Amelia + Sveinn + Ravi || Project proposal with a side of angry godfathers
Who: Amelia, Sveinn, Ravindra
When: Friday afternoon/evening
Where: Sveinn's house
Ratings & Warnings: PG (Drinking and angry cursing Ravindras)
Amelia wasn't nervous about this one. Going to meet Sena Sabreme, that was nerve-wracking, because she wasn't an artist and she was being commissioned by the art-family to do art. This, though, this was an independent funder who wanted to see her clockwork. She was proud of her clockwork. She was confident in it. She brought a bag full of the watches and various other things she'd made, along with sketches for a clockwork cat prototype. This was going to be so great.
It hadn't taken her long to get ready at all. All she'd had to do was throw her sketches and some samples together and pull on a clean dress and she was set. The house wasn't hard to find, either, and there were the jays, hanging out in the trees, so she knew she had the right place. She walked up to the door and knocked, trying to contain her excitement as she waited. She only partially succeeded; when Sveinn opened the door, there would be a grinning redhead there to meet him.
He was quick to answer, though he hadn't been expecting her to arrive so promptly. Sveinn had already been dressed, his tailored silks an indicator of his wealth or standing.
The house was on the small side of modest, with more than enough room for a growing family, though the yard that housed the garden was larger, with plenty of trees visible over the stone wall surrounding it. An archway with a waist-high wooden door lead into it not too far from the front door, which Sveinn found convenient.
He looked the rather excited girl over before he spoke, his face bland of expression, though he did nod. "You must be Amelia. I am Sveinn." Though there was an obvious accent, it was difficult to place its origin outside of the well trained due to his extensive practice in foreign pronunciation. Stepping aside, he added, "Please, come in."
Even a cursory glance past him would spot many pieces of artwork strewn about his home, though neatly arrayed. Fortunately, he'd had enough time to clear off a table for use.
Ohhh wow, he was really pretty. She almost couldn't even tell whether he was a boy or a girl at first, but the clothes edged her toward boy. Maybe he was a faerie, like Gomer. Finding her tongue, she answered, "Yup, that's me, Amelia Varista."
She followed him inside and didn't try to hide her ogling at the decor he kept. It wasn't anywhere near as extravagant as the Sabreme home, but the art was so varied and interesting. As she sat at the table (uninvited!!), the first thing she said was, "You collect art, huh?"
Ah, yes, the 'family name'. Thus far he hadn't had any trouble in the city without giving one, though the number of foreigners he'd spotted about made it likely that they were used to it, or at least used to differences enough not to fret over it.
Closing the door, Sveinn followed to the table, not even registering any offence that seating oneself uninvited might cause. He was used to many varied customs. He glanced about the room at the items on display, varying from extravagant paintings to painted figurines in woods, metals and ceramics, glazed bowls and even a few ornate clocks. "Of a sort," he answered. He then motioned towards a cabinet against the far wall that held bottles and glasses. "Do you have any preferences?"
"Huh?" Right, drinks. She'd forgotten! "Oh, uh, not really. Anything's fine." She was too excited to worry about drinks! This was more important! She set her bag on the table and started pulling out her sketches and a few of the things she'd brought along to show off. Her self-lighting lantern, the watch she was making for Uncle Ravi, a windup mouse (not a hit with Missy, unfortunately)...
Sveinn nodded and headed over to the cabinet, selecting two short glasses and a bottle containing a brownish liquid before he returned. The glasses he set down on the table, then filled about halfway with the contents of the bottle, replacing the cork before that got set aside. One he moved to set down beside Amelia, clear of the various items she'd started cluttering up the table with, the other he lifted to sip from before he took the seat to her right. "It's strong," he warned, then tilted his head as he looked over the sketches and other items, though mostly cursory glances while he let the girl get organized.
She didn't really hear the warning. Well, she heard it, but didn't pay any attention to it, except to give a polite, automatic, "Thanks," when she saw the drink set in front of her. Once she had everything laid out, she settled back in her chair and looked out over her assembled projects. This was going to be so great.
She reached for the glass and took a sip and was immediately impressed. She'd never had anything like this before. "This is really good," she said, distracted momentarily from her proposal.
"It's brandy," Sveinn explained, assuming she'd never had it before. Probably correctly. Well, either that or she'd never had a good brandy before. The quality made up a lot in the taste.
He leaned back in his seat and took another sip from his own glass, savouring the flavour before he swallowed, then looked towards her. "Do you have a presentation planned?" he asked, eager to hear her take on the clockwork cat. Hopefully she wasn't going to try too hard to make it like a real cat. Of course, he was also quite curious about the objects she'd lain out.
It was correct, in fact! She grew up in a house where drinking was infrequent, so her booze worldliness was very lacking.
"Not really a presentation, but! I brought some of my stuff to show you." She paused for a sip (a rather large sip), and then pulled herself straight in the chair and leaned out over the table to start in.
"This," she pointed out the lantern, "was a really neat idea. It's actually one of my first inventions. You turn this dial here," she indicated it, "and it turns a wheel inside that strikes a flint and lights the wick. No matches! Automatic! Watch." She turned the dial, three clicks before a pop as the wick caught flame and the lantern lit. Grinning proudly, she looked expectantly to Sveinn.
He cocked his head as he watched, though the only visible reaction he gave was his left brow rising once the thing lit. Well, and a faint nod. "That's pretty impressive. If you could get the flint to work more reliably, I could see a market for them." He paused. "Or perhaps more of one. Have you tried to market these?" He kept his eyes on the lantern, leaning closer and studying the craftsmanship more than the lighting device itself. "They would be useful for traveling at night, I think. Have you tested how wind resistant the flame is?"
That looked like approval in her book, even if he didn't smile. He seemed like a very serious sort of person, anyway. "It works reliably! It just takes a few clicks sometimes before it catches. And marketing, hmm..." She hesitated, tapping her finger against her chin. She hadn't marketed any of her inventions yet, really. The idea had never really occurred to her. "I haven't, I guess... I feel like maybe it's not polished enough to market?"
