A busy day

It was a new morning with Faelith having slept soundly and awoken early. The first rays of the sun were peeking in through the windows. She went through her morning routines, put on a green dress that Eni had lent her, and like all the clothes she was lent, it was far too small for her. Her breasts were tightly contained but still threatened to burst free of the top of the dress. The green skirt barely reached mid thigh but was so tight that it could be mistaken for paint. She needed to find more suitable clothing as soon as possible.

As Faelith descended the stairs, she found the inn to be a bit more crowded than usual. Every patron was turned towards her. A few whispers could be heard among the males. The elf paid them no mind. They could stare all they want and the attention still bothered her slightly, but she was more concerned with her objective.

"Good morning, Miss Faelith!" Eni sang happily from behind the bar. Several of the men in front of her greeted Faelith as well.

"Uh, good morning, everyone." She replied timidly, uncomfortable with all the stares.

"Please, come sit over here." Eni indicated an open seat. It was between a man with blonde hair and a dwarf. "Something to drink and something to eat this morning?"

"Just tea, thanks," Faelith said, taking the open seat. Eni hurried off to the kitchen.

The tavern was abuzz with conversation. The two men on the sides of Faelith attempted to make small talk. The dwarf sitting next to her, whose name was Brunk, talked to her. He had a loud, boisterous voice that commanded the attention of those around him. He was a merchant on his way to the South pass. He mostly sold fabrics. The man on her other side was named Ralin and he was a courier. Both were pleasant and made for conversation.

"Y'know," Brunk said, "If you need a dress, I've got a few samples you can have. Fits your figure very nicely."

"I... thank you, but there really isn't a need."

"Aw, don't be a pout. Consider it payment for advertising the dresses! You walk around, people wonder where you got them from, then they come to ol' Brunk." He chugged his tankard full of ale.

That was nothing less than a fantastic deal. "I thank you, Brun, and if I may ask, do you or know anyone that may sell weaponry and armor? The equipment from the guardhouse is not really... up to standard."

Brunk grimaced at her question. He stroked his large, bushy beard. "I may have some items you'd be interested in. What's your budget?"

Faelith could feel her face turning red. "Hehe... you see... the thing about that is I—"

Brunk shook his head with a chuckle. "You get some coin, then we'll talk equipment. I'll be in town for some time so come to me when you've got it and when you're ready I'll give you those dresses."

After finishing her meal, Faelith headed to the acting-mayor's manor. Along the way her mind was racing with ideas on how to get some money and what she would do with it. Firstly, she would start paying for her room at the inn. It was all too kind of Eni to cover the bill thus far. Then she could buy some better equipment for herself when she was on guard duty. That made her smile. To have actual gear and actual weaponry.

The acting-mayor was in his office. He was reading through a stack of papers. The old man hadn't noticed Faelith entering his office, he was too focused on whatever he was reading.

"Good day, Sir."

"Hmm?" He finally glanced up from his work. "Oh, Miss Faelith, good morning! How have you been?"

"Doing well, sir," She responded and took a seat across from him. "I have come to report in about my findings on the state of the town and my impression of it."

The acting-mayor raised an eyebrow as he continued to shuffle through the papers. "Oh really? Then please, give me your most honest opinion."

"Gladly. Firstly, it is near ruinous. It is filled with crooks and wretches. Those who do not fall into either one of those categories are hopeless and destitute. The security of this town is nominal if not at all. You have two guards for the whole of the town, one of which is a young man who can barely be called such, and, though he is eager to work and one of the few good Samaritans, he has no formal training nor proper guidance. The other guard is his grandfather, a man well past his prime who simply puts on the uniform to use as a layer of clothing to keep warm while he sleeps...." Faelith went on and on about the discrepencies in the town and it's overall state. She listed all the faults and downsides of the town. The poor economy, the inept guards, the crime problem, and how little this town meant compared to its surrounding lands.

"However, despite all these horrible things I have told you, it does have potential."

"Potential? What do you mean by that?" The man was growing tired of her barrage.

"It seems that it has the means to develop itself as a structured and well established town. Although currently there are only two traders running this place, more merchants will come when they see how well it is run. If the marketplace in the center of town were restored and the criminal activity minimized, it would be a fine hub for business."

The acting-mayor leaned forward and asked, "You said before that this town is not worthy of the capital's time. So, what changed?"

"After speaking with many of the residents and sorting through their claims, the only issues are general strife and crime. Small-scale and petty. Once a system is installed that addresses the needs and wants of the common people, there shouldn't be a problem. All the shops, inns, and taverns are still operational and draw income. As long as you are able to run this city fairly and diligently, this will be a great place to trade and settle."

Acting-Mayor Grand sat back in his chair. His eyes stared blankly at Faelith, moreso looking through her as he thought. Finally, he gave her a smile. "Miss Faelith, I am honored to be given this opportunity to reform this place. Truthfully, I have done my best but, like you say, this city has no chance if I were to run it. I am not shamed to admit that I am no leader. I did well at my task as assist-to-the-mayor but that was solely because, and thanks to, his support. The two of us will never be able to rebuild this town as is. But if we can find suitable leaders, not just to replace me, but to guide this town to prosperity then this town can thrive."

