Dining Car

[Laraqua]

"Monsieur Linscott?" says the Maitr D. "Who are you talking about?" He watches Cecil wave his hands in the air and seems utterly confused by this. "There is no one there."

[aine]

Cecil looks hard at the Maitre D', "By Jove." He breaths. Cecil looks around the table very carefully; for it was here that whatever it was affected the three men, and right under his nose too! "Well, would you mind obliging me with a list of the food and wine that Herr Schiller, The Reverand Pius and his companion ate? I'll be back in a jiffy." He nods encouragingly to Monsieur Rousseau and then heads off to find Amadi in the lounge car.

[Laraqua]

Dining Car, Chalons-sur-Marne, 21:45

Theme Music: Anson Weeks & His Orchestra - The Clouds Will Soon

The Dining Car is an illustrious affair of white tablecloths, gleaming silverware, crystal wine glasses and friendly conversations in Italian, French, English and Russian with a touch of German here and there. The curtains are loosened over each window but the one that still contains two diners who sit before their cold main meals, staring silently across at each other over the table. There is a small partition that divides the smoking from the non-smoking halves of the train. A red curtain at the far end of the car leads onward to the Kitchen half of the Dining Car. There is a murmur of voices from the waitors and cooks as they bustle about finishing off the dishes and cleaning and enjoying the otherwise empty Dining Car.

Cecil and the Maitr D stand in the aisle beside an empty table while Cecil glances under the table, perhaps looking for some lost item.

Cecil only,Everything seemed to be in order until [b]Cecil[/b] peers underneath the table and sees, strapped to the wood with sticky tape, a strangely curved stone that seemed to be carved with both concentric rings and a spiral pattern depending upon how he look at it with some other symbol carved into the middle of it that [b]Cecil[/b] [url=http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/4301655/]doesn't recognise[/url]. There seemed to be a note folded beneath it, pressed against the wooden underside. Staring at the stone seemed deleterious to his mental health though it doubtless contained secrets of it's own. There was no way to take the stone without the [b]Maitre D[/b] noticing however.

Nico Dubois steps into the Dining Car, fortunately distracting the Maitre D for the moment.

Cecil,Conceal check to take the object.

PRESENT: Colman Fallon, Rev Dominic Pius, Nico Dubois, Cecil Linscott, Maitr D AND Cooks and Waitors in the kitchen car section.

[aine]

Cecil fumbles around under the table.

Keeper,The object seems too firmly stuck to take it quietly. ( [url=http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/4304858/]1d100=75[/url]) So he tries to take the note instead ( [url=http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/4304859/]1d100=41[/url] but bumps his head on the way up.

He comes back up, bumping his head as he does so. As the Maitr D turns round he says, "Ouch. No, no I'm alright; it'll take more than table to knock me out, head like a rock don't you know." He grins sheepishly.

[Seon]

Jonathan Parker slams the door to the smoking room as he enters the dining room. He nearly bumps into Nico as he does so.

"Pardon me, madam," he says. He turns to look at Cecil on the floor.

"And...uhh... Have you lost something? Do you need medical assistance?"

[aine]

Cecil is holding a piece of paper which he florishes, "Absolutely fine old chap, thank you. Just dropped my notes, ha, ha. I say, are you a medical chappie too? There's a doctor in Compartment 1 of the Jeanette car looking after a Kra - a German fellow who's had a funny turn. You might have a look in on your way by." He stops for a moment and then says, "Would you mind humouring me for just a moment? How many people can you see in the vicinity apart from the Maitr D and myself? Oh, please excuse my manners: Lord Horfield, how do you do?" He introduces himself, stops and grins rather a silly grin.

[Laraqua]

There's a clunk of something heavy, like a rock, hitting the floor beneath the table.

[Seon]

Jonathan gives lord Horfield a bemused glance as he turned his head at an odd angle. "One, and you seem to have dropped your 'Wallet' as well," he said.

He winked.

He walks over to the Maitre.

"Excuse me sir, but do you know where the medicine cabinet of this train is? I was wondering if you have anything for train sickness," he said.

