Adventures in Time & Space IC

[Ridai]

"Pub!" Miles agrees, voice peaking a little and adjusting course.

[Dodgeson]

Looking around the pub there were certainly plenty of women who could be a Maggie, Birchmoor's population skewed elderly at the best of times, it could be the woman sitting on her own and knitting at a small circular table or the one sitting on a stool at the other end of the bar who was surrounded by empty wine glasses or either of the two who were sitting by the jukebox playing dominoes.

Luckily the Landlord spoke up again to solve the problem.

"She's late to her own party." He explained jovially "Goes to service three times a day now like clockwork, morning, noon and night. Not my cup of tea but it gets her out and about, I'm just happy I'm not having to get her up and down that hill!" He burst out laughing at his own 'joke', which sent the rest of the pub off again, before he drained the last of his pint and started pulling another one.

And then two men burst through the doors but this time there was no abrupt silence or hard stares from the locals, even though one of them was carrying an axe, instead the cheerful atmosphere didn't even stumble and a brief cheer went up before everyone went back to the party. They might not have recognised one of them but they knew Miles and any friend of his was alright by them.

"Evening Miles. Who's your friend?" The Landlord greeted the new pair "Bit cold out there for a run, good pint'll keep your boiler going. The usual?"

[Ridai]

Miles immediately shuts the door the moment Donald is inside, even bracing against it with his back and spread elbows, as if that might help in some way.

Regardless, Miles wouldn't be Miles if he didn't also immediately greet The Landlord with an "Good evening, sir, and yes thank you, I hope Maggie is doing well?" in his usual friendly way (he even manages a smile, despite the circumstances!).

On the topic of his companion: "Oh, we ran into each other on the way, he seems alright. Sorry, I did not catch your name?" Miles looks to Donald.

Nevertheless, and after a look back at the door even going to retrieve his pint with a shaky hand, Miles says "Say, um, there don't happen to be sightings of hounds about yea high" Miles gestures to about neck level. "do they?" He also checks his phone. And confronted with the wild blur of shades of dark that could pass as some sort of rural Rorschach test, he quietly lets his phone slide back into his pocket. "Because we, uh, kind of met one, haha..." The lad is feeling rather self-conscious saying this out loud inside the pub. He is also growing more self-conscious about holding an axe in such a setting, because one should generally not carry an axe inside a pub. At least not as a guest.

[NontheistCleric]

As he comes over to get his drink, Pavilion observes Miles's harried demeanor and the axe clutched in his hand.

"Unfriendly sort of hound, was it?" she guesses.

[Ridai]

"I normally get along with animals, so yes, quite, I'm afraid. And I hope it didn't actually follow me here," Miles fills the stranger in, hand shaking just enough to unsettle the pint, but not enough to unsettle it out of the glass. "Sorry, Miles Marwood." The upturned axe handle is tapped against him for emphasis on who that name belongs to. "Are you new in town?"

[davyjones]

Professor Calico is quickly focused when the two men burst into the tavern, even as he toasts along with the rest of the crowd and takes another sip of his ale. He scrutinizes the pair - the out of breath, nearly panicked axe man and the strangely calm delivery-driver-uniformed fellow beside him. In fact, something seems wrong about that one; it's like he's just a quarter-radian off axis.

"I normally get along with animals, so yes, quite, I'm afraid. And I hope it didn't actually follow me here," Miles fills the stranger in, hand shaking just enough to unsettle the pint, but not enough to unsettle it out of the glass. "Sorry, Miles Marwood." The upturned axe handle is tapped against him for emphasis on who that name belongs to. "Are you new in town?"

"Professor Calico, and this is my niece, Pavilion," he responds, placing down his glass and offering a hand. "Late of London."

His eyes falling back on the other newcomer, he asks, his tone unintentionally carrying a timber of authority, "And who might you be, my good man?"

[Ridai]

"Professor Calico, and this is my niece, Pavilion," he responds, placing down his glass and offering a hand. "Late of London."

Noticing the moment the professor begins to start the motions leading to an offered handshake, Miles puts down the pint, notices the damp on his hand, quickly wipes it off, and returns a good proper handshake and smile. Very important, those, even in these scary circumstances, to the point of briefly getting out of his jitters. "Pleasure to meet you, Professor, ma'am," addressing Professor Calico and Pavilion in turn. With attention shifting towards Donald, Miles takes the cue to shut up for a moment, mentally stumble over the capital P in what he said, and maybe make progress on proper defogging his glasses.

