Chapter 13
(Hazy IPA)
“Are you sure?” Flora started to giggle. “It smelled so good in there… like nothing I’d smelled before… I almost hate to open it. But, I am really curious to see if it tastes as good as it smells.”“Enough time has passed,” I replied. “But we’ll keep it to just us four. We wouldn’t want to ruin the surprise for the festival.”
“And we can finish the brandy,” Babble hiccupped. “I already won the checkers match, so it’s all ours.”
“You already won?” I asked. “That didn’t take long. What were you planning to do if they didn’t leave the bar? Challenge them to another game?”
“Why not?” he said and then staggered backwards a few steps. “I’m a gnome. I’m good at shames. No, that’s not right… games. And shames. Shame on them, I won!”
He balled his fist in the air, and the girls and I broke into laughter.
“Well done, Babble!” Flora said, and she bent down and gave him a kiss on the cheek.
The gnome’s face turned bright pink before he shook his head and waved his hands toward the bar.
“Go on, someone fetch the rest of the bottle,” he hiccupped. “And a few candles. We’ll have a stable lock-in!”
“I’ll tell the staff behind the bar that I’ll be gone for a little bit,” Hildegard said, and the girls rushed into the inn to make plans for our private party.
“I can’t believe it,” I laughed. “They really paid up, too?”
“Of course not,” he said as he stumbled around. “They’re dwarves, after all. We’ll have to collect the silver in three weeks. And they won’t be happy, but I know you’ll make them pay up. But you think I’m a good boss, right? I’m a great boss. I’m a wonderful gnome! Do you think I’m the best gnome in town?”
“I think you’re the greatest gnome in town!” I laughed. I wanted to pick him up and swing him around, but I knew that would probably make him puke all over me, so I held back.
But still. In my short time here, I’d managed to assemble the best team a guy could ask for. My brewing was moving along nicely, my enemies had been foiled, and the townspeople were on my side.
What more could the newest guy in Hagop ask for?
The girls came back almost as soon as they’d disappeared. Flora was holding the half-full bottle of pumpkin brandy, and Hildegard had a golden candelabra with six candles. The wicks were already lit, and the flames swayed slightly as she moved. It didn’t seem like the safest thing in the world to take six lit candles into a barn filled with hay and a tub of beer, but what the hell. We needed to celebrate, and this was the perfect place.
The barn doors were still open, so we slipped inside and closed the door behind us. The smells of beer and hay wrapped around us, and the candlelight turned the spooky shadows into a welcoming warmth.
“I have glasses, too,” Hildegard said, and she produced a few beer glasses from the deep pocket of her dress.
Until that moment, I didn’t even know that her dress had pockets, and now that I did, I was impressed with how large they were. But it made sense that the best bar owner in town wore practical clothing, and I nodded as I sat down on a bale of hay.
“Should I lock it again?” Flora asked and pointed toward the padlock.
“Yeah,” I answered. “It seems like the safest bet. I don’t want anyone stumbling in here before I’m ready to share this with everyone. I’m glad we stopped Cassian from carrying out his plan, but I have a feeling we’re going to have a lot more attention on us after all that fuss.”
“That’s an understatement,” Hildegard laughed as she placed the candelabra on the floor.
I’d never seen her smile so much during my time in Hagop, but she seemed pretty entertained by the whole thing. Maybe it would even get me one step closer to calling her Hilly.
“The dwarves took a real beating tonight,” Flora said as she tried her best not to smile. “Not that I want to see anyone suffer… but you know… they deserved it…”
“You were prepared to kill them earlier, Flora,” Babble laughed as he pointed at her. “We gave you a pitchfork!”
The baker’s cheeks flooded pink, and Hildegard raised an eyebrow.
“I’d prefer to keep the killing to a minimum on my property,” she said. “But they are pretty damn annoying, I think we can all agree on that.”
“Hear, hear!” Babble said, and he held up his fist in imaginary cheers.
“So how do we go about this?” Flora asked.
“I think I’ll just pull it from the tub for now,” I said. “If I like what I taste, then I can move on to getting it in the barrels next.”
I took the glasses from Hildegard and walked over to the tub full of beer. Since it was an ale, the yeast was on the bottom of the tank rather than floating on top like a lager. It smelled way better than the brewery back in Portland, and a million times better than anything I’d tasted in Hagop. But I didn’t want to get ahead of myself. I still had to taste it, because at the end of the day, that was the only thing that mattered.
“Here goes,” I said and dipped the first glass in the brew. “We’ll filter it as we transfer it to the barrels, so it may have some bits in it, but the taste will be there.”
