Finally, Anne had managed to find her way to Mamlak all on her own. She had been exhausted when she arrived, her petite body aching from sleeping weeks without a comfortable bed. The first thing she looked for in the city was an inn she could afford to stay at for a while. But she only had so much money to spend. She would need a job before she puts herself in debt. Anne promised herself she would be smart with her money. Being someone with debt issues and is forced to rely on others was the last thing she wanted. Her parents are trusting her to be responsible, and she refused to let them down.

She skipped down the streets, humming an upbeat tune to herself. Her eyes kept a lookout for any open businesses, hoping to find one she might be good at if they were hiring. The only thing she knew she could do for sure was anything food related. That was thanks to her parents and her passion to become a baker someday. But she feared her clumsiness would get her fired if she could not find the job she wanted. Sure, she could do cleaning, be a waitress or even restocking products at stores, but only if she took her time to make sure she didn’t mess up. Otherwise she would trip over herself and drop things, and no business likes slow employees. Luckily, she spotted a butcher shop. The door was wide open, and she walked right in. Anne gazes around, the smell of meat filling her nostrils. Even if they weren’t hiring, it would be useful to buy some meat anyway. She could make her own meals instead of eating out, which gets expensive over time. And she was always looking for new recipes to try.

With a bright and friendly smile, she approached the front counter. “Hello,” she greeted the nearest person with a wave. “Does this shop happen to be hiring?”

Reluctant footfalls stepped down the staircase that led from the living quarters in the upstairs to the shop below. It was earlier in the morning, but Cheza did not feel quite awake enough to work on her next project. A large order had come in for high quality steaks from a restaurant that resided in the higher levels of Mamlak. The shop owner had to admit that hiring an assistant like Sam had been beneficial. She hated to admit that hiring a male had been an asset. Cheza wanted to move forward in her dream with her own merits. There was needed help if she was going to grow the business to the size she truly wanted. The additional set of hands was essential but it was also bringing authenticity to her store name having an assistant. It also helped that the burned angel was handsome. This fact alone brought in more customers than she had previously. Love starved wives found their way to her shop to get their meat cuts at an affordable price with a nice hint of eye candy to make their days better.

Cheza scratched the back of her head to ruffle her short cut red hair. Fingers pulled at the ends of some of her tresses to note that another cut was going to be necessary. She despised having long locks to get in her way. The butcher was more of a practical being that only strived for success. Quick hand snatched at her apron that hung on a peg by the staircase just as her feet settled on the main floor. Sam had already opened up the shop for her before leaving to get the supplies that she had set him to task to get. It was awfully convenient to have an employee that did not sleep. Tying the apron around her waist, she got out her set of knives in order to finely cut up the steaks that were ordered.

With a heavy sigh she went back to her cooler where she kept her meat stored for safe keeping. Opening the heavy set door a chill escaped to wash over the woman. A small shiver rippled down her back as she walked in to heave half a steer that had already been prepped the day before. The weight of it was decent, but Cheza had become accustomed to carrying heavy loads. Before leaving her ‘cooler’ she looked at the walls as puffs of chill radiated off of it. A small smile twitched at the edge of her lips. She had found a woman in town that was a healer and had the ability to control ice. Each week the woman would come down to re-ice the walls of the room to keep the meat store safe. Cheza found that her customers enjoyed their meat when it did not need to be salted heavily to keep it from spoiling.

Hoisting the beef over her shoulder, Cheza closed the storeroom’s door with her foot before slamming the carcass on her large butcher’s block. Picking up her cleaver the business owner began to cut up large selections for easier working. An arrival made Cheza look up to see a young teenager walk up to the counter. This time, the butcher smiled at the girl instead of how she originally greeted Sam. ”Hiring? Well, I just hired someone the other day. Are you sure you would want to take employment in my shop? It’s rather a course job to take.” Cheza said this while indicating the blood that already coated her apron. ”Wouldn’t you be more suited to a grocer down the lane, hun? You seem too sweet to work in my place.”