“Your curiosity is getting the better of you,” I said as I walked toward the tavern.

“It is,” Lily agreed from where she was still riding in my shirt pocket. “Why aren’t you anxious to meet your new apprentice?”

“I don’t know. Maybe I’m just not in a rush to meet someone else,” I said shrugging my shoulders. “And she’s not my apprentice yet.”

“Afraid of being disappointed again or that she won’t like us?” Lily asked flying up and landing on my left shoulder. She kissed my cheek and sat down.

“Yeah,” I admitted coming to a stop at the tavern’s front door. “On both accounts I suppose.”

“If she doesn’t like us or doesn’t mesh with us, she can hit the road,” Lily replied.

“Too true,” I agreed. “Let’s handle this mead business before the caravan gets here.”

“Da Beers?” Lily read the sign over the tavern. She blew a raspberry making me laugh.

“I agree. It’s not a great name,” I replied. “But I suppose they thought it was a clever use of their family name.”

“Maybe, though there used to be an ancient comedy skit where the characters were fans of a sports team named the Chicago Bears and always said Da Bears.”

“I hope they don’t know that. It would make the name even worse,” I laughed as I opened the door and walked in. A bell chimed from over the door.

“This place is almost a cliché,” Lily said.

“What do you mean?” I asked as I let my eyes adjust to the dark room.

“This is a long one-story building with a large, dark room filled with tables and chairs. There’s a fireplace at one end, which happens to be the only stone in sight. At the back wall is a bar with stools in front of it,” Lily answered. “I could be wrong, but I think this is the same basic design for every tavern in every story.”

“What about the stairs leading to rooms that can be rented?” I asked grinning.

“That’s an inn, and you know it,” Lily replied before sticking her tongue out at me.

“Can’t trick you this morning,” I said. She licked my cheek and took flight giggling. “Ahhh!”

“We’re closed!” a gruff sounding voice shouted from the kitchen doorway. Well, I assumed it was the kitchen doorway since I could hear what sounded like frying from that direction and could smell bacon.

“I know,” I called out.

“Then leave and come back during business hours!” the man shouted back.

“Jansen said you wanted to talk to me about mead.”

“That must be Jase Fisher,” a feminine voice said. “Go invite him to breakfast.”

Lily and I laughed. A heavyset man appeared in the kitchen doorway.

“Thought it was funny that my wife gives me orders?” he asked.

“Uh…”

“It always is until you get married, and your wife does it to you,” he replied. “Just wait. You’ll see and then it’ll be us older men laughing at you.”

“Jase has to find a girl that’ll even date him first,” Lily said from the rafters.

“Lily!” I cried. She laughed and swung her feet into the rafter she was sitting on.

“I’m just teasing!”

“Is something wrong?” the man asked.

“No,” I answered turning my attention back to him. “Just my familiar teasing me.” He grunted an acknowledgement.

“Anyway, I’m Owen Beers. Julia, my wife, wants to know if you would eat breakfast with us while we talk,” Jansen’s father said.

“I’m Jase Fisher. It’s nice meeting you Mr Beers. Thanks for your offer, but no thank you,” I replied. “In fact, I think I can make this mead business really quick.”

“Oh? How so?” Owen asked walking to the bar and taking a seat on a stool.

“I’m not a brewer and only made those other batches to see if I could do it.”

“So, you won’t make more?” he asked as his wife joined him at the bar. Introductions were made.

“I’m willing to make small batches when I have the time and ingredients,” I replied. “But mead won’t ever be something I focus on.”

“That’s fair,” Julia said. “How much would you want for a small batch?”

“I’m sure Simon and the other merchants charge you at least 10 cents a bottle,” I said.

“That’s not too far off the mark,” Owen replied.

“Lily, how many of the bottles that the Beers use did we get out of a gallon batch?”

“Five,” my familiar replied.

“If you’ll provide bottles or one-gallon casks, I’ll sell you the mead at seven cents per bottle or 35 cents per cask,” I told the tavern owners. That would allow me to make a little more per batch and allow them to increase their profit margin as well.

“That’s a good deal and a win for each side,” Lily told me over the bond.

The Beers whispered back and forth for three minutes or so before Mr Beers said, “We agree to your terms. When would you want some casks?”

“And how many?” Julia asked.

“Ten should work,” I replied after giving it a little thought. “And whenever you can get them to me. As I said, this will be a side project for me.”

“Fair enough,” Owen said.

“We need to write up a contract,” Julia said.

“Lily?”

“Got one right here!” Lily replied flying down wearing her personal assistant outfit. The Beers’ eyes went wide in shock at her appearance. I laughed. Julia read the contract.

“The terms are exactly what we stated,” she said.

“Of course, they are!” Lily replied. “We pixies take the law seriously…sometimes.”

“I guess we need witnesses,” Owen said. A half dozen pixies flew into the tavern.

“Here are our witnesses,” I replied.

“Pixies?” Julia asked in disbelief.

“Yep. Pixies always tell the truth,” I answered as all the pixies nodded in agreement.

“Our familiars can work as witnesses if the pixies can,” Owen said as the Beers’ cat familiars joined us. We signed the contract and a copy of it that Lily made for the Beers.

“You can pay me on delivery,” I said.

“I’ll get Hank to get the casks to you as quickly as he can,” Owen said shaking my hand.

“That works for me,” I replied standing up and walking toward the door. Lily and the other pixies flew out of it just as soon as I opened it.

“Are you sure you don’t want to join us for breakfast?” Julia asked.

“I’m sure. Thanks for the offer,” I replied. “Enjoy your breakfast.”