I handed that one to Hildegard, then filled the next one for Flora, one for Babble, and finally, one for myself. When I turned around to look at my friends, I could tell that they were all about to burst with excitement.
“This is it, guys,” I said. “This is the moment that we’ve been waiting for.”
“It’s going to be incredible, Tyler,” Flora said as she sniffed the glass. “I’d swear this smells better than the bakery in the morning.”
“I just hope it tastes as good as it smells,” I laughed. “And if it’s bad, well, tell me.”
“Nonsense,” the baker woman assured me. “You believed in my talent when I didn’t. So now I’m telling you. You’ve worked harder than any brewer, human or dwarf, and even elf, for the short time I’ve known you. I believe in you.”
I felt a rush of warmth as a grin stretched across my face. I really had worked hard, and I hoped to Hagop that it would pay off.
“Thanks,” I said, and I felt a tugging at my pants.
“You’re the king, Tyler!” Babble declared. “The King of brewing! To Tyler!”
“To Tyler!” the girls repeated, and they held their brews in the air.
“Well, take the first sip,” Hildegard urged. “We won’t drink until you do.”
I closed my eyes and drank in the aroma of orange and flower, with just a hint of something earthy and herby. It made me want to smile, which I did, and then I finally lifted the glass to my lips and took my first sip.
God in Heaven, it was even better than I imagined.
It was a perfect summer day in a glass, and it made me want to sit back, relax, and soak in the sunshine while the rest of the world slowly went about its business.
The flavors were in perfect proportion, and I got hints of citrus, geranium, and the warming undertones of tarragon and rosemary as I knocked a few more sips back. But even though I’d spiced it well, none of it overrode the slightly bitter, hoppy taste. I didn’t have a way to measure precisely, but from experience I could say it was around six percent alcohol by volume, which was, in my opinion, the sweet spot for a hazy IPA. It was just a delicious, engaging beer that tasted nothing like the trash they had in Hagop.
In fact, it was nothing like the brews back in Portland, either. I could taste just how fresh all the ingredients had been, and that was the perfect ode to this amazing place I’d found myself in.
In short, it just was a fucking amazing beer. King’s brew was an understatement. More like a god’s brew.
But I still didn’t want to get big-headed.
So I opened my eyes and looked at my friends while I waited for their verdicts.
“Tyler,” Hildegard murmured, and her big blue eyes glowed at me. “This is… this is unlike anything I’ve ever tasted before.”
“You’re a beer genius, Tyler!” Flora laughed. “Tyler, this is better than the elf wine… even better than the brandy… nobody here has ever tasted anything like it!”
“But will it win?” I asked. “What if it’s so unfamiliar that the dwarves hate it? Maybe they won’t appreciate--”
“Shut up!” Hildegard added. “Tyler, this is brilliant. You’re brilliant. Even the dwarves won’t be able to deny how good it tastes… I promise. Listen to us. This is the best beer that’s ever appeared in Hagop, and that’s a fact.”
I felt my chest swell with pride, and my face warmed up from the effects of the alcohol. I had doubts like any creator, but this stuff was undeniably good, just like Hildegard said.
“This is gold,” Babble burped. “You’ve made magic, Tyler! Magic brew… magic gold… silver in tenfold…”
He guzzled the rest of his beer before setting the empty glass on a bale of hay and then falling to the ground.
“Well, he’s out,” I said and shook my head. “How are you two feeling?”
“Glowing!” Flora declared and then giggled.
My, it was a beautiful setting. Two gorgeous girls in the most idyllic city I’d ever been to in my life, and we were just kicking back in the candlelight and drinking the best beer in town.
And I had just happened to make it. My lifelong dream had come true.
“I’m not out,” a small voice came up from the hay, and I looked down to find Babble waving his arms in the air. “In fact, I have a proposition for you.”
He sounded unusually lucid for how drunk he was, and I was surprised when the gnome got to his feet and brushed the hay from his pants.
“A proposition,” I said as I took another delicious sip. “Sounds like something I’ve heard before. From a whole lot of people around here. And I thought you were blind drunk.”
“I pick my moments,” he shrugged as he tried to keep his balance. “You can forget most of the things that I say when the morning comes… other than that this beer is good, and my proposition. But I have an idea!”
“What’s the idea?” Flora giggled at the stumbling gnome.
“Well… since I’m your employer, and I’ve had a good-sized part to play in your production of this golden beer…” he said and then paused for a moment to collect his thoughts. “I’d like to distribute your product to the gnome community as a sole seller. They’re cynical fellows, but I think with my help, we can get them on our side!”
