Play@YSDC

Leaving Saffron to her work, you step back out into New Row. The narrow street is somewhat busier than before, but not so crowded as to impede your walk back to the Folly.

Skipper stashes his camera back in his backpack before heading off with his companions.

Once well out of earshot of Saffron, Skipper eyes his colleagues. "I have no idea if that whatever it was works like a magic CSI and solves this but, DCs Potter and Grainger, I'll wait to hear from you on that one."

"Meantime, all I could find from a quick search on the phone is that the building is Georgian. And as Saffron mentioned, listed. I'm thinking if something is listed, there must be a list. Which should be findable. And which may show what the place was used for in the past, if that helps."

"Also, the basement level matches above except that little bit that connects to New Row. Presumably, that bit wasn't original."

"And there's the book reorganising. Maybe someone really wants the kids downstairs? And objects to their being moved above. Or it's psychic Jamie Oliver."

Izzy stifles a laugh as she imagines the idea of a vengeful Jamie Oliver turning up and hurling books with his mind, before she replies to Skipper. She keeps her voice fairly low, loud enough for the whole group to hear but quiet enough that she doesn't inadvertently alert passers by to their discussion of ghosts and magic, the one exception being as they pass by the branch of Forbidden Planet on Shaftesbury Avenue, the street being filled with enough fans of fantasy and sci-fi that they could easily be talking about the latest Fantastic Beasts film or similar.

"That's all really useful, thanks for finding it out. Places can pick up a kind of magical energy from their previous use, I mentioned the old abattoir earlier where we found my vampire murder suspect. Could be that something is still lingering in the walls from before the place became a bookstore.

"It's not quite that simple though, about the magic light. All that did was draw out whatever might be down there, something was feeding on the energy of the spell. If I'd continued concentrating on it, then it would have eventually started to drain energy from me as well, and then I'd start to go all cauliflower brain. We call it hyperthaumaturgical degradation. And then I'd be visiting Dr Vaughn on a one way trip, and not in the way I'd like to."

As they chat, she updates the others on everything she noticed that they didn't, including the vestigia sensed and the findings from the CCTV recording.

Des sipped at a takeaway black coffee. ”So wot did it?“ she asked. ”I tried an’ dere’s no way that someone threw dem books like dat. So wot did?“

Oops, edited! Thought we were back at the folly already…

"Maybe it was a poltergeist," says Jordan, putting his battery back in his phone.

Izzy forces herself to keep quiet about Des' comment regarding the books. She finds it horrific that anyone would mistreat books in such a way, throwing them around, even if only to test the idea of an otherworldly force being able to do the same thing, but then again, Izzy is a purist - she refuses to buy a Kindle, much preferring the feel of paper and hardback.

Instead, she responds to Jordan's suggestion. "Could be. That's what Warwick seemed to think, at any rate. Never dealt with one myself though, so we're better off asking the expert," referring to Nightingale.

She also places her battery back into her phone as they walk, crossing over Great Russell Street opposite the British Museum. She takes the opportunity to check her messages. Though her personal phone is back home, her friends know to try either if they need her for anything, in case she's working, and she notes a message from her friend Sarah, asking about plans for the evening, and wanting to set Izzy up with her cousin, Alice.

She sighs audibly, replying that she can't tonight due to work, and puts the phone away, regretting agreeing to return to Stonewater's for 8pm. Still, the job comes first. It wouldn't be her latest finish, after all, since joining the Met...

"Most of the, um, normal people I deal with have pretty clear drives. Sex, money, addiction, love, jealousy, revenge. That's about it. They have a motive and they have an MO."

"Whether this is a person who can make books fly or something much more horror movie, I'm assuming it still has a motive and an MO. Few more checks might help us find a motive."

Skipper looks at Izzy and Leo. "Scotland Yard's finest, you can do checks on people that the rest of us can only dream about. Might be worth a quick squiz of Saffron and the injured employee, Anderson, just to make sure there's nothing funny about either, maybe?"

"We should look deeper in the building's history," says Jordan, "find out what it used to be and who was associated with it. If we can find out who the ghost was in life, maybe we can help it rest."

