Professor Strix
Posts: 616
8/16/2016
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The bats bring worrying news to the Inescapable Professor. Special Constables and Neddy Men meeting to discuss an attack plan in Flowerdene? Is it possible that the whispered ‘Flowerdene Initiative’ was going to make another move? Normally, the Professor was all for criminals being brought to Justice, and to violence to be quenched, so peace could operate its daily job. But she didn’t trust Special Constables and Neddy Men. There was another bloodbath in the making, she could feel it in her bones.
“Derek!” He came at once, and she explained the news, outlining her fears. He didn’t care much, he probably would never understand how grave the danger could be.
“The School is too close to Flowerdene. I do not want the children to be in the line of fire. I do not trust those people in not using them to their ends. You will move it to my house in the Marshes for a while, until things have calmed down again. Go there, take everyone, and bring your marsh-wolf with you. Do not let anyone come too close without stating what they want, and do not let the children wander too far in the Marshes. I will instruct the teachers to give their lectures there.”
“You aren’t sending me there with the children because you want me protected too, are you?” He asks, suspiciously.
“If I thought you were weak and needing any protection, I would not have put my biggest treasures under your wings. You are the only person I trust to take care of them. Now, go.”
He nods and kisses her hand respectfully, before running to fulfil his orders. The Professor whistles loudly. Two urchins, a boy and a girl, and a handful of bats enter the window.
“Alex and Alex!” The urchins become attentive. “I want you to send this message to everyone you can reach: There is a big conflict about to start in Spite. All that do not want to fight is welcome at my lodgings. My rooftops are open to all urchins. I offer sanctuary to anyone, as long as they do not bring the fight to those grounds. I have a flophouse room in Ladybones, a cottage in Watchmaker’s Hill, a decommissioned steamer near the Docks and a shack in the same level as the Flit and my new office at the Bazaar Sidestreets, so people can reach me from everywhere. My old office in Veilgarden will be open to anyone wanting to have a no-aggressive discussion in neutral grounds. My school in Spite will be repurposed to a make-shift hospital, that will take any injured or temporarily dead person. I will defend it with my own teeth, if need be.” She makes a mental check to make sure she said everything, then she adds: “The urchins are free to do what they want, but I would advise you to stay away from the grown-ups this time. The Bazaar forces are involved. It will not be just a common brawl. We do not know how ruthless their forces will be.”
The children repeat the message a few times until they get it right and are sent in their way. The Professor discuss some tactics with her chief bats: how to avoid too much damage from sonic traps, how to dodge bullets and lizards, the best routes to link all her lodgings… After she sends them to their positions, she visits all her lodgings, warning her companions of the incoming refugees and explaining some defence strategies. She takes all the mirrors from her lodgings, except the one in the steamer, in case someone from Parabola needed help. Her dream hound is sent to patrol her dreamscape. Her old office in Veilgarden gains a big table, to receive meetings.
There is still much to be done, but she will be ready when needed.
[[OOC: Anyone can go to my office to discuss neutral matters and negotiate, but if they become violent, my giant toadbeast will eat them. It has more than one tongue, so it can and will neutralize all brawlers. You are warned.
In a serious note, now: Anyone wanting to offer neutral grounds and sanctuaries, as I did, can do so in this topic. The neutral meetings can be described here, even if they don’t happen in my lodgings, I just offered them to jumpstart the thing.]]
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The Inescapable Professor, London's Most Academic Detective. Open to consultation from Mondays to Fridays, above the Silver Binding bookshop, Veilgarden. Half the payment in advance, half after closing the case. No refunds.
"THIS SATURDAY, in MAHOGANY HALL, delight your eyes with the DARING FEATS of the DAPPER ESCAPIST. Gape at his CHARM and WIT and his CLEVER TRICKS OF ILLUSIONISM. No mirrors used."
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Social actions welcomed. Will take menaces if not currently grinding that one stat. Send them and cross your fingers.
http://fallenlondon.storynexus.com/Profile/Professor%20Strix
My alt loiters suspiciously if you want to:
http://fallenlondon.storynexus.com/Profile/Derek%20Davis
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Professor Strix
Posts: 616
8/17/2016
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"Oh, dear."
The Professor is not very good at physical proximity, but she takes Siobhan's hands in solidarity.
