August 18 - 9.00 AM - Amanda´s place

[robertod]

The group leaves the West hills and goes down the hill, heading towards the northeastern part of the city, where Kenneth beach ends and the breakwater begins. As the get there, they realized the city fog concentrated and became thicker. They found the area so degraded that seems to have risen from the fog itself, as the outcome of a space-time dislocation, which has introduced into Greyton the vestiges of a place ravaged by war and famine.
If life in this neighborhood were to be summed up by the state of the buildings, derelict and worn, people here would be in a great deal of trouble. Great husks of old wooden buildings appear like rows of broken teeth. There are grimy roof with broken pieces, windows staring down, remnants of shattered glass in rotting wooden frames, planks crumbling, invasive vegetation in walls, black and empty doorways, garbage scattered everywhere, and stink of urine.
Dwellings looks like they were beamed in from an abandoned and partly demolished village. Nothing good could come from buildings so beaten down by endless seasons of weathering.

Amanda Weeks house is no exception. The roof has been neglected for decades and passed its intended lifespan. Once windows have been fancy mullioned sash types, now they are mostly broken. Where there is still glass, it is grey with the grime of twenty years. The birch wood door has been left hanging on a single hinge. A disturbing silence reigns over the neighborhood, but, as soon as the investigators approach, it is immediately broken by rapid movements inside the surrounding houses. Undefined shapes get to the windows and quickly disappear.

A woman suddenly comes out of the door, kicking it open. She holds a rifle and points it to the unwanted comers. She has long straight blond hair, left to grow confusedly and undisturbed. She wears a checked shirt and a pair of trousers. The face bears a large and conspicuous scar under the right eye, which reaches up to the cheek. Her facial expression is one of absolute disdain, like that of someone who learned to recognize in any human being a potential enemy.

“Get the hell out of here. This here is not a place for you.”

[jp1885]

Ivy shivers as broken buildings loom out of the fog.

"Just when I thought this place couldn't get any more grim..."

Her mood is not improved by the mad woman pointing a rifle at her...

She raises her hands.

"No need for that madam; we're here on official business. There is the possibility of a reward..."

She trails off, leaving the sentence, and the possibility of financial reward, hanging tantalisingly in the air.

[Mr. Handy]

Kathryn puts up her hands as well. "Please, we mean you no harm," she says in her most soothing tone. "We only want to talk."

OOC,Charm roll (55% skill) to calm [b]Amanda[/b]: [dice]0[/dice]

[robertod]

Amanda keeps pointing her gun. She clearly does not want them to make any step forward.

"What do you want to talk about? And what do you have to offer?"

[Mr. Handy]

"We'd like to talk to you about Martin Thompson and Jason Carson", says Kathryn. "As for what we can offer...what would you like?"

[VictoriaSilverwolf]

Michael has faced a lot of situations like this.

"Drop the hardware, lady. You might get off a lucky shot, but I'm a tough target."

[jp1885]

Ivy sighs, growing impatient with such foolish nonsense.

"I'd listen to the detective if I were you..."

She takes a step forward, placing herself in front of the rifle.

"Or you could shoot an unarmed woman and deal with the consequences. We are want to speak to Amanda Weeks about her boyfriend Martin, as part of a larger investigation. Anyone who helps us will be rewarded financially."

[robertod]

The woman studies the strangers, looking at them from head to toe. Amanda was probably a beautiful woman, before the necessities of a miserable life forced her to assume masculine attitudes.

"I ain´t that much to tell ya ´bout Martin. He stayed with me until the day he decided to go out to sea and never come back."

She seem to realize right now that most of the group are women

"We ain´t worth anything for them... you know?"

"He was looking for something... his mind was somewhere else and I´ve never known where ... but I don´t give a shit anymore.
Carson is his friend. I never been close to him... and I ain´t seen him around for a long time. That´s it!"

