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Roland catches Jossem's eye with his own and gestures with his head towards the theater, heading that way and keeping his eyes peeled for their 'target'. As he walks he leans towards Jossem, "So, do we have a plan or do we play this by ear? The end goal is to keep the fellow away from the girls, and we need to make sure we send a clear and lasting message. Any thoughts?"
Party on Wayne. Party on Garth. :)
Not I, just checked his aliases now and again. But it's been awhile.
Does that mean I can select a language to fill my spot too? :) Too bad about Tommy, fingers crossed he pops back in. And good luck moving! Always a joyful job.
So, Roland is ready to go, but are we waiting on Tommy? Or shall we just proceed without him?
Roland gives Joss a regretful smile, "Sounds like we have time to pay a visit to this 'New Globe Theater'. North to the market plaza, and the place will be just off there. What do you say?" The detective's curiosity and natural penchant for action has him extremely excited.
Rolands eye's twinkle right along with Joss's at the mention of staying the night here. But he turns his attention to the Madame, thinking about work before... other things, "When does the sun set? Perhaps we have time to visit him now?"
Having reached a plan of action, Roland steps out to address the Madame, and (assuming he locates her) explains, "Three of our number shall be assisting with your problem, Madame. We are eager to help." and gives her his winning-est smile. I hope we are doing the right thing, he thinks to himself.
Yeah, our DM made a special note of the asian-looking call girls. Ang must've been too distracted by the... other call girls? ;)
There were several asian-looking professional women in the last room, did Ang fail to notice?
Right, a neighboring country's language would make the most sense. DM, maybe a list of languages and I can roll to see which one I learnt? Or what do you think?
I realized recently that I only listed Roland as speaking Common, but he has an Int of 12. Should he have gotten a bonus language besides common with an int of 12? I think so, but it's so rarely come up in games I've played...
Our street-wise tough has been gone for about 10 days. Don't make me start combing the boards for you Tommy! :) I'm thinking we can split the party, this place seems harmless enough. Famous last words, I know. But Roland doesn't have a problem with it, used to doing things solo.
Roland watches the interplay, "If we're to split up I think I'll go with Tommy, if he's agreeable, to see about the playwright." Internally he's conflicted, but reason tells him this capable woman is currently their best hope for obtaining reliable information quickly. While searching amongst the less-refined working girls could yield results, assisting Madam Corbeaux seemed the better long-term investment.
Should have seen that coming Roland thinks, considering the Father. "Fairly stated, but why do you assume violence will be needed? The man is a playwright, and perhaps just needs to be guided appropriately. By someone in authority, perhaps?" Roland knows he's laying it on a bit thick, but more flies with honey...
Roland inclines his head as she leaves, and then turns to the others, cutting to the chase, "What are your thoughts Father? I understand the source of the help may be unsavory, but we are in desperate need of information."
Roland watches her as they speak, noting her complete lack of concern. She must not have seen the Rippers handiwork, or there's no way she'd be this calm! he realizes with some relief. The man is loathe to be relegated to an enforcer, but the target sounded harmless enough, a playwright. Tommy would probably know what to do, which was a small comfort. Acknowledging their desperate need for information, it's lack had been weighing heavily on the tall detective, Roland decides to agree. "I will help, Madame Corbeaux, but I'll let my companions speak for themselves."
Roland sniffs his drink before taking a generous sip, "I apologize if I was unclear earlier, but we are not bounty hunters, we are..." he stops suddenly, looking at the others in consternation, eyebrows raised high as if to say I don't know what we are. He struggles on, "Concerned citizens." He begins by describing Jack the Ripper, his history in London, the fear of the citizens, and their encounter with him less than earlier. He gives a vague description of the Rippers methods, leaving the details of the dead prostitute for someone else to supply, not actually seeing the scene himself. While he lets her digest this, and others add further details he leans in, "I hope you use this information to the benefit and safety of your... employees, thus we give it freely. But what favor do you seek from us? We are extremely new to this region and it's customs."
Roland can't help but just... bask in the delicious scene they enter upon, his many sense, already sharp, happily drowning in sights, sounds, and smells. But then the austere woman approaches, and the detective forces himself to focus, giving the woman an appraising look of his own.