"It is a tragedy that such a happy moment has to be marred by all this." She says. "I can help to keep you safe. That is what sanctuaries are for. It will not be easy, of course, but it is feasible." She taps her chin. "Naturally, I understand that it is not your sole concern. You are worried for your husband, of course. This is trickier. I will tell you what, I do not think that he should be killed. But he did put himself in a very difficult position. Blood cries for blood. The only way to stop it is to make one of the sides concede." She grimaces. "I find it very difficult. It is a pity. I like that Mr Lowe took so much care of the poorest and more vulnerable people, but when I saw that he chose to turn it all into a war, I knew his cause was lost."
She looks at Siobhan sadly: "You love him. You know him. I might be mistaken. Do you think that Mr Lowe wants to be saved? Do you think that he would stop whatever he was doing if the toll in human lives became too high, even if it was a blow in his pride?"
--
The Inescapable Professor, London's Most Academic Detective. Open to consultation from Mondays to Fridays, above the Silver Binding bookshop, Veilgarden. Half the payment in advance, half after closing the case. No refunds.
"THIS SATURDAY, in MAHOGANY HALL, delight your eyes with the DARING FEATS of the DAPPER ESCAPIST. Gape at his CHARM and WIT and his CLEVER TRICKS OF ILLUSIONISM. No mirrors used."
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Social actions welcomed. Will take menaces if not currently grinding that one stat. Send them and cross your fingers.
http://fallenlondon.storynexus.com/Profile/Professor%20Strix
My alt loiters suspiciously if you want to:
http://fallenlondon.storynexus.com/Profile/Derek%20Davis
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Professor Strix
Posts: 616
8/18/2016
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People are moving around the Labyrinth of Tigers. The small detective that brands herself as the Inescapable Professor goes effortlessly to the Fourth Coil. She has spent lots of time there. She inspects the seal she is training. The animal is ready. "Sorry, big guy" she whispers "I wish there was another way."
The breeding process is messy as always, but the Bishop is pleased at the results. He doesn't talk with her as much since they had that conversation in the Embankment, and she is not one to press for conversation. Today, though, she coughes.
"Your Excellency, I hate to take your time, but there is something you should know."
He frowns at her. "Oh, so now you care?"
"Just because I do not approve your plan to invade Hell, it does not mean that I love the Soul Trade, Your Excellency. You know that. Do not pretend that you did not know me when you invited me to breed animals to you." She gets a file from her case, as he doesn't answer. "And here is what I want you to know. It is a case I am working on for almost a year now." She shows him pictures, numbers, contacts... "There is a ring of spirifers acting on Flowerdene, in Spite, for quite a while. From time to time, a big one, like Sour Elizabeth, is sent to jail, but soon another one replace the old. Not even the Flowerdene Initiative could do much to stop it from happening. Look at those numbers. So many soulless people. And I can bet that the Brass Embassy is not refusing those souls on moral grounds."
The Bishop look at the frankly alarming number of soulless people the document shows. "Why are you showing me that?"
"The case is not closed." She says, pointing at some lines in the paper. "I need more proof. It has been a long and difficult investigation, but I am working with other detectives and we are getting closer and closer to dismantle this ring for good... Until this whole Insurgence business started."
He starts to make a protest, but the woman is quicker. "Your Excellency, do not insult me by denying it. I know that the Church wants to ensure stability and order, that you are against the insurgents and all. Good for you. But do you remember the Flowerdene Massacre? And how quickly things can become an even worse massacre if the spirits are too high? If the desperate people of Flowerdene that may rise in the insurgence are treated as the enemy and 'dealt with', we will never be able to show the world how many soulless people it really has. We will never have a case against those spirifers.
Now, if people start to pay attention to Flowerdene, they might notice that there is something amiss... It might turn into a full blown scandal. It did not become a scandal when it began because people pretty much ignore Flowerdene. But what if they did not? What if they actually cared about what happens there? The soul trade is highly controversial, despite what the Bazaar tries to make people believe in. A scandal of those proportions could make them start discussing it again. Something that people such as you could use against devils, to limit their grip on London, for instance.
What I ask is not that you embrace the insurgents' side. Just that the Church works to tone down the violence against them and that you remember the church-goers that the poor people of Flowerdene are not blood-thirsty enemies, they are vulnerable, scared and lots of them are soulless on top of that - lots of them do not even know what that means. There is a fundraiser going on to help the people there, I have heard. If the Church can make that an astounding success, who knows? We might be able to get things finally done there."
The Bishop looks at the small woman doubtfully. "...You talk a lot."
