"H-how is it?" Zelda asked, clutching her broom tightly. Prima, who was on the ground inspecting under the beds of the upstairs guest area, pushed herself to her feet. After a pause, the innkeeper grinned at her employee.
"I don't have any complaints," she said. "Nice work, Zelda. You got it right on your first try."
Zelda couldn't believe her pointed ears.
"Really?" she asked as she watched Prima inspect the rest of the room. "You're sure there's nothing I need to sweep or wipe down again?"
"Nope," Prima said with a hand on her hip as she used her free one to drag a finger across the surface of a dresser against the wall. She raised her finger to eye level before rubbing it and her thumb together. "Everything's perfect."
Still unable to process what she was being told, she looked around the room before a smile slowly appeared on her face. She looked back at Prima with sparkles in her eyes.
"I did it… I did it!" she cheered happily, causing the innkeeper to chuckle.
"Yes, yes, you did," she laughed. "Come on now, Zelda, is learning to clean properly something to be that happy about?"
"It is!" Zelda exclaimed. "After constantly being told I failed at the single task given to me… I was finally able to properly do a task without being given any pity! And it's a challenging one at that! I can't imagine what it was like to be a servant in the castle… Right now I… I feel as though I could do anything!"
"I… I feel like there's a lot to unpack there, but I'll just let you have this," Prima said quietly with an awkward smile as Zelda eyed her cleaning job with pride.
"That's a good feeling to have, girlie," a raspy voice said. Both women turned to look at one of the beds, where the older traveler from the day prior sat in a chair next to it holding a mug full of beer. "That's the same happiness I got when I saddled a horse for the first time. Your love for cleaning must be the same as mine for my horsies."
"No, no, I don't think it is…" Prima replied as Zelda shook her head in disagreement with the man's words. "You just continue drinking, Joute."
"Gladly." With reddened cheeks, the man did as instructed and took another swig from his mug. With a loud sigh, Joute rested his head back against the wall and closed his eyes. "You always make some amazing ale, Prima… It really does make the Ton Pu Inn the best…"
"Thanks, Joute. That means a lot coming from you," Prima said as she began walking away. "Don't drink too much, you hear?"
In response, Joute raised his mug in the air before taking another large gulp. With her interest piqued, Zelda quickly followed Prima to the staircase.
"You make the ale yourself?" she asked as the two made their way down the first floor.
"I do, actually," the innkeeper replied, taking her place behind the counter. "It's not that hard to make if you pay attention to the process. You only need a few ingredients."
"Really?" Zelda asked.
"Yup," Prima nodded. "I'll probably teach you how to make it at some point. You just need some grain from some Hylian rice and fresh water from the river. You take the grain from the rice, add it to some boiling water, and then allow it to ferment with yeast. Do that and you have a basic Hylian Ale."
"That sounds fairly simple," Zelda said. "Though, I guess I said the same thing when it came to cleaning, didn't I?"
"Trust me, it isn't that hard," Prima said with a chuckle, "but it does make a mess. Especially if you decide to get creative with flavor."
"You can add more ingredients than just the basics?" Zelda asked with even higher interest.
"Of course," Prima said. "You can get a variety of flavors by mixing different things together, and even using different kinds of grains. Sometimes I'll get a dropoff of some Tabantha wheat from the Rito and use that to get the grains. Then, while making it, you can toss in some different kinds of fruits into the mash for flavor. I personally enjoy a good Tabantha ale with a hint of apple."
"That sounds like it has an interesting taste," Zelda praised. "That's so interesting…"
"Still, you have to be careful with how it's mixed. Too much or too little and you can mess up the mash. Anyone can brew, but there's a slight learning curve when it comes to making quality ale. But, when you know what you're doing, it's fun to get a bit experimental," Prima explained as she rested her elbow on the counter and placed her chin in her palm.
"Experimental… I see…" Zelda mumbled. "Did you make the drinks I delivered to Purah, as well?"
"I did," Prima nodded. "A light-flavored wine made with wild berries and a hint of spicy peppers."
"You can make wine, as well?" Zelda asked, impressed. "Wait, Purah likes peppers in her drink?"
