Search Posts
A bit pricey... she thinks. She spends a moment tallying up expenses for this endeavor. ”Yes, I think I can afford a meal at The Bella Verona. Something to brighten the day after the experience of that place.” She shudders then attempts a smile, but her eyes look sad. ”I wouldn’t mind dealing with some goof balls.”
I feel your character's actions are very appropriate and in-step with the predominant cultural norms. No offense taken here.
”Thank you Stevie," Dorothy says entering the taxi. "I thought I was prepared,” Dorothy says. ”I’ve imagined worse places and scenes, but to be confronted with that in person...” she shakes her head and removes her glasses. Wiping them with a handkerchief, she looks at them in her hand. ”My heart goes out to anyone seeking help in such a place. I can’t construe how they would find it.”
Happy New Year! I want to post with greater frequency too!
As they pass the reception area, Dorothy doesn’t try to hide how disturbed this visit to the hospital has made her. ”Thank you,” she whispers to Stevie as begins to interact with the nurse. Once outside she shudders. ”That was a horrible experience. I don’t want to imagine being there like Larry. For the moment I don’t know how we can help him get out. It sounded as if the doctor certainly had some plans for him and wouldn’t let him leave.”
Dorothy freezes for a moment, unsure if what she was real or just...this place getting to her. A glance at Stevie and Larry’s non-reactions confirms that what she thought she saw wasn’t really there. But maybe it was here and they just didn’t see it! she thinks. It doesn’t make sense for me to be hallucinating. It also doesn’t make sense for that thing to be real. She shudders and gives a weak smile to Larry. ”Stay strong, my dear friend.” A final glance towards the sink as she walks out of the room.
Glancing at the door, Dorothy nods back at Stevie in appreciation and understanding. Shifting her attention to Larry she smiles as best she can. ”We’ll do what we can,” Dorothy gives an energetic nod to Larry. ”Don’t despair.”
After he whispers in her ear, Dorothy look at Stevie. Dorothy’s eyebrows raise in surprise. That soon?! she tries to communicate non-verbally. She glances over her shoulder, checking on the orderly. Lowering her voice at Stevie’s suggestion, she looks Croswell in the eyes. ”Stay strong. We’ll do our best to save you. It sounds no matter how well behaved you are they will keep you here, so you might as well act unruly. Enough to frustrate them. Nothing to get yourself punished for. Maybe avoid eating anything for the next few days. They might try to drug you more. Though it might not matter. They could get some orderlies to hold you down and inject you with something. Well, the new moon is seen just after sunset. How that impacts the ceremony's time I don't know. We’ll have to be ready before then.”
She shakes her head in response to his question. ”So that’s why he doesn’t want to let you go. He has some plans for you? Something in relation to the new moon. Doctors have a great deal of power when it comes to keeping people in these facilities against their wishes. Don’t give up hope.” She pats him on the shoulder. ”Andy McBride,” Dorothy repeats the name. ”We might be able to speak with him. Well, some people we know. I’m sure the staff won’t want to see me again.”
Some relief comes to Dorothy’s face as Larry speaks and the orderlies give them privacy. Exhaling, she shudders while looking at the walls of the room. ”I-I am glad to see you,” Dorothy begins. She sweeps her hand towards Stephan. ”This is Stevie. He and some others are helping me. You don’t appear as afflicted as the doctor lead us to believe.”
”I had no...” Dorothy begins then pauses. ”This is terrible. The pain and suffering.” Her hand shakes as she takes Stephan’s arm for comfort and support. “T-thank you. I, I --”[/b] she closes her eyes momentarily but the noises of the patients demands her attention. She feels unprepared for this yet needs to keep going forward to see her friend. ”Why, why?” she whispers as the insanity around her grows. Finally at the small padded cell she sees her friend. Tentatively stepping inside she asks, ”Larry, it-it’s me Dorothy.” Seconds pass before she takes another step. And then another. ”I came to help, but I don’t know what I can do.”
”Yes, thank you for your time, Doctor,” Dorothy says with a small nod. She adjusts her purse’s strap on her shoulder as she exits the door.