"Guilty as charged." She shrugs.
"I will think about it. I still want to wrestle you to the ground for your defection."
She smiles. She didn't expect him to commit to anything, but the idea to screw with devils would eventually grow on him. It was a pity that she had to use that kind of rethoric instead of simply remind Church officials of what the Gospel was all about, Jesus Christ in a velocipede! One day.
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The small meeting happened in a rich lady's drawing room. To anyone from outside, it would look like a common salon. Outsiders didn't know that everyone there had special pocket watches hidden in their coats.
After the traditional offerings of souls and contracts, the Professor asked for a word.
"My friends, there is a chance that our investigations are compromised." Murmurs explode everywhere. She gets on firmly. "Flowerdene will be soon the epicenter of a conflict. It will be a ripe ground for spirifers hiding the evidence for their crimes, disguising it as deaths due to the fight. While we cannot prevent that from happening, if the worst comes to the worst, there may be a last desperate chance of at least making sure the spirifers don't get completely away with their deeds."
Someone asks for clarification. She gives it: "We are going to press. Secrecy at this point will not aid the investigations anymore. We might not catch the spirifage ring, but we will at least thwart them for now. If they abandon spirifage as a result, great. God will take care of their punishment, if that is the case. But if they go back to it afterwards... We start it all over again."
There is a silence. Then, ideas start to storm. About when it was the best time to start printing the news, about how to protect the soulless identities, about what else could be done... At least, there was a consensus that the citizens of Flowerdene should be spared as much as possible (even if just as living evidence against the criminals, is some people's views).
The Professor smiled without humour in her mind. Waging a secret war was an easy way to resort to violence. People would only know that something was amiss after the fact, when it would be too late. If she could time the scandal in the presses just right, she could probably force the powers in play to be more subtle and the toll on lives, less heavy. The respectable factions did not fear the law, but the public opinion was another matter.
[[OOC: That was my move. As of now, the Professor only planted seeds to make Flowerdene the centre of press attention during the war, giving the Pact something else to loose, besides a bit of money and some lives of lesser pawns (I think it makes for a best story, in all honesty). Anyone wishing to work with it, from all sides, message me and we will see what we can do from that.]]
--
The Inescapable Professor, London's Most Academic Detective. Open to consultation from Mondays to Fridays, above the Silver Binding bookshop, Veilgarden. Half the payment in advance, half after closing the case. No refunds.
"THIS SATURDAY, in MAHOGANY HALL, delight your eyes with the DARING FEATS of the DAPPER ESCAPIST. Gape at his CHARM and WIT and his CLEVER TRICKS OF ILLUSIONISM. No mirrors used."
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Social actions welcomed. Will take menaces if not currently grinding that one stat. Send them and cross your fingers.
http://fallenlondon.storynexus.com/Profile/Professor%20Strix
My alt loiters suspiciously if you want to:
http://fallenlondon.storynexus.com/Profile/Derek%20Davis
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Sara Hysaro
Moderator
Posts: 4514
8/19/2016
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[[I'm currently without internet access at my house, so RP will be pretty slow. I should be able to check daily, however, and hopefully I'll have full internet access on Tuesday]]
This should be the place. Sara stands outside of the office in the Bazaar Side-streets spoken of in a message she had written down for later reference. A white raven perches upon its rooftop, looking around curiously. She hesitates momentarily. While she had been advised to seek information about the Flowerdene conflict here after making the initial preparations for the fundraiser, her lack of it makes her a little nervous. She takes the brief moment to collect what she knew.
There is a conflict in Flowerdene between two factions. She does not know who they are. There was an outbreak of violence in Spite years ago, the Flowerdene Massacre, resulting in an increase in violence and crime in surrounding areas. A trial was held two years after the events, and Elias Lowe was found Not Guilty. Was that right? Sara finds herself uncertain - she was never one to follow trial cases, and only heard about this one secondhand from a Veilgarden acquaintance.
These events surely are related, whether directly or indirectly. Is Eli involved in this conflict? Even if he isn't, he'll at least have an opinion on the matter. She holds the thought in her mind for later; surely the information gleaned from this trip can assist in finding the best path forward. Sara steps through the office door. "Hello?"
[[I wrote this to provide some context for the readers - the internal thought process doesn't make much sense without it. TL;DR - Sara is a Midnighter]]
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edited by Sara Hysaro on 8/19/2016
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http://fallenlondon.storynexus.com/Profile/Sara%20Hysaro
Please do not send SMEN, cat boxes, or Affluent Reporter requests. All other social actions are welcome.