Sveinn quirked a brow as he glanced towards her, then turned back to the device, reaching one hand out to touch the metals, almost as though he were worried about... breaking it, perhaps? The main problem about metal crafters was the metals they used. He never know when iron would sneak in to bite him.
After a few light touches, he turned the lantern on the table to look it over, though still careful in his handling. "It's very well made. If you feel it needs polishing, perhaps make a few more prototypes to perfect the design. They'd make lovely gifts, and if given to the right people, would get your design out there for others to envy." After some intense scrutiny, he leaned back and looked at Amelia once more. "If you made one that was very elaborate with decor you could even offer it to a Lord, or perhaps see about entering it into an art display." Not that it was plain, but the more elaborate the better, in some cases. "Simpler designs would work best for the general public, however."
She beamed. It wasn't praise, but that made it even better; he was honestly telling her that her work was worth marketing and people would buy it! Once she got these clockwork cats figured out, she was definitely going to make a marketable version of the lantern. "I'll do that, then," she said.
"Um, this is my specialty, though." She picked up the watch and held it out. It was no Octiviar, but it was functional, and she actually had bothered making it look at least a little bit fancy. Polished bronze with decorative carving, and a cover that opened to reveal the glass face like a locket. Nice enough on the outside, and functional but not gorgeous on the inside. She'd never be the next Octiviar until she learned to make the gears look like art, but she was working on it.
Sveinn certainly didn't expect this girl to be that good. Otherwise she wouldn't be looking for funding from total strangers! She'd have plenty of backers by now. But her work was still rather impressive, and very promising.
He leaned towards Amelia to inspect the watch, giving her the briefest glance for permission before plucking it from her fingers. He held it delicately, as though it were fine glasswork and could break at any moment, turning it over in his hand, inspecting the carving as well as the watch face, tracing a finger along the metal's seams. After a very thorough look over that probably left her waiting anxiously for a reaction, he simply nodded, not even looking up from the watch when he spoke. "A magnificent piece. Do you sell many of these?"
Oh yes, anxious indeed. She was on the edge of her seat, watching like a hawk as he turned it over in his hands. (She also managed to drink the rest of her glass in the time between handing the watch off and his nod of approval.) "Oh, no," she answered quickly, maybe a little caught off-guard by the question, "this is actually the first one I've built from scratch. Well, no, that's not true, it's just the first nice one. All the others were practice, not that great. After this, though, I'm definitely going to start making watches to sell. Not like that one, though. Different. That one's for my Uncle Ravi."
The man nodded at that. It made sense; gifts for family were never the same as the sort of thing you'd sell to the general public. "Of equal quality, I should hope." Sometimes a crafter would make a wonderful item for a family member or close friend, but their public works were... subpar. He considered that a sign of a poor craftsmanship.
As he passed the watch back, he spotted the girl's empty glass and quirked a brow, studying her face for a moment. He was never sure how much liquor those he met could handle. He wasn't about to mention it, however; plenty of people in the city were drinking far too much this week anyway. Instead, he said, "I hope the gift is suitably appreciated."
"Of course! Trying to sell poor quality stuff is just embarrassing, I would never." Which was the real reason why she hadn't bothered selling anything, yet. Didn't feel she was building anything good enough quality for it.
She took the watch back and tucked it carefully into her bag instead of leaving it on the table. The lantern was still burning, she noticed; she paused to blow it out before turning to the mouse. She stared at the small wind-up toy for a moment, tapping her fingers on the table, while she tried to remember what she had planned to say about it.
...Man, whatever it was that he'd given her had been good though. "Can I have a refill?" she asked, nodding toward her glass as she picked up the mouse to wind it.
He only hesitated a moment before complying, pouring another half glass of the sweet-tasting drink for his guest. His own glass was barely touched, so the bottle was stoppered and set aside, his attention turning to the thing in her hands. It looked like a toy. Clockwork toys were a marvel themselves; not very many made them that he'd found.
"I made this one for Uncle Ravi's cat," she said, intently focused on the iron key she was twisting in the mouse's back. "She didn't like it very much, though."
She set it down on the table, away from her sketches, and let it go. With a whirring, it set off in a lazy circle, making it halfway across the table before taking a dive off the edge near Sveinn. Which she should have expected, but it still caught her by surprise. "Oh no!" she exclaimed. "Is it okay?! Did it break?"
Being an expert combatant, Sveinn was very quick, and managed to catch the thing before it tumbled to the floor, despite having not expected it to be quite so... active? Not that he showed his surprise at all. He held the thing up to inspect it, letting the last of its juice run out before trying to get too close a look at it. "It's fine," he responded, holding it out for her so she could be sure it was undamaged.
"Marvelous little thing," he mused. "How old was the cat? I suspect a young kitten might be more interested in it. Older cats tend to be easily startled by things they've never seen before."
"Whew!" Good thing. Not that she couldn't just build another, but having stuff break was no fun! She leaned back, lazily picking up the glass as she squinted at the mouse in his hand. "Yeah, I guess she's pretty old. Not that old, but not young, like, gosh, how old was I when Uncle Ravi got her? Thirteen I think? So she's around 7, and I made that last year." She sipped. Maybe as a toy for kids instead of cats...
The mouse received a less through examination than the watch had before being returned to its owner, Sveinn nodding as he held it out to her. "If you know anyone with kittens you could try it out with them. Though I imagine a child would be rather excited by it."
As he leaned back, he lifted his own glass to sip at his brandy, then motioned to the girl's sketches, since they were on the topic. "What were your ideas for the clockwork cat?"
"Yeah, maybe." How did he know she'd just been thinking that? Faeries!! He was probably a mind-reader or something.
