IC- Day 2 - Lunch at the Lavignes - Everyone

[SunlessNick]

"I don't know. I've tried talking to her, but she's been different for months now - she won't tell me anything. And everyone else we've spoken to... I don't know who's guilty and who's innocent. And it's all been going on without us knowing. What else don't we know?"

[Mephistophilis]

Fabrice leans against the wooden wall of the house, studiously avoiding looking at Florence. 'I just don't know what to do. I want to hit something, hit someone, I...I just don't know.' He turns and slowly levels his gaze at Florence, his face is forlorn and his eyes are wet.

-----

Out the rear of the house, Lusette and the girls are cleaning and washing up. Daniel wanders over to talk to his wife while Pierre and Laurent perch at the edge of the yard. 'So where did you and maman go this morning?'

[Mr. Handy]

"First we went to George Benson's office," says Laurent. "He had already left, and I wasn't able to catch up to him before he sailed off. Then we went to Pointe Pierre. We went to the Anse Douce and explored a cave. Later we went to the Hotel Azagon. We met some interesting folks."

[SunlessNick]

Florence keeps her eyes averted, so as not embarass Fabrice by seeing him cry. "I think we should speak to Dr Clermont. Pierre Labas said that he too lived in Old Dame Marie, but if that is so he keeps quiet about it. Perhaps he knows things he fears to speak of."

[Mephistophilis]

'I've always wondered what those crazy Americans do up in that hotel' says Pierre. 'What'd you want with Mr Benson anyway?'

-----

Averting his face again, Fabrice says 'I agree, we need to take Marise to the doctor. But sirèn? Old Dame Marie? What has that got to do with anything. I think we need to show those men from the hotel, those Americans, show them they can't just do whatever they want, to whoever they want, not in Dame Marie, not in St Joseph!'

[Mr. Handy]

"We wanted to see if anyone was renting out his boat," says Laurent. "As for the hotel, they're trying to help people give up drinking there."

[SunlessNick]

"I'm afraid," Florence admits. "I don't know how many people are part of it."

[Mephistophilis]

'Give up drinking? Well good luck to them' says Pierre, casting a quick look at his father. 'You knew Mr Benson let those St Joe City politicians use his boat didn't you? He doesn't own it, it's owned by the government.'

-----

'So what now?' asks Fabrice.

Anything else you want to do here/ask Pierre or Fabrice?

[Mr. Handy]

"That's interesting," says Laurent. "What else do you know about Mr. Benson?"

[SunlessNick]

"I want to ask Marise about these 'sirenes' outright. See if that makes her open up."

[Mephistophilis]

'What do I know about George Benson?' muses Pierre. 'He's a white man, an American, from, where did he say, from Massachusetts. He's a fisherman. There's some kind of agreement between the government in St Joe City and the US to help modernise our fishing, you know, those new nets he's been pushing and the motors, he's supposed to be teaching the Dame Marie fishermen and then he's moving on to Cap Matelot. He's been here six months, but your dad says he's made a real difference. You know his wife, Alice, I've seen you looking at her, she teaches English at the Dame Marie School sometimes, but she's not taught me yet.'

-----

'We could ask her. I don't know,' Fabrice looks back at Florence. 'I don't know, shouldn't we ask her about those men, those Americans?'

Want to go confront Marise about the sirèn?

[Mr. Handy]

"Well, she is pretty," says Laurent, whose dark complexion hides his blush. "I've also been working on the motors, when they need it. They're fairly reliable, though, so that's not too often. They sure beat rowing."

[SunlessNick]

Want to go confront Marise about the sirèn?

Florence will go by herself, and sit down next to Marise. She's goiing to say it straight out: "I know about the sirenes."

Rolled 3 and 4 for interpreting her response - I rolled an insight die as well and got 4 too (I think my current level is 4).

[Mephistophilis]

At the mention of the sirèn Marise's eyes widen. But she says nothing and seems to shrink into her chair.

I'm gonna roll a failure die. FL1d6. Ah no. A failure. You can roll your 3d6 again. Risk of increasing Insight and also you need to beat 5. Narrate how you push the roll if you do. The first roll didn't risk Insight as you need to exceed all other rolls with the Insight die and there was another die with a 4.

[Mephistophilis]

Noticing his discomfort, Pierre slaps Laurent on the back, 'We've all got eyes Laurent, she's pretty for a white woman, nothing wrong with noticing that. Anyone's better than that old nun, Sister Joan, I think she's as old as Pierre Labas.'

[Mr. Handy]

Laurent chuckles. "Maybe she was pretty once, long before my father was born," he says, "but you wouldn't know it now. Of course, your sister is the prettiest. I am worried about her."

[SunlessNick]

Rolled 3, 2, and 2, so failure, but no new Insight.

The widened eyes convince Florence that Marise knows what she is talking about, but she can't read anything else from her wayward daughter. She presses on, trying to provoke something besides withdrawl: "We found your dress and the other clothes. Tell me what is happening. Tell me who is trying to take you away from us."

[Mephistophilis]

'Yeah, I'm worried about her too' says Pierre. 'I don't know exactly what's going on but she doesn't seem right. She hasn't for a while but she's really changed since last night. I've heard she's been seeing Eddie Forbin, meeting up in Pointe Pierre, you hang around down there, how have they seemed to you?'

Laurent knows Eddie from the École Dame Marie and from Pointe Pierre but he hasn't seen Marise there for a few weeks. He knew Eddie and Marise had been close but he hasn't seen any sign they've been a couple for some time. And he'd have noticed.

-----

Marise looks at Florence, 'There's no sirèn, manmi. I was on the beach, naked, by myself. The lieutenant found me and wrapped his shirt around me as much as he could, so anyone who happened to see me wouldn't be too awfully shocked. I took my clothes off because I felt like it, I sat there and I looked at the sea. Is there a law against sitting naked on a deserted beach and looking at the sea?' Her voice is hard and slightly mocking.

[Mr. Handy]

"I haven't seen Marise at Pointe Pierre for a few weeks," says Laurent. "It's been a while since I'd heard of her being with Eddie any more. Maybe they broke up?"

[SunlessNick]

"Why are you lying to me, girl?" Florence says, her own tone hardening in response. "Is that who you are now, a liar? I told you I know about them, and I saw it your eyes, you do too. You think they care a thing for you?"