The teufel man crossed his arms as he looked down at Aphiya, "What are you doing behind the bar?" He asked in a very serious tone.
Mairey looked at the two and gripped the side of the counter as she started to feel nervous, worried that the girl was in trouble.
The little girl turned around to face him and smiled, "I'm helping."
The man narrowed his eyes, "Oh really? How were you trying to help exactly?" He asked sternly.
"I'm taking her order." Said the girl, proudly.
The man looked at the girl for a moment as Mairey gulped.
He chuckled and then patted her on the head, "That's great, sweetie! I'm glad you wanna help," He smiled, "Are you having fun so far?"
The girl smiled and nodded, "Yes, I am!"
"That's great!" Said the man.
Mairey sighed in relief as she unclenched her hands, now sweaty from the tension.
The man noticed Mairey and faced her, "I'm sorry, ma'am. Was she bothering you?" He frowned.
Mairey shook her head, "No, not at all. In fact, she was helping me."
The man raised an eyebrow, "Oh really? How so?"
"She was about to tell me today's special."
"Oh?" He looked down at the girl, "Do you know today's special, sweetie?"
Aphiya nodded, "Yes! It's…" she looks down, trying to think, "It's umm…"
The man then leaned in and whispered into the girl's ear, "Pork and beans stew with cheese bread."
She looked up at Mairey, "Pork and beans stew!"
"With cheese bread." The man whispered again.
"With cheese spread!" Said the little girl, confidently.
The man straightened his back and sighed with a smile, "Close enough."
Mairey giggled, "That sounds delicious but I'm actually here for the dwarven special."
"With roasted garlic potatoes and duck gravy?" Asked the man.
Mairey nodded, "Yes and a large ale please."
"Alright then," the man took out his notepad and wrote down her order. He tore off the parchment and handed it to the little girl, "Please take this to the kitchen, sweetie."
She nodded before taking the piece of paper and running off to the kitchen.
The man then looked at Mairey and stuck out his hand, "I'm Larmei but everyone calls me Lars. I own this place."
Mairey shook his hand, "Nice to meet you, Lars. I'm Mairey." The two of them let go of each other's hands before Lars grabbed a large mug and walked over to the taps to fill it up.
"So are you new here? I'm just asking because you don't seem to be from here." Said Lars.
Mairey shook her head, "No, I'm not. What gave it away?" She opened her bag and took out her little, dark magenta coin purse. She then took out a coin and placed it onto the counter.
Lars turned around and placed the full mug on the counter, with some foam spilling out. "Mainly the fact that you're a woman. A place like this in the middle of a big city usually doesn't get many female customers." He grabbed the coin in front of him and placed it into the cash register. "To be honest, I don't blame them. I, too, am scared of walking through this part of the city alone, especially at night."
"Well," said Mairey as she grabbed the mug and took a sip of ale, "I'm not exactly here alone. Another person is joining me."
"Oh yeah?" Lars raised an eyebrow, "Like a date?"
Mairey nodded with a smile.
"That's wonderful!" Said Lars, smiling, "So who's the lucky man?" He paused for a moment before he corrected himself, "Or woman. I don't judge."
Mairey chuckled, "He's a man. His name is Griff Dondor."
"Judging by the last name, I'm assuming he's a human."
"Not completely. He's also half orc."
"That's pretty neat! Does he live here in London?" Asked Lars.
Mairey shook her head, "No. He lives in Birmingham."
"Let me guess," Lars scratched his chin, "Factory worker?"
She shook her head again, "Power plant worker."
"Ah. What does he do exactly? I'm not very well educated on how those electricity plants work. All I know is that they have something to do with lightning crystals."
"He's a stoker," said Mairey, "He shovels coal into the furnace since those particular crystals convert heat into electricity."
"They convert heat into electricity?" Lars raised an eyebrow, "I'm only twenty four and I already feel very old. All these technological advances are so strange and it feels like they're happening so abruptly." He sighed, "It feels like just yesterday I didn't have access to any running water and now almost every public building has flameless lights."
Mairey nodded as she raised her mug a little, "I second that." She then took a big sip of ale. Aphiya ran back behind the bar excitedly and hugged Lars' leg.
The man looked down at her and smiled, "Did you give the order to the chef?"
The little girl nodded, "Yep!"
"Good job!" The man patted Aphiya on the head. Mairey looked at the two in curiosity before she spoke up again.
"I hope you don't mind me asking," Mairey began, "But why is there a child at your pub?"
Lars looked at Mairey, still smiling, "She's my daughter and my little helper." He picked the girl up and gave her a kiss on the forehead. "Isn't that right, my little sugarplum?"
The girl giggled, "I'm a helper!" Lars carefully put his daughter down and before looking at Mairey.
"Aside from that," he frowned, "Her mother passed away shortly after I became the owner of this pub. I can't afford to stay at home and look after my daughter."
"I'm sorry for your loss." Said Mairey in a very sympathetic tone.
"Thank you." Said Lars.
"Have you tried looking for a babysitter?" Asked Mairey.
The man nodded, "I've been having trouble finding one. This city contains mostly factory workers who don't have time for a side job."
"But dad," Aphiya whined, "I don't need a babysitter. I'm a big girl!"
Lars looked down at her and chuckled, "I know you are, sweetie." He patted her on the head again as he faced Mairey. "If you know someone who'd be interested in looking after my child while I'm at work, please let me know."
Mairey put her index finger and thumb on her chin as she began to ponder. She was in her fourth year of college and still had not figured out what she wanted to do with her degree. Ever since humans began taking over the world, there weren't many occupations left for wizards, unless it included becoming an advisor for a politician or working for a cult. Mairey had no interest in either one of those job positions. Perhaps becoming a full time babysitter would not be such a bad idea. After all, Aphiya is only a child for so long. This can just be a temporary thing for Mairey in order to obtain a decent income until she could get a chance to work on her career.
"Let me guess," said Lars, "You're thinking about applying for the job."
"Huh?" Mairey looked at him, surprised, "How'd you-"
"Reading people," he began, "Is one of the many things I picked up from working here for years. So," He smirked, "Was I right?"
Mairey nodded, "Yes, I am interested in the position."
"Alright, you're hired!"
"Great- Wait what? But you don't know if I'm qualified or not."
"Well," Lars leaned over the counter and rested his chin on the back of his hands, "Do you have a criminal record?"
"No."
"Do you have experience with taking care of children?"
"Yes."
"Are you available at least four days a week for at least six hours?"
"Yes."
"Do you have a method of transportation to get you here on time?"
"Yes."
"Then it's been decided," said Lars as he straightened his back and removed his elbows from the counter, "You're qualified!"
Mairey smiled, "Really? Thank you!"
"No, thank *you*!"