Keylynn was decidedly lost in the streets of Glimmerhold, the citadel that most administration offices call home. A royal seal is required for anyone to gain entrance to the upper district of the city of Everspire.

  So far she has failed in her quest to find a nearby cafe willing to set up a mobile coffee shop outside of the Royal Assessment Department and Adventurer Welfare Council offices. A temporary coffee shop was the best way she could think of to atone for the actions of slime Eugene. She could have gone through the official channels, but she knew that could take weeks if not months to get the approval that she needed.

  She tried StarCups first, and the manager responded by laughing her out the door. Next she tried Joe Norton's, and they looked at her as if she were a talking tree. She checked; she wasn’t. Then she tried Medium Cup and received several panicked shakes of their heads.

  After being turned down by the three closest to the office, all a minimum of a five-minute walk away, she started to look for a lesser-known coffee shop willing to help. She has to find a coffee shop willing to set up a temporary coffee stand by the office. There aren’t any close enough to allow for more than a coffee on the way in and one at lunch. That clearly wasn’t enough. Ensuring better coffee access is the best she can do to atone for her failings.

  The streets of Glimmerhold truly were beautiful. They were paved with orbs of luminous, coloured glass, making a brightly coloured cobblestone. White-stained street lamps lined either side of the road. They produced a consistent, comfortable light regardless of the time of day. All that she remembers from Dauven’s explanation was that once a moon someone has to go around to recharge them.

  Glimmerhold was kept unnaturally clean through a series of arcane spells that were cast during the construction of both the roads and building. The spells need to be maintained roughly once a year, taking a small army of wizards upwards of a week to complete.

  All around her were tall white buildings that serve as offices for the various royal administration branches and councils that act as the backbone for the kingdom. Or so they have been told. The Royal Merchant’s Guild and Council occupy nearly an entire street by themselves. The Royal Healer’s Guild only occupied a single office building, but not the bottom three floors, which didn’t seem right. Shouldn’t the regulating body of the kingdom’s healers have a larger office?

  Sitting beside the glimmering arcane boundary that separated the Glimmerhold from the rest of the city was a sign depicting a steaming mug of coffee with a sleeping dragon curled around it. Wrapped around the mugs were the words ‘The Cup Stop.’ Keylynn smiled at the name of the shop. A small bell chimed overhead, drawing her attention to her silent bell mushrooms. Inside were a collection of small wooden tables and chairs that don’t match but still go together all the same. There were a couple of patrons sitting and enjoying their coffee. One had a large icing-covered spiral of cinnamon and pastry, while the other had a plate covered with crumbs.

  She walked to the counter, pleased that she no longer left droplets of stale coffee behind her. Behind the counter was a vibrant moss green orc with a formidable set of tusks and an impressive height. She was dressed in simple brown cotton pants and a white linen shirt with a coffee-brown apron over top.

  “Welcome to the Cup Stop, where you can take a pit stop from your busy life guilt-free. What can I brew up for you today?” She gave Keylynn a warm welcoming smile.

  This has to be the place. She doubted she would find another coffee shop within Glimmerhold. Keylynn smiled. “Salutations, I’m hoping you are the coffee shop I need. I work at the RADAWC building, and well, my floor’s break room has been closed,” she explained as the orc nodded along. “Needless to say, most of our office is looking ghoulish.” She hoped her simpler explanation was enough for the orc to understand. “And I’m hoping you will be willing to set up a temporary mobile coffee shop outside of the building so that there is an alternative to the break room, and my coworkers are less ghoul-like.” She finished her fourth attempt at explaining her situation and need. Because of her previous attempts and how poorly they went, she was able to get through her explanation without fumbling over her words or losing the word she meant to say.

  “A coffee cart?” The orc asked, barely containing her excitement. “I have been wanting to get one established for ages!”

  “I—yes, a coffee cart.” Keylynn answered, unsure of what exactly a coffee cart was. She assumed that a coffee cart would be the solution she was looking for. “It is my understanding that such a venture is not a quick process. I can help financially speaking.” She lost some of the words she was looking for. She never got this far before. She remembered Riv explaining something about financial aid, that it is reimbursed after certain criteria are met.

