The next morning, Erik awoke, feeling surprisingly refreshed despite the previous night's labor. The sun was just peeking over the horizon, casting a warm glow over the village. He could hear the distant chirps of birds and the rustling of leaves in the gentle breeze. He slipped out of bed and grabbed his journal, scribbling down a few thoughts and plans for the day.
"Good morning, Erik Park."
Erik froze, surprised to hear an unexpected voice in the morning. He slowly turned around, seeing Talia sitting up in her bed. It was an incredible sight to witness- the Beggar Princess herself awake before the crack of dawn.
"M-morning... why are you up so early?" Erik asked, trying to mask his astonishment. It wasn't that Erik didn't believe Talia was incapable of starting the day so early, it was just that he'd never seen her do it before.
"Ah, I had a bit of an epiphany," Talia replied with a mischievous twinkle in her eye. "I figured if we're going to run this whole water park shebang, I should probably learn more about the business side of things."
A fearful chill ran through Erik's body.
"Er, no, that's quite alright, actually," Erik stuttered, his mind racing. "I've got it all figured out. You just focus on... well, being the face of the operation." He didn't want to admit that he was a bit concerned about Talia's sudden interest in the nitty-gritty of their business venture.
"Nonsense. As your one and only business partner, it's only fair that I get my hands dirty," Talia insisted, hopping out of bed with a surprising amount of energy. She summoned forth an earth wall to protect her privacy as she got dressed.
"What... what exactly do you think you'll be doing?" Erik tried to keep his voice steady as he watched Talia summon the earth wall. He could overlook Talia making changes or taking risks since they had paid off, but he wasn't sure if he was ready to let her dive into the financial and operational side of the business.
"Don't worry," Talia sounded confident. "I've got it covered. You're the one with the otherworldly knowledge, but I've got a few tricks up my sleeve when it comes to dealing with people. I've been watching you, and I think I can handle it."
Erik wanted to argue that she would often immediately give up at the first signs of failure, or that she was only effective in dealing with men if she showed some skin, but he held his tongue. He knew that she had been taking her role seriously, or at least as seriously as he could expect from her.
"Okay then... pop quiz. What's the profit margin on a deluxe burger?" Erik threw the question at her, trying to gauge her preparedness.
"Well... let's just say it's a good chunk of change, enough to keep us living comfortably without breaking the bank for our customers." Talia didn't sound fazed at all.
Erik didn't say anything for a while. He just looked at the earth wall with disbelief and denial. It was nowhere near anything the answer Erik had in his mind.
"That's... not right," he murmured, scratching his head. "The deluxe burger has a 50% markup from the standard burger. We need to keep our costs low to maintain that margin."
"Well, I assume that's a negative thing, yes? We can just mitigate it with a tip," Talia waved her hand dismissively.
"N-no, that's not how that works–"
"Let us be off, Erik Park," Talia ignored his protests, taking down the earth wall. She had chosen another outfit from his world, a pair of black shorts and a dandelion yellow tank top that was definitely not work attire for a business partner. "Today is a busy day for us."
Erik groaned and pulled on his own clothes, a pair of khakis and a short-sleeved button up. He didn't bother to argue anymore. If Talia wanted to learn the hard way, so be it.
As the two emerged from the hut, Erik went to work inspecting the outdoor kitchen, ensuring that everything was in stock and ready for the night. Talia, on the other hand, took a moment to stretch her arms out wide, inhaling the fresh morning air with a contented sigh.
"Oh, sure, she said she was going to get into the more nuanced side of business," Erik grumbled sarcastically to himself.
Talia strutted over to him, her eyes gleaming with excitement. "So, where do we start with this water park empire?"
"After we check our burger shack and do inventory for Alyssa," Erik made a face. "Then we can talk about the water park. Don't forget that you can't just neglect our other sources of profit."
Talia sighed impatiently, but otherwise followed Erik around the outdoor kitchen as he took stock. After a while, Alyssa arrived at the shack, warmly greeting the pair.
"Morning, bosses!" Alyssa chirped, her eyes sparkling with excitement. "Ready for another big night?"
"Actually," Erik grunted as he stood up, checking over the final list for inventory. "Do you think we're about ready to start opening up in the afternoon as well?"
Alyssa's eyes lit up. "Really? That's fantastic! We can totally do it!"
Erik smiled. "Perfect. We'll first start off with midday breaks, which means we'll close for an hour or two before the night shift starts..."
As Erik discussed the changes with Alyssa, Talia tuned out, her mind racing with new ideas for the water park. The concept of a midday break was foreign to her, but she knew that working all day without rest was not sustainable. She nodded along, already envisioning the various water features and themed areas they could add to the park.
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"Finally, have you hired any assistant managers to help you manage the burger shack?" Erik finished up as he asked Alyssa.
"Not exactly. I've spoken to them about it, and they seem willing. Should I talk more with them this afternoon?" Alyssa responded, her eyes gleaming with excitement at the prospect of expanding their operation.
"Yeah, please do. And if you feel like they're ready, go ahead and start training them for tonight. As soon as you feel like they'll be able to handle assistant managing duties, we'll start opening up the burger shack in the afternoons as well," Erik said, handing over the papers to Alyssa.
"Great, I'll get right on it!" Alyssa took the papers with a firm grip, her eyes lighting up with excitement.
Erik turned to Talia, who didn't seem like she was paying attention. He sighed, wondering how she had gone from being a naked burden to a potential business partner in such a short time.
After making sure Alyssa was good to go on prepping the rest of the burger shack employees, Erik and Talia headed down to the lake's edge, where the water park was supposed to be built near.
