It was a pleasant day in Sha-Laial; the sun shone, and the temperature outside was lovely. The party was set up under the pavilion in preparation for the interviews. It was time to see whose attention the flyers and word of mouth had drummed up. Echo lazed on the floor in front of the table. The five of them gathered on the other side and set up a chair not too far from where Echo was resting. Rem and Piccora were also chilling nearby. It might have looked a bit strange of a sight, but in some ways, Alvec wanted that. They wouldn't be a good fit for the household if they were scared off by even the most tame of days. Mavec waited by the gate; as one of the most normal looking of the party and fronting a reasonable sum of the money, it made sense for him to be the first one the applicants interacted with. He had posted a sign asking for applicants to wait at the gate.

The first person in line was a woman with short-cut hair wearing an extremely plain dress. "You here for the maid position interview?" Mavec asked. She nodded her head.

"I am. Are you the client?"

"I am; the name's Mavec."

"I am Greta. Shall we speak here or inside?"

"A little of both, follow me," he said, leading her to the pavilion. She didn't react at all to the wolf lying in front of the party. Nor to any of the party itself.

"Alright, so first question. You have any experience working as a maid?" Mavec asked.

She shook her head from side to side. "No, I've not been paid for this sort of position before. However, I lived in a monastery for some time. As part of my living arrangement, I was expected to do various cooking and cleaning tasks. I feel that these skills will translate well."

"Very important question, how are you with animals?" Naya asked.

"Will that be part of my job description?"

"Someone needs to feed the cats who live in the barn when I'm away. We'll provide extra coin to cover the expense," Naya insisted.

"Cats I can most certainly handle. Would I need to do anything for your... uh... dog?" the woman asked.

"No, I take care of Echo almost exclusively. So long as you give him space or show him kindness, he shouldn't be anything more than a lovable dope," Naya said.

"Do you have any experience working with any alchemical substances?" Alvec asked. "Or, at the very least, can you read?"

"I do not have any experience with alchemy, but I can read."

"Alright, I can work with that," Alvec said, making a note on a piece of parchment before him.

"Anyone else have any questions?" Illaria asked.

"Bait do! Will you try experimental cheese?" A confused look crossed her face.

"Am I likely to be presented with experimental cheese?"

"As soon as Bait finishes cheese forge and his apprenticeship to master cheese maker Ben. Then there will be many cheeses to try," Bait said confidently.

"Supposing that they are safe for humans, I would try them and tell you how they are," she said.

"Anyone else have any concerns?" Mavec asked. When no one voiced any, he politely excused her. "Alright, thank you for your time; we'll post the interview results at the tavern.

"Thank you for yours," she said, giving a polite bow after standing up. After she'd left earshot, Mavec called for thoughts.

"She seems fine," Alvec said with a shrug.

"She's... uh, very mellow? Maybe even bland. Sure, she wasn't freaked out by our questions, but I don't know," Naya said.

"She'd get the job done by the sounds of things," Mavec said.

"Well, we can't be making up our minds before seeing our next applicants. Mavec, go see if the others have arrived yet," Illaria said.

"Yeah, yeah, I'll go see what we've got." Mavec returned to the entrance and found the next woman waiting for him. She was red-haired and near the same age as Illaria. She was already wearing a black and white maid outfit. Mavec hadn't discussed the dress code in the flyers purposefully. He had no intention of making anyone wear an outfit that was honestly a bit degrading. Still, here she was, already in one. "Here for the interview?" He asked, already painfully aware of the answer.

“Yes I am, names Sorali!” She said, curtseying and beaming a wide, bright smile at him.

"Alright, follow me; let's get this over with." Mavec again led her up to the pavilion and the waiting party. Upon seeing the wolf, the young woman's eyes lit up excitedly.

"May I pet him?" she asked tentatively.

"Of course. Echo, be good," Naya commanded. Sorali approached the wolf and squatted beside Echo, putting both hands into his mane and giving him a good long scratch.

"Oh, what a good boy you are," she said as Echo did little more than try to lick her in response.

"Well, that answers Naya's only question," Illaria said with a smile.

"Sure does. I vote we hire her," Naya exclaimed.

"We have one more interview lined up, and we haven't asked a single real question; we're not offering the job until after we interview everyone; otherwise, it would be unprofessional," Mavec stated. "Please take a seat, and we'll go over our other questions since you've already allayed Naya's only concern," Mavec said. "First, do you have any experience being a maid?"

"Oh, you bet I do, even have the outfit to show for it. I worked as a maid in the service of the house Taeshas for the last few years. The estate has downsized as of late, and I need new employment. I was rather surprised to find a posting outside of the noble houses here in the city but more than intrigued by it. Your pay is competitive with what the noble houses offer, and being a maid for adventurers sounded like a small adventure in its own right. I was rather worried I'd be without work for some time. Getting an interview at a noble estate is difficult. Same for the merchants."

