Act IV: 'Something Awful'

[carnage_lee]

OOC:   Let's be on our way to the offices of the Highbury Sewage Co,

[Tabs]

"Cosmist League, Cosmist League," muses Klevendon. "Maybe there is a plot. . . ."

[Priest]

(On behalf of Dr.P who is temporarily absent)

Wellington subjects Klevendon to a silent glare.

To the cabbie he calls, "Take us to the offices of the Highbury Sewege Company my good man. And I wouldn't put too much stock in the preposterous ideas being touted by the Speaker, it would appear that the editor, Mr Mattison, has an overactive imagination, he might be better employed churning out penny dreadfuls or attempts at adventure novels like that chappie Doyle"

Smiling a half smile, he turns to his companions, "Roxborough, do you need to collect anything or do you have all you need in that large canvas bag you insist on carrying everwhere?"

*****************

From behind the opening the voice of the driver calls back, "Very good your 'onour, take us about twelve minutes wiv all this traffic"
A sudden crack of the drivers whip and a lurch of the cab attests to the beginning of the journey.

[carnage_lee]

As their carriage pulls away from The Ritz Nellie spends a few moments looking at the people outside as they settle about their daily routines.

"What I was trying to point out during our breakfast, is that .." she pauses making sure their driver is fully occupied with the road and not his passengers before carrying on in a slightly softer tone "trying to track the creature or whatever it is in the tunnels sounds terribly dangerous. would it not be safer to try to lure it above ground... in the alleyway behind the pub... those walls and fences will help to pen it in."

[Tabs]

"Actually, Miss Bly," says Klevendon, "I wholeheartedly agree. Meeting the beast in the tunnels . . . it would be suicide--except for Mr. Roxborough possibly. Do you have a plan to 'lure it above ground'?"

[carnage_lee]

"I do not have a 'plan' as you put it but to my mind facing this creature on 'our terms' and in 'familiar territory' make perfect sense to consider any other option has to be courting the most dangerous and disastrous possibilities. The little I know of such matters of hunting and tracking would indicate to me that the employment of a 'Judas Goat' would offer the best opportunity for a satisfactory outcome." Nellie cocks an eyebrow at Roxborough inviting his comment but satisfied in her own mind that she has spoken up for common sense.

[Priest]

(As we seem to have misplaced Papa G, I am taking the liberty of replying for Roxborough)

Realising that he has become the centre of attention and the topic of conversation seems to have moved into his area of expertise, Roxborough, moves his activities from a particle of sausage which has taken a position of stubborness amongst his teeth and seems intent on ignoring his every attempt to dislodge it politely, "I beg your pardon, temporarily distracted...Hunting the creature - yes"

He smiles in the way that experts have when confronted by eager pupils asking simple questions, "Of course the difficulty of luring the creature from its habitat revolves around the fact that we have no idea as to the species of the beast in question, or wether its hunting habits corespond to any known hunting habits of the many predators one might encounter in the wild. Can this creature be lured? Does it have a 'territory' in which it hunts? Does this territory, assuming it has one, have boundaries? Or does it merely hunt where it happens to be at any particular time?"
He smiles again, this time to Miss Bly, "For many predators the use of a 'Judas Goat' would be effective, but for this creature, as we know so little about it, I am given to think the only means of finding and dispatching it will mean tracking it through the sewers"

Again that condescending smile, this time to Klevendon, "As distasteful as that may be, I am sure it is the only way. Providing we can pick up its trail. I would suggest we need to start at the last place we have evidence of its location, the sewer entrance behind the inn perhaps, or where this Symonds fellow that Horatio has learned of thought he saw something while searching for Smalls"

[DrPeterson]

Wellington's face shows his lack of appreciation for the looseness of address and he shifts in his seat.


"I concur with the inevitability of tracking own the creature, or indeed creatures, in the sewers. We should inquire as to what information Mr. Symonds can impart upon us after we have obtained a concurrent map of the sewer system."

[Tabs]

Roxborough said: Again that condescending smile, this time to Klevendon, "As distasteful as that may be, I am sure it is the only way.

Klevendon gulps and mutters, "Oh, I say!"

"A map of the sewer system: this is something I can lend my hand to."

OOC:   Shall I use Academics to procure a map? or maybe the Hollow Earth Society may have maps?

[Priest]

Klevendon,Accademics is best as using your contacts from the Hollow Earth Society is more likely to gain you some kind of archaic map of Londons underground rivers rather than a workable map of the sewers.

OOC:   I have found the necessary items to continue the adventure.

