Play@YSDC

Des is more than happy to have the fish and chips, washed down with another J2O.

She eyed up Izzy’s second pint. For an officer presumably on duty, she was certainly putting it away…

Leo leaned into Izzy nodding. "Yes, my gut is screaming that there is a connection there. I agree. Let's send it Nightingale and see what he says."

When they were finally inside the pub, he laughed as his stomach growled loudly enough for Izzy to hear. "My snack earlier was interrupted by our arrival.I am famished."

He grinned at the proprietor, "If you have breakfast all day, I would love a proper fry up. Otherwise, jellied eels and spotted dick sounds great."

"Oh, and do you have Pimms? I am now officially off duty."

Jordan also orders the fish and chips and goes to examine the clipping.

Neil’s face lights up with relief when you order food and drink. While he is slightly puzzled by Leo’s order of jellied eels, he does offer an all-day breakfast.

“Excellent choices. I’ll put your order through and get the drinks. Back in a sec.”

This allows you to look at the old photos and newspaper clippings that adorn the walls.

Among the old black-and-white team photos of yesteryear, you find a colour photo of the Nennington Nutters from a couple of years ago. Sitting among the mainly white, middle-aged men is Butterfield and Neil.

Leaning over a worn corner seat (causing the elderly occupants to grumble somewhat), you also find an old team photo similar to the one found in the alley, alongside this article…

”You seen dis?” said Des, leaning forward to read the article. ”It ses dat de team captain died while dey were playin’ a match. You tink dat’s got anyting to do wit it?”

As she waits for food and drink to arrive, Izzy takes a look at the clipping mentioned.

"You know, this really doesn't do anything to dispel my first theory. Dead ex-team member, coming back to help the team now..." She looks at the date on the clipping. March 1982. "I wonder if there's still anyone around from the old team who would know the guy. Lee Snelgrove... When Neil comes back with the drinks we can ask him, see if any of the regulars here would have known him."

On hearing Leo's request, she has to stifle a laugh. She likes Leo plenty, as a great colleague and great friend, but sometimes she just has to wonder. Thirty-two, with the soul of someone born in 1932...

"I don't think anywhere outside of the M25 does jellied eels except in a really old fashioned chippy! Good shout on the breakfast though."

”I bet he wos cremated and dey stuck his ashes in dat pot!” said Des. ”I bet dat’s wot’s happened!”

She grinned triumphantly. ”Solved it!” she declared.

Izzy considers saying something, but stops for a moment as she remembers an interesting fact. And just by happenstance, it's related to Australia, where she knew the song to have apparently originated.

"England and Australia play the Ashes cricket series, and they say the cup contains the ashes of a cricket ball to symbolise the name. No evidence of anyone's actual ashes being kept in a sports trophy that I remember, but you might be onto something there, Des." She's actually proud of her colleague for the rather clever theory.

Skipper browses the pub walls for any other interesting newspaper clippings. For a second he looks back at Izzy. "Not that it matters and no offence, but it's not definitely the ashes of a cricket ball in the Ashes trophy. No one really knows."

"I wonder if this place has a local library? Might have some other stuff about the old skittles team from 1982."

This thought prompts Skipper to also spend some time on his smartphone doing all the regular checks for any information generally on the village of Nennington (history etc.).

1d%H60%

OOC:   Regular success.

"I think you may be right too," says Jordan to Des. "1982 was also the date on the photo, and it said RIP Lee 1982. There has to be a connection. Speaking of the M25, is it some sort of magic circle or something protecting London? Or is it there to keep evil contained inside it? Or is it like in Good Omens, and it's actually there to cause trouble?"

Des tried (but not too hard) not to look smug as they raved about her theory…

"Oh, wow. Yeah, that is brilliant, Des." Lowering his voice, he leaned forward, "At an opportune moment, we should grab a sample of the ashes for testing. You know, just to be sure."

Then to Izzy, grinning, "You know, if they don't, it's all the sadder for them. I was dared to eat some my some mates when I was a kid, and I ended up loving them."