”You wanna priest? Do an exorcism? Like in dat film but wi’out the spinnin’ head an’ shit?” said Des. ”I can get you a priest, I reckon. Dey’s always hangin’ aroun’ de… Well, nevermind, I can gets one, if you wants one,” she finished. None of them, apart from Skipper, looked like they’d ever set foot near a soup kitchen and she didn’t feel like she needed to mention how she knew a priest.

"We can see what The Nightingale thinks, but those sound like good ideas. If we need to, we can put them on HOLMES as actions for someone to do the legwork while we check out the scene in more detail, and try talking to this... entity," says Izzy, referring to the British police shared intelligence platform.

Then she realises what Des said. "What, do we need and old priest and a young priest? The power of Christ compels you!" She laughs at her own joke, pretending to spin on a chair, stopping when she sees she is the only one laughing.

"Come on, really? No-one? Austin Powers... ah, sod it..." Slightly dejected, Izzy goes quiet, until they get back to the Folly.

"Every bad thing I've ever seen done has been done by a human being. Maybe this is something a lot weirder that I don't know nothing about. But I'm not convinced yet that this isn't just plain old people being an arse."

"Possibly using minor Doctor Strange powers, but still being an arse."

1d%LL50%

1d10

OOC:   Happy to jump ahead to the Folly when everyone else is done.

"Well, before it was Austin Powers, it was The Exorcist. I streamed that movie with my family one Halloween. Seeing that little girl's head spin was the weirdest thing that I ever seen. Until I joined The Folly, of course."

"Yes, Nightingale will probably be able answer a few of our questions, or at least point us in the right direction."

OOC:   I am ready to move on, as well.

“Ah, there you are.”

DI Nightingale greets you with a curt nod at the main entrance of the Folly.

“If you’d care to follow me into the atrium, Molly has laid on tea and biscuits.”

He leads you through the open space to a table tucked behind one of the pillars and proffers each of you a comfortable-looking chair.

In the corner of your eye, a tall slim figure in a long black dress, white apron and mop cap glides into the shadows with a barely perceptible swish.

Nightingale reaches for the China teapot.

“Shall I be mother? So - what have you discovered?”

Des took a cup of tea and sat down. She let the bizzies do the talking.

Skipper looks over at the two Met officers. "Your people are probably best placed to start the proverbial rolling, ah, Boss."

"Okay then." Izzy recounts the events of the morning so far to Nightingale, though not before giving a warm smile and thanks to Molly for the tea and biscuits, and the boss himself for pouring. She details the statements of both Warwick and Saffron, and mentions everything she observed in the bookstore, as well as the vestigia she sensed, whilst inviting the others to chip in with their own comments and observations for anything they caught that she missed. By the end of the recap, Nightingale has a full awareness of the situation surrounding Stonewaters.

"It definitely seems like there's something there for us," Izzy concludes. "Saffron asked us to go back there around 8pm this evening, when they close up, if we want to investigate the scene further."

Despite her annoyance at missing out on social engagements and the possibility of a date, at least that would give Izzy time to make a quick trip home to feed Freya and clean out the litter tray, she supposes.

“Well done. I would most certainly encourage a return visit,” Nightingale replies after a moment’s thought.

“It sounds like an entity of some kind is present. Question is: what kind? Perhaps a stronger werelight might encourage it to reveal itself?”

“It could possibly be tied to the building - what have you discovered about its history? You could consult the internet, or take advantage of our extensive libraries here at the folly.”

“Whatever your theory, planning is they key. I want you to decide what you want to do to resolve the problem in the bookshop. Put your heads together and come up with a plan.”

"Yes, I was thinking about looking up the building's history," says Jordan. "If we could identify who the ghost was, that will help us get through to him or her and help put the ghost to rest. I'm not that good a researcher, though. We know the building used to be something else before, and seems to have been two different buildings combined. That dome sure was noteworthy."

Peter, having completely missed the vestigium on his assessment, let Izzy do most of the talking, relieved that she didn't bring up his lapse. He preferred Nightingale find it out directly from him.

"I mentioned magic and ghosts in front of Saffron, the manager, but I am not sure that she took it -- or me -- seriously. After that, she seemingly was done with me."

