Tiffany Korta Posted August 24, 2013 Share Posted August 24, 2013 The fresh air and the rain helped Agnes regain a lot of her composure she had to put the mask she’d been living under for the last couple of months. By the time they reached the morgue she was more or less ready to see this through. Which was a good thing as the presence of a guard offered her a chance to practice her skills. “You have a lot to learn about people Roi, especially men, there are two things that can distract a man and I can manage both of them.†UNdoing a button she adjusted her dress to show a decent amount of cleavage, them she went about making it look like she had been crying, running mascara and all. “I’ll try and distract him for a bit, you try to find out what you can.†With that she tottered unevenly over to the guard’s station and lean on the counter. “Urm... excuse me I here to see my poor George, they said he was bought here...†Link to comment
Supercape Posted August 25, 2013 Author Share Posted August 25, 2013 GM The Mortuary Guard, who seemed half asleep, woke up with a start and slammed his desk draw shut reflexively. Not quite fast enough to obscure the glint of a half open whisky stash. His breath, if one cared to notice, was indicative of inebriation. "Sure..sh-sh-shure-" spluttered the Guard, whose name tag read JOE FATONE. His abdominal girth was, indeed, more expansive than necessary. He fiddle round with the keys and dropped them. Twice. All nerves and thumbs. "Pleasure to help you lady. We don't see many err.. beautiful dames...this time of night. Leastways, not in this city. And...errr...your...ummm....friend here...." he said, not knowing how to address Roi. Joe opened the door and let the twosome into the Morgue. He pulled out a clipboard and lead them towards the beds of the dead, towards the crisp cold air of refrigeration. He unlocked the door to the cold room, and lead them into a a dreary clinical room with a half dozen stiffs on a half dozen slabs. With more stored in drawers around the room. "George was it...George...George..." he said, running his finger down his list without finding any such name. Link to comment
Tiffany Korta Posted August 25, 2013 Share Posted August 25, 2013 (edited) She dabbed her eye’s and managed a weak little smile. “Thank you for your help, it nice to see that are still gentlemen in this city.†She gently touched her hand to his chest, out of the man’s sight she gave Roi a little told you so look. “Well my poor George did have such terrible luck.†she gave an exaggerated sob into her hankie “Maybe we could look around and see if I can find my beloved? I promise we won’t touch anything that we shouldn’t.†She gave a little hopeful luck a little like a wounded puppy. Edited August 25, 2013 by TiffanyKorta Link to comment
Supercape Posted August 25, 2013 Author Share Posted August 25, 2013 GM Joe tipped his cap forward to scratch the back of his head. And then his naval. Giving Agnes the joy of a breath full of stagnant whiskey, he replied in an unsure voice. "Well...I don't know...it's not strictly right to go looking at the dead..." he mumbled, and then leant forward to give her a superior version of his fumes. "Well, we do let people in here...for a price, you know? Seems only right, you know, doing a public service of the records. Ask no questions, cash in hand...all sorts come down here..." he said, with a bleary wink and a tap on his nose. "So don't see why can't make a 'ception to you, Lady. Although I'm not to sure about your friend here..." he said, stiffly eyeing Roi. Link to comment
Ari Posted September 2, 2013 Share Posted September 2, 2013 "I knew him too" Roi broke his silence with a mournful look "We were not especially friendly in the life, but in death now I want to pay him my last respects" the Frenchman was uneasy with even this partial untruth, but Agnes' deft deception made it at least easier to stomach. Walking forward across the slick asphalt he said gravely "We'll make no trouble, and shall soon be gone. We merely wish to see poor George this one night before we leave unhappy memories behind." His face was lit in shadows and glancing streetlamps, but sincerity shone from it in the gloom. Bowing his head he added "But if this is too grand of a favor for the ask of you..." Link to comment
Supercape Posted September 4, 2013 Author Share Posted September 4, 2013 GM Joe looked uncomfortable and even hopped from one foot to another. "Look, I understand. My mam died last year. It ain't easy saying goodbye. No, not easy at all" he said morosely, wiping away a tear. "I blame myself for her death" he said, even more uncomfortably. "You know how life is, you get mixed up in the wrong kind of people, the wrong kind of crowd" he said, angry with himself. "You folks look the decent sort, I'll just leave you be here. And get back to my desk..." he finished, silently padding his way down corridor and up to stair to the entrance office. Link to comment
Tiffany Korta Posted September 17, 2013 Share Posted September 17, 2013 Agnes gave the man a comforting hug and a chaste kiss on the cheek. She still felt a little guilty at tricking the man but this could be important for all of them. She waited until the man wandered back to his desk and out of earshot. “Let’s go see what we have wrought, before he start to get suspicious.†She managed a weak smile but she wasn’t looking forward to looking into the face of the man she had killed not a few hours earlier. But they needed to do this and she didn’t have the time to breakdown, there would hopefully be time to deal with all this later. Link to comment
