Track One: Are You Experienced?

[Rooter]

RE nemesis,It's a good idea, both.

Carson gets up and heads for the payphone in the back. He dials a secure number and mutters a series of code words. Upon reaching his Government Contact he requests information on the British visitor named Tony Patchpole, suspecting him to be an associate of Liz North. When he learns of Patchpole's background and, moreover, his connection to the KGB operative Natasha Bolowski, Carson realizes he could have a full international conspiracy on his hands.

[jp1885]

OOC,Having the same nemesis sounds good to me!

Tony races to the canal edge just as the motor boat races off. He curses, gripping his walking stick.

"I'll catch up with you soon madam..." he pledges, noting the direction of where the boat has gone.

Sighing, he heads back into the building, wondering what the deuce his nemesis is doing in Venice.

[Starspawn338]

Once the music ends and Tony leaves the table, Lew will go over to Lara and Liz's table and introduce himself.

"Greetings madams. Please allow me to introduce myself. My name is Llewellyn Collins. I don't mean to intrude but I couldn't help but notice that you seemed to fear the mist that arose during the concert and that you were pleading with someone to leave you alone. I don't know if someone was threatening you but I happen to have experience as a defender of the defenseless and if there is anything I can do for you, please consider this to be my offer of help."

Lew pulls out two business cards and offers one to each of them.

[jp1885]

Heading back into Sospiri, Tony decides to call his secretary about contacting certain European agencies regarding the appearance of Natasha Bolowski in California. However another chap in a suit is using the payphone. He stands a polite distance behind the man and waits for him to finish his call.

While he waits, Tony looks across the room to where his new aquaintances are sitting. Zara and Dr. North are talking to the older gentleman who nodded to them earlier. The younger girl looks positively wretched. Tony remembers the strange words she muttered before he was distracted by his nemesis, and resolves to speak to the artist as soon as possible.

[SunlessNick]

Zara takes the card with a smile. "Sorry if I interrupted the show. Bit gassed." Despite the words, and the embarrassed look she tries to feign, she pours herself another glass.

[Mr. Handy]

"Thank you," says Liz, also accepting a card with a smile. "I'm Dr. Liz North. I welcome your chivalrous assistance, though I'm not quite as defenseless as I may seem." She takes out a piece of chalk from her bag, which she had acquired from the Cliffs of Dover in her native England. She draws a perfect circle around herself and carefully recites the phrase "Klaatu barada nikto," knowing that it will not work unless she pronounces every syllable precisely.

OOC,This is my Protection from Evil ritual.

[VictoriaSilverwolf]

Doctor North's actions draw the attention of curious onlookers, as one might expect. Besides those to whom she has been introduced, who now seem bonded in a strange way by all that has occurred, there is another.

A young woman, probably well under twenty years of age, approaches the group. She has long blonde hair, worn loose, with a wreath of daisies like a tiara on the top of her head. The pale skin of her face is painted with stars and rainbows. Her loose, swaying dress nearly reaches the floor, allowing only an occasional glimpse of bare feet.

"Oh, wow," she says. "A happening. How utterly cool."

She claps her hands and spins, moving around the inscribed circle in an improvised dance.

By this time, the mist has disappeared, probably because the people exiting have allowed fresh air, such as it is, to enter through the door.

In a little while the barkeep raps his fist on the bar for attention.

"Closing time! You don't have to go home, but you can't stay here!"

[Mr. Handy]

"Where would you like to go?" Liz asks Zara. "I should be safe from...whatever that was...for the next hour or so. If I did it right."

[SunlessNick]

"I should show you what I painted," Zara says. Looking between the others she adds, "Anyone else can come too." To Tom, "You can look what I've got for sale" - to Bill, "I owe you a drink for talking in your show" - her gaze also makes it clear Lew is included in the invitation. (Carson will have inveigle his own way in, but Zara seems quite drunk now, so it probably wouldn't be difficult).

[VictoriaSilverwolf]

The young blonde woman overhears this. Jumping up and down with glee, she shouts "A party! Groovy! I'll bring the incense." She carries a cloth bag of many colors on a long strap hanging around her neck, which no doubt contains the said incense, along with who-knows-what.

[Rooter]

Emerging from the phone booth in time to hear Zara James' invitation, Carson spots his opportunity to infiltrate the group, and approaches the clearly inebriated artist. "Ah, Miss James. I'm here on a business trip from LA. The name's Carson, Jack Carson. I'd heard about your unusual work and would be interested in buying some pieces for a friend of mine who owns a gallery in LA." A surreptitious tap of his foot activates the recording device concealed in the heel of his shoe.

[VictoriaSilverwolf]

While Jack is speaking to the Zara, the young blonde woman makes it obvious that she intends to tag along with the others. Whether or not she should be persuaded to go her own way remains to be determined.

