The Blackstone Hotel, Keswick, England.

[Dave Syrinx]

Dr Laws is lost in the mirror reflection across the bar, thinking of all the weekends spent on various locations. Never the bustly as this one, were they? The flicker of a light and the scent of a woman. Memories.
The bositerous Exeter sure could entertain a room. From the sound of it Helen Long needed some air. Laws looks at the woman next to him.

"Miss, would you care to share a cigar on the veranda?" "Pardon a man for dwelling on old memories. I´m so rude." He leaves the pint half full and adds another note to the barkeep to collect. "For your troubles, my good man." He offers an elbow to the artist and leans his head slightly towards her. Hoping to act a gentleman.

[Fabio Silva]

Visconde observes everyone in the room from the corner of his eye as talk and drinks continue, admiring the cultural differences and personal habits of the English. He is fascinated by these people.

[Priest]

For a brief moment Helen observes her bar partner, I hope he's not giving me the come on, then she gives a half smile,"Thank you, but I think not".
From not far away the imbicilic bellowing of the overbearing son of the nobility was making her wonder if she had refused the offer too fast.
Oh my goodness, she thought, it would seem that Rosa is about to talk to one of the locals, I do hope its not the scruffy one. Probably the one called Percy he has to be the oldest one here
However her interest piqued by the woman's obsession with an old photograph, Helen moves along the bar closer, hoping to overhear any conversation

[Abdul Alhazred]

As Helen moves closer she can see the photograph Rosa is holding more clearly.

For Helen Only,As you get closer one of the children in the photograph catches your attention. The child looks uncannily like you when you were very small, although it has to be said you have never previously seen photos of yourself at such a young age. More than that, looking at the faded handwritten caption at the bottom of the photo, you see that the child shares your first name, although her surname - Waring - is obviously different. [url=http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/22/v1uf.jpg/][img]http://img22.imageshack.us/img22/7500/v1uf.jpg[/img][/url]

[Priest]

Helen goes over to whereRosa holds the frame and peers closer at the photo.
Speaking quietly as if almost to herself she says, "How odd not only does the child in that photograph bear an uncanny resemblance to myself at that age, but, apart from having a different surname, is also called Helen."
She looks angrilly at the barman and raises her voice to carry throughout the room, "I say, is someone here having a bloody joke?"

[DrPeterson]

"What are you girls doing with that blasted photograph?
Is it something precious? Should I buy it? It looks like a dreary old thing to me!"

He half addresses the question to Rosa, half to everyone in the room. Gathering there won't be any returning to the table shortly, Exeter pours a few glasses of champagne and has himself one too.

"Be my guest, ladies, and you too, sir, before or after your cigar!"

He waves Pedro over.

"Get yourself over here, old Pepe! Looks like the party's to be found at the bar!"

[Dave Syrinx]

Taking the reply with a shrug, Laws lights his cigar with a safety match and walks to the balcony doors. He puts the box of matches in his jacket pocket. Once he draws on the cigar he checks his watch once again. The downpour continues to a drench the country side. He gleans out to see if the veranda is capable of keeping him dry. Figuring it won´t really matter - he exits the bar and exhales a large cloud of smoke.

As he exits, Helen´s outburst stops him in his tracks. "What was that, Miss Long? What´s at fault?" He leans inside and looks genuinely surprised.

[Dave Syrinx]

Honouring the offer with a nod doubled with, "Why, thank you Mr. Exeter. Most kindly." He follows the men to the bar to listen to Helen´s explanation, cigar in one hand and Champagne in the other.

[DrPeterson]

"What ho, Hels?"

He sips his champagne, puts down the glass and lights another cigarette.

[Abdul Alhazred]

Ignoring the bemused looking barman, you move towards Rosa and as you look more closely, you can clearly see the photograph that she is holding.

Hilary Exeter only,Looking at the photo, you see the family group in more detail. One of the children looks remarkably like you did when you were very young, although the child in the photo is younger than any photographs you have ever seen of yourself. Which, considering your family's wealth and lineage, is somewhat strange now you consider it. More than that, the child shares your first name, although the surname is different - Waring. It's also clear that two children who look very much like younger versions of Rosa and Laws are also in the photo. [url=http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/59/xwvv.jpg/][img]http://img59.imageshack.us/img59/8007/xwvv.jpg[/img][/url]

Across the room, old Percy says pointedly to Dr Laws, "Shut the blooming doors will you, or we'll all catch a death in here."

[Dave Syrinx]

Stuffing the cigar between his lips, Laws abides with his free hand.