"She does," the innkeeper answered. "She likes the spice, and to be completely honest, it goes well with a light, sweetened mix."
"There are more possibilities in brewing than I would have guessed," Zelda said thoughtfully. "I wonder if learning how to brew will help with my elixir mixing…"
"I'm sure it could, or you could put a smile on Link's face," Prima teased, causing her employee's cheeks to burn.
"When will I-?" Zelda began to ask, yet Prima held up a finger.
"Later on," she said. "In fact, this conversation leads to the next lesson I have for you when working here at the inn. I actually promised you yesterday that I would explain it today."
"Are you talking about the weekend?" Zelda asked.
"I am," Prima confirmed. "It's actually thanks to the drinks I make that the weekend is such a big deal. To put it bluntly: everyone in the village, and a few travelers, will come to the inn during the weekend to simply drink and have a good time. You could consider it a weekend-long drinking party."
"Really? But this isn't a tavern, but an inn, isn't it? The only tavern I've been to in this era is the Noble Canteen…" Zelda wondered out loud before coughing at the memory of her time in the Gerudo bar. "I haven't seen any Hylian-run taverns around here."
"And that's exactly why they come here to the inn," Prima stated. "I used to be against it because of the ruckus the people here would cause, but then I realized how profitable it was to allow them to, especially during winter when traveling isn't very high. That's actually why I decided to take on your help in the first place. Having to work during the winter makes people want to warm up with a drink, even more usual, so preparing enough mead and ale for the weekend is challenging enough, let alone preparing enough food, and handling the rest of the inn's duties."
"I could imagine…" Zelda replied. "So then… What will you have me do? Will you have me help prepare for the weekend?"
"No," Prima said simply as she shook her head. "You'll be helping me serve during the weekend."
"Serve?" Zelda repeated. "I'll be a waitress?"
"That's right. I'll be busy preparing food and drinks. Your job will be to hand the meals and the drinks out to those who ordered them." Prima explained.
"Well, that doesn't seem too-"
"You'll be handling multiple orders at the same time, and that means you need to learn how to balance mugs and other dishes on a tray."
"O-oh…" Zelda stammered. "This is going to be hard, isn't it?"
"Well, if you considered cleaning a challenge, then yes, I'd say it'll be a bit of a challenge," Prima laughed. "But you were able to get the hang of cleaning! You'll do just fine, I promise. In fact, we're going to go practice."
"Right now?" Zelda repeated.
"Right now. Come on, follow me to the kitchen," Prima said excitedly as she exited from behind the counter, something that, unfortunately, made her employee a bit more nervous than she already was. "Come on, let's go."
Nervously, Zelda followed her into the dining room, where a kitchen area sat in the corner. Humming a tune as she moved, Prima walked to the counters before bending down to open the lower cabinet doors. She reached in, and after a few moments of clanging pots and pans, she pulled out what looked to be an oversized wooden plate from the back.
"Here, I'll trade you," Prima said as she held them out. Reluctantly, Zelda handed over the broom she was still clinging to before taking the carrier into her own hands.
"So, how many dishes will I be holding on this?" she asked, inspecting the plate's size. The diameter couldn't have been smaller than a frying pan.
"It depends on the number of people who come in and how drunk they decide to get," Prima answered, turning her back to Zelda as she pushed herself onto her toes to open up the doors to the cabinets on the wall. In a matter of seconds, she had pulled out an armful of mugs and had set them on the table. "Okay, Zelda, first I want you to hold out the plate and balance it as best you can, and make sure to center your hand under it."
"Alright then…"
Zelda looked down at the wooden tray in her hand before using her free hand to help place her palm in the center underneath it. After a few moments to ensure she had it right, she held the plate out. She looked up at Prima, who nodded in approval.
"Okay, now I promise there's no easy way of teaching this," she said to her, "but for now, we'll be focused on trying to stay balanced and moving around. I will be placing these mugs onto your plate, and you need to do your best to keep it in your hand, alright?"
"O-okay…" Zelda replied.
