[open!]
The Kingsby, as it happens, finds itself short-staffed for the occasion, thanks to the flood of fairegoers and the abrupt disappearance of one of the barmaids earlier in the week. Under these circumstances, and given that he's proved both obliging and efficient in the matter of dishwashing and other light kitchen duties over the past month, the landlord didn't hesitate to press his third-floor boarder into further service. Granted, a squirrelly guy with an alarmingly piercing gaze and some lingering stiffness is no replacement for a chipper super-strong blonde, but he does at least free up some of the other employees to fill the gap.
Cassian has no objection. A week's free board is nothing to sniff at, and besides, it keeps him busy. (Too busy for much introspection, for things like fireworks in the park to throw him off balance; busy enough to stall off the feeling that he's wasting time, that everything is getting away from him, keep going, keep going, just keep going.)
But he's not so invaluable that he can't take a few breaks over the course of the day, to take in a couple of the outdoor events, or pause for casual conversation with a patron or a passerby.