"You have any experience working around alchemical items?" Alvec asked.

"Not in the slightest, sir, but you give me clear instructions on what to stay away from, and I sure as sunshine will. I can read and write, and if you need me to learn the basics, I would be up for learning anything you feel you need to teach me."

"Noted," Alvec replied.

"Do you like cheese?" Bait asked.

"As much as the next person, I suppose. I think I like cheddars the most," she replied.

"Bait also make decision. Hi-er this one."

"I think that clears up any of our concerns," Illaria said, shaking her head in agreement.

"So why did the estate you were working at shrink?" Mavec asked.

Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.

"I'm sorry, I really can't talk much about my previous employer. When you work for someone, you make sure to do right by them, and it wouldn't be right to share their struggles with you."

"Ya know, I actually really like that answer. The interviews are over; check back with the bar tomorrow for the results. As stated, we have to interview everyone, but I can say that was a solid showing." Mavec said as she ushered her to head on out. Once she had left earshot, Mavec spoke again. "Okay, she's hired. No sense even debating it; she has the experience, is willing to learn, and is good with animals. Her personality might be a bit too sunny for me, but fuck it, she seems like a good overall fit. Any objections?" Mavec asked.

"Oh, she was certainly a delight. I'm all for hiring her," Illaria stated.

"We still have one more person to get through, though," Alvec said.

"Yeah, it's only fair to interview everyone who applied," Mavec said before getting up and heading back down to the gate. This time, he returned with a tiefling girl, light blue skin, a short tail, and almost silvery, spindly curled horns. Her dress was modest, and she clasped her hands in front of herself nervously.

Naya nudged Alvec gently with her elbow. "Hey, her horns look like yours but a bit more magical."

"Alright, first question, have you ever worked as a maid?" Illaria asked.

"No, actually, but I need something to pay the bills while I work on establishing myself. I'm a bard or at least a bard trying to make a name for myself."

"So you don't see this as a long-term position?" Mavec asked.

"Ideally, no, but a lot of making a name for yourself, enough to live off from, involves the sort of luck you just can't plan for. So, while I hope not, it could be months, years, or decades. No offense, but I hope it's not the last one."

"After you've made it, would you be inclined to stay on at least long enough to give us time to find a replacement?" Alvec asked.

"So long as the process wasn't intentionally protracted, or you've been gone away on an adventure for more than 6 months without contacting me, then yeah, I suppose I could do you that kindness of staying on to train."

"Ever work with any alchemy equipment?" Alvec asked.

"No, but I understand special care needs to be taken with it. Are you guys setting up a lab? If so, I'll have to be extra careful around the reagents. They'll be labeled, right?"

"Of course, it wouldn't be a very safe lab if it weren't," Alvec replied.

"So why the interest in this position if you want to be a bard?" Naya asked.

"Well, the barkeep said this maid gig was for a group of adventurers. If nothing else, I thought you guys might provide some inspiration for some songs."

"So we'd just be song fodder for ya?" Illaria shook her head. "Not sure that's what we're looking for out of this relationship."

"I don't know; we could use our own hype-man," Alvec said. "Gets our name around town faster and gives us a lever to pull to help get word of mouth out. I plan on offering my alchemy and enchanting services as soon as possible. Granted, both cost so much we'd want to start small with work on a commission basis."

"Yeah, that's the problem with magic and alchemy," she said, nodding her head.

"They cost a lot more than the average person can afford. It'll certainly take time to drum up a sustainable business."

"You sound like you know a bit about it; how?" Alvec asked.

"My parents are merchants. They may not have approved of me following my dreams. They wanted me to stay and run their shop after they passed away. Living in the same town as them all my life... it was their dream, not mine."

"But you have some training dealing with shopkeeps?"

"A little; I've done some work for my parents."

"Would you be interested in a similar pay to help us set up and maintain our establishment in our absence?" Alvec asked. "You'd be able to set the hours while we're away, too, giving you plenty of time to work on other gigs."

"It's a very tempting offer, but that sort of work is a little more skilled than the maid work you posted for. Would the rate be negotiable?"

"Give me a second to crunch some numbers, and I'll offer a new rate," Alvec said. She was correct; the work he was asking would be worth more; it was skilled labor and required someone sharp and organized. At least double that of the unskilled labor a maid provided. Double alone didn't sound like enough. "Ten gold a month; if we are in the black each month, you get a 5 gold bonus."

"I don't know how I can say anything, but yes. It's not what I thought I was walking in here for today, but it falls into my skill set. Are you okay running a negative balance? Most new business owners don't really understand that aspect of it. You don't just start with a base of customers; you have to build that, and it takes time and money to make it happen."

