The Eaves

The Eaves is a tavern in the Grey Streets in Jiy, and the home of Lapis and Rin.

History

The Eaves was bought by Dachs with funds he earned as a 'keeper. He started a modest tavern, and through those monies revamped the rooms on the second and third floors of the establishment. He rented them out as permanent residences rather than inn rooms, and a bit cheaper because the noise from the tavern below tended to filter up to them.
When Lapis accidentally apprehended Cimis and earned several silvers for the stake, he accepted her pre-payment of rent and used the money to build a kitchen onto the tavern, making it more of an inn than simply a place to drink. He hired Dalia as a cook, and welcomed Dani on board as her helper. He set himself up as the dispenser of drinks.
Dachs thinks of the Eaves as more of an inn. Customers and residents still think of it as a tavern, however.

Customers

The custom of the Eaves does more drinking and socializing than eating at the establishment. It is especially busy after work, when laborers and merchants wish to unwind with a beer or two, then step outside for a smoke. Dachs serves a wide variety of beverages, non-alcoholic and alcoholic, though he normally does not carry the cheaper Dentherion fare.
If customers wish, they can order food from the kitchen, beginning when the Eaves opens just before lunch. Dalia has a different meal she prepares for each day of the week. It normally consists of biscuits and meat and vegetables in a sauce or stew, and iced pastries for sweets. She and Dachs are looking to expand their fare, and are slowly changing to a varied menu.
Dachs is not one for rowdy custom. If they annoy him, and he will toss them out on their rump with no regrets. He's strong enough to care for even the meanest drunk without difficulty.

Residents

Dachs rents several rooms as apartments. They are single rooms with a communal toilet. There is no bath except in the single suite, which has three small rooms. Keys are required to get into the rooms and the toilet. All residents are given a key to the back door, so they do not have to walk through the tavern to reach the stairs.
Residents are varied. The are mostly single people with a decent-paying merchant or crafts job, or, in Lapis's case, chaser career. Rent is typically about a quarter of their salary. Food and drink downstairs is not included, though water used in the toilet and in-room washbasins is.

Reading Circle

The Eaves is best known in the Grey Streets for housing Lady Lanth's Reading Circle. Lapis, in her city guise as Lady Lanth, runs a nightly school for the street rats, teaching those who are interested how to read and write. She began it as a way to teach Rinan how to read, to give him skills so he could leave the streets behind and get a decent job. Rin brought a few friends with him, and the reading circle grew. Dachs, with a soft heart for charity, allowed Lapis to claim a back corner table as the reading table, and even donated a few books to the cause.

by Pexels from Pixabay

The reading circle rarely has more than a handful of children at one time, though a couple dozen drop by on a semi-regular basis to study. It is up to the kids to decide when and how long to stay. Most of the regulars have grown accustomed to the rats reading at night, and no longer give it much thought. Out-city guests and tourists, however, find it very odd.

by Merry Christmas from Pixabay