Ari Posted September 29, 2013 Share Posted September 29, 2013 Nodding shortly, raising his hat to the watchman as he left and smoothing away the nervous look that threatened to reveal itself, Roi fell in step beside Agnes, the picture of the stern figure he wasn't in the least. The cold and silent hallways they walked quickly down, navigating by the few convenient signs and maps, filled the young Frenchman with more horror than any darkness had when he was a child. In a few minutes they would be faced with their crime and hope to steal whatever clues they could from it, robbing the dead man...right now it wasn't avenging ghouls or vengeful shadows that he dreaded, but the icy fear of being caught. 'What we're doing is wrong, but good can come of it! We can...we can use this to unravel the Mob, get the reward for their capture, use it to get a decent burial for poor Adrien and send dear Agnes to Paris...all can be well...' It was the thought of Agnes in Paris that steeled his heart the best, and as they found their way to the stiff dead man on the table he reassured himself with that vision, knowing what they would see when the took off the cover. Link to comment
Supercape Posted October 5, 2013 Author Share Posted October 5, 2013 GM Searching a dead body was never going to be a pleasant task. The fact they were searching a stone cold killer, one who Agnes had shot somewhat messily a few hours ago, in a cold morgue in the middle of a bleak night did not make it any more palatable. Even in death, Hatchet was somewhat intimidating. His cold eyes seemed colder and, if one were to feel nervous, the empty black pupils followed you as you moved. Aside from the blood stained clothes, Agnes found a pair of matches from the Wild Joker, complete with cardboard cover. On it, Hatchet had scrawled a mystery: Your Faithful Servant, Handsome Jack Inbound on the Blue Dawn The name was most familiar to Roi. It was the very ship he had arrived on, traversing the atlantic to America! Link to comment
Ari Posted October 15, 2013 Share Posted October 15, 2013 The light reflecting off the dead man's paling skin did funny things. For one, it gave the corpse an almost luminous air, like the two were gathered before the body of somebody wholly unlike the man Hatchet had been just hours ago. The frozen eyes made Roi feel also like he was being weighed on some invisible scale, making fumbling hands even clumsier. For another it made the cheap matchbook paint feel even shabbier than it was. That didn't do anything for the words it carried though. Roi was briefly unable to speak when he realized what they said(taking a moment to puzzle over the word 'Dawn'), as it cast everything that had happened recently in an even worse light. What had Hatchet been doing in France? Why had he come back now of all times? Agnes had said that her love had died only a short time ago, was there something more going on with these 'made men' than mere greed and selfish evil? What was Handsome Jack after? Mind whirling with uncertainty, the slender young man at last managed to look up at Agnes and say "That is the boat I came to America on. What would he write that on a matchbook?" he asked in bafflement, examining the thin cover "A reminder of something?" Link to comment
Tiffany Korta Posted October 21, 2013 Share Posted October 21, 2013 Agnes found the best way to deal with all this was to not think of Hatchet lying there as a body of a previously living human being. It wasn’t easy but at least it helped her keep her lunch down, though she had eaten anything for quite a while. “Maybe they bought something in on the very same ship? It could be a massive coincidence or some kind of plan of some sort. If the ship is still in port it might be worth having a look at her, in case whatever they were smuggling is still being unloaded.†Link to comment
Supercape Posted October 22, 2013 Author Share Posted October 22, 2013 GM A little later... It had been a long night. The sun had not yet risen, but the faintest glow in the horizon indicated the dawn would not be far away. The rain kept at it, neither hard not soft. Enough to make a noise and to make you wet. But not enough to rip through you. The Docks of Freedom CIty dropped the temperature just slightly, enough to send the whisper of a chill at this time of night. It got darker here, too. The sea was black and the lights less frequent. The Blue dawn was there, just where Roi had left it. A cheap passenger ship, were immigrants both legal and the other type were herder in conditions just better than cattle. Some had walked out, some were carried out on stretchers. RIght now, it was refuelling and grabbing a few days worth of repairs and rest and relaxation for the crew. A few dock workers worked and early shift, and a few nightwatchmen were half asleep reading the early morning papers. And Roi caught sight of a few policemen following them, in the shadows this time... Link to comment
Tiffany Korta Posted October 29, 2013 Share Posted October 29, 2013 Agnes looked up at the massive bulk of a vessel that brought her newfound friend her to America. You could say that this was what had started off this entire chain of events that lead to there being blood on her hands. To help the long road to cleaning them she hoped it also contained some answers. “Okay we need to get aboard that ship without attracting to much attention. Do you have an idea of how we can do that? The sensible thing would be for me to wait here, you could easily pass off as one of the sailors. But we can’t be sure that there won;t be any more trouble inside the ship.†Link to comment
