Charlotte pushed open the door to Bee's bakery.

'We require emergency pastries!' She announced, flinging her hands up in the air.

Beth looked up from piping icing sugar onto a sweet roll. 'Sure thing Charlotte, I just finished a bunch of honey-pots.' She pulled out a tray of a sweet bread with honey in the centre. It was rustic but hot, sweet and smelled delicious.

Joe and Charlotte pulled up chairs in the bakery. Joe gestured to Beth and waved her over. 'Join us for a tea break.'

Beth gazed around the empty bakery and nodded, wiping her hands on her apron.

'So, did you find somewhere to set up?' Beth asked taking a dainty bite of her pastry.

Joe nodded. 'Sure did, got set up right next to your brother. The shack needs a bit of repairs, but the farmland is good.'

Beth frowned. 'Up the mountain? That's....'

Charlotte bit into her pastry and honey shot out the side hitting the table. 'Tell her about what you said to Britt.' Charlotte punched Beth in the arm. 'He got her good.'

Beth blinked. 'What happened?'

Joe winked. 'Oh, just doing a bit of market research.' He drummed his fingers on the table. 'Now I'm not one to pry, but is the bakery doing okay here?'

Beth sighed. 'I'm trying, took over from mum and used all her recipes. Trouble is Britt's place opened up a year ago and took all the higher end clientele. We don't have the money to put on fancy chicsum brews or renovate.'

Joe took a sip from his chicsum and it was, well a liquid, you could say that about it. 'What about the other end of the market?'

Beth cocked her head. 'Other end of the market?'

'Yeah, the fishermen, the labourers....the farmers.' He jerked a thumb at Charlotte stuffing another pastry into her mouth.

'What, they're good.' She said.

Beth looked over at the chalkboard where the prices and pastries were scrawled. 'We tried lowering the prices to get them, but they just don't want pastries. Charlotte here is a bit of an oddity amongst the workers.'

'...unique, hear that Joe?' She said, both cheeks stuffed and nudge him with her elbow.

On the chalkboard the following was written.

Sweet roll - 2 bronze dubloons.

Honey-pot - 3 bronze dubloons.

Chicsum mug - 1 bronze dubloon.

Joe looked around the empty room and leaned in. 'Listen, Beth, you seem a hard working sort, and I find myself in need of an investment.'

Beth frowned. 'I'm not looking for a handout, and I thought you were meant to be farming?'

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Joe spread his hands wide. 'Not a handout, I genuinely need a hobby and well, it might be years before the crop I want to grow comes to fruition. I'd like a backup revenue stream.'

Beth frowned deeper and looked over to a photo near the counter. A family of four stood painted in front of a bee hive and a quaint little cottage. 'This business has been in the family hands for generations. I'll politely decline.'

Joe pursed his lips. 'I can respect that. The offer remains on the table any time though. I'd invest for a twenty five percent ownership, so you keep control if you changed your mind.'

Charlotte kicked Beth under the table. 'Stop being a real Britt about this. It's okay to ask for a hand Bethany-Sue.'

Beth looked away. 'We're doing fine.'

Charlotte grabbed Beth in a headlock. 'You are not! What would your mum and dad say about letting your pride get in the way. Now get your knickers out of a knot and talk sensible business.'

Beth socked Charlotte in the side and broke free. 'Not saying I would take the offer, but what are you suggesting?'

Joe put ten of his remaining twenty gold dubloons on the table. 'Ten dubloons for a twenty five percent share.'

Beth's eyes went wide. 'Ten?'

Joe rubbed the back of his neck. 'Its too little isn't it.' Damn he'd really tried to get a feel for commercial real estate but he was still operating off limited data.

Beth coughed. 'I mean...I'd have to talk to Andry...he does own half of the place.'

Joe nodded. 'Fair enough, think it over. I've got some ideas if you ever want to take me up on it.' He pushed to standing. 'Anyways, I need to go find some pots and gardening tools. Gotta explore town after all. You want to come Charlotte?'

Charlotte shook her head. 'I'm going to stay here and chat. Girl stuff, you know it is.'

Joe took another pastry for the road and head out into town. He wandered towards the general store he'd seen before which was close to the docks. The general store was a huge endeavour, based out of an old farmhouse.

A few old boys sat at a table outside, taking stiff drinks of chicsum. They had the tired look of workers just getting off shift. Odd at this hour.

'You blokes doing alright?' Joe asked walking up to them.

The men in their mid fifties raised their tired gaze to him. 'Who are you then?'

'Joe, bloody swell to meet ya.' He took their hands and shook them. They were the calloused hands of workers, thick from tying rope knots or pulling weeds. The men seemed to rouse from their stupor as he gave them a hearty handshake. 'You lads up to much today.'

One of them, with a scar down his left cheek, grunted. 'No wind, no fishing.'

'What about the fields, not working the fields?' Joe asked. 'Old mate here knows what I'm talking about.' He nudge a man with a pendant around his neck, small facsimile of a toucan carved in wood on a leather strip.

Another round of grunts and a weary sip of chicsum was all he got out of the group. Cripes, Joe thought, group of men who don't want to talk about fishing. He'd really have to bring out the big guns.

'So help me settle an argument I'm having with a mate. What's the best fertiliser for planting round here?' Joe said, throwing the nuclear option onto the table.

The men all looked at each other. Finally, one with a broad brimmed hat and an untamed grey beard stroked his chin. 'Well, this time of year, most crops do well with Larry's Loam.'

'Larry's Loam?' Squawked the gent with toucan pendant. 'Are you mad Gerald! What this man needs at this time of year is Harold's Harvest Helper, you don't want to encourage stinkbugs to your crops.'

Gerald, the man with the untamed beard and broad brimmed hat slammed his chiscum mug down. 'Triple H? This time of year, with this rainfall? You're a sodding fool Terry Terryson.'

Terry, touched the toucan pendant around his neck, 'Great Toucan give me strength. Yes, there's been rainfall but old maid Hester says we're in for a dry season, and you know she snuck some weak growth elixir when she was a lass. Seduced one of them big city cultivators that came through and stole it right off his belt. Gave her a sixth sense for these things didn't it.'

'You're both nuts.' Shouted an absolute bear of a man, with a nose that had been broken so many times it resembled a squash. One of those knobbly ones the supermarket sold now in the no-waste section. 'This time of year you need lemur droppings. Nothing gives a plant a kick up the butt like lemur droppings or my name isn't Rock Rockson.'

Rocko leaned back, crossed his arms and nodded sagely. 'Best collected warm, straight from the lemur.'

Joe slipped away into the background as the dispute escalated, the men waving their hands wildly and chicsum flying out of cups as they gesticulated. Joe entered the general store, eager to find some pots. Maybe he could use goat manure for the crops?

He wondered what Gruff was up to today? Joe should have brought him to help carry stuff back. Probably lazing around in the sun.