Peek: A Busy Day

Marle awakens with a smile and says a little prayer to Thedeim before getting out of bed. She would have never thought she'd willingly follow a dungeon after getting free of the Maw, but Thedeim is not just any dungeon. Not only did He save her people, but He gave her a new and wonderful class, an actual hauler advancement!

The kobold hops out of her small bed and washes herself up a bit, making sure her seafoam scales are nice and shiny, before she heads out of her small house and to the stable behind it. "Stalwart! Dedication!" she calls out to the two sleeping basilisks, the two louts lazily sleeping away. Stalwart cracks an eyelid at her before closing it, the two clearly of the opinion that it's far too early to be awake.

Marle rolls her eyes at the two and grabs the wheelbarrow and takes it to the woodstack, where she gathers their breakfast. The two prefer fire elementals, of course, but there's no way she's keeping some of those handy as snacks. A bit of nice firewood is the kind of filling breakfast to keep them going for another day of work!

The sound of the wood hitting their food trough finally rouses the two lazy basilisks, and they nuzzle Marle as they make for the food, appreciating their link and bond, despite the early hour. She really should see if Lem and Warnd want to brave the labyrinth the next time they go delving. It could be a nice chance to get some treats for her basilisks.

While they eat, she checks her schedule for the day. While the Hold is always hiring, she's actually headed out to the fields today. The miller in town has ordered enough grain from the silos to keep her hauling grain and flour all day. Her companions might not be getting a treat today, but she'll probably score a few tasty pastries from her deliveries.

In fact, she might be able to get a shovel or two of coal or charcoal for them, come to think of it. She knows a few of the bakers prefer those to more ordinary wood fires for some of their goods.

She nods to herself and preps the wagon, ensuring she has enough clean crates for today. She frowns at one before chucking it at the wood pile and getting a different one. It's been warping as the season changes, and she doesn't trust it not to burst when filled with grain. She could save it for larger goods, but her pride as a Teamster won't let her use subpar equipment, especially when she's been making enough to not need to scrape and scrounge. Besides, Stalwart and Dedication can have fun tearing it up and eating it later.

Speaking of, the two come over to stand before the wagon, knowing where they should be to be properly hitched to it. She's still not sure if she should call their movement stomping or slithering, and is getting more and more convinced it's both. Either way, it's simple to strap the harnesses around their shoulders and get the loose muzzles around their snouts. They could easily snap them if they need to, but the little tugs are the simplest way to let them know where to go.

She checks the crates one more time before opening the gate and leading them through it, cart behind them. Once she closes it, she hops into the driver's seat and flicks the reins to get them all going.

The sun is only just risen, yet there are still quite a few people walking the streets. Where most people start their work an hour or two after sunrise, there are still those who have to be prepared to meet those people. And of course, the early risers are going to want something to eat, too!

She stops by Cobblebread before she makes her way out of town, both to get a nice breakfast to eat on the road, and to make sure they're ready to receive some flour later. She likes the troll couple, and could easily waste her whole day just chatting, but she and they have things to do. She pretends not to notice the husband sneaking her basilisks each a piece of coal, and soon she's on the road.

The farms are some of her favorite deliveries. Picking up or dropping off, farm folk are easy for her to get along with, and if there's anything positive she might say about the Maw, it at least understood the importance of people who work to feed a town. As she understands it, the farmland is all technically owned by the mayor, but the families that work the fields have quite a bit of latitude in what they grow and what they charge. The mayor has quotas established for staples, and makes much of his money by selling it to those in the town, but there is still plenty of room for the farmers to grow other crops, should they want.

From her chats with the farmers, fruits and veggies can make a lot of coin, but can also be pretty volatile. Culinary trends might make people not want something that's been stable for a while, or a blight, a frost, or a heat wave could ruin a crop. Grains are good and stable.

Which is fine by her. She hasn't had a grain she doesn't like yet. They're also a lot easier to haul than veggies and especially fruits. There's no berry harvests just yet, but she already knows she's going to need to get some specialty crates and baskets to haul them without destroying them.

She mentally goes over what she'll need until she gets to the wheat silo, and nods at the elf waiting for her.

"Marle! I was told to expect you! Looks like we're going to be working together today, hmm?"

She nods as she carefully guides her wagon into position by the silo. "Sure are, Kaner! I've got grains and flour all day today!"

"A difficult day, I'm sure. Difficult to find room for all those treats from the bakeries!" he accuses with a wide smile.

She grins in return. "If I can get ahead of schedule, I might even bring back come cobble bread for everyone as thanks!"

That perks up the laborers, who eagerly start unloading the empty crates to fill with grain. "Oh, the lads'll love you for that, Marle!"

She chuckles and hops into the back to help get the crates out, and prepare for the full crates to come back in. "I already have a boyfriend, Kaner!"

"Aye, and a lucky lad he is. I suppose I should roll up my sleeves, too, if I want any of that cobble bread later," he says as he gets to work as well.

Marle smiles and banters as they all work. It's not easy work, but it's important, and good company makes it all the easier.

A promise of a treat later doesn't hurt, either.

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Inspired by Gryphaun, who wanted to see a bit more of Marle.