Track Four: Light My Fire

[jp1885]

Tony happily accepts Zara's gift.

"How very kind. Looks a bit like an ancestor of mine: Colonel Patchpole of the 36th Regiment of Foot. I'd like to say he died bravely in battle, but alas he came a cropper in a bordello en-route to Waterloo."

He grins, carefully putting the sketch into an inside jacket pocket.

"Pyrokenisis Liz? An unsettling theory... If I hadn't just witnessed that craziness beneath the Pee-Oh-Pee, I'd say it was a bonkers theory, but now I'm open to any possibility."

[SunlessNick]

"It looked like he was throwing the fire around willy nilly, like he didn't care who got hurt," Zara says. "I don't feel like proving anything to your bosses Mr Carson, but I'll help."

[Mr. Handy]

"An ancestor of mine had a friend similar to the one in the drawing too," says Liz, "a Captain William Palliser."

[Starspawn338]

"I don't know how he was throwing balls of fire around but I am with you in trying to find or stop that man for harming any more innocents. It appears he has a gift for inciting people too. Men like him are dangerous."

Lew continues. "But did you see how he seemed to weaken after he cast all four in succession."

[jp1885]

"That's a very good point Lew. One worth remembering I'll wager."

"Well Liz, if the chap in the drawing does indeed prove to be your ancestor's chum, then you may of course keep the sketch. If of course the artist doesn't mind me giving it away."

"Rumour has it that my mother's side is descended from a wandering gypsy. Don't bring that up in front of her though - deflates her balloon somewhat."

He taps his nose and grins.

[SunlessNick]

"A Gypsy? Groovy,"" Zara says. "I don't know if it's anyone, it just came into my head." Despite her words, she frowns slightly at the picture - though she still seems happy enough for either Tony or Liz to have it.

[Mr. Handy]

"You should keep it, Tony," says Liz. "She gave it to you. I'd just like to take a picture of it. I can't be sure if it looks like my ancestor's friend. I've never seen a portrait of him. I'm only going by the descriptions in my ancestor's writings. There's probably no way to know whether or not it's supposed to be him anyway. It is good to know that excessive use of his abilities weakened our pyrokinetic friend. We'll need to be prepared before we meet him, or even get near him considering how he flings fire around with mad abandon. We'll need fireproof clothes, something lined with asbestos, as well as fire extinguishers and burn ointments."

[jp1885]

"I'm sure my people can get hold of such things Liz - I'll have my man go on a shopping spree and deliver the requisites here. Oh, and by all means snap away."

[VictoriaSilverwolf]

"Pyromaniac?" Moonflower muses idly. "Sounds like those folks who got run out of town a while back, the Temple of something or other. Bad scene, man. They used to, like, set fires and worship them or something. Got the locals bent out of shape. I heard they moved somewhere out near Barstow, in the middle of nowhere. Out on Route 66. You know, 'get your kicks'," she finishes, fading off into giggles.

[SunlessNick]

"Sounds heavy," Zara says in the hope that it will keep Moonflower talking.

[jp1885]

"Heavy indeed... Perhaps a little research is in order. Moonflower, can you remember this freaky cat's name?"

[Mr. Handy]

Liz takes out her camera and photographs the drawing. "That has to be connected," says Liz. "We can have a look at their old temple. Maybe there will be clues there about who they are and what they're planning."

[VictoriaSilverwolf]

Spoiler:

Moonflower is not the sharpest tool in the shed . . . INT = 7[dice]0[/dice]

"Ummmm . . . I don't remember the dude's name. Maybe something like a light bulb? Or a car? Something freaky, anyway."

Despite this lapse of memory, Moonflower is able to lead the investigators to the place where the fellow's so-called temple was located. It's a fairly short walk away, in one of Venice's many decrepit areas. Obviously abandoned for some time, all that remains is an empty storefront. There's a padlocked door, obviously unused for a while, judging by the rust, and a single, fairly large window, painted black, preventing anyone from seeing inside. Compared to other places in the area, it's unusual that no vandal's rock has broken the window.

In addition to the usual graffiti found in such places, there's an atypical example of that urban art form. The single word BLASFEEMER [sic] in black spray paint on the door.

[Mr. Handy]

Liz takes a pin out of her hair. "I've never done this before, so I only know how in theory," she says. She fiddles around in the padlock with the pin.

OOC,Dexterity roll (12) trying to pick the lock: [dice]0[/dice]

[jp1885]

Tony inspects the graffiti.

"Somebody obviously has strong feelings about this place - if not the grammatical skills to express them..."

[VictoriaSilverwolf]

Most likely due to the way it's been worn down by time, the padlock opens. It's a simple matter to pull open the door, which emits a loud creak as it moves. Due to the window being painted black, it's not so easy to see what's inside. The light coming in through the door reveals a mess of scattered and torn papers near the opening. There are also cigarette butts, some obviously hand-rolled, and the melted remains of candles. What lies beyond this remains in darkness, from which can be heard a sort of chittering noise.

[Mr. Handy]

"Could be rats," says Liz. She replaces the pin in her hair, takes out the electric torch she had had from their trip into the sewers, and shines a light inside, keeping her distance from the door.

[SunlessNick]

"Ew," Zara responds. Nevertheless, she casts her eye around the interior revealed by Liz's flashlight.

[Rooter]

Carson examines the scattered papers near the opening.

[jp1885]

"Quite the fixer-upper, what?"

Tony shines his torch around the room, particularly in the direction of the chittering sound.