IC: Return to Soho - Maksim & Nethaniel

[Raiko]

Inside Dodgy Papers – Cecil Court, London

Down in the basement Nethaniel finds that his secure cabinet has been forced open, and the valuable books and manuscripts that it housed have been strewn haphazardly around the cellar.

With a heavy heart he checks through his collection, but although some of the tomes have been damaged, one or irreparably so, nothing appears to be missing. The vandals appear to have been searching for something, and as nothing is missing it would appear that they did not find it.

In any case the book that Nethaniel has remembered was never locked away down here, he’d placed it in the front of the shop, thinking it to be of little value – and the front of the shop appeared to be untouched by the intruders.

As Nethaniel returns upstairs Yalesha looks visibly relieved, as does Menkheper for some reason.

[DSIGFUSS]

The librarian is relieved that nothing of import was nicked from his private stash of tomes and manuscripts. When he spots the looks on the orthers faces upon his return, Nethaniel offers Yalesha a wry smile as he walks past her. To Menkheper he pauses for a moment and questions the bouncers motives.

You miss me old chap?

Nethaniel then moves to the front of the shop and retrieves the diary he had been thinking of.

[Laraqua]

"You got something to say?" asks Maksim, trying to sound menacing. His gun is trained on Menkheper.

[Raiko]

OOC: Nethaniel's shop is Dodgy Pages, not Dodgy Papers. oops. I'll tidy up my previous posts and then remove this OOC bit.


The Back Room - Dodgy Pages - Cecil Court, London
8:45pm - Thursday 29th January, 1925

Menkheper takes a hasty step away from Maksim, staring fearfully at the muzzle of the Russian's pistol. He stumbles against one of the fallen bookcases and he almost falls over, as his eyes flit back and forth between Maksim and Nethaniel.
"No, no I was just worried. Well yes I suppose..."
The Egyptian thug glances nerviously at the door to the cellar as he continues, "I had almost forgotten, I overheard Mr Gavigan telling Tewfik that he had left 'a very nasty surprise down in the basement', he laughed and said that it would put a stop any snoops permanently! I know that these men are capable of terrible sorceries and feared for our lives when I saw the open door to your cellar. I am sorry, my fear was so great that I could not speak."

The Diary,Nethaniel's copy of [i]Life as a God [/i]was printed in 1831, shortly after the diary's author Montgomery Crompton was placed in a lunatic's asylum from which he never returned. The handwritten copy of the Life as a God in Erica Carlyle's safe in New York is the original. Nethaniel read the book when he purchased it, but paid little heed at the time, it appeared to be little more than the raving delusions of a mad man. Now though, he is sure that the book details the murderous activities of an Egyptian death cult calling themselves [i]The Brotherhood of the Black Pharaoh[/i]. He remembers that book goes into great detail about the cult's rituals, sacrifices and murders, including the use of spiked clubs and the communication with and summoning of terrifying entities including an extra-dimensional tentacled fog like beast from the moon, who's spawn can be harvested and controlled, a colossal Black Sphinx, and the god-like Pharaoh of Darkness himself. The diary also lists various "Holy Sites" of the Brotherhood in Egypt around, within and underneath the pyramids. This book could prove to be an excellent resource against Tewfik, Gavigan and their murderous gang.

Nethaniel trembles as the memories come flooding back from the diary pages that he dismissed as hokum, that have now been shown to be true! If the spawn of the fog entity can be controlled on the very streets of London by a gang of spiked club wielding ritual-killers, then how many of the other madnesses in this book are real?

@DSIGFUSS,Nethaniel's sudden recollections from the diary grant him an additional 6 percentiles of Cthulhu Mythos, but cost him 1d6 SAN

[Laraqua]

"Let's hope your fear helps make you a bit better at talking next time," said Maksim in a low and very dangerous voice. Considering that he is idly considering the need to execute the man afterwards, the dispassionate truth of possible murder in his eyes should add extra sincerity to the threat. While normally he slouched and tried to appear reasonably friendly, right now he was all business and held the flexibly ready stance of a soldier ready and willing to kill if necessary.

