Lotte
Legacy Name: Lotte

Hey there. What can I get you? Have some interesting specials today; only the Last Coin's finest.

What's that? No, I don't really have a moment, actually. We're very busy - is this something my boss Patr¡ck can help you with? He's right over there.

Oh, you're working for the police? Well, alright then, I suppose I haven't got a choice but to speak with you, but let's make it quick, okay? And at least have a drink while we talk. If I'm going to talk to you, you'd better be a paying customer, or Patrick'll have my head for slacking on the job.

Tell you what - you help me, I'll help you. I'm working on some new drink recipes, and I can't test them all by myself. Why don't you have a sip of each of these fine beverages lined up on the bar, and we'll take it from there. Come on, it'll be fun. Where else are you going to get to drink on the job? You just tell the cops it was my idea.

Go ahead, try that creamy-looking concoction next to the brandy.

Goes down smooth, doesn't it? Now, first of all, let me tell you something about your point man, Detective Buren. First name, Henric. He wasn't always such a straight-shooter. Back in the day, Henric was a mob man, if you could believe it. Ran the biggest poker racket you'd ever seen, too, and no one ever suspected him of it, on account of the fact that he was so damn smooth. Ran the detective game as a front. People'd come from all over the place to see him. Then, when his fiancée died, he dropped it all. Most people can't just up and walk away from stuff like that, let me tell you, but he did.

Yes, Katheryn's death... took a toll on him, I'd imagine. I was eighteen when she died. On her wedding day, can you imagine? I was supposed to be a bridesmaid, and I felt real bad about bailing at the last minute. Y'see, I was a bit surprised she'd picked me at all. She'd kept an eye on me when I was younger, and I guess she'd always thought I was the sweetest little thing. I guess she didn't have too many friends in town, so she asked me - and what kind of girl would turn down something like that?

Here, have a sip of this cocktail before we go on. I'll even throw in a cherry, my treat.

So, the wedding. Turned out at the last minute that I couldn't make it. Patrick came down with a bad fever and needed me to work. I begged and pleaded and tried to call in every favor I had, but he said there was no way he could make it in, and unless I wanted to see the place robbed, I'd be here to oversee that things ran smoothly. I ran, fast as I could, over to Katheryn's to tell her and apologize. And, y'know what? She wasn't even mad! She said, "these things happen," and smiled that smile of hers...

"Kath, you don't know how awful I feel."
"It's okay! I wouldn't want you to lose your job over me."
"Well, you need something borrowed, right? Here. I'll be with you the whole time."
"Your perfume! Thank you, Lotte, I'll be sure to wear it. I know how much you love it."
"It's true, it is my signature. Quincy sometimes says he'd be able to pick me out in a crowded room because of it. Kath... you're going to look lovely."

I regret every day that I didn't go to that wedding. I could've done something, or at least been there, to see her that last day... I sometimes can't believe she's gone.

Here, have a beer to clear your palate. On me - I insist. You know, it's been a while since anyone's been brave enough to talk about Katheryn.

We're exceptionally proud of our brews here, I'm not going to lie. Although, let's be honest, half the men in this joint can't tell the difference between good beer and dishwater. They come for the company, not for the drink.

I guess I do, too. I haven't been the same since Katheryn died, and it's only recently that I've admitted it's because of her. Sometimes I lie away for hours, wondering about that day. Maybe if I'd been there, I could piece together the particulars of what happened. Somehow, it doesn't add up. Motives, opportunity... I guess you'd know all about those things. I'm no detective, and even I can tell that there's more to this murder than everyone would like to think.

I guess it boils down to the fact that, try as I might to remember each interaction, each relationship she had with anyone in this town, I can't conceive of one person who would have wanted to kill her. She got along with just about everyone, as far as I can remember. The only person with whom she never hit it off was my brother, Quincy.

Here, try this, before I go on. We got a shipment of keylimes recently, and I've been experimenting. Just a sip - you won't regret it.

My brother and I have always been exceptionally close. The reason he and Katheryn never made peace was because she blames him for what happened to me. You've noticed my eye, no doubt? Or, lack thereof. It wasn't an accident. You see, Quincy first came into town when he was nineteen, and I was sixteen. His wife had just died and I guess he owed some people money, and he got spooked and took off, left his country and came to mine. I guess it wasn't the best of ideas to come here, where I was, but fear drives us to do crazy things.

The usurers caught up with him, and, well... he didn't have anything worth taking, and I have a feeling he hid under Henric's wing well enough that they didn't want to kill him. Imagine, usurers, afraid of Henric! That should give you a sliver of an indication of his power back then. So, they did this... to my eye. And from then on, Katheryn hated Quincy. No, no, of course I don't blame him for what happened to me - he's my brother, after all, and if losing my eye saved his life, I'm glad they did it.

I know this is all fascinating to you, but don't you put that drink down! I've got to keep up appearances for my boss; you wouldn't want him to walk in on this little interrogation and send you packing, now would you?

I can tell you're not a mixed drink kind of guy. Maybe a swig of this rum is more your style?

