"Quickly would be good. Let's move." He then gives a nod to Faun giving her the go ahead to lead the way.
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Nodding, "I'm thinking the barrister has the right of it. Might be best if we ask around if none of us know where they went. I can tell you I've got no idea," he confesses, giving a shrug.
Absolutely engrossed in the man's tale, he loses himself in deep thought before responding, "No, I don't think so," absentmindedly. It then occurs to him what he just said and he looks up and grins. A grin that appears to be somewhat forced? Maybe? "I mean I don't know really. It's possible, I guess, because everyone has lost someone but, you know, I don't know. I guess none of those descriptions really sound like anyone we might've known. At least, from what I know of you lot. Just my take on it," he says with a shrug.
Jakob listens intently to the conversation at hand. Spirits? Really? That is strange. That is just... yeah that's not happening. Stop it, Jakob. Just stop it. That's stupid and this is just plain odd. This bloke's got some serious issues. He definitely needs help.
Jakob nonchalantly looks around, managing to catch sight of the "dead" actors through narrowed eyes before returning his attention back to Stefanos. Man, they had me fooled. Pretty well done, I'll give them credit.
As John returns to the group's couches, the atmosphere in the room is starting to calm, light ambient music has returned, and people are once again conversing socially, though admittedly mostly about the performance that just occurred. At John's question to those left assembled, Faun looks around a little surprised. "Oh, my, yes, she did depart. She seemed out of sorts, but I am sorry, I did not speak with her. The Lady Carver did though, isn't that right, miss?" Jakob waits for Scarlet to respond to Faun's question before speaking up. "Why don't we go check on Stefanos now. Care to lead the way, luv?" he asks Faun. "Or should we just check on him ourselves? Whatever works for you. If so, all I would need is a bit of direction of where he might be located and I'm sure we could find it from there. Not real familiar with this place, you know?" he says with a grin. "I particularly liked Mr. Imp's accounting of things when he referred to him as the 'Brawny Brewmeister'," she chuckles, easing off the tense mood she had adopted previously with all the craziness of the evening. She will look to Mr. Jones and smile. It is clear she is speaking about him and not trying to hide it. Nothing seems to be particularly offensive as you would expect with gossip, but more like friends poking fun at a fellow friend. She also is just loud enough for him to hear his title for the evening. Jakob grins. "Yeah that's fine."
Jakob nods to Faun, "Don't worry, luv, we'll go and give him a look. Hopefully all is right with him." Jakob then turns and looks over toward the barrister after Scarlet's comment. "Hey, John!" he calls out, "Spare a moment?!"
Faun looks up at you, a distinct look of fear in her face. Yet in hearing your words and catching your gaze, she finds some measure of support and seems to calm. ”Yes, I… I think I am okay. It was just, a lot. The last three times have been interesting, but there was only ever one spirit he communed with. And never that overwhelming feeling of dread. This was… different. I hope he is alright. He is a good man, Stefanos. I don’t understand his gift, but I can tell you he means no one ill.” As she speaks you notice the feeling of dread in your gut begins to fade. Giving a comforting grin, "Good. That's good. You looked a bit spooked there, luv, so you had me a bit worried. So this guy 'Stefanos', can he really commune with 'ghosts' or whatever? Because I thought it was just an act. A pretty believable one, mind you, but still an act. But you're telling me... not an act?" he asks, truly curious.
Jakob cuts a glance from left to right before he notices the liquid within his glass tremble due to the slight shaking of his hand. He quickly lets go of the drink and wipes the sweat beading off his forehead before burying his hands by crossing his arms. Keep it together, Jakob. Keep it together. He works to watch the rest of the act play out before darkness hits! Immediately leaping from his chair and putting himself in a blind defensive position, "Aye, I'm alright! Barrister?! Miss Lucia?! Are you there?! We could use some light here!" he commands to anyone who can help.
Jakob narrows his eyes at the large man, curious as to the odd - and potentially somewhat familiar - feeling that seems to be coming over him.
Jakob raises his glass with the others and simply nods as he takes a minor drink before setting the glass back down.
