“What’s your name?” My-re of the Health Alteration squad asked the kid whom she just pulled into the Broken Sword Tavern from behind the alley, after the encounter with the three soldiers. Despite his dirty face, disheveled hair and tattered clothes, which had seen better days, he had a youthful spark in his green eyes.
“Why did you drag in some hungry peasant in here?” General Pol of the Skull Squadron asked in Rathiri, the Rirorni native language, as he scratched his chin and glanced over at the new arrival.
“He’s our new help.”
“I didn’t hire him.”
“No, I did,” My-re replied.
“Where am I going to get the coin for a new hire?”
“From the tavern’s profits.”
General Pol opened his mouth to speak, but closed it realizing My-re was the one who collected money from customers, purchased the tavern’s supplies, and made the deposits. She knew exactly what the tavern was taking in.
“Unless he knows the Khan’s tongue, he’s of no use,” General Pol said in Rathiri.
“Test him,” My-re replied.
“What’s your name kid?”
“Allman Common Ra,” the hungry peasant said quickly.
“What? Almond Can Ra?”
The hungry peasant repeated his name, but a little slower.
“Amen Comma Ra?” Pol repeated; poorly.
He repeated it a third time.
“I’m never going to get it. I’ll just call him Hungry Peasant,” Pol scoffed to himself.
“You are not going to call him a hungry peasant,” My-re countered.
“HP for short,” Pol said to his own amusement.
“Oh, I like HP. It has a familiar ring to it for some reason,” My-re said.
“Besides, asking his name was an easy question. I know. In what year was the Rirorni Empire’s capital of Rithakar founded?” General Pol asked in Rathiri.
Sighing heavily, My-re steeped up to Pol and said, “I’m hiring him.”
“Alright, but you train him,” Pol said waiving his hand in resign.
“Great, where do you want him to start?” My-re asked with cheerfulness knowing she didn’t have to fight Pol further on the issue.
“Have him start in the kitchen. There’s a day’s worth of glasses and plates to be done. Also, I’m not teaching him Rathiri either,” Pol said.
Hungry Peasant responded in broken Rathiri, “The kitchen is good start.”
My-re smiled broadly with delight seeing the look of surprise on General Pol’s face.
“Alright, he’s hired.”