But pulling the conversation back to the clockwork cat energized her. She scooted up straight, setting the glass--not empty, but significantly drained--back on the table, and gathered up her sketches. "Okay, I drew these up as soon as I had the idea, it's mostly exterior design but there's a few interior workings but I'm not sure you'd understand them if you didn't know anything about clockwork. I'm not quite sure how I'd make it run yet, whether to wind it or use a, um, um...a thing. Like clocks. A pendulum! Yeah. Anyway." She handed over the sketches.
Very nicely drawn outlines for a mechanical cat form, a few detail shots to show how gears could be set up for a range of motion in the limbs, but not much more than that. Promising, but needed expanding.
It was a logical jump from feline child to human child, really. Though the workings of Amelia's mind were unbeknownst to him.
The guy nodded as she spoke, intent on both her words and the sketches, his glass being set aside and forgotten for the moment. "Pendulums need to hang, don't they?" He didn't know too much about the inner workings of a clock. "I imagine getting the limbs to move properly would be trickier than getting it working at all. You did get the mouse to work." He inspected the exterior designs more than the interior, though those were also of interest. "I like these. And I think, if you had part of the interior exposed, so that the owner could see how it worked, it would be quite the intrigue." A pause. "Though that sort would require great care to prevent anything from clogging up the gears."
"Probably, yeah, that's kind of...hm..." Pause, she looked intensely thoughtful for a few seconds, and then corrected herself. "Well, no, I could just use a glass casing instead of a metal one...but it'd be pretty fragile, then, huh?" Another pause, this one to finish off the rest of her glass. "Anyway pendulum wasn't the right word, I was thinking of a spring, pocket watches are spring-wound, it's the big clocks that use a pendulum. But yeah, there'd be a lot more moving parts in a clockwork cat than in the mouse, so it'd be a chal--challenge, um--trying to get it to move properly."
Sveinn did show the faintest hint of a smirk at the edges of his mouth, but beyond that, and deciding not to offer her any more brandy, he paid the inebriety little attention. She seemed to be handling herself rather well. "Mm, glass would make it more fragile than simply leaving it exposed, I think... as it would have to be a fairly thin glass, would it not? Perhaps do them that way for commission, and have the main prototype fully contained." He examined the sketches a bit further before settling back in his seat. "I couldn't even begin to suggest any ideas for the inner workings, but I'm sure you'll figure it out. You are quite talented."
She beamed. "I know." Not something she'd normally admit to. It was better to act humble and anyway there were people so much better than her--where had this confidence come from all of a sudden?! She laughed it off. "I mean, that's what people tell me, hahaha, I'm not. I'm not vain about it or anything."
He waved it off. "It's good to be aware of your talent. Knowing how good you are is certainly not a fault, and lets you better gauge what your creations are worth." Ah, yes, the topic of funds. "I think I would like to see you have some better idea of what the mechanics of the prototype would be before I agreed to funding, however. Not that I lack faith in your abilities, I merely wish to know that my investment is worthwhile. Plus, a better understanding of its workings would provide a clearer estimate of costs."
Right, okay--wait, he wasn't funding her, is that what he was saying? Her face fell. "Oh."
Wait, wait no, wait. He said he just needed to see more before he agreed to it. That meant he was still willing, she just needed more to show him. "So...so you'd, um, you'd want to see better schematics? First?"
Sveinn's brow quirked. He wasn't fully versed on the different effects inebriation had on people outside of Scandinavia, and even then much of what he'd seen had been similar. Overly loud and drinking more with the occasional brawl. One of the faults of not being very sociable amongst humans, he mused. "Yes. You do have many sketches here, but they're mostly to do with the exterior. I'd like to see more of your ideas for what's inside."
"Okay." She nodded. "Okay." She could do that. More interior sketches, more detailed schematics. He'd fund her if she just gave him a better idea of what she was going to do, so all she had to do was...that. "Just, just give me a...while. I can do that." A couple days, maybe? She'd have to...to do something--why couldn't she think clearly all of a sudden? This was easy stuff, she should've been able to sit down and draw up some new schematics right now, but she could barely even figure out what she was trying to say.
He watched her silently for a few moments. He had warned her that it was strong, so felt no guilt, but now he had to figure out what to do with her. Sending her off alone in such a state would probably be frowned upon, especially with the fest doing much to encourage poor behaviour. Oh, and likely dangerous. "Are you all right?" he inquired.
During his silence, she started gathering up her things, the lantern and clockwork mouse and schematics, to put them away in her bag. She was starting to feel a little sick, staying was probably not a good idea. "I'm okay," she answered, because she didn't want him to worry. Was she drunk? She'd only had two glasses! That was usually just enough to get her tipsy! "I think I should go, though."
It's a good thing he wasn't prone to speaking his mind very often. He wasn't so much worried about her as earning himself a reputation. While she tidied her things, he moved the glasses out of the way to prevent any accidents. "You should, yes, but not alone. Is there somewhere I could escort you to, or someone who could walk you home?"
"Oh, no, I'll be fine, don't worry about it." She pushed the chair back and stood, was promptly hit by a wave of lightheadedness that made her vision swim and black out for a moment, and fell back into the chair, holding her head in her hand. That stuff must have been really strong.
After a few seconds, she mumbled, "Sorry, let me just...write my Uncle Ravi..."
His hand moved to steady the chair, in case she fell into it too hard. While both the chair and the girl would probably survive a stumble, it would be rather rude to let her go and hurt herself in his home. Oh, and her clockworks might get damaged. Sveinn ensured the bag was securely on the table before he settled back and waited patiently, keeping a close eye on his guest.
She dug her ledger out of her bag--thank goodness she'd thought to bring it!--along with one of her self-inking pens and wrote a message for her godfather. When he asked where, she looked up at Sveinn and started to ask, "What's your--wait," but she didn't need to ask that at all, he had written it down! She flipped back to the thread where he'd first spoken to her and copied down the address for Uncle Ravi.
When she realized he wasn't going to respond any more, she closed the ledger and stuck it and the pen back in her bag. "He said to meet him outside," she told Sveinn.