Grinning kindly, "Yeah, perhaps. Makes sense." He then returns to his table and takes a seat. Perhaps. Perhaps. Perhaps. Why am I not sold on 'perhaps'? I don't know. You know, I'm probably just overreacting. Lady Grey is probably right. For the sake of those two men... I sure hope so.
Taking a deep breath, "Sure looked real to me," he confesses, shrugging. "Seen a lot of crazy stuff in my time, you know, being a bartender and all that. Guess it's just a... a reflex action or something. Besides, not a real big fan of being 'too careful', you know? Anyway, like he said, everyone's all fine so that's good. That's what counts," he finishes, grinning.
Taking a deep breath, "Sure looked real to me." He glances back a moment just to make sure no one is near them that should be. "And for what it's worth, just before the big fella grabbed me, I managed to catch Edrington head for the side stairs as if he had somewhere to be yesterday. Not sure what that was all about but he sure seemed... I don't know... seriously concerned about something. I mean, why would he leave that way and not come directly toward me seeing how he's the one in charge of all this? There's just something about that I'm not liking."
Still smiling, Jakob subtly cuts his attention toward Lady Grey and mouths the words THANK YOU and follows that up by giving a slight nod before returning to his seat. ------------------------------ Shaking his head in response to Lord Edrington, "No no, governor, not at all. I'm truly alright. Matter of fact, I'm looking forward to see how this plays out," he tells him, grinning. He then turns toward Faun, "And thanks for the drink, luv. Much appreciated," he says as he raises his glass in thanks while still grinning.
Catching movement out of the corner of his eye, he stows that away mentally as he resists the man's clutches to a degree but not to the point of actually attempting to break free. He then angles his hearing in the direction of Faun's voice as he hears her. Narrowing his eyes as he ponders her words, he nods and relaxes. Looking around at the crowd a moment before turning his attention back to her, "No worries, luv," he says with a grin. "Matter of fact, I need to apologize to you. Kind of jumping on instincts there, you know? Sorry for getting a bit carried away. And I've got to give you credit, it looked bloody real. Well done!" he congratulates, smiling. He then looks down at the arms that still have him subdued. "I don't suppose this gent would be willing to let me go, would he? I'd be happy to go sit down if so," he says with a wry grin and a wink.
Jakob watches the act nonchalantly as he toys with the rim of his drink with his forefinger while holding it. As he watches the scene unfold, he narrows his eyes when the blades come out. Now watching with more of an intensity, Jakob becomes lost in the act, seemingly oblivious to all around him as his head moves with what appears to be either in concert with the actors or... as if he himself is trying to dodge the blades? As the finale arrives and he witnesses the woman stab the two men, his glass shatters in his hand as he mindlessly crushes it while erupting straight out of his chair and yelling, "NOOOO!!!" with a look of abject horror on his face. It would seem that the large man might appear to be mentally somewhere else for just a moment as he pauses but it feels like not an instant later that he quickly moves to the stage. "Are these blokes dead?! Did you just kill them?!" he asks the female actress, obviously angry as his heartrate rises.
Raven: Shaking his head, "You know, I'm actually good. Thanks for the offer though. And thanks for the talk! It was a pleasure," he says, giving a friendly nod.
Raven:
With a look that obviously expresses how impressed he is with the tale, "Wow. He really is a decent bloke. And good for you! It's always nice to hear a feel good story," he says, grinning. "You've come a long way and you should be proud," he tells her, giving a firm nod.
Raven: Nodding, "Yeah no worries at all," he reassures with a grin. "So how long have you known Edrington? He's an interesting fellow for sure."
The Raven: Shaking his head, "Ummm, no, no, I'm good. Thanks. To be honest, I'm use to being by myself. I have been for quite some time now, so, it's really no bother. And thanks for letting me know about the Irishman. I really wish he would've said something though," he says as he glances around, slightly irritated that he missed Peter take his leave. "It's not a good idea to be roaming about by oneself." The big fella sighs, a bit of concern etched upon his face. "Anyway, um, are you okay? I couldn't help but notice you seem a bit distracted about something. Might there be anything I can help you with?" he asks sincerely.