Skipper - A search on the internet reveals the usual minutiae of village life - church fetes, book clubs, skittles results (the Nennington Nutters do indeed seem to win all of their home matches, and only some of their away matches), planning permissions etc.

Digging further, you find an obituary on a newspaper archive website. It states that he died Friday 26th March 1982 and is buried in St. Peter’s churchyard, Nennington.

Looking up libraries, you discover that there is a municipal library in the nearby city of Hereford. However records and newspaper archives appear to be held at Hereford Archive and Record Centre, situated in Rotherwas Industrial Estate, just on the other side of the city.

After a short while, Neil returns with your drinks, before one of the locals calls him back to the bar.

Minutes later, a young mixed-race man dressed in chef's whites appears with your food. He gives you all a friendly smile.



"Here you go," he says with a distinct London twang. "Jellied eels are off I'm afraid - can't say I was a fan of them even when I lived in London!" he grins.

"You lot from The Smoke then? God I miss the club scene..." he jerks a thumb back at the bar. "His nibs was all for the country life, but I'd much rather get down to Fabric than play bloody skittles."

Eagerly awaiting the food, Izzy is all smiles as it arrives. "Thanks, really appreciate it. And don't worry about the eels," she says with a glance at Leo. "Born in Whitechapel and I've still never liked them either."

"Never did go to Fabric, I'm more of a rock and indie fan myself. Lots of gigs in Camden with my brother, he's got a place near the locks so I can just crash there usually. I guess you two moved across here together then?" She asks, genuinely interested.

Leo smiled warmly. "That's okay. I completely understand. Breakfast food at night is a special treat, so the fry up should do nicely."

"Oh, I love Fabric! They always have amazing music no matter when you go. But this job doesn't leave a whole lot of time for clubbing these days." After last case's accidental magic reference and the subsequent speech from The Nightingale, Leo was very careful to stop there.

He shoveled a heaping spoonful of beans into his mouth and then lifted the Pimm's to his lips, taking a deep sip. The look on his face was pure rapture, as he swallowed. When he finally came up for air, all he could manage was "These are wonderful..." before digging in again.

"I'm a Londoner born and raised," says Jordan, "but I never fancied jellied eels either. I do, however, appreciate good fish and chips." He begins to eat his meal slowly, savoring every bite.

"St Peter's church yard is where old mate is buried, here in the village. Worth a quick visit after lunch? And I've got the addresses for the local library and archives."

Skipper absently messes around on his phone one-handed while piling fish and chips into his mouth like a factory robot on meth.

OOC:   Is it possible to use Research to image search individual runes from the photo Des has shared?

Des listened as they blathered on about clubbing. It wasn’t something she’d done much of, given her age and the fact she’d been sleeping rough. Anyway, she much preferred the reggae dancehalls she’d been to as a kid. Everyone - from young kids to grandparents, even the white girls - knowing the dancehall classics, dancing and swaying to the beat of songs passed down from generation to generation.

”’I’ll come wit you,” she said to Skipper. ”Dat library stuff’ll be dead borin’!”

Snapper wrote: ↑Sat Mar 11, 2023 6:21 am

OOC:   Is it possible to use Research to image search individual runes from the photo Des has shared?

OOC:   Yep, go for it.

"Thanks," Dominic grins at Leo and Jordan. "I trained under Jamie Oliver, would you believe, but the punters 'round here prefer pub grub. The foodies hereabouts tend to go to Ludlow."

Turning to Izzy, he nods. "Yeah. I was working in a restaurant Neil had invested in when we met. It's always been his dream to start his own place out in the country and he bought this place shortly after we got married in 2016. The place had been up for sale for twelve years since the last owner died."

he looks around to check that Neil is otherwise occupied at the bar.

"To give him his credit, Neil's determined to give it a go - joining the skittles team and such. But it's too bloody quiet for a town mouse like me, and I certainly ain't playing skittles!"

OOC:   You may make a Read Person roll if you wish.