Play@YSDC

After gathering her courage together, Mrs. Stoddard makes a shocking revelation to her family; that Victoria Winters is her own illegitimate daughter. The various members of the household react in different ways. Roger Collins (known to be something of a roué in his younger days) is sympathetic, vowing to accept Victoria as beloved a niece as Carolyn. David seems more confused than anything, and not particularly upset. Carolyn is another matter.

"Mother! How could you! Is that why Father left when I was born? Because of your betrayal, I don't even have memories of him?"

Shedding angry tears, she storms out of the house. The sound of the Roger's automobile -- to which Carolyn, to whom he is always indulgent, has a set of keys -- roaring away fills the night.

"I hope she doesn't do something foolish," Roger says, taking a stiff drink.

Mrs. Stoddard is too stunned to speak.

"I should go after her," says Victoria. "Is there another car I could use? Otherwise, I'd have to walk, but I'd need to know where she might go."

I'm good with playing one character in each thread.

There's Roger's old car, which he never got around to selling, after an unpleasant incident ten years ago (the details of which are not immediately forthcoming.) It's out of fashion, of course, but it runs.

The most obvious place for Carolyn to run to is the Blue Whale, of course, so that's the first place to look. At the moment, there are several Harley Davidson motorcycles parked outside.

Victoria takes a peek inside the Blue Whale to see who's in there, wondering if Maggie might be there. She's wary of the bikers and wants to make sure things are peaceful before entering.

It's not hard to spot Carolyn, who is wearing a leather jacket that is much too large for her (she's barely five feet tall), dancing wildly to rock 'n' roll from the jukebox, holding a bottle of beer in her hand, surrounded by men dressed in biker gear.

Victoria enters the Blue Whale, now that she has confirmed that Carolyn is inside.

Spotting Victoria, Carolyn comes to a sudden halt.

"Well, if it isn't my dear half-sister, Little Miss Goody-Two-Shoes, the ill'git'mit member of the Collins clan." Her movements and the way she stumbles over longer words reveals that she is intoxicated. "Come on, honey, don't be shy. Lots of these guys like brunettes, too."

One of the bikers puts his arms around Carolyn, who gives him a sloppy kiss.

"C'mon, babe," he says, "you said you wanted to get hitched tonight."



"That's right, I did, didn't I? Hey, sis, meet my fiancé, Buzz. He's gonna be your brother-in-law."

"Cool. Looks like your sister is a swingin' chick."

"Aren't you moving a little fast, sister?" asks Victoria. "A wedding takes time to plan, and we have to get the right clothes."

Carolyn snorts at this. "Who needs all that fancy stuff when I've got Mister Right? Just think, in a few hours I'll be Mrs. Buzz . . . what's your name again, honey?"

"Hackett, baby; you know, like Buddy?"

"Who? Anyway, I think I'll take a little nap before the happy occasion . . ."

She slowly droops down the wall, finally dropping to the floor and snoring loudly.

Victoria goes over to Carolyn and tries to help her. "She'll be okay, she's just had a few too many," she says. "Some fresh air will help her." She tries to raise Carolyn up, loop Carolyn's arm around her shoulders, and guide her to the exit.

It's not terribly hard to carry the petite Carolyn off. The diner at the Collinsport Inn, not too far away, always has plenty of coffee brewing, which could help. As Victoria enters the place, she can't help but notice a woman entering the Inn. It could be her own identical twin sister.

Victoria helps Carolyn into the diner to get her some coffee, not wanting to leave her alone to go investigate the woman who is apparently her younger self, or for Carolyn to be seen at the inn in her current state. Running into herself may cause problems of its own too.

The diner is currently staffed by a friendly-looking waitress with the nametag "Maggie." Noticing Carolyn's condition, she says "Let me guess. Plenty of strong black coffee. How about some sinkers, too? Guaranteed to be only slightly stale."

"Thank you, that's a great idea," says Victoria, guiding Carolyn to a seat. "She'll recover faster on a full stomach, and I don't think she'll notice the difference in taste."

"Yeah, I know what you mean," Maggie says, with a frown. She soon returns to her former friendly mood, making conversation as she serves the groggy Carolyn plenty of hot coffee.

"Say, didn't I just see you with some good-looking guy at the Inn? You made real quick time, to rescue the poor little rich girl so fast."

"I saw that girl too," says Victoria. "She does look a lot like me, doesn't she?"

"I'll say. Twin sister, maybe?"

Before this question can be answered, the fellow known as Buzz saunters in.

"Hey, where's my blushing bride? C'mon, babe, my Harley's waitin' outside."

By this time, Carolyn is a little more sober, and a lot less enthusiastic.

"Oh, no. What have I gotten myself into? Help me out, will you, Vicki?"

"Of course," says Victoria. She turns to face Buzz. "I'm afraid the wedding's off, Buzz, but don't worry. You'll find another girl who will fall in love with you one of these days."