The pen intrigued him, and if she'd been more aware of her surroundings she'd have probably noticed him watching her write with it. Not the words, mind, just the use of the writing implement. His gaze lifted as the book was closed. "Do you think that's wise? You can't even stand at the moment." He paused, then, "I could help you outside, though there aren't any seats too close to the house."
"I don't know, I think he's being silly," she replied, giving a lazy, limp wave with one hand. "He's probably all panicky about it even though I told him not to be." She set her elbow on the armrest and her forehead in her hand. She could probably stand if she tried again! But, meh. She didn't feel like trying again. Uncle Ravi would probably be mad, but she didn't care, she'd just look cute and he'd stop.
Sveinn nodded. "I'm sure he's just worried," he said. Humans had a tendency to worry. A lot. About everything. More-so when family was involved. He stood. "I could watch for him, if you don't need anything." It's not like many people dropped by, so even just watching out the window, anyone approaching the door would likely be who he was looking for.
"No, I'm okay," she said. "I'll just...sit here. And wait."
Amelia was completely writing off Ravi's worry, and she really should not have. It didn't take long for him to show up, and when he did, he was ready to kick the door in when he didn't see Amelia waiting for him outside. Hopefully Sveinn saw him and got to the door before Ravi did.
Sveinn did see the man approach, though he wasn't expecting such a contrast in appearances. Still, he wasn't expecting anyone else, and inter-racial relations weren't totally unknown to him, so he assumed this was her uncle and went to meet him at the door as he arrived. "You are Ravi?" he inquired.
Ravindra didn't possess a very intimidating stature, but he was dressed in the mail armour of his Guard uniform, with a sword at his side, and that was really all he needed. When he was met at the door by a strange man instead of his goddaughter, his eyes narrowed and his hand rested on his sword hilt. "Where is Amelia?" he asked, cold and dangerous.
Whatever sort of reaction one may have expected was clearly absent from this fellow, Sveinn's expression unchanged as he simply stepped aside and motioned towards the girl seated at the table. "I must apologize. I hadn't realized she was unused to such strong beverages."
Ravi did not give a damn about this guy's excuses. He flashed Sveinn a glare and rushed to Amelia's side as soon as he saw her. She was still in one piece, but that barely put a dent in his fatherly worry slash fury.
Amelia saw him and lifted her head, letting her arm fall. "Uncle Ravi~!" Her saviour! She held her arms out to him. "Help me up?"
Sveinn was taken slightly aback, not accustomed to such looks, though his only indication was a raised brow before he closed the door. Not knowing what else to do in such a situation, he stood there, waiting. What little social protocol he knew was of little help, especially in Tyrol. Offering the man a drink seemed inappropriate under the circumstances.
Ohh yes, inappropriate as hell. Ravi, despite his anger, gently helped Amelia to her feet, where she wrapped an arm around his shoulders and leaned on him like a tired child. It just worried him more. He glared at Sveinn again and demanded, "What happened here?"
"Ah." Sveinn hesitated a moment before approaching the table. "We were discussing funding for one of her projects over drinks. She brought over some sketches and samples of her work," he explained, indicating the bag on the table. "She really is quite talented." He actually managed to sound at least a little impressed saying that.
Amelia smiled, though Ravi couldn't see it with her head against his shoulder. "Sooo talented. The talentedest. But I need better schematics before he'll fund me."
That was not the part Ravi cared about. Dammit. "Over drinks," he said, still eyeing Sveinn like the guy was a wolf. It was really fucking shady to invite a girl over to show you her work and get her drunk while she was alone with you. REALLY FUCKING SHADY, SVEINN.
Sveinn's initial response was another moment of hesitation. "That is the custom, is it not? To provide drinks to your guests?" Had he made some kind of faux pas? Human customs were so confusing. "I am still fairly new to Tyrol, so if I've made an error in etiquette I must apologize."
"She is a young woman alone in your home--"
"Ohhh my goodness, Uncle Ravi," Amelia interrupted, exasperated. "Sveinn just wanted to talk about funding, wow, stop freaking out, okay? Nothing happened!"
It took him a few moments to piece together the insinuation, and he rewarded them both with a shocked look, with perhaps the faintest hint of disgust. "I can assure you that I have no such interest in your niece. I do, however, have great interest in the talents of an up-and-coming artist and craftswoman." One look about his home might prove this, but Sveinn doubted the man was really interested in his collection.
You were in a hole right now Sveinn, and nothing you said was going to dig you out of it. "If that is true, then why am I here to have to bring her home?"
Amelia groaned and pushed herself away from him, steadier now that she'd been standing for a bit. She grabbed her bag from the table, throwing the strap over her shoulder. "Uncle Ravi, stop, you are so embarrassing right now, don't embarrass me in front of my investors, let's just go, okay?"
Sveinn opened his mouth to speak, but closed it again, his face reacquiring that expressionless look. He glanced to the girl before returning his gaze to Ravindra. "She showed me some of her creations, we discussed the project, and we had drinks. That is all. But I am doubtful that that, or anything else I would have to say, would be believed. So perhaps you should do as she says." He started to turn, then stopped to add, "Oh, and do be careful with her bag. She has some valuable creations in there, and I think she would be terribly upset were they to get damaged." With that, he went to the door and opened it, no longer looking at the two and merely waiting patiently.
Of course Sveinn's calm responses just made Ravi distrust him more. If he really hadn't done anything shady, he would have the courtesy to be a little more defensive about it!
Amelia clutched the bag to her chest when Sveinn gave that word of caution, glancing at her Uncle Ravi. He wasn't a mindreader, he couldn't know there was a gift in there for him--...could he? She chewed anxiously at her bottom lip.
"We are leaving," he said, taking hold of her arm and tugging her forward.
She stumbled, but put her arm around his shoulders again to steady herself. As they passed the door, she turned to give Sveinn an apologetic wince and stage-whisper, "Sorry!" at him. Ravi shot her a glare for that.
Sveinn didn't even look at them as they passed by, nor make any sort of response to Amelia. He simply waited until they'd exited, then closed the door behind them. He would contact her later to assure her that he was still interested.