[DSIGFUSS]

Nethaniel grips the diary as if he had just won the lottery. He then turns and casts Menkhepper a menacing if not comical look. The kind a of glare that might frighten a hypoallergenic puppy of some description.

He then removes his glasses and begins to clean them as he so often did when agitated or frightened.

Yes Mr. Menkhepper! Some bloody notice when I'm walking into a bloody basement death trap would bloody well do nicely now wouldn't it?

Nethaniel then heads for the back door of the Dodgy Pages.

Come on then! The shop isn't safe and I have some riveting reading to attend to.

Spoiler:

ooc- nethaniel's sanity loss,Nethaniel loses 3 sanity. http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3714041/

[Raiko]

"I am sorry Mister Maks, it will not happen again! Please do not shoot." The bartender continues to cower from Maksim until Nethaniel suggests leaving, at which point he moves hastily to the back door if Maksim allows. Despite his fear of Maksim, at no point does Menkheper take his eyes off the cellar door, he looks like he still expects some monstrosity summoned by Tewfik to burst through the door at any moment.

[Laraqua]

"I just had the most awful thought," said Maksim, allowing the man to head outside. "If I'm to face a monster, I'd surely not want an enemy at my back now would I? Perhaps if I thought you were trustworthy or more useful but ... no, if I'm surprised by a monster I'll have to send my first shot in the direction its already aimed before turning my gun toward the monstrosity. Think about that when you next consider giving us no notice."

He looks at Nethaniel. "Where next?" Then pauses. "Oh, Yaleesha, where would you like to be dropped off? Or would you like to come with us? I wouldn't want to presume."

[Raiko]

The Back Room - Dodgy Pages Bookshop, Cecil Court, London
8:46pm - Thursday 29th January, 1925

Yalesha shakes her head as she follows Nethaniel out of the bookshop, "No it is okay, I would like to help you still. I will look for your friends in the Ritz Hotel, as I agreed. I do not think that it will be safe for me to return home ever, unless you can stop Tewfik."

"I want to help you in any way that I can; even if I need to kill Tewfik myself for what he did to Ali!"

Menkheper just nods his head fearfully at Maksim's threats, he waits outside the door like an obedient dog.

[DSIGFUSS]

ooc- Where did we say we were going to meet the others in the note we left? Or do we have another rendezvous spot? Do we know where any of the others are right now? Maybe we can catch up with them?

[Raiko]

OOC,Your note just said you'll be back later. You planned to go to the Ritz after the bookshop, then return to the Railway Inn. Johnny's original plan was for you all to meet up at the Railway Inn within 24 hours. Or to meet in Paris later (a week I think) if you can't all meet up in London. The investigators already provided a Paris post office box as an address for Thomas to send them messages before they left New York. The Paris rendezvous point is a nearby hotel that Elizabeth has stayed in with Andrei in the past. These plans were made before you knew that Gavigan was up to no good at his Essex mansion tonight. You don't know exactly where the others are. Andrei was heading to confront Gavigan at the Penhew Foundation with Timour and Caroline trying to look after him. And Johnny told them to try and investigate a secret room in the basement. Elizabeth and Johnny stayed at the Ritz Hotel to deal with the police and dead cleaning girl's body. They have the note that you suspect was left by Gavigan.

[Laraqua]

"Let's go to the ritz," said Maksim. "Nethaniel, you're a local so you'd be one of the best to go into the Ritz with Yaleesha just in case there's any trouble. I'll wait in the car. They're more likely to harass someone with an accent and my American isn't perfected yet. Yaleesha alone would draw too much attention." He looks her up and down.

Show,what sort of outfit is she wearing?

[DSIGFUSS]

ooc - haha. Laraqua beat me to the punch. I changed my post to match hers.

Nethaniel heads out into the alley leading the group back to their parked car up the street.

Alright.. Let's head back to the Ritz then and see if Jophnny and Elizabeth are still about? Its entirely possible someone's seen one of our mates so we'll poke our head round the inside a bit and have a gander. C'mon now don't doddle Menkhepper. Maks isn't going to shoot you in your berry if'n you don't doddle isn't that so Maks?