Spoiler: OOC

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Just a quick insert, since Miles is a young man of good manners.

[Zelphas]

Donald is getting attention. Out of all the things that happened in the past few minutes, this is what makes him uncomfortable.

Stifling an absurd impulse to lie (and an even more absurd impulse to duck back out the door and towards the large beast, which at the very least seems unlikely to ask questions), Donald nods to the assembled group. "Jordan. From London as well... most likely."

Shrugging a bit at his own private in-joke, Donald casts about for a way to change the subject. "I know city folks are supposed to be astonished by the size of the beasts out in the country, but a wolf that would consider most humans a pleasant snack at most seems a bit... out of the ordinary. Unless someone nearby's been trying to see how big an Irish Wolfhound can really get?"

[davyjones]

"I know city folks are supposed to be astonished by the size of the beasts out in the country, but a wolf that would consider most humans a pleasant snack at most seems a bit... out of the ordinary. Unless someone nearby's been trying to see how big an Irish Wolfhound can really get?"

"Well, I remember once dealing with a rather large critter that was causing a bit of a stir on the Londonderry side of Sawel Mountain," Calico notes. "I later told my friend Art about it over a pint; I think he turned the anecdote into a crime novel."

[NontheistCleric]

"Wait," says Pavilion, turning sharply to the landlord. "Is your wife coming back alone? Only–if there really is some hostile beast out there–"

[Dodgeson]

The Landlord listened to Miles and Donald but didn't seem to let him bother him all too much "You've found Monty's stash then?" He asked with a chuckle, it was no secret in the village that Miles' uncle was a fan of brewing his own drink and while he'd rather the man was drinking his booze he didn't hold it against him. Pavillion's concern was dismissed with about as much worry "I wouldn't worry about it, these lads probably just startled a fox or something and between you and me if I had to pick a side between my Maggie and some beastie I know who I'm choosing."

While he might not have seemed too bothered by it, someone else seemed to be, the woman at the other end of the bar looking up from amongst her empty wine glasses "It's the Beast. The Beast of Birchmoor!" She declared, thrusting one pointy finger out towards Donald "And God help you if it's got its eyes you!"

Her raised voice was enough to draw the pub's attention, everything going quiet for the second time today as the man with the guitar abruptly stopped and stared with the other patrons.

"Alright I think you've had enough tonight Edith, lets not scare the nice city folk." The Landlord was the first to speak up, moving around the bar to help the woman out of her seat and shepherd her towards the door.

Off in one corner of the room, the only person who hadn't been drawn in to the fuss at the bar looked towards Professor Calico and then to the cover of the book he was reading, then back to the Time Lord again, then he just shook his head.

[NontheistCleric]

Enough socializing. Time to find what's really going on here. Pavilion lets her perceptions expand, homing in on the neural activity of the man named Jordan.

Show me what you see.

Spoiler: OOC

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Using Psychic to try and see the image Jordan has of the hound in his own mind.

Awareness (3) + Resolve (6) + Psychic (4): (2d6+13)[18]

If unwilling, Jordan may resist with Resolve + Ingenuity.

[davyjones]

Off in one corner of the room, the only person who hadn't been drawn in to the fuss at the bar looked towards Professor Calico and then to the cover of the book he was reading, then back to the Time Lord again, then he just shook his head.

"Ah, well, time to go mingle a bit," Calico says, taking the last bite of his pork pie, downing it with a swig of ale, and weaving through the pub to the man in the corner. He takes a look a the other's book cover as he sits down nearby, then raises his glass to the man by way of introduction. "Cheers. Good reading?"

[Ridai]

Pavilion pointing out that Maggie was out there right now does jolt Miles out of his general confusion of meeting all these new people.

Edith declaring the Beast of Birchmoor™ being an actual thing also put a bit of a point on things too.

"I'll... go looking for Maggie, sir. Just to be sure." Miles searches his wallet, scrounging together enough for the pint, and putting it on the counter. Another gulp for some extra courage, too.

"Hey uh, Jordan, can you do me a favor and ask Edith about that beast?" His phone number goes on a napkin alongside the implication to call him if he learns anything. And with that, Miles quickly heads back out there. Jitters return, but it is what it is. He steers himself towards the church.