Roland notes her confidence and authority, along with the way she holds the attention of the unengaged working girls, both the respect and the fear. To the fathers words he adds, "We've tracked the man from... some distance. Some of us have seen first-hand what he's capable of and we're hoping to put him down before he can do it again. His methods are quite shocking. If you'd prefer to have this conversation elsewhere, we're happy to oblige. We just want to help." He coughs at the end of his little speech, rudely forgetting to cover his mouth, perhaps to the annoyance of the iron-haired woman.
Roland raises his eyebrows, visibly skeptical, but the evidence is there before his face. "What sort of place..." but leaves the rest unsaid as he pushes into the building, now fully curious, which removes nearly all his earlier unease.
Roland nods, with a touch of excitement and a touch of embarrassment. While this won't have been the first time he's been to such an establishment, it certainly was the first time with a man of the cloth in tow! "Indeed, we are in desparate need of a lead, and La Fleur Rose is as good a place as any. Thank you good sailor, may the wind be ever at your back!"
Roland is unprepared for the mans sputtering, and he scarcely has time to react as the man slams his knife into the table. Luckily things settle quickly and he wishes he was better versed in languages as he realizes he hasn't understood a word the man just said. "Do-you-speak-English?" he asks, speaking slowly and carefully to help the man understand him.
Roland raises his eyebrows skeptically, but doesn't refute Joss's points about their location. He chooses not to comment on witchcraft. When he's eaten his fill of the stew he looks around for a kerchief, but see's none. Sighing he wipes at his mouth with his sleeve and turns to the others, "So what is our plan? I agree that the ladies of the night are probably the most in danger from the Ripper, and they likely congregate near the docks, but it seems a most ineffective mode of searching. We don't even know if the man is still in this city."
Roland listens to the father with a sinking feeling in his stomach, and then his eyes get wide. "Did we somehow get taken to the America's!? How else would they speak english so well?"
Roland considers this and nods, "You make a valid point, unless they refer to English as Zherisian in their native tongue, like the french call it Anglais, for example." The detective grimaces as he knows the likelihood of him being correct is looking slimmer and slimmer the more he learns and observes the culture in this place.
Nodding in the affirmative and making sure the transaction goes smoothly, Roland assists Jossem in bringing food and drink for everyone back to the table, waving Ang over if he has not joined them already, "Come Mr. Ang! We cannot deliver justice on an empty stomach. Fortunately, the locals seem decent enough. Though they are clearly foreign, and what language did he claim? 'Zhersan' was it. I've never heard the like, perhaps a local dialect?"
Roland steps forward, "Good day... uh, Bonjour.." he seems to falter, unsure of himself in the strange setting. "Pardon me, I'm Roland Clive, and we are new in town. What is the name of this town we're in? We are tracking a villain of the worst kind, and believe he may be in the vicinity." He stops there, feeling he may be rambling a bit, and looks back at his companions with a look of mild consternation.
Roland looks around, somewhat disheartened, "So much for asking about a strange man in a top hat! Any ideas where we should start looking for him?" He looks over as Tommy talks right over the top of his question, "Ah, yes, just what I was curious about. To the ocean then?" and starts heading that way. Seeing as their in a market area, he slows by a vendor, looking for something in the way of breakfast.
When Tommy first mentions the likely presence of whores in the distant city, Roland looks over at him with wide eyes, an immensely incredulous expression on his face, shocked at the mans inappropriateness. But then Tommy continues, and Roland realizes Tommy's actual meaning, letting out a brief, barely audible sigh of relief.
Roland looks over at the Father as they walk, face solemn when presented with the dire straights they are truly in, "Amen Father."
Roland's steps slow and then stop completely as they leave the cover of the trees and take it the expansive view. "This is..." and just trails off there, apparently too taken with the scene to continue. After several moments he looks around at the others, "That city might hold some answers, and I can't help but feel like we're woefully low on information." Roland takes a few steps forward, eyes straining to see if the road they are on will take them to the city in the distance.
Roland squirms throughout the service, clearly uncomfortable and/or ready to be on the hunt. He makes sure he's all set to head out and encourages the others, "Shall we be off then?"
Roland, his sense of justice kicking in, feels compelled to chime in, noting the return of Ang's bag, "Hold on now Jossem, surely a man has a right to defend himself, even if he is a chinaman."
