Where Nobody Knows Your Name(Mint, Karlsen)

(OOC:Events in this thread take place 5 years ago shortly after Mint first arrives in Amber)

Mint walks into The Quitting Time one day shortly after it opens before any other customers have arrived. Her clothing is simple, sturdy and well made, but out of fashion for Amber. That and a slight accent mark her as a new arrival. She takes a seat at Karlsen's bar.

I can do this. Just act naturally.

"I-IAh'll have a beer and if y'awl serve food then ah sandwich as well."

Real smooth, Mintabillia. Why not just throw up on his bar. That will wow him.

Once she gets her drink she will make small talk for a while asking about the weather, admitting that she's new in town, asking about local theater and entertainments, and then moving on to politics. She quickly zeros in on the royal family.

"Y'awl have a monarchy heah right? And a big sprawlin' royahl family or so ah heah? You evah met any of em?"

(OCC Ok he just owns the bar, he runs The Clock Works next door. He bought the building and turned it into a bar because he wanted a bar he liked close to work. Now if you are plugging the bartender for info this works just fine. I will just work it into things assuming that is the case.)

The bartender raises an eyebrow, "Yeah we have a monarchy here. King Random is the kind of king everyone can get along with. We grumble at the taxes but when we hear what they pay in other countries we feel lucky. His brothers, for the most part, are a decent lot and let him run the show. Prince Gerard in particular is well liked and even comes in here to have a keg of beer with his son, my boss." At this he watches her closely out of the corner of his eye to see her reaction.

One of the royals owns a bar?

Slightly flustered, Mint responds "Ah hadn't realized that. Maybe ah'll meet yer boss someday. Ah bet he doesn't mix much with the townsfolk."

Mint reaches for her pouch and starts to pull out some coins to settle up her bill, but hesitates as if the money is unfamiliar. She either accidentally overpays or leaves a very generous tip.

Before she gets her money out the bartender says, "Actually if yous hang round a we bit he'll probably pop in later. 'e takes his dinner here most nights. Specially since Tika cooked spicy potatoes, one o his favorites, tonight."

"Long's you promise not to cause trouble I'll tell 'm you want to talk. He likes talking ta people from abroad. He doesn't go out much but has a thirst for knowledge like a man in the desert."

"Why don't you take a seat over in the back, I'll 've my boy Cameron bring a plate of bangers and mash to you."

(Occ The more the barkeep talks the more irish he gets. LOL)

"Ah got no interest in trouble."

Mint accepts the proffered table as well as the food. She kills some time waiting by fiddling with a clockwork man that she pulls out of a pouch. It does not seem to be working.

Shortly after sundown men and a few women start to file into the bar. Most pick up a plate of bangers and mash and find a table with friends and settle in to dinner with the enthusiasim of people who have done a hard day's work and earned their food. They are, for the most part, working folk who laugh and talk loudly. But there are a few with the look of artisans who sit off in one corner enjoying the food quietly.

After the first rush things slow down and then two men come in. One is large framed with the build of a blacksmith. He has an enormous black beard that is patchy in places, he is wearing leathers with a masters insignia on them.

The second is also tall and wide of frame, but he is thinner, leaner and somehow more energetic than his companion. Where his companion seems worn out by the day the second man seems to have been energised. He is wearing a black and red coat over a loose white shirt. The white shirt appears to have stains of some unidentifiable type on them. Might be ink, paint or soot or some of all three. His pants are sturdy brown padded leather, with spots of burn marks on them. His boots are high, black and cinched tightly above the calfs. (A particularly observant person might note that the toes are suspiciously large, steel toes). His brownish black hair is tied back in a simple pony tail.

They go to get food and the first leaves with two meals packed in small boxes. The second crosses the room saying hello by name to many as he passes. He reaches the bar and is given a bottle of wine by the bartender. They have a few quiet words that don't carry and Karlsen turns to Mint.

He brings over his dinner and asks, "I hear you have been asking a lot of questions about Amber and that you are new in town. My name is Karlsen, mind if I join you?"

"Ah have no objections. And you heard right, ah'm new in town. Ah guess my accent gave me away."

The small clockwork man disappears into her pouch.

"Nice place yah got heah."

As an afterthought she adds, "Yah can call me Belle if ya want."

"Thank you, Belle." He sits down and points at the pouch where the clockwork man dissappeared. "That is very interesting. You didn't get it around here did you? Mind if I take a look at it?" He digs into the potatoes and closes his eyes for a moment appreciateing the spicy tangy taste of the fresh made mashed potatoes. He then opens the bottle of wine, one of Bale's red table wines, picked up from the bar and pours two glasses.

"Ah brought it from home, but it stopped working. Ah can't figure out what is wrong with it."

Mint passes the mechanical man to Karlsen. It has very fine well made features and appears made of tin. The back cover plate is off exposing the incredibly intricate inner workings. Absolutely nothing is wrong with the mechanism except that it seems to operate on principles that do not work in Amber or much of the Golden Circle. Not knowing how the device is meant to work, Karlsen has little chance of figuring out what the device does.

"Do yah own the place next door as well?"

A jeweler's loupe appears in Karlsen's hand like a magician's trick. He holds up the mechanical man to catch the light from the hearth. Abesently he responds with a far away voice, "Yeah, that's where I do most of my work." He seems totally absorbed in the intricacies of the mechanism. He appears to be about to call for a lantern then thinks better of it. He looks over the outside for a makers stamp. "You didn't get this around here. It won't work here or anywhere near here. Would you be interested in selling it?"

When Karlsen looks up he catches a glimpse for a fraction of a second of Mint watching him intently. Her expression becomes much more nonchalant.