  The orc froze, looking at her. “Wait, you’ll pay for the cart?”

  “I—Yes.” Kelynn answered with a confident nod. That wasn’t exactly what she meant, but if paying for the cart is what’s needed, then she will pay for it. “It seems fair should you fail to make a profit. I’d hate for this venture to be a detriment to you and your establishment,” she added rapidly. The last thing she needed was to insult the pride of an orc.

  “You won’t regret it!” The orc said, climbing over the counter and wrapping her thick muscular arms around Keylynn, hugging her tight.

  Keylynn adjusted her clothes, embarrassed by the coffee that now stained the orc clothes. “Would it be easier if I transferred the funds to you directly?” She asked, having no idea where she would find a coffee cart.

  The orc shook her head. “I can’t just take your money. If you have time right now, we can go purchase the cart. There’s a seller with the cart I have been eyeing for a while.” She explained.

  “Now is perfect,” Keylynn answered. She was already out of the office long enough to break protocol.

  The excited orc removed her apron and hung it over the counter. “Nyra, you have the floor! I’m off to buy the coffee cart! When Biscuit comes back in, can you ask them to start preparing double batches of everything?” She called towards the back room while walking to the door.

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  Following behind the orc, she walked briskly across the Glimmerhold boundary. The glimmering glass streets were replaced with smooth cobblestone. The central road allowed for arcane-powered transport vehicles and all manner of mounted creatures, pushing foot traffic to either side of the road. The buildings became an unassuming grey.

  “How long are you thinking you need to get the coffee cart ready?” Keylynn asked, struggling to keep up with the orc.

  The orc turned left, then right down another road, bringing Keylynn to a part of the city she had never been to before. “If I get my way tomorrow morning, hopefully in time to catch the morning rush, when does your office open?” She asked as they started to walk past various artisan studios and workshops.

  “The whole building starts at the 8th morning bell, while my floor starts at the 7th morning bell.”

  She nodded as she veered across the street and walked into a tinkering workshop. It has a wide open door, and inside was an array of metal contraptions. In the centre was a large copper-coloured one that had a gnome barely visible through the metal. Sitting on one of his counters was a familiar-looking contraption of metal and glass. It was the coffee machine from the break room.

  “Briwin, do you still have that coffee cart?” The orc asked, leaning against whatever the gnome was working on.

  Keylynn stepped closer and saw a gnome with his white hair pulled up into a bun and his beard tucked into his work apron. He looked up at the orc with magnifying eyewear, giving the illusion of unnaturally large eyes.

  “That didn’t take ya too long now, did it, eh, Tiv?” He wiped his greasy hands on a grease-stained cloth and pulled himself out of the contraption. He slid his magnifying eyewear up on his forehead. “As I told you three days ago, I still got it.” His eyes paused on Keylynn.

  Keylynn gave the gnome a small wave. “Salutations, Master Briwin.”

  The gnome's eyes turned back to Tiv. “And who do we have here?”

  “This is—“ Tiv paused her introduction.

  “—Keylynn." She answered before the orc could ask, feeling blood rush to her cheeks in shame. She was so focused on atoning she forgot proper social conventions. She was willing to purchase a coffee cart for someone before she even knew their name! If her mother were here, she would be appalled.

  “Yes! Keylynn, my business partner. She agreed to buy the cart if I set up a mobile coffee stand outside of her office. Can you believe my luck? One of the big offices has a coffee shortage right in time!” The orc explained excitedly, her hands waving around in the air as she spoke.

  “Did you get any of that in writing?” The gnome asked suspiciously as his eyes ran over Keylynn again.

  Tiv paused. “I don’t think we need to.” She cast a questioning glance back at her. Keylynn shook her head. What use did she have for a coffee cart with the coffee connoisseur running it?

  “Don’t give me that look. I’m only looking out for my good friend, is all.” He scowled up at the orc’s incredulous look. “Alright then, right this way, Miss Keylynn. I’ll draw up an invoice, and we can cover payment, and then Tiv can take her new coffee cart home.” He waved Keylynn towards a desk.

