The Palace Tavern (Day 1)

[Taavi]

"Hello, Carse" says Curlew, with rather less of his previous bonhomie. "How's things on the ground?"
He sips his beer.
"Well, it is funny you should ask, because I was on my way to that shop you two lurk about in, and thought I'd drop in for a pint first. Anyway, I'm after the new German translation of Douhet's Command of the Air. I gather Reichscommissionar Goring has written a forward for it, some theory about the Aryan racial adaptibility to high altitude making us better flyers than the darkies. Have you got it? If you don't, one of the chaps mentioned a new shop with some German stock, but I'm dashed if I can figure out where it is from what he said."

[Quinch]

Apart from a vague smile and feigned look of interest, Luke remains stony faced. He nods at the end of Curlew's request, unsure as to whether or not Grant's has the book in stock.

"Life on the ground suits me just fine, Wing Commander. I'm not sure what bookshop your friend was talking about, unless he meant Mr Goldberg's new place, but it's not a problem because we have the book in stock. Let me finish my lunch and we can go and get it."

Luke loads as much food as he can onto one fork and rams it into his mouth, wiping his lips on his sleeve and smiling disarmingly.

"Fascists," he thinks to himself. "I wish we could just stick to perverts and occultists."

[Taavi]

Apart from a vague smile and feigned look of interest, Luke remains stony faced. He nods at the end of Curlew's request, unsure as to whether or not Grant's has the book in stock.

This is where the rules for Bookshop Stock come in. For a 1 point spend of Bookshop stock, you have the book. For a 2 point spend, you have a squiz edition of the book - eg signed by Goring and bound in red morocco, embossed with the fascist rods and axe motif. Depends how much you want to impress the client or use him to advance an agenda/the plot.

"Fascists," he thinks to himself. "I wish we could just stick to perverts and occultists."

Sadly, the three groups have considerable overlap, though Dennis Wheatley or Montague Summers will talk your ear off about how the Communists are the real Satanists if you give them half a chance.

[Taavi]

Jory obligingly finishes his Ploughman's and stands, ready to return to the shop.

[Quinch]

Luke fights the urge to tip the rest of his pint over Curlew. Accidentally of course. Eventually, he lets his capitalist greed overcome his righteous thirst to strike a blow for the revolution, and drinks the beer instead. He's made a good deal of money already today, but he's not about to throw away the chance of making more.

Truthfully, he has no idea whether or not Curlew's book is in stock and he could actually care less. If the fascist sympathiser leaves empty handed, so be it. He has more important customers to worry about.

Having said that, he has no idea how much the rag might be worth. He curses silently to himself and looks across at Jory, hopefully without alerting the punter. "Have we got it?" he whispers in his colleague's ear.

OOC,I don't think I'm spending my 1 point of Bookshop stock on this idiot, unless the sale is gong to be ridiculously rewarding. :)

[Taavi]

OOC,I don't think I'm spending my 1 point of Bookshop stock on this idiot, unless the sale is gong to be ridiculously rewarding.

Important note: Bookshop stock, like other Investigative ratings, refreshes at the end of the adventure, and Bookshop Stock is a shared pool - anyone can draw on the 7 points Grants has.

[Taavi]

Jory, Carse and Curlew make their way back to the bookshop.