Patchwork Universe

Jones · Posted: 06 Apr 2004 01:01 pm Post subject:

Karl had been left to cool his heels by the main bar, although the bottle of Sambuca rested invitingly near to hand, while Jones and Arnora conversed in quiet tones together.

Larkin's new conversation with Trubshawe was rather louder and the other customers glanced up as, for the second time in a row, the thief's companion leapt up and ran out of the room.

[OOC NOTE: 'Steaks and ale' subthread is now complete and all public bar posts should continue in this main thread.]

Coming up to Larkin's table, the plainly dressed young woman with blonde hair, brought over a tall glass of lemonade.
"Looks like your friend won't be paying after all," she said, with a glimmer of amusement. "But we'll put your first few drinks on the slate until you can get your hands on the readies. How about a platter of the roast boar, to go with that?"

Larkin Quickgrip · Good Joined: 21 Jan 2004 Posts: 77 Location: The Slums

Larkin shook his head at the rapidly departing Trubshawe and laughed a little, before leaning back and saying to himself "What a complete freak."

Noticing the woman he looked up with a grin and said "Yeah that'd be fine thanks." Before she had a chance to turn away he added "Ummm" and indicating the door Jane had gone through said "Errr whats through there?"

Jones · Posted: 06 Apr 2004 03:36 pm Post subject:

"Upstairs? That's guest rooms, a private parlour and the family rooms," the woman said, eyeing the thief somewhat askance. "Off limits to all but paying guests, I'm afraid."

She left Larkin with his lemonade and bustled off to cut an appetising portion from the roasting boar.

Yarrow · Posted: 06 Apr 2004 03:38 pm Post subject: Paperchase

A ball of paper blew threw the door of the pub, left swinging by Trubshawe's departure. Hopping and skittering across the floor of the public bar, it dodged past the other customers to roll up to Larkin and gently tap his boot.

Larkin Quickgrip · Good Joined: 21 Jan 2004 Posts: 77 Location: The Slums

Drinking his lemonade, Larkin snatched up the paper with a curse. Grumbling to himself he unrolled it and placed it on the table.

Yarrow · Posted: 06 Apr 2004 04:02 pm Post subject:

Larkin Quickgrip · Good Joined: 21 Jan 2004 Posts: 77 Location: The Slums

Larkin sat and read it through several times, mumbling to himself at certain parts.

Making a decision he stands up and thinking about puppets and heroes walks out the front door, before the woman has a chance to return with the boar.

Karl Groever · Posted: 07 Apr 2004 10:22 pm Post subject:

Karl looked at the bottle before him, nearly drained to the dregs. Rubbed his chin, felt the bristles slide across his palm, unprecedentedly. The day was growing long. He stopped a moment, watched some strangers take their leave. Mulled over threads of conversation; suspicions had begun to form anew in his fertile mind. If this was, indeed, some kind of place within which nothing was as it should be, realities shifted from moment to moment, histories collided, and most everyone he met seemed lost...then what, truly, had befallen him ? And what would the Baron have wanted with this information had he been able to obtain it ? There were mysteries here; buried deep under layers, beneath strata he could not, as yet, discern. But he had not graduated from the Academy for nothing. It was the archaeologist's job to unearth the ancient foundations of the current patterns. He felt, of a sudden, terrible bleakness.
'Sir,' he called in Jones's direction 'I await your storerooms. But I may consider taking up one of your lodging places for a night, for I am dog tired. And might you have a girl,' thinking here, witsfully, of Alex, 'who could keep me company in the small, weary hours ?'.

Jones · Posted: 08 Apr 2004 01:52 pm Post subject:

The publican looked up with a frown, but the blonde woman who had been serving Larkin hurried quickly around the bar to Karl, waving to Jones to show she would serve the customer.

"You may surely book a guest room," she said. "But this is a family establishment, sir. The other... er... service you requested we do not supply." She blushed a little, so that Karl noticed how pretty she was in a fresh-faced and ordinary way. "A chap made the mistake of thinking what you did once with Jane, and it was just as well Dad got to him before she did or there would have been violence done, truly."

"But I suppose it's an easy enough mistake to make," she added, glancing at the dregs of the Sambuca.

"Here, sir," she deftly replaced the bottle with an platter of roasted boar, invitingly garnished. "The other gentleman didn't stay, but here's a fresh plate of dinner, untouched and about to go to waste. Why don't you do me a favour and eat it up and then I'll show you to your room?"

