Welcome to my new story, Tavern.
Characters will not be entirely revealed until chapter two, but leave your guesses if you'd like.
The tavern keeper sighed as he shut the storage compartment, no lemons in sight. He turned his gaze to the back door, realizing he could go pick more after his final customer of the night, Grey, who was sitting at the end of the bar with his head down, had left.
"Grey, pack it up, you've had enough for tonight," he spoke sharply
The man at the end of the bar lifted his head with a groan, "fine." He stood up on shaky legs, walking out the front door as the tavern keeper came around the counter, shutting and locking it behind him.
Turning back to the back door, he made his way out to his lemon tree. The perk of being a tavern keeper was being able to grow fruit right outside his door.
He came to a halt at the tree, noticing some of his lemons were missing before hearing a rustling nearby.
A shadow on the ground gave away his opponent.
"I can see you," his voice turned gentle.
A squeal of fear proved him correct.
"The moonlight gives you away, you know. If you want to steal and hide you have to be aware of your surroundings," he rolled his eyes.
"Leave me alone!" A girl cried, hidden in the bushes, "I just needed something to eat."
His heart turned soft at hearing how young she sounded, "why didn't you come inside and ask, I would have given you something. We have some leftovers in the ice trough. It'd be more filling than a couple of lemons."
With a sniff, the girl emerged from the bush, her eyes wide with fear at the possibility of this man turning on her, her voice filled with disbelief at his offer, "really?"
She looked far smaller than he expected, and he was overwhelmed by a sense of protectiveness.
With a nod, he turned away from her and toward the tavern door once more, "are you coming?"
He didn't have to turn around to know she was as the door creaked open.