When: Friday afternoon/evening
Where: Sveinn's house
Ratings & Warnings: PG (Drinking and angry cursing Ravindras)
Amelia wasn't nervous about this one. Going to meet Sena Sabreme, that was nerve-wracking, because she wasn't an artist and she was being commissioned by the art-family to do art. This, though, this was an independent funder who wanted to see her clockwork. She was proud of her clockwork. She was confident in it. She brought a bag full of the watches and various other things she'd made, along with sketches for a clockwork cat prototype. This was going to be so great.
It hadn't taken her long to get ready at all. All she'd had to do was throw her sketches and some samples together and pull on a clean dress and she was set. The house wasn't hard to find, either, and there were the jays, hanging out in the trees, so she knew she had the right place. She walked up to the door and knocked, trying to contain her excitement as she waited. She only partially succeeded; when Sveinn opened the door, there would be a grinning redhead there to meet him.
He was quick to answer, though he hadn't been expecting her to arrive so promptly. Sveinn had already been dressed, his tailored silks an indicator of his wealth or standing.
The house was on the small side of modest, with more than enough room for a growing family, though the yard that housed the garden was larger, with plenty of trees visible over the stone wall surrounding it. An archway with a waist-high wooden door lead into it not too far from the front door, which Sveinn found convenient.
He looked the rather excited girl over before he spoke, his face bland of expression, though he did nod. "You must be Amelia. I am Sveinn." Though there was an obvious accent, it was difficult to place its origin outside of the well trained due to his extensive practice in foreign pronunciation. Stepping aside, he added, "Please, come in."
Even a cursory glance past him would spot many pieces of artwork strewn about his home, though neatly arrayed. Fortunately, he'd had enough time to clear off a table for use.
Ohhh wow, he was really pretty. She almost couldn't even tell whether he was a boy or a girl at first, but the clothes edged her toward boy. Maybe he was a faerie, like Gomer. Finding her tongue, she answered, "Yup, that's me, Amelia Varista."
She followed him inside and didn't try to hide her ogling at the decor he kept. It wasn't anywhere near as extravagant as the Sabreme home, but the art was so varied and interesting. As she sat at the table (uninvited!!), the first thing she said was, "You collect art, huh?"
Ah, yes, the 'family name'. Thus far he hadn't had any trouble in the city without giving one, though the number of foreigners he'd spotted about made it likely that they were used to it, or at least used to differences enough not to fret over it.
Closing the door, Sveinn followed to the table, not even registering any offence that seating oneself uninvited might cause. He was used to many varied customs. He glanced about the room at the items on display, varying from extravagant paintings to painted figurines in woods, metals and ceramics, glazed bowls and even a few ornate clocks. "Of a sort," he answered. He then motioned towards a cabinet against the far wall that held bottles and glasses. "Do you have any preferences?"
"Huh?" Right, drinks. She'd forgotten! "Oh, uh, not really. Anything's fine." She was too excited to worry about drinks! This was more important! She set her bag on the table and started pulling out her sketches and a few of the things she'd brought along to show off. Her self-lighting lantern, the watch she was making for Uncle Ravi, a windup mouse (not a hit with Missy, unfortunately)...
Sveinn nodded and headed over to the cabinet, selecting two short glasses and a bottle containing a brownish liquid before he returned. The glasses he set down on the table, then filled about halfway with the contents of the bottle, replacing the cork before that got set aside. One he moved to set down beside Amelia, clear of the various items she'd started cluttering up the table with, the other he lifted to sip from before he took the seat to her right. "It's strong," he warned, then tilted his head as he looked over the sketches and other items, though mostly cursory glances while he let the girl get organized.
She didn't really hear the warning. Well, she heard it, but didn't pay any attention to it, except to give a polite, automatic, "Thanks," when she saw the drink set in front of her. Once she had everything laid out, she settled back in her chair and looked out over her assembled projects. This was going to be so great.
She reached for the glass and took a sip and was immediately impressed. She'd never had anything like this before. "This is really good," she said, distracted momentarily from her proposal.
"It's brandy," Sveinn explained, assuming she'd never had it before. Probably correctly. Well, either that or she'd never had a good brandy before. The quality made up a lot in the taste.
He leaned back in his seat and took another sip from his own glass, savouring the flavour before he swallowed, then looked towards her. "Do you have a presentation planned?" he asked, eager to hear her take on the clockwork cat. Hopefully she wasn't going to try too hard to make it like a real cat. Of course, he was also quite curious about the objects she'd lain out.
It was correct, in fact! She grew up in a house where drinking was infrequent, so her booze worldliness was very lacking.
"Not really a presentation, but! I brought some of my stuff to show you." She paused for a sip (a rather large sip), and then pulled herself straight in the chair and leaned out over the table to start in.
"This," she pointed out the lantern, "was a really neat idea. It's actually one of my first inventions. You turn this dial here," she indicated it, "and it turns a wheel inside that strikes a flint and lights the wick. No matches! Automatic! Watch." She turned the dial, three clicks before a pop as the wick caught flame and the lantern lit. Grinning proudly, she looked expectantly to Sveinn.
He cocked his head as he watched, though the only visible reaction he gave was his left brow rising once the thing lit. Well, and a faint nod. "That's pretty impressive. If you could get the flint to work more reliably, I could see a market for them." He paused. "Or perhaps more of one. Have you tried to market these?" He kept his eyes on the lantern, leaning closer and studying the craftsmanship more than the lighting device itself. "They would be useful for traveling at night, I think. Have you tested how wind resistant the flame is?"
That looked like approval in her book, even if he didn't smile. He seemed like a very serious sort of person, anyway. "It works reliably! It just takes a few clicks sometimes before it catches. And marketing, hmm..." She hesitated, tapping her finger against her chin. She hadn't marketed any of her inventions yet, really. The idea had never really occurred to her. "I haven't, I guess... I feel like maybe it's not polished enough to market?"
