The Pie Shop (II)
Baker's Journal - week 5.
All continues to go well here in the bakery. I have commenced remodeling, though I believe it will be some time before my vision can come to complete fruition.
My skills continue to develop. Cream puffs are my bitch now, and I comprehend the complexities of bear claws on an almost instinctive level. And if all goes well, by tomorrow I will have proven my mastery over the enigmatic bibinka coconut cake.
As part of my work here, I have begun to encounter other bakers. There seems to be some sort of informal organization to which bakers belong. Thusfar I know little of it, but it seems to be quite powerful and influential. I recently learned, much to my surprise, that they seem to have a great deal of sway with the health department here. I have learned, for example, that gaining additional gas lines for the installation of more ovens in my shop depends, in large part, on how connected I am within the organization. This surprised me a great deal. Fortunately, I seem to be able to do quite well with only the 8 ovens currently installed, though more would certainly increase my profit margins.
The organization seems to be complex, and somewhat byzantine in nature. There seems to be some sort of network going, in which I am expected to do a certain amount of work in the shops of other bakers, and they in turn do a certain amount of work for me. There are kickbacks expected from my shop to other bakers, and I in turn receive kickbacks from them. I am also expected to give gifts to other members of the organization, and accept gifts from them in return. This worries me a bit - how can I be sure that the gifts that I am receiving are wholesome? It all seems so confusing!
I have also noticed that since I joined the organization, other members drop by my shop with alarming frequency. It is almost as if they care keeping tabs on me for some reason!
This certainly is not the life I had envisioned for myself. When I began my life as an adventurer exploring the Stronghold of the Drow, I pictured my future as one of excitement, exploration, and wealth. But that encounter in the Dungeon of Dread finished those dreams. I was fortunate to have the family business to fall back on. But my former life has not been totally without application here - my vorpal greatsword works just fine slicing apples for pies, and keeps my employees in line!
Still, in all, I miss the old life. Mastering the creation of baked goods lacks the adrenaline rush of fighting orc lords.