||Grey Hierghund||
I slid through the gathering crowd, a ruckus was amidst the docks.
"Excuse me."
"Coming through."
"Pardon me, sir."
I repeated these three words as I kept slithering. I protruded my head above the crowd to see a better picture of what was happening.
"Waan ka xumahay, laakiin kuma fahmi karo." A man with a dark complexion and a simple brown shirt with large baggy trousers apologized.
"Does anyone understand what he's saying?" The harbormaster beside him shouted to the crowd but no avail.
"Waxaan u baahanahay inaan arko nin lagu magacaabo Grey, wuu i fahmayaa."
"Grey?" The man asked in a confused state, as it was the only word he could understand.
"Y-yes, he's with me!" I shouted as I finally got in front.
My right hand reached out for my pocket which contained a letter. I handed it to the harbormaster who, after reading the contents, gave it back to me.
"Alright then, it will be fifty silver coins for the ship's docking rights, shall I place it under your name, Sir Hierghund?"
"Yes, it would be better to do so."
"It is settled then, a pleasure doing business with you Sir Hierghund," He shook my hand before turning to the other man, "And you sir...."
"Haile, his name is Haile Solomon," I said on behalf.
"Alright."
From my storage ring, I gave the man a small bundle of fifty silver coins. Well, there goes my allowance...
||Haile Solomon||
After shaking the man's hand, Grey caught me by the shoulder and walked me out of the crowd.
I could feel the uncomfortable gazes of the people around me, it must be the skin color.
"Alright, clear the harbor, all of you!" The harbormaster bellowed, making the crowd disperse and continue on their own.
Seconds later, my men began to unload the goods the ship was carrying, some were making sure that the vessel was firmly in place. The scent of the sea washes over me and calms my soul, the ocean breeze cooling my head from the afternoon heat.
"I'm sorry for the unprecedented chaos back in there," I said.
"Don't worry about it, the harbormaster has faced more troubles than you," He replied to me in my language, "Anyways, how was the voyage into this new continent?"
"The route leading to here was awful, lost some of my men to the seas and scurvy. Luckily the bags of beans remained dry." I reported with a disgruntled sigh.
"Indeed, my friend. I am sorry for the losses you faced, rest assured your men didn't come here for nothing."
"So, shall we proceed with what is planned?" I cocked my head towards the sacks of coffee beans that were being safely dislodged from the docks.
"Let's find ourselves some riches." He said with a hearty laugh.
I waved my hand to one of the crew members who immediately complied and went inside the ship, after some time a wooden wagon was slowly being brought down by pulleys and ropes before it gently touched the docks. The men proceeded to carry the sacks and load them into one wagon.
"We only need to load three, correct?" I questioned Grey.
"Yes, the rest would be kept in a storehouse." He replied pulling out a ring with keys in it.
"Alright, now all we need is an animal to drive the wagon."
Grey turned around and whistled, his right hand hoisted in the air, waving.
Seconds later an ox and its driver approached, the driver tied the wagon and now all that was left to do was for Grey to point to where we'll go.
.
.
.
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||Grey Heirghund||
We entered the bakery, which was filled with, well, bread. The scent of butter and pastries filled the entire room, complementing the shop's rustic architecture with its wooden floors and furniture.
"Welcome! Welcome! What brings you here, kind sirs?" A fat man with a small mustache and well-trimmed jet black hair approached us, he wore a white shirt and apron, his almond eyes revealing his warm green pupils.
"Gustav, I have a business proposal. Trust me, you'll like it." I said with a convincing voice.
Gustav raised his eyebrow, looking at Solomon, then to me, then back to Solomon then me again.
"You're a peculiar man, why is your skin dark?"
"He's new here actually, came from a faraway land called Abyssinia, his name is Haile," I explained.
He reached for the foreign merchant's hand, to give it a firm shake, "Gustav, Gustav Schneider."
I translated this to Solomon who shook the baker's hand, "Haile Solomon, Waa farxad inaan kula kulmo."
"Errr...yeah," Gustav responded.
"He said it's a pleasure knowing you." I translated.
"I see, tell him that the feeling's mutual."
"Dareenku, wa labada dhinac." I said to Haile in Somali.
"As I've said," I cleared my throat to direct Gustav's attention back to me, "This business proposal would have you earning gold coins."
