BANG! BANG!
"Hey! Wake up!"
Zach jolted awake, flailing and tangled in linen bed sheets. "I'm awake!" he called back. Then a second later, he added, "Thanks!"
Zach was a little annoyed at the rude awakening, but he'd paid for a wakeup call because he needed to be up and alert, and the grumpy innkeeper had certainly succeeded at that. With no time to waste, Zach grabbed his nice clothes from a hook on the wall and got dressed as fast as he could. The orange sunrise was barely illuminating the room, but it was enough to see by.
He grabbed his backpack, stowed nearly all of his money in the inner pocket, then tucked one remaining Crown under the mattress. If the festival was a complete bust, that Crown was all Zach would have left, the equivalent of $100 to make a fresh start with.
Zach shook his head to clear that unpleasant thought, then combed his hair and ran downstairs. A single sausage and a biscuit were waiting for him at the bar, something he'd had the foresight to pay for in advance when he had scheduled the wakeup call. He grabbed one in each hand, wishing this world had paper towels, then took off out the inn's front door.
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First, Zach visited some nearby stables for his rented cart and horse, and a hired handler. Zach paid 22 Harts for the whole set, including the return trip the next morning. The handler's name was Jay and he seemed nice enough, if a little sleepy. He was a tall and lanky man with deep set eyes and short curly brown hair. He wore plain cotton clothes weathered with labor and he smelled like horses, but not offensively so.
"We're headed for the docks next," Zach told him as he climbed onto the back of the little wooden cart. "Altro's Imports, then Whitewall Equipment Rental."
"You got it," Jay replied. With a gentle flick of the reins, he got the horse and cart moving.
The sounds of hooves and wagon wheels on cobblestone broke the silence as they made their way down the nearly empty streets. As they approached the docks, that changed. Porters were already shouting and carrying crates from building to building and from ship to shore. Their motto was 'If there's light, there's work', and they took it seriously. In really busy seasons, they'd hire Conjurers to keep the entire area lit all night long.
Altro was ready and waiting with Zach's sugar and his coffee beans, pre-roasted and smelling delicious. The warm scent flooded Zach's nose and woke him up a little. He paid Altro 98 Harts, reluctantly parting with his rare Evy coin as 50 of them, then loaded the heavy burlap bags onto the cart.
Next was the equipment rental place, where Zach paid 30 Harts total for the use of 16 five-gallon tanks, a single ten-gallon tank, a large table, a tent, a simple coffee grinder, a spring scale, and two dozen tin cups. The bulky table and tin tanks filled up most of the cart, leaving Zach sitting with his legs off the back during the short ride to the Norwood Dairy.
For the price of 18 Harts, the men at the dairy filled up eight of Zach's tanks with fresh milk and helped him load them back on his cart. For a few chips, the workers even helped him fill the other eight small tanks with pure water from the municipal pump just outside.
At first, Zach had been suspicious of the drinking water in this world, but he quickly realized it was better than any tap water back home. Thanks to the power of purifying magic, the water in New Albion might have even been superior to the best bottled water in the US.
Zach had paid a sign-maker in advance for a large sign to explain the product and attract attention, and that shop was the final stop. The sign looked great, with vibrant paint on smooth wood explaining the product and the price: one Hart per eight ounce cup. It also asked customers to stay nearby while they drank it and to return the tin cup to be washed and reused.
Now that the cart was loaded up with all Zach's equipment and materials, including some smaller items he'd purchased and kept in his backpack, he and Jay made their way to the festival grounds. The event would take place in the large gardens to the south of the castle, amongst stone statues, towering hedges, and carefully tended flowerbeds.
Two guards stood at the gate where the gardens met the main road. One waved and called out as Zach's cart approached, so Jay brought it to a stop.
The blond man stepped up and said, "Good day. I assume you're here to set up for the festival?" Unlike the other guards Zach had seen on duty, these ones weren't wearing their helmets. It did make them a little less intimidating, which was probably the point. It wouldn't do to spook the festival-goers, after all.
"That's right," Zach replied, then he pulled out his vendor badge, assuming the guard would want to see it. He held the carved wooden shield toward the guard. "Here's my vendor badge."
The guard nodded. "Perfect. The stall numbers start at 'one' nearest this gate, then increase in a spiral toward the center of the garden. Find a guard if you have questions." Then he stepped out of the way, bowed his head slightly, and waved them through the gate.
As the cart rumbled forward, passing under a vine-covered archway, Jay turned to Zach. He asked, "What's your stall number anyway?"
"Thirteen," Zach answered while he looked out at the impressive gardens around him. Only a couple other vendors had started setting up so early, leaving a clear view of all the beautiful landscaping. Colorful ribbons draped over green hedges and white marble pillars. The spiral-shaped path had small clearings off both sides, and it circled a much larger grass clearing that could easily hold two-thousand people.
"Ooh, lucky!" Jay said, more enthusiastic than Zach had seen him all morning.
"Lucky? Why?" Zach had been expecting the exact opposite, given the number's connotations in his world.
Jay gave Zach a strange look, but answered the question. "Thirteen's a lucky number, especially when mana is involved, and you can't get much more mana-involved than the equinox."