As they walk away he informs Jakob, "I'm going to go see if I can't chat up another group as well. If you could, keep an eye on the ladies until I get back; 'hounds' don't strike me as particularly trustworthy around women." Nodding, "Way ahead of you, guv," he responds, cutting his vision toward the women as he is determined to do exactly that.
Terrier of the hounds, hey? Boy o boy this one's clever, isn't he? he thinks sarcastically. Well at least it's fitting, I'll give him that. And what's he bloody aiming for... a duel? Here and now? This really is going to prove interesting.
Jakob listens to Faun curiously before cutting his eyes toward the businessman. He then looks to Scarlet as she accepts before turning his vision back to the young businessman. This ought to be interesting. Wonder what this bloke wants to talk about?
Jakob nods, "Sounds good. Let us see what happens," he says as he leans back in his chair and raises a drink to his lips as he returns to observing.
Looking to the woman impressed, "You are an observant one, Ms. Scarlet, I'll give you that," he compliments, grinning as he takes a nonchalant gander at mentioned groups. "But I'll be honest, I haven't really been paying much mind to the details of any of them. I mostly concentrate on any that may appear threatening. Not so much as to what they look like but more so on their actions." ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Jakob then considers their plan. "If you two plan on pulling this off, you need to be careful. I'd prefer to go with you two to keep an eye out but having two of us go is one thing. Having three opens up all kinds of 'unwanted' talk. And I'm fairly certain that is NOT what you two need. So if that is your plan, just watch out for yourself, okay?" He takes another calm glance around before saying, "Because something about all this just doesn't sit well with me, you know?"
Lord Edrington chuckles at Jakob's dismissal of his offer. "Very well, though from what I've heard from Hartly, I had gathered you've seen some wild times. Still, some seek relaxation in simple ways." Jakob simply smiles in return, raising his glass in a toasting fashion. "I won't deny that, to be sure. 'Seen' being the operative word of course," he responds, grinning as he takes a drink.
Jakob's eyes go slightly wide at the options Edrington throws at John. When he's addressed directly on said subject, along with the others, he sits his drink down and shakes his head. "Ummm you know, I think I'm good, mate. The entertainment you've provided is enough for me, thanks. Not much of a thrill seeker, to be honest."
Waving her off, "I'm good here. Thanks though." Jakob finishes off the glass he was carrying with him and pours himself some scotch. He then takes a moment to observe the multitude of other patrons. "Blimey there sure are a lot of fancy folks here. This truly is above my pay grade, I'll be honest," he says, taking a drink.
Jakob looks around at the others before shrugging. "Sure. I guess I'm ready." He grabs what's left of his drink and takes it with him.
Just before they arrive, Jakob places his mask on. Looking upon the giant of a man that welcomes them, Jakob is internally taken aback by the man's size. Blimey that bloke is big, he thinks to himself as he pops his neck from one side and then to the other. He then follows in behind the others, taking in the scene. "Wow. This place is quite lively tonight," he simply mentions in passing. Catching sight of Hartly, Jakob grins and walks up to the bar as well. "A simple ale will do for me, mate. Thanks."
Jakob nods. "Let's go. Yeah hopefully he'll meet us there. A moment! Nearly forgot my pack." He then quickly goes and gets his backpack and slings it over his shoulder and returns. "Okay, now let's go." He then is the first to the door, opening it for the others. "After you, ladies and gents."
Jakob removes the attention he's paying to the glass he's cleaning as Edie comes up and starts talking. He cuts his eyes in the direction of his new acquaintances when she mentions them before shooting them back to her. Grinning, "Oh, you know, nobody really. Just some folks I met recently. And I will definitely take you up on your offer," he says as he finishes cleaning the glass and putting it away before putting the rag away. "I owe you once again, luv, as always. You know you're beautiful so don't go changing," he tells her, giving her a wink as he starts to take his leave. He practically stops not a moment later and looks back, "And NO I don't only say that when you cover for me, luv," he claims, pondering that a moment before, "Wellll maybe I do a bit. You're still beautiful!" he declares anyway, pointing and winking again while grinning wryly as he now turns and makes his way to the others. -------------------------------
"Did everyone make it alright?" Nodding, "Yeah, all good here." Jakob looks around at the others before asking, "Where's William? I guess we're still waiting on him?"
