Just as she was about to leave, Cass watched him get on his knees and place his hands on his lap, one over the other.
"Anything you tell me to, Cassandra." He followed her every movement, his eyes jumping around her face, looking for any sign of wha...
Welcome to the new book! What are y'all's expectations?
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It was the first working day after New Year and someone had already managed to mess up the entire bar.
How was this even possible?!
The place was small and cozy, a neighborhood bar if you will, tucked away on the outskirts of Berlin. The red bricks with white mortar on the outside wall didn't give it any justice. Neither did the reflective windows on the ground floor, which lined the wall, facing the street.
Ent's life and joy was the supporting foundation of a 4-story tall apartment building, filled with some of the city's finest emerging artists.
Ent prided himself on having indie professionals do all of the work in his bar. It was dimly lit and smelled of vanilla, which the candles on each table emitted. The walls were plastered with old posters, advertising bands that had at some point had played live in the bar.
It opened at 5 PM and closed at 5 AM but Ent was usually here during the day to set up and clean. He liked to tend the bar, which is why there were only 3 other bartenders.
Most often, he'd show up around 4 PM or stay a few extra hours after the bar closed. He liked the space behind the bar organized in a specific way, which everyone else was expected to adhere to.
This morning, like most, he found himself collecting multiple half-empty bottles of the same alcohol and putting them back where they belonged.
Of course, they'd need to open 4 bottles of Jägermeister because they never put them back on the shelf. I wouldn't be able to find them either.
The most surprising thing was that he hadn't hired anyone new in almost a year.
These people have the same problem every single night. I solve it for them every single morning. And they still make it difficult for themselves.
It was extremely irritating to do inventory when he had to calculate how much was left in each bottle in order to figure out if the math checks out.
He continued angering himself for the next hour or so, until the scheduled meeting with his accountant, during which they were supposed to go over the yearly profits and discuss strategies after having just filed taxes before the Christmas holiday.
Ent walked into his office, situated in the back corner of the property, through a door behind the bar. The brown leather couch squeaked under him as he crossed his feet on the cushion and placed the open laptop on his lap.
"Happy Slide!" Mark wished Ent, referring to the idea that one should slide easily into the new year. (Guten Rutsch!)
"Happy New Year," Ent replied. "How was your break?" (Ein gutes neues Jahr.)
"Good, spent it with Lana in Quedlinburg. It was magical, she loved it."
He continued describing the small town that was just north of the Harz Mountains. He went on and on about how preserved the historical architecture was and how one could "travel back to Medieval and Renessainse times".