Ari Posted October 30, 2013 Share Posted October 30, 2013 The drive down to the docks had done a lot for Roi's rattled nerves. The gentle swell of the water, the noise of surf and cry of seagulls reminded him of the day he'd set off, full of hope. Even though he'd arrived to find horror, it was good to remember all the good that was still in the world, good that cared nothing for the miserable hatreds and evils of bitter men who had poisoned their lives. It was while taking stock of the imposing shipyard, marveling at the prosperity that America seemed to have without limit when so much of the world was impoverished, that he happened to see the furtive shapes of policemen ducking into cover. Agnes' first few words were caught only by empty air as her slender companion recovered, though he managed a hissed "We've been followed. Police, we need to act at once! I'll...I'll" he cast about for a good excuse "I'll say I lost something on board and want to look for it. If they tell me to wait I can say I know where it is and just want to find it and leave." A horrified look crept over his young face "Agnes, I won't leave you, what if they take you in and those killers get you? We should go together, we will be stronger than if we separate!" Link to comment
Tiffany Korta Posted November 16, 2013 Share Posted November 16, 2013 Well in that case we better both get into the dock somehow, she gave him a comforting smile life had meant she wasn’t one to quit when things got difficult. “I might be a tad overdressed for this but I best plan is to pretend that you're a sailor and I’m his companion for the night.†She knew he would be to much of a gentleman to make the first move, so to speak, so she pressed up against him and put his arm over her shoulder. “Stagger a little like you drunk and talk in loud whispers like we’re trying to sneak into the place unnoticed, but we can’t manage it because we’ve been on the drink.†Link to comment
Ari Posted November 17, 2013 Share Posted November 17, 2013 If he had been fully honest at that moment, the young tailor would have flatly said he didn't think that was a good idea. Disregarding for a moment that if he showed up seemingly drunk with a young woman in tow that would alert the more serious crew members and make them more than a little anxious to keep him out of the ship's innards, there was the problem of how that would square with the policemen following. At best it would invite unwelcome attention, at worst it would indict them of crime through rumor alone. Agnes was, however, a very persuasive lady when she needed to be. Blushing, but less than he might have, Roi at first tentatively then warmly reciprocated the embrace. Staggering up the gangplank while laughing almost as unsteadily, he picked his way on deck. "Allonz, ma'mshelle, le chambre is just this way!" he slurred in a way that clearly advertised drunkenness, giving her a lecherous grin that only the darkness kept from looking wholly alien on his face. Instead it was merely out of place and awkward. Stumbling purposefully towards the cabins he whispered in the singer's ear "The passenger log, it must be in the captain's quarters." Link to comment
Tiffany Korta Posted November 24, 2013 Share Posted November 24, 2013 Playing along with the whole masquerade she gave a little giggle and she walking with him, seeming a little unstable on her feet. To anyone observing she seemed to be the one directing them towards their destination, obviously aiming to relieve him of his hard earned cash. She leaned in to apparently whisper sweet nothings into his ears. “Seems like good a place as any to start. And don’t worry you're doing fine. Though I get the impression you’re not telling me something.†She’d noticed that whilst there blazed there drunken trail he kept them to the shadow’s as much as possible, as if trying to prevent anyone from watching them for too long. She’d matched his actions so far, but was more than a little curious as to who they were trying to avoid. Link to comment
Ari Posted December 2, 2013 Share Posted December 2, 2013 Roi started at Agnes' question, glancing over his shoulder with a speed that would have badly damaged their little ruse if anyone had been there to see them. In a whisper he answered, hurriedly and with as little fear as he could "We are being followed. The police trailed us to this ship." Leaving it at that(and really, what more was there to say on the matter?) he quickened the pace just a little until they reached the captain's quarters, at which he called with a mixture of loud knocks and a slurred "Bonsoir, captain Felixsh! Are you in?" hoping and praying there would be no answer. At least if the captain was too asleep to awaken, for all that was unlikely, or was away, then their work would be that much simpler. Simplicity was something that would have come quite in handy right then. Link to comment
Supercape Posted December 18, 2013 Author Share Posted December 18, 2013 GM As luck would not have it, the door swung open, revealing the furious beard of the Captain. He was a slightly short man, with the body of a man cooked by the sea - layered with fat and muscle in equal parts. Whilst Roi may have been acting drunk, the Captain needed no thesbian skills to mimic the Frenchman. His breath smelled of whisky and hard liquor, and yet he stood straight still. "What the blazes are you doing knocking on my door..." he started, staring at the pair. "I don't know you...or you..." he roared, although his eye lingered lovingly on Agnes for a moment. "Do I?" he added, doubt whispering his resolve. Out of the corner of their eyes, Roi and Agnes could see the police that had been trailing them breaking cover, and closing in... Link to comment