As John arrives at the Horn of Plenty and offers Jakob the mask, he accepts it with gratitude. "Thanks again, mate! This'll be perfect. Just let whichever these ladies know what you want to drink and I'm fairly certain we've got it. Nothing too fancy though, we're not quite as all that as Edrington's place," he says, giving a wink that's paired with a grin as he returns to his duties behind the bar.
"It's called the Horn of Plenty. Like I said, it's not much but we stay fairly busy." "Very well," John says with a nod, "If Lady grey can provide a mask for Miss Wriothesly, and adapt something for Peter, I can lend Jakob my masquerade mask and Mister Westford my carriage so that he can return home to retrieve one or head to a shop to procure one. Then he can retrieve me from my office and we'll head to the inn where Jakob works to await the Lady's arrival. If that's agreeable to all?" "Hey, thanks, mate! I appreciate it. And that's agreeable to me. Sounds like a plan."
Jakob simply nods in farewell as he walks out with the others. "Yeah I'm going to need a mask as well. I wonder if there's a place around that sells them?" he asks rhetorically, giving it some thought.
------------------------------------------ He pulls out his fancy gold pocket watch and checks the time. "If Lady Grey is uncertain of the hour at which she will arrive, perhaps we should rendezvous elsewhere so that we can arrive together? I do have some business to which I must attend this afternoon, but surely there is a more traditional tavern in the area at which we could meet this evening for supper and to await Lady Grey's arrival?" "You know, mate, we could always meet at my place. I'm about to head there now... work and all you know," he says, shrugging. "It's not the fanciest inn in town, mind you, but it's an option. Just a thought. If not, no worries, I can just meet you all back here later tonight unless you all have another spot in mind?"
Jakob with a hand partially raised shakes his head. "No thanks, mate. What I've got will do me." He points a finger at his current drink he still holds. "But I will accept your invitation when it comes to that 'honored guests' bit. Sounds interesting."
"Ah. I see. That makes sense," he nods in understanding, thinking nothing more about it. ---------------------------------------- Jakob keeps to himself and continues to observe. At the mention of 'Lady Carver' though, Lady Carver? I wonder what that's all about. Why is he calling her that? Is that some type of nickname? He thinks on it a moment before quietly shaking his head. I don't know. Heck, I barely know any of these people as it is. Probably not important anyway. It does seem odd though. He then pulls his pack up over his shoulder as Edrington offers a tour, grabs his drink, and follows along.
Jakob thanks Hartly for the drink, paying the man accordingly. He then turns his attention to Edrington as he arrives and introduces himself to them all. The big guy remains quiet and takes a drink as he awaits the host's response to the questions asked of him.
Just as he's about to respond to Scarlet, Lucia begins to speak. When she finishes, Jakob looks to her curiously. "How long ago was that? That is, when it was called the... um... Silken den or whatever it was you called it." He then looks off into the distance as he ponders something else before turning back to her. "Wait a minute, did you work here? I mean, if there are hallways in this place, that's really the only way you'd know about them, right?"
The big fellow drifts off in thought for what cannot be much more than a moment as if searching for the right answer or possibly something else before, "Nope. Just me and my flat. There's a lot less disagreements that way. I pretty much win them all," he says, smiling kiddingly as he shrugs. He quickly turns toward the bartender, "A drink, Hartly, if you would, mate! Surprise me!" He then turns his attention back to the ladies, "Yeah, um, yeah, just me. Well, my parents reside in Manchester but it's been a while since I've seen them. You know, hard to travel about nowadays with costs and all and having to actually find the time on top of that," he explains, shrugging as if that's just how it is while grinning. But if one looked hard enough, one might gather that he would appear to be somewhat out of sorts about it but if that is the case, it's truly difficult to tell with how well he hides through his smile.
Jakob turns his attention to Scarlet, "I've seen him a time or two over the years. I try to get to know the barkeeps around town seeing how I'm one myself. I don't know, sorta like a 'family' type thing I guess." He shrugs. "But I'd be lying if I said I didn't patronize one or two of 'em," he confesses, grinning wryly.
