41th of Winter, 513 AV.
8th Bell, 20th Chime.
8th Bell, 20th Chime.
“And here they are...” Stefan said to himself, whipping the sweat from his brown, while he contemplated ten crates full of bottles of wine that he had left along the bartender’s area.
After stretching his back, he pulled a note from his pocket; an errand checklist from Silka that Kiki delivered to Stefan. There were a lot of errands, and Stefan just completed the first one: bring some wine boxes from the Bluevein Winery to the Velvet Curtain. Fortunately, some Akalak bouncers helped him, probably for pity, and that would be a good guess, because while Stefan could barely carry one box, the bouncers could carry two or three at the same time without much problem, not to mention that Stefan could become lost in the city.
With a quill, he marked the first errand of the list, but there were many others... and all must be finished by the end of the day, just as Kiki said. Right now, Stefan couldn’t do anything more that lament the fact that he offered to do anything they would ask him. He was a musician, after all, and not a strong one for that matter, but at that point, he didn’t have any other choice. At least, if his friend Kiki was to be trusted, Silka would pay him well once he finished...
“Let’s see...” he murmured, looking at the checklist. “Done... clean the curtains and arrange the chairs. Of course.” Cursing under his breath, Stefan put away the list in his pocket and went to do the easiest thing: arrange the chairs. Fortunately, he didn’t have to clean and polish them, as that was done earlier that day by someone in that line of job. Still, they needed to be arranged properly. Evidently, the sensation of privacy was one of the most important things in the area, so the chairs had to be arranged in a specific way.
The chairs were already in the entrance, polished, completely clean, and even the cushions at the seats looked like new. Taking air deeply, Stefan managed to lift one of the chairs, and while holding his breath, he managed to walk toward one of the tables on the far side, with great effort, leaving it along one of the tables. There was one, and there only were many more left.
“You can give me a hand, you know!” he yelled at the Akalak bouncers near the entrance, who simply laughed and ignored him. It was really amusing to them to see Stefan struggling, evidently.
Anyway, there wasn’t much else to do. After cracking his knuckles and taking air, Stefan went for the second chair. Lifting it and carrying it was as hard as the first one, but Stefan gave up his complains at this point. After five tortuous minutes, the young bard arranged the second chair, trying to catch his breath.
After the fourth chair, his fingers and arms had gone numb. He went to the bartender’s area, poured himself a drink, and sat down for a while. If somebody told him something, he would say something rude, as he could do little more. He had just enough breath to curse all the gods, and their mothers, while he drank the wine.
After he drank quickly three glasses, Stefan was dizzy enough to continue his job. Surely, the bouncers felt pity for their colleagues that weren’t working that day, because the sight of weak, dizzy human carrying chairs from a place to another, tumbling, could cheer the day of anybody. A hour and a half later, all the chairs were arranged properly.
“Perfect...” and with the quill and a trembling hand, he marked that part of the list. “Now I must clean the... curtains.” Rising his head, Stefan could see the enormous velvet curtains that gave the name to the establishment, especially on top of the stage. This time, however, it was not something glamorous.
There are actions that, just by seeing them, you can know are really bad ideas. For examples, using some ropes for balance and cling the curtains was a really, really bad idea.
Meanwhile, the young bard thought to himself that it wasn’t that hard, because it was like walking on the masts of a ship, all while carrying a duster in his hand, and while the bouncers and some prostitutes watched him. Some of them were honestly concerned; others though he was insane, and a few of them could barely contain their laughter.
“Like a mast, like a mast, like a mast...” Stefan repeated to himself under his breath, while he moved, holding himself to the curtain. It was no surprise when he slipped, and screaming loudly, he fell right to the floor, just to be saved by Morgal Trokas, the Akalak bouncer, that managed to catch him. Stefan’s face was, to put it simply, like a poem.
"Stefan." he said casually, as he did with him.
"Morgal." Stefan replied, trying to remain calm.
“You know that you could take off the curtains to clean them, right?” the Akalak said to him, leaving Stefan on the floor, looking at him like if was looking at a small child.
“...Of course I could.” Said Stefan, notably exasperated. This was going to be a long day.
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