The Ale Star

[Anonymous]

Naru was stunned by his luck. A job, already, just minutes after walking into the place! He hadn't even finished his first pint yet, and they were adding him to the roster of employees.

Rosetti...

What kind of name is that? It sounds fancy.

Naru shook himself out of his distracted daze, helped in part by the sight of this beautiful, well-endowed woman before him.

"Oh," he said, "Naru. My name is Naru. I don't have any other name. Just Naru." He offered his big, beefy, thickly-veined hand to the barkeep. "I sure won't disappoint you, mate."

Then he remembered the woman.

"A pleasure to meet you, ma'am," he said, awkwardly offering his hand to her as well.

[Anonymous]

While Naru was turning from the bartender, Mae was trying to get his attention since he was to add Philo to the roster after all.

Philo was taking in the sights of this place once again. He could get used to this he decided, but wondered what he would be doing on nights like this in the future. Did the actor need to report to work each night? When were rehearsals? Suddenly his head was full of questions.

Tag!

[Andreas Ricoletti]

(sorry about the wait)

For Naru:

Andreas notted the new employees appearance. One of the things he usually falted himself for was his desire to help the unemployed find their start within his business. However, he had a good feeling about this man. The man reminded him of his Uncle Ropert, who was an ox of a man and kind as a soft breeze in summer.

"Welcome to the Ale Star, I'm Andreas Ricoletti, please sit down and tell me about yourself so I can go ahead and hire you."

Andreas chuckled at the man's surprise to his generous nature. Although he was becoming richer than sin, he still liked to surprise people.

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For Philo:

Francis spied the man that Andreas seemed to take on so well with at his personal table and he wondered if this man, a handsome one at that, was going to serve as an escort. That must be the case, he thought, since the man wasn't responding to Mae's flirty nature. A true professional.

After detaching himself from the hands of a couple noble ladies (who acted less than noble upon the dance floor), he made his way over to the young man.

"Mae.....I ask you, who this young man is?"

He laughed a bit. It was a poor play on tone and words but he never got tired of annoying her. Not one bit.

[Anonymous]

((OOC - I leave later this morning so I have time for one more post))



Naru narrowed his eyes, expecting his luck to stop and offer him a mean, difficult boss. Instead, he looked at Ricoletti, who seemed to have a kind—yet somehow mischevious—face, and who was a skeleton of a man compared to Naru and the barkeep. There was something almost feminine about him, but Naru wasn't sure what it was. Perhaps those curious pointy ears.

Though Naru wasn't going to judge someone just because of their unusual looks. After all, his own appearance...well—

He took a seat at the table with a fresh pint of ale in his hand (he couldn't recall paying for it, but somehow there it was). He felt his nervousness bubble up within in like bile after a hefty meal, and he cleared his throat.

"Well," he began, "my name is Naru. Just Naru—I don't have a last name—and I grew up in the Blackwoods area, many days' walking distance from here. I guess I'm tired of living in the country and I wanted to live in the city. I heard there were lots of opportunities here in Marn, so I thought I'd give it a go. I can do lots of things: wash dishes, pour drinks—" He lifted his pint glass with a smile. "I'm good at pouring drinks," he said with a wink and a broad, toothy smile. "I can do whatever you need. I'm just looking for honest work and a fresh start."

He took another hearty draught of his second ale. "I just got into town this morning, and I need to find a place to live. Maybe a boarding house or something. I don't have very much," he said, gesturing towards his old worn, mostly empty knapsack. "I am a pretty simple man."

He scratched his head and sat back in his chair, taking a moment to soak it all in. How different from the forest, creeping through the brush and running like hell to catch his own supper—and to avoid being someone else's supper. City life would be a lot easier.



((OOC - Ricoletti might give Naru an idea of the job, then give him a couple of days to get settled. 2 days' game time = 1 week RL time? I will be back a week from today.))

[Anonymous]

Mae heard Francis before she looked at him and then arched an eyebrow at his play on words. Annoyed, certainly, but not angry.

"May I introduce you to an actor Andreas has just hired. Or at least as soon as I can get ahold of Otak to put his name on the roster." She said indicating Philo. "His name is Philo Keegwin. Philo, this is Francis."

"That was quite a good show there earlier." Philo said mimicking a punch through the air. He had a certain ignorant innocence to him. He offered to shake Francis's hand. "And good to meet you as well. It's not everyday one gets to meet such a dedicated actor as yourself, sir."