  Keylynn followed him deeper into his workshop. They walked past various things that Barnibus would know while Keylynn was clueless. All she saw was a confusing collection of metal. “Are you able to transfer funds from the Red Dragon Vault?” She asked concerned. She would rather not add a trip to the bank to her side quest.

  “Got a transfer stone.” He stated simply. He gestured for her to take a seat in the intricate metal chair facing a desk. He walked behind his desk and walked up the steps to sit on his appropriately smaller chair. “If ya hurt Tiv, I’ll haunt ya and break your kneecaps. Often.”

  As she sat down in the chair, its chill seeped through her damp clothes. She had to hold in her laugh. The idea of her even attempting to harm the incredibly muscular woman was ridiculous. “I’m sure she can fold me like paper if she so wishes.” She paused. He has to know that the Tiv can protect herself. “Unless you are meaning emotional pain. I have no wish to harm her emotionally or in any way for that matter. She is helping me as much as I am helping her. Have you ever seen an entire office without constant access to coffee? Ghouls are nicer.” She explained gravely. She doubted this gnome needed to know everything. Besides, how can she atone if everyone knows why she was doing it?

  “So ya broke the coffee machine, eh? Wouldn’t be the first time, and it won’t be the last. Ya found yourself a strange solution, but indeed it's a solution.” He agreed, pulling out the standard invoice forms. She watched as he filled it out and removed both the pink and yellow copies. He placed the yellow copy on a standard letter-sized thin slate slab. The yellow copy of the receipt grew to match the size of the slab.

  Keylynn read through the invoice carefully. Briwin truly must be a master of his craft based on how much he was charging for his services. He outlined everything, including the cost of materials and the time he spent fixing the coffee cart. The resultant total cost for the coffee cart was ten thousand gold pennies. No wonder Tiv was so excited when Keylynn offered to purchase it.

  “It says you assure continued service of the coffee cart for as long as Tiv requires, but you fail to mention pricing.” She inquired calmly, settling into her HR persona. She was used to haggling with people when it comes to the matter of money.

  “Mushrooms have addled your mind if you think I can offer free repairs for life!” He huffed, offended at the very thought.

  She smiled. This was much more fun than haggling for appropriate compensation rates. “I agree that free repairs for the life of the product are not optimal for business. But no free repairs included with a product with such a large price won't do either. I suggest free repairs for the first year, and for the next four following years she gets a discounted price, the discount dropping a set amount each year. So for her second year she covers 25% of the cost, and so on, giving her five years of coverage.”

  The gnome glared at her. He was about to refuse, but he caught a glimpse of Tiv, who was no doubt overjoyed by the coffee cart. “That seems fair for a friend.”

  Keylynn smiled triumphantly; that was definitely more fun than dealing with her last HR case. “I’d like our deal noted on all copies. If you will allow, I can make the notations on my copy of the invoice.” She offered.

  Briwin nodded and gestured to the mug of standard-sized pens while he busily modified both the white and pink copies of the invoice. Beside each of his additions, he signed and dated it. She held the yellow copy for him to sign when she was finished adding the amendments.

  “You strike a hard bargain. Better not short me on the money—” He began to threaten.

  “Yes, yes, haunting and kneecaps,” she finished for him. Keylynn pulled out the small pouch that she used to hold her authorization coins. The pouch was charmed to help prevent theft. The silver coin with the red embossed dragon was the coin she used to access her funds vault. She pressed her finger on the dragon's face and waited for the warm sting of the coin. When the coin was pleasantly warm and released small streams of white smoke from the dragon’s nostrils, she set her coin on the transfer stone. If the smoke was black, the coin would burn its embossing into the presumed thief, and then the coin would turn itself to ash.

  It took them a couple minutes to scan in the invoice and approve the fund transfer. Fund transfers involving such a large sum of money required not only approval on both sides and a copy of the invoice but also each of their signatures. The transfer stone glowed green, indicating that the transfer was complete. She picked up her coin and put it away in its pouch and in her bag.

  “Well, you made one orc very happy today,” he announced with a smile. “I’ll let you tell her the good news.”

  Keylynn smiled at the invoice in her hands. That will be enough. She helped an orc's dream come true while ensuring her disgruntled coworkers can get their coffee fix during the day.