"Do you have any suitable candidates?"

Grand shook his head. "Unfortunately, many of those that I would recommend either left or retired some time ago. I'm afraid finding suitable candidates is going to be your task."

Faelith figured as much. She thanked Grand for his time before leaving. Next on her list was to visit Brunk. The dwarf was standing next to his wagon which had been converted into a pop out stall. His wares were on display: trinkets, jewels, swords, bows, pieces of armor, even kitchen ware. When he saw Faelith approaching, his expression went from bored to surprise.

"Hello again, Miss Faelith. Did you want to take me up on my offer?"

"Actually, yes. May I see what you would be willing to part with?" She asked.

"Of course!" He said excitedly. He was happy to see someone interested in his goods. Brunk pulled out four dresses for her. "Take them to the inn to try them on."

She could barely hide her enthusiasm. "Thank you, Brunk."

"But the dresses comes with a catch, hehe." His chuckled. "Like I said, those outfits are a sort of advertisement. There are several places around town I would like you to wear them. It'll help build brand recognition. It's gonna look mighty nice to have a beautiful knight wearing your clothes."

"Ah, very well then. I have no qualms about doing so." Brunk gave her the dresses. They were made of fine materials and cut perfectly for her proportions. When she tried them on that night, her voluptuous body looked stunning and, at times, sinful. Two of the dresses seemed more promiscuous than the others.

There was a knock on the door as she was trying on her new outfits. "It's Gil, Ma'am."

Faelith answered the door. The young man was nervously looking around. He turned a shade of red when he saw Faelith and the outfit she was in. The lacy nightgown clung tightly to her flesh, giving everyone a fine glimpse of her curves.

"Uhm... can I come in?"

"Yes, do." Faelith showed him into the room. She had him sit on the bed while she leaned against the door. "Did you meet with your contact?"

"Uh, I did."

"And?"

"We're going to meet at the end of the week. No drops or anything else. Just a meeting at the Night Wench Tavern." This would be a good opportunity to see who Gil's associates were. Faelith dismissed Gil then went downstairs to see Eni. To her shock and astonishment, the inn was packed tonight. The dining area, bar, and the common area were all overflowing with people. All the doors were closed. Those in the main room were eating, playing games, and having fun. Some of the tables had people gambling, others were simply drinking.

Eni was in over her head as a server. She scrambled from table to table, trying to tend to the customers, taking requests, accepting plates, pouring drinks. "Faelith!" She called after noticing her. "I have a big favor to ask you! Can you put on a uniform and help me out, please? I'll pay you and everything!!"

"I'll be glad to. What do you need me to do?"

"I need you to start picking up orders and serving drinks."

Faelith nodded. She quickly donned her maid uniform and rushed back down.

Starting with the tables she grabbed empty plates and mugs and ran them to the kitchen. It was the first time she had ever been to the kitchen, she almost jumped in surprise to see two female goblins in the back. They stopped what they were doing and stared back at Faelith with the same amount of shock.

"Where do you want these?" Faelith finally said after a few seconds of silence. One with red hair pointed at a small tub filled with water and soap. Faelith dumped the dishes and mugs and the other goblin, this one with blue hair, ran over and started scrubbing. She went to the bar and put drinks on trays as Eni poured mug after mug after mug.

The men at the tables would quiet down as Faelith gave them their drinks. Their drunken stares gave the elf knight uncomfortable feelings. But she did her best to ignore the unwanted attention and continued working. Throughout the night she served drinks, cleared tables, and even got the occasional tip. The men murmured about her, she could hear them making lewd jokes amongst themselves. How they wanted to bend her over the bar, or ram their disgusting cocks up her ass. It annoyed Faelith, but she let it slide, for now.

Eventually, the night came to a close. Many of the patrons slowly filtered out of the inn. Faelith helped kick the drunks out of the inn or shuffle them back to their rooms.

"They're so disgusting," Faelith complained as she wiped drool from a table.

"Yeah," Eni sighed, "I can't believe how many people there were tonight. The inn hasn't been packed like that in a long time."

"Hey, Eni, if you don't mind me asking, who were those, uh, girls in the kitchen?"

"Who? Triya and Ryli? So, funnily enough, they're the owners of the inn."

"I thought you were?!"

"No, no. I'm just the face. They were the original owners but not many people trust goblins to run a well-adjusted establishment. They hired me a few years ago to be the one who everyone interacts with as well as running the front." That made sense. Goblins were known to be thieves, bandits, or criminals. Faelith had spent a lot of time hunting down Goblins in the capital city and arresting them on illicit activities like **** smuggling. "Here, Faelith." Eni gave her a bag full of coins. "For your help today. If you ever want to pick up another shift, feel free to do so, 'kay?"