“He’s right,” Hildegard shrugged. “Most of them rarely leave the gnome city, and they almost never buy anything made by anyone other than a gnome unless there’s a gnome selling it.”
“And it’ll help me win favor again,” the gnome added before dropping down on the ground and making snow-angels in the hay.
I’d always wondered why the humans and the other creatures that made Hagop home seemed to be more friendly to him than the gnomes in the gnome city, and maybe this was my clue as to why. Maybe he’d fallen out of favor with his people.
“What do you mean back in favor?” I asked
“Golden beer, silver beer, silver for me and for you and all of us,” he giggled as he waved his hands in the air.
I shook my head as he threw handfuls of straw in the air, but I wasn’t going to press the gnome. I could tell when he wasn’t going to talk, and this was one of those moments. I sighed, took another sip of my beer, and pondered his offer.
It was true that I wouldn’t have been able to make my brew without his help, and if I wanted to make sure that the beer was carried everywhere in Hagop, then it sounded like I’d need an inside man with the gnomes. And really, I only knew the one gnome.
“You can sell to the gnomes,” I said. “I agree with your proposition.”
He opened one eye, and I could see that he understood me. But he laid his head back down on the hay and started to conduct an imaginary orchestra.
“Thank yoooooouuu,” he sang.
I laughed and turned back to the girls. I didn’t want to talk anymore today about serious matters like grudges or foes. I just wanted to enjoy the golden goodness that I’d made with the help of my friends.
“So, honest opinions, how do you think this will do in the competition?” Flora asked as she took another sip. “Gosh, it’s so good that I have to slow myself down…”
“I think it will win without a doubt,” Hildegard said. “It’s just so tasty. It’s by far the best beer I’ve ever tasted in my time here in Hagop, and as you can imagine, I’ve tasted a lot of beer.”
“Yes, I imagine so,” I said with a smile.
Hildegard tilted her head back and drank the rest of the beer without a shred of shame before looking back at us.
“But I have to go,” she said with a frown, and she brushed the hay off of her dress. “This beer is incredible, Tyler, and I’d love to continue the party, but I have to attend to my inn. It makes me anxious when I leave for too long.”
Flora and I shrugged at each other as Hildegard made her way over to the door and looked back at us.
“We’ll see you soon, Hildegard,” Flora smiled.
“Thank you,” the innkeeper replied as she opened the padlock. “Enjoy yourselves.”
When the stable door shut, I walked over to the door and locked us in again so that nobody could intervene. I heard Babble start snoring a moment later, and Flora burst into a fit of giggles as she listened to him.
“This is very good, Tyler,” she murmured as she leaned against me.
I realized that it was the first time the baker and I had been alone. Or at least, half alone. Babble was snoring soundly enough to let us know that he wasn’t physically present at all.
“Thank you,” I smiled. “Want to try some of the brandy? I haven’t even had a sip yet. Babble was the only one playing checkers back there.”
“Well, he really put up a good fight,” she laughed. “But I’m sure that he enjoyed it.”
“Yes,” I laughed. “I’m sure that he did.”
I uncorked the bottle of brandy and filled our glasses with a measured amount of the stuff. I’d always preferred beer to liquor, but I still felt like a little bit of a tourist in Hagop, so I was willing to try a bit.
“What should we drink to?” Flora said as she lifted her glass. “We could say cheers to your beer again, but it would be bad luck to drink to the same thing twice… that’s a Hagop custom.”
“Of course,” I shrugged. “Umm… how about to our success at the festival?”
“Perfect,” she smiled, and her blue eyes glittered in the candlelight.
We clinked our glasses together, and I took a small sip. The stuff burned my throat like fire, but I had to admit that the taste wasn’t half bad. It was spiced with cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, and ginger, along with the hint of pumpkin. After a second sip, I decided it was a more refined version of the pumpkin spiced latte that was so popular back home at this time of year.
“Delicious,” Flora said, and she sat back down on her bale of hay.
“Mmmm,” I replied as I sat down as well. “Not bad at all.”
I was starting to feel my shoulders soften as the alcohol did its job. I hadn’t had much to drink, but this stuff was like drinking pumpkin-spiced rocket fuel.
“Tell me about the land of Port,” Flora said. “I’ve never left Hagop. Is it anything like the West Country?”