[Andreas Ricoletti]

For Naru:

"Well, you've come to the best place for work then, my friend. I have need of more waitstaff, bar tenders, and security. I'll have you get trained, which will be paid, and after that you consider yourself an employee of the 'Star," Andreas said after listening to Naru's qualifications, "go ahead and help Otak behind the bar, he's rather busy and could use another set of hands. Oh, before you go, I must warn you that some of the noble women that come to this tavern might wish to hire you as their....escort. It's up to you to take them up on their offer. Personally, I would recommend it, some of these noble women will pay a nice silver or two for a night of adventure if you catch my drift. However, if that somehow goes against honest work you can keep your job simple."

Andreas grinned and slid the man a leather strip with the design of a barrel amidst the stars, " All of my employees get to enjoy a night of free drinks and entertainment. Have fun tonight, and I'll expect to see you early in the morning."

(Thanks for joining us, Naru. I'll look forward to seeing your return)

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

For Philo:

Francis laughed and bowed, "Oh, I'm not all that dedicated as an actor. I just happen to look fabulous in a dress."

"I was beginning to get worried, I must admit, at having a bit of competition in the escort business. I don't know if Andreas told you this, but every once and a while a woman might ask you to one of the private rooms for a bit o' adventure. If that's the case, it's up to you to take them up on their offer. I must say though, the pay is woooonderful."

Francis produced a leather strap which had the Ale Star's new employee design on it.

"You know what this means, eh, Mae? I'm surprised that Master Ricoletti only gave you enough for a round of drinks. He must have only had one that he is giving that other fellow. You can have mine from my first night, I keep it as a good luck charm but you can have it. Mind if I borrow this young man and show him a night of fun, Mae?"

[Anonymous]

"I'm not sure how much of a bit o' adventure I'd be." Philo commented, probably considerably more naive than he had any right to be on the topic. On the one hand he did know what an escort was, but he wasn't sure if he'd be any good at it or if anyone would be interested in him as an escort either for that matter.

Mae chuckled. "Be my guest Francis. Perhaps I'll ask Andreas about it later."

To Philo she added. "Apparently Francis would like to show you around." Lowering her voice seductively she continued. "And be sure to let me know if you change your mind."

Color crept up from Philo's neck turning him a shade of crimson that could have rivaled Mae's dress. Why he was trading the pretty lady for the man in the dress he wasn't sure. Maybe it was from spending too much time around carnies. This was too strange.

He looked at the leather strap almost apprehensively. "Are you sure you want to spend time with me? I mean I wouldn't want to take you away from whatever it is you do. And I'm sure you're good at it, and an actor too. Very talented."

[Anonymous]

((OOC: I'm back from vacation. I'll create a new thread to address Naru's first day on the job.)

[Anonymous]

Gimmel Millwinder walked into the Ale Star in the late afternoon, just as business there was starting to pick up for the evening. As he walked in the door, he glanced quickly back at his motorized bicycle parked on the cobblestones outside. He felt fairly sure that it would not be stolen—no human, troll or elf would be able to figure out how to start it, much less how to operate it—but he winced as he imagined what a mess he would have to clean up if someone’s horse dropped an “apple” on the padded leather seat.

A second horrible thought occurred to him as he walked into the Ale Star. What if one of his neighbors or customers recognized him or his cycle? Would they tell his wife that they saw him at the brothel? He glanced at the white gold wedding band on his right hand and flexed his fingers self-consciously. Nuril would understand, he thought, because she knows I sell my equipment to businesses of all kinds, even those that purvey the services of the oldest profession. But it would be easier if he didn’t have to discuss the issue with her at all. Hopefully no one would recognize him.

Gimmel Millwinder was certainly recognizable. He was a prominent member of the gnomish community of Marn, a small community of perhaps a dozen families, and as a gnome, he stood apart from the rest of the crowd at the Ale Star. Gimmel was a small man, standing just over three and a half feet tall, but he carried himself in a way so that those around him knew he could hold his own among the larger races.

