Everyone in the village knew Sinine and what she did at the inn so  it wasn’t unusual when the local baker hailed her with a bandaged hand as she passed. Apparently while attempting to fill a rather large order the man had attempted to save a falling pan forgetting for a moment it had been in the oven only a minute before. 

“It’s not life threatening or anything, it's just,I need to fill the order by midday and being down a hand won't make it any easier.” The man was somewhat restrained with his request. It was illegal for anyone to practice magic outside a licensed business or without one themselves. Aside from that Sinine’s boss would have thrown a fit if he knew she was giving the service away without him taking a cut. 

But Sinine wasn’t one to turn away someone in need and it was an open secret that she would heal anyone who asked. She never requested any payment for these gestures and the townspeople never spoke of it or took advantage of her kindness. Because of this Sinine had no reservations about granting the man's request. Taking the injured hand into hers she unwrapped the bandages and placed her palm just above his. There was a soft warm light as the man felt the throbbing and heat fade away. A few moments after that, they were done, the baker flexing his now healed fingers with a smile. 

“You’re the best, Sinine. I'll be sure to stop by the inn later and buy a few drinks as thanks.” As he mentioned the inn his eyebrows raised as he seemed to remember something. “Speaking of, I hear you all have hired someone new, a bouncer of all things.” It seemed she wasn’t the only one that found such an addition humorous.

Sinine just smiled and shrugged in response. “So they say, unfortunately I only know as much as you but I suppose I’ll find out today,” she said with a small laugh. The baker nodded, showing a bit of disappointment that Sinine didn’t have more to tell. While the people were kind and generous, like most small towns they did enjoy their gossip, perhaps even more so given how quiet the village was. 

With no new information to glean, the baker said his goodbye, reiterating his promise to stop by for drinks before returning to his shop. Sinine gave the man a final goodbye before continuing on her way down the hill toward the inn. At the end of the cobblestone street she paused for a moment as two carts passed on the road. The main thoroughfare traveled around the hill where the village was built like a river, the smaller streets and roads flowing down to meet it like a watershed. 

The Inn sat at the bottom along this main road near the edge of the town, making it the first sight of any weary traveler seeking a warm bed for the night. It was the perfect location for the business it conducted, not that it would have hurt either way. It was the only lodging in town, as well as the only place to drink and with the business Sinine saw it conduct she doubted there would be much market for a competitor. 

Once she was able she crossed but rather than enter through the large oak doors she made her way around the side through the small gate where the deliveries were made. She was still a bit early but Sinine knew the owner would put her to work regardless if he saw her. He’d give some excuse like “Getting back the hours lost with you girls gabbing,” or something like that. It was best just to avoid the man until it was necessary, and anyways, Sinine had other business she needed to check on first. 

Stepping delicately over the deep hoof prints and wheel tracks left by the delivery carts she made her way to the small stables. Like any good inn they also provided for the care of the customers horses with a small, clean building in the back and modest coral for when they needed exercise. Sinine always had a soft spot for the animals and though she was hired to work inside she would sneak away often to have a look at the other guests and make sure they had all their amenities.

A couple days before she had heard the stableboy who normally cared for the animals had missed work due to a supposed illness and didn’t anticipate being back for a few days, though Sinine doubted that the boy was truly sick. He was a well known lay-about and had on more than one occasion been caught sleeping on the job. Aside from that she hadn’t received a request for her services as often happened when someone in the town fell ill. Most likely he had heard of the off season run happening in the nearby river and was even now asleep on some bank with a fishing line in his hand. Sick or not, it meant the regular caretaker would be gone and the maid wasn’t sure she trusted the owner to find a decent replacement. She would just poke her head in and check on any animals that might be in their care and make sure they were receiving what they needed.

She was pleasantly surprised to see the main doors open, maybe the owner did find someone to care for the animals or maybe the stableboy had forgotten to close the door when he last left. Taking a few steps past the threshold her elven eyes quickly adjusted to the change in the light as she walked down the row. There were a few horses in their individual pins, their heads out over the gates looking back and forth.

Probably waiting for their breakfast she thought as she walked over to gently pat one of the creatures on its head. The large animal seemed grateful for the attention and nuzzled its head against sinines palm as she reached out. Sinine always had a way with animals, particularly horses and it was a known fact that how an animal reacted to her was not always a good indication of its demeanor. Perhaps it was part of her magic or maybe just her sweet nature but it seemed like the wilder the beast the more like a kitten it became to her.

 “Good morning friend,” she said with a smile to the animal. “I hope you had a good night.” She then reached over to do the same to the horse in the next stall. “And you as well,” she added. “Now I bet you're hungry. How about I get you something to eat.”