Ari Posted December 28, 2013 Share Posted December 28, 2013 For a heart-stopping moment, Roi dithered in place, head whipping back and forth as he struggled to make sense of what he could possibly do. They were caught between the hammer of policemen, and the anvil of the captain. The man would never help them, he was sure, unless Agnes...no, no, better not to think like that. What could he do? Attack? Attack the police? That was the worst thing they could do right now, it would compound their guilt! Barge into the captain's room? That would just make things worse. Hide the two of them? They might be able to sneak out, but that would also just make them look suspicious, and possessed of inhuman powers. Try to explain everything? Why would they listen? The last thing Roi wanted right then was to have to make a decision. However, some of his impulses were stronger than that, and being so comfortably nestled next to the lovely singer emboldened him like all too many young men before him had been, made foolish by the hope they could impress a beautiful woman. "Bonshoir, mon Captain" he said with a convivial grin "I was one of your passengers, vous rappeler? The tailor, who mended your, ah, jacket? I've, um" he made an exaggerated glance at his companion "I've forgotten something in my cabin, and I can't remember where it was. Can I see the guest list, please?" Link to comment
Tiffany Korta Posted January 23, 2014 Share Posted January 23, 2014 Agnes rolled her eye at the wide eyed optimism that the young frenchman had to seem to have. But then again he hadn’t spent the last year or so tracking down murderous gangster, or the time growing up in a city where she was disadvantaged for being the wrong sex and the wrong color. But then again his optimism was something good to cling onto after what she had done on this night. But he still has to learn the beat of this city if he wanted to survive it rough streets. She got out a bundle of note from her purse and count out a suitable amount into the Captain's hand. “Just a little something to for the trouble of letting use revisit my friends cabin.†she counted out some more notes. “And a little something extra to forget that you ever saw us.†Link to comment
Supercape Posted January 25, 2014 Author Share Posted January 25, 2014 GM The Captain looked blearily at the wad of notes, and reached out, clumsily to grab them. His attempts to focus his eyes were somewhat hampered, but he managed to wet his thumb and flick through the notes, his grin widening. "A lover's night is it?" he said, the cabin dimly illuminated. "Then, you can have my cabin!" he mumbled, stumbling past them both and out of the way, leaving his cabin wide open for the pair. "I'm of to that club! The Wild Joker! I here they got some fine looking gals' singing there! I'm gonna get me some sweet kisses!" he blurted, stumbling his way down the Corridor. Agnes and Roi caught sight of the two policemen following them jump into the shadows to avoid the oncoming captain, although truth be told, his eyes were too glassy to see much that night. Link to comment
Tiffany Korta Posted February 2, 2014 Share Posted February 2, 2014 Agnes couldn’t help but call out to the Captain as he left. “I wouldn’t bother right now, there star singer just quit. No one of any merit there anymore...†With that she closed the door and locked it behind him, hopefully buying them some time. She quickly scanned the room, but really didn’t have any idea of where to start looking. So instead she turned her attention to her ally Roi, who seemed to know exactly what and where to look for this object. “So any good idea as to where to start? I suspect we really don’t have to long to find this thing.†Link to comment
Ari Posted February 4, 2014 Share Posted February 4, 2014 Clasping his hands in a silent gesture of thanks, Roi then set to work searching hurriedly for the small leather-bound book that served as the passenger log, overturning as little as he dared(both from fear of the captain's wrath, and not wishing to disturb the more noisome drawers). At her question he glanced up distractedly "What? Oh, yes! Small book, noire leather, it will be someplace easy to find, to make sure we all give him his dues." Nodding at the bulging chest of drawers next to the one he was rifling, he said mildly "Join in, mon ami voleur. Faster than both of us searching the same one." 'Much as that might make it a little more enjoyable' he added internally, settling back into the hasty task of finding that book... Link to comment
Supercape Posted February 19, 2014 Author Share Posted February 19, 2014 GM Roi and Agnes took turns in running down the endless names of the Passenger Log Book. It was enough to make eyes go dizzy, not helped by fatigue, adrenaline, or the fumes of smoke and booze they had lingered in. Still, excitement and drive helped focus the mind. None of the names rung a bell, although there were clearly some comedians travelling under a false name, such as a Mister Donald Duck and a Master Michael Mouse. A few female names raised eyebrows, the kind of made up fancy that was typical of ladies who performed very particular and shameful performances in the bars and dives even more sleazy than the wild Joker. What did spring up was an annotation by Rio. A scrawled message in the Captains very hand! "Got word from HJ. Keep an eye out for this one, big boss Olivetti wants his hands on him, or at least what he carries..." Link to comment
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