Martin´s stuff is still here. I bet you wants to put your hands on it. I want ... whiskey .... it's been a while since the last time...
I know those motherfuckers keep it locked in the Inn... "

[VictoriaSilverwolf]

Despite his rough appearance, Michael is still not used to such language, particularly from a woman.

"Take it easy, lady. We don't mean you no harm. If you're sayin' that the inn's got bootleg booze, that's good to know. I could put a little pressure on the innkeeper, seize a coupla bottles as evidence, bring 'em back here."

Part of him feels bad about supplying Amanda with cheap rotgut, possibly poison, but part of him feels that everybody's got the right to go to Hell in his or her own way.

"If you'll let these ladies take a look around, examine Martin's stuff, I'll make a run back to the Inn. OK?

[robertod]

The woman lowers the gun but her voice is still firm.
"You get the stuff first. Then then I'll let you all in. Take it or leave it."

"Nobody's gonna harm nobody.Don't worry"

[jp1885]

Ivy looks at Michael, raising her eyebrows.

"Not exactly someone you'd take home to meet mother... What do you say: head back to the bar and give her time to make her escape, or bust her for obstruction and go take a look now?"

[VictoriaSilverwolf]

"I think you ladies can handle the situation until I get back with the booze,"Michael says. Besides, he could use a snort himself. He plans to offer the innkeeper a few bucks for the best stuff he's got hidden. If the guy plays dumb or makes trouble, he'll flash his badge.

[jp1885]

Ivy sighs.

"Well be quick about it Detective; and lay off the stuff yourself - I know what you're like!"

Then she focusses her ire on Amanda.

"Can we at least wait inside? Or will you have us hang around the street like a bunch of harlots?"

[robertod]

Ivy, Kathryn and Emma

The rugged woman makes a gesture with the head as an approval, but doesn´t drop her gun.
"...but you ain´t gonna touch anything until he comes with the whyskey."

The three women enter Amanda´s house. The first room is a living room, in which a simple cooking place is included. There´s a wooden staircase leading to a second floor. Although the house is poor and modest, it does not lack care for certain details. Some portraits pictures are hanging on the wal. Amanda allows the women to have seat on the chairs.

"What do ya city pukes are doing in a place like Grayton?"

Michael

In fact, Michael must use his badge to get whyskey. The innkeeper sees from the badge that Michael is not a damn fed, and this is a relief. The whyskey, however, is quite expensive. In the end, Michael has to spend a lot more of the few bucks he thought. There´s no way to low the price. The innkeeper says that their supplies have been interrupted for a while, and he really seems pissed off because of that.

Finally, Michael gets the bottle, and sets off for Amanda's house.



OOC: let me know if there are any actions before Michael´s getting back

[jp1885]

Ivy will give a noncommittal answer and await Michael's return.

[robertod]

In about twenty minutes, Michael comes back with a bottle in his hands.
As he enters, Amanda stares at the bottle and a frantic impatience dominates her face.

For Ivy Kathryn and Emma,When the three women saw throught the window Michael coming back, they realized someone was following him, walking about a hundred yards behind him. They could distinguish no more than a shadow in the mist. As soon as Michael´s got closer to Amanda´s house, the figure sinisterly ran away and hid among the nearby houses.

[jp1885]

"You were followed."

Ivy whispers to Michael, nodding imperceptably to the foggy street outside the window.

She turns back to Amanda.

"There's your hooch madam, now please show us Martin's things."

[VictoriaSilverwolf]

"Somebody tailing me, huh? I better have a look."

Michael steps outside the hovel and lights a cigar, as if that's all he's got on his mind. He makes sure to take a good look around by the light of the match. He's ready to grab his pistol if need be.

[Mr. Handy]

Kathryn takes the bottle from Michael before he steps outside and offers it to Amanda. It wouldn't do for the bottle to get broken if Michael gets in a scuffle with whoever followed him.

[jp1885]

Ivy situates herself so that she can see Michael out of the window, but also keep tabs on Amanda.