Slowly, Prima began to load up her serving plate with mugs. While the first few mugs proved not too difficult, the more that was added, the more they began to sway.
"P-Prima? Are you sure there will be this many drinks that need to be served?" Zelda asked, now using every ounce of control she could muster in her arm to keep the mugs from falling over.
"I'm sure," Prima said confidently, "and all of these will be filled with some kind of drink, so it'll actually be a bit harder. But you're doing great, just keep them up for as long as you can."
"I… I think I've got it," Zelda stuttered, beginning to gain control over the plate. "N-now what?"
"Okay, when carrying these, you'll be walking through a room full of drunk people," Prima explained as her novice continued to sway a bit. "Go ahead and try turning around."
Slowly, Zelda began to turn, yet the contents began to tilt. She used her free hand to stop it from falling, yet Prima shook her head.
"You're going to need to keep that hand free," she explained. "You'll be not only handing out mugs from your current tray, but taking empty ones as you go along. Now, try again."
Furrowing her brow, Zelda slowly attempted to turn again, yet the mugs soon began to tilt just as before.
"Wait, wait, wait, I can't," Zelda said worriedly, regaining her balance. "If I move, they'll fall!"
"You have to be able to move, Zelda," Prima said, "and you'll only learn by practicing. Now come on, do your best and turn!"
After looking down at the dishes in her hand, with a deep breath, Zelda slowly began to turn again. The plate began to sway, but miraculously, she had been able to turn and face the table that sat in the center of the room.
"See, look at you," the innkeeper said with a smile. "Okay, now walk forward and turn back."
"O-okay… Here I go…" Zelda said.
She slowly began to place one foot in front of the other, yet her eyes remained squarely focused on the plate in her hand. At any point, the mugs began to tip, and she could feel her entire body begin to shake as she tried to correct them. She fought back the urge to use her free hand as it shook, instinctively wanting to help balance out her other. It felt as though even her heartbeat, now pounding against her ribcage, could make her topple the mugs over.
"Careful," Prima suddenly called out. "You're not watching where you're going, Zelda."
"But I need to watch the plate!" Zelda called back. "If I look away, I'll lose focus!"
"If you don't look away, you're going to lose more than just focus," Prima exclaimed. "You need to watch where you're going or you'll—"
It was too late. Refusing to tear her gaze away from the mug-filled plates, Zelda's foot had hit a chair, causing not only her, but everything in her hands to come crashing down to the floor. Prima closed her eyes before her employee could hit the ground, only choosing to open them when the clattering wooden mugs had begun to quiet. She slowly opened her eyes to see Zelda pushing herself onto her knees with her load now scattered across the floor around her.
"Are you okay?" Prima asked after Zelda sat silently for a few moments.
"I'm quite alright, yes," she answered simply without looking back.
"Look, it's not something you'll get on the first try—"
"It's okay, Prima," Zelda said, choosing to look at her boss with an understanding smile. "I know, it's the same with cleaning and the horse…"
After a bit of silence passed between the two Prima spoke up once more.
"Here, why don't you head to the front desk and make sure your foot is alright? I'll clean up here, and then I'll show you how to check people in and out."
With a silent nod, Zelda pushed herself up to her feet.
"I'm sorry," she said, giving a slight bow. "I'll practice, I will. I'll make sure I'm ready for the weekend."
"I'm sure you will, just don't push yourself too hard. You'll have it in no time," Prima said encouragingly. "You did it with cleaning, and you managed to help Joute's horse into its stable—"
"Did I hear my name?" a slurring voice called from upstairs.
"Everything is fine, Joute!" Prima called back, letting out a sigh before turning her attention back to Zelda. "Go check your foot. Bandages are under the counter if you need them."
With a nod, Zelda exited the dining hall.
This isn't like cleaning, she thought to herself as she sat on the bottom step of the staircase in the main room. People will be counting on me to deliver their drinks; drinks that Prima made specifically for them from scratch. I have to be perfectly ready, and somehow in the next two days…
Zelda felt her chest beginning to grow heavy as she began taking off her shoe to inspect the toes that had slammed into the chair.
Two days…