Play@YSDC

Boston, August 24th, 8 pm

The entrance to the famous Blue Heaven Ballroom is a non-descript, unmarked blue door in the centre of the city. It stands out though due to being flanked by a large pair of smartly-dressed and serious looking doormen, sweating in their evening suits in the warm summer night’s air.

Inside, a night of good jazz, dancing, fine food, and of course fine booze, beckons.

Alice is wearing her little black dress tonight. Even at this hour, it is the height of summer and isn't too cold for her, though she also has a lightweight coat that will go right into the cloakroom once they enter. She smiles when she sees her friends gathering outside and goes to greet them.

Henry Glynn

"Splendid to see you all! Here's to a relaxed evening with no ghosts or aliens! And you'll finally get to meet Verena - she's due to perform tonight."

Henry Glynn

Henry turns to Isadora:

"How is George? I heard he had a nasty cold?"

Isadora Carmichael

Finally a place where Isadora's dress doesn't cause an outrage!! On the contrary: her exquisite turquoise robe with the trademark spiderweb-like silver ornaments are met with approval.

When Henry mentions "cold", however, she shivers... The unnatural freeze of the Mountain is still a vivid memory.

"George is getting better, thank you for your concern! But he decided to stay at home... Besides, he is not a devotee of this type of music. Makes his head hirt."

"As for me - this scene reminds me of my years spent in Paris. Satie was played in every café, and jazz music reminds me of him a lot."

"Oh," says Alice when Henry mentions Verena. So it is true, she thinks. "I'm glad to see you too."

Henry Glynn

"Let's go in and find a good table" says Henry, ushering the others towards the door.

Alice nods and turns towards the door. "Is Dr. Balzac coming?" she asks.

At that moment, a taxi pulls up and out bundles Balzac in trademark bowler and green suit, deftly passing a few bills back to the cabbie as an afterthought. He raises the bowler to his friends, "Bonsoir, mes amis!"

With Gallic gallantry, he shakes male hand and delicately kisses female hands. "I trust we are in the mood for some fine jazz, food and liquid refreshment. There are some excellent bands who play here regularly. Ah, if only I had the time to properly develop my trumpet, but there are not enough hours in the day."

Henry Glynn

"This is the best place. McCluskys was better but they got raided last week."

"Balzac! That is you, isn't it, you old swine!" a booming voice imposes itself over the group's conversation and an equally imposing figure of a man pushes his way into the centre of the group and places an arm around Balzac's shoulders.

"How is civilian life treating you? I see you're dress sense hasn't improved any since the war."

The stranger extends a large hand to each of the others in turn. "The name's Ron, pleasure to meet you." The smell of whiskey on the man's breath suggests his night may have started some time ago.

Henry Glynn

"Henry Glynn. Say why don't you join us Ron? We were just about to go inside."

"I'm Alice Stanton," says Alice, shaking Ron's offered hand. "Pleased to meet you too."

Balzac's eyes widen with surprise and a slight degree of alarm. "M. Ron Smith, it has been a while, mon ami."

He turns to the others. "M. Smith was quite the dashing man of action, during the war. And when he wasn't winning glory, he was in the brig for illegal boxing, as I recall." Balzac says this with a half-smile.

"So Ron, how does the Canadian Merchant Service suit an Englishman? Have you learnt to say 'eh?'"

"I seem to remember you making some money off my boxing more than once," Ron grins. "And the canadians suit me very well thank you. They can drink better than most of the English. And they've very agreeable ways of keeping themselves entertained during cold nights. Speaking of entertainment, shall we be going in?" The big man gestures towards the door of the ballroom.

The doormen step aside to allow the companions entry, although they regard Ron with a critical eye. Luckily he is wearing a tie and is in fairly presentable shape, which is compensated for by the appearance of his new friends. Isadora, as usual, raises an eyebrow.

Inside, the heroes encounter a blue-carpeted staircase which leads up to the ballroom. The sound of jazz can now be heard, along with the buzz of excited talking. The check-room faces the stairs and here the investigators drop their coats. To their left is another door which Balzac informs everyone leads to a gentlemans club and another set of stairs for a casino, which unfortunately perhaps they won't be visiting. They climb the stairs and to their right is the ballroom proper. Here they are greeted by a member of staff, who confirms Balzac's reservation.

The man eyes them quizzically.

"Dr. Balzac, we were expecting just the four of you" he says politely.

Henry Glynn

"Picked up a stray." whispers Henry to Alice.