Gimmel was a typical gnome, with dark olive skin, a bulbuous nose, proportionately large and slightly pointed ears, and thick, dark eyebrows. He wore a full beard (which is somewhat unusual among gnomes), perhaps to compensate for his thinning hair and receding hairline. Even though he was on a sales call, he wore his "workshop" gear, which consists of brown leather steel-toed shoes, tan canvas trousers with large, roomy pockets on the thighs (“for the convenient storage of various implements”), a loose cotton shirt (with the sleeves rolled up to the elbow), a leather toolbelt with the usual hardware (including glare- and shatter-resistant welder’s goggles) plus extra pouches for allen wrenches and other small tools, and a gray wool "newsboy" style cap.

He had heard from one of the other gnomish engineers that the brothel had reopened under new ownership (How did he know? Gimmel had wondered with a smirk), and he figured that he had a good opportunity to sell one of his Model 1020 Deluxe Steam Drive Automatic Security Systems. He had kept his eye on the Ale Star during its reopening, and the place seemed like it was very profitable. Surely the proprietor would have 8,000 bishani to spend on a state-of-the-art, commercial grade anti-theft device.

Gimmel made his way past the doorman and towards the bar. He used the brass foot rest as a step to climb up onto a stool and took a seat next to a pair of humans, a man and a woman who seemed engaged in a conversation of an intimate nature. Blushing slightly, he turned to the smiling, round-faced bartender and ordered a pint of stout. Never mind the humans, he thought, I have business to do.

“This is my first time here,” he said to the bartender. “How long have you all been open?” he asked, knowing the answer but not knowing a better way to start the conversation.

[Andreas Ricoletti]

For Gimmel

Otak smiled at the new customer.

"We've been open an hour or so now mate. This is the grand reopening of the Ale Star. Are you planning on being a paying customer? Cause there is a free drink in it if you are."

----

For Philo

"Oh, I'm very sure, lad. It's always nice for us boys to know eachother. Besides, the ladies are always so jealous of how I dress. To be honest, I think they know I look better than they do," Francis said with a grin."

"What did you just say, Francis," a sultry female voice piped up behind him.

Francis, caught in his joke, turned about without missing a beat.

"Nothing love aside from, 'doesn't Veronica look lovely in that dress. The other ladies must be jealous that she looks better than they do."

Veronica, a raven haired, voluptous woman with little but air between her ears grinned like an idiot and replied, "Oh, you're so sweet Francis...and who is your friend...he's rather handsome."

"Oh, this...this lovely fellow is the respected and famous actor...Philo!"

This loud declaration made a couple ladies turn their heads.

"Isn't that right Philo?"

---

For anyone else:

Andreas dismissed Naru to his work and he took up a glass of wine. The band was playing a lively song and as he watched the people take the dance floor. He heard Francis' declaration of Philo's fame and he chuckled.
Most likely, Francis would bring Philo out of his shell in one night. He always admired the man for his ability to make all other men seem less...manly, even though he wore a dress.

Dress...dresses. So many lovely dresses passed before his gaze and he got to thinking of the one time he chased a dress around back in his homeland.

"Maybe it's about time I settled down," he said to himself.

He took another sip of his wine, and began to speculate on what that might mean.

[Anonymous]

Gimmel's cheeks flushed at the bartender's question.

"Oh no," he said, holding up his right hand with its prominent white gold band engraved with elven knotwork. "My missus would rather I just had a pint of ale. I will pay for it."

He swiveled his head around to look at the rest of the clientele. He was, of course, the only gnome in the bar. There were a few elves or elf-looking people, but most of them were humans, many of them women in fabulous dresses. He thought for a moment—just a moment—about what it might be like to engage a lady's services for the evening. What might she say if she were propositioned by a three and a half foot tall gnomish fellow? Would she agree? What would it be like to—? What would she—?

He stopped himself mid-thought. I am a married man with a lovely daughter. What am I even thinking?

He raised his glass to the bartender and offered the traditional gnomish toast, "Nahrost!" He took a large draught of the ale and set his glass down on the bar.

[Anonymous]

[[ moved from another thread, per Ricoletti's request ]]


With a little bit of effort, Narú found a place to live: a modest if not cramped room above a potter’s shop. The bed was big enough, with an adequately-stuffed straw mattress, and it seemed to be free of fleas. Marko, the potter, even threw in the wool blanket and unglazed chamber pot at no extra charge.

Narú was pleased, despite the spartan nature of his lodgings, since the room would cost him only twenty-five bishani per month. The potter initially wanted twice that much (plus a ten bishani deposit), but when Narú told him that he had been hired to work security at the Ale Star, Marko gave it some thought, and after looking Narú over with critical, narrowed eyes. Figuring that the quiet, muscular man would be able to look after the place during the early morning hours when thieves and vandals were most active—the hours between when the bars let out and the sun came up—he decided to give the hirsute stranger a break.

