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"Four."

"Six."

"Five."

"Fine," Kaveis grinned and shook the older mans hand firmly. "I'll be your bar bitch for five days in exchange for six days of room and board."

"Five days," the older man responded quickly, not breaking the handshake or eye contact with Kaveis. "Or do we have to go over this all again?"

"Eh, was worth a try. Have to admit though, I almost had you!" Kaveis laughed and shook his hand once more before pulling away.

"Just be thankful I have a soft spot for bums like you," the older man laughed quietly. "And you're not bar bitch, you're just the gopher. Now under other circumstances..."

"Don't push your luck, Cyle. Besides, you ain't my type." Kaveis smiled again and stood, kicking his chair back at the same time. "Now, go see your kids, I can take care of things here."

"I'm only agreeing to this because you told them I already had! Hell, I still have to tell them I'm only taking 5 days instead of the 10 you told them!" Cyle threw his arms up in mock frustration before standing.

"Well, about that... I actually told them you were taking 2 days off to be with them, sooo..."

"You, " Cyle glared at Kaveis. "You're a dirty sunvabitch, you know that? Dirty, rotten, cheating, lying sunvabitch, Kav."

"If I didn't know better I'd think you actually liked me, old man." His smile grew as he put his hands on his hips.

"Shut it, bar bitch," Cyle snapped, though not even a hint of anger in his voice.

"Not my type," Kaveis quickly responded.

Cyle grumbled and threw his arms up again, only to flip off the younger male before storming from the room. Kaveis counted the steps before he heard the door open and slam shut. He chuckled and shook his head before making his way to the same door. He clicked the lock and made his way to the stairs. Tomorrow he'd do as he promised and tend to the business, but tonight it was time for sleep.

It was a small room, one of two in the building reserved for any number of reasons. A small bed in one corner, a dresser in the opposite, and a window which was opened in the wall opposite of the door. In a normal house it might be considered no better than a small storage room, but for Kaveis this might as well have been a luxury suite.

Bathing had already been taken care of before his 'negotiation' with Cyle so it would be easy for him to get right down to the important part; Sleep. His brown cloak fell to the floor, quickly followed by his worn out boots, his belt, and his pants. The cream colored shirt came off last, lazily tossed atop the dresser before he happily threw himself into bed. With the pillow hugged tightly beneath him it only took minutes before he was sound asleep.

That was when the dreams began, just like always...

My name is Kaveis.

Is that my name?

Who am I?

Field of beautiful red grass... Or was it green grass?

A crimson colored sky with spirals and specks all over it. A blue colored sky with rolling clouds and rays peeking out around them.

I have been for 37 years. I have not existed for 37 years.

I'm bleeding. I'm dying. I can't breathe, I can't see. I'm scared...

Kaveis woke up startled and breathing quickly. His brow was covered in sweat and his hair was matted down. It was a dream he was used to, but that didn't mean it made any sense. 'Stress' he told himself, 'that's all it is is stress' but he wasn't even sure of that. He was snapped out of his reflection by the sun deciding it was time to blind him.

It was still early and by his estimation he wouldn't need to open business for at least another hour. So, in true lazy fashion he donned nothing but his pants and leather belt, leaving everything else where he had dropped it last night. He didn't even bother closing his bedroom door before making his way downstairs. The night before he had helped Cyle prep the place so all he'd have to do in the morning is make sure it was clean, the clock was wound, and the chairs were taken off the tables.

Once all was said and done it was time for breakfast and since no one was around, a mug of beer, some dried meat, and good chunk of bread was found to be perfect. Granted, he could have easily had something fresher and more interesting, but right now all that mattered was being prepared for the day. With breakfast done he ran back upstairs and finished dressing but decided to leave his cloak and boots in the room.