"It has sentimental value, but with the right tools ah could make you its like. Why would you want to buy a clockwork that doesn't work?"

The device appears handmade and lacks any maker's mark.

"It just doesn't work here. It should work just fine in some other places though. Can't see anything wrong with it. I buy interseting things. Mechanical, Mystical, Magical," he watches her closely, "Trump, Pattern and Chaosian." He sets the Mechanical man carefully, almost reverently, down on the table between them.

He picks up his spoon and takes spoonful of spuds. Eating and talking he says, "Tools I have plenty of. But making something like that," he gestures, "here in Amber would only be an interesing exercise. It still wouldn't work. Your tin man needs different rules of physics and mystics. Those properties are only available out in Shadow." He stares off and absently picks up a sausage with his hand and chews on it. Fork forgotten. "Of course if you altered it slightly..."

Mint wrinkles her nose slightly at his second triple.

She takes the mechanical man back eagerly, pulls a back plate, tiny screwdriver, and several tiny screws from the pouch and carefully completes the reassembly.

Mint leans forward in interest at his suggestion which she leaves him the opportunity to complete.

He stares off into the long distance for a time. Absently eating the food mechanically. Just when Mint wonders if he has totally lost it he snaps back and shakes himself. He looks at her excitedly, "If you could open a Trump inside that back panel and pour enough energy into it to keep it open, enough of the traits of that place might leak through the contact to alow the mechanics to function. It would take some experimentation but might be possible."

"Obviously your profession calls for specialized terms. Can you translate that into Thari?"

Is he another artist like father?

He pulls out a playing card and puts it on the table face up. It appears to be a picture of a workshop. There are wooden scale models hanging from the ceiling and lining the shelves. There are also half completed or disassembled metal prototypes of various things littering the work bench and shelves. There is a well lit drafting board in the center of the picture. There are many large windows throughout the room alowing a generous amount of light in. "Do you know what this is?" If she seen a Trump before she will recognise it as such. If she has Trump Artistry she will recognise that it is not one of Dworkins (or her fathers). For one thing this looks more like a water color than acrylic.

Mint picks up the cards and glances at it for a few seconds.

"Ah have seen items of Power before and ah count this as one such. Did you make it?"

(OCC I just bombarded David with some questions so I will have to wait for a response. I am enjoying how fast this thread is clipping along. Are you working at U of M? Or just live in the area?)

(OOC:Just local. The thread clips along because I work nights so our hours of wakefulness overlap more than they otherwise might.)

(OCC - Ah! I wondered how you were up when I was. )

Karlsen looks appraisingly at her. Then comes to a decision. "I think that we should continue this conversation somewhere more private. Shall we.." He stands up and holds out a hand for the card. "We could continue in a private dining room upstairs, or my workshop next door. Up to you."

Mint passes the card back to Karlsen.

"If yoah willing to show off yoah workshop ah would love ta see it."

Mint will follow Karlsen or take an arm if he offers one.

As Mint walks she is obviously very aware of her surroundings, not hyper-vigilant exactly, but she seems to pay attention to everything around her casually as if out of habit.

Karlsen wanders over to the window into the kitchen and picks up two boxes. He then leads Mint outside and next door. She will notice that he never completely turns his back on her. As he walks next door he pulls out a cigar, cuts the end with a small knife and offers it to Mint. If she accepts he pulls out a second. If not he shrugs and puts it in his mouth.

When he enters the building two guards look up from their card game a bit guiltily. He only raises an eyebrow at them and picks up a spare lamp. He walks over to their lamp and lights his cigar and then the lamp. If Mint has a cigar he will light hers from his.

With the increased light of two lamps more of the workshop is revealed. The front area has a dozen tables covered with machines in various states of assembly. Next to each bench are either one or two large boxes that are locked. "This is our main assembly area." He waves to the dark reaches, "Back there is the forge and smithy." He leads her to one side of the building. There is a narrow stair between two offices. He then heads up the stairs, watching to see if Mint follows.

Mint demurs at the offer of a cigar.

When she notices that he refuses to turn his back to her she makes a bit of a game of it finding reasons while following to go a bit to the left or right. She does this in a slightly playful nonthreatening manner. She does give him a couple paces distance while doing this.

Mint takes the proffered lamp and follows Karlsen up the stairs.

"What's up heah?"

Karlsen responds, "My office. In particular all of my most important tools." He gets to the top and then walks over to a workbench and takes a leather pouch off of a bench. He then walks over to a small sitting area that has four comfortable chairs sitting around a low table. He sits down in front of a large fireplace that has no fire going in it at the moment. He sets the boxes down on the small table and waits while Mint looks around.

The room is overwelming in details but there appears to be a different purpose for each corner of the room. In one corner is an easel and one wall is covered in pots of artistic materials. There are several stools of various heights and a table with brushes, trowels and spoons all layed out neatly on them. There is also a stack of canvases stretched over frames under a bench that contains basin. The other wall, shared with the living area is a solid bank of large windows.

The second area is the living area that Karlsen is sitting in. It has 4 green leather upholstered chairs and a low table. There is a large oriental rug that defines this area. There is a large painting of an island on the wall in watercolors. The seas have a treacherous beauty to them and the land is a rugged coastline is lined with cliffs.

The third area is a metal workshop. Many tools for working small pieces of metal are lined meticulously on the walls. There is a large wooden table here that contains one machine that is half dissassembled, or assembled. A small roll around table is next to it and has a selection of small tools on it.

The last area is a woodworking area. There are wooden models all hanging from the ceiling. Most are clocks, several are of toys, some are for fantastic things Mint can't guess what the purpose is. Again all the tools are lined on the walls in neat order. There is also a stack of wood of various sizes in the corner.