The Golden Pumpkin: Gaming Tables

[Mr. Handy]

"Yes, I saw the little girl, Posie, go in there just a moment ago," says Elisabeth. "She looked around first as if checking to see if anyone was watching her. Whatever could she be doing in there?"

[Tabs]

"Playing, I suppose," says Mingzhu, "although, there are no other children here tonight . . . shall we find out what Posie is doing?" She glances at the huge clock that is hung high up on the wall above. "Twenty five past seven; Father asked me to help prepare for his speech in five minutes." Mingzhu bites her lip, torn between the two choices.

[Mr. Handy]

"How about I go find out what she's up to while you work on the speech?" suggests Elisabeth.

[Tabs]

Mingzhu gives Elisabeth a peck on the cheek, then, she hurries away.

[Mr. Handy]

Elisabeth saunters over to the cloakroom door and slips through it.

[Tabs]

Chunhua, in some haste, bumps into Elisabeth. For a moment she stares wide-eyed, then, brushes past and strides away.



[ooc: Mr. Handy, continue posting here, even though Elisabeth may enter the cloakroom.]


Through the door is a dark corridor--no lighting is switched on. She feels cool air against her face and the faint aroma of urine. In the gloom, further down the corridor, is a greenish lit room.

[Mr. Handy]

"Pardon me," says Elisabeth. She enters the dark room, shuts the door behind her, and carefully makes her way through the darkness towards the faint green light.

[Tabs]

To Elisabeth's right hand side is a sturdy door, opening to the outside; she knows this because it is ajar and a cold draft is flowing in. Raindrops are pattering on to the tiled roof of a wood porch.

A faint child's giggle sounds, somewhere high above her head.

Her ears detect a vibration in the air, she feels it within her eardrum: a deep bass hum; her mind pictures the suspended brass gong, positioned next to the Harry Roy band.

[Mr. Handy]

She must be upstairs somewhere, thinks Elisabeth, backing out of the bathroom. She feels and looks around for stairs leading up, or failing that for a light switch or a portable source of light.

[Tabs]

Elisabeth has her back to the greenish lit bathroom, and now she can see an area of darker shadow in the wall of the corridor she just walked through: it's a stairwell with steps leading upwards.

[Mr. Handy]

Elisabeth makes her way upstairs, her eyes slowly adjusting to the darkness.

[Tabs]

Elisabeth, at the top of the stairs where there is a door, finds that she is face to face with the Japanese man--Tatsuo Akiyama.



[ooc: Mr. Handy, move to topic "Cloakroom"; look for * in the topic.]

[Tabs]

#

[Dave Syrinx]

Byron smiles at Itka. "I´m sure!" he replies to either comment from Mrs Kolchak. Seeing Alice having stayed at the gaming tables, Byron nods at her and offers his arm to guide her to the band´s set-up.
Doing this, he joins the Kolchaks again. "We might share tables later?" he whispers to the Admiral.

[Tabs]

"I think not," replies Kolchak.



Several staff are constructing a stage--made of wooden box-like cubes--on the dance floor; round the stage edge turquoise satin cloth is artistically bunched and draped, creating a theatrical effect of clouds; chairs are positioned before the stage: enough for all the guests. Harry Roy steps up to the microphone: "Five minutes, ladies and gentlemen. Please, take a seat."

[DSIGFUSS]

Tatsuo enters the gaming room with his mother Arashi on his arm. He stops for a long moment to observe the chairs set up in front of the makeshift stage. Tatsuo's facial expression is difficult to read because he's fat.

Arashi takes a seat and looks impatiently at his son. Tatsuo pushes two of the chairs close together and plants one buttock firmly on each seat. He settles himself with a loud creaking sound until he finally finds his balance. Tatsuo looks up to Mr. Roy and regards him passively.

[Mr. Handy]

Elisabeth gives Posie her silk handkerchief as she leads her into the main room and looks around. "Where would you like to sit?" she asks.

[Tabs]

"Thanks." Posie accepts the handkerchief and dabs at her eyes.

A plump, middle-aged, woman walks over to Elisabeth and Posie. "Po!" exclaims Mrs. Franklyn, "where have you been?" She sees the handkerchief. "And you've been crying!"

"Oh, mummy!" says Posie, stamping her foot, "I fell over; but Miss Grey has been looking after me."

"Miss Grey, I hope Posie has not been a nuisance?"


All the foreigners are gathering by the stage.

[Mr. Handy]

"Oh, not in the slightest!" says Elisabeth with a ready smile. "Posie is simply a delight to be around." She turns her grin to the girl. "Keep the handkerchief. I have others, and I can always obtain more."

[aine]

Santiago el Aguila watches the stage building with interest, he turns to Dr. Renwick, "Shall we join the crowd and see what Harry Roy has in store for us?" He looks over to see if there are a couple of spare seats next to Admiral Kolchak.