“Well, I’ve never been to the West Country,” I admitted. “So I don’t know what it’s like at all. But it’s very different from here, umm…”
I didn’t even know how to compare Portland and Hagop. They were literally worlds apart, and every beautiful day that I spent in Hagop, I felt my old self from Portland slip away.
“What are the days like there?” she asked. “What do you do?”
“Well, it’s a lot rainier than Hagop,” I said. “So the skies are gray most of the time.”
“Oh, so do you all stay inside?” Flora asked as she took another sip. “That sounds very different.”
“No, we don’t stay inside,” I laughed.
“Were you a brewer in Portland, too?” she asked. “Because it seems like you have a lot of practice.”
“Well, no, only as a hobby,” I said. “As I said, I wanted to. But the market is pretty oversaturated… I used to make my own brews by myself, but it was more difficult to set up a business.”
“That’s pretty hard,” Flora nodded. “Lucky for me, there are only two good bakeries in Hagop, so when I told my parents that I wanted to get into the business, they did everything they could to make sure I had a position at the best one.”
“I love Hagop,” I said. “It’s been the ideal place to make all of my dreams come true. And I’ve met the best friends along the way. I mean you and Babble have shown me how to get around and find what I need. And Hildegard’s been there as well.”
“You’re too kind,” the blonde giggled. “Everyone in Hagop is friendly, but you just seem to have something… different from the other guys.”
“Yeah," I chuckled. “My height.”
“Well, there is that,” she agreed and then winked. “But… you just seem more… confident.”
“I do feel more confident in Hagop,” I mused. “And not because I’m taller than everyone else. I just feel like my talents are actually useful here.”
She nodded and then looked around the barn. She opened her mouth like she was going to say something, but then she giggled and glanced shyly at the steps that led to my room.
“So, do you sleep down here, or is there more to this place?” she asked.
I couldn’t quite tell if she really wanted a tour or if she was interested to see my bedroom for… other reasons. But I thought it would be only polite to get us away from Babble, who was snoring loudly from his spot on the hay.
I mean, that’s what I told myself at least.
“I can show you where I sleep, if you’d like,” I offered as I picked up the candelabra. “It’s not much, but it’s home for now.”
“I’d like that,” she said as she stood up.
I led her up the creaky stairs, but despite all the noise we made, I noticed that Babble never moved. I turned around to grin at Flora and pointed at the gnome. I heard her giggle when she looked down, and then her cheeks flushed when she looked up and saw the door to the attic.
“I haven’t had time to decorate,” I said as I opened the door.
Flora looked around and bit her lip as she took in the bed and small table that I’d added. She smiled shyly and then sat down on the edge of the mattress.
“I like your room,” she said. “You don’t mess around with unnecessary decor or trinkets.”
“Well, I’ve only been here a few weeks,” I told her. “Maybe in the future I’ll have a few more trinkets to litter my room with. I could’ve gotten a better room in Hildegard’s place, but I decided to spend all of my money on spices for my beer instead. You must think I’m crazy.”
“Ha!” Flora laughed. “You’re talking to the wrong girl if you think I’d call you crazy. You saw how insane I was about my buns, didn’t you?”
“I sure did,” I said with a grin. “Looks like we’re just two artisans who are obsessed with our craft.”
“Well, good for us,” she giggled, and her blue eyes glowed with appreciation.
I could start to feel the air grow thick with expectation, and I struggled to think of something to say. But in my experience, all that meant was that it was time to act instead.
So, time to act.
I leaned over and tipped the blonde’s chin up with my hand. I could practically feel her heart start to beat at a thousand miles per hour, and she gasped as my fingers brushed her skin.
“Ssh,” I said, and I leaned in and planted a kiss on her soft, plump mouth.
I had never been that confident in my life before, and I was almost kind of impressed with myself. But I could feel her small, soft hands work their way into my hair, and she pulled me in closer as she danced her tongue against mine.
“Tyler,” she murmured happily to herself when she pulled back to catch her breath.
I wrapped my arms around her waist and pulled her in closer. Everything about her body was perfect, and I felt myself melting inside like I had a gooey center I’d never even known about. Her small body was soft and curvaceous, and I wanted nothing more than to grip her tiny waist in my large hands while I planted kisses along her neck. As she gasped into my ear again, I started to pull her in closer and murmur in her ear.
“I can’t stop thinking about you,” I confessed and then licked her earlobe and kissed all the way down her neck to her collarbone.
“Me, neither,” she whispered, and she grabbed my head in her hands and pulled me back to her lips.
