Statement 1: A Trip to the Countryside

[jp1885]

"Why was he born so beautiful?
Why was he born at all?
He’s no bloody use to anyone,
He’s no bloody use at all!"

Nightingale is not your favourite person at the moment.

Some retired DI rings to call in a favour and suddenly you’re jammed into a rented people carrier; travelling west to god-knows where. Having left the motorway, you find yourselves navigating a series of ever-narrowing roads in the middle of the countryside, trying hard not the scrape the car against thick gloomy hedgerows every time you meet an oncoming vehicle. Thankfully the autumnal weather is dull enough to make headlights necessary, giving you plenty of warning of their approach.

The testy voice of the satnav seems impatient for the journey to be over as you drive past old cottages and expensive new-builds that, strung out along a narrow B-road, make up the Herefordshire village of Nennington.

"Your destination is two hundred yards on the left," the satnav announces.

Partially obscured by the bend in the road ahead of you, coloured lights - an attempt to dispel the midday gloom perhaps - mark the site of the pub where your contact has arranged to meet you.

"Whatever he wants shouldn't be too challenging," you remember Nightingale saying. "DI Butterfield isn't the kind of man who possesses much of an imagination - at best it'll be a restless spirit and you're more than capable of handling those. However some country air will do you all the world of good."

OOC:   Welcome friends to your next case file! I hope you enjoy "Why Was He Born So Beautiful?"

[Mr. Handy]

"It could be worse," says Jordan, looking out the window at their destination. "There are worse places to meet than a pub."

[Philulhu]

Des wasn’t convinced. The countryside was wet, there were some strange smells and her mobile signal was barely one bar! She looked out the window at the pub and sighed. It looked like somewhere that sold real ale rather than cocktails and sambuca shots!

[SaintMeerkat]

DC Leo Dansby.jpg (16.73 KiB) Viewed 703 times

For the first portion of the journey, Leo was able to make fairly steady progress on Angry Birds: Star Wars edition, but the closer they got to the destination, the rougher the roads became. "Feltercarb!" he shouted in frustration, then blushing at the expletive he'd allowed himself in front of the ladies. "My apologies, ladies..." he said. "And you, too, Izzy." the sound of a grin crept into the last bit.

He slipped the battery out of his "good phone," and dropped them both into his backpack before pulling out a paper sack with a couple of sandwiches that Molly prepared when the satnav announced their arrival. "Well, I guess we will find out about those contents later..." with almost a hint of relief in his voice. He grabbed a PNB and a couple of pencils out of his pack, slipped them into his jacket pocket.

"I'm with you on that issue, mate," he said to Edward. "Han Solo's story started in a pub. Marion Ravenwood's story started in a pub. A lot of amazing stories start in a pub."

[Mr. Handy]

"That's how Dungeons & Dragons campaigns usually start," says Jordan. "Everyone meets in a pub."

[Snapper]

Skipper, after several hours quitly snoring in the back seat like a giant bumblebee, has been happily messing with a thirty year old film SLR camera, a '90s era Nikon with a small zoom lens and no ICs whatsoever. This had apparently been just purchased from some laneway market sale.

"Perfect place to try out the black and white film. I even picked up some black and white infrared."

[Trivun]

At the same time as the sat nav declares the journey to be nearly over, Izzy hits send on her latest message to Alice, complete with a photo of the surrounding countryside. They've been texting back and forth for most of the journey, with Izzy suggesting they hire a cottage nearby for a weekend fairly soon. Unlike some of her more Londonphile colleagues, Izzy is perfectly happy outside of the M25, with fond memories of childhood holidays sailing the Norfolk Broads or visiting Butlins camps on the south coast. She's looking right for the countryside too, channeling her inner Wendy Corduroy - plaid shirt, smart jeans and walking boots, enough that she could easily fit in as a particularly well dressed rambler.

She looks up at Leo's comment. "Battlestar this time, huh? We need to get you some better gorram swear words..." She sighs happily. "Anyway, my amazing story began in a coffee shop. Still, I'll never say no to a decent pub..."

Turning in her seat towards Des, Izzy asks with a grin, "Are you sure you're even old enough to drink?" She slips the battery out of her work phone just in case, but keeps the battery intact in her personal phone, expecting a reply from Alice soon enough. She reckons she can take it out again if the situation calls for magic, but really, why would anyone need to cast a spell whilst sipping beer in a pub?

[Trivun]

OOC:   Just had a thought - who's driving? Izzy's texting her girlfriend, Leo's playing Star Wars Angry Birds, and Skipper's been asleep...

[jp1885]

OOC:   I assume you’ve been taking it in turns.

[jp1885]

The satnav concludes her instructions with a triumphant “you have reached your destination” when you pull into the car park of the imaginatively-named Nennington Arms: a typical half-timbered country inn that once catered for tired and thirsty farm workers but now offers a cordon bleu dining experience and a comfortable bed; with en-suite; for those earning considerably more.

Following Nightingale’s instructions, you head for the front bar: a faux-rustic room, seemingly set up to cater for locals and other necessary evils while a few decent, well-paid folk congregate in the restaurant. Disappointingly the place doesn’t fall silent as you enter, but a large heavyset man waves you over to his table.