Sveinn quirked a brow as he glanced towards her, then turned back to the device, reaching one hand out to touch the metals, almost as though he were worried about... breaking it, perhaps? The main problem about metal crafters was the metals they used. He never know when iron would sneak in to bite him.
After a few light touches, he turned the lantern on the table to look it over, though still careful in his handling. "It's very well made. If you feel it needs polishing, perhaps make a few more prototypes to perfect the design. They'd make lovely gifts, and if given to the right people, would get your design out there for others to envy." After some intense scrutiny, he leaned back and looked at Amelia once more. "If you made one that was very elaborate with decor you could even offer it to a Lord, or perhaps see about entering it into an art display." Not that it was plain, but the more elaborate the better, in some cases. "Simpler designs would work best for the general public, however."
She beamed. It wasn't praise, but that made it even better; he was honestly telling her that her work was worth marketing and people would buy it! Once she got these clockwork cats figured out, she was definitely going to make a marketable version of the lantern. "I'll do that, then," she said.
"Um, this is my specialty, though." She picked up the watch and held it out. It was no Octiviar, but it was functional, and she actually had bothered making it look at least a little bit fancy. Polished bronze with decorative carving, and a cover that opened to reveal the glass face like a locket. Nice enough on the outside, and functional but not gorgeous on the inside. She'd never be the next Octiviar until she learned to make the gears look like art, but she was working on it.
Sveinn certainly didn't expect this girl to be that good. Otherwise she wouldn't be looking for funding from total strangers! She'd have plenty of backers by now. But her work was still rather impressive, and very promising.
He leaned towards Amelia to inspect the watch, giving her the briefest glance for permission before plucking it from her fingers. He held it delicately, as though it were fine glasswork and could break at any moment, turning it over in his hand, inspecting the carving as well as the watch face, tracing a finger along the metal's seams. After a very thorough look over that probably left her waiting anxiously for a reaction, he simply nodded, not even looking up from the watch when he spoke. "A magnificent piece. Do you sell many of these?"
Oh yes, anxious indeed. She was on the edge of her seat, watching like a hawk as he turned it over in his hands. (She also managed to drink the rest of her glass in the time between handing the watch off and his nod of approval.) "Oh, no," she answered quickly, maybe a little caught off-guard by the question, "this is actually the first one I've built from scratch. Well, no, that's not true, it's just the first nice one. All the others were practice, not that great. After this, though, I'm definitely going to start making watches to sell. Not like that one, though. Different. That one's for my Uncle Ravi."
The man nodded at that. It made sense; gifts for family were never the same as the sort of thing you'd sell to the general public. "Of equal quality, I should hope." Sometimes a crafter would make a wonderful item for a family member or close friend, but their public works were... subpar. He considered that a sign of a poor craftsmanship.
As he passed the watch back, he spotted the girl's empty glass and quirked a brow, studying her face for a moment. He was never sure how much liquor those he met could handle. He wasn't about to mention it, however; plenty of people in the city were drinking far too much this week anyway. Instead, he said, "I hope the gift is suitably appreciated."
"Of course! Trying to sell poor quality stuff is just embarrassing, I would never." Which was the real reason why she hadn't bothered selling anything, yet. Didn't feel she was building anything good enough quality for it.
She took the watch back and tucked it carefully into her bag instead of leaving it on the table. The lantern was still burning, she noticed; she paused to blow it out before turning to the mouse. She stared at the small wind-up toy for a moment, tapping her fingers on the table, while she tried to remember what she had planned to say about it.
...Man, whatever it was that he'd given her had been good though. "Can I have a refill?" she asked, nodding toward her glass as she picked up the mouse to wind it.
He only hesitated a moment before complying, pouring another half glass of the sweet-tasting drink for his guest. His own glass was barely touched, so the bottle was stoppered and set aside, his attention turning to the thing in her hands. It looked like a toy. Clockwork toys were a marvel themselves; not very many made them that he'd found.
"I made this one for Uncle Ravi's cat," she said, intently focused on the iron key she was twisting in the mouse's back. "She didn't like it very much, though."
She set it down on the table, away from her sketches, and let it go. With a whirring, it set off in a lazy circle, making it halfway across the table before taking a dive off the edge near Sveinn. Which she should have expected, but it still caught her by surprise. "Oh no!" she exclaimed. "Is it okay?! Did it break?"
Being an expert combatant, Sveinn was very quick, and managed to catch the thing before it tumbled to the floor, despite having not expected it to be quite so... active? Not that he showed his surprise at all. He held the thing up to inspect it, letting the last of its juice run out before trying to get too close a look at it. "It's fine," he responded, holding it out for her so she could be sure it was undamaged.
"Marvelous little thing," he mused. "How old was the cat? I suspect a young kitten might be more interested in it. Older cats tend to be easily startled by things they've never seen before."
"Whew!" Good thing. Not that she couldn't just build another, but having stuff break was no fun! She leaned back, lazily picking up the glass as she squinted at the mouse in his hand. "Yeah, I guess she's pretty old. Not that old, but not young, like, gosh, how old was I when Uncle Ravi got her? Thirteen I think? So she's around 7, and I made that last year." She sipped. Maybe as a toy for kids instead of cats...
The mouse received a less through examination than the watch had before being returned to its owner, Sveinn nodding as he held it out to her. "If you know anyone with kittens you could try it out with them. Though I imagine a child would be rather excited by it."
As he leaned back, he lifted his own glass to sip at his brandy, then motioned to the girl's sketches, since they were on the topic. "What were your ideas for the clockwork cat?"
"Yeah, maybe." How did he know she'd just been thinking that? Faeries!! He was probably a mind-reader or something.
But pulling the conversation back to the clockwork cat energized her. She scooted up straight, setting the glass--not empty, but significantly drained--back on the table, and gathered up her sketches. "Okay, I drew these up as soon as I had the idea, it's mostly exterior design but there's a few interior workings but I'm not sure you'd understand them if you didn't know anything about clockwork. I'm not quite sure how I'd make it run yet, whether to wind it or use a, um, um...a thing. Like clocks. A pendulum! Yeah. Anyway." She handed over the sketches.
