[Generously, Remarkable]

  Lu was helping carry the equipment that Nim needed for her first batch of beer brewed at the new brew pub, putting the equipment into the cart that they’d rented. The cart also contained thirty half kegs, that would be sufficient, they hoped for the soft opening and before the first batch was ready to serve. Nim was brewing the beer, in the section of the pub that was enclosed by the magical field.

  She had no idea what that magical field would do to the brew. That’s why they’d rented the cart and pony today. Nim thinks that she has solved the scaling of the recipe problem. With lots of help from Eldara, Nim had been through the entire cooking section looking for advice. The family recipe was meant to brew beer for one family, usually two to four people, that would need to be multiplied five to ten times the size.

  The brew pub would only be open days and rented out for events at night. Paula was the silent partner. She’d put up all the money for the building and equipment and construction. Nim was the brew master and Lu was the entertainment for both pub and tea house.

  The pub would have a few outside tables that sat within the magical field, and a few tables that weren’t but would be usable in the warmer weather. The inside had a huge fireplace and five or six tables.

  Two barmaids in training were already working in the kitchen of Madd Maggies, as was a part time cook who had just one job. But the three partners insisted that it was a very important job. They made one soup du jour every day, each day different. They wanted the chef to have at least fourteen great soup recipes on day one, but they insisted that the chef continue adding different soups to the roster until they had a minimum of thirty great soups. A different soup of the day for every day of the month.

  For beer they would be more consistent. One IPA would remain on the menu everyday as would the special dwarven ale, which they expected would be their main draw, it was a very very good ale.

  Once the cart was fully loaded, they started off for the pub. Lu had her eyes peeled for Rose. She wanted to surprise her partner, who she never quite felt like she was good enough for. A lowly bard versus a powerful Bibliomancer, at least as a partner in the pub she’d be proving that she wanted to be more than just a bard. That she at least aspired to be worthy of Rose.

  Not that Rose had ever made her feel that way, she had always felt that she wasn’t quite enough, she should work harder, be more successful. Not that she could ever make more money then Rose who just wrote it down and there it was.

  Lu diverted the cart from the lane that they planned to come down, to another at the last minute because she saw Rose sitting in the teahouse with Maz, Groucho and all of their friends. It was fine this lane would take them behind the pub, and might even make unloading easier.

  The pony neighed tiredly when it came to rest at the back door, Lu told Nim to start setting up, she’d unload herself it wasn't a problem. A mini keg under each arm, Lu had them off the cart into the storage closet, in just ten trips. Then she loaded up the ten huge empty barrels and led the pony and cart out of town to the spring that Nim declared was the best tasting water, perfect for brewing her beer. Once five of the barrels had been filled, Lu checked how hard the pony had to strain to pull the load. She decided trips of five each would be safer for the pony.

  Arriving back at the pub even Lu had trouble hefting the barrels down from the cart. Once down she rolled one on its edge, managing to get it inside and more importantly, inside the magical field. The partners are hoping, not counting on, that mundane ingredients inside the magical field would never run out. That’s how it worked in the bakery, so they had really hoped that would be the same here in the pub. If it didn’t work that way, they’d be carting water probably once a week and buying mundane ingredients daily. But even Sparky expected this to work. That's why he recommended Paula buy the place and come up with some way to distribute free or cheap food to those that need it.

  If it works like Sparky and they hope the only cost to running the place would be the two bar maids and cook. Along with labor from Nim and Lu. They’d know tomorrow, dwarven beer is almost magical; it brews so fast. But it’s not magical as dwarves have no magic at all. It brews fast because that has been how the recipe has been optimized.

  Dwarves drink a tremendous amount of the ale, yet hardly ever get drunk. Humans can get quite intoxicated on a large mug or two. Humans will be served a six ounce glass at a time. Only dwarves or gnomes will be allowed mugs of the stuff. The IPA and other beers and ales sold will be just regular strength beer, so if the human customers want mugs they’ll be limited to those.

  Nim is staying the night, to keep an eye on her first brew, we don’t know how fast the already fast brewing dwarven ale will brew inside the magical field. Her cousins, the dwarven construction crew that redid the interior and built all the furniture are staying with her.

  Lu went back for another five huge barrels of water, unloaded them behind the pub, then walked a very tired pony back to where they’d rented her and the cart. Then Lu went home and enjoyed a quiet night with Rose, Ruby, Opal, Maz, Groucho and Draco.

  Lu arrived early the next morning to relieve Nim, but was surprised to find the pub empty. Has something happened? She walked as swiftly as she could to the Burgomasters and Nim’s house. It was still early so she knocked quietly; she had no intention of waking them if they were still asleep.