Are you a Scarlet Saint? Send a message my way to be added to the list.
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Professor Strix
Posts: 616
8/21/2016
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"Oh." She directs Sara to a comfortable chair. "You are the Sara that is conducting the fundraiser. It is a pleasure to meet you. Sit down here, please."
"What do you want to know, exactly, about Flowerdene? It is a poor place. It has everything every poor neighbourhood has. Scarcity leading to hungry people, leading to testiness, leading to violence. A lack of hope that makes it harder for people to adhere to their morals, so people often sacrifice them in name of survival. Resentment towards people that have so much that they throw away food for the table and can afford to buy everything they desire in a whim. And, since intellectual betterment is the last thing people care about they are literally speaking on the ground, there is a lamentable difficulty in making them understand abstract things, like why some behaviours have with long-term consequences and must be avoided or how people might use them for political reasons."
She stops, breathes and goes on: "Not to mention the lack of that safety most people take for granted. Jack-of-Smiles might enter their houses at any moment and kill everyone, any goods might be stolen at any time, spirifers prey on their vulnerability to buy their souls for ridiculous prices or just flat out steal them... And when they complain about that to any Constable, they rarely - if ever - do anything. 'Flowerdene is too dangerous for us to enter that and investigate' - some will say. 'There are more pressing matters at hand' - others say, as they hurry to get Mr Pages some random book, or something like that. And do not even get me started on diseases."
The Professor stops what she is saying, very serious. "This is poverty for you. It is more or less the same everywhere. As you might know, a certain criminal group took the place some time ago. Things improved visibly there, but the crime issue was not solved, they just mostly stopped robbing themselves and set their sights elsewhere. All in all, two steps ahead, one behind. But it seems that this criminal group is ready to take a step further and insurge against the rest of London. I am still getting informed on the particulars."
The woman reclines on her seat. "Unfortunate. Most unfortunate. It does not solve the real cause of poverty: people's cruelty and selfishness, the lack of education, but intellectual and moral, in all layers of society, and so on. If this insurgence brings some relief, it will be a brief one, because violence calls for more violence. The victors of one war are the villains of another. But, at the same time, how do you reason with people that our own neglect as society denied the capacity to reason? We have not suffered their misery, we have not offered our hand when they still had hope on us. What moral authority we can claim to go to Flowerdene and tell them to do anything, when our morals are in tatters? We may offer food to them, but when will we offer love to them? When they will stop being 'them' and start being 'us'?"
She crosses her fingers and closes her eyes. "Sorry for rambling. Is there anything else you want to know? I mean, one does not go to a detective wanting for public knowledge. How can I really help you?"
--
The Inescapable Professor, London's Most Academic Detective. Open to consultation from Mondays to Fridays, above the Silver Binding bookshop, Veilgarden. Half the payment in advance, half after closing the case. No refunds.
"THIS SATURDAY, in MAHOGANY HALL, delight your eyes with the DARING FEATS of the DAPPER ESCAPIST. Gape at his CHARM and WIT and his CLEVER TRICKS OF ILLUSIONISM. No mirrors used."
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Social actions welcomed. Will take menaces if not currently grinding that one stat. Send them and cross your fingers.
http://fallenlondon.storynexus.com/Profile/Professor%20Strix
My alt loiters suspiciously if you want to:
http://fallenlondon.storynexus.com/Profile/Derek%20Davis
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Professor Strix
Posts: 616
8/17/2016
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The Professor nods at Evensong. "Right, I think our first action is to put Flowerdene in the spotlight of public opinion. It will make sure that everything that is done by either side will have the added pressure of everyone judging. This will make the Pact more careful. The fact it has the most respectable allies is their strenght, but it can work agains them if everything is public. I had an idea and will sow some seeds in the right field. If I see that it will work, I will engage more people in that front."
While they are talking, a white snake looks at Lord Gazter and hisses disapprovingly. I goes back to the Professor and squeezes on her leg. When the woman looks down, the animal points at the entrance hall.
"Other guests? Whoever you are, you can enter and sit down."
--
The Inescapable Professor, London's Most Academic Detective. Open to consultation from Mondays to Fridays, above the Silver Binding bookshop, Veilgarden. Half the payment in advance, half after closing the case. No refunds.