Ron gives a wide, disarming smile to the club's employee.

"Yes, we had a late addition to the party," he says. "But it would be a shame to turn her away, wouldn't it?" He nods towards Alice.

Alice's jaw drops, but she says nothing yet, not wanting to contradict him. Balzac may have told them who to expect anyway, and even if the man believes Ron, she supposes that she's pretty enough that she'll be permitted to stay.

Balzac smiles at the staff member, adopting his most friendly, if perhaps bumbling manner. "Monsieur, I do apologise, some days you meet up with old friends out of ze blue. I would be happy to compensate the club for the inconvenience." He discreetly hands the waiter a $5. "We will, of course, have to put a dent in the club's finest champagne and whisky too."

The man pockets the $5 smoothly. "I'm sure we can make an accommodation for you Doctor" he says. With that, he signals that the companions accompany him.

The ballroom is large. An opulent bar, all chrome and mirrors, stretches out to the left. Behind the rows of bottles, the bar staff are hard at work. All the liquor bottles are original brands - there is no bathtub gin here. Opposite the bar is the stage, where the house band, the 5-star Band, are belting out a rousing rendition of 'Doctor Jazz'. Between the bar and the stage is the dance floor and a number of small round tables surrounded by plush armless chairs. They are intimately lit by small lamps. Above, electric chandeliers cast hues of blue and gold onto the faces of the patrons.

Being a famous hangout, the Blue Heaven is not only visited by the elite of Boston, but also by visitors from elsewhere; New York money men, film and stage stars (Henry thinks he spots George Raft), business moguls, politicians, shipping magnates and oil men from the south-west are in attendance. They are attended by a large number of waiting staff, who are mostly black.

The club is packed and vibrant. The staff member assisting our heroes leads them to a table in the corner near the bar, apologizing for the less than ideal location. It is already occupied by a guest, who nods at the intrusion but puts his hand protectively over the seat next to him - he is clearly waiting for someone.

The companions sit down and order drinks. They begin to relax and chat, catching up on news.

OOC,As you relax and chat, you can roll Psychology if you choose to take a look at the man.

Alice is curious about the stranger, but she can't tell much about him. She's glad they're not in the casino, because she wouldn't want to play poker with him.

OOC,Psychology roll (60% skill) about the man: [dice]0[/dice]

OOC,[b]Balzac's[/b] [i]Psychology[/i] is 5% and he rolls... [dice]0[/dice]

Balzac's head is already lost in the jazz and he isn't much paying attention to the other man at the table. He signals a waiter for champagne for himself and his friends.

Balzac does lean forward and half yell at Ron, "So, what have you been up to of late, starting to settle down and pursue a career?"

Henry Glynn
Henry looks around for Verena and doesn't pay much attention to the man.

"I'm with the merchant marine now," replies Ron. "It's better pay than the army and they don't tell me when I get to shit either. I would say that I get to see the world, but mostly I get to see Canada and New England. With no offence meant to either of your fine countries I had been hoping for somewhere warmer.

"How about you, Balzac? Been up to anything noteworthy since we last saw each other? Or have you had your nose in your books the whole time?" He turns to Henry. "I often said that if Balzac didn't try to be a bit more adventurous then everything exciting in life was going to pass him right by and he wouldn't even realise."

Talking excitedly to his friends, old and new, it's not clear that Ron even noticed the other man at their table.

Henry Glynn

"Oh I think Dr Balzac has had his fill of excitement for now." Henry hints.

The lone man still waits for whoever it is who will join him. He is average build, with thick, bushy eyebrows that run in a line and join at the top of his nose. He drums his fingers on the table, but not in time to the music.

OOC,You're all welcome to roll Spot Hidden about the man.

Looking at the man, Alice notices something.

OOC,Spot Hidden roll (55% skill) looking at the man: [dice]0[/dice]

OOC,[b]Balzac's[/b] [i]SpotHid[/i] is 50% and he rolls... [dice]0[/dice]

In passing, Balzac's gaze does cross the man, with interest for the first time.

"Do you see that?" Ron asks in amazement. "Famouse Grouse Whiskey. I didn't think they even had it in this country."

"Are you all right?" Alice asks the man.

The man jumps in surprise and jerks his head towards Alice. For a moment, he looks petrified.

"Yes, fine thank you" he snaps, frowning. His gaze instantly returns to the band, but he seems even more nervous than before. Meanwhile, the band launch into "Clarinet Marmalade'.