Mmm, I thought so. You and Patrick aren't so different, after all. You should go talk to him, if you get a chance - he's a good man. I... refuse to believe otherwise. There was an incident, you see, a couple of years back. He lost his temper on a customer who got... a little rough with me. I haven't been out serving tables since then, at his insistence, although I know none of the regulars would ever think of laying a hand on me - not then, and certainly not now, after what they all saw. He was an out of town guy, that man, and suffice it to say that Patrick smashed a bottle of good brandy and it took a week to clean the blood from that booth.

I've gotten sidetracked, I apologize. It may sound silly, but I kind of enjoy telling people about that incident. I guess I was flattered by what Patrick did for me. It makes me feel safe here, and maybe that's why I've stayed on working here, even after the accident... even after I lost my eye. Everyone told me I should get out, escape this place in case the usurers came back and decided to use me against Quincy even further. But, I couldn't do it. When I lost my eye, Patrick was the one who stayed by me, the entire time. He's always been there, to protect me and watch over me. Especially since that night, when they found me in the square in all that blood... it's always been him.

I really am going soft, aren't I? Don't mistake any of that for affection, mind you. Just gratitude. I promise. Looks like it's time for me to have a drink, myself - here, try this. It's something Erin brought back from one of her sea voyages, and I have no idea what's in it - but you can't have more than a sip at a time, this stuff is strong. Takes the edge off, that's for sure.

Why are you digging all of this up, anyway? It's been ten years. Most of us have done our best to move past it, if not forget.

Ah, so her son's getting threatening notes? I heard there was something strange going on, but I chalked it up to practical jokes. He's a smart kid, he can take care of himself. So that's why the cops are having you look into this? They think it could be related to Katheryn's death? I'd be careful, if I were you. Henric's a little too personally involved to be a good judge of the situation, I'd say. Maybe he just wants to pin someone for his wife's death, and is using these strange notes as a reason to do it. Lord knows he's never been able to look his son in the eye properly since Katheryn died.

Who have you already spoken to, by the way? Ah, yeah, I do remember Silvie being incredibly upset after Katheryn's death. Let the whole town know it, too. Katheryn was sort of a mother figure to her, I guess. To say she and I never got along would be an understatement. I really... detest that woman, but I suppose Katheryn had a soft spot for her.

Looks like most of the regulars are clearing out. It's a bit late, isn't it, for you to still be here? If you come back in the morning, we could finish this talk over some waffles, maybe iced tea. I'm kidding. But, really - don't you have a family to get back to, someone waiting for you?

...I see. So you're like me, then. Nothing better to do than frequent a tavern in the dead of night. Well, I suppose you've earned something better than this nondescript grog from an ancient flask, huh?

So, about Silvie. It would give me no greater pleasure than to incriminate her, but I'm afraid the worst relationship she's had with anyone in this town is with me. Before I realized that the safest place for me was with Patrick, I was determined to get out of here, just like everyone had suggested after my accident. I was trying to get a degree in medicine so I could get out of this tavern job, and move on. I had a hard time in school, though, because of my eye.

Silvie's husband, Franz, was tutoring me to help me pass my entrance exam. After Katheryn died, though, he told me he couldn't help me anymore. I guess Silvie was so broken up about the murder that he felt he had to devote more of his time to being with her - but I think Silvie was afraid he was going to leave her for me. Ridiculous, if you ask me, but that's how she saw it, and I have a feeling she asked her husband to stop teaching me. Franz met Silvie while she was his student, you see, and I guess she's never forgotten that. So, she got it into her mind to resent me for supposedly trying to steal her husband, and I resented her for taking away the one chance I had at a new life.

One more drink, and then you really should go. I need to start cleaning up. Black label whiskey - it's pretty much the only thing you haven't tried, and it'll keep you warm once you step out into the cold, I can promise you that.

I guess instead of holding it against her, I could thank Silvie. She disliked me, yes, but it was more out of love for Franz than out of resentment for me, and I suppose that's a testament to how much she cares. She has a large heart, truly, even though there isn't any room in it for me. If I hadn't been... forced, in a way, to stay here, I never would've realized how good everyone is to me. Not just Patrick, but everyone. And, at least, I get to see Quincy around. He plays his tuba with the jazz band most nights, but I don't see him tonight - if you want to talk to him, you might want to try to catch him at home.

I hope that at least something I've said has been helpful. The last thing I have for you is this - it's a ship in a bottle, that much you can see, but the story behind it is far more intriguing than the ship itself: it was left here the night of Katheryn's murder. I don't know who left it, or if it's even related, but you should take it. Maybe you can make something of it; I certainly haven't been able to, and God knows how many nights I've stayed up looking at it, hoping that something about it will reveal the key to the mystery. I don't know anything about ships, but maybe someone else does?

Lotte hands you a dusty bottle with a delicate ship within it, it's tissue sails quivering as you lift it to the light.

It's time for you to go. I hope I've been at least somewhat helpful. Let me just say one more thing: don't get too caught up in all of this. I know you want to help, but sometimes, it's best to just leave things alone. It's been a long time since Katheryn's death, and sometimes I think this town has just recovered from it. Don't reopen those wounds unless you think it absolutely necessary, okay? Good people live here.

Profile by Tilcara, fullbody art by aldebaran