"THIS SATURDAY, in MAHOGANY HALL, delight your eyes with the DARING FEATS of the DAPPER ESCAPIST. Gape at his CHARM and WIT and his CLEVER TRICKS OF ILLUSIONISM. No mirrors used."
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Social actions welcomed. Will take menaces if not currently grinding that one stat. Send them and cross your fingers.
http://fallenlondon.storynexus.com/Profile/Professor%20Strix
My alt loiters suspiciously if you want to:
http://fallenlondon.storynexus.com/Profile/Derek%20Davis
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Professor Strix
Posts: 616
8/17/2016
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Drake Dynamo wrote:
Drake's Shade picks up its scimitar angrily. It growls. It turns to leave.
"Still open to help. You change mind, will return. No matter what, Mauvais will die. Promise that." The Shade declares. It moves to exit but lingers at the door, waiting (nay, hoping) for Strix to ask it to stay.
At first, the Professor lets the strange man go as he pleases. She doesn't waste stern words with things she doesn't believe in. Her decision is final. As the man lingers at the door, though, her conscience gives her a tiny nudge. The man wants to stay, for whatever reason. Would it be right for her to let a man so fixed in killing a certain man go unsupervised out there? Not to mention that he is probably unbalanced. She picks the dossier she is composing with the information the bats feed her and says, in a softer tone:
"I never said you cannot stay or help, I just said that putting the death of this... Mr Mauvais, is it?... in the plans is out of question, and you may not consider yourself forgiven for it if you help me in anything. If I catch you doing it, I will fight you. It is as simple as that.
Do not understand me wrong. I am no friend of this man. I have seen a bounty on this Mr Mauvais head a few weeks ago; apparently, he is an inconvenient laudanum-addicted scoundrel, as many in this city. Still, he is a fairly minor player of the Pact, and his place - in case he does commit a crime - is New Newgate. In case he does not do anything drastic, well, it is not a crime to be an unbearable cretin. If it was, most of us would be dead by now." She tries to be even softer: "If you want sincerely to help, and not just use me and my cause as a means to your assassination, I would love to hear your ideas. Sit down and talk as a civilized person. I suggest you start with your name. I suggest even more strongly that you refrain to say the word 'kill' as you express yourself."
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The Inescapable Professor, London's Most Academic Detective. Open to consultation from Mondays to Fridays, above the Silver Binding bookshop, Veilgarden. Half the payment in advance, half after closing the case. No refunds.
"THIS SATURDAY, in MAHOGANY HALL, delight your eyes with the DARING FEATS of the DAPPER ESCAPIST. Gape at his CHARM and WIT and his CLEVER TRICKS OF ILLUSIONISM. No mirrors used."
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Social actions welcomed. Will take menaces if not currently grinding that one stat. Send them and cross your fingers.
http://fallenlondon.storynexus.com/Profile/Professor%20Strix
My alt loiters suspiciously if you want to:
http://fallenlondon.storynexus.com/Profile/Derek%20Davis
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Professor Strix
Posts: 616
8/17/2016
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"Sure, dear."
The Professor looks at the man waiting for her. "Just a minute, please? It will be a good opportunty for you to think in your answer. You can get something to eat there." She shows a door in front of her.
She takes Siobhan to a small bedroom, that she would use when cases kept her from going back home. A white snake regards the two women lazily. "Saint Michael, could you please take care of your guest and make sure he will not spy on this door?"
The snake slithers out of the room silently. The Professor checks the windows for outsied spies and pats on the uncomfortable-looking bed: "There, now you can talk."
[[OOC: It's the second post of mine that ends eaten. I've just discovered why. I used The Forbidden Word.]]
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The Inescapable Professor, London's Most Academic Detective. Open to consultation from Mondays to Fridays, above the Silver Binding bookshop, Veilgarden. Half the payment in advance, half after closing the case. No refunds.
"THIS SATURDAY, in MAHOGANY HALL, delight your eyes with the DARING FEATS of the DAPPER ESCAPIST. Gape at his CHARM and WIT and his CLEVER TRICKS OF ILLUSIONISM. No mirrors used."
---------
Social actions welcomed. Will take menaces if not currently grinding that one stat. Send them and cross your fingers.
http://fallenlondon.storynexus.com/Profile/Professor%20Strix
My alt loiters suspiciously if you want to:
http://fallenlondon.storynexus.com/Profile/Derek%20Davis
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