Joe picks this moment to wander into the diner in search of some warm food. He sees Carolyn in a seat with that - what's her name, Victoria, that's it - being faced with a biker. He joins them. "Everything all right, ladies?"

I bumped up the most obvious Strengh; Victoria and he can be brain and brawn. I made fisherman his profession, carpentry his avocation, working men his contacts, jobless men his prejudice, and heights his phobia - I've not picked an inheritance.

Perhaps surprisingly, Buzz just shrugs at this news.

"Rich kooks aren't really my style anyway. Now, on the other hand, you two look like a pair of swinging chicks."

He grabs Maggie with one hand and Victoria with the other, pulling them to him in an awkward embrace. Joe can't help but notice that Carolyn is not in the best of conditions, and that the other two women are struggling against Buzz's unwanted advances.

"You can't dance with two girls at the same time," says Victoria. "Why don't you let her sit down?"

"Whatever you say, hon."

Buzz lets Maggie slip away, while forcing Victoria into a slow, close dance, without much grace. Maggie rushes to Carolyn's side, trying to make the two of them as inconspicuous as possible.

Victoria tries to make eye contact with Joe, hoping that he'll cut in on Buzz.

At this point, a tall, dark-haired, ruggedly handsome man walks in, then stops and stares at what's going on.

"I just wanted a cup of coffee. Looks like I walked into a party. What's the occasion?"

"I'm glad you came," says Victoria with relief. "I could use some help."

[OOC: Sorry, I've been snowed the last couple of days] Joe would indeed try to cut into the dance "between" Buzz and Victoria.

Mr. Handy wrote: ↑Wed Dec 15, 2021 4:31 am

"I'm glad you came," says Victoria with relief. "I could use some help."

"Oh, I didn't expect you here, Miss Winters," the man says, although he's a stranger. "I thought you'd be up at the Collins place by now."

For the moment, he just stands back and watches the other two men tussle.

VictoriaSilverwolf wrote: ↑Wed Dec 15, 2021 10:02 am

start with a battle of dex; buzz = 9, I'll give Joe 10 for profession requiring extra dexterity. In that order.2d20

Joe easily pushes away Buzz, who sees that he's outnumbered -- the new man grinning at him -- and beats a hasty retreat.

"All the chicks in this town are nuts," he mumbles as he heads out.

"Nice work," remarks the new man. "Say, aren't you Joe Haskell, the kid who used to hang around the docks? I haven't seen you since you were half your size."

"Hi, Joe," Carolyn says, giving him a big hug. "Still like me?"

"Thank you, Joe," says Victoria with a smile. "I'm glad for your intervention." To the other man she says. "Thank you, I'll meet you back at the inn in a little while. I need to get my stuff and maybe change my clothes." She doesn't want to leave the younger Victoria stranded waiting for her ride or cause other problems, and this is the simplest way she can think of to prevent that.

"Will do," says the stranger, smiling at Victoria as he leaves. "Remember what I said about keeping me informed."

After a moment, Joe remembers the man as Burke Devlin, who left town about ten years ago, because of some kind of trouble.

While trying to make up with Joe, Carolyn casually asks, "Who's the good-looking guy, Vicki? He seems to know you. Anybody I should meet?"

"That's Burke Devlin," says Victoria. "I can explain everything, but I think we should get back to Mother first. Then I can tell you both at the same time."

Carolyn is agreeable. In her present condition, she seems hardly likely to argue with anyone. She hangs on to Joe, who may be a bit embarrassed by her overt signs of affection. Paradoxically, she also continues to make teasing remarks about Burke Devlin.

"Handsome devil Delvin," she mutters, then giggles at her own joke.

When Joe and Victoria finally get her to the mansion, Roger raises his eyebrows at Carolyn's condition, while seeming to stifle his amusement, but Elizabeth is not at all pleased.

"What is the meaning of this?"

"I found Carolyn and brought her back," says Victoria. "She's safe and unharmed, which is the most important thing. As to what happened, I think that is a family matter best discussed in private."

"I suppose you are right. Thank you for bringing her back, Mister Haskell." Mrs. Stoddard is well acquainted with Joe as both former packing plant employee turned independent fisherman, and as Carolyn's sometime escort. She apparently assumes he played the most important part in returning her home. "I believe that Carolyn needs to get some rest."

Seeing this as more of a command than a request, Carolyn meekly goes upstairs.

As Elizabeth takes Victoria into the drawing room for a private conversation, Roger brings Joe a glass of whiskey and takes him aside.

