Act III (c) 'Fleet Street and Beyond'

In Leagues of Adventure the characters are all middle and upper class Victorians who go on wild adventures in response to wagers, handsome payments from rich patrons, invitations from adventuring leagues, or
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Act III (c) 'Fleet Street and Beyond'

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Act III (c) 'Fleet Street and Beyond'
OOC:   The sewer is open...  
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Re: Act III (c) 'Fleet Street and Beyond'

Post by Tabs »

Image--Klevendon in his non-cartoony guise.
Previously Wellington said: "Ah! I trust our editor in chief was very informative after I left. You have the look of someone who left the most charming of company!"
"Mr. Wellington, I have to inform you, as you no doubt have surmised, that the editor was quite useless--in every sense of the word! Tell me, us"--they join with Miss Bly and Mr. Roxborough--"what information Klebbs provided---" Klevendon recoils from the opened sewer: "Good Lord, what a disgusting smell!"
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Re: Act III (c) 'Fleet Street and Beyond'

Post by DrPeterson »

"Nothing more than the address of Mr Smalls, a sewer worker, but I surmise he has already told as much to Mss Bly and Mr Roxborough."


Wellington greets the small assembly with a smile and looks at the inside of the sewer lid.
Priest,Wellington is theorising that if the vermin pushed the lid out by themselves, the insides of the thing should be covered in scratches and maybe even some patches of fur. I'll take my average of 4+ to investigate the lid. [dice]0[/dice] so that's 5 successes on my average check.

"Well done, gentlemen, I knew you had the capacity for such a feat of strength once properly motivated."
"He said we were all cooked but we were all right as long as we did not know it. We were all cooked. The thing was not to recognize it."
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Re: Act III (c) 'Fleet Street and Beyond'

Post by carnage_lee »

Image

Nellie smiles in greeting to Klevendon and Wellington as they approach from the newspapers offices.

"If you've all finished looking into that disgusting hole, then we should be away from here as soon as possible. Even someone of the calibre as Klebbs is bound to start wondering why two sets of people are so interested in the 'plague of rats'."
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Re: Act III (c) 'Fleet Street and Beyond'

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Wellington,the sewer lid lies where the men had left it, turned upside down to expose the underside. As you suggest you notice that areas the underneath has been scoured bright as if continously rubbed by some abrasive cloth, or the sharp claws of a myriad of pushing, heaving creatures. Amongst these scratches are patches of some horrid fur and obvious blood stains from where biting and scratching had inflicted wounds on their fellow sewer dwellers.
Indeed no sooner had Nellie spoken but the doors to the 'Speaker' open to reveal a rotund, red faced individual who casts a suspicious gaze towards the ensemble at the sewer opening.

"Gawd its old Mattison hiself" mutters Stan, quickly grabbing up his discarded jacket, "Quick lads we'd best be back to work, afore we 'as no jobs to go back to".

Within seconds the four of you stand unacompanied at the open sewer...
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Re: Act III (c) 'Fleet Street and Beyond'

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"Ah, Mr. Mattison . . . I thought you had some matters to attend to in your office?" says Klevendon, and adds as an aside to the others, "the matter was a bottle of gin!"
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Re: Act III (c) 'Fleet Street and Beyond'

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Previously Klevendon said:   "Ah, Mr. Mattison . . . I thought you had some matters to attend to in your office?"  
Fortunately the distance between Mattison and the group of you at the sewer opening is to great for him to have heard the additional acerbic comment, in answer to yor question he merely smiles, raises a hand in acknowledgement, then with a final look of suspicion turns and follows the three working men inside the building.

You can but imagine the questioning that they will face from their employer.
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Re: Act III (c) 'Fleet Street and Beyond'

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Wellington lights his pipe and puffs at it, the aroma of his tobacco fighting the odour of the open sewer.


"Well, I have seen quite enough. Unless any of you wish to venture into the sewers at this point, I suggest we repair to a spot of tea."

As an afterthought, he adds:

"Ah yes, we should warn a constable that there's an open sewer here."
"He said we were all cooked but we were all right as long as we did not know it. We were all cooked. The thing was not to recognize it."
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Re: Act III (c) 'Fleet Street and Beyond'

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"'Tea,'" repeats Klevendon unhappily, thinking about his unfinished cognac that he left at the club.
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Re: Act III (c) 'Fleet Street and Beyond'

Post by Papa Gateau »

Hmm tea!, Yes! Splendid Roxborough turns to Klevendon "Is that your Hansom, I think we can all squeeze in there, shall we be away - there's a terrible whiff vermin around here and it's not all coming from the sewers he looks over to the offices of the various newspapers and smiles.
Yeah, well, sometimes nothin' can be a real cool hand.

