Play@YSDC

"Thank you," says Florence to William. "Can any more of you men spare coats or shirts to cover the women with?"

"It seems only fair that the victims aren't the only ones in a state of undress," says the American as he cheerfully takes off his jacket, vest, shirt, and tie, to reveal a tanned and athletically muscled chest with a sparse sprinkling of hair.

"Thank you," smiles Florence, reaching over to take his jacket and shirt. She turns to some of the remaining women and starts to cover them up.

When she finishes putting the aprons on the women, Irene takes off her own coat and puts it on another one, choosing the larger and taller women first, as shirts will suffice for the smaller ones. "Let's see," she says, "we've got four aprons and six coats, plus four shirts from the gentlemen. There's an even dozen women, so that leaves two shirts to use as loincoths for two of the chaps. We'll just need something else for the third one."

"Stockings?" says John with a totally dead pan face.

Irene smiles. "Ah, if only we had them," she says, turning around to show the backs of her legs. "These may look real, but all I did was draw lines on my legs where the stockings' seams would go."

"Socks?" asks Hewitt, equally innocently.

"Why thank you, Mr. Hewitt," says Irene, turning it around on him instead of taking the bait. "That's very generous of you to offer your socks. They should do nicely."

Hewitt quirks his head to one side before perching himself on the edge of the cabinet and starting to take off his shoes.

"We can cut the socks open lengthwise," says Irene. "Then I can sew them into a loincloth using a needle and thread from my first aid kit. Make do and mend."

John is impressed with the lady's resourcefulness in adversity. "Women like her will win this war for us." He thinks to himself but says nothing out loud for being too shy.

ooc,While they wait for the sewing, does the passage continue further than this room?

The only way forward (other than the way they came) leads through the door and up the set of stairs.

"Can I help?" asks Julia.

Show,roll an appropriate Crafts check OR Dex x 5, whichever is greater.

"Thanks, I could use the help," says Irene. She cuts open the socks and begins to sew, but she accidentally sticks her finger with the needle. "Ow!" Quickly she takes a small bandage from the open first aid kit and applies it to stop the bleeding. "Maybe you'd better take it from here. I'm all thumbs today."

OOC,I actually had points in Craft(Sewing), but my DEX x 5 was slightly higher. It didn't help me, though.

"Ouch!" says Florence, seeing what Irene has done. "I'd offer to help, but you know how clumsy my hands are with things. I'd probably poke the needle somewhere even more painful."

Doug leads the others to the previous room and goes to check the door that suppose to lead outside

The only way forward (other than the way they came) leads through the door and up the set of stairs.

"Do you think this is all of the people from the bomb shelter? Is it worth continuing our search up those stairs?" says John as he watches the sewing.

"Well Mr Hewitt might have the best idea about the numbers from the shelter," muses Florence, "but personally I think we should check up the stairs, just to be sure there isn't anyone there, even possibly injured."

William nods in assent. "I think that we should definitely check upstairs. But we should beware. It would take more than a couple of chaps to do something this complicated and evil, I believe. Be on the lookout for at least four."

"My father isn't there," said Julia wistfully.

Irene nods. "I think Mr. Hewitt said there were 27 people in the shelter, counting him," she says. "Leaving off him, Julia, and the reverend, that's an even two dozen, and we've recovered fifteen. That leaves nine unaccounted for, including your father, and I'd wager they're somewhere up those stairs. We'll find the rest of them, I'm sure."