Breakfast Decisions

Anna got ready for the day, washing her curly hair in the basin in the shared bathroom, and cleaning the grim of travel off her. Dry and finally clean she dashed back to her room and squeezed back into her barmaid outfit. She took a moment to settle her nerves, then she walked out into the hallway and down the stairs to the tavern proper.

The tavern was basically empty this early in the morning. Any guests who were staying here had either already left or were nursing hangovers from the night before in their rooms. The morning sun warmed the room. Harvey was cleaning up the last of the mess from the night before. He was a older man, maybe in his 60s, with a gentle but lined face and a white beard.

"Anna! Gideon mentioned you'd come. My name is Harvey. I'm a bartender here when your step-brother isn't working."

"Nice to meet you Harvey." Anna, face burned a little at wearing such a revealing outfit in front of a stranger, but she tried not to worry about it, she had bigger things to think about.

"Heya Anna, you look lovely. Here, some toast for you." Gideon walked out of the kitchen with a plate of buttered toast which he placed on a table in front of her, "Sorry Anna, we don't have any bacon or eggs today. Things are a little tight." Gideon grimaced.

Sitting at the table, Anna wasn't in the mood to complain, this was the first good meal she'd had in weeks. "Thanks Gideon." He sat down opposite her and watched while she ate. She finished the plate off quickly and sat back in her chair.

"So Anna, you're a refugee in Deepcleft. And you've got nowhere else to stay except the Lusty Wench is that the long and short of it?"

Anna sighed, "Yeah, that the situation. I don't have any money, and to get in I had to offer 100 gold to the guards on the gate so now I'm in debt to them. I also need to prove that you're my family but all my records were destroyed in the attack. To be honest, I don't know what to do."

Gideon rubbed his temple, "100 gold is a lot of money... One thing at a time though. I'll have a look through my stuff today and will get back to you on the family records. In the meantime you'll need a job."

"Do you know where I can look for one?"

"Problem is Anna you don't have paperwork." Anna gave Gideon a confused look. "Yeah I know, I know. Things have changed since you were last here. The Duke and Duchess have been trying to `clamp down' on organised crime." Gideon shook his head. "What that really means is they want a piece of the pie. So they're clamping down on any business that doesn't report their workforce. Making sure they know what is going on, and then turning a blind eye to the actual criminals. You won't be able to get a job until we've proved our family connection."

"That's, that's just rediculous! How can they expect people to follow those rules?"

"Who knows. But the, how should I say, nicer jobs in town, they all require proof that you have a right to live here."

"What do you mean by `nicer jobs'?" Anna asked.

"Prostitution doesn't require paperwork..."

"So my only option is to become a whore!?" Anna explaimed, "That's never going to happen."

"No Anna it's not your only option, I don't care about paperwork... and we could use someone to brighten up the place round here. How would you feel about taking a job here. Unfortunately I can't pay you well at all... so the main way you'll get money will have to be via tips."

"You'd let me work here?"

"Of course Anna, you'll bring in way more customers than me and Harvey ever could. Then maybe I can feed guests more than just toast!"

"Why would I-" Anna interrupted her question. She knew why people would want to see her, she could tell by the way Gideon struggled to tear his eyes away from her breasts. She sighed, it was a start, for now.

"You can start today if you'd like? I'll show you behind the bar."

"Sure, thanks for looking after me Gideon."