Karl Groever · Posted: 09 Apr 2004 02:23 am Post subject:

'Yes, that looks delicious,' Karl said, wearily. 'I am sorry for the misunderstanding. It has been a long journey.'
'Now', Karl caught himself for a moment, 'I will dearly need a rest, ma dame. I have a little coin upon me, but does this establishment accept the Gold Mark of the City ? If not, then...' and here Karl shrugged, and reached into his bag, taking out the gorget. 'Might this purchase me something more than goodwill ?'. He flung the piece upon the table with a sudden bitterness. And, realised, astounded, as he did so, that the metal still... felt... hot.

liason · Posted: 09 Apr 2004 09:01 am Post subject: A Visit by the Ambassador

The door opened briefly and an extremely gaunt man wearing a long, dark cloak entered the public bar.

Night had fallen outside and for a brief moment he appeared to be some sort of apparition or spectre, such was the paleness of his complexion.

Fortunately, the gentleman's demeanour had none of the spectral about him as he strode up to the bar, nodding brief and silent greetings to those he passed.

At the bar, he waited patiently to be served.

Jones · Posted: 09 Apr 2004 10:16 am Post subject:

"We accept most currencies, sir," Jessica Jones told Karl, considering the strange item that lay on the bar top. "And I think this might in any case be difficult to assay. But our fees are small and I'm sure a gentlemean like yourelf would be allowed to start a slate with us..."

As she spoke her gaze flickered over to the newcomer and she smiled a polite greeting, before her eyes tracked across to the table where her father, Jones the publican, was seated talking to Arnora.

She nodded cheerfully at the plate of food which Karl had begun upon and said. "I'll attend to your room now. When you're finished eating come through the door yonder and up the stairs. I'll put you in the yellow room, 'tis the second door on the right..."

[ooc note: a new thread begins on The Second Floor: In the Yellow Room.]

As Jessica let herself out through one side of the bar, Jones stood up from his seat, excusing himself from Arnora, and entered through the other.
"A merry greeting on a dark night," he said, according the stranger a warm welcome. "You've come to Jones's Public House, best tavern around in these parts. How might I serve you, sir?"

liason · Posted: 10 Apr 2004 09:23 am Post subject:

"I find myself quite tempted by all manner of options," Liason smiled, "but I think I should perhaps return on a future occasion and take my time. This night, I am in something of a hurry - the lands around your establishment shift rapidly when a gentleman's attention is elsewhere and I must reach my destination before the map I have memorised ceases to be accurate."

Having completed his odd speech, Liason reached into a pocket of his doublet and retrieved a large coin. The inner disc appeared gold, without which was a ring of some duller metal. Both were embossed with complex designs and letters.

"First I must ask if the Imperial Sovereign is good here ?" Liason pushed the coin across the bar towards Jones, "And if so, I should like to change it for whatever a merchant might mean by 'silver coins' in this land. I have a purchase to make at my destination and two silver is the asking price."

Jones · Posted: 12 Apr 2004 11:47 am Post subject:

Jones's expression shifted from open affability towards a shuttered suspicion as he listened to the gentleman's words.

"We accept any currency," he said shortly. "No problem about that."
He took the sovereign from Liason and turned it around and about in his fingers. "I don't know about the exchange rate though, we tend to guess at what we reckon something's worth."

He bit the coin and then nodded. "Perhaps as much as five silvers for this... I'll show you what we have."
Taking a key from the pocket of his leather apron he reached under the bar to remove a locked cash box of metal. He glanced briefly about the other customers but Karl was gone up to bed, Larkin and Trubshawe long since departed and only Arnora remained: sipping her glass of water during the lull in their conversation.

Opening the cash box Jones turned it so that the customer could see the bewildering variety of coins within. They were separated into three compartments, for gold, silver and copper - but within those classifications the differences were extreme. Large coins, small coins, coins with embpssed images, coins with foreign scripts, coins blank of any device, milled coins, hammered coins, coins with holes in the centre. Old coins dark with tarnish, new coins gleaming brightly, the majority were round, but not all.

"Five silvers of medium size," Jones repeated, dropping the Imperial Sovereign into the gold section. "Take your pick."

liason · Posted: 12 Apr 2004 02:00 pm Post subject:

"Thankyou, much obliged sir," Liason selected five coins more-or-less at random, then placed one back on the bar.

He bowed briefly to Jones.

"If all goes well I shall return within the week."

Wasting no time, Liason strode from the establishment.