"Oh golly jee," sighed Rellena. There was another drunken Half-Orc parading through the bar.

"I see you!" declared the Half-Orc as it pointed its hairy finger down upon Relena.

"I see you too butt breath," replied Rellena.

"Your beer here. It has no…no… it has no..no kick. I am completely sober and I drank like…1….2….3….3…3… a lot of beer. What is up with this place? Huh?"

"Maybe you're in the wrong place. This is the Watered Down Dove. We only serve soft drinks here. Why don't you go next door were the "real" beer is?"

"Wrong…place. Nooooo. This…this is Pale's Bottom right? I know because I saw a sign of a bucket here when…" the Half-Orc paused and looked left to right trying to find the entrance. "I entered." The half-orc paused again, scratching its head and thinking. He then smiled from ear to ear as he spied an unopened beer bottle from the corner of his eye. "Pale's Bottom always has beer," cheered the half-orc, in memory of his most beloved beverage.

'Sigh' this orc won't budge. Guess I will do the budging myself. Again.

"Well, I don't know about you, but I will just be sitting in the corner here sipping away on some Brazen Ale."

The half-orc flicked the beer cap off with his one inch fingernail and downed the drink in 5 seconds flat. He then slammed the empty bottle on the table and took a staggered step towards Relena.

"Did you say more ale? Brazen, fazen, all, ale?"

"Yes, in fact I have enough for you and me. But you must help me get it out of my lute. It… let's just say it's quite stuck in there and I need someone of massive brawn and little brain to pull it out."

The half-orc's eyes drooped. From Rellena's sentences he picked out "lute, brawn and pull out." The half-orc unsheathed his muscles and presented his rock hard mounds.

"Gor, is al-vays ready to help his half-ev friends. Where is this Bra…..beer."

Rellena pulled out her lute from her belt and raised it eye level to Gor.

"Look inside first."

Gor peered into the lute and squinted.

"Gor don't see be.."

Rellena strummed her lute and sang in a magical overtone. "Vous dormez mon enfant."

The half-orc's knees buckled and he fell face first upon the muddy wooden floor. Relena barley had time to sidestep away from the body's chosen path of impact.

"Toren! We have another drunken mound of filth to throw away."

No response from the staff hallway.

"TOREN!"

"I'm com'in, I'm com'in. Keep your strings attached."

Out from the staff hallway, through the kitchen door, came a muscular human. Crew cut brunette hair, large muscular arms and a not-so-white, grease stained apron.

"Street or seat?"

"You better take this one out. It reeks of toilet misery and the end of a bottle," moaned Relena as she pinched her nose. She then slung her lute across her back and went to the broom closet to fetch a mop and bucket.

When she came back, she started mopping up the spilt beer while Toren cleaned tables.

"Any tip?"

"Naw, just some jagged rocks and a spoon."

"Not again!" moaned Relena "Did you alert authorities?"

"Yea. They said that the work force needed a half-orc for a couple of weeks. Here's 3 silver for him." Toren flipped the three coins towards Relena who promptly snatched them in midair and shoved them in one of her numerous pants pockets.

"We really need to charge before we serve. Either that, or raise the reputation of this place," reflected Relena looking across the bar. With the dented, scratched tables, hobbling chairs, grimy floor and sleeping bartender, it wasn't a pretty sight.

"Maybe you can stay after your shift so we can touch the place up?" inquired Toren

"I'm sorry Toren. But I have lessons with Mr. Tyson every night. You know that."

"Oh," whispered Toren, eye's downcast.

Relena pondered a moment while she squeezed the mop into the bucket. "Wait… this Friday through Saturday Mr. Tyson is heading to San for his monthly Bard's Guild meeting. I can be here then."

"That's great!" exclaimed Toren, his eyes brightened.

"You have to pay me extra of course," slyly smiled Relena.

"Of course," replied Toren. He lightly smiled to himself. His eyes glazed over as he wiped down the table.

Author's Note

I am a beginner. An author in the making, and would appreciate greatly a little review. You can like it or dislike it. All feedback is greatly appreciated and will help me understand how to make better stories. (If you have any criticisms at all, please, please tell me so I can fix them now or in later writings)

Thank you.