Tinkering with Junk (open- Settlers + Freelancers)

[Paul Tannon]

Paul leant over the bench in his workshop and gazed at the hunk of metal in front of him, a smile appearing on his face. What most people would discard as a bit of old trash, Paul would poor hours of attention into. He couldn’t tell what it was but he would at least now how it used to work in a few hours, he had wrenched it out of an old broken machine he had found in a house on his last trading expedition. It had been a cuboid white machine with a round hole in the front, the part he had pulled out looked like it spun the drum inside the cube.


He opened his tool kit and took out a small screw driver, using it to carefully unscrew the outer casing of the chunk of metal, making sure to note down each step as he dismantled it. Within an hour he had taken the contraption apart and found that it had some strong magnets in the centre of it. He reassembled it and connected two wires to the points that he’d cut off to remove the device from the white machine. He then took out an old car battery his dad kept charged and hooked it up for a moment. The machine began to make the arm sticking out spin, “This could come in handy for later” he thought to himself and put it to one side. He had more pressing matters to tend to, he had been hired for a simple repair job by an out of towner and with all the tinkering with bits of junk he had become rather late. He ran out of his workshop situated on the outskirts of Hebdne Bridge and made his way to his meeting with his potential short term employer.

[Athelstane Mason]

Walking down the street, Mason was trying hard not to stare around in amazement. Having spent his whole young life in the country side, the sight of this many people in one place was impressive to the young man. Rolling an empty leash in one hand, again and again, the young bumpkin keeps a hand on his purse, like his father told him to in crowds and keeps a sharp eye out for possible trouble.

As he wandered about, he neatly steps out of the way of a man rushing out of his workshop. 'Busy place,' he thinks 'but enough of that now.'

He looks around for a likely spot to get a job. It was man's lot to toil for his bread... or as pop used to say, There ain't no such thing as a free lunch.

[Paul Tannon]

Paul was in such a hurry to get to his meeting place that he nearly ran straight into a man stood near his door. He was quite grateful that he hadn't because judging by the size of him, Paul would most certainly have come off worse.

He mumbled a quick apology and then was off down the street. He had agreed to meet the Freelancer in question at "The Old Cask" pub in order to discuss some gear repair and maybe to hire him as additional security on an up coming trade caravan. He would have agreed to meet at his dad's work shop but he didn't exactly trust this person, he was sure that if he was being payed he would become trust worthy. He just didn't want to let him know where he worked.

He arrived at the pub and looked around, the Free lancer was no where to be seen. Whilst no one could really stick to solid schedules in this day and age, but he still felt kind of annoyed. He waited for an hour, having a pint of Nettle beer as he did. After an hour he decided he to go back to his workshop. He walked rather slowly back through the streets, keeping his eyes open for the Free lancer. When he got back to his workshop he noticed the giant from earlier was still stood about, not too far from his workshop. If he hadn't of been such a solitary person he would have called out o him, but instead he simply left his workshop door open and got back to work on the piece of junk he had from earlier.

[Athelstane Mason]

Mason realizes that, despite his plan not to, he had been standing there gawping for some time when the same hurried fellow who had brushed past him was now back. He looks on as the gentleman walks past him and back into what appears to be a shop on his left. Adjusting his pack on his shoulder and forcing himself to put away the leash, he walks into the building, following the sounds of metal on metal. He approaches the worker and coughs lightly, knowing that while he has likely been spotted, it is very rude to accidentally sneak up on people, and potentially detrimental to one's health to do so.

*ahem* "Hello, sir... mind if I ask you a few questions? I am new in town...."

[Paul Tannon]

[i"Hello, sir... mind if I ask you a few questions? I am new in town...." ][/i]

Paul looked up casualy from his work, reached for a screw driver and start to re-attach the casing of his contraption. "I figured you were, guy like you stands out a little and I ain't seen you round here before" he finished the final screw and got up off of his stool, picking up his contraption as he did.

"What can do for you?" he asked, walking over to the the shelf unit on the back wall of the workshop.

[Athelstane Mason]

Mason shrugs his boulder like shoulders...

"you could point me in the direction of honest work for honest pay?"

He hikes a thumb over his shoulder at the bustling township behind him.