When Jordan brings up researching the building, he nods encouragingly. "Yes, I would be curious to know what it was before, too. Also, the identity of the architect had any weird bollocks in his history, like the Skygarden architect. I will be assist you, if you like."

Nightingale frowns at Leo’s admission.

“That is most unfortunate DC Dansby. You took an oath to keep the secrets of your fellowship, did you not? Perhaps I should ask you to repeat that oath back to me now, hm? To remind you of your responsibilities?”

He sighs, taking a sip of his tea.

“Still, at least you have owned up to your mistake, which is the correct thing to do. You will find that most people will not believe in the existence of magic, or will wilfully ignore things they don’t understand; however it is extremely unwise to assume this is the case every time.”

Dunking a biscuit, it appears the matter is dropped.

“I concur: researching the building’s history should be your next step. This dome could well be a significant feature Dr. Schneider.”

“So; while DC Dansby and Dr. Schneider begin their research; what do the rest of you intend to do?”

"Well, some quick research on my phone while we were there threw up that the building is Georgian. From the layout, the basement and ground look like they originally only opened to Garrick St. The section that opens to New Row is a more recent addition, I'm guessing."

"The building is Listed," Skipper uses air quotes. "So I want to jump on the internet and find the List of Listed Buildings. I'm hoping the List might indicate something of its history or importance."

"Planning wise, after I do the internet search, my preferences would be to just watch the place from outside. Bit of eyeball surveillance."

"Also, Saffron has just moved the children's section upstairs and the cookery section downstairs. Possibility might be that someone objects to the little kids no longer being brought down with their parents? Which sounds creepy now I say it out loud."

"That is indeed creepy..." Nightingale replies with a worried frown.

"I'm reliably informed that the 'tech cave', across the rear yard above the garages in what was once the coach-house, has a computer with access to the internet. I'm sure you can surf the web, or whatever it's called. Perhaps someone with access to the police HOLMES2 database can assist, and see if anyone has reported anything regarding children in the area - sadly not all monsters are magical."

"Let's hope it isn't that sort of monster that we're dealing with." Izzy sighs, as she looks across at Leo. She's glad he told Nightingale himself about the slip-up with Saffron, not that she would have said anything anyway, but at least he owned it. She then glances at Nightingale upon his mention of the tech cave, knowing full well his own proclivity for sitting in there with a beer any time the England rugby team were playing. She's looking forward to using the same space herself for the upcoming Six Nations, in fact.

"It might be worth finding out if anyone else from the Folly has ever encountered anything similar. I'd be happy to join in the research in the Folly library, have a read through the archives. I don't think this is a ghost, not the traditional kind, but it was definitely feeding off my werelight. Do we have anything like a rose jar that we could trap the entity in, and safely remove them from the store? Even if we release them elsewhere, somewhere they can't hurt anyone."

”Wot’s a rose jar?” Des blurted out, despite herself. She hasn’t intended to speak so had caught even herself by surprise.

Jordan is wondering this too, and he listens attentively for the answer.

“In a nutshell, Rose Jars are jars that have somehow been used to trap ghosts. We found some a while back, and they are securely locked away. Unfortunately we don’t know how they are made.”

Nightingale smirks.

“And in anticipation of your next question: no, you cannot take a look at the ones we have. I have yet to assess the dangers they may or may not pose.”

“So - you have narrowed down your research. What else do you intend to do? Consider the scientific method as laid down by our founder - what is your hypothesis?”

OOC:   If you want to do some research, please state what you’re researching and how, then make a Research roll.

"My hypothesis... this 'ghost' isn't a ghost. In which case, what is it? If I can find similar cases in the archives, anything that previous members of the Folly have recorded in their own studies, then I can compare the behaviour observed thus far with recorded behaviour of similar entities, and hopefully draw a conclusion on what this thing may be."

Izzy speaks as if she's talking to a teacher or a university lecturer, and in a way, she is, since Nightingale is her mentor in the ways of magic...

Research (30%):

1d100

"You know, Izzy's got a point. There are a lot of other things out there that could be doing this, some that we might not be familiar with. We can do some digging about that, as well. I guess we all have some homework."

”I guess I could ask aroun’. See if anyone’s heard anyting,” volunteered Des.