[evil_scientist]

Bill Ferris

"I should show you what I painted," Zara says. Looking between the others she adds, "Anyone else can come too." To Tom, "You can look what I've got for sale" - to Bill, "I owe you a drink for talking in your show"

"Don't sweat it. This is not the Opera House. This is a bar and folk music," Bill says, smiling. "So, party at your place? Let me grab my gear."

Bill quickly packs up, and joins the others on the way to the party.

[jp1885]

When the payphone is free, Tony makes a call to his secretary, speaking in code in case anyone nefarious is listening.

"Hello Auntie? It's your favourite nephew. Please could you tell the Women's Institute that I've seen Mrs. Worthington, and hope to catch up with her soon."

OOC,This is only for flavour really, unless the keeper wishes to use it as an excuse to introduce some outside assistance at any point.

He replaces the receiver and makes his way back to the group, which has grown somewhat larger since he nipped out. They also appear to be preparing to leave the table, so he makes haste to introduce himself to the newcomers.

"I'm Tony Patchpole - here to buy one of Miss James' delightful paintings. I have a dreadful gap at my Mayfair pad between my Doré and my Pickman."

He smiles disarmingly as the party heads to Zara's and offers his arm to Dr. North.

"Ah, are we retiring to the drawing room, as they say? Dreadful news about this murder what? Did you hear what the police had to say about it?"

[SunlessNick]

Zara seems happy enough to host an impromptu party - perhaps on the dubious assumption that if one almost complete stranger might be dangerous, a whole bunch of mutual strangers probably aren't. Anyway, she doesn't refuse Jack, or the blonde girl.

Her pad isn't far away: a pair of rented rooms with a small attached bathroom. One ought to be a kitchen/living room, but it has her bed in it too, while the ostensible bedroom is her studio. "I've got cheap wine or good gin. Help yourselves," she says, making for the latter.

[jp1885]

Tony will make polite conversation before wandering around to look at Zara's paintings. Intrigued by the stories of her 'gift', he will look for anything similar to the murder scene described by the police officer - an embalmed corpse exsanguinated by a multitude of tiny cuts.

OOC:   How would you folks normally play this? Simply write that such a painting is found or leave it up to the GM to decide? Just making sure I don't step on any toes

[SunlessNick]

Zara shows Liz the painting Vicki described earlier:

In the center is a distorted rendering of the entrance to Pacific Ocean Park, the recently shuttered amusement park, now a haven for vandals and addicts. The cheerful tower, topped by seahorses, is bent and melting. Behind it looms a gigantic human figure, completely hidden by a large black hat, black ski mask, black leather coat, and black leather gloves. In one hand dangles a straight razor, dripping blood. The blood falls into one of the decrepit canals of Venice, staining its waters bright red.

Anyone who cares to listen in will hear her say, "Be careful touching it, it'll still be a bit tacky. I painted it in my sleep - from what the polce said, when it was happening, or after. That's why I know he'll do it again."

Her other art is leaning on the walls. There are pyschedelic melanges of colour without discernable images, street views of Venice, and a few that combine the two styles - there are a couple of portraits of people, but Zara says they gifts and not for sale.

OOC:   Dexterity 13, plus +1 Artistry SunlessNick rolled 1D20: 19 SunlessNick rolled 1D20: 8 SunlessNick rolled 1D20: 14 SunlessNick rolled 1D20: 14

The melanges are mostly just messes - perhaps an unsuccessful attempt at looking surreal. The street scenes however tend to be rather good. The combined works show some promise of doing something worthwhile with the psychadelic imagery, but aren't there yet. The portraits are fairly indifferent.

[Mr. Handy]

"Yes, I see," says Liz, examining the painting of the murderer. "We have to stop him before he does. What you've experienced is called precognition. It's knowledge of the future before it happens. You're not the only one who has it, though most people with it have much more mild forms. It must be disturbing to experience what you have, but it doesn't have to be a curse. It can be a gift. Knowing the future in advance can be an advantage."

[VictoriaSilverwolf]

As the impromptu art show/party gets underway, with the guests conversing freely and getting a good look at this artist's pad, the young blonde woman pulls a handful of sugar cubes out of her bag.

"Anybody wanna take a trip?"

She also pulls out a deck of tarot cards. "I could read your fortune, too. I'm Aquarius with Jupiter ascendant and the Moon in Leo, so I've got the vibes, like that lady just explained."

[jp1885]

Tony politely declines the girl's offer, deciding that, with Bolowski on the loose, tripping is the last thing he wants to do. Instead he studies the painting with interest, noting that the straight razor could be responsible for the myriad of tiny cuts found on the body. The abandoned amusement park is also of interest - that being the direction that Bolowski headed in.

He listens to the talk of precognition, raising a quizzical eyebrow.

"Frankly I'm not sure whether to believe all this psychic business or not, but that's only because I've never experienced the paranormal and personal experience is the only evidence that one can truly believe in. If you do indeed possess the gift, then perhaps a trip to this amusement park is in order."

"But for now, let us see if I can experience the paranormal." He smiles at the young girl. "We have not been formally introduced. I'm Tony. You may read my fortune, er, miss...?