Just then, a door behind the man opens, and a tall, thin black man wearing a suit and carrying a shiny trumpet steps out slowly. He looks around and blinks. He hesitates, and you can see that he obviously had a few drinks. He seems to want to get to the stage, but your seats are blocking him.

He addresses the other man at the table.

"Sir, I got lost backstage. Uh, would you be so kind as to let me by? I really apologise for asking."

The man's lip curls as he regards the trumpet player. " Find some other way, boy, or I'll have you thrown out!" he snarls.

The musician does not attempt to press the issue. "Sorry, sir. Sorry". He backs away.

Balzac,You can roll Play Trumpet (Art).

Henry Glynn

Henry slides his chair to one side producing a gap between hinself and Ron.

"Here son, why don't you come by this way."

The musician smiles gratefully, clearly very happy to be treated decently.

"Thank you sir. Thanks very much." He passes by on his way to the stage.

The other unknown occupant of the table sneers in derision.

Balzac,Roll Spot Hidden.

Isadora,Roll Power x6

Alice doesn't know what the strange man's problem is, but she doesn't like him very much and says nothing more to him.

Trumpet,30% skill and Balzac rolls... [dice]0[/dice]

Spot Hidden,50% skill and Balzac rolls... [dice]1[/dice]

Balzac stands to attempt to make way for the trumpeter.

"Bonne chance, Monsieur."

Across the room, the band leader interrupts proceedings by making an announcement. Everyone's attention is pulled to the stage, and you don't notice a small, rat-like man wearing a snappy brown suit enter. He scans the room, and then sidles along the bar towards your table.

The band leader addresses the crowd.

"Ladies and gentlemen, his honor the Mayor is with us tonight - congratulations on your re-election Mr.Mayor! That reformer thought he had you beat, but you can't keep a good man down. This song's for you!"

The trumpet player has joined the band on stage. His rumpled suit contrasts with the natty white uniforms of the band, but his playing is extraordinarily strong with precise tones. The rhythm is irresistible,and soon the crowd is dancing enthusiastically.

OOC,Can you all roll Luck?

Isadora Carmichael
POW x 6 = 78
[dice]0[/dice]

Luck 65
[dice]1[/dice]

Sitting at the table on a comfortable chair, and sipping on some quality sherry, Isadora feels lucky AND powerful...

Isadora Carmichael

The uncanny power that emanates from the musician scares and intrigues Isadora at the same time. She turns to Balzac, the resident jazz aficionado.

"This trumpet player... he is very good, right? Do you know him? Is he famous?"

Alice really enjoys the performance. She feels like dancing too, though she doesn't feel compelled to do so.

OOC,Luck roll (65% stat) when the trumpet plays: [dice]0[/dice]

Luck,65% and [b]Balzac[/b] rolls... [dice]0[/dice]

Balzac sips champagne and revels in the jazz.

OOC,Can he make a know roll or anything to ID the trumpet man?

Balzac shrugs, in answer to Isadora. "I do not know him, but he is good."

OOC,Ron failed his Luck roll with unfortunate consequences for him.

With attention focused on the trumpet player and the band, no-one has noticed the rat-faced man move to stand behind the stranger at the companions' table. As the music heats up, this individual pulls out a large revolver and fires point blank into the back of the head of the seated man.

Although the band and the crowd are louder, nothing is louder than the report from a large caliber handgun. As the heroes turn in shock, they are witness to the man's head exploding in a shower of blood, brains, bone and gore.　Unfortunately Ron is sitting opposite the man and bears the brunt of the splatter.

OOC,All must roll SAN! Ron must roll 1/1d6 for damage, while everyone else gets 1/1d3.

Aghast, the heroes get clear looks at the gunman’s face, and unfortunately, he at theirs. Without a word, he slides the gun underneath his jacket and coolly exits through the same door the trumpet player used earlier.

Henry Glynn
Henry moves to shield Alice from the gore.

Covered in gore, Ron flies from his seat in a fit of rage and lunges across the table to chase down the shooter.

Alice screams and wraps her arms around Henry, pressing her face into his shoulder as she cries.

OOC,Sanity roll (current level 66) for seeing the murder: [dice]0[/dice] Sanity loss: [dice]1[/dice]

Isadora Carmichael
SAN 66
[dice]0[/dice] (SAN 65)

Isadora is paralyzed by the cruelty of the event she witnessed...

