text: [Themes: fantasy]
  
  A year has passed and you're back in college, though it's not as much fun as it was when you didn't need to worry about where your tuition was coming from or having something like a job.
  
  Finding time to study while running the inn is difficult, but fortunately Wendy picks up the slack when you're not around. You've also managed to re-establish some old contacts with people you were "friends" with before your "break". Most of them are ahead of you and some are getting ready to graduate. While none of them bothered to stay in contact with you (so much for education breaking down class distinctions) a few of them are still willing to help you out by selling you books for cheap or giving you some of their old notes. Every little bit helps.
  
  As for the inn, it's doing well, but you constantly worry about its future profitability. Your regular patrons aren't the upstanding working class anymore, most of them are petty criminals, broke losers and other ne'er-do-wells. You also have to do something about your overworked/underpaid staff. So far Wendy has been doing far more than she anticipated and is demanding more pay. Rita on the other hand is just plain threatening to quit. All of which is cutting into your study and school time.
  
  A few bright spots are you're getting adventurers coming in since those nice rooms you got awhile back started to pay off. You're also saving money with your stills (You have multiple ones in the basement now) and your retarded janitor Alan who seems to be just happy to work and follow your orders. If only all your employees were so agreeable.
  
  Today's the day you make a change to the status quo.
  
  > cut back on food and promote Wendy
  Again, the inn isn't really like how it used to be where you'd get miners coming in wanting some food with their ale. Nowadays you just get plain ol' drunks coming in. Even the adventurers don't normally order anything fancy. You figure you'll just cut down on food shipments and jack the price up so only adventurers or perhaps the odd merchant will be willing to pay for a hot meal.
  
  You also decide that Wendy is a pretty vital part of running this place, so you offer her the only thing you can think of that would keep her happy...
  
  "Less kitchen work and a free permanent room? Are you serious?" Wendy says in disbelief.
  
  "If you want it. The catch is though, you'd be living here and need to make sure things are running smoothly on a regular basis, this means opening up the inn early, closing it down late, or whatever else is required."
  
  "Pfft, I basically do that now."
  
  "Perhaps, but now you'd get to live at a place rent free, not to mention you don't need to walk that far to work anymore. Now that should certainly alleviate some of your problems I trust?"
  
  "Yeah, that would help a lot."
  
  "Good, oh one more thing, I know you have kids, I really hope they won't be running all over the place bothering patrons."
  
  "No, it won't be a problem. Y'know I had my doubts about you running this place and while I know me living here is going to make it more convenient for your own goals, thanks all the same."
  
  "You're welcome." You say and feel positive that this decision is going to work out just fine.
  
  A few months pass and your inn is making a little more money and you have a little more time for your academic goals. Things are nice for a little while, but as usual a problem crops up to make you life a lot more difficult.
  
  Wendy's kids are little monsters. Not to you, but to just about everyone else. Wendy tries to keep them in line through screaming and beatings, but it doesn't work for long.
  
  Her youngest Carl is a dirty little boy who is constantly trying to look up Eliza and Rita's dresses or touch them in some inappropriate way. If he can't get to them, the local trashy women who frequent the bar will do. Most of the time he tries to play it off like he doesn't mean anything, but he knows damn well what he's doing.
  
  Wendy's daughter Annie is obviously taking after her with the same grasp of verbal swears. She swears so much you initially thought she had Rosette's Syndrome. Her mouth wouldn't really be a problem except she's loud and is always asking the inn guests strange questions (swearing the whole time of course).
  
  Finally her oldest son, Henry is well on his way to be a future sociopath. The kid will sit in a corner watching everything and everyone with this creepy look like he'd murder everyone if he could. You've noticed that knives from the kitchen have been going missing and you never used to come across so many bloody cat heads in the alley before Wendy moved in. While you can't prove the animal killing or knife theft, you know for a fact that he's been fucking with Alan. For the past week you've noticed Alan limping, when you questioned him, he stated it was nothing, but on closer inspection you saw that his shoe was in a burned condition and he had a bruise on his neck. You question it further and Alan finally breaks down and tells you it was Wendy's son, but states that Wendy's son was just "playing" that it wasn't a big deal and he didn't want him getting into trouble.
  
  That's the last straw for you. You and Wendy need to have another talk about this arrangement.
  
  "Wendy I need to talk to you now."
  
  "Can it wait...HEY GET BACK HERE YOU LITTLE BASTARD!" Wendy says shouting at one her little demons.
  
  "That's exactly what we need to talk about."
  
  "Wha...oh fine."
  
  You and Wendy step into the kitchen and you waste no time in expressing your concerns.
  
  "Wendy you've been a great help her since you moved in, but it was my understanding that you were going to have your kids under better control than you have been."
  
  "Hey this is the best all of them have been in ages! Besides they haven't been bothering you and business has been doing okay."
  