Skipper heads for the tech cave and an internet search for London's Listed buildings...

OOC:   Research or Computer roll?

Jordan goes to the library and researches the history of the bookshop and the site on which it stands, trying to find out what used to be there. "I had thought it might be a poltergeist, which the victim had mentioned," he says. "They are supposed to be able to throw objects through force of will. But all I know about them is from that old movie. I'll defer to the experts."

Spending 10 Luck to make an INT roll (70% stat) instead of Research:
d%
Nuts! Can I spend 3 Luck to make that roll succeed, and then a further 10 to pick up the Research skill at half INT?

Research please.

Research is a common skill, so you’ll already have that at 30 at least (I think Jordan’s is at 60). You can only use the Try Your Luck option (spending 10 luck to roll at half your INT) if no-one in the scene has the skill. So alas your roll is a fail (the good news is you get your 10 luck back). However, you can push your roll if you like.

Skipper politely finds a free computer and goes searching for the reason the building is listed.

1d%H60%

OOC:   Success.

Re-check the file titled ‘pregens.pdf’ in our Discord chat mate, Jordan’s character sheet is there in full. He’s got 60% In research I think

OOC:   Some nice rolls there folks. I’ll update the results sometime today

Skipper, Leo and Jordan spend a few hours either searching online in the 'tech cave' or perusing the books in the Folly's Mundane Library.

Between them, they find not only a register of listed buildings in London, but also a few histories of the Covent Garden area. There's plenty of interesting facts, but what really piques their interest is that several sources state how the domed building off New Row was once notorious for cockfighting. In fact, during the eighteenth century it was one of the - if not the - most famous cockfighting venue in London.
No-one is 100% certain, but it is thought that the glass dome is the only surviving architectural feature from those days.

Further research reveals that cockfighting was once a highly popular - and very lucrative - spectator sport in London and elsewhere in the UK. Historically speaking, its roots go back over 6000 years, though it first became really popular in England during the Tudor era. By the 18th century, the blood sport was at it's height, with all levels of society indulging in the heavy betting that accompanied each match. Upper class venues, like the Royal Cockpit (whose last remaining traces are Cockpit Steps by Birdcage Walk), charged a hefty admission fee to keep the riffraff out,

It took around two years to fully train a fighting bird. Due to the amount of money required for that training, and the size of the wagers on fight days, this blood sport was tightly regulated - more so than any other sport at the time. It was finally banned in England and Wales in 1835 under the Cruelty to Animals Act.

Izzy's research in the Folly's Magical Library quickly roots out an account of a similar book-stacking event that took place in the British Library in 1896, which was linked to poltergeist activity. Frustratingly, the account does not mention how the case was dealt with, nor if an actual poltergeist was found to be the culprit. Intriguingly, there is one sentence which says how the night watchman's guard dog would go beserk at certain times, but became placid following the investigation.

Des' trip around her old haunts yields little of use. Black Paul reckoned a mate of a mate reckons there are ghost cars racing around Guildford, but he's hardly a reliable source of information, even in the rare times he's sober.

No doubt tired from a good few hours' research, you gather once again in the atrium, awaiting Nightingale's return. Knowing him as you do, he will expect you to have reviewed everything you've discovered, formulated a plan and come up with a suitable strategy - all in the noble tradition of Newton's scientific method and today's modern policing procedures!

"What on earth did cock fighting actually look like, I wonder? Birds killing each other for punters' fun seems Moby Dick."

"But on a more urgent note, what is this scientific method Newton thought up? I have no clue except the bit about the apple."

Des blushed and looked down at her hands. She’d never heard of cockfighting before and until Skipper mentioned birds, she’d had an entirely different idea in mind…

OOC:   Argh, sorry - missed that!

Looking up various old trade directories going back to the 1800’s, Leo discovers that the building has played host to ordinary shops and offices.

Until last night’s book throwing incident, he can find no reports of any strange phenomena or weird goings-on.

OOC:   No worries. Thank you!