Narú paid the potter the ten bishani deposit, dropped his half-empty knapsack on the bed, and locked the door behind him. He stood at the top of the stairs (the room was accessed not through the potter’s shop but via a set of stairs in the alley behind the building) and looked out on the town. Wolf-father and Wolf-mother, he whispered under his breath, please give me your strength and your help as I start a new life in the world of men.

Narú went to a clothier’s shop and bought two pair of trousers (black and tan) and two cotton shirts (white and blue, his favorite color) each with generous lace-up collars to accommodate his thick neck. The tailor had to alter the trousers (letting out some seams and such) to fit Narú’s muscular frame, and the proprietor offered to take his measurements in case he wanted to have some pieces custom-made (“You know, for later, when you’ve made a few bishani at the Star,” the man said to him). After buying the new clothes, he didn’t have enough money for new boots, so he went to a shoe-shine man and had his sturdy old black boots shined up. He wanted to look good for his first day on the job at the Ale Star.

Around sunset, he made his way back to the Ale Star, only a few bishani left in his pouch to jingle along with the key to his boarding room. Under his belt he had the strip of leather Rosetti had given him, his passport to free drinks at the Star. He stood at the door and took a deep breath, trying to dismiss the twittering of his nerves, then stepped inside the Ale Star.

He went straight to the bar and, seeing the round-faced barkeep standing behind it, flashed the leather pass and smiled.

“I’ll have a pint of strong dark ale, mate,” he said. “So, what can I do to help? Mister Rosetti says I’m your new assistant bartender.”

[Andreas Ricoletti]

For Naru and Gimmel


Otak gave a knowing wink to the gnome after he finished the drink

"Oh, I know what you mean, mate...keep it strictly business. My missus says the same. And I'm feeling generous," Otak said, pushing the money back to the gnome, "it's on the house, we always value those who come to us with business. Speaking of that business what brings you to the Ale Star mate?"

Just as he was asking that question, another man came up to the bar.

"Ale please!"

Otak quickly grabbed mug and out of his periphery he noticed Naru, the new hiree entering.

"Naru! Good to see you. Could you go ahead and bring this good fellow to Mr. Ricoletti and then come right back here, I'll have an ale and your tasks for you when you return."

[Anonymous]

"Oh yes, respected and very--very famous." Philo said. The devil on his shoulder was egging him on a little bit. He had to put his best foot forward, sound confident. The famous sounded famous and he simply didn't. He wanted to be though.

Why are you dragging your feet? The devil on his shoulder poked at him.

Philo just chuckled. He didn't have half the magnetism of the man standing next to him. Moths were drifting already to other glints of flame. "I'm thinking this isn't a good night for Philo Keegwin." He said slumping his shoulders slightly. "Bad luck day I guess."

"Do you mind if I ask if you always wear a dress, Mr. Francis?" Philo inquired. It seemed like a simple question and Philo was very curious.

"I want to know all about Mr. Ricoletti's theater. Do they do any big productions or just the smaller ones?"

[Andreas Ricoletti]

For Philo:

Francis laughed heartily at the question.

"Why yes, I almost always wear dresses Philo! Who else is going to give the ladies a run for their money?"

Veronica and others chuckled at this remark.

"I'm glad you asked about the theatre, would a few of you ladies like to join me as I show Mr. Keegwin where he will dazzle us all, along with the fabulous Francis, that is?"

The women all gave an appreciative cat call and Francis smiled.

"Then follow me everyone!"

Six ladies, a mixed company of Francis admirers and those that might get business from Philo crowded in. Francis led the way upstairs to the third floor, where the small theatre was still reaching its finishing touches. It was a modest stage, not one for the bigger productions.

"I know it isn't the largest stage, but it isn't the size that counts, is it ladies?"

The young women laughed at the cliche'd joke.

"I'm sure we can make this theatre space work, since we are going to be partners and all."

One of the courtesans, by the name of Rebecca, stepped forward shyly.

"I was wondering if Mr. Philo was...ummm...looking for a little company tonight?"

Francis leaned over to Philo.

"I think she likes you mate, would you like to see if I can arrange for some alone time between the two of you...no charge of course?"