”Oh I merely thought that if Larry had calmed down by the next performance I could see him then.” Dorothy’s eyes flick to the painting again then back to the doctor’s face. ”He’s a good friend and it’s distressing to hear this...madness has seized him.”
”When is the pavilion’s opening? Will the patients be attending as well?”
Dorothy accompanies Stevie into Dr. Berger’s office with a neutral expression on her face. She catalogs the decorations and notes the diplomas and certificates on the wall. As the doctor speaks, she watches his face, wondering how to phrase any persuasion that might influence him. At Stevie’s non-verbal request, she moves closer to the door. She holds her purse at her side. She looks again at the painting of St. George when Stevie draws the doctor’s attention to it. When Stevie finishes, she adds, ”Doctor, I imagine the costs are higher for a patient to be in the J-Wing. I hope Larry gets better before his money runs out. And, I understand the rules are for safety. It’s too bad we weren’t able to see him even with supervision.”
Dorothy’s face shows a hint of concern as Stevie speaks. He doesn’t seem like his normal self. What has him so distracted? Maybe it’s the nurse? She doesn’t look that pretty to me, Dorothy thinks. ”Not permitted visitors? Oh, I didn’t think that was a possibility for Larry or really any patient. Wouldn’t a friendly face help cheer anyone up? If those are the rules of the hospital, I understand. As Mr. Barrows says, perhaps I could meet with a doctor?”
The building’s design and intricacy draws Dorothy’s gaze for several moments. The imposing height of the central tower and the windows of all four stories almost staring at her. She didn’t know what to expect, but this was large estate was not it. Her attention is so focused on the building she doesn’t know if Stevie answered the taxi driver Ted. ”Thank you Ted,” Dorothy says. ”I don’t blame you for not wanting to wait here. How this place could calm anyone’s nerves I don’t know.” She checks her watch. ”An hour and a half?” she consults Stevie. ”I don’t think our appointment will last longer than that.”
”You’re very right,” Dorothy says. ”I need to keep it simple and not get ahead of myself. One thing at a time. That being said, maybe our good doctor would have an easier time accessing Dr. Shine’s professional papers; as one doctor to another.” She looks at her wristwatch and sighs ”Our time is about over. I was hoping to find articles about the new doctor. Oh well.”
”There does appear to be something strange about this stone,” Dorothy says to Gene. ”Or at least he sincerely believed it to have some power. His personal and professional papers are at the hospital. Perhaps we could be allowed to see those? If one of us was going to write a biography about him, that might be a means to get access to them.”
Dorothy says, ”Thank you Stevie. Enjoy playing billiards. I’ll see you gentlemen tomorrow morning. I have short stories to work on. Shall we have breakfast together?” She gets up with a nod of her head and goes to her room.
The next day she heads to the newspaper’s office with Gene. Once there she begins going through index files looking for information on the asylum or Dr. James Berger.
”A good suggestion Gene. In his first note, which is the one I believe is genuine, Mr. Croswell writes not to visit alone. Would you mind coming with me Stevie? We’ll say that you’re a friend of mine. Gene can pose as his editor with the good doctor.” She studies the tablecloth for a moment. ”How’s this for a plan, Gene and I do research at the Herald in the morning and then after lunch Stevie and I go to the asylum?”
Dorothy nods her head, meeting each person’s gaze in turn. ”Yes, I’m pleased to see that we are getting clarification about the situation. I’m not asking for anyone to do anything illegal or even to do something against their conscience.” After a quick glance around the room, ”Thank you, Doctor for explaining the current psychiatric -- or is it psychological? -- law relating to patients and being released from an institution.” She takes out a pen and a small notebook. “I do have one question, did what you read in Mr. Croswell’s journal in any way have to do with the asylum? I doubt that it did, but I want to be positive. “Now, how shall we proceed? We have Stevie’s suggestion, which is similar to mine, but are there other ideas?”