  "Yeah, but at this rate I'm not sure how long that's going to last with how your kids have been acting lately. Your youngest is sexually harassing Eliza and Rita more than the lowest scum that drinks here. Your daughter is causing some the most hardcore adventurers feel uncomfortable. And your oldest son, hoo boy, you NEED to get that kid on a leash quick and instill some discipline into him because he's one twisted little pup."
  
  "Who the fuck do you think you're talking to fuckhead? You think you can tell me how to raise my goddamn kids? You think it's fucking easy? You don't have any, so fuck you! Shit, you ain't even got a woman, so I'm guessing you ain't gonna have to worry about it ever. Faggot."
  
  "And who the hell do you think YOU'RE talking to? I'm your boss and I'm telling you need to get your kids in line! Alan just told me that your oldest son snuck down into basement and gave him a hotfoot while he was sleeping. When Alan predictably woke up, he nearly choked himself because your little psycho set up a wire noose around his neck tied to the table nearby."
  
  "And you believed Alan?"
  
  "Alan's a lot of things, but he's not a liar. If anything I had to drag the info out of him. He was afraid of getting your son in trouble, but I wouldn't be surprised if he was just afraid of your son period."
  
  "(Sigh) Even if it is true. So what? That's just how boys play."
  
  "That's how future murderers play. Look, I'm not arguing with you anymore. Your kids are a problem and you said they wouldn't be. So get your shit together or face the consequences."
  
  "Fuck you, you gonna fire me? Pfft! Yeah right. Without me, you couldn't run this place and pursue your precious education at the same time. Hell, I doubt if you could run it period."
  
  > keep trying to reason with her
  You can't afford to fire her and you don't even want to risk threatening her with it lest she call your bluff and leave.
  
  "Will you listen to yourself for one moment? All I'm saying is to get your kids in line because they're not just fucking up MY business, but they're actually fucking up yours by proxy! If you won't do it for me, at least do it for your own self-preservation!"
  
  "Sounds like you're threatening to fire me again. If you're going to do it, do it and stop beating around the fucking fairy bush shithead!"
  
  You shake your head at Wendy's insults. It's obvious she isn't going to listen to reason this way, so you try another tactic.
  
  "Look, I'm not going to fire you, but you're going to have to find another place to live. I can't have your kids screwing up my business like this. If this is unacceptable to you, well I suppose I can't stop you from quitting, but seriously I think you know I have a point here."
  
  Wendy is a little caught of guard since she figured you might back down from this completely.
  
  "Wha... shit. You do have a point. I know they're little monsters. Look I'll talk to them, I'll get them in line."
  
  "I'm glad you see it my way, but the time for that has passed. I think it would be best for our future working relationship if you didn't live here anymore."
  
  "But come on you can't fucking throw us out like this! I at least need time to find a new place!"
  
  "I'm not throwing you out right now, but you need to find a new place by the end of next month."
  
  "Okay...okay. But hey, if I manage to get my kids to behave within that time can we stay?" Wendy asks hopefully, which is odd to you considering how she was just behaving. You've never seen her act in such a desperate fashion before. In fact you're pretty surprised she hasn't called you a bunch of names again, though she might've realized now that isn't going to work.
  
  > give her time
  You figure you've made your point and she's still vital to the inn, so you can give her this chance. Besides if she doesn't get her kids in line then she's out.
  
  "Alright Wendy, but don't stop looking for other places to move to, because I'm not optimistic about your chances."
  
  "Don't worry about it, I can handle it."
  
  "Okay then I hope you prove me wrong."
  
  After this exchange you and Wendy go back to work.
  
  A few weeks pass and you notice a decrease in the bad behavior from her kids. Carl's not grabbing Rita's ass, Annie's not cussing out the adventurers and Henry...well he's still creepy, but he isn't setting any of your employees on fire and you haven't tripped over any new cat heads in the alley.
  
  By the last week it actually looks like Wendy has succeeded. You're a little impressed considering how horrible her kids were; still you don't want a setback.
  
  "Okay Wendy you can stay, but I hope you know that they better continue acting like how they are now. If there's a relapse, it's back to finding a new place again."
  
  Wendy of course tells you that she has everything under control with her kids now. Unfortunately after a month you find that she doesn't. Even worse, she isn't the only person looking for a new place.
  
  Apparently Henry couldn't contain himself any longer and one night decided to finish what he started with poor Alan by setting more than just his foot on fire. Alan's flailing soon set portions of the basement on fire, and your stills just make things explosively worse.
  
  The first explosion wakes you up immediately. The smell of smoke and the sounds of your inn collapsing on itself gets your ass out of bed and running to the nearest exit. You don't even have time to check on Wendy before the floor suddenly collapses on you and plunge to a fiery death.