"We just worry," the first man replies. "I'd hate for anything unfortunate to happen. To this place or to you. Just think about it, okay?"

"Yeah, I know. Look, I've got to go take care of the guests—"

"Of course, of course. We won't keep you," the first man agrees. "Bert and I will come around to check on you again in a few days, alright?"

The men slip out of the doorway, letting the door bang behind them, before the nameless proprietress can reply.

She makes her way to the dining room. She also realizes she never asked the woman's name and resolves to ask when she talks to her next.

The proprietress follows her a moment later, letting out a deep breath as she steps into the room.

"People like to come and go," she remarks to Sapphire. "So it's buffet-style. I've made creamy cabbage casserole tonight, and there is some fruit for afters."

"Thanks, I'm sure it's excellent. I'm sorry but I think I managed not to ask for your name when we spoke before."

She winces.

"Ah. I don't, uh, I don't have one anymore," she admits.

"What? Could you explain that?" 

She glances down at her hands, and then busies herself with pouring some tea from the kettle on the sideboard.

"I sold it to the pawn shop down the road, a few months ago, when our operating budget was a little tight. Once business picks back up, I'll be able to buy it back, so it's really a temporary thing," she explains.

"Is that a magical thing? Or is it some sort of legal thing?"

"It's a magical thing," she clarifies. "Xersifer, the woman who owns the pawn shop, can ... oh, how does she explain it? She can trade for attributes with people, and apparently a 'name' counts. Honestly, I don't think she has a real use for my name, since she's already got one of her own. But she offered me a good price for it, I think just to help me out a little. She's a kind woman."

"So that's her special talent? At least from the outside that doesn't sound very kind."

"Well, you can't choose your special talent," the proprietress says. "She gives good rates, and always lets people buy things back, if they can. Tea?"

"Sure, thank you. If that's a signal for me to drop the topic I can do that. I just want to be helpful and it sounded like those men earlier were making veiled threats rather than genuinely trying to help."

The nameless woman's grip on the tea pot tightens.

"Do you really mean it, about being helpful?" she asks in a low voice. "Or about being friends, earlier? Because it's amazing how many friends of my dad's came out of the woodwork after he died, wanting to help. It's amazing because despite all the people like Bert and Zamifer, somehow I can't hire any help that lasts longer than a week. Somehow, now that I'm the one running things, I can't see how dad kept the books balanced. Somehow, getting a plumber in to fix the sink—"

Crash!

She stares down at the broken teapot on the floor for a long moment, before setting the teacup back in its place.

"I'll get the dustpan and brush. Just— just wait a moment."

Sapphire might get the sense that she would latch on to someone who showed her kindness.

She's held a teapot a few times in her life... but she did resolve to try to be subtle about that power. "I do. As a starting point, if you give me the pieces, I can put that teapot back together for you, though it might take a little bit."