rush.

I quickly realise that everyone is working after breakfast. Luckily, I know where people will be going soon enough, so I head back to the inn, only to be met by the mayor out front.

“Ah, young Tee. What a lucky coincidence to run into you here.”

His smile seems genuine enough, but there’s no way this is an accidental meet.

“Mister mayor. I have something for you upstairs. Give me a moment to fetch it.”

I walk by him to fetch the buckets of hops. When I come back downstairs he’s inside, sitting at a table. I put the buckets on the floor next to him. He, in turn, looks up at me.

“You got the hops out of old man Rognstad without any problems then?”

Looking away, I answer in a low voice.

“He tried to pass me some old stuff, but this is straight from the drier. I misjudged the time I had, so I got back too late, but nothing that should affect our arrangement.”

He nods, that friendly smile on his face.

“It’s going to be tricky to get the time to get the remaining ingredients though. My work here keeps me at various times, and without Yadra here…”

His eyebrows rise for a moment. Something surprised him.

Skill increased: Social Perception.

“Yadra finally left? I didn’t think she had the money for it yet. Did she leave any messages?”

I straighten up, trying not to show how guilty I felt about it.

“She left because she was covering for me. I came back right as the landlady kicked her out. I’ve been trying to find her, but again, I don’t have the time to search properly because of my work here.”

He nods, thinking.

“I’ll take possession of these buckets now. If I see Yadra, I’ll make sure she checks in with you when she can, but there isn’t a lot more I can do at the moment. Just hang in there and try your best.”

Getting up from the chair, he picks up the barrels as if they were filled with feathers. He nods as he exits, leaving me with work to do.

For the lunch service, Betha instructed me to hollow out a bunch of round loaves she’d baked earlier. She filled them with a thick soup made from various leftovers we’d collected the previous few days. Without Yadra to take charge, Betha is impressing me with her ability to make decisions. I do my best to assist her, running beer and chatting up the customers. Midway through the service I get to talking with an old man who says he saw someone who looked like Yadra, leaving town towards the next one over. She was on foot, but fuming in a way that should scare even the hungriest wildlife.

After cleanup, I get the opportunity to catch up with Betha over the dishes.

“Are you doing okay? I mean, now that you’re alone and all…”

She doesn’t look up from her work. Her voice is steadier than before, a wisp of sadness behind it.

“I’ll be fine. I just have to work harder now, that’s all. Especially since you’re leaving soon. I just hope the miss can get another hand in soon.”

A quest is available: Help staff the Salty Swine.Your efforts to reduce the staffing levels at the Salty Swine have been successful. Too much so, and Betha will be left with the work of three. Find someone to help out with the work.Success: Improved standing with the Salty Swine and it’s employees.Reject/Failure: No consequence.

I accept the quest, and we finish the cleaning in silence.

With some time before the dinner service, I decide to talk to the landlady. Or possibly snoop in her office. I’d love to know more about the woman she had sneaking into my room. Knocking loudly on her door, I wait for a few moments to see if anyone is coming. All quiet, so I enter the room.

Warning: You have entered an area you do not have permission to be in.

Yeah yeah. There’s nothing new here since last time, so I go to her desk first. An old fashioned desk with a dark surface. It’s well polished and maintained, even though I’ve never seen anyone but the miss go in here. I quickly check the drawers, finding only one of them unlocked. Inside is a pile of papers and a dark glass bottle with a cork. I uncork it, smelling the contents, regretting it immediately.

Inhaling enhanced spirits has resulted in your sense of smell being disabled for thirty minutes.

A sense of burning climbs up my sinuses, tearing and ripping at my tender olfactory system. Quickly corking the bottle, I put it back, careful not to let my tears hit the desk. A quick scan of the papers and I found they were letters. All from girls around what seems to be the Ionian empire, all updates on what they were doing. There were maids, seamstresses and cooks mixed in with warriors, blacksmiths and even an imperial official. I put it all back, having gained more questions than answers from my little adventure. When I try to close the drawer, it stops before it’s all the way in. My heart beating faster, I jiggle it a bit, before removing the drawer completely. Behind it is an old key, a chill emanating from it. It got tangled when I opened the drawer in the first place.

Ability discovered: Fortune.

Strange. Clearly tied to the strange parrot under the larder.

I take a moment to savour that thought. Not something you get to say every day.

Making a mental note of where it is, I leave it. It’s not like I can use it at the moment. I move to the large chest instead, finding it locked. Strange, it was unlocked before. Actually, there’s a pile of papers in the corner that wasn’t there before. Carefully so as not to damage anything or make too much noice, I lift the chest. It’s heavy. Not adult body heavy, I guess. But it’s definitely full of something. I place it back down and decide not to push my luck any further. The miss might come back at any moment, and I don’t have any good reason to be in here. I sneak a peek into the hallway, hurrying outside when I find it empty. Not really a successful adventure. At least I learnt some new stuff. I head into the kitchen and start preparing for the dinner service.