When Leo saw Molly go to do a load of laundry, he slipped into the kitchen to grab a sausage. Although he was undetected by Molly, Toby totally busted him, and he was forced to share in order to prevent the Folly's mascot and magic detector from becoming a sausage thief detector. After carefully wiping the grease from his mouth and thoroughly washing his hands, he slipped into the Atrium (once he'd finished chewing).

He pulled his PNB out of his jacket pocket and, once it was his turn, he shared what he'd found out about the history. "Nothing unusual in the businesses that occupied the space. No occult bookstores or Needful Things type stores. To the best of my ability to tell from the records, everything's on the level."

Leo’s sausage-stealing antics appear to go unnoticed by Molly. At least, when she glides by a few minutes later with a feather duster, she seems to bear him no malice, or indeed acknowledge his presence at all.

As the group convene in the atrium, Izzy thinks she can smell something vaguely meaty and pork-like, and gives Leo a funny look, but doesn't say a word. After her own egg and bacon sandwich the same morning, she can hardly rat him out to Molly, anyway. She then spots Des' blush at the mention of cockfighting and hides a smirk herself.

"Sad to say, pitting animals against each other for fun was all the rage back in the Tudor days, and even later. Personally, I'd have happily tossed the punters into the ring instead and let the fighting animals have their own way with them." It's clear that this is a point Izzy feels very strongly about. "My last partner actually worked for a horse sanctuary, you know. Actually, she dumped me to spend more time with the horses..." she trails off awkwardly.

Quickly changing the subject, she decides to answer Skipper's question. "Do you remember from, like, GCSE science or anything? The scientific method - you come up with a theory, or hypothesis, then set up a research method or experiment to quantifiably measure the theory from relevant phenomena. Either you support or disprove the theory from the measurements, or you can use the results to guide further routes of study. In this case, we would come up with theories on what we saw and heard in the bookstore, do our research here, and use whatever information we've found to then determine how we go about investigating later this evening."

In Izzy's case, she reasons, taking along a dog and watching for changes in behaviour might be a useful detection method. Such a shame for Toby to be busy today...

"Right, I got that. We say what we think is happening then we try to back it up with a test. Like trying to prove someone's not-so-better half is going over the side with the gym instructor. As we say in the PI game, photos or it didn't happen."

"But what do we think is happening? Ghost of an angry bird? And how do we test that?"

"Well, he did mention the possibility of using a stronger werelight," says Jordan. "We can also camp out in the lower level and observe, see what happens. Maybe we could reenact what the victim did and see if we get attacked, but that's risky."

Oh, you're right! I'm sure it wasn't like that when I copied the skills to my character sheet. Maybe it got updated somehow. I'll have to update my character sheet after I've had some sleep.

”You fink we should sleep der overnight?” asked Des. ”Can’t see dat happenin’!” Sleeping on the floor wouldn’t be a problem - it was indoors and dry and she’d slept in far worse places - but she couldn’t imagine for a second that the woman at Stonewaters would want them bedding down for the night.

“As it happens, I’ve taken the liberty of speaking to Miss Jackson,”

Nightingale emerges from one of the many doors leading to the atrium.

“She will let you in at eight, show you how to lock up and operate the alarm system. Molly will provide some sustenance for the night.”

“I take it your research proved fruitful. Cockfighting was indeed a truly barbaric sport - attaching sharp metal blades to the creatures’ hind claws and watching them slash each other to death…”

He shudders, as if suppressing an unpleasant memory.

“DC Grant would normally take Toby along on cases like this, but seeing as both are otherwise occupied, perhaps our neighbour Mr. Fitzroy could lend you Ernie for the night. The poor fellow isn’t as mobile as he used to be, and will welcome the chance for Ernie to get some exercise.”

Skipper looks at Des. "Not really sleeping there overnight then. I think we're going to be wide awake."

"Ah, sorry Boss, Toby and Ernie are who?"

“Apologies - I must remind myself that not all of you are familiar with our ways,” Nightingale replies.

“Toby is our resident ghost detecting dog - a small terrier who is, I suspect, 10% canine and 90% sausage.”

“Ernie belongs to Mr. Fitzroy, who lives two doors down. He’s our occasional standby ghost detector. Ernie that is, not Mr. Fitzroy.”