He reached forth a small pouch containing the coffee beans, Gustav's eyes squinted as he picked up a single bean and inspected it.
"Interesting...what's this?"
"I call it a coffee bean," I replied.
"A coffee bean, very interesting. What is its purpose?"
"For me to show you, we need to head inside," Grey said.
"I'm afraid I can't do that, this bakery requires two pairs of hands."
"I insist. After this, your bakery will need three pairs of hands." Grey insisted.
"I'm sorry, but I'm not buying it," Gustav said with a condescending tone.
"It is a beverage that will energize a person with so much energy that they will refuse to sleep at the night," I explained as Gustav turned away.
He slowly swiveled towards me, his head tilted in an angle, "I've had many elixirs that were said to give a person a thousand spirits and vigor so wild I could tear a rock apart with my own bare hands. None have kept me awake more than my wife's nagging!"
"This is not an elixir, this is just like any other drink. Give us a chance and I promise you, the number of people you have in this store would triple, you will beat every bakery in this city and even the pubs." I pressed.
Gustav's eyes met mine which were full of resolve. I've traveled for months, into this damn continent, keeping the beans dry at the exchange of my crew.
We were talking with our gazes, both were sharp and keen towards each other, talking without opening our mouths.
"How much do you wager?" He asked.
"What?"
"How much do you wager? I'm not the type of person who wastes his time without having a return." He explained with a frustrated tone, that the friendly mask he wore was rarely to be seen.
"Thirty silver coins."
"Alright," Gustav clicked his tongue, in the process rolling his hand and signaling us to enter the kitchen.
"Piedmo, run the counters for now. We have special guests that would want to use the kitchen and my pallete."
||Haile Solomon||
Once we got to the kitchen, I immediately grabbed the mortar and pestle and grind the beans until they were coarsely crushed.
When that was done I pulled out a cezve that I had from my sling pouch.
"Grey," I turned towards him, who was already carrying a small cup of water in his hands.
He poured the water in and I placed the beans inside, after that I hung the cezve into the fireplace until it boiled to just the perfect time, making sure that I never stirred it. After three minutes I pulled it out and placed the coffee in a cup, it came out as expected, creamy and the scent is strong.
I placed in a few cubes of sugar and mixed them with the drink, Gustav had a curious and eager face as I handed him the cup.
He inspected the drink and got a whiff of the scent.
"The smell is unique, strong yet calming." He said before drinking the thing, for a few seconds nothing happened, but after that he widened his eyes before leaning forward, almost spitting out the drink.
"It's bitter yet sweet," He said with a strong remark," My head feels like it's being tied up, however the effects... I feel like a new man as if sleep isn't even a necessity!"
"So, do we have a deal?" Grey asked.
"Yes, we do. You've impressed me with your 'coffee' here." He said before taking another gulp, Gustav was already palpitating due to how vigorous he was.
"Piedmo! Close the shop, and come here quick!" he bellowed out.
Grey let out a light laugh of triumph, I could already hear the coins clicking in my ears.
"So, what to now, my friend?" I asked him.
"For now let's start small, help Gustav establish his bakery before turning it into a cafe, thus making him stand out more. Then we hit cities elsewhere, I already have a list of settlements where I would like to set up shop already, just know that you give me the beans, and I return to you with gold."
"As always." I chuckled.
||Grey Heirghund||
"Well then, it seems that we have a proposal. Although there IS one glaring problem with this drink of yours." Gustav turned his attention to me.
"Pfft!" From the corner of my eye I saw Piedmont spit out the drink," By the gods, this is bitter!"
"Not everyone would be accustomed to the bitterness of coffee, especially around these parts where people tend to have a sweet tooth, sugar won't cut it as the bitterness is still there." He continued rubbing his beard.
"Indeed, but it can be solved with a little adjustment. Do you have any milk?"
"Yes, under the left table, covered by a leather blanket." He pointed out.
"A cup of coffee, one-fourth cup of milk, and a teaspoon of sugar, that's all you need to remove the bitterness of it," I answered as I blended the ingredients.
Turning to Piedmo I returned the cup to him, he drank the coffee raising his cup high until not even a single drop came out.
"So, what do you say?" I asked Gustav who looked impressed.
"Very well, state your price. As long as it's reasonable I'll be willing."