Very nicely drawn outlines for a mechanical cat form, a few detail shots to show how gears could be set up for a range of motion in the limbs, but not much more than that. Promising, but needed expanding.
It was a logical jump from feline child to human child, really. Though the workings of Amelia's mind were unbeknownst to him.
The guy nodded as she spoke, intent on both her words and the sketches, his glass being set aside and forgotten for the moment. "Pendulums need to hang, don't they?" He didn't know too much about the inner workings of a clock. "I imagine getting the limbs to move properly would be trickier than getting it working at all. You did get the mouse to work." He inspected the exterior designs more than the interior, though those were also of interest. "I like these. And I think, if you had part of the interior exposed, so that the owner could see how it worked, it would be quite the intrigue." A pause. "Though that sort would require great care to prevent anything from clogging up the gears."
"Probably, yeah, that's kind of...hm..." Pause, she looked intensely thoughtful for a few seconds, and then corrected herself. "Well, no, I could just use a glass casing instead of a metal one...but it'd be pretty fragile, then, huh?" Another pause, this one to finish off the rest of her glass. "Anyway pendulum wasn't the right word, I was thinking of a spring, pocket watches are spring-wound, it's the big clocks that use a pendulum. But yeah, there'd be a lot more moving parts in a clockwork cat than in the mouse, so it'd be a chal--challenge, um--trying to get it to move properly."
Sveinn did show the faintest hint of a smirk at the edges of his mouth, but beyond that, and deciding not to offer her any more brandy, he paid the inebriety little attention. She seemed to be handling herself rather well. "Mm, glass would make it more fragile than simply leaving it exposed, I think... as it would have to be a fairly thin glass, would it not? Perhaps do them that way for commission, and have the main prototype fully contained." He examined the sketches a bit further before settling back in his seat. "I couldn't even begin to suggest any ideas for the inner workings, but I'm sure you'll figure it out. You are quite talented."
She beamed. "I know." Not something she'd normally admit to. It was better to act humble and anyway there were people so much better than her--where had this confidence come from all of a sudden?! She laughed it off. "I mean, that's what people tell me, hahaha, I'm not. I'm not vain about it or anything."
He waved it off. "It's good to be aware of your talent. Knowing how good you are is certainly not a fault, and lets you better gauge what your creations are worth." Ah, yes, the topic of funds. "I think I would like to see you have some better idea of what the mechanics of the prototype would be before I agreed to funding, however. Not that I lack faith in your abilities, I merely wish to know that my investment is worthwhile. Plus, a better understanding of its workings would provide a clearer estimate of costs."
Right, okay--wait, he wasn't funding her, is that what he was saying? Her face fell. "Oh."
Wait, wait no, wait. He said he just needed to see more before he agreed to it. That meant he was still willing, she just needed more to show him. "So...so you'd, um, you'd want to see better schematics? First?"
Sveinn's brow quirked. He wasn't fully versed on the different effects inebriation had on people outside of Scandinavia, and even then much of what he'd seen had been similar. Overly loud and drinking more with the occasional brawl. One of the faults of not being very sociable amongst humans, he mused. "Yes. You do have many sketches here, but they're mostly to do with the exterior. I'd like to see more of your ideas for what's inside."
"Okay." She nodded. "Okay." She could do that. More interior sketches, more detailed schematics. He'd fund her if she just gave him a better idea of what she was going to do, so all she had to do was...that. "Just, just give me a...while. I can do that." A couple days, maybe? She'd have to...to do something--why couldn't she think clearly all of a sudden? This was easy stuff, she should've been able to sit down and draw up some new schematics right now, but she could barely even figure out what she was trying to say.
He watched her silently for a few moments. He had warned her that it was strong, so felt no guilt, but now he had to figure out what to do with her. Sending her off alone in such a state would probably be frowned upon, especially with the fest doing much to encourage poor behaviour. Oh, and likely dangerous. "Are you all right?" he inquired.
During his silence, she started gathering up her things, the lantern and clockwork mouse and schematics, to put them away in her bag. She was starting to feel a little sick, staying was probably not a good idea. "I'm okay," she answered, because she didn't want him to worry. Was she drunk? She'd only had two glasses! That was usually just enough to get her tipsy! "I think I should go, though."
It's a good thing he wasn't prone to speaking his mind very often. He wasn't so much worried about her as earning himself a reputation. While she tidied her things, he moved the glasses out of the way to prevent any accidents. "You should, yes, but not alone. Is there somewhere I could escort you to, or someone who could walk you home?"
"Oh, no, I'll be fine, don't worry about it." She pushed the chair back and stood, was promptly hit by a wave of lightheadedness that made her vision swim and black out for a moment, and fell back into the chair, holding her head in her hand. That stuff must have been really strong.
After a few seconds, she mumbled, "Sorry, let me just...write my Uncle Ravi..."
His hand moved to steady the chair, in case she fell into it too hard. While both the chair and the girl would probably survive a stumble, it would be rather rude to let her go and hurt herself in his home. Oh, and her clockworks might get damaged. Sveinn ensured the bag was securely on the table before he settled back and waited patiently, keeping a close eye on his guest.
She dug her ledger out of her bag--thank goodness she'd thought to bring it!--along with one of her self-inking pens and wrote a message for her godfather. When he asked where, she looked up at Sveinn and started to ask, "What's your--wait," but she didn't need to ask that at all, he had written it down! She flipped back to the thread where he'd first spoken to her and copied down the address for Uncle Ravi.
When she realized he wasn't going to respond any more, she closed the ledger and stuck it and the pen back in her bag. "He said to meet him outside," she told Sveinn.
The pen intrigued him, and if she'd been more aware of her surroundings she'd have probably noticed him watching her write with it. Not the words, mind, just the use of the writing implement. His gaze lifted as the book was closed. "Do you think that's wise? You can't even stand at the moment." He paused, then, "I could help you outside, though there aren't any seats too close to the house."
