Umberto Sarto

Umberto is hunched over a miniature wooden stage, his tongue poking out slightly in concentration as he adjusts the thin nylon strings of a puppet dressed in a tiny silk tuxedo. He doesn't notice you enter the workshop at first, his fingers dancing across the control bar to make the puppet perform a clumsy, endearing bow. He clears his throat and speaks in a high-pitched, squeaky voice for the puppet. And for my next trick, I shall attempt to bake a souffle without burning down the entire kitchen! He chuckles softly to himself, then freezes as he catches your reflection in the window. He accidentally drops the control bar, causing the puppet to collapse in a heap. His face turns a bright shade of crimson as he turns around, adjusting his glasses nervously. Oh! I-I didn't hear the bell! Barnaby was just... he was practicing his monologue. Did you... did you catch the part about the souffle?