[Laraqua]

Maksim just smiles. Its only when he looks over to Yaleesha that his smile warms becoming friendly in a professional and entirely non-sleazy way.

[Raiko]

Yalesha return's Maksim's smile, trying her best to appear braver than she is currently feeling.

OOC,Yalesha is only wearing her "belly dancer's" outfit, and a skimpy one at that, as the Blue Pyramid Club is little more than an Egyptian themed strip / lap-dancing bar. She's wearing Maksim's overcoat over the top if I recall correctly (it's raining heavily). It's quite likely that she'd look like a prostitute to the concierge at the Ritz if he noticed her. Then again, Nethaniel is a guest, so he'd probably turn a blind eye anyway (for a small fee).

[DSIGFUSS]

Nethaniel drives. As he drives to the Ritz he discusses their plan.

We have to find some support soon or Gwen won't last the night I'm sure. I'll run into the Ritz and see if Elizabeth or Johnny are about. If we can't find anyone, we'll have to leave immediately... I suggest we head back to the Railway club where the others were likely to rendezvous and see if our note has mustered up any attention.

Nethaniel sighs...

And if no one is about... Well I'm afraid we'll have to go it alone. I'm going to need at least an hour or two to peruse this diary for any useful information we could use to defend ourselves from the supernatural wilds of this bloody blood cult. After that... I'm afraid we have no choice but to carry on. Tally-Ho and all that proper nonsense.

[Laraqua]

"All right," says Maksim. "To the Ritz and then back to that pub where we'll wait for a couple more hours before setting out." He looks over at Yaleesha from his position in the back seat (gun pointing at the passenger seat where his prisoner sits). "It'd probably be better to keep you here for now, if you don't mind. If you want to head off after the pub rather than chase after Gwen than I quite understand."

[Raiko]

Piccadilly, London - Close to The Ritz.
8:52pm - Thursday 29th January, 1925

Yalesha smiles sweetly at Maksim and says, "I would feel safer with you if it's okay. Even if you go to the house where Mister Gavigan lives, I'd be safer than on my own."

It takes only five minutes to drive through the rain to The Ritz. From where Nethaniel parks the car nearby, he and Maksim can see that there are still several police cars parked outside the hotel. A group of at least a dozen reporters also stand outside the entrance, braving the rain in the hope that they are the first to get a fresh bit of news about the night's bloody events.

[Laraqua]

Maksim's smile turns sly as he wonders if she's flirting with him or simply does feel safer with him even during a hazardous assault on a terrible enemy. Either way, he does feel chuffed. Although he's doubtlessly a handsome man and knows it, sometimes he almost forgets. "I might just need to show you how to fire a gun," he says, deciding to go with the practical option but injecting some 'proud of you' tone into his voice.

He knew from experience that few women were treated as though they were capable of doing things and most rose to the challenge when given the opportunity - the Great War had taught him that much. Plus there was no greater aphrodisiac for most women than a man who was confident in his own choices but was actually interested in hearing what a girl wanted to say. It was a technique that his brother had never learned to use nor cared to indulge in.

An exotic woman such as Yaleesha certainly wouldn't have been granted that privilege due to her colour, her career, and her gender. It helped that Maksim was curious enough that he'd come to appreciate the finger things about a range of cultures and different types of people. If it weren't for that accursed Colour Bar in America he would've had a chance to learn so much more. Thank goodness Britain didn't have such an atrocious set of laws like the Jim Crow laws.

He returns his attention to the task at hand. "Nethaniel, if you approach them there's a chance they'll take you in for questioning but I doubt it so long as you think you can act like you sincerely don't know anything. Can you do this?"

[DSIGFUSS]

Maks my good man.. At this point in the bloody game.. I don't know a damn thing! Not til I read this diary...

He smiles and then opens the driver's seat door. Before he gets out he turns to Menkheper, pausing briefly to clean his glasses.

You remember anything about this hotel Menkheper. Any dark basements or such things I should be avoiding old chap?