A continuation...

Here's the following part to the story about pirates:



Miere and Arla were assigned to Henny’s care. She became an important, if slightly distant, mother figure. She taught them the inn’s layout and the fastest route from this table to so-and-so destination and from that table to the current one. They were forced to balance many plates of food at once, moving through the crowd, fearful that their precarious stack of kitchenware would topple, and grace them with fine porcelain rain. Even though there were breakages, Miere and Arla soon learnt the principle of restaurant gravity and adapted to the situation. Soon they were passing dishes between tables like a pair of acrobats.
They proved to be popular. After all, they were girls of teenage age, at the peak of growth and enthusiasm, full of confident chatter. Not to mention that the way they wore their tousled hair in a bun and the taut, sinewy legs under the short waitresses’ dresses added to their appeal. It was a typical restaurant trick—pretty servers.
Not to say that they were vapid beings. Both girls possessed a good degree of education and intelligence, and they picked up the local slang quickly. They loved engaging in challenging banter with some of the more erudite customers, often tossing in a wink or smile for added effect. For the simpler roughneck drinkers, a wink and smile was often enough.
Henny also often purchased books, which the girls devoured with fervent ardour, even if some were cookbooks. From the solid lady herself they learnt finer craft such as stitching and embroidering.
There were of course the unwelcome attentions of male patrons foisted on Miere and Arla, but a sharp word was often enough to silence them. Sometimes Seth would intervene and insert an effective threat when things got bad.
However they were never allowed to go to the kitchen.


Yes I know it's a bit weird, but then what can you expect from me?