Myrtia's office in the Lucky Lilac was small and minimalist, aside from the plants crowded around the large window on the back wall. Runes were written around the windowsill and doorway, as well as along the baseboards.

Myrtia sat behind her desk, and Zacharius sat by the window behind her, reading from a folder. Abe was seated in front of them both on the edge of a chair too small for him. His shoulders were hunched, and he was slouched forward.

They sat in awkward silence.

Myrtia was the first to speak, clearing her throat before she began. "Thank you for meeting with us, Abe. I'm Myrtia, and behind me is my brother, Zacharius."

Abe nodded slightly. "Thank you for allowing me to meet with you."

Myrtia smiled slightly, straightening in her seat and thumbing through some papers on her desk. "Is Abe your... real name?"

"Abe is what I go by."

"Okay." Myrtia nodded. "Do you have any previous experience making coffee?"

"No."

"That's alright. Do you have any experience baking?"

Abe was quiet for a moment. "Not much. But I like cooking."

Myrtia nodded slowly, chewing on her lip. "I suppose that means you don't have any certifications or licenses either, then?"

"That would be correct."

Myrtia's eyebrows furrowed, and she clasped her hands together. "Normally, I'd ask what you'd do if you had to handle a disruptive customer, but I heard from my daughter that you were already involved with one of our... regular disruptions."

Abe tilted his head, lifting his hand slightly. "Small man, bull-headed?"

"That would be the one." Myrtia smiled, and behind her, Zacharius chuckled. Myrtia cleared her throat. "I'd like you to explain your part of that interaction, if you don't mind."

"I don't, but..." Abe's eyes narrowed slightly. "I don't understand what you are asking for. I didn't do much."

"Yes, I-" Myrtia stopped, grimacing. She gestured vaguely. "I mean to ask why you put yourself in the situation when you could have avoided it."

"Ah." Abe nodded. "Originally, I was going to avoid them. I could see them through the window before I came in. I didn't want to deal with that, so I planned to catch the attention of one of the people making drinks and ask them to avoid the hassle."

This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

"But you didn't." Zacharius said, stepping away from the window. "Why?"

"Because the girl at the counter told him to leave, and he didn't leave." Abe shrugged. "I figured I'd at least stay nearby unless she wanted help."

Zacharius set his folder down. "You wouldn't have intervened if Skyler hadn't wanted you to?"

"Wasn't my business to butt into."

"Is consent that important to you? That you wouldn't step in to help someone who needed it, solely because they didn't want it?"

"Yes." Abe shifted in his seat slightly. "I was... raised under the belief that any being capable of independent thought and free will has the right to it. It is an important rule in my home."

"And your home; do you intend to return there?"

"Yes."

Zacharius and Myrtia looked at each other, and he shrugged. Myrtia nodded slightly, picking up a pen. "How long do you intend to stay in the area?"

"Hopefully not for long, but I was told to expect a wait."

Myrtia paused in the middle of writing something. "A wait?"

"Yeah..." Abe gestured vaguely. "I've been having transportation issues. I have a... friend in town. He's helping me fix them."

Myrtia nodded slightly, clicking her pen a few times. She inhaled slowly as she intertwined her fingers. She glanced at Zacharius again, who nodded slightly.

Myrtia sighed, looking back at Abe. "I want to hire you, Abe."

"I understand if you can't."

"No, no." Myrtia pinched her nose. "I-" she gestured with her hands. "Trust is very important to my family. As is transparency, but we understand that there are situations where total transparency is not a... viable option."

"I'm not sure I follow." Abe straightened, slowly.

Myrtia lifted her hands. "Could you give me a moment? So we can be transparent with you."

Abe shifted to rest a hand on one of the arms of his chair. "Okay."

"Thank you." Myrtia offered a weak smile. "We know that you aren't from Stonebridge. We also know that you don't have documentation." She glanced away, shifting the papers around on her desk. "And we believe that we know where you came from, and why you don't have any documentation."

Myrtia looked up again as Abe started to stand. "But we don't have proof. Unfortunately, we...lost your original application. So all we have are suspicions, with no way to verify them."

Abe stopped, his eyes narrowing. "What are you saying?"

"If I give you a job here, you cannot give us anything that could make our suspicions anything more than that. We don't know, and it has to stay that way."

"And what would happen if you did find something?"

"For the safety of my family, I'd have to ask you to leave."

Abe nodded slightly, sitting back down. "Sounds fair enough. Is there something you're expecting from this?"

"Only that you keep our secrets just as we keep yours, and that you don't bring danger to my family." Myrtia stood up, offering her hand out to Abe. "If you can do that, the job is yours."

Abe shook Myrtia's hand from his seat. "No harm will come to your family through me. You have my word."

Zacharius smiled, "If you're not busy, you can come by here tomorrow after we close for the evening. We have a meeting to discuss business and plan to play games and eat dinner afterwards. You could meet some of your coworkers."

"I'll have to think about it."