Tavern

The sun winked as it bid the sky farewell, disappearing under the horizon. The moons, young twins, resplendently rose, gracing the desert with a soft caress. Animals flitted between bushes, popping from the ground before just as quickly skittering away, off to hunt for the night. Insects croaked their melodies, lighting up the silent land with a symphony.

Kosmas stood in front of the tavern, head raised to the night sky. Not even two hours earlier, the three brothers had finished the last touches, ending up with a decent-looking tavern that wouldn't look out of place in a bustling city. Here, in the soft light of the moon, it didn't even bat an eye, imposing just as much as it was inviting.

The interior hadn't really been worked on though. Over a week, Silver had led the three men to quickly construct the exterior, but woefully neglected anything that would go inside. Kosmas almost believed he had forgotten, based on the way the former's cottage looked. He sighed. Their boss really had surprised them.

After that lunch several days back, Silver had done many things to shock and amaze them. He had magically turned the originally stone foundation into a smooth one, with no cracks or indents. That one had really hit Mitch hard since he used to construct houses way back in the day. And the surprises kept coming.

Really, the entire construction was revolutionary, no matter if it was in the frame, or even the smallest nails. Dom had especially been surprised with the basement. While he had expected it to be dark and gloomy, much like every other basement, it was the complete opposite. Clean, with wood walls to cover the stone, it looked warm and inviting when lit by a singular light in the center. In fact, if it wasn't for the total lack of windows, Dom would even forget he was in the cellar at all!

Mitch had been looked the surprised out of their group. Even when they built the second, and then even the third floor, he was able to keep his composure. Though when Kosmas had asked, he had replied differently, saying "Hell yeah I'm surprised! I've been surprised so much I don't even know what it feels like to feel normal. " Kosmas had then understood.

He sighed again, before shaking his head. Their boss really was unfathomable. Silver had tried to break the ice, and for the most part, they acted comfortable around him, a lingering feeling of crisis lay in the back of Kosmas' head. For as much as they all laughed together, ate together, and teased each other back and forth, nobody forgot who was in charge. Gerhard's end still hung over them.

"What are you doing moping about K! Get up here, we're about to choose rooms!" A faint voice was heard from inside. Kosmas started. "I'm coming, don't you dare get started without me!" He entered the tavern.

The entrance of the tavern was pretty simple. As you entered, the bar sat on your left, spanning the length of the wall. In the back right corner was a placeholder for a stage, slightly elevated for performances. Then, scattered about would be tables and chairs. Behind the bar was a door that led to a room. This was Kosmas' personal workroom, for resting, experimenting with new drinks (According to Silver), and cooking the various dishes the tavern offered. It had a set of stairs leading to the cellar. The cellar was where the drinks and food would be kept, the extra stock as it were.

Directly at the front when you walked in was a grand set of stairs leading to the second floor. This floor was where guests would rest. The third floor was accessed from the second, and would be where the three brothers lived temporarily. This floor had a hallway with four doors, each leading to a room. These rooms were the only part of the tavern fully furnished, save for the second floor, but the brothers didn't know that.

Kosmas sprinted up the stairs, panting as he made it to the top. Dom and Mitch were standing up at the end, waiting for him with their arms crossed. "Took you long enough," Dom said. "Yeah, we've already chosen our rooms."

"Oh come on! I couldn't have got here faster!" Mitch shrugged. "You snooze you lose. Not to mention, Boss already gave you your own little workroom so it's only fair we get first pick." Kosmas sighed in defeat. "What rooms are left then?"

Dom grinned. "The back ones of course! It's already enough work climbing up two sets of stairs, who would want to walk to back on top of that after we finish Boss's tasks?"

It should be mentioned here that these weren't your normal flights of stairs. With the way the tavern was built, the first two floors had tall, open spaces, the ceilings far higher than a normal tavern would. This in turn led to the stairs being longer, almost one and a half times the normal length.

