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Inside, the Shining Skink was dark in the early afternoon. But the heat of day was coming on and they all felt the relief of its natural coolness. However, the place looked abandoned. Only a lone figure sat looking out of a window at the other side of the traditional barroom that itself had seen better days.

At the sound of their entrance, the woman turned slowly, as if little interested in anything that might come in the door now.

What she didn't expect, obviously, were two kobolds dressed like little adventurers and a hulking brute behind them. It was her shriek that made that obvious.

Kreet drew Kallid back while Sigmundurr rushed in. "It's okay lady. They're with me. They're civilized kobolds. Here, Kreet... talk to her!"

Kreet was just about as unsettled as the lady must have been. She knew her kind wasn't well loved, but she'd never actually seen anyone frightened of her before. In other circumstances she might have laughed, but here - in a strange city filled with millions of people who think you're a monster - it frightened her too.

"S...sorry Ma'am," she said, bowing low. "My name is Kreet. We're just here to see about getting a room for a few days."

The lady's eyes slowly went back to normal as she looked from Sigmundurr to Kreet to Kallid. "Oh lords you gave me a fright!," she said as she stood up. She was tall and lean, an angular face that had itself seen better days, but she carried herself as if she owned the place. Of course, they assumed she did.

"I'm Marge. If you want a room, the only one we've got worth staying in is on the second floor. Third floor's all gone moldy as have the others except mine. Roof leaks. And I just lost my only help, so food and drink you'll have to find for yourself. No bar - that's just there for ambience. Ain't nobody going to clean your room up either. And you pay to stay, not for the room. You 'bolds can talk, you can pay like anybody else, right? Three people, three bills. Got it?"

"How much?" Kreet asked. This lady wasn't going to be a pleasant landlord, she could see that already.

"Three. Each. Nine per day."

Kreet looked up at Sigmundurr, worried. "Sig, we can't even afford this place. At that price we'll be out of gold in no time."

"Gold? What the fuck are are you talking about? Nine copper. Per day. Give me a gold piece and you can stay for the month!" The lady said, suddenly more interested.

Kreet too was suddenly more interested. She didn't normally break into a grin, since the toothy look was less than appealing to humans, but she couldn't help herself this time.

"Deal!"

At that, they all turned to where the stairs beside the bar began to creak. Down them lumbered a middle-aged woman. Though she was significantly larger than Marge, they shared similar features and Kreet guessed rightly that the two were sisters.

"Holy shit!" said the newcomer, stopping when she caught sight of the kobolds.

"Relax Sybil, they're civilized. This one can talk."

"Hey," Kallid interjected. "I can talk too!"

"See there? They both can talk."

The other woman grabbed a spiked club from behind the bar and approached warily. "What are they here for?"

"New tenants."

"What, are we renting rooms to animals now?" Sybil said, sitting beside Marge.

"Oh, stuff it Sybil. Their money's as good as anyone's. Maybe better. They mentioned gold!"

Sybil looked impressed, but then took her sister aside and started whispering. Of course Kreet heard every word.

"You know Big Jake is due in a few days. He's going to want the protection money and we haven't got it!

"Dammit, I know we haven't got it! Why do you think June quit? I couldn't pay her either. I'm doing the best I can."

"You know... mom's invitation is still there. Really Marge, we're barely staying afloat here. Let's just take what we've got left and go!"

"But... maybe these new tenants are just the start of a new patch of luck?"

"Marge, we've got only one room left, the liquor's so watered down nobody wants it, and now we don't even have June to help us run the place. For the last time, let's just go!"

Kreet's mind spun quickly, and she looked to Kallid who likely had heard the same thing. In the native kobold tongue, she squeaked, "Want to?"

Kallid nodded rapidly. "Let's do it."

Kreet then cleared her throat to get the ladies' attention.

"Marge? Sybil? We'll buy it."

The two turned back to stare at her.

"What?"

