The songs of birds singing in the trees welcomed in the dawn of a new day. The forest was beginning to come to life with the commotion of a hundred different critters, birds, and insects who all set out to their morning rituals. Added to their songs was the soft, melodic humming of a single woman. The mist still clung to the ferns along the forest floor, concealing her from view. As she hummed, she dug into the soil around her. This area had been cleared of ferns carefully. It still looked as though the vegetation here grew wild... but at close inspection, it would be noticeable that these plants have been tended, and all seemed edible. It was a garden.<br/><br/>Upon hearing a noise from the village near by, she paused and straightened up on her knees to crane her neck toward the town. Technically, these woods were owned by the king and a permit was required to plant a garden. She didn't have the money for a permit, so her garden shouldn't exist. When she was satisfied that no one was coming, she continued her work chopping soil.<br/><br/>Hours later, as the village square was beginning to come to life, she trudged into town. She wore trousers instead of her normal dress, and was dirty from head to toe. She bore a large basket on her hip, loaded with vegetables. No one paid her any notice as she entered the tavern.<br/><br/>When she was inside, she set to work at once, washing the vegetables in the water basin, which she filled the pump. When her crop was cleaned and stored in a crate, she then removed her gardening clothes, slipped into her work dress, and began preparing to open the tavern for business. It would likely be a busy day and she had work to do.<br/><br/>As she worked to take the mugs she'd washed last night from the drying rack and hang them over the bar, she frowned thoughtfully. The man who'd come into the bar last night still haunted her thoughts. She'd completely lost control and he'd suffered the consequence. She berated herself for having lost control so foolishly. It had been years since she'd allowed that to happen.<br/><br/>She hadn't slept the previous night, as she'd spent the time tossing and turning in her simple little bed located in the apartment under the bar. Starting to feel the effect of a sleepless night, she glanced toward the door. She didn't have time to be tired. The tavern needed running.