Dorothy listens, nodding her head in understanding as the conversation progresses. ”I was thinking a good excuse to see him is to say I knew he was going to check himself in, but that I’ve heard nothing since. If they mention the letters, I’ll say I never received any. It won’t be the first time a letter wasn’t delivered. Though it rarely happens.” She takes a sip of water. ”If we had more time, we could try to identify and interview some of the staff, like the custodians, nurses, or cooks. That’s an excellent point, what would be our backup plan if we all go to the hospital? Plus if they don’t let him leave, we can’t break him out, can we? Where would we go? I don’t have the means to take care of him until he recovers. Plus would the police become involved? Maybe we could call in the feds saying they’re running liquor...though I don’t know what that would accomplish, ultimately.”
”After hearing you speak, Doctor, I would not like to read the book,” Dorothy says. ”If it was enough to confound and disturb his mind, it’s better to leave it for now. I’m more concerned with making sure he is getting the help he needs.” She takes out a cigarette and lights it. ”Dr. Bellwether, have you encountered writings of a similar nature before? I’m simply curious.” Dorothy asks. Turning her head, she blows smoke away from the table. ”So then how should we approach the Asylum?”
Over dinner, Dorothy helps Gene tell the others what they discovered at the library and the Historical Society. She listens intently and doesn’t interrupt as Stevie and Horton relate what they learned.
That is a difficult answer to find. I searched for about ten minutes, finding some interesting taxi/history sites, but nothing really about fares for 1929.
”Are you feeling hungry?” she asks Gene. ”Maybe we should go to the diner or the inn and then continue on to the Historical Society. With any luck we may run into the others. We should have tried to arrange meeting them for lunch, but neither of us knew how long our...business would take.”
Dorothy shares the information she discovered with Gene. ”While the higher rate of death and accidents are unusual, over a large enough area, wouldn’t there be some places that did have higher or lower rates of such things that eventually average out with other areas to...well, to the average?” Dorothy puts down the pencil and looks at her notes. ”This amphitheater sounds lovely. Another line of query would be asking former patients what their time was like. Maybe the doctor knows someone. I wonder about the law in this matter too. If you commit yourself, can another person get you out if they feel you don’t belong there?” ”Librarians are a great resource,” Dorothy says picking up the pencil and tapping it on her paper. ”Indeed, he or she might know Mr. Croswell, or at least some of the books he’s checked out. The librarian may know a local connection. It’s possible too that going to the Historical Society will give your mind time to process what we learned here and come up with something. Often when I’m stuck with a story I, I work on another one, take a walk, or clean house. Sooner than later, I’ll have an insight I didn’t before.”
I should have responded to your post on Friday concerning the time element of the Library Use or History skill checks. the normal, 1 PM time is fine. That should give four hours (or so) at the historical society before returning to the hotel.
As they approach the colonnaded building, Dorothy Crick says, ”Would you like to start with the newspapers? I thought one of us could do that and the other could look for books on the town’s history...recent history around the turn of the century and building the hospital whenever that was. As for newspaper articles, I would focus on any mention of escaped patients, fires, classified ads to see how often it needs to hire new help, building expansions -- oh, permits! I wonder if we could have seen those at city hall.”
That’s a good idea Stevie. If our characters survive, I’d be happy to continue the campaign. I’ve never played Call of Cthulhu in person. My previous pbp experiences with CoC were short lived.
”I still think finding information about the asylum is the best course of action and then follow up with any local legends about hauntings. So the library first and then the Historical Society?”
”A ten minute walk?” Dorothy says, ”That’s extremely convenient.” As Stevie speaks, she looks at her watch. ”Yes, no later than 5:30.” She smiles at the woman, ”Thank you for the suggestion, Mrs. Waitley.” Finally she turns to Gene, ”Are you ready to go?”
”I would be fine staying here, but there’s no reason for me to do so,” Dorothy says with a smile to Stevie. She pulls a cloth-bound book from her purse, an assortment of pencils, and a fountain pen. ”Ready for notes. I’m quite proficient at researching in libraries. I wish you and Dr. Bellwether well. I hope someone finds information that proves I’m worried for no reason.” She looks at her wristwatch. ”So, be ready to go in ten minutes? Not a problem.”
”Thanks for the suggestions,” Dorothy says to Ted. ”I can manage my suitcases Dr. Bellwether, thank you. Though it would be a great help for you to hold the door open.” She walks up to the front door and waits for someone to open it.