"Oh, we're fine with that," Alvec said, nodding along. "As far as living arrangements are concerned, you are welcome to stay here if you don't have a place, or if it's more practical, there is a boarding house just across the street. I hear their rates are excellent," Alvec said.

"Yes, the bartender down the street recommended them as well. Apparently, the old man who runs it used to be part of the Green Banner Army; I bet he's got some stories to tell!"

"He sure does! Shame you couldn't have been here for the block party. Edis drank us under the table. The old man's still got it!" Naya said.

"Oh, I was actually! I was playing the violin most of the night. Those fireworks were something else," Inellia said.

"Bait no talk about that night," He said, visibly shuddering.

"To be clear, he doesn't talk about it because a member of the Gold Banner Army forced him to take a bath; it had nothing to do with the drinking," Illaria supplied.

"You guys had a run-in with the Gold Banner? Are they as bad as the rumors say?" Inellia asked. "I missed the... excitement."

"That's a question I think best we do not answer," Alvec interjected. "As much as I would love to speak my mind freely on the subject, I worry we'd give you some song inspiration that might get you into more trouble than it's worth." The last thing he wanted to do was have blood on his hands from giving her information they would like to silence her for.

"I understand. Thank you. So when do I start?"

"Your pay starts now, but honestly, I need a few days to get us some basic inventory made, so how about this time next week." With their employment details sorted out, Illaria stopped by the bar to deliver the news for Sorali. Alvec, Mavec, and even Bait spent several days making things to sell at the shop they were opening. Alvec placed a strong emphasis on making a lot of cheap items. Having the stock and a variety of items was far more critical than having high-value items. He made sure to get a book made up and placed on the counter, which detailed the various other things he could be commissioned to make. It was the best way to stay reactive and not to burn through every last gold he had. He could also, if money on hand was too tight, go to the academy and offer his services for enchanting. It would fetch a fair price and help him float his shop until he could garner enough support.

Standing in the shop front, it was finally starting to come together. The building was segmented into three sections, held two labs on either side and the sales area in the center. Bait and Mavec had made a space for clockwork and gunsmithing, which had a serious amount of overlap between them. Bait and Alvec had set up an Alchemy lab, which meant that they had more black powder and ingredients on hand to make black powder than Alvec knew what to do with. The labs were bare bones in decore compared to the sales area. Shelves lined the salesroom, and there was space for spell scrolls, but the wizards hadn't done much to fill that space. Spell scrolls were both expensive and honestly not in high demand. They'd likely stock some first or second-circle spells eventually.

Alvec could easily imagine certain protection spells being in high demand. Especially those that dealt with fire. On the same note, he had a section near the front counter devoted to dousing orbs. Potion bottles filled with alchemical reagents designed to put out fires when thrown at them. They were cheap to make and in great demand. Fires were dangerous, and as much as cities tried to find ways to put them out before they consumed whole neighborhoods, it was challenging to deal with them effectively. Keeping one or more of these little things in a kitchen meant you could kill any fire before it got out of hand.

"So what are we going to call this place anyway?" Mavec asked.

"Honestly, no idea; naming this is the hard part," Alvec confessed.

"Maybe we make an acronym out of our names?"

"We could, but I'm not sure B.A.M. is a good name for our combined shop. Leans a little too heavily into Baits explosive work."

"A.M.B. sounds dumb, too; M.A.B. also doesn't have a ring to it. Okay, yeah, the acronym idea is out."

"Okay, but what if we take that and run with a bit. We offer Alchemy, Clockwork, and Gunsmithing. C.A.G., G.A.C., A.C.G. alright... not quite working either."

"Well, what if we're being too specific. You're offering enchanting and weapons that could be summed up as equipment; what if we used an E instead of a G. That gives us ACE., and that's a strong word. Maybe we're Ace Outfitters? Or something like that."

"Ace Equipage."

"Alright, that's probably the best we'll get on that. No name will be perfect for a combined shop like this." Mavec said as he walked to the counter and wound up one of the small clockwork toys he'd made for the stop. It was a little clockwork squirrel that simply would run around when fully wound. He couldn't help but hope that these little toys inspired other people to look into Artificy, much like other works he had seen had inspired him. He had plans for larger projects, but those were definitely the sort of things you did on commission and not left stocked in the storefront. For now, providing trinkets like this was more than enough to keep him satisfied.

"So, is this our retirement plan?" Mavec asked.

"Something like that; I don't want to be adventuring for all of my life," Alvec admitted. The future was still hazy, but if A.C.E. took off, it was one other way he could achieve his goal of building a place where he felt he belonged. He'd already done a fine job finding people to share his life with. When time permitted, they would need to head to Lom-Itoti, get some samples, and see if any magic circle could overcome whatever foul effect had turned the village into plants. For now, though, it was time to rest and prepare for the future.