IC: Limehouse Raid

[Raiko]

In the car
6:30pm - Thursday 28th January, 1925

Looking around Andrei cannot see any sign of the devil creature. There are numerous people walking towards the car now, investigating where the sound of gunfire came from. Then from up on the deck of the Ivory Wind comes the blood curtling sound of a man's screams.

On the deck of the Ivory Wind
6:30pm - Thursday 28th January, 1925

Glancing around the ship before making his escape, something catches Johnny's eye high above.

He looks up and for the briefest of moments is sure that he sees the man from the bridge, being carried straight up into the fog by something black and winged. Then as quick as that, the man and the beast are gone and Johnny is sure that his imagination must be planning tricks.

OOC,Johnny looses 1 point of SAN

[coffee demon]

Andrei starts the car, puts it into gear, and accelerates along the waterfront until he's right alongside the Ivory Wind. He stops the car and lets it idle, looking nervously up at the boat, scanning the deck for signs of Johnny, or the creature, or anyone else. He taps the steering wheel nervously, too occupied with the situation to say anyhing to Elizabeth.

[OC: Guessing at how this is laid out. I'm assuming the Ivory Wind is tied up right alongside the waterfront, as opposed to being out on a dock I can't drive out on. I'm also assuming we were parked a ways away from the boat, but within sight of the Ivory Wind. I'm imagining the water and the Ivory Wind is on the left side of the car, and that I'm looking out my side window up at the boat.]

[Raiko]

OOC,That's exactly how I'm intending it to be. Except that the driver's side is the right in England. So the boat is on Andrei's right. I'll try to post a photo of the ship. I had some prepared years ago!

[Grafster]

OOC,Given the spot Johnny was in I'm not sure that escape was totally given; I felt throwing in a roll was appropriate. [b]EDIT: Fixed to match the successful SAN roll.[/b]

I am too tired; that must have been a bird.

Johnny looks back at the spot where he imagined the man was hauled from, just a shadow I thought was someone, and notes the way is clear. He slips down the gangplank; distractedly attempting to reach the crates on the far side of the docks and return to the car.

OOC,Strealth roll = 78 http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3223258/

OOC,If he does somehow make it back to the car without inciswnt.... [b]Johnny[/b] slumps into the back seat. He is uncharacteristically distracted. He cranes his head to look up at the sky and at one point pulls out his notebook and pencil stub to make several attempts at drawing something; in total he produces roughly 5 lines on three different pages before giving up and stuffing it back in his coat.

[imme]

Elizabeth grips the pistol, still shaking a little from the attack by ... whatever it was. A shudder runs through her body. She remains silent, intently keeping an eye out for anything amiss.

When Johnny returns to the car she relaxes a little, but the pistol remains firmly in her hand.

[Raiko]

Johnny makes it back to the car in the nick of time clutching a pile of papers, nautical charts from the look of it. As he settles into his seat the mob of people investigating the gunshots have almost reached the car themselves, and from the deck of the Ivory Wind one of the crewmen shouts as he spots Johnny climbing in.

[coffee demon]

"Damn it."

Andrei glances in the rearview mirror to make sure Johnny is inside, then accelerates the car as quickly as possible, honking the horn to clear people out of the way.

Even as the car is skidding around the corner, leaving sight of the Ivory Wind, he says out loud to no one in particular, "We have to get rid of this car. Do you think they might have seen our number plates?"

When the huge Russian reaches down to shift the gears, Elizabeth notices that his hand is shaking badly.

[Grafster]

"Damn it."

Even as the car is skidding around the corner, leaving sight of the Ivory Wind, he says out loud to no one in particular, "We have to get rid of this car. Do you think they might have seen our number plates?"

When the huge Russian reaches down to shift the gears, Elizabeth notices that his hand is shaking badly.

Johnny looks up from where he was lamely attempting to draw something on a pad. After a moment he stuffs his pad in his pocket and scans behind him to see if they are being followed and leans forward, losing his distracted air.

"If we are not being followed then it is not urgent that we do so. You did not shoot someone? If not then we have a half a day at least before the policy make inquiries. A gunshot on the docks where no one was was hurt will not receive prompt attention. Typically. In New York."

"Either way the number plates would be traced to the source of our car - the hotel - and then to us. If the information is out the damage is done."

Johnny smooths the maps he dragged into the car and begins to fold them. "I am afraid I did not have much time once the... commotion..." he looks pointedly at Andrei "started. It will be quite obvious what was taken."

[imme]

As they speed away from the scene, Elizabeth slowly lets go of the gun, carefully letting it rest on her lap. At that point she also notices that she's covered with broken glass and tries to shake it off of her clothes. When Andrei takes a sharp turn she grabs his shoulder to brace herself, but when the car straightens she does not let go.

Elizabeth turns around in her seat to face Johnny. "We were attacked by something!", she says, a little too strongly. "And Andrei shot it and it left." Turning back to Andrei she asks, "what was that thing?"

[coffee demon]

"I suspect it was an Avatar of Go-goroth, the Bat-Thing."

Andrei pauses to let the words sink in, glancing at Johnny in rearview mirror, and sideways to Elizabeth.