Des rolled her eyes at Skipper. It wasn’t a hotel room but it was warm, dry and above all safe. There was no chance she wasn’t going to sleep!

"Great, we have a plan then, I hope. Might be worth both myself and Leo working on the magic side to try and lure something out, if you think a stronger werelight will help. I... um, I'd rather not risk pushing it too hard. Seeing Jen... um, Dr Vaughn's slides of cauliflower brains was a bit sobering. Still, I did have a hangover that morning and it really cleared it up..."

She pauses, not sure if revealing that she turned up to a medical examination hungover once is a great thing to admit to her boss. Still, that was another morning where she hadn't expected to be working if not for a very last minute call from Peter to observe an autopsy...

"Anyway, better to be on the safe side, right?" As if to head off the inevitable questions from the laypersons of the group, Izzy quickly explains. "Um... cauliflower brain just means someone who's used magic too much and basically given themselves severe brain damage. Usually it's fatal. I mentioned it earlier, hyperthaumaturgical degradation. Or HTD for short. I mean, you have to use a lot of magic over a long period of time to really feel the effects, it's a bit like how drinking every so often is fine but if you keep going out on a binge then your liver will hate you for it."

Izzy suddenly gets a worried look on her face that is impossible to ignore. "Actually... it's not just the person casting the magic at risk. It can also affect you if you're too close to a strong source of magic, something really intense. Just like Le..." she trails off, and darts a sharp look at Nightingale, not sure if she should continue.

She remembers Lesley May, though they didn't know each other all that well, they had worked together a little on cases back when Izzy was with the murder team. She knows that Seawoll had been eager to recruit her to the squad before all the 'weird bollocks' had started up again, and truth be told, Izzy remembers that she'd always found Lesley to be rather attractive, even if she'd never quite made a move, assuming the Essex girl was even that way inclined to begin with.

However, what Izzy remembers the most is what Peter and Nightingale told her about sequestration - when Lesley, and others, were possessed by Mr Punch, and how it led to Lesley's permanent disfigurement. Sequestration being a highly intense magical effect, and how it could easily lead to HTD even if one survived the initial possession, and the 'face falling off' bit...

"So, it's like radiation, then?" asks Jordan. "Is there any way to protect against it? Does lead block it?"

"Or the Petronus spell?" Skipper says this with no apparent expression on his face.

’Brain damage?’ thought Des. ’Yeah, dat explains a lot!’

OOC:   FYI, in game terms, you suffer HTD if you fumble a Magic roll, fail a pushed Magic roll or cast a spell when you've run out of Magic points.

"Yes, well let's not dwell on hyperthaumaturgical degradation too much. Anyone who decides to become a practitioner will receive the necessary safety training - cauliflower brain slides and all," says Nightingale, shooting a warning glance at Izzy.

"Alas, Dr. Schneider, lead is no protection. While one can remove the batteries from ones electronic devices, one cannot do the same for one's brain."

"I've never heard of a Patronus spell Mr. Pearson," he continues, looking at the detective quizzically. "Does it hail from some kind of non-Newtonian magic tradition?"

OOC:   Is there anything else you want to do before returning to the bookshop?

Izzy takes the warning in full. No mention of Lesley, and no more talk of HTD. She suppresses a shudder thinking of the Faceless Man, and adds him to her mental list of topics to not discuss with civilians.

"A Patronus is from Harry Potter," She explains in a bid to change the topic, and shying back a little as she remembers Nightingale's dislike of referencing the series, particularly in calling his old school 'Hogwarts'. She learned that herself the hard way when she first joined the Folly, after all...

"If we're heading back to the store for eight, I'll meet you all there," she adds. "Just need to head home briefly to feed the cat."

Leo grinned, laughing at Skipper's reference. "Oh, yes. You know how Peter is always going on about how you 'went to 'Hogwarts?' Patronus is from the Harry Potter franchise. If we ever start a Folly Movie Night, I suggest we start with that the first Potter film. Richard Harris is an absolute delight."

Slipping his PNB back into his pocket, he stood. "I don't think there is anything else at the moment. Let's head back to the bookshop as soon as it closes."

Skipper maintains a straight face throughout the Hogwarts discussion.