  The Burgomaster answered thirty seconds later, fully dressed and on his way out.

  “Lu, come right in, Nim just got up and should be down very shortly, help yourself to tea. It's under the cozy, on the table and should be ready in four or five minutes. Sorry I don’t have time to chat. I have an early meeting, but I’ll see you tomorrow night at the opening. Is Rose excited?”

  “It’s a surprise, I’m going to tell her tonight. I think she’ll be happy about it, at least I hope so.”

  “The girl shines when she looks at you or your name is mentioned, I’m sure that she’ll be thrilled for you. Gotta go see you tomorrow.”

  Lu went into the kitchen and waited for Nim to appear, after about five minutes she made a cup of tea and was just starting to sip it when Nim appeared.

  “Lu, I’m sorry we got in late and I overslept, darn Arthur should have woken me.”

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  “Did something go wrong with the brew?”

  “No, just the opposite in fact. The dwarven ale is fast brewing normally it takes two weeks, regular beer takes two months, the first batch I made yesterday was done in two hours, the second and third batches were done equally fast. Finally I put a regular IPA to brewing and came home for some sleep. Let's see how that is doing. I started it in about three hours. It usually brews for about four weeks but if it brews at the same rate as the dwarven ale it’ll be ready in an hour.”

  Lu gulped down her tea and the pair of friends walked down to the pub. When they arrived the first thing Nim did was to check on the IPA, it was ready to be kegged. Lu helped then watched as Nim set a regular ale to brew, noting the time on a clip board along with all the other beers and ales she’d brewed.

  Lu then tasted a shot glass sized dwarven ale.

  “Nim, that is absolutely delicious, it’s even better than the kegs you’ve been bringing to the book club. I’m going to run next door and get Paula, she has to taste this.”

  Lu ran to the back door of the bakery, Paula was bringing some magical bakes out to the store part of the bakery.

  “Paula, have you got five minutes, you can spare to come next door.”

  “Sure, we don’t even open for another thirty minutes, I was just getting a jump on things. Is everything alright?”

  “Yes, come see for yourself.”

  They went over to the pub, Lu drew a shot glass sized dwarven ale for Paula to try.

  “Nim this is even better than the ale you’ve been bringing to the club.”

  “That’s exactly what I said Paula. Nim what about the water and other supplies? Did you refill the water? I see you still have three quarters of the barrel.”

  “No Lu, it started full but no matter how much water i use it never goes below three quarters full. The same thing with the ingredients, we can give away the beer and I assume the soup and we’d only lose money on paying the staff. But we stick to the plan right? We give one free beer and as much soup as a person wants, if they can’t afford it. People who can afford it will pay, anyone who’s nasty to staff or other customers pays double, after the third time they are not allowed back.”

  “Yep that, just how we do it at the bakery, but we don’t ban people. But because we are serving alcohol I think it’s reasonable that we ban troublesome customers after the third offense. We don’t want fights, arguments or any other type of trouble. Only being open during the day will really help with that too, I hope.”

  “Have you told Rose yet, Lu?”

  “No, not yet, I’m going to tell her tonight, so tomorrow night, we have friends visiting, is it still okay to invite them as well?”

  “Sure, we’re all in the same friend’s group, Sparky should come too. It was his idea after all.”

  “I can’t believe everything has worked perfectly so far.”

  Paula said, “Yep just like one of Rose’s plans drama free, the new bar maids seem great and the cook is already up to twenty soups, so if someone ate here every day, it’d be three weeks before they ate the same soup again. I’ll bring plenty of bread over to go with the soup, it’ll make a pretty nice meal. If I worked around here, I’d eat here for lunch. In fact I probably will.”

  Nim asked, “Do you think we should make breakfast soup to go, not at first but maybe start around solstice?”

  “What would you put it in?”

  “Oversized coffee mugs, which we sell at cost to the customer, and they can bring the mug back the next day, buy soup and only pay for the soup.”

  “The sign is still supposed to go up tomorrow?”

  “Yep, “Hot & Cold Magical Soup and Ale”.

  “We’re still having three soups tomorrow night?”

  “Yes, the cook has them all simmering in the bakery, she’ll move over here when there is just one soup to cook, because that’s all that’ll fit in the space we have. And we wouldn’t have that space if it weren’t for your cousin’s Nim, they are geniuses with design and layout.”

  “I have to get back to the bakery. It’s time to open.”

  “I’ll brew a few more batches.”

  “Let me help Nim, at least with the carrying, I want to watch you brew, hopefully once we open I won’t have enough time to watch.”

  “Be my guest Lu, please draw five gallons of water to start the wort.”