My career began  in the Red Turtle Inn, a nondescript place near the harbor district of Point Merit - just a quiet midsummer evening.  I had no inkling that the evening would be the lever that would rip me from my mediocrity, that it would be the hinge of my life. Outside the silent sunset was in progress, with an easy breeze carrying its fishy flavor inland. There was nothing that would have singled out this evening - the ale, bread, beef, and cards were the same as always. The laughter, the quiet conversations, and the piercingly high laugh of the brewmaster’s wife were the only sounds. 

He slowly fingered the metallic shard in the earring he wore, which was the real magic involved here. With the shard in touch, he opened a channel in his mind to the person begging attention.

"Alchemical Theurgy and Thaumaturgy, how can I help you?"

It still seemed odd that he could talk and they could hear him and respond. The original design had called for a purely telepathic enchantment on a device based on his magic background in Mentalism, but this had not worked. Perhaps in the next design we could fix a few of these problems? But the thought of a purely telepathic device scared him all the way to his bones. It was bad enough working with people who could read your mind. Why should the customers be able to do that as well? Lestir had insisted on development of the concept as a means to get a few more coins from his customers. A telepathic device had been a heated debate, which still continued. Since the orbs they had were working fine for voice communication, did they really need an improvement?