The six men were called collectively as “Henry’s hires”. When the brewery needed extra labor, Henry had approached the first group he encountered, asked them if they wanted steady work for the next three weeks. The men had followed him like dutiful puppies ever since.
“Well, you heard him, boys. There is work here if you want it.” Mara said, approaching the six men.
Three of them nodded. One glanced at the others first before saying, “We do be grateful, miss. I’ll be taking you on that.”
“Work’s work,” another muttered, “long as it don’t bite.”
“Aye,” one added, “and if it does, we’ve had worse.”
“Better’n the docks,” someone said. “At least dem casks don’t shout back.”
Dock work, it should be noted, teaches a man many things. Chief among them is that objects have personalities, and most of them are hostile.
Mara nodded. “The rest of you?”
The rest followed with a chorus of yesses and ayes.
“Did the boss say anyfink about houses?” one asked, to which the others nodded.
“He’s taking the two buildings near. We waiting for them to move out. You’ll need to bunk up where you can till then.” Mara explained.
They nodded, seeming to consider this reasonable. One glanced over at the entryway.
“Pardon, miss… but that boy? Why’s everyone so nice ta him?” he asked, pointing.
“He looks important,” another said. “Or dangerous. Hard to tell from the back.”
Mara glanced over. Battery must have finished a bit earlier. He walked through the door with his usual shuffle, moving for the staff quarters. Mara grinned.
“That’s a good question, Ruke, but I’d rather show you.” She said with a smirk. She gestured for them to follow her and walked the men over to the steaming table. Currently, it was sitting inert.
“Alright, so you see the heating stones? They have a small hole on the bottom. Put your finger in there, Ruke.” She said with a smile.
There is a particular tone people use when suggesting something that is either completely safe or absolutely not. Experience suggests it is rarely the former.
Ruke looked skeptical, but did as he was told.
“It’s always a finger,” another said. “Never ‘put your boot in.’”
“Alright, you feel a pull? Like a tug?” Mara asked. He nodded. “Let it go, go with the pull.”
“Faaah…” he said as his body wavered. He pulled his finger out and stared at it, looking for an injury. He started drifting on his feet. The other hires caught him quickly and sat him down. “Wha?” was all he said, breathing deeply.
Mara had to suppress a chuckle. “Lessa!” she called out, gesturing. Lessa perked up and came over.
“Lessa, these men are asking why we are so nice to Battery.”
Lessa blinked at Mara before glancing at the heating stone, looking slightly paler. “They getting the same lesson you did. Boss did it to me and Henry long ago too.”
She said that before remembering it had been less than a year.
“I started making his bed every morning after that. Battery has to do that every day.” Lessa said, pointing to the stones.
The men all nodded, although Mara suspected that Lessa could have said fish can fly and they would have nodded. It was Lessa after all.
“Thanks, Lessa.”
One of them nodded again, just in case.
Lessa gave a quick smile before returning to weighing more grain.
“Any more questions about Battery?” Mara asked sweetly.
They all shook their heads, other than the one who was sitting on the floor.
“He does that every day?” he asked, blinking at the stone.
“Well, you didn’t get this stone started even. When Battery or the boss do it, we get enough for three dozen stones.” Mara said offhand.
The man began standing, still blinking at the stone with a complicated expression.
“Uh, Missus Mara, which o the work pays best?” he asked, looking around the space sheepishly. “The kind that don’t… that,” he added, nodding at the stone.
“Boilers.” Mara answered immediately.
“How’s we move ta boilin?” he followed up.
“You know your letters, Tiv?” Mara asked.
Tiv opened his mouth and closed it again before shaking his head.
“If I told the boss, he might arrange something. Boiler work ain’t easy. Don’t you have a kid, Tiv?” Mara asked.
“That’s right—he’s smarter than me already,” Tiv said.
“Got his mother’s brain then,” someone muttered.
“Good,” another said. “One of you needs one.”
“Then we always need muscle. You can work grain, fermentation. Boilers are dangerous, but you be nice to Battery, like everyone else. Also, he’s a mage, like the boss.” Mara added.
There was a brief, respectful silence at that. Magic has a way of rearranging a man’s priorities.
All six of them nodded, looking down at the heating stone.
At least she and Hal had managed to get one going.
Her face turned a bit smug remembering that.