[carnage_lee]

Nellie nods at Roxburgh's reply, at least he has considered her words, it was too much to hope for that he might actually agree with the course of action that she had set out. She quickly scanned the faces of her companions... yes... in their eyes... she fancied she saw the glint of .... excitement. But that was to be expected, especially of Roxborough the man would be excited about a hunt and the prospect of showing off his prowess. Nellie tried to suppress the cold feeling of dread that she suddenly felt.

Sitting back in her seat, Nellie frowned as she went through all the information that they had managed to gather so far.

OOC:   Hurrah! Not that I am that anxious to begin an underground hunt .... but this is a great investigation.

[Papa Gateau]

Seeing the mild look of worry on Nellie's face, Roxborough leans forwards and lightly pat's her knee in what he hope's is a reassuring manner

Don't worry my dear, I'm very experienced at this hunting game! And whilst subterranean tunnels are not the same as the African plains, I have hunted quarry back to their lair and in caves before.

Your idea to lure the creature isn't without merit but alas, we really know too little about the creature and it's habits in order to do so with any real hope of success.

It may be that our foray into the sewers will reveal more about our quarry - it's eating habits and the like. I am sure that we will not encounter the creature on our first explorations - I am hoping that we can learn whether it has a territory or whether it is nomadic. Maybe it is female? Maybe it has young? Which means it will not roam far. There are many things yet to discover about our quarry and the more information we have the better equipped we will be to deal with it.


He smiles at her again.

[Tabs]

Priest,Okay. :)

"Well, well, I am relieved," says Klevendon; "Mr. Roxborough certainly knows what he is about!"

[Priest]

OOC:   Welcome back all, "The game", as often said by a famous detective of the litery world, "is afoot". The cab journey to the sewerage company continues apace.

[DrPeterson]

Welligton is looking out the window of the carriage as they drive through the streets, apparently lost in thought.

[carnage_lee]

Nellie smiles and nods as Roxborough and Klevendon try to be reassuring. She wonders why Wellington is being so aloof; sitting there, staring out of the window as the cab trundles on through the streets of London.

"Well, if we must track the creature let us hope that we can obtain a map of the tunnels from the staff of the 'Sewerage Company', we don't want to be wandering about down there and getting lost."
The cab slows and comes to a stop.
"Looks like we have arrived.." Nellie says with a hint of apprehension.

OOC:   Hope that taking the liberty of moving us along is ok?

[DrPeterson]

Wellington slowly fills his pipe as he stares out of the window, conveniently finishing as they draw to a halt.

He sucks his pipe absent-mindedly, muttering something that sounds like "tedious".


As the other alight, he seems to wake up out of his daydream for a moment and says:

"As much as I put my store in the stalwart servants of our Majesty's government, I think Miss Bly's charm might suit us best in the pursuit of our interests here."


He smiles a thin smile at the young woman.

"Miss Bly, if you'd be so kind?"

[carnage_lee]

Nellie considered the consulting detectives words, a flash of irritation rose within her... how typical of a man to think like that. She wasn't merely a 'pretty bauble' to dangle in front of people to dazzle them into divulging information. Although she was prepared to admit that she had employed such tactics on occasion but on her terms... her decision, not being directed like some hireling.

"If.. you wish me to take the lead here, then I would ask what are our objectives here? Are we here to offer our services to try and locate the missing employee? Are we here to confront Carrington-Fforbes?"

[Priest]

The cab halts at outside a rather grand cassically fronted four floor building. The front entrance sits atop a flight of Neo-Classical steps flanked by highly polished brass handrails. It looks a magnificent building, perhaps a little too grand for this area of the capitol. The magnificent eagle sculptures with their outswept wings that stand each side of the oak door, seem slightly incongruous when compared to the polished brass letters that proudly boast 'The Highbury Sewerage Company'.

As the cab halts, the driver leaps, athletically for an old soldier who has seen better days, to the ground and opens the door with a flourish,
"Ere we is and in good time too, Ladies first" He flicks the steps open so that Nellie may descend with ease, professionaly ignoring any hints of tension that may be displayed by his passengers.

Inside the doors an oak panneled vestibule contains a small desk area where two smartly atired females seem busy at work with typewriters of the latest design.

As you enter one of them looks up, smiles politely, and in a polished accent enquires, "Welcome to the Highbury Sewerage Company, how may we assist you?"

Klevendon,An aquintance of yours,a fellow hollow earth enthusiast Ebeneezer Stimpson, works here as a clerk. He will have access to a limited but usefull map of the sewers.

[DrPeterson]

On the stairs before entering, Wellington postulates.

"Accost Carrington-Fforbes? Based on what evidence, Miss Bly?"

That thin smile again, was he purposefully being condescending or was it some form of kindness?

"We are here to acquire a suitable map to the sewers. And to have a good look around too, of course."