Goldmine

Pegasus hailing from Manehattan. Investigative journalist; former director of large newspaper. Cheerful and good-natured.

(RP - REFER TO LINK! ⬇️)

[Goldmine @mlp_Goldmine]

⏰ Timezone: ET (GMT-4:00~5:00)
✍️ Light or heavy RP OK
📩 DM OK

(( I also run @mlp_alsephina ))

[Goldmine @mlp_Goldmine]

[As he squints out his window, Goldmine can see Silverstream's dust vortex of a backyard as he's having his morning coffee.]

"What in tarnation...?"

[He shrugs and gets back to his typewriter.]

[Goldmine @mlp_Goldmine]

"It's great to meet you, too, Mr. Gavel. I'm in Canterlot for the next week or so, so I'll see ya around, I'm sure."

[Golden Gavel @mlp_GoldenGavel]

"Of course! I'll have our accounting team draw up a consignment contract and reach out to you shortly with the terms."

"Excellent meeting you, Mr. Goldmine! Ta-ta〜!"

[Goldmine @mlp_Goldmine]

[Goldmine stood and stretched his legs as Golden Gavel trotted back to his desk across from him.]

"Of course. I leave this in your capable hooves, Mr. Gavel. I'll be sure to keep in touch."

[Golden Gavel @mlp_GoldenGavel]

[Golden Gavel dramatically flipped his windswept mane backward.] "Why, leave it to me〜! As the finest auctioneer in Canterlot, and indeed in Equestria, I'm an expert at that!"

"Anyway, I'm very glad you've come all this way to bring this piece in, Mr. Goldmine."

[Goldmine @mlp_Goldmine]

"Oh, thank you, Mr. Gavel." [Goldmine reached out and shook Gavel's hoof, which had been resting atop the coffee table between the two.]

"That would be just excellent. The @mlp_OHO does so much good for those foals. I really hope ponies bid high on it."

[Golden Gavel @mlp_GoldenGavel]

[Gavel was slightly taken aback at the pegasus' selflessness, especially in the face of such a considerable sum of money.]

"Why, yes, I've got one slated for sometime next month after Nightmare Night season! It's going to benefit the @mlp_OHO! I think it would be a perfect lot!"

[Goldmine @mlp_Goldmine]

"At first, I was like 'hey, why not make a buck?'. But then I stopped myself. That much money shouldn't go to just one pony who doesn't even need it. I've heard you do charity auctions?"

"I would like the proceeds to go to a worthy cause."

[Goldmine @mlp_Goldmine]

[The stallion nodded.] "Honestly, I don't even care about the money. I feel like it wouldn't be right to profit off of somepony else's bad feelin's. Besides, I don't think I'd even know what to do with that much money, so you can just do whatever with it."

[Golden Gavel @mlp_GoldenGavel]

"I receive a buyer's premium depending on the hammer price. As for you, the seller, I normally charge a 5% commission rate that is deducted from the hammer price. That means if, for example, my gavel goes down at 2,000,000, you would receive 1,810,000. Does that make sense?"

[Goldmine @mlp_Goldmine]

[Goldmine put a hoof to his chin in introspection. While he was by no means living lavishly, he didn't particularly need the money, and he couldn't quite think of any kind of cutoff price.]

"Uhh... not really. I'll take whatever it sells for, to be honest."

[Golden Gavel @mlp_GoldenGavel]

[Figures like these were not terribly uncommon in his line of work, but he was nevertheless glad.]

"Ahem. Right, let's get on with it, then. Now, would you like to set a reserve for this piece? That is, a price below which you *refuse* to sell this piece?"

[Goldmine @mlp_Goldmine]

[Goldmine nearly spit out his scone after hearing that figure.]

"Good Celestia, that's... a whole lot."

[Golden Gavel @mlp_GoldenGavel]

"Right, thank you for that information, Mr. Goldmine. Barring any additional tidbits about the work, the condition is excellent. Clearly your mother took great care of it."

"...I'd say 1,875,000 bits as a preliminary valuation."

[Goldmine @mlp_Goldmine]

"Well, on that topic, they also mentioned thta this work hasn't even been shown in an art show or anythin' like that, which I'm guessin' means no history. This'd be the first time this puppy's gettin' appraised by a professional."

[Golden Gavel @mlp_GoldenGavel]

"Oh, how romantic-- er, I mean, how profound! This information is very helpful, by the way. It's going to help me give the piece an accurate appraisal. This would be an excellent addition to the auction I'm planning for next month."

[Goldmine @mlp_Goldmine]

[Goldmine retrieves a sealed piece of parchment from his saddlebag and places it beside the painting.]