As the ladies speak, Jakob nonchalantly turns an ear their way, curious as to any information they may have garnered. Lord Edrington. Lord Edrington. Lord Edrington. That name just doesn't ring a bell. Neither does that Countess Craven. You'd think I'd at least heard of this Edrington fellow. I know several owners of various bars and yet I've never heard of this bloke. Scratching his head, Man I got nothing. Ah well, probably not too important anyway I guess.
Upon hearing Hartly mention Jack, one might notice Jakob's jaw jump due to the clenching of his teeth. As the large bartender's attention turns toward the others, Jakob uses that to escape and find a table to sit at. He chooses a table somewhat nearby Scarlet so as not to promote any misunderstandings. As he sits with his hands in his vest pockets, his brow furrows in thought a moment. Necromancer? What in the bloody hell is that? I've never heard of that. They must be creating new drinks or something. Could've come up with a better name.
Narrowing his eyes in recognition of the bartender, Jakob walks up to the bar. "Hartly, huh? Man it has been a time, mate. I don't believe we've ever officially met but I've seen you around over the years. You worked a bar or two in Whitechapel several years back I believe. Name's Jakob and I'm 'keep at the Horn of Plenty. Probably not as upscale as this place," he mentions as he looks around, "but it pays the bills. That was you, right? I'm not misremembering am I?" he asks just to be sure.
Jakob 'jumps awake' as he finds that he had fallen asleep in his chair. He then rises and decides to gather a few things to take with him. Once he finishes with that, he throws the backpack over his shoulder and heads downstairs and out of the building into a brisk morning. "Nice morning to be sure." He then finds a seat and waits for the barrister to arrive. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Accepting the lawyer's offer, "Thanks, guv. All I've had this morning is an apple. This is much appreciated." He nods, grinning as he takes a bite.
Rising from bed just as the sun is about to peek over the horizon, Jakob starts to dress. He first puts on his necklace and then buries it under an undershirt, an outer shirt, and a vest. He then finishes getting dressed and moves to the kitchen, grabs an apple, and moves into the living room. Opening up the drapes, he looks out at the beginning of a new day. Taking a bite of his apple and chewing, he swallows before saying out loud to himself, "Well, looks like a beautiful morning. Funny...," is all he says as he takes another bite before finding a seat to look outside and watch the sun rise.
As he's taken and dropped off at his flat, "Thanks, mate. Much appreciated." He nods, grinning, and then makes his way to his humble abode. Going up several flights of steps, he makes his way to the third floor and to his front door before unlocking it and stepping inside. He then shuts the door behind him and locks it. He works through a multitude of locks before he is finally finished with his nightly 'locking ritual'. With only the moonlight to see by - since he's a bit to high to take advantage of the streetlight - he grabs the matches that sit upon an end table and lights several candles throughout. He then stares out the window and into the night sky and its multitude of stars for a bit just to reflect on the day. "Wow. What a night. What an absolute mental night," he finally says to himself, dragging his hands down his face and taking a deep breath. "Guess I better get some rest. At least try to. Got a long day ahead of us. A long day." Closing the curtains, he blows out the candles on his way to the bedroom. He heads to the dresser and looks in the mirror as he takes off his vest, shirt and pants. He thinks nothing of the various scars upon his well-muscled upper body or the necklace that he wears in which a pair of rings hang upon and of which he keeps buried under his clothing during the day. He then puts on an undershirt and blows out the rest of the candles, save one, before heading to bed. Placing the candle down on a table on one side of the bed, he proceeds to lie down on the other side. And as he does so, most of his face is covered in shadow outside of the candle's flickering light. And what one might be able to make out of the large man's face from the far side of the bedside table that's next to him, it appears he looks upon a picture judging by the back of it. After a moment, he rises and leans over to blow out the candle before lying back down and whispering, "Good night, my love." Unfortunately for Jakob, though, he would get very little sleep this night.
"Whatever's best works for me. I...," he pauses a moment for some reason before continuing, "yeah there's no one that'll question whether or not I'm home. So if the barrister doesn't mind an extra then I'll take him up on that. But if not, I'd be grateful for a ride back to my flat. And I've got a little bit of money to pay for such if need be, no problem," he says matter of factly.
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