"So, tell me more about this water park of yours," Talia said, her eyes sparkling with curiosity. "What kind of attractions do you have in mind?"
Erik took a deep breath, feeling the excitement bubble up in his chest. "Well, I've been thinking about a lazy river, some slides, a wave pool, and of course, the main attraction, the water coaster."
Talia's eyes widened in wonder. "A water... coaster? Like the roller coasters in the capital?"
"Yeah, like the- wait, you guys have roller coasters in this world? Never mind, I should've known not to question anything anymore," Erik griped, shaking his head. "But yes, a water coaster. It's like a roller coaster, but you ride on an inflatable raft through the water. It's pretty epic."
Talia leaned in closer, her curiosity piqued. "That sounds like something straight out of a fantasy novel. I've never heard of such a thing. How do you plan to build it?"
Erik pulled out his journal and flipped through the pages, showing her his rough sketches. "It's going to be a bit of a challenge, but I've got some ideas. We'll need to build a large frame to hold the track, and then we can fill the dips with water."
He flipped through more pages of designs as the worker villagers slowly joined them at the lake's edge, resuming their finishing touches on the water system. Erik then made sure the villagers knew what to do after he left. "We're going to need a lot of materials, and I'll be bringing more back when I can. I'm counting on all of you to keep this place running smoothly," he said, his voice firm yet kind.
"Yes, Burger King!" They all cried in unison, prompting Erik to quickly leave before they could add on to the cheers.
Talia followed the embarrassed Erik a couple yards away from the water pump site, where there were a couple of what looked like yellow caution banners sectioning off portions of the land.
"Is there where you will be constructing the water park?" Talia asked with a straight face.
Erik nodded, his cheeks still a bit red. "Yeah, it's going to be right here, beside the burger shack. It's going to be a full-fledged entertainment complex."
"It's pretty close to our shack too," Talia noted, a bit displeased. She didn't finish her thoughts, but Erik knew she was concerned with the noise the water park may bring being so close to their shoddy hut. Even the burger shack was too noisy for Erik to comfortably sleep through, albeit he had been working till close.
"Don't worry," Erik muttered. "I've thought of that as well. How'd you like to finally relocate after three and a half years?"
Talia's eyes lit up. "Relocate? Like move houses?"
"Even better," Erik grinned back. "Why bother spending time to look, buy, and move into a house we had no hand in designing when we can just build it ourselves?"
Talia's eyes widened, taking in the implications of his words. "You mean, we can build our own house? Here?"
"Yes, obviously we'll build a house in the middle between the burger shack and the water park," Erik said, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "Definitely not near the center of the village, where we can actually socialize and further our business."
Talia rolled her eyes. "You know what I mean, Erik."
"Yeah, I know. We'll build it, but let's get the water park up and running first. We're going to need the funds from that to build a proper house," Erik said, his eyes scanning the horizon. "But I promise, it'll be worth it."
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As the villagers completed the finishing touches on the water system and joined up with Erik and Talia at the construction site, Morthanu arrived to check on how things were going.
The village elder pulled Erik aside to discuss the intricacies of integrating the water park's plumbing with the village's existing water supply. Morthanu's expression was one of intense scrutiny as he listened to Erik's plan. "You're sure this won't disrupt the village?"
"Well, would you say that the burger shack has been a disruption to the village?" Erik slyly countered back.
"Yes. It definitely has," Morthanu immediately replied, his face stern. "But in a... profitable way."
"Is it because of our uniforms?" Talia asked innocently. Erik knew very well that she was completely aware of the effect the bikinis had on the male customers.
"Er... n-no? I-I mean," Morthanu stuttered, his eyes darting towards the ground. "It's the... the economic boom it's brought. That's all."
Erik nudged Talia aside to save Morthanu the embarrassment as he lowered his voice.
"And by economic boom, you mean...?"
"W-well, we've had an increase of outside visitors from neighboring villages and towns. Why, just this morning, we've even had a few Orithane citizens come by," the village elder replied, seemingly relieved to move on from the topic.
"Orithane? Are they like royals or something?" Erik raised an eyebrow.
"Oh, are you unaware of this world's government and political systems?"
Erik shook his head in response to Morthanu's question. The village elder glanced at Talia, who averted her eyes as if embarrassed.
"Well, simply put, in this world, there are three giant nations of land. Here, we are in the nation of Windoria, with three kingdoms vying for political supremacy. The three royal kingdoms are the Orithane, the Elfara, and the Dwarfhold, with the Orithane being our nation’s capital. They are like... celebrities to the common folk. And your little burger shack has managed to attract their citizens. Quite the feat," Morthanu said with a hint of amazement.
Talia swore she could hear gears whirring in Erik's head. The familiar, devilish grin slowly spread across his face.
"Oho... by my impressive intuition, I'm assuming the Elfara and the Dwarfhold are composed of elves and dwarves? So that means the Orithane are humans?" Erik asked.
Morthanu nodded. "Indeed, they are. The Orithane are humans, known for their knightly valor and skilled craftsmanship. The Elfara, of course, are elves, renowned for their archery and magical prowess. And the Dwarfhold, as the name suggests, is inhabited by dwarves, masters of mining and metalworking." The village elder flinched upon seeing the devious expression on Erik's face. "I haven't known you that long, but it feels like you're already planning something."
Erik leaned in closer, his eyes sparkling with excitement. "You're damn right I am. If we can attract people from all three nations, we'll be rolling in coins!"
"And how will you do that?" Morthanu asked hesitantly. "By promoting your burger shack and water park?"
"I'll do you one even better," Erik dramatically brandished his arms. "We're going to throw the biggest, most extravagant water festival this side of the planet has ever seen!"