[Priest]

Looking slightly flustered, Helen gazes around the room her eyes finaly alighting on Percy, no doubt helped by his outcry to the Dr.
"You there...Percy is it? What do you know of this photograph and who are these 'Warings'?"
All of her attention is now divided between the photograph and the old local, she has forgotten all about the loud lord and his effected speech and Rosa who she just ignores.

[Abdul Alhazred]

Percy eyes Helen, looks to the barman and the young couple sitting on the next table, and replies in a thick northern accent "And what did your last bleedin' servant die of lady?", before taking off his somewhat shabby and sodden overcoat and cloth cap, sitting down and taking a long sup of his pint.

At the bar, Nigel barely stifles a giggle.

OOC,I'm liking the characterisation folks. To get people on your side or to give you information, abilities like Reassurance, Intimidation and Oral History come into play. They'll always need to be a rationale for the ability use though, and clearly in this instance even spending points on Intimidation won't get you what you want. After all, why should the local start spilling the beans to you out-of-towners?

[Priest]

Helen fixes the surly local with a fierce stare, How dare he ignorant little twit. At the barman's poor attempt to control his amusement, Helen changes her target.
"Oh I wouldn't laugh to much my lad, after all I doubt your employer would share your amusement at the expense of a paying guest"

[bzr101]

Percy ... replies in a thick northern accent "And what did your last bleedin' servant die of lady?", before taking off his somewhat shabby and sodden overcoat and cloth cap, sitting down and taking a long sup of his pint. ...

Jonesy stiffles a laugh, almost chokes on a piece of bread and thinks, "Well, well. A wonderful meal and a bloomin floor show. I wonder what act is up next?"

[Dave Syrinx]

Dr. Laws puts down the tall glass of champagne and lays a hand reassuringly at Percy´s scapula. "Now, good Sir, I´m sure we can get along quite fine here. The artist, and we all know how they are, is simply curious about the photograph, right? Might be she sees something that appeals to her artistic self. So, to keep a struggling soul afloat, indulge me and still her curiosity. I might have some ointment for that bad back of yours." Laws takes a step back and gauges Percy´s posture at the bar. To move out of the man´s personal sphere and to play the role of concerned doctor.

Absentmindedly, as doctors do, he mutters, "Isn´t that right, Miss?" to Miss Lang.

[Philulhu]

Realising that others were also seeing themselves in the photograph, Rosa relaxes a bit. She can't explain how it has happened, but her immediate doubts about her parentage have lessened.

She takes the photograph over to the oldest of the local patrons at the bar. "Excuse me," she says, "I don't suppose you happen to recognise the couple in this photograph?"

[DrPeterson]

Exeter drops his cigarette as he stares open-mouthed at the picture.

"I say, that blooming picture has it wrong!I've never carried the name Waring! And what the bally hell am I doing in that picture in the first place! I demand an explanation! You there, chap at the bar! Whoever took this picture and why the devil am I in it too?"


He stamps out the cigarette and lights another.

"Or these girls for that matter! We're not some strange relation, are we? That would dampen the mood..."

[Philulhu]

Rosa glared at Exeter, shushing him to allow the old man to reply.

[Abdul Alhazred]

Initially Percy backs away from this stranger who offers him 'ointment for his back'. "That might be what you people do in London but here we're a bit more old-fashioned and like to know someone before we go offering anything." However, the conversation continues and once he establishes that the gentleman is in fact a doctor is he more at ease although still somewhat wary.

When shown the photograph he says "No, I really can't help you, don't recognise this Jack and Victoria Waring," (the parents in the photo), and the names don't ring a bell neither. You might find old Bob Barton more help though. Over seventy he is now, lived and worked here all his life and what he don't know about Keswick ain't worth knowing. He normally comes in about half nine for a nightcap or two."

In the course of the conversation Dr Laws see's the photo close up for the first time.

For Michael Laws Only,The photograph shows a family group, captioned in faint handwriting at the bottom as the Warings, and you're astonished to see that the eldest boy is a double for your older brother Geoffrey when he was around that age. Not only that, but one of the younger children could easily be you too, although you've never seen a photograph of yourself at such a young age. Your surprise turns unsettling when you realise that the two children also share your respective forenames. [url=http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/59/xwvv.jpg/][img]http://img59.imageshack.us/img59/8007/xwvv.jpg[/img][/url] (Try not to run ahead - no one knew you were a doctor, and up until this point you were unaware of the significance of the photo to you ;) )

A couple of tables away over in the corner, Jonesy's interest is also piqued by the photograph...