Dealings with Drummell

[Taavi]

A thread for those wishing to follow, eat dinner with, seduce, murder, etc. catalogue agent Aston Drummell.

[Tabs]

[ooc: Long John seducing Drummell is a particularly disgusting image.]



Outside the book shop he looks round the street, hoping to catch sight of Drummell.

[Taavi]

Long John spots Aston sauntering down the street, a few doors down. He turns and steps into another bookshop.

It is possible for Long John,who is accustomed to cowering in corners out of the rain and snow without being noticed by the filth, to get close enough to the bookshop's door or window to listen in without being noticed. This is a test of either Stealth or Shadowing, difficulty 5. According to the Tramp special ability (p.11 of Bookhounds), Long John can also spend points of Streetwise on this test if he wishes.

[Tabs]

[ ooc: Okay, he'll spend 2 points from streetwise. So, is that 5 -2 =3 or higher on a d6? I'll roll anyway . . . Listen at bookshop window (1d6=5) ]

He tiptoes forwards and surreptitiously lays an ear to the book shop window.

[Taavi]

The shop Drummell has stepped into, as well as the usual business of a bookstore, specialises in early English literature. Drummell inquires whether they have a first printing of Thomas More's Alciphron (they don't), "the Bridewell prints of the Northanger Horrids" (they have a 1927 reprint, which he is not interested in) and whether they have heard anything about early copies of William of Malmesbury's "History of the Kings of England" being on the market, which leads to some discussion about medieval manuscripts. Finally, he asks whether they have heard anything about "a lost Chaucer manuscript - a little bird told me that some boffin had found one and was sitting on it", but they don't know anything about that either.

Aston makes his way back to the door, and Long John expertly sinks between a rubbish bin and a pile of old newsprint.

[Tabs]

Long John is flummoxed by the names of these books--he's not read for a long, long time, excepting newspapers. He delves into his grimy jacket, retrieving a pencil stub--licks its tip--and an empty fag packet, to jot down a few notes.

Whilst hiding from Drummell he'll check out the newsprint--date, etc.

[Taavi]

The newspapers are just a bunch of editions from the last week or so. Good for insulation if stuffed inside one's coat.

Aston steps out the door, lights a cigarette (Silk Cut) then saunters to a red public telephone booth several yards further down the street. As telephone booths impede the peripheral vision of those using them somewhat, Long John creeps forward, endeavouring to get visions of German pillar boxes out of his head. Close enough to hear Aston's voice when he raises it slightly...
"Yes, I told them that... not what I would do... well, it's your book... no, no luck on that yet..." his voice sinks to a murmer again.
After a few more minutes, Aston hangs up. He squares, then shrugs his shoulders, and takes a long drag on his cigarette. Heat pounding, John ducks into a service alley before Aston surveys his surroundings, as smoking men often do.

[Tabs]

Long John decides to continue following Drummell, hoping he'll discover who the man is working for? He wants to return in triumph to Grant's, with some winning nugget of information.

[Taavi]

Alas, Drummell walks a block to a car (a Rover) and then drives away.

OOC: You did take Bad Luck as your Drive...

[Tabs]

He scribbles down the Rover's number plate.

Long John hops back to the book shop.

[Taavi]

Feel free to return to the main thread.