"Ah. I thought for a second that you knew it was a good spot for a stall."
Jay glanced to the side of the path as they passed an empty lot between two stone pillars. The spot was marked with a small sign with the number five on it. "Nah, by the looks of it, thirteen is gonna be on the far side of the garden, and I'd bet that the stalls nearest the gate get the most sales."
Sure enough, Zach's spot was pretty far from the gate, and it wasn't particularly close to any of the straight paths that connected inner and outer parts of the spiral. Foot traffic would probably be light, so Zach would need to attract attention other ways. But at least the spot was on the spacious outer edge of the ring, giving more than enough room for all of his equipment.
Zach and Jay set the sturdy wooden table next to the main path, then put up the canvas tent behind that. It was nearly 9am by the time they had the tent staked into the ground and fully upright. The tent was seven feet tall and dyed with eye-catching blue and white stripes, but it had more purpose than that.
"Let's put all the tanks in there," Zach said, pointing at the tent. "My Conjurer is going to keep them cold inside." Late September didn't usually get too hot, but if the clear sky and calm breeze were any indication, it could get warm later.
Zach climbed up on the cart and passed a heavy tank of milk down to Jay. When he looked back up, he noticed someone with fiery red hair approaching, the Conjurer he'd just mentioned. "Speak of the devil," he said.
"Speak of the what?" Jay asked.
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"Nevermind. My hired hands have arrived. They can help us unload the rest of this, then you're clear to head out."
Zach waved to Riley and to Beebee, who was following behind her, moving slowly and gawking at the decorations. When they got close, he said, "Thanks for coming, you two. It's a huge help."
"No problem," Riley said, grinning. "You're paying us, after all." Then she turned and poked Beebee in the shoulder. "Stop acting like you've never seen the royal gardens before. I know you've been out here for work, and you go to this festival every year."
"But I've never seen it when it's all decorated and empty like this!" Beebee spun around with her arms out, causing her vibrant orange dress to flare outward.
Riley just smiled and shook her head. Contrasting with Beebee's outfit, Riley was wearing a more muted dark blue dress, with short sleeves and a deep v-neck.
Zach pulled his attention away from that v-neck and said, "Um, you're both alright with me paying you tomorrow morning, right? I'm a bit tight on money at the moment." He had offered to pay Beebee two Harts per hour and Riley three for her magical skills, and they had agreed. That was basically just minimum wage back home, but it would still add up to a whopping 110 Harts by the time this very long day was over.
"Of course," the girls answered in near unison. Beebee probably would have done it for free, just to be involved in the festival, and Riley might have offered her services just to see Zach's reactions to her teasing. With Beebee around, she was a bit more restrained on that front, so she'd have to settle with the money and spending time with a new friend.
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"After you've measured the beans, grind them coarsely and dump them in one of the five-gallon water tanks," Zach explained, letting Beebee do the actual motions.
Beebee carefully tipped the grinder's contents into a water can, then looked at him expectantly. "Then what?"
"GIve it a good stir with that spatula, then pass it to Riley to keep chilled. Oh, and once the festival starts, I'd like to do any remaining prep work in the tent, so we aren't showing everyone our technique. If we're successful tonight, I bet we get some copycats and I'd rather not make it easy for them."
Beebee nodded eagerly, her bobbed hair bouncing. At first she'd been confused whenever Zach used strange words like 'copycat' and immediately asked for explanations, but she was getting better at figuring out his meaning through context.
"Then it just sits for eight hours?" Riley asked. She had already spent several minutes using magic to bring the tanks in the tent to near-freezing. As long as she refreshed it every fifteen minutes or so, the milk would keep fresh and the cold brew would stay in the ideal range for steeping.
"Yep. I figure we can start all eight batches now, then later we'll filter one through cheesecloth when we need a batch to serve. The batches that steeped longer will be really strong, but that's probably to our advantage." Those eight tanks would result in 800 servings, and assuming they all sold, Zach stood to triple his investment.
With that, the conversation died out and they all set to work around the big table. Grinding the roasted beans by hand was slow work, but the wonderful smell they released was a nice reward. Zach did most of the heavy tank lifting while Beebee measured and Riley kept the tent chilled, and they all took turns using the grinder, which quickly tired the operator's arms.
After all eight batches were steeping in the tent, with the oldest ones near the front to be used first, Beebee ran off to explore the area. More vendors had started setting up, but the festival grounds wouldn't be open to the public for over six hours.
Riley was leaning against the table and Zach joined her. He gathered his thoughts for a moment, then said, "Um, we never did get back to the things you said the other night, before bed. Did you want to talk about it?"
He was referring to the fact that Riley had revealed that she'd slept with other women, and that such a thing was taboo in New Albion. Zach had been more than a little surprised at that, because the religions of his world didn't seem to exist in this one. What else would drive people to hate homosexuality so much?
Riley shook her head. "I don't want to risk saying anything out here. But thank you for thinking about me." Then she smiled at him. "How about next time we're in bed together?"
There it was, Riley's extreme flirtation. It was several times more lewd than the way Erin flirted, and Zach had little defense against it. His face grew hot as he stuttered, "U-um, I assume you mean, uh, for the flipping thing. Um, sure."