The first four days of tending to the place went by easy and fast enough. There had been a minor confrontation on the second day but it was solved quick enough with an extra pint and a few stern words. Day four was busier than all the others and Kaveis actually had to start cutting people off because of how rowdy they were getting. As if that wasn't enough a few of the patrons tried to fight him, but thankfully a group of regulars stepped in and quite literally threw the offender out on his ass.

Day five was already half done and it had been rather quiet if not for the occasional loud chorus of laughs or friendly bitching. The same regulars that had helped him the day before were set up at their usual table in the corner nearest to the door. No one sat at the bar itself for the moment and the front door and windows had been propped open for hours.

Kaveis finished filling the third pitcher and carefully lifted them all. It was his last day to take care of the place and he thought it'd be a good thank you to the regulars that seemed to be keeping an eye on him. Three pitchers for six people and he still had a feeling it wouldn't be enough. No matter how much they drank they seemed to keep putting more away and never ended up even half as drunk as some of the other visitors.

"This rounds on me, " Kaveis exclaimed and he made his way to their table, greeted by a chorus of cheers and to many people speaking at once to make out what any of them were saying. He had only just barely finished pushing the pitchers to the center of the table before he was quickly plucked off his feet and sat down on one of their knee's. "Ack! Whoa, hey now. The beer is on me, I didn't say anything about cozy time"

The one that had done it was easily much larger than Kaveis. Even sitting he was a good height, probably somewhere close to seven feet tall. He was covered from head to toe in a gray fur and was similar in appearance to a wolf, albeit upright and on the drunk side.

"Ey, no now, I ain't getting all handsy on ya. It's jus about dead as night in here, figur you could join us fer a bit. 'Sides, if it gets busy you got th'best seat in the house ta see who needs ya." The one speaking was Bernard who kept his hands on Kaveis' hips so that he couldn't escape from the improvised seat.

"Yeah, you haven't sat down the entire time we been here! I think it's 'bout time you took a breather, right?" Sammy, or Sam for short, always sounded completely sober when he spoke, and always grinned like he was up to something mischievous. He was closer to six feet and seemed much closer to Kaveis in appearance, minus the green and blue scales that appeared in patches on his arms and neck... Probably elsewhere too.

The rest of the group just nodded and in unison agreed to everything then promptly chugged what remained in their mugs. Kaveis sighed and shook his head before throwing his arms up in defeat and leaning back against Bernard.

"Fine fine, but only because you all asked so nicely. If any of you tell Cyle though there will be hell to pay!" He glared at each and every one of them except for Bernard, who all placed a hand over their chest and nodded. "Good. If I'm going to be stuck here listening to you numb nuts for a while then you might as well share the drink." They all cheered again and began to fill the mugs.

The group sat around the table for what must have been hours. Kaveis occasionally had to run off to take care of other patrons or check on various tasks. A few of the times he came back to the table he'd slide a chair over, but when he left and came back he'd find it was gone again. It seemed the group enjoyed making him sit with them and by the time he had to close up he had sat in each of their laps multiple times.

As it was the last night he had to tend to the place he offered to let them stay for a while so that they could continue chatting and having a good time. Four of the six decided to stay for a while. Jarred, a six foot male that seemed more reptilian had to tend to other matters and said his goodbyes and good nights. He hugged Kaveis and left. Kris who was a pink skin just like Kaveis and also the only one of the same height as Kaveis had to call it a night so he could wake up early.

Kaveis said his goodbyes and went about closing up for the night while the others continued to idly chat. It seemed that no matter how much they talked they still had more to talk about. Sometimes it would drift to idle pleasantries such as weather and work. At other times they'd begin joking or giving each other a hard time and would erupt in laughter. Finally he finished up, locked the doors, and rejoined them in a seat of his own this time.

"So, Kaveis," Bernard started, "Howdja trick ol' man Cyle inta takin a break?"

"Told his kids he promised to take two days off to spend time with them... Told Cyle I promised them ten days. He negotiated down to five and I accepted the deal before he could change his mind." Kaveis grinned and sipped at his tea. "You should have saw him. I don't know if he was pissed that I had tricked him, or pissed that he was actually happy. Can't have him actually looking happy, can we?" He laughed and so did the others.