"An afternoon power nap may be called for if we're going to be ghost busting all night. I somehow doubt I'll be able to sleep in the bookshop."

Jordan smiles, having recognized the reference, as his son is into Harry Potter. "Yeah, a short nap and some supper sound good," he says. "Being able to snatch some sleep and food whenever I have the opportunity helped a lot during my residency, and I still have that skill."

“Ah yes, Harry Potter… I’ve yet to find the time to watch that.”

Nightingale’s expression turns slightly sour for a moment.

“Now - back to business. Shall I arrange the loan of Ernie from Mr. Fitzroy? What else do you wish to take back to the shop?”

OOC:   Please can I have a group luck roll? I.e. a Luck roll from the person with the lowest Luck score?

OOC:   Having used some Luck recently, Skipper is down to 55 so I'm pretty sure he's now the lowest Luck. He'll roll...

1d%L55%

OOC:   Success. Just.

"Having a dog along sounds like fun. I definitely think we need Ernie."

"I agree," says Jordan. "He'll sniff out any ghosts. We should also bring candles and matches to light them. A stronger werelight could knock out electric lights."

"Can it? I like your thinking, Doc, but naked flames and books don't seem like a good combination. Let alone all of that and someone or something that can make stuff fly about with the wave of a wand."

"What if we leave the candles? I'll go via a camping and outdoors store and buy a bumper pack of chemical glow sticks. Those things are ultra reliable and don't use a battery. And they're safe. No heat at all."

“I doubt the lighting is computerised, so it should be safe from the effects of magic,” Nightingale interjects.

“However you’re right to be cautious. Did you mention a CCTV system connected to a computer? Care should be taken not to knock that out - we’d be honour-bound to replace it and our budget is stretched as it is.”

He stops to check his watch - an expensive analogue one you notice.

“You’d better get a move on - Ernie will be waiting for you. Please call me if you get into difficulties.”

Waiting for you in the foyer is an old-fashioned wicker hamper in which lies a large thermos flask, some tin mugs and a paper-wrapped parcel containing, on further inspection, several rounds of cheese or ham sandwiches; courtesy of Molly. There is also, for some reason, a half-chewed, hair-covered sausage, which appears to have been wrestled from the mouth of a dog.

"If we're good to go then, I'll meet you all there." Izzy takes a look at the hamper provided by Molly, happy for the sandwiches, and grateful that they aren't more traditional ingredients. She has zero issues with Molly's cooking, in fact, she's a big fan, but she can't quite stomach herself to eat some of the older dishes - things like sweetbread, tripe sandwiches, or even steak and kidney pudding - in fact, as far as Izzy is concerned, the entire realm of organ-based meats is one to be avoided at all costs.

She steps outside, heading towards Russell Square Underground Station as she mentally calculates the journey. She's made the trip between home and Stonewaters many times as a customer, to Leicester Square nearby even more on social trips, and of course the route between home and the Folly countless times since transferring to the department. As she walks through the centre park, she works it out - roughly three minutes to the station, eleven minutes on the Tube if she's lucky enough to arrive as a train is pulling in, another eleven minutes to walk to her flat at Argyle Court, roughly twenty minutes to feed Freya and clean out the litter tray. Eleven minutes back to Finsbury Park Station, sixteen from there to Leicester Square on the Tube if she's lucky with trains again, and just two minutes from there to Stonewaters. All in all, just a little over an hour to arrive at the store and meet with the others.

Before exiting the park, Izzy's phone buzzes in her pocket. She opens it up to find a WhatsApp from a new number.

"Hi there, it's Alice, Sarah's cousin. She gave me your number to get in touch, hope that's alright, I promise I'm not some creepy stalker! Anyway, she said you couldn't make it to Rowan's tonight because of work, so if you're free another time then maybe we can meet up for coffee? I'm available all day tomorrow, just let me know. There's this really great place near me in Whitechapel that I reckon you'd love!"

There's also a picture, a young woman around Izzy's age with long and messy chestnut-brown hair, a round and pretty face, and wide smile, baggy Florence and the Machine t-shirt and a rainbow pin clearly visible on her satchel-bag, taken at Thorpe Park going by the background. Izzy can't help but grin like a hormonal teenager as she sees the picture, and curses her luck at having to work tonight while simultaneously praising Sarah for being such a great friend and wing-woman. She quickly fires off a reply saying that she would love to hang out the next day, before descending into the pit of no mobile signal that is the London Underground.