"Then you might like this. Accordin' to the note from the artist, this was painted in just a day during the changeling invasion. It was happenin' right outside his house."

[Golden Gavel @mlp_GoldenGavel]

"I can see why they don't know who it is, though. The filly looks pretty similar to the one in @mlp_Alsephina's early-to-mid-career portraits of his sister - he's a close friend, I'll have you know - but the pointillist style seems to be a striking departure from all of them."

[Goldmine @mlp_Goldmine]

"I'm not sure whether or not you and your ilk might know about this one. They couldn't conclusively confirm the identity of the artist. The letter that came with it to my mother was just signed with an initial - A. Could be anypony, really."

[Goldmine @mlp_Goldmine]

“Let’s…”

[The pegasus meticulously unveils the slab to reveal a striking portrait of a sleeping filly — grey coat, light pink mane. There seems to be a sense of melancholy or anguish in her expression, as if she were in the midst of a nightmare.]

[Strangely, it isn't signed.]

[Golden Gavel @mlp_GoldenGavel]

[Golden Gavel nodded enthusiastically before carefully hovering the slab off from the carpeted floor and onto his desk.]

“Well, on with it, then! Let’s take a look, shall we?”

[Goldmine @mlp_Goldmine]

“This is an original - I've got the slip. My dam Mrs. Goldrush cared a lot ‘bout her art collection. This’s her prized piece. But when I inherited it, my sire Mr. Goldsmith told me it had some… history, and that she would have wanted it to see some new life in different hooves.”

[Goldmine @mlp_Goldmine]

“Well, th—thank you. I’m sure there’s a similarity there. After all, those books can’t be based on just nothin’.”

(Is this guy serious?! It sure as Tartarus wasn’t some glamorous crime-slash-romance novel for me, or for every other creature involved…)

[Golden Gavel @mlp_GoldenGavel]

“Yes, yes, Mr. Goldmine! True crime is a guilty pleasure of mine, you see. The way you broke that story about that poor Lilly mare? Why, it’s just like in the novels!”

[Gavel's mind was already racing somewhat with visuals of how he thought it had all gone down.]

[Goldmine @mlp_Goldmine]

“Why, thank you, Gavel. You’ve read Equestria’s Voice? I’m glad to see it gettin’ some reach. Makes me feel a whole lot better about doin’ what I do, I’ll tell ya.”

[One could spot a particular sparkle in his eye as he spoke. Speaking truth to power was the mission, after all.]

[Golden Gavel @mlp_GoldenGavel]

“First of all, the similarity of our names aside, I must say I was surprised when my assistant told me of your appointment. I’m actually quite fond of your work.”

[He levitated a small tea cake onto a saucer next to him.] “Help yourself to the refreshments, by the way.”

[Goldmine @mlp_Goldmine]

[The rich and famous' track record with Ponyville didn't seem stellar from his experience, so he’s sure Gavel didn’t mean it how it sounded.]

“Y—yes, ‘f course. Thank you for takin’ the time to meet with me, Mr. Golden Gavel. I know you’re super busy ‘n all.”

[Golden Gavel @mlp_GoldenGavel]

“Ah, yes, yes! Coming!” [Upon hearing the nearby knocking, Golden Gavel stood up from his desk with a heave and calmly opened the door.]

“Good afternoon, Mr. Goldmine! So glad you could make it. I hope the currents weren’t too bad. I know how rough Ponyville is! Ohoho!”

[Goldmine @mlp_Goldmine]

[He took a deep breath, removed his hat, trotted into the building and made his way to an office area, finally knocking on the door.]

“G’day, sir. My name is Goldmine, I’m—I’m here for the 1:00?”

[Goldmine @mlp_Goldmine]

[Goldmine stood clutching the brim of his hat after having made the long flight to Canterlot, landing right in front of a Greek-style building in the city center.]

[There’s a rectangular slab covered in a velvet shroud next to him. Looks like the unicorn movers did their jobs.]

[Goldmine @mlp_Goldmine]

[It was afternoon; Goldmine had left Ponyville when the sun was just beginning to break, but he showed no signs of his exhaustion. After all, the pony he was to meet was entrenched in the Canterlot jetset, and he wasn’t about to embarrass himself.]

[Goldmine @mlp_Goldmine]

[Goldmine's heard of the Gala, but he's routinely sat them out and done his own thing since the one time he went. It was never his scene - he found many of the folks in attendance to be rather shallow.]

[He's fairly sure @mlp_CottonLilly is attending and hopes she's having fun.]