"I've been reading about all this. As you know. I'm learning about it."

He turns quickly into a larger road and slows to the speed of traffic, looking for another small street to exit onto.

"It was no human. No!" He scoffs. "No, not a human. To paraphrase an ancient Hindoo that Elias wrote about, 'As we perceive paper being flat, only having two sides, so do The Demons perceive our world.' Do you understand? Imagine that there is more to see... if you can see through things... if time was... as though time were another surface to walk upon. Do you see what I mean? This is what we're dealing with. It's almost beyond our understanding. But if we're going to fight this, truly, if we're going to have a chance - we must understand!"

He turns off the larger artery, back towards the water, and slows down again.

"Perhaps we should drive the car into the water?"

He looks over at Johnny and Elizabeth again.

"Do you see what I mean?"

[imme]

Elizabeth looks pensive as she considers Andrei's words. To Johnny's experienced eye, it seems as though she is on the edge of a decision.

[coffee demon]

OOC,Ooh! Good post,Imme! I'm on the edge of my seat now. :)

[imme]

OOC,Thanks :) I thought I'd give Grafster a chance for Johnny to say something if he wants before I continue, so I hope you're comfortable on the edge :twisted: (But if he doesn't post soon, maybe I'll just assume Johnny remains quiet as usual.)

[coffee demon]

OOC,I think you could leave it "on the edge" for a long long time in the game before your decision becomes known, whatever it is.

[Raiko]

OOC,Imme = Tease! :D

[Grafster]

OOC,Thanks sorry crazy day yesterday. Don't have time to color the speech right now, will do it this weekend.

Johnny sits up very straight as Miss D and Andrei speak eyes flicking back back and forth between them.

"I am not sure that I do understand." He says very carefully, idling fingering the revolver in his pocket. He looks intently at Miss D. hand on Andrei's shoulder, and ever so slightly grunts.

Pulling out his cigarette case he begins to put leaf on paper; "I certainly don't understand why we would drive a perfectly good car into the river," he continues brusquely slouching back into the seat.

[coffee demon]

"Because it has three bulletholes in the windshield! What do YOU suggest?"

Andrei almost misses the next turn and jerks the wheel sideways to keep the car on the road. He snorts and shakes his head in disgust. He is not responding to Elizabeth's hand on his shoulder at the moment.

His next turn takes the shattered vehicle away from the water again.

"I think you'd better start trying to understand. Both of you. Do you think this is just NORMAL? What do you think that was? A trick of the light? I would really like to hear your thoughts - truthfully. Are you too afraid to say it, that I might be right?"

He's speaking far more loudly than necessary.

OOC,Awesome post, Grafster. You guys have me cackling with joy. I forgot how fun this was.

[imme]

Elizabeth lets go of Andrei's shoulder and turns to Johnny. "Do you miss the good old days, Johnny? When all you had to worry about was me sneaking off to parties that were 'highly inappropriate for young ladies of my stature'? I am very sorry that I have pulled you into this," and speaking more to herself she adds, "that I have pulled all of us into this. I just always thought that Jackson studied the most interesting things ..."

She turns back to Andrei and says, very quietly, "I think you might be right." She furrows her brow and wrinkles her nose and adds, "but you really must stop acting like such a madman."

OOC,Yes, I'd forgotten how much fun this is :)

[coffee demon]

Andrei raises his hands (off the wheel temporarily) in exasperation.

"That's what I mean! 'Acting like a madman!' I think you will find that we are all acting like madmen, in one way or another. If you ignore it, pretend these Chimerae and Demons don't exist, THAT is madness. But if you... if WE... begin to accept the implications of their existence... surely that is sane, is it not? Surely Copernicus was thought mad, when he spoke of the earth moving around the sun - but he KNEW it was true! Would he have been better off to pretend otherwise? Is this not the same thing?

Do you not find it... paradoxical, my darling, to say I'm acting like a madman, and in the same breath agree with me? Well then, I'm afraid you're acting like a madwoman as well! And I welcome you to the club!"

With a wide grin, Andrei reaches across and squeezes her knee.

He sits up a little more straight in his seat, looking very self-confident.

"Would you not agree, Johnny? Perhaps there are wondrous sciences and discoveries... why, now that I think of it, have we not just identified a new species, at the least?!? A giant bat, of all things!"

Andrei smiles again, eyeing Johnny in the rearview mirror.

[Grafster]

Johnny keeps his head low while MIss D speaks; his face in shadow.

By the time lights his cigarette, and Andrei has finished speaking, his face is a mask of studied indifference.

"It has certainly been quite a night."

"You are right about the windshield," he says leaning forward. "Holes of that shape and size, in those places.... Assumptions will be made. The highly inappropriate assumptions. Perhaps we can pull over and do a bit more damage. And there will need to be a story, perhaps a flying brick?" the detective rattles on "Drunken hooligans seem like reasonable culprits. We got turned around when driving I am sure. Impossible to say where it happened. Thank goodness no one was hurt. No interest in raising any fuss, not when we are guests in the country; I am sure that your father would be happy to pay for any damage."