I could start to feel my body lift off of the mattress as I ran my hands over every curve. She was so gorgeous, so perfect, and this was all I’d wanted since I’d met her. I wasn’t sure what the local customs were when it came to unmarried sex, but the smile she gave me quickly banished any worries I had.
“I’ve never met anyone like you,” she murmured as she climbed on top of my lap.
The feeling of her weight on me made my cock grow hard in my pants, and I grinned happily as she looked down at the bulge.
“I’ve never met a girl like you, either,” I said calmly, but I was practically high from how hot it all was.
She was one of the hottest girls I’d ever met in my life, and I’d never be able to land a ten like this back home. She pulled me in closer, and we started to kiss and bite at each other until I could barely take it anymore. I took her breast in my hand before I trailed my grip up to the top of her sleeve and then started to move it down.
“Mmmm,” she murmured. “Oh, yes please.”
Her large, round breasts fell out of her dress, and I saw her nipples were almost as perfectly pink as her dress. I licked her neck and started to suck at her nipple as she gasped.
“Wait,” she murmured as she reached behind her back. “I just have to--”
“I’ve got it,” I said as I reached behind her and pulled the ties of her dress loose.
She stood up slowly and let the dress fall to the floor. Her soft, freckled skin glowed in the candlelight, and her perfect body looked like something out of painting. She did a quick twirl and then glanced shyly at me.
“Well?” she whispered. “What do you think?”
“I think you’re perfect,” I said as I reached for her.
She giggled as I pulled her in closer, and she groaned as I ran a hand through her silky soft hair. I traced my fingers over her breasts and rubbed the nipples until they were standing at attention.
“You feel like an angel,” I said, and she giggled into my ear in that way that made me feel like I was on fire.
“You’re so sweet,” she said. “I want you so much…”
“Good,” I said, and in one fell swoop, I flipped her over onto her back and clambered onto the mattress.
I drank in the sight of her voluptuous body as she looked up at me, and then she grinned as she ran her finger down her chest to her clit.
“You’re beautiful,” I murmured, and she pulled me down and kissed me again.
I could feel my entire body almost burst into flames as she traced her hands down my chest and started to unbutton my pants. I was so hard for her that I thought I’d burst, and then she started to fondle me through the velvet. I gasped as waves of energy surged through me, and I growled as she bit my lower lip.
“Fuck,” I said as she started to unbutton my pants.
I quickly sat up and pulled my top off while she worked on freeing my rod. I cast my shirt across the room without even bothering to check where it went, because right then I didn’t give a single fuck about anything other than the beautiful woman who was right in front of me.
“Ummm,” she murmured as she tugged at my waistband.
I sat up long enough to pull off my pants and boxers, which I also tossed aside. I heard her gasp when she saw my erection spring free, but when I looked at her, I could see excitement in her eyes.
“That’s so impressive,” she murmured.
“Just wait,” I replied as I climbed on top of her.
I felt like I’d been hit by a bolt of lightning as our skin touched, and my stomach was so tight that I wasn’t sure how long I could hang on. But I started to kiss her lips again, and I slowly worked my way down to her belly button. By the time I reached her pussy, she was already glistening from her juices.
“That’s what I like to see,” I growled, and then I lowered myself down and started to kiss at her wet folds as she writhed underneath me.
“Ohhhhh,” she moaned. “You are using your mouth? Ohh… ohhh… Oh, please, don’t stop. By the gods, that feels so good.”
“I won’t,” I promised and then buried my face in her sweet juices again.
She tasted amazing, and every lick sent another wave of pressure through me. My erection was rock hard, but I wasn’t ready just yet.
I dragged my tongue up and down her slit and started to massage circles around her clit. When she started to shudder, I grabbed her soft ass cheeks and pressed my face down deeper into her. As I sucked on her folds, she started to moan and shake underneath me, and I quickened my pace until her knees wrapped around my head, and she tensed her whole body.
“Oh, Tyler…” she moaned. “What.. what is this…”
As she came in my mouth, I lapped up her juices and smiled to myself. Obviously, she’d never had an orgasm before, and when I lifted my head, her entire body had blushed pink.
“Flora,” I murmured, and she looked down at my cock and bit her lip.
“I’ve never been with a man before,” she whispered. “But you’re the man I want to be with.”
“Good,” I murmured as I laid over her. “Because I want to be with you, too.”
As I leaned over her, I started to rub my member against her soft, wet pussy, and she cocked her head back in pleasure.
“Ohhh...” she whined. “Yes, yes… Keep doing that.”
Fuck. She was so wet for me, and I couldn’t get enough of it.