Henry Glynn

Henry dries Alice's tears with a fresh handkerchief and shepherds her away from the bloody corpse.

"Should have gone to McCluskys" he mutters.

SAN,Is 54 and [b]Balzac[/b] rolls... [dice]0[/dice]

"Merde!" Balzac cries, aghast. He decides the victim is well beyond his abilities to heal. "Murder!! Stop that man!! Murder!!" Balzac bawls out for all he's worth, while launching his bulk from the table and trying to chase after ratty.

Ron & Balzac,The enraged [b]Ron [/b]bursts through the door and races down the stairs, oblivious to the staff and guards who stare in horror at his blood-drenched face. As he gets outside, he sees a grey Packard begin rolling away down the block. The license plate has been removed. The car begins to pick up speed as [b]Balzac[/b] joins [b]Ron[/b] on the sidewalk.

Isadora & Henry & Alice,The band is still playing and people are still dancing, but people have begun to notice the corpse splayed across the table, face sideways in a spreading pool of blood, brain and bone. The smaller hole in the back of his head contrasts sharply with the bloody mess of his face. Gasps and screams of horror can be heard. But the band still plays for now, and amazingly, the dead man’s fingers begin to tap in time to the music, splashing droplets of blood. The figure pulls itself back into a sitting position. His eyes are rolled up. Blood flows freely from the massive hole in his forehead, but somehow he manages to stand. A low moan escapes his lips. [ooc]Roll Listen.[/ooc]

Isadora Carmichael
Listen 43%
[dice]0[/dice]

Isadora stares at the rising, nature-defying corpse... and she also notices something else, over the sounds of the band still playing.

Alice hears it too.

OOC,Listen roll (60% skill) at the table: [dice]0[/dice]

We all hear something.

Alice is calmer now. Seeing the apparently dead man get up and move actually reassures her, in a strange way. "We need to follow him," she says to Henry and Isadora.

OOC,Sanity roll (current level 65) for seeing the dead man rise: [dice]0[/dice]

Balzac, violently enraged by this callous murder before his very eyes, pulls out his snub nosed 38 special and fires off a shot at the Packard. "Salaud!"

Handgun,If the vehicle is within range, [b]Balzac's[/b] skill is 30% and he rolls... [dice]0[/dice]

OOC,A miss unless at point blank range.

Henry Glynn
Henry goes with Alice, carefully following the man.

"Well, fuck me," exclaims Ron as he hurls himself behind a parked car, doing his best to pull Balzac with him.
"I forgot how much fun nights out with you were."

Dodge,Is 31% and [b]Balzac[/b] rolls... [dice]0[/dice]

OOC:   Nope, failed the dodge.

"Look out Ron!"

Ron & Balzac,[ooc]Unknown Gunman 25: [url=http://orokos.com/roll/549386]Sub-machine gun[/url]: [u]1d100[/u] [b]87[/b][/ooc] Luckily for everyone, the gunfire goes wide and peppers the upper wall of an adjoining building. The car speeds up and is soon gone. Sirens can now be heard in the background. Behind them, panic-stricken guests are beginning to run out of the Ballroom doors.

Isadora & Henry & Alice,The stairs have now become a scrum where panicked people, both guests and staff, are running to get away. Some are heading for the back alley, but many head for the front doors. You can see the ruined head of the shot man among them.

Alice stops short when she hears the gunfire outside. "Maybe we should wait a little.." she says.

Balzac quickly stashes his pistol back in his jacket, slightly regretting his hasty action. "Mon ami, this might be a good point for two foreigners to avoid the attentions of the Boston police. However corrupt they may be, they will no doubt wish to make a few arrests for appearances sake. We might have to get our coats tomorrow."

He indicates to Ron that they might walk a block or two away from the club.

Isadora Carmichael

Rolls,[b]Sanity 65[/b] [dice]0[/dice] Sanity loss [dice]1[/dice]

Isadora starts trembling, and, while the others stand up to follow the dead (?) man, she stays behind and finishes all their drinks... Downing one after another.

Henry Glynn

Once the gunfire subsides Henry continues to follow the man to see where he goes.

The jostling, terrified crowd bowl the shot man over and he falls to the bottom of the stairs. Trampled by the panicked patrons, and unable to rise to his feet, he is repeatedly knocked down and reduced to a bloody ruin. Seeing this apparition approach them, the doormen have had enough, and disappear.