Roland sighs heavily as Richard passes out, turning the man onto his side in case he vomits and to keep him from choking on his tongue. "Poor fool. Mr. Ang, what was that all about?"
Rioght-o guv'nah!
Roland, seeing things escalate between the two men, also moves closer to try and intervene. "Gentlemen! This is neither the time nor the place! Now return to Mr. Ang what is rightfully his and let's find a way back home!" he says, trying to appeal to reason.
Roland wakes up stiffly at the sound of the commotion, his body unused to the cold, hard ground. Seeing their benefactors have disappeared he rubs his eyes and looks around again, "I can't believe they left without us noticing." He keeps his blanket, grateful the gypsies left him that, and hugs it around his body. He refrains from joining the Father for the morning mass, doing his best to not interrupt but deciding instead to take stock of their situation. "We won't last long without supplies. We are alone in unfamiliar territory, without provisions, and no map. The Ripper, as we may as well call him now, has a substantial head start on us. We know the direction and with luck can pick up on the trail. In case our situation doesn't change quickly, we need to spend some time to find water and food. Does anyone have any suggestions about how we proceed?"
Roland exchanges a look with Ang, doubt evident in his eyes, but shrugs minutely and lays back down to sleep, knowing he'll need his strength for the unknown challenges of tomorrow.
Ahh, guilt-free child-care. Sounds nice! :)
Roland relaxes at the Father's explanation, putting away his knife, but props himself on an elbow as Madame comes out, "Excuse me Madame, but what is in those vials, if you please?"
That's great, I hear you pay top-notch for the Disney Cruise experience. Would you say that's the case? If you don't mind my asking..
That little jerk! :) j/k. I hope he's having the time of his life.
Roland, not sleeping well on the hard ground, sits bolt upright at the Fathers scream. He gropes for his knife even as Jossem rushes to the man's side, "What? Is he alright?!"
Roland smiles in gratitude towards the guard and strides over to the fire and retrieves his stick. Moving back to the mans side he starts drawing in the dirt with the scorched wood, leaving dark ash to better illustrate his picture. He draws a crude form of his beloved nation, with the ocean all around, and after finishing he points to it, "Can you tell me where we are using this?" and holds the stick out for the guard to take.
Roland makes his way over to the fire, warming his hands for a moment as people get settled. After a few moments he sets a stick, several feet in length, in the fire and then makes his way to the mans side, stopping several feet away to give the man some space. "Hello stranger, I'm Roland. I wondered if I might ask you a question." and waits patiently for the mans response.
Roland shrugs at the others when Madame Eva refuses the money, and tries to answer her question, "We, uhh, weren't planning on taking a holiday Madame Eva. I'm not sure that we have much to offer other than what you see before you... What does your family need?" Roland can't help but feel like he's on a runaway train, the entire situation has been out of control since they'd heard the scream. Why does that seem so long ago?" he wonders to himself.
Roland bites back the retaliatory words about rushing off into the dark and unknown territory at Tommy's accusation, remembering the strong man's horrified reaction to what the Ripper did. Instead he does a slight bow of the head towards Madame Eva, "Thank you Madame, we do not wish to overstay our welcome. We will surely be gone in the morning." He looks at the others, an odd look in his eyes, "Does anyone have any money?"
Roland shakes his head with obvious regret, "As much as I would like to, we cannot go charging into the darkness in unfamiliar territory. I do not believe I know this forest, or its dangers. We should wait until morning and then head after him. If it's not to much trouble to put us up for the rest of the night Madame?"
Roland shrugs at Jossem's question, "I don't think anyone can control mists... or use it to take folks places for that matter, but to ignore the possibility of a connection would be foolish. Best we catch him and put him to the question." He looks at Madame Eva, curious of her response, and adds, "What time is it here anyways? I find myself a bit turned around since arriving here."
Roland concedes Jossem several of his points, but holds up a finger despite not being invited directly to the conversation. "There is a alternate line of thinking here Jossem. If that man was the Ripper, as we believe him to be, he could very well know how to get back to London. Hell, for all we know he could be the reason we got... misted over here in the first place!" The detective looks around at your faces, "So, besides catching a viscous, murdering jackal, we may need that man to ever get home at all." He lets that hang in the wagon air for a moment, silently hoping someone will disagree with his thought process.
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