EXCOLO

I don't normally go to the tavern. Don't get me wrong, I've not got a problem with booze - we brew beer at the abbey, after all - but we're not usually out and about in town after dark, and I reckon that's when things mostly go on at the tavern. But we had a bit of a jam today - the brewhouse thermometer is broken, so I said I'd pop down to the tavern to see if the owner's got any spare. Hear she does a lot of brewing in the basement, so we might be in luck. I go over in my workout clothes - still a habit, but it's a bit less formal than my Sunday service stuff. I go over to the bar, and a nice bloke tells me Verdandi's out but he'll ask her when she comes back, or I can hang out a bit and wait to see if she comes back. Well, since I've come all the way out here, I might as well have a quick half, so I get a glass of mead. Take a sip, and that's bloody nice stuff. I sit down at the bar a couple of stools away from a girl who only just looks old enough to be here. I give her a nod and lift my glass in a friendly way, but I don't want the poor kid to think I'm hitting on her. That's all we need, a story of a dirty monk trying to pick up teenagers in a bar.