I continued to drag my cock over her wet pussy until I couldn’t take it anymore. I was coiled so tightly that my abs felt like they were going to snap, and my rod was so taut that it was like a steel blade. I groaned from the pressure, and then I buried myself into her warm, tight hole.
“Ohhhh, myyyyy,” she gasped as I filled her.
“Does that feel good?” I asked as I started to press into her slippery tunnel.
“Yes, yes,” she moaned. “Oh… oh, Tyler.”
I slid in and out slowly, just to get her used to the motion, and then I started to pound in deeper and deeper. She was so tight and warm that I felt like I was getting high just from how our bodies molded to each other. I’d never had sex this good before. But hell, everything in Hagop was way better than what I was used to.
“Oh, deeper, deeper,” she begged as she wrapped her legs around me. “You are so big and hard inside of me.”
Her hands found the back of my head, and she held on as I pumped harder and harder. She was practically growling as I bit into her neck, and then her whole body started to vibrate.
My own body started to vibrate as well, and it was like we were two guitar strings that were being plucked at the same time. Our bodies were practically melded together, and the only thing between us was a thin layer of sweat.
“Tyler,” she moaned as she arched her back.
“I want to cum with you,” I said as I pulled back slightly. “I’m going to come with you, Flora. I’m going to fill you up with my cum.”
“Oh, yes,” she begged. “That… that sounds perfect!”
I started to drive into her again, and I could feel the coil in my chest start to tie itself into a knot. It wouldn’t be long now, and I drove even deeper until I felt her clench so tightly that I couldn’t pull back.
I felt the sweet release as I pressed everything I had into her body. I buried my face into her neck as the shockwaves of pleasure rolled down my spine, and the tight knot started to unwind with every thrust.
My seed filled her velvet tunnel, and there was so much that it felt like I might have been able to fill a pint glass. It mingled with her own sweet juices, and the sweet, salty smell of sex filled the room as we both came down.
“Ohhhhh,” she moaned when she could finally move again.
The tension slowly left her body, and I could finally pull back enough that she flopped onto the mattress. She looked so content that all I could do was smile at her and then place a kiss on her cheek.
“That was amazing,” she murmured. “We really must do that again… and again… and again...”
I chuckled as I rolled onto my back and stared at the ceiling. I couldn’t believe how good that had been, but I don’t know why I was surprised. Like everything in Hagop, it was perfect.
“Wow,” I said. Nothing else really came to mind. That sex had been so mind-blowing that it had rendered me speechless.
“I’ve never felt like this before in my life,” she said and then bit her lip.
“I aim to please,” I chuckled.
And then I yawned. The day’s activities were starting to catch up to me, and the beer and brandy I’d had didn’t help. I was suddenly tired as hell, but it was a good kind of tired. I’d worked hard, defeated my enemy, and won the girl, which sounded like the perfect day to me.
“May I… stay?” Flora whispered.
“I wouldn’t have it any other way,” I replied as I snuggled against her.
“We really should blow out the candles,” she giggled. “We don’t want the barn to catch fire while we’re sleeping.”
I watched as Flora sat up just enough to blow out each candle on the candelabra and the barn sank into darkness. I wrapped my arm around her and pulled her into my chest as we fell asleep next to each other for what felt like an eternity.
“Oh, dear Hagop, and bats in hats!” I heard, and my eyes flew open.
The barn was drenched in sunlight, so it took me a moment to see anything besides the blinding light. When my vision cleared, I saw Babble struggling to run down the steps as quickly as he could.
“Oh, no,” I murmured, and Flora turned around and started to smile in her sleep.
“Hmmmm,” she murmured to herself. “Is it… oh, my goodness, what time is it?”
She sat up and rolled out of bed completely naked. Luckily, the tiny gnome had disappeared, so she didn’t have an audience as she grabbed her clothes and started to get dressed.
“I have to go, Tyler,” she murmured. “I must be hours late!”
I heard her footsteps on the stairs, and then I heard the barn door slam shut behind her. A moment later, I saw the tiny gnome’s red hat appear on the stairs.
“Morning, boss,” I said as I sat up in bed and rubbed my eyes. “What’s the plan toda--”
“Just get dressed,” he murmured. “The official elf is coming to take registries for the beer festival, and he’s making his way to the barn. I’m going to get some tea. I think I’ve seen enough already…”
I laughed to myself and started to pull on my clothes. I could hear the sound of a donkey outside, and I decided to deal with Babble after I got down to business with the official elf of the festival.
Yep. Just another successful day in Hagop.