"Something tells me that this area would seem right expensive to a country boy like me." , speaking slowly as if he isn't used to talking and is chewing every word, a surprisingly light voice, not high, but rather jovial springs from his lips. "and I doubt there's been a sudden upswelling of charity in the world, free lodgings for travelers and the like?"

A wry, self deprecating grin briefly passes across his face.

"That being the case, I figured I could find work. Town this busy must have something for me. I can help mend wounds, I can suture, reduce fractures, most everything that can be done to heal, I know sommat of.", flexing his hands, his large knuckled finger make motions of suturing deftly while he talks.. "I know enough about the area that I can make a fine poultice and healing teas, but the better i have to work with the better i can work."

Glancing from the scarred knuckles on his large yet surprisingly dexterous hands, to the tool in the gentleman's "As I am sure you know, at a certain point you can only work with what you have and the tools you got."

"I can tend stock as good or better than most, anything from sheep, to cattle to horses... and I can fix what ails them too, generally and if caught in time. I can train animals, especially dogs to do what jobs needs doing... failing that I can turn a wrench, swing a hammer, use a shovel or broom with equal facility. As long as it is work, and it is honest", this last said with an emphasis that is easy to interpret, that of the job offers he had had, few were reputable. "I ain't above it."

[Paul Tannon]

Paul looked at the guy for a while, he didn't look like he knew much in medicine to him. He looked more like a prize fighter, the kind where loosing a fight meant getting killed.

"So your looking for work?" he went over to his shelf unit and stored the chunk of junk in a box. "If your as good as you say you are at doctoring then I might have something I could suggest" he put his tools back onto the rack. "My dad runs one of the trading caravans that go off to York, and every now and then Bradford. We could use a medic on those trips, and you could make a few extra quid fixing up sick people at our stops."

He opend another box and took out a broken crossbow, placing it on the table. "I'll have to have a word with him first, but if you come back here tommorow I'll let you know. We should have our next caravan setting off in a week".

[Athelstane Mason]

Nodding succinctly, Mason speaks "You got it, tomorrow morning, bright and early."

Now that he had a possible job, he was set to wander the city for an evening. Did this place have a library, like the ones pop told him about? A hospital? a decent place to eat? Perhaps, now that he was in the city, he'd find some supplies, learn some new techniques from these big city docs, and have something to take back with him eventually when his walkabout ended. Only one way to find out, but first...

Mason extends his bearpaw of a hand to the young gentlemen. "Most people call me Doc, but you can call me Mason if you like. Been a pleasure, see you soon. Say, this town wouldn't happen to have a hospital or the like? or maybe a high class general store?"

[Paul Tannon]

Paul looked up from the crossbow, and looked a bit thoughtful as he did. "There's a few small shops in town but you won't find much of use there. Small infirmary too, but they work voluntarily so if your looking for employment you might want to look elsewhere"He took another look at the cross bow, it was a basic design: three plans of wood bolted together to make the stock, with a another plank nailed to the front to make the cross. A basic trigger mechanism was situated in the a groove cut into the middle plank.

He used as his spanner to undo the nuts and bolts holding the stock together, it was the trigger that needed repairng and the cable replacing. "If your looking to stock up on new gear your best bet is to check out the Piece Hall. I heard it's re-opening soon".

((I checked with Mark, the information is accurate))

[Athelstane Mason]

Mason nods interestedly while Paul speaks. "Thanks for the heads up regarding the shops. I will save what little funds I have then and wait till something better comes along. Unless and of these shops or the infirmary sell medical goods, bandages and the like? This small infirmary, if a fellow is willing to work there, can he sleep there afterward? Heck I am willing to do a night shift, while I rest up if that is allowed. "

Mason follows along while Paul repairs and looks on as Paul deftly repairs the mechanical weapon. He seems on the verge of saying something for awhile. Finally he nods as if coming to a decision.

"Heck, if you have some simple wrench turning or heavy lifting to do around here in exchange for a meal and a corner or a shed to sleep in till I speak with your father come the morning, I wouldn't be opposed."

Mason readjusts his half empty satchel over his shoulder as he finishes speaking seemingly uncomfortable with how much he has been speaking.