IC: The Halls of Academia [Henry Witherspoon]

[Kadael]

It's a lovely spring day; light streams into this one of many corridors. The Department of Physics is on the wrong side of the building to catch the morning sun well, but it still boasts excellent windows.

Classes haven't begun yet. Most of the students are outside, in the courtyard or farther off, and the university is empty without them. Soon, they'll pour into the building, filling chairs and rooms. Professors are making last-minute preparations for their first lessons of the day.

Henry is one of them.

[Mr. Handy]

Henry Witherspoon goes over his lesson plan for this morning's lecture one more time. He has already preapred it the night before, but it always pays to refresh himself again. Though the material is introductory to him, it nonetheless holds his interest. It is especially worthwhile, as this course could help younger minds gain a love of physics much like his own. Some students have not yet chosen their majors, and a well-taught class could be the impetus they need.

[Kadael]

As he's giving the material one last inspection, something smacks into a nearby window. It sounds like an unfortunate bird, but it'd have to be a pretty big bird. More thumps ensue, and there's the sound of something breaking - not the window glass, but something else outside.

A second later, there's a scream.

[Mr. Handy]

Henry drops what he's doing and immediately runs towards the scream.

[Kadael]

As Henry turns, he catches sight of something red on the window glass. There's no way to be sure of what it is with such a short glimpse.

Henry,If you would like to give the window a closer look, you are not required to roll anything. However, it will cost you a few seconds.

[Mr. Handy]

Henry doesn't hesitate and keeps running towards the scream. Someone could be hurt bad, and every second might count. Whatever's on the glass will probably still be there later.

[Kadael]

Henry makes a mad dash for the nearest door and is outside, at the scene in record time. His attention is drawn to the young lady standing just a few feet away, screaming and sobbing into her hands.

Her back is turned, and from where Henry is standing, she largely obscures somebody behind her. He can see the frantic movements of hands, beating at a window.

There's a lull in the girl's panic, long enough for him to hear somebody further away: "Arkham Police! Stop right now!" Then she starts up again, shaking and wailing hoarsely.

"You there, what do you think you're doing?" another man shouts as he comes around from the opposite side of the University. The pounding on the window stops abruptly.

From behind, there are more hurried footsteps. A young student runs around Henry and pulls the girl off to the side. She makes no effort to stop him as he pants out an apology. "Eliza, God, I'm so sorry, I shouldn't have, I..."

The figure at the window is a man. His scraggly, sandy hair obscures his features, and there are loose straps and buckles hanging from his jacket. Another, older man - the custodian? - is grasping his arm, which is covered in thick, red blood.

He turns.

Henry,Please move to the following thread: [url=http://www.callofcthulhu.org.uk/viewtopic.php?f=224&t=3194]Perception[/url]

[Kadael]

The Department of Medicine is a spotless, sterile white. A metallic odor clings to the air, and every step Henry takes echoes in the emptiness. It isn't a hospital, but it might as well be.

Despite the aura of loneliness, Henry can hear somebody else's footsteps coming around the corner, loudly.

[Mr. Handy]

"There's a medical emergency outside the Physics Department!" Henry calls, turning towards the approaching footsteps. "A man's lost both his eyes, and he's lost a lot of blood. He needs help, quickly!"

[Kadael]

The footsteps speed up, and a tall man in a white lab coat rounds the corner, his eyes wide. "Lost his what? My God, of course, just a..."

He turns to run down another hallway - probably to fetch the necessary supplies.

[Mr. Handy]

Henry follows along. "I'll take you to him once you've got what you need," he says.

[Kadael]

Henry catches up with the man in a pristine yet disorganized storage room. "Is he conscious?" he asks, while rifling through drawers and tossing things into a large, black bag. "Do you have any idea of what may have happened to him?"

[Mr. Handy]

"He was conscious when I left," says Henry. "I'm not sure how it happened, but he was outside one of the windows and beating on it when I got there. He was also wearing a straitjacket, but it was undone and his arms were free."

[Kadael]

"Straitjacket? A sanitarium escapee? But how would he get here? That's all the way over..." The man snaps his bag shut and turns to Henry. "All right. Take me to him. You said he was outside the Physics Department?"

[Mr. Handy]

"Yes, this way," says Henry. He leads the way back at a run.

[Kadael]

When Henry arrives, the first thing he notices is the trio of policemen. The man in the straitjacket is sitting on the grass, looking a great deal calmer. His stare is fixed on a patch of purple flowers.

Henry,Return to [url=http://www.callofcthulhu.org.uk/viewtopic.php?f=224&t=3194&p=128180#p128180]Perception.[/url] Do not read any posts above the one you have been linked to.

[Kadael]

Students begin filing into the room shortly after Henry has arrived and prepared everything. Several pairs of eyes flick curiously over at the red smear on the window.

[Mr. Handy]

"Yes, there was an...incident a short while ago," says Henry. "A lunatic escaped from the sanitarium, and he appeared to have injured himself and smeared the window. They've just taken him away."

[Kadael]

Some of the students are quiet as they settle into their seats, but suspicious murmurs and curious whispers can be heard amongst the throng. A few young men come right up to the window, looking all at once disturbed and fascinated.

[Mr. Handy]

"I'm sure they'll send someone to clean the window soon," says Henry. "If you'll be seated, we can commence with today's lecture. We're going to discuss the double-slit experiment first performed by Taylor in 1909 and how it demonstrates the unusual behavior of light. Classical physics is at a loss to explain the phenomenon, but perhaps the new discipline of quantum physics can shed some light - so to speak - on the matter."