As Zach was pondering how Riley somehow had an an easier time dropping innuendo in public than she had talking about her sexuality in private, some other vendors approached the table. They must have been taking a break from their own setup and came to check out the competition.
A short man with curly red hair glanced at the table, then the tent, then at the two young people manning the stand. "Whatcha selling here?" he said. Zach hadn't put up the sign just yet, so stall 13 really was a bit of a mystery.
The man's partner was a stern looking woman of similar height and hair color, perhaps his sister. She craned her neck and peered around, trying to get a peek into the tent without crossing the boundary set by the table.
Zach smiled his friendliest smile, then launched into a pitch he'd been working on. "We're selling Equinox Coffee, a smooth, rich, and sweet drink that will wake you up and let you enjoy the festival to the fullest." His face took on an apologetic frown and he added, "It isn't ready yet, but if you come back after the festival starts, you can have a cup of coffee for free."
He grabbed a handwritten note out of his pocket and handed it to the man. In big clear lettering it said, 'Return this note for a complimentary Equinox Coffee. If you enjoy the drink, please recommend it to your own customers.' Then in small text on the back, it said, 'Valid for festival vendors only. While supplies last. Valid only during the 2018 Fall Equinox Festival.'
The man squinted at it for several seconds, then passed it to his ever-curious partner. She took it and scrutinized it even more closely. The man said, "Huh, alright. Thankya," then they left, looking rather puzzled by the whole experience.
Zach turned to Riley. "Can you watch the stand while I make a quick circuit and hand out some of these coupons?"
"Sure thing. Beebee will probably be back soon anyway."
After he left, Riley blinked a couple times, then shook her head. She muttered, "He really has some strange ideas…"
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Zach made a pass around the spiral path, handing out coupons and noting down in his notebook which stands he had visited. About half the vendor spots were still empty, but he wasn't sure whether they would stay that way. Vendors with quick setup times could certainly afford to wait another couple hours to arrive.
He ran into a couple merchants who he'd already met, like Eleanor the leatherworker. She thanked him for the free coffee, and again for the term 'backpack' he had introduced to her. Her festival stand was mostly selling smaller items like bracelets and belts, but she did have a couple backpacks on display, complete with signs using the new term.
"You're welcome, Eleanor. It would wonderful if you could mention my Equinox Coffee to your customers, especially anyone that wants help staying awake."
"You got it, Zach. May mana protect you."
"And you," he replied in stride. He had started to notice the distinct ways people talked about mana in New Albion. People from outside the wall literally worshipped it and called upon its name frequently, while inside the safe city it was mentioned less often, perhaps even taken for granted. But on a special day like the equinox, everyone treated it with a bit more respect.
Of course, Zach still didn't know exactly what mana was. It was definitely the power source behind magic, but he had no idea how it worked, if it actually had any will of its own, or if it could affect change without a mage channeling it. He supposed he could ask Riley about it, during in the dozen or so hours they'd be spending together.
Zach finished his circuit of the festival grounds, having handed out about 20 coupons, and returned to find Beebee braiding Riley's long red hair. Beebee looked somehow even happier than her default cheery self, leading Zach to say, "You're looking especially happy, Beebee."
Beebee smiled at him, but her hands kept working intuitively. "I've always loved working with hair. The feel of it, and the ability to change someone's appearance completely. I like to help women be beautiful."
Then she went quiet and frowned.
"What's wrong, Beebee?" Zach asked.
Riley glanced at him and looked like she had something to say, then thought better of it and looked away. It seemed it wasn't her place to speak.
Beebee took a deep breath, paused her braiding, then waved Zach over. When he was very close, she leaned over and whispered, "I like women, but apparently that's wrong."
Zach shook his head firmly, then whispered back. "It isn't wrong. I believe that strongly, since my country is finally fixing our mistakes on that, our mistakes on gay rights."
"Gay?" she asked, still quiet.
"Oh, that's a word from my world for people that are attracted to the same gender." There were other words that were slightly more accurate to Beebee's situation, like 'lesbian', but Zach didn't feel the need to get into that.
"The same word that means happy? That's nice. I like that." She smiled, and Zach felt a lump in his throat. Beebee was too young and innocent to have to deal with something so unjust, to be treated poorly because of something she couldn't change.
Zach patted her gently on the back, then said, "I'm happy to listen if you ever need to talk. I haven't experienced your trouble first-hand, but I've seen a lot of people who made it through. As they like to say back home, 'It gets better.'"
Beebee nodded and said, "Thanks," then went back to braiding Riley's hair in silence.
Riley had kept quiet during the whispered exchange, but she shot Zach a smile that suggested that she approved of how he'd handled it.
Zach couldn't help but notice that both Riley and Beebee liked women, and he remembered that Eloise disliked men, so she might have been gay as well. That was an unusually high concentration within the Princess's maids, beyond mere coincidence. He wanted to ask the Princess about it, but he had no idea how to do it without sounding rude.
In any case, the inspector would be arriving soon and the festival was starting shortly after that. He pushed those thoughts aside and went back to work.