“You should get home,” said Viv, forcing a smile. “The signs are incredible, and I’ve already kept you too late.”
“You’re sure?”
“Positive.”
Tandri nodded reluctantly and left, folio tucked under her arm.
As the succubus rounded the corner, Viv stalked over, removed theOPENsign from its peg, and went inside.
When she closed the door, she tried her best to be gentle about it, but it still rattled on the hinges.
* * *
As Viv layon her bedroll, she withdrew the Blink Stone that Roon had given her. She turned it over and over in her hands, thinking about how clear the division between success and failure had once been. That clarity had never been more elusive.
She put away the stone and did not go to sleep for a long time.
9
She’d definitely harboredsomehope, but when Viv went to hang theOPENsign on its peg, the sight of three individuals lined up outside the door still startled her—a burly dockworker, a red-cheeked washerwoman, and a rattkin in a big, leather apron dusted with flour.
The dockworker looked her up and down, surprised, then growled, “Free samples?” He hooked a huge thumb at the sign in the street.
“That’s right,” said Viv, propping the door wide with a river stone. The sky was still dark, and the morning air had a mid-spring bite to it.
All three bustled inside. Viv had the stove lit for heat, and the wall lanterns cast a buttery glow over the interior.
The washerwoman approached the counter and examined a sheet of parchment that Viv had weighted with a few smooth pebbles. She hadn’t had time to find a slate, so she’d hand-printed a menu, conscious of the crudeness of her attempt compared to Tandri’s stylus work. It was better than nothing, but she’d have her new employee rework it later, if she was willing.
Viv hadn’t bothered to add prices to the simple list. She didn’t want to scare anyone off. Everything was free for the time being, anyway.
~Menu~
Coffee ~ rich drink brewed with roasted Gnomish beans
Latte ~ Coffee with milk—creamy and delicious
“Don’t know what none of that is,” said the washerwoman, tapping the list with one red forefinger. “Which one is best?”
She’d put a little thought into this. “Do you take cream in your tea?”
“Nah,” she replied. “Hot and more of it is how I likes mine. So, it’s like tea, is it?”
Viv waggled a hand side to side, then admitted, “No. Not really.” She looked at the other two. “How about you?”
“What she’s having,” said the dockworker, crossing his arms. The rattkin approached, got up on his toes to get a good view of the menu and, after a moment, tapped the latte without uttering a word.
“Done,” said Viv. She set to brewing.
As the machine began hissing and grinding and burbling, her first customers gathered around curiously. The rattkin squeaked in surprise when the brew began to gush into a mug, his oil-drop eyes gleaming.
She slid the first mug to the woman, who cautiously picked it up, gave it a deep sniff and a puff of breath to cool it, then took a hefty sip. She screwed up her face for a moment… then nodded. “Huh. Not bad, that is,” she admitted. “Not tea, that’s sure. Not saying I’d pay by the mug, hear, but….” She wandered into the dining area and slid onto the bench, hands curled around the mug. Leaning over it, she sighed deeply.
The dockworker received his, smelled it dubiously, and somehow drank it in four long swallows. Viv grimaced and grabbed at her own throat involuntarily. The big man contemplated it, shrugged, returned the mug, and left without a word.
Viv’s disappointment was acute, but she still managed to call out, “Uh, thank you!” in her best impression of someone who knew what they were doing.
Tandri slipped in the door and quietly rounded the counter as Viv brewed the rattkin’s latte. He waited with hands clasped daintily, his whiskers twitching, snout quivering.