As Stevie offers some thoughts about Croswell hiding a house key, Dorothy shakes her head slightly. ”That is clever thinking, and I wish I knew, but I don’t know if he hid a house key. As I re-read some of his letters last night, I realized how little I know about him personally...but I’m sure he would say the same about me. Towards the end before going to the hospital, he probably was paranoid.” Dorothy is happy to let Ted place her suitcase on the car’s luggage rack. ”Thank you, Ted. It’s a pleasure to me you.” As the ride progresses, and the discussion turns to Judge Hawthorne and some of the sightings of ghosts in Danvers, Dorothy listens with interest. Before stepping out of the car, she hands her share of the fare and tip to Stevie. When Ted hands her two suitcases to her she grins and says ”Thanks again, Ted. Before you go, where do you recommend eating lunch or dinner?
”Gene it is then,” Dorothy replies with a chuckle. She passes a business cards that reads “Dorothy Cricks” with a local address and phone number. After committing to a course of action for the following day, Dorothy leaves the others and returns to her apartment. She telephones her agent and her editor, trying to get further people to contact who might know more about Mr. Croswell’s history or personal life. She also calls the Danvers Chamber of Commerce explaining that she works for “an automobile magazine” and wants information about the town. Notable history and attractions, how safe it is, restaurants and hotels, annual festivals. After that, she re-reads Mr. Croswell’s latest letters discussing his work, making notes to give the others.
She nods and smiles at the waiter as her meal is set before her. Picking up the knife and fork, she pauses before cutting. ”Those are excellent suggestions, Mr. Barrows,” Dorothy says. ”We should all go tomorrow morning to Salem. Indeed, talking to his neighbors is a fine idea. ”Doctor, in general what is the asylum’s reputation?”
Dorothy chuckles, ”Oh dear, Mr. Croswell lives in Salem. Here’s his address,” she says as she writes it on a piece of paper torn from the back of her contact book. ”I imagine it’s along the same train line that runs to Danvers.” She starts to cap her pen, when she suddenly takes out her contact book and opens the “B” section. ”Barrows and Bellwether. If you don’t mind giving me a phone number or address. You too Professor Hansen.”
With a slight smile, Dorothy shakes her head slightly at Stevie’s wink. ”Since I’ve never been to his apartment, I wouldn’t have any particular insight into any changes there. However, I probably would be able to see if his notes and research matches what he told me he was working on.” She turns her attention to Gene, ”How often do you do research with newspapers? Are you comfortable doing that?” The stranger wins her attention. As he speaks she looks around the restaurant, interested if anyone else is listening too closely to their conversation. ”You no longer work there?” Dorothy asks. She glances at the others, then narrows her eyes gazing at the stranger. ”Or your patients are still there? It’s an odd an situation, meeting these men here to discuss the hospital and you over hear us. If I was more of a paranoid person...” Dorothy gives a slight shrug. ”Very well, what will you tell us?”
Welcome to the game!
”Yes, Danvers is fairly easy to reach by train, bus, or car,” Dorothy says. ”Under twenty miles. Being prepared to stay overnight would be wise. it’s really Salem?” she asks rhetorically, gazing at the walls of the restaurant. She finishes her cigarette, leaving the lip-stick marked stub in the ash tray. ”Our agents introduced us. I could talk to his editor or agent. Either one might know more.”
”I like your idea. There might be more information at his home. Should we split up? One person go to the library to investigate the hospital and the others go to Mr. Croswell’s place.”
Dorothy reaches for the cigarette with a smile, ”How kind. Thank you,” she says. After the first drag, she blows the smoke from the right side of her mouth. ”We could also search his residence,” Dorothy says. ”When we visit him, there might be some institutional resistance. Maybe it’d be better if we go to inquire about committing a relative. One of you could pose as a brother or cousin.”
Thanks for suggesting the character sheet from the Chaosium website. I'm not sure what Dorothy's movement and magic points should be. The avatar isn't the image I thought I selected. The images didn't appear formatted properly on my screen so that probably played a factor in its choice. However, it does show a fairly average looking woman, so it all worked out.
|