"I don't know, I think he's being silly," she replied, giving a lazy, limp wave with one hand. "He's probably all panicky about it even though I told him not to be." She set her elbow on the armrest and her forehead in her hand. She could probably stand if she tried again! But, meh. She didn't feel like trying again. Uncle Ravi would probably be mad, but she didn't care, she'd just look cute and he'd stop.
Sveinn nodded. "I'm sure he's just worried," he said. Humans had a tendency to worry. A lot. About everything. More-so when family was involved. He stood. "I could watch for him, if you don't need anything." It's not like many people dropped by, so even just watching out the window, anyone approaching the door would likely be who he was looking for.
"No, I'm okay," she said. "I'll just...sit here. And wait."
Amelia was completely writing off Ravi's worry, and she really should not have. It didn't take long for him to show up, and when he did, he was ready to kick the door in when he didn't see Amelia waiting for him outside. Hopefully Sveinn saw him and got to the door before Ravi did.
Sveinn did see the man approach, though he wasn't expecting such a contrast in appearances. Still, he wasn't expecting anyone else, and inter-racial relations weren't totally unknown to him, so he assumed this was her uncle and went to meet him at the door as he arrived. "You are Ravi?" he inquired.
Ravindra didn't possess a very intimidating stature, but he was dressed in the mail armour of his Guard uniform, with a sword at his side, and that was really all he needed. When he was met at the door by a strange man instead of his goddaughter, his eyes narrowed and his hand rested on his sword hilt. "Where is Amelia?" he asked, cold and dangerous.
Whatever sort of reaction one may have expected was clearly absent from this fellow, Sveinn's expression unchanged as he simply stepped aside and motioned towards the girl seated at the table. "I must apologize. I hadn't realized she was unused to such strong beverages."
Ravi did not give a damn about this guy's excuses. He flashed Sveinn a glare and rushed to Amelia's side as soon as he saw her. She was still in one piece, but that barely put a dent in his fatherly worry slash fury.
Amelia saw him and lifted her head, letting her arm fall. "Uncle Ravi~!" Her saviour! She held her arms out to him. "Help me up?"
Sveinn was taken slightly aback, not accustomed to such looks, though his only indication was a raised brow before he closed the door. Not knowing what else to do in such a situation, he stood there, waiting. What little social protocol he knew was of little help, especially in Tyrol. Offering the man a drink seemed inappropriate under the circumstances.
Ohh yes, inappropriate as hell. Ravi, despite his anger, gently helped Amelia to her feet, where she wrapped an arm around his shoulders and leaned on him like a tired child. It just worried him more. He glared at Sveinn again and demanded, "What happened here?"
"Ah." Sveinn hesitated a moment before approaching the table. "We were discussing funding for one of her projects over drinks. She brought over some sketches and samples of her work," he explained, indicating the bag on the table. "She really is quite talented." He actually managed to sound at least a little impressed saying that.
Amelia smiled, though Ravi couldn't see it with her head against his shoulder. "Sooo talented. The talentedest. But I need better schematics before he'll fund me."
That was not the part Ravi cared about. Dammit. "Over drinks," he said, still eyeing Sveinn like the guy was a wolf. It was really fucking shady to invite a girl over to show you her work and get her drunk while she was alone with you. REALLY FUCKING SHADY, SVEINN.
Sveinn's initial response was another moment of hesitation. "That is the custom, is it not? To provide drinks to your guests?" Had he made some kind of faux pas? Human customs were so confusing. "I am still fairly new to Tyrol, so if I've made an error in etiquette I must apologize."
"She is a young woman alone in your home--"
"Ohhh my goodness, Uncle Ravi," Amelia interrupted, exasperated. "Sveinn just wanted to talk about funding, wow, stop freaking out, okay? Nothing happened!"
It took him a few moments to piece together the insinuation, and he rewarded them both with a shocked look, with perhaps the faintest hint of disgust. "I can assure you that I have no such interest in your niece. I do, however, have great interest in the talents of an up-and-coming artist and craftswoman." One look about his home might prove this, but Sveinn doubted the man was really interested in his collection.
You were in a hole right now Sveinn, and nothing you said was going to dig you out of it. "If that is true, then why am I here to have to bring her home?"
Amelia groaned and pushed herself away from him, steadier now that she'd been standing for a bit. She grabbed her bag from the table, throwing the strap over her shoulder. "Uncle Ravi, stop, you are so embarrassing right now, don't embarrass me in front of my investors, let's just go, okay?"
Sveinn opened his mouth to speak, but closed it again, his face reacquiring that expressionless look. He glanced to the girl before returning his gaze to Ravindra. "She showed me some of her creations, we discussed the project, and we had drinks. That is all. But I am doubtful that that, or anything else I would have to say, would be believed. So perhaps you should do as she says." He started to turn, then stopped to add, "Oh, and do be careful with her bag. She has some valuable creations in there, and I think she would be terribly upset were they to get damaged." With that, he went to the door and opened it, no longer looking at the two and merely waiting patiently.
Of course Sveinn's calm responses just made Ravi distrust him more. If he really hadn't done anything shady, he would have the courtesy to be a little more defensive about it!
Amelia clutched the bag to her chest when Sveinn gave that word of caution, glancing at her Uncle Ravi. He wasn't a mindreader, he couldn't know there was a gift in there for him--...could he? She chewed anxiously at her bottom lip.
"We are leaving," he said, taking hold of her arm and tugging her forward.
She stumbled, but put her arm around his shoulders again to steady herself. As they passed the door, she turned to give Sveinn an apologetic wince and stage-whisper, "Sorry!" at him. Ravi shot her a glare for that.
Sveinn didn't even look at them as they passed by, nor make any sort of response to Amelia. He simply waited until they'd exited, then closed the door behind them. He would contact her later to assure her that he was still interested.