It doesn't take long for Izzy to arrive home, opening the door to her cheap and small studio flat to reveal an absolute bomb site. Or more specifically, a room that looks like it was bombed during World War 2 and then left for the next eighty years with only a light clean every so often to remove layers of dust. She tries not to think about it as she picks her way around discarded boxes, clothes and underwear strewn around the floor, CDs and books lying haphazardly around the place, and un-made bed, to make her way to the kitchen area and her waiting kitty. She keeps it clean, vacuum and polish, but clearly not tidy, and Izzy thinks about how she'll need to make more of an effort if she ever gets to bring Alice round to the flat. For now, she completes the immediate tasks, feeding Freya and giving her a few strokes and pets before cleaning out the litter tray and grabbing a quick snack to keep her going until the evening.

Perhaps she can convince Molly to leave the Folly at some point and come over to tidy the place up.

Jobs done, Izzy finally heads back to the West End, taking the Tube as before to meet with her colleagues, new, old, and canine, at Stonewaters book store.

Trivun wrote: ↑Tue Jan 31, 2023 3:16 pmIzzy takes a look at the hamper provided by Molly, happy for the sandwiches, and grateful that they aren't more traditional ingredients. She has zero issues with Molly's cooking, in fact, she's a big fan, but she can't quite stomach herself to eat some of the older dishes - things like sweetbread, tripe sandwiches, or even steak and kidney pudding - in fact, as far as Izzy is concerned, the entire realm of organ-based meats is one to be avoided at all costs.

OOC:   What do you think the Luck roll was for?

Des examined the contents of the hamper. She wasn’t sure what tripe was but it had to be better than ratching through the bins outside a restaurant, even if it was one of the high end ones down the West End.

”We got sleepin’ bags or summat?” she asked. ”You’re not spectin’ us to be awake all night, are you?”

Skipper sauntered off with a passing, "See you at 8."

Slightly frustrated that his camera couldn't be used, he had a plan. Skipper went hunting in the bigger stores for a couple of those old cheap, disposable film cameras that used to be left at every table at a wedding. Hopefully immune to Harry Potter weirdness.

Happy with that, Skipper headed to the kebab shop and then his bed-sit above a pub. He rummaged around his limited possessions, found a keyring torch he could clip onto his backpack and a 'Leatherman' multi-tool to shove into a front pouch. Satisfied, Skipper set the alarm, finished his kebab, then stretched out and fell asleep with practised ease.

Jordan stops off at home for a quick dinner with his family, letting them know he has to work tonight. They're used to this sort of thing by now, as he often got called out at all sorts of odd hours, but that doesn't make it any easier. Sarah's cooking is delicious as always, and she gives him a care package in case he gets hungry later. Then he heads out to Stonewater's to meet the rest of his team, making sure he leaves early enough to get there in time. London traffic isn't as bad after 7:00, at least, with rush hour over.

OOC:   I assume someone’s picking up Ernie on the way?

Ernie turns out to be a small and slightly skittish Scottish Terrier. He seems excited to be taken for walkies by new people.

Mr. Fitzroy, a genial old gent, assures you that the dog is house trained.

OOC:   I’ll start a new chapter tomorrow.

As the meeting broke up, Leo slipped upstairs and spent the next couple of hours studying before he got ready to head to the bookshop. He swiped away a few texts from his mother about "finding a nice young man" and laughed. It could be worse.

Leo left a little earlier than actually needed and bopped into a curry shop near New Row before continuing on to meet the group at Stonewaters.

OOC:   Apologies, I slightly misread that to mean Ernie the doggie would be waiting for us at Stonewaters. Earlier post slightly edited and...

At 7:30pm, Skipper returns to the Folly and collects Ernie the dog. "Hope you're up for a walk." They saunter on to Stonewaters, New Row. "There's quite a good Japanese place here, but we haven't really got time now, I'm afraid. Maybe tomorrow?" He looks down to see if the dog seems happy with that.