Mitch patted Kosmas on the shoulder. "It's not that bad, Old K. Exercise is good for you." "Yeah K, exercise is good for you!" Kosmas grunted. Clearly, the other two weren't going to budge. He eventually set his boots in front of the back left door, marking his spot. "Say, has the Boss mentioned to you two what jobs you;ll be doing?"

Silence. Kosmas, hand on his door, stopped turning the knob. He glanced backward.

Worry was painted all over their faces. They looked at each other, then at Kosmas. "We…" Mitch faltered. "We haven't heard anything from Boss about that just yet." He exhaled. "Actually, he never called us in for a talk like he did with you. We were wondering if he had said something to you."

Kosmas frowned. 'What does this mean,' he thought. 'Could Boss not have plans for them?' He shook his head. That wasn't possible. He didn't notice when, but at some point, he had begun to trust Silver. After all, it had been a bit, and besides being overly powerful he had been nothing but kind to the three. He cooked with them, laughed with them, and worked with them. 'But then why hasn't he said anything to them? What could he be thinking?'

Slow but steady footsteps resounded in the silence. Shortly after, Silver appeared at the third floor. He wore his white lab coat as usual, its ends swooshing through the air with every step. "Are the rooms acceptable for now? They're pretty empty right now, but I was thinking you could decorate them over time.

"No, they're great!" Mitch offered. "We were just talking about who got which room."

Silver smiled. "Ah, that's good then. I was only coming up to check on you three, and to say that dinner was ready at the bar. After dinner the three of you are free to rest for the night. Get used to the new rooms, play around do whatever! I will be working on something in my cottage, so unless it's urgent, I won't be available." With that, Silver turned around with a small wave, descending back to the ground.

Mitch, Dom, and Kosmas all shared a glance. "Well, let's go see what's for dinner." Dom sniffed. "It smells pretty good. I'll catch you down there!" He bolted down, saliva dripping from his mouth.

Mitch looked at Kosmas, who shrugged. "Well the food is good," Mitch admitted. He too sprinted down, albeit much more carefully than Dom. Kosmas glanced back at his door before following.

—

Dinner tonight was much better than normal, perhaps because it was the first night of the tavern being finished. Compared to the normal squirrel stew, Kosmas, Mitch, and Dom were greeted by elegantly grilled meat. It looked great, and smelled even better, but none of the brothers knew from what it was. Taht didn't stop any of them, however. Dom had already several pieces by the time Kosmas made it down.

"Oi! Kosmas you have a letter from Boss!" Mitch yelled at Kosmas, pieces of chewed meat flung from his mouth. "From Boss?" Kosmas questioned. "Couldn't he have ust told me?"

Dom swallowed a piece and reached for another one, before taking a bite and responding. "He said he forgot, and that he couldn't wait any longer. He had to get back to whatever he was doing."

"I see." Kosmas approached the bar and picked up the letter, unfurling it.

"Hey, from now on you will be relieved of any other duties besides the tavern. Your new task is to man the bar whenever you're free. Make sure to also periodically wipe down the tables and chairs once they are brought in, and change the bedding on the second floor. The floor should also be swept if no one is present. Overall, just keep the tavern in good shape. I'm counting on you."

"Ah." Kosmas blanked out.

"Ah?" Mitch questioned. "What did the note say? What did Boss want from you?"

Dom put another piece of meat in his mouth, tearing this one violently as he payed no attention.

"Oh uhh…" Kosmas frowned. "Boss just says from now on I will be taking care of the tavern. I don't have to help with anything else. Oh, and he's counting on me." He folded the note back up before tossing it on the bar. He grabbed a piece of meat and shoved it in his mouth, pushing Dom out of the way.

Mitch grabbed the note and read it, before also folding it and tossing it on the bar. "Speaking of Boss," he said, "What do you think he's doing? This is the first time he's missed dinner, and he's holed himself up in that cottage for the whole night?"

"No clue," Kosmas shrugged. "He has mentioned research or something before" He grabbed another chunk of meat and tore it in half.

—

As the three brothers ate the meat, Silver could be found in the cottage, murmuring. Then, with a blink and a ping, he vanished. "Goodness, I have so much work to do."