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Re: Act III (c) 'Fleet Street and Beyond'

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"Yes, I believe it is," fibs Klevendon, wondering if it is the one he arrived in. "I concur about the vermin," says he; "Miss Bly excepted of course."
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Re: Act III (c) 'Fleet Street and Beyond'

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Wellington walks towards the hansom.

"It is the carriage Mr. Klevendon and I came in. Let us away, after we get some locals to take care of that lid."

Wellington waves his arm, motioning for Miss Bly to get in.
"He said we were all cooked but we were all right as long as we did not know it. We were all cooked. The thing was not to recognize it."
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Re: Act III (c) 'Fleet Street and Beyond'

Post by carnage_lee »

Image

"Thank you." Nellie says to Wellington and nimbly climbs into the carriage, making herself comfortable. She was rather looking forward to a nice pot of tea and perhaps a scone while they talked over their discoveries of the past couple of hours.
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Re: Act III (c) 'Fleet Street and Beyond'

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Wellington got into the carriage as well, making it quite obvious that he wasn't going to be the one to warn the official.

"Miss Bly, you made quite the impression at the news paper office."
"He said we were all cooked but we were all right as long as we did not know it. We were all cooked. The thing was not to recognize it."
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Re: Act III (c) 'Fleet Street and Beyond'

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OOC:   My apologies the ubiquitous Hansom cab, much beloved by Sherlock Holmes etc, was in fact a small two passenger afair, open to the elements with the driver perched behind the cab. Not as I thought a four person closed cab affair. However the cab in question is that hired by messrs Wellington and Klevendon and asked to wait outside the newspaper establishmen and is of the four passenger variety. The first person to give the vehicle the correct name wins a small prize, answers on a post card please. :D  
The driver of the cab, after doffing his hat to Miss Bly, holds the door open so that you may enter. As he does so a small group of ragged clothed but smiling children approach the vehicle,
"Oi mate for tuppence we will cover that 'ole for you, afore someone falls dahn it and 'urts themselves"

At the impertinent of the request the driver turns and slashes at the bold lads with his horse whip, missing deliberately, "You little skallywags, be orff wiv you these fine people don't want to be bovered by the likes of you"

With a fine display of mis-coloured teeth he looks toward the open cab window, "So where will you be going to?"
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Re: Act III (c) 'Fleet Street and Beyond'

Post by Papa Gateau »

OOC:   If memory serves right that would be a Hackney carriage - the name still applies to our famous London black cabs, though of course the form and power-train has evolved a littel ;).  
Roxborough walks over the carriage and tosses a shilling towards the urchins, smiling he says "Right boys, get that cover on, quick as you can now

He turns the driver and says before climbing in "I believe we shall head to the Ritz"
Yeah, well, sometimes nothin' can be a real cool hand.

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Re: Act III (c) 'Fleet Street and Beyond'

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Klevendon settles himself in the Hackney cab. "Any success, Mr. Roxborough, Miss Bly?"
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Re: Act III (c) 'Fleet Street and Beyond'

Post by carnage_lee »

Image

"Oh dear, I had hoped we would be more discrete." Nellie frowns as she replies to Wellington's observation. "Richard and I had some time to kill and decided to see if the paper would have any interesting information about the rat infestation, I hope that we have not piqued the interest of that reporter, or that Mattison recognised me. It would be quite tedious to be dogged by Klebbs in our ongoing investigations. Hopefully he will follow my 'red-herring' and look for us at The Savoy, should be be enamoured with poking his nose into our business." Nellie smiles hopeful that Klebbs would indeed look for them in the wrong place should he be so inclined.

Nellie turns to Klevendon as he speaks and the carriage starts to move. "Professor Atwood did have some interesting points and observations, but let us discuss those matters over some tea. I take it that both you and Mr. Wellington had some time for further investigation after your enquiries at 'the club' and decided that the event upon which Klebbs reported warranted a closer look. Am I right, Mr. Klevendon?"
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Re: Act III (c) 'Fleet Street and Beyond'

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"I'm unsure," replies Klevendon, "Wellington spoke with Klebbs, I was, unfortunately, with the editor, drinking gin! By the way, Mattison described your good self as a 'pretty young lady,'" compliments Klevendon the old fruit; "not so Mr. Roxborough!--in Mattison's opinion."
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Re: Act III (c) 'Fleet Street and Beyond'

Post by Priest »

In a minimum of time and with minimum fuss, you are seated at one of the small, but exclusive, tables in the tea room of the Ritz Hotel.
Tea, sandwiches and cakes are quickly forthcoming and served by staff that know how to cater to the best of society.

Over a simple tea the conversation continues.
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We do not see things as they are, we see things as we are.
- Anais Nin
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