"Man to man, Joe; what are your intentions concerning my niece? I've no objection to a healthy young fellow sowing some wild oats, and heaven knows my marriage was less than blissful, but where do things stand?"
"

"There were some bikers at the bar," says Victoria to Elizabeth. "Fortunately, I was able to extricate Carolyn before anything awful happened. One of them later showed up at the diner where I had taken her, but Mr. Haskell was very helpful in sending him packing. There's something else, though. The other Victoria, the younger one, has arrived in Collinsport. I saw her going into the inn. Burke Devlin is back too, and he's apparently met her and is going to give her a ride. He mistook her for me, and I told him I'd meet him at the inn to delay him, and to not leave her stranded. She'll be on her way here, no doubt. It could be awkward having two of us in the same place, so perhaps I should try to find a way back to my own place. Professor Stokes may be able to help. He knows about how this sort of thing works."

Elizabeth seems bewildered by this explanation, still having difficulty understanding how there can be two parallel times.

"Yes, I suppose you must see him. He is a strange fellow . . .

"This . . . other Victoria Winters; she does not know, then, that she is my daughter? Or the daughter of my other self? Oh, dear, I just can't make sense of all this."

She embraces Victoria for a long moment, then says "Do what you must, my own. At least I shall always have one of you, it seems."

Victoria hugs Elizabeth in return. "I think you should be honest with the other Victoria from the start," she says, "and tell her that you're her mother. She wouldn't know yet, as I didn't when I first came to Collinwood. I belong with the other you where I come from, and I'll have to let her know that I know she's my mother. She needs me with her. Since she is essentially you, how should I best tell her?"

"That is a problem, as I -- she -- oh, this is so confusing! Both of us were so careful to keep this hidden from everyone. No touch of scandal must be allowed to sully the name of Collins," she says, with obvious bitterness. "I suppose you must make up some story about discovering records at the orphanage, or hiring a private detective, or some such nonsense. If this other Elizabeth Stoddard is as trusting of you as I am, she will believe you. Now go to Professor Stokes, before I start crying. Good luck!"

"I'm not a good liar," says Victoria, "but if I could find the records for real, it wouldn't be a lie. If you have a copy, I could just take them with me. Thank you so much, Mother. I love you, and I wish you and your Victoria happiness."

With a touch of shame, Elizabeth confesses "I destroyed all records of your existence years ago, hoping to forget the pain I must have caused you. As far as the orphanage is concerned, you were simply a foundling."

The parting of mother and daughter, echoes of another such pair, is an emotional one.

Victoria hugs Elizabeth one last time, crying herself. "Then I'll have to hire a private detective and say that I suspect that you're my mother, saying that I've noticed what I believe is a family resemblance. Farewell, Mother. Treasure your Victoria, and I'll treasure my mother when I return home." With that, she slips out and goes to find Professor Stokes.

Professor Stokes is pleased to enjoy the company of a charming young lady, and arrangements are made for a meeting at his bachelor lodgings.

"I usually offer my guests sherry, but I suspect that you would prefer tea," he says with a smile. "I have some rare varieties from the Far East, not commonly known in the Occident, if you would care for some. Now, to what do I owe the pleasure of your company, my dear?"

"Thank you, Professor, I would like some tea," says Victoria. "Earlier you helped my friends return to their own time using the I Ching. I need your help for something similar. While I don't wish to go back to 1795, this is not the 1967 from which I came. Some aspects of history are different from what I remember, possibly due to changes caused by my arrival in 1795. I arrived in the present at an earlier time than I left as well, and there is a younger version of me. She has just arrived in Collinsport today, just as I did myself once. I don't think it would be good for us to run into each other, and I should return to my own world."

"It appears you have had some experience with this particular method of journeying through parallel time tracks," Professor Stokes replies, seemingly not very surprised by the revelation. "It is a hazardous undertaking, and one may find oneself in some other time and place than desired. However, if you are willing to take that risk, it might prove a very interesting experiment."

"I think I have no choice," says Victoria. "I don't really belong here, and I need to get home. If I end up in the wrong time and place, I'll just have to keep trying until I get it right. If I can travel in one direction, I should be able to go back."

"Very well. I shall prepare the ceremony."

True to his word, Professor Stokes arranges for the tossing of the I Ching sticks, his bachelor digs filled with candles and incense for the occasion.

"Concentrate! Picture yourself passing through a great iron gate, into the world you once knew."

low roll bestd6

The room seems to grow dark and misty, as if time and space are melting away. Victoria feels herself drifting off into a place unknown.

with a roll of 4, let's play around with time (and introduce a subplot.) Odd = past, even = future. d4

When a full sense of reality returns, Victoria finds herself in the forested part of the Collinswood estate, which seems more extensive that it was in the present, but less so than during her adventure in the dim past. The Old House and the mansion are both where they should be. The former is neither as decrepit as it was before Barnabas Collins moved in, nor in as fine a shape as it was in the 18th century. The latter is not as new-looking as it was in the 1790's, nor as completely covered with ivy as it was in the 1960's. A horse-drawn carriage passes by on its way to the mansion, apparently unaware of the woman who watches it from the woods.

Thinking that this is most likely some time in the nineteenth century, Victoria approaches the mansion.