The crowd streams out of the ballroom, past Ron and Balzac. When they have gone, the shot man gets to his face and staggers to his feet, moaning again. His head is totally crushed and he is literally drenched in blood. His left arm is bent at an unnatural angle. He moves slowly away from the Ballroom, watched in horrified amazement by Ron and Balzac.

Ron & Balzac,You both need to roll SAN. If you fail, roll 1d6 damage.

Swallowing nervously, Alice looks at the impossibly still living dead man. "Okay, now let's follow him," she says.

Isadora Carmichael

Isadora realizes that the others have left the room.

"Wait up!" she says to nobody in particular, and, after a short struggle (she is wearing a tight dress, and the room is full of overturned chairs and other obstacles) she catches up with her friends.

"I can't help but remember the murder victims rising in the woods around Professor Putnam's farmhouse..." she says, recalling their previous encounter with such unnatural phenomena.

OOC,No. You'll have to guess.

Isadora, Henry and Alice are outside now and can see Balzac and Ron a little further up the street. There are a few stragglers from the Ballroom left, morbidly fascinated by the unfolding events.

The focus of everyone’s attention has now entered the street, still moaning despite his face being a bloody wreck. The sirens have increased in volume all this time, and suddenly a squad car swerves into view. Seeing the bloody figure and attempting to slow down, the driver is unfortunate in that the man stumbles in front of the rapidly braking car, and is thrown against a lamppost. There is a sickening crunch as the body almost bends around the post, and it crumples to the ground, almost unrecognizable as a human form. Finally, it has stopped moving.

The policeman driving the car is transfixed in horror. Any remaining bystanders decide that now is the time to leave.

Two of these left the Ballroom behind Isadora, Henry and Alice. One of them is wearing the white uniform of the house band. He is carrying his coat over his arm and a case for a horn of some kind. Seeing Ron’s bloody condition, he asks, “You’re hit! My god, my god, you’re hit! Are you alright?”

The other can be recognized as the trumpet player. He recognizes Henry as the one who was civil to him earlier, and decides to repay the favour.

“Y’all be in trouble soon, lest you be movin’. Come on now, I know a way.”

He moves off, grabbing the arm of the man in white, and they duck behind an alley adjacent to the Ballroom. More sirens can be heard, quite close now.

Henry Glynn

"We'd best follow."

"I never got my whisky." he adds.

As the companions follow the two men, they see them duck through a hole in the alley fence which leads into another alley. As they do this, one of them drops something.

From a distance the object is very small, coloured white. As the companions draw closer, they can see that it is a business card.

Alice picks up the card and looks at it as she follows the musicians.

The card is hard to read in the darkness. Climbing through the hole in the alley fence, the heroes can see a clear way to the next street over. The musicians, moving quickly and unimpeded by skirts and heels, are already at the end of the alley and are soon lost to view.

It seems that the investigators are in the clear though – more police seem to have arrived but are gathered around the scene of the accident. As the companions reach the safety of the next street, they are able to read the card in the light of a streetlamp.
Handwritten in ink on the card are tomorrow's date and the words: 11am sharp - bring your horn. New Orleans style.

"Now I've seen some odd shit in my time," says Ron. "I had a man walk into my medical tent once carrying his own arm. But that..." He shakes his head and trails off.

Alice shows the card to the others. "I think we should go there in the morning," she says. "I also heard the dead man say the name 'Joey.' Maybe that was the man who shot him."

SAN,Is 53 and [b]Balzac[/b] rolls... [dice]0[/dice]

SAN Loss,[dice]1[/dice]

Idea,[dice]2[/dice]

OOC:   Crap. Managed once again to barely avoid temp insanity. Balzac does not have a lot of luck with SAN rolls though... Oh, the sweet oblivion of the morphine beckons.

Balzac has a terribly inappropriate fit of the giggles at the shot, crushed and mangled man, and continues giggling for some time... He can be pointed in the right direction and towed along, but is not much help for a while.

Isadora Carmichael,

"Yes, maybe we should go... The musicians did seem to know something... Or, well, at least they are more streetwise than us."


"Doctor, are you all right?" she turns to Balzac.

"Pull yourself together, chap," Ron says.

He turns to Isadora. "I agree, we should go. I want some answers and I feel they were involved."

HoneyDog wrote:

OOC,So the plan is to attend the funeral and hopefully contact the musicians? I can start a new thread tomorrow for your investigations unless anyone comes up with any other ideas in the meantime.

OOC,Yes, that's the plan.