OOC: For keeper:

Spoiler:

fast talk roll:http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/4306433/

[Laraqua]

"Oh, of course," says the Maitre D. "Please wait here for one moment." He turns and passes through the red curtain partition into the staff section of the Dining Car.

Nico, Parker and Cecil are temporarily alone.

[Seon]

"You didn't actually drop your wallet did you?" Asks Parker.

[aine]

The slightly imbecile cast falls from Cecil's face and he becomes deadly serious. Looking grim, he says, "You know what happened to the curious cat? The folly of Perspicacity?" He looks carefully at the man before him. "Firstly, may I have the honour of knowing who you are, Sir?"

[Seon]

"Jonathan Parker, at your service sir," Parker says, flashing a smile.

[aine]

Cecil looks at Parker, "Well Mr. Parker. You are right, I didn't drop my wallet; I found a strange looking rock stuck to the underneath of the table; I was trying to remove it when I bumped my head. However, I feel that one oughtn't to look at it because something dashed odd might occur." He shrugs. "It might be worth retrieving it before Monsieur Rousseau returns." He gestures under the table. "Oh, and tell me, is there anyone sitting at the table that you can see?" He asks strangely.

OOC,Do you have a picture of Jonathan Parker?

[Seon]

Parker raises an eyebrow.

"Well, I do not see anyone here in particular except the lady here," Parker nodded at Nico. "Do you.... see people other than the two of us?"

"And a strange rock stuck to a bottom of the table? How....uh....strange, I guess." Parker scratched his head. "From what I have been hearing, there appears to be many odd things happening around the train.

OOC Physical description:

Spoiler:

Handsome Englishman with apparent age of late 30s-40s. Wears a suit and a bowler hat. He carries a cane but it appears to be more of an or ament rather than a tool. He seems to swing it around when bored.

[Laraqua]

Nico shakes her head mutely.

[Seon]

"Yeah, I don't see anyone other than the three of us either," Jonathan Parker finished.

OOC,wait do I?

[aine]

Cecil scratches his head, looking very perplexed. "Well I'll be blowed; I must be going stark raving mad for I see, sitting at this damned table, two gentlemen one of whom I've had the pleasure of meeting before. At the Royal geographical Society in London, so he must be fairly stolid. The Reverend Pius." Cecil puts the paper in his pocket and, looking rather unhappy, he pushes the air about the table, mumbling, "Sorry old chap; got to be done, don't you know."

Keeper,Cecil grabs hold of Pius' jacket and looks inside to see if there's a wallet or something. He then tries Colman.

In a louder voice he says, "You might want to grab that rock before the Maitr' D comes back, Mr Parker; the fellow has eyes like a hawk and he'll never let us leave with it."

Appearance,Lord Horfield wears impeccable English-cut evening wear and expensive shoes. He is very slim and has an eccentric manner. He speaks with an upper-class English accent.

[Seon]

What.

Parker smiled politely. "So... you reckoned that something odd may happen if someone looked at the darned thing... and you want me to look at it. Well, better than some orders I received while in the army, I suppose."

Parker looks under the table.

[Laraqua]

Parker sees,a strangely curved stone that seemed to be carved with both concentric rings and a spiral pattern depending upon how he look at it with some other symbol carved into the middle of it that [b]Parke[/b]r doesn't recognise. He doesn't get to look at it very long before he palms it. It feels strangely warm to the touch and strangely heavy in his pocket.

Cecil notes,[b]Dominic Pius’[/b] pockets contain a pocket watch, notepaper with the word [b]Kieran – Orient Express[/b] on one page, archidiocese and vatican travel itinerary and vouchers which seem to have detailed (and dull) financial figures for costs. A few pens and pencils. The other man is a [b]Colman Fallon[/b] and he has a tobacco tin and wooden pipe, matches, pocket watch, pocket journal, fountain pen, small book called ‘Tales of Mystery and Horror’ by Edgar Allen Poe.

[Seon]

"Lord Horfield?" Jonathan Parker mumbled perplexedly from under the table. "There appears to be nothing here."