Play@YSDC

Queensway, Bayswater- London, England
8:10 AM - Tuesday, September 10, 1940

Archie and Benjamin went to the alley behind the row of houses and found the back door to Madeline's house, but there were no windows at ground level on this side. There were some higher up, as well as a drainpipe that could potentially be used to reach them. The lowest windows were ten feet above the ground here, the curtains spread wide open. There were more windows some twenty feet up, and the blackout curtains there were still drawn. The back door didn't look quite as strong as the front door, though the lock was still decent. There was also an Anderson shelter in the alley opposite the house.

"There's no way I'm climbing up that drainpipe at my age! But perhaps we can see about those doors?"

Benjamin will investigate the back door and perhaps try to pick the lock with a safety pin.

As expected, the back door proved to be locked. However, it was a simple lock, so there was a chance to pick it even for someone who wasn't expert at it like Seamus.

OOC,[b]Benjamin[/b], please roll Mechanical Repair. Since it's a simple lock, you can use that skill instead of Locksmith. If you fail, [b]Archie[/b] may try as well.

While Benjamin monkeys around with the lock, Archie pokes his head in the Anderson shelter, looking for anything unusual.

Benjamin goes to work with a safety pin he pulls out of his pocket.

Mechanical repair 20%,[dice]1[/dice]

[dice]0[/dice]

The shelter was about six feet high, so tall occupants would need to duck in order to fit inside, though once seated they would not risk bumping their heads. It went about the same distance back, and it was a little less wide. Inside the shelter were two benches, one on either side, stretching to the back of the shelter upon which the occupants could sit or even lie down. It seemed rather ordinary, similar to other Anderson shelters in this alley and throughout London.

Benjamin fiddled around inside the lock with the pin. While he had very skillful hands, he could not manage to trip the lock. The movies always made this look so easy.

OOC,[b]Archie[/b], please roll Spot Hidden

Spot Hidden 40%,[dice]0[/dice]

Archie peers about the dim shelter while at the same time cleaning the spectacles that he should perhaps have been wearing...

Archie could see nothing of interest in the Anderson shelter.

Bored with the shelter, Archie wanders back to the door that won't open and takes a shot at picking the lock, mechanically inept as he is.

Mech Repair 20%,[dice]0[/dice]

OOC:   Wow.

The pin Archie borrowed snapped off in the lock, jamming it. There was now no way to pick this lock, nor could it even be opened with the key any more.

"Well that's torn it. We'll have to find another way in." Archie looks at the lock he has now jammed. "Right, let's see how the drain pipe goes."

OOC:   Archie attempts to get up the drain pipe to the closest windows.

Climb 40%,[dice]0[/dice]

Archie, being short and clumsy, was never a tree climber as a child and it shows.

Archie wasn't able to make any progress. He kept sliding down the pipe as soon as he tried to climb up it.

OOC,[b]Benjamin[/b], you may attempt a Climb roll if you wish.

Benjamin felt himself way too old for climbing up drainpipes...

"Hmm, what shall we do now..."

Idea 70%,[dice]0[/dice]

Archie ponders...

Idea 90%,[dice]0[/dice]

Both men realized that they could still force open the back door. That would make it very obvious that entry had been gained, however. Of course, it was quite possible that their tampering would be discovered anyway as soon as someone tried to open the back door, with the lock jammed. The front door's lock was of higher quality, and they did not have the skills to pick that lock even if they were willing to risk being seen in front of the house. Benjamin also could still make the attempt to climb the drainpipe if he wished. If he could get in the window, he could then just open the front door and let Archie inside. There was also another possibility, which came to mind from having read Bram Stoker's Dracula. They could attempt to hire a locksmith, explaining that they'd been locked out of the house and pretending it was one of theirs. However, this was a very risky proposal, as it would involve someone else in their escapade and could risk exposure.

Archie sighs. "Benjamin, we are already in for a penny with that jammed lock, time to go in for a pound. I think we just force the door before someone notices us."