[Trivun]

Izzy spots the man waving and heads across, assuming the others to be in tow. As she approaches the table, she gives a friendly smile, and offers a hand for the man to shake upon reaching him.

"DI Butterfield, I presume? I'm DC Cooper. Or just Izzy."

She resists the urge to make any Hot Fuzz based jokes...

[Philulhu]

”Des,” said Des by way of introduction. She didn’t offer to shake the old white guy’s hand. Instead she turned to look at at Leo and nodded towards the bar…

[jp1885]

The man rises somewhat clumsily from his seat shakes Izzy's hand with his own meaty paw.

"Former DI," he says - his deep, gruff Cockney accent contrasting with his jovial manner. "Retired now, so you can all call me Mike. Pleased to meet you Izzy - you too Des."

If he is perturbed by Des' lack of handshake, he doesn't show it. He does however notice her nod towards the bar.

"Oh yeah, where are my manners? Sit yourselves down and we can do the introductions over a drink eh? My shout - what'll you have?"

Once you've decided what to drink, he lumbers over to the bar, leaving you to take a seat around the table and take in your surroundings.

The front bar is tailored to look rustic. It is low-ceilinged and gently-lit, with oak beams, strings of hop vines and horse brasses. A fire burns in the hearth at one end of the room, surrounded a few elderly patrons supping their drinks and warming their bones. It is quiet, with a handful of people, casually dressed or in overalls, enjoying a lunchtime drink.

OOC:   By all means make an Observation, Read Person, or indeed any other roll, if you wish.

[Trivun]

Izzy thanks the man as she takes a seat, scanning the bar from her perch to see what's on offer. "I'll take a Rosie's Pig, if that's alright, thank you," she says, referring to the rather crisp local cider on tap. One of many ciders available, she's pleased to see, given the location. As Mike listens to what the others are ordering and heads to the bar, Izzy glances around, looking for anything that might catch her eye.

As she's looking around, she feels her phone buzz and the Whatsapp tone sound, the opening bars of Chvrches' Final Girl. She checks the message to find a response from Alice, eager to spend the weekend down in Herefordshire soon, and a bit more that makes Izzy grin, blush, bite her lip, and mutter under her breath, "Oh, you vixen...". She quickly looks around to make sure her colleagues don't catch this moment of letting her guard down, and just barely manages to focus properly on observing her surroundings in a new place.

Observation: 60%

1d100

[Mr. Handy]

"I'm Dr. Jordan Schneider," says Jordan, shaking the man's hand with a firm grip and taking a seat. "I'll have a Guinness, please. This is certainly a fine establishment." He takes a look around.

Observation roll (70% skill) in the pub:
d%

[Snapper]

"Skipper. Pint of anything nice, much appreciated."

1d%dp30%

OOC:   Fail.

Skipper watches the ex-DI but has no real clue what the man is thinking.

[Philulhu]

Des studied Butterfield, wondering what it was he wanted of them.

Observation (60%) 1d100

Edit: Err, no…. ….

[SaintMeerkat]

DC Leo Dansby.jpg (16.73 KiB) Viewed 589 times

"DC Leo Dansby," Leo offered as he filed in with the others. Not being a smoker, he was prepared for an onslaught of stale air when he went in, but was pleasantly surprised when it was fairly breathable. "Yes, very nice place."

After the trip they had down here, he was gaspin' for a pint, but decided to pass, being on duty and such. "Water for me."

Read Person (60/30): 1d100

[jp1885]

A cursory glance around the bar betrays a hint of pretension on the part of the owners. There is an absence of the traditional trappings of a country pub: jukebox, dartboard, pool table etc. However a number of black and white team photos on the walls hark back to a time when village football, cricket, darts and skittles teams were regular patrons of such establishments.

Butterfield returns to the table bearing a tray of drinks.

"This place ain't too bad," he says, responding to those who sang the pub's praises. "Not a traditional boozer though. Neil (he nods towards the slightly-built man behind the bar) would like to attract a better class of clientele; if only to keep the restaurant out the back afloat, but with the prices he charges, he has to make do with us lot."

He sits himself down, leans back - chair squeaking alarmingly - and looks at you all appraisingly.

“So, what has that old sod Nightingale told you? Not much, knowing him.”

[Trivun]

If nothing else, Izzy is slightly downcast at the lack of a pool table at least. Although pool hustling isn't the most moral of pastimes for a police officer, she would have liked to at least have a chance of winning a tenner or so from the others...

She looks up as Mike returns, and puts her phone away once more, careful not to let the others see the latest text from Alice. Izzy's eyes only...

"Thanks, it's really appreciated." She takes the pint of cider from the tray and enjoys a long sip, glad of the refreshment even if the weather outside is more suited to a hot chocolate and warm blanket. "Looks like a nice place to retire to. I mean, I guess I don't need to worry about that for another forty years or more. Unless I make DI by the time I'm thirty, and I can't see that happening." She laughs slightly at her own joke, though it wasn't all that funny to begin with.

"Truth be told, he didn't really tell us anything. In fact, all he said, paraphrasing slightly, was that at best this will be a restless spirit, and we can deal with those easily. Nothing otherwise, so I suppose you're our go-to informant here."