"Sounds like you're a bit of a weasel, friend. I like it." Sam laughed and sipped at his coffee. "So... This was your last day coverin for the old man. That means that if you were to stay here you'd be right back ta payin for your own luxuries, ey? Berny-"

"Bernard," Bernard interjected quickly and sternly.

"-Berny," Sam worded again just as sternly, "and I have a proposition for you."

"Oh? And what would that be?" Kaveis leaned against the table, looking to Sam on his right and Bernard on his left.

"We got a spare room. You been in town fer two or three months now?" Bernard started.

"We know you keep busy to keep care of yourself, but I imagine you could use a hand, and we wouldn't mind the company. As long as ya don't go havin wild parties, the room is yours." Sam finished the proposal.

Kaveis thought about it for a moment and continued to sip on his tea which was, much to his chagrin, quite cold now. He glanced between the two larger males then down to his cup. When Sam and Bernard began to get antsy he smiled and nodded.

"Thank you, the offer is... Well, it's very much appreciated. I wasn't aware you two lived together though?" He glanced between them again right as Bernard let out a loud laugh.

"Friend, Sammy an' I do a lot more than live together, if ya catch my drift." Bernard grinned mischievously at Sam who promptly rolled his eyes.

"Berny and I have been together for a long time. You could say we're tied at the hips-."

"Literally!" Bernard blurted out quickly and laughed. He pulled back just in time to avoid a swift smack from Sammy.

"You get the point," And Sam shushed Bernard before he could do anything more than start to open his mouth. "What kind of friends would we be if we had an open room and let it go to waste. Besides, after our little drunken game of 'pass-the-bar-bitch' earlier, it's the least we could do!"

After another short while of conversation they agreed that Kaveis could move in that night. Cyle would be returning to work the next day and they'd stop by to see how his vacation went.

Bernard and Sam followed him to his small room so he could gather what possessions he did have into a small shoulder bag. After making sure everything was setup and locked up they headed home together, which was only about a thirty minute walk away.

They chatted idly as they walked along the stone-paved road about things such as home and how long Sam and Bernard had been together. Occasionally one of them would crack a joke but the laughs were quiet as they were all tired and ready to turn in.

"Home," Bernard exclaimed. "It's mot much, but it's enough." He smiled.

"Should probably mention that we do have a dog, I hope that won't be a problem." Sam unlocked the door and pushed it open to let Bernard and then Kaveis enter. "Your room will be at the end of the hall on the left. Bernard and Kam will show you." He locked the door and headed to the bathroom in the opposite direction.

"Not a problem in the least." He followed Bernard to the hall and was startled a bit when Kam jumped up from the corner. He had expected a dog, like they said, but Kam was a behemoth! She looked like a purebred wolf and on all fours was easily as tall as Kaveis' shoulders. Unlike Bernard though she was mottled black and dark gray.

She happily followed them to the room and the moment Bernard opened the door she rushed in and hopped up on the bed where she spun a few times and plopped down lazily.

"Mm. Looks like ya have sum company t'night. She getsta sleep in here a lot. Provided ya don't mind?" Bernard looked to Kaveis.

"Not at all, I'm happy for the company." He smiled up at Bernard before moving to set his bag atop the dresser.

"Good! I'm off ta shower. If ya need anything just let us know. Oh, and we'll get a key made for ya sometime this week."Bernard nodded then pulled the door shut behind him as he left.

Once he was on his own with Kam he figured now was a good time to look around the room. It was definitely larger than the one he was staying in before, and the bed could easily fit him and Kam... Or him and another person. He grinned at himself.

There was a dresser with three drawers, a small writing desk, and one wide window with basic curtains drawn shut over it.

"All right pup, time for sleep!" Kaveis swiveled to face Kam and her tail beat against the foot of the bed.