"The Shining Skink. We'll buy it. How much does Big Jake want? Look, anything we pay you is better than you just leaving it, right? I can pay you ten gold right now, and ten more a month from now."

Marge looked at Sybil.

"Not a bad idea," she replied.

"What does a kobold know about running an inn?"

"What," Kreet laughed. "Are you trying to persuade me not to? How to run an inn with one room and no bar? I think I can manage! How much does Big Jake want?"

"Depends on how much I have each month. I show him my coffer and he grabs some. But my coffer's practically empty this month. Lost two tenants to a storm a few weeks ago, and now June's gone. But he might relent on you guys since you're new. Doesn't hurt to have muscle like him too."

Sigmundurr smiled. He didn't mind being called 'muscle'.

Sybil spoke up. "Sold!"

Marge shot her a look, but Sybil continued. "Marge, you're an old stick in the mud and slow to change, but this place is dying. Hell it's already dead. If these things think they can get it running again, let them try. We've got no energy or money left to sink into this hole, and Mom needs us at home. Marge, it's time. Sell it. Sell it now while someone is willing to buy it and before the Band takes it anyway."

Marge let out a sigh and relit her pipe. "Let me think about it."

"Look, even if you don't sell, we'll take the room anyway."

Sybil nodded. "Well, come on. Follow me. I'll show you around the place."

Kreet motioned to Sigmundurr and Kallid to go ahead while she moved over to where Marge had resumed her position smoking by the window.

"I used to work in a tavern," she began quietly. "A long time ago now it seems. I was just a wench, but I was a good wench. For a kobold I mean."

Marge didn't look at her. She blew a puff of smoke that curled out of the window.

"This place used to be something," she said quietly. "Thirty years ago you could barely get in on week-ends."

"What happened?"

"I don't know. I guess we started to slip. Started watering the drinks a little. Maybe a couple of the girls began making side money upstairs. And I just looked the other way. I didn't want to see it happening. Then the sewers stopped working. That was the end, really. Can't run a bar if the pissholes are backed up. And then we couldn't pay the handyman to keep the roof patched. Neighborhood went to shit. Couple of riots happened, and then the city watch stopped coming in. The Band took over. Somebody always does when the Watch won't come in. They're really not all that bad. Couple of broken arms maybe, smashed nose. But they don't kill people. They do take their toll, but they're a lot better than thugs running wild. Big Jake's just a collector. But he does his job. If we don't pay... they'll take something. Not sure what, but they make sure we'll regret it."

"And if you sell it to me?"

"To be honest, I've no idea. They might ignore you and just take the place over themselves. I've seen it happen. But they run it into the ground. Milk all they can out of the business and leave it abandoned. Happened to a cafeteria on 107 block. Uncle Mike's. Was a nice place, for this stinkhole area. But he couldn't pay for the protection, so they stopped protecting him. Did they send in the guys who ransacked the place, or did they really just not stop it? Who knows. Bottom line is the same. Mike left and they took over. Still had decent food for a while, but pretty soon nobody would eat there and it closed too. But if you'd seen this place thirty years ago..."

Kreet touched Marge's hand lightly.

"I'll try my best. I promise that."

"Why? What do you care? You're a fucking kobold! You shouldn't even be here in a human city!"

"Yes, I should. I have to. I'm pregnant and I need a place to stay. I've still got some gold left but it's going to run dry if I don't do something. I can turn this place around. I know I can!"

Marge took Kreet's hands, setting the pipe down.

"Girl, you don't understand. If you had thousands, you could fix this place up like it used to be. You could. And guess what? Nobody would come. They haven't got any money around here either. I don't know if you've noticed, but this is a slum. Only the losers live here now. Nobody's coming down to the Block 104 inn. Might get some drunks. We do get them sometimes. Desperate drunks."

Kreet realized that Marge was probably right. What point is there in even trying to restore this one inn, when the rest of the neighborhood is crumbling around it?

"I still want to try. I have to. I need a nest."