[Zelphas]

"Well. Ominous enough," Donald muttered, glad the attention is turning away from him. "Hm? Oh, well, I guess I can--"

Someone is trying to read his mind. That hasn't happened before, but somehow he knows it. Reflexively, Donald clamps down on his mind's defenses, while also sending a reflexive mental Oi, stop that down the line in the general "direction" of the mental intrusion.

Spoiler: OOC

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Roll to resist having his mind read:

Ingenuity (2) + Resolve (5) + Psychic (4): (2d6+11)[14]

[NontheistCleric]

Donald clamps down on his mind's defenses, while also sending a reflexive mental Oi, stop that down the line in the general "direction" of the mental intrusion.

Jordan is strong. Unusually so for a human. It's almost as if.... but the impressions flashing through his revealed mindscape draw Pavilion's attention from that train of thought.

heavy bounding footfalls

low threatening growls

large silhouette clear through the mist

Hound seems real, she telepathically murmurs to the Professor. At least in Mister Jordan's mind. Really abnormally large too.

"Oh dear," she says out loud. "Professor, did we... lock the car? I'll just go check..."

She hops off her seat and heads out the door on Miles's heels. As she passes Jordan on the way out, she opens the mental channel between them fully.

I'm sorry about that, Mister Jordan. Just needed to be sure. Your friend is right. Stick close to Miss Edith. We don't need two young ladies in danger tonight.

"Mister Marwood!" she calls after Miles. "Going to face the terror yourself?"

She trots to catch up with him. "Gallant, but unnecessary. A hero like you always does better with a companion in tow."

Spoiler: OOC

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Rolling Resolve (6) + Ingenuity (6) to telepathically communicate with Jordan: (2d6+12)[16]

If unwilling, Jordan may resist with Resolve + Ingenuity.

[Ridai]

Miles jumps a bit when Ms. Pavilion calls after him. He wheels around and stops for her to catch up. "W-well, ideally, I won't be facing any more terrors tonight, haha... Oh, and just Miles, please."

There is a combination of grimacing and exhaling out a corner of the mouth when Miles is called a hero, what with how he ended up in Birchmoor (that one was really on him, after all...). Ms. Pavilion is just as official in this regard as he is (meaning both are not in the slightest), and it's nice to have backup. What's important is finding Maggie right now.

So in the end, Miles nods and smiles gratefully (bless her heart), gesturing down the road with the still upside-down axe handle. "Thank you, Ms. Pavilion. The church is that way." Miles continues his brisk pace in said direction.

[Zelphas]

Doesn't seem like it worked. Curioser and curioser. Let a little slip about yourself, there, miss, Donald comments back without thinking, resigning himself to the intrusion. It was more interesting to meet another telepath than anything, at the moment. Unless you are the only "young lady" you believe to be in danger.

Finding himself at a bit of a loss, Donald decides to simply follow the instructions he was given... as best he could. Taking a seat at the bar a few stools away from Edith, Donald sits uncomfortably for a few moments. "So... the Beast of Birchmoor, then?" he says finally with a shattering lack of tact. "Can't say I've heard of it, but I'm no connoisseur of country stories in any case."

[davyjones]

Hound seems real, she telepathically murmurs to the Professor. At least in Mister Jordan's mind. Really abnormally large too.

Calico's eyes flit over to Pav's departing form, then shift to Jordan briefly before he returns his attention to the reader.

[NontheistCleric]

Just spoke to Mister Jordan telepathically, Pavilion thinks to the Professor as she walks alongside Miles. He seemed unsurprised–replied to me quite matter-of-factly. Maybe he's the unusual thing we're looking for.

[Dodgeson]

Pavillion and Miles left the warmth and light of the Bad Wolf, bravely heading out into the darkness where the Beast of Birchmoor could very well still lie in wait! Fortunately if the creature was lurking around it didn't make its presence known immediately and the pair were seemingly safe for the moment to head up towards the looming church, the light coming through its large stained glass windows making it stand out against the night.

Gravel crunched underneath their feet as they arrived outside the old stone church, a single light illuminating the area immediately around the open wooden doors that lead in to the vestibule, the muffled sound of a sermon coming from beyond another set of doors. Off to one side of the building a path curved around leading to a graveyard where the silhouettes of tombstones jutted out of the ground while on the other side there was nothing but more of the gravel to serve as parking space for parishioners, but as most of them didn't have cars it was as silent and empty as the graveyard opposite.

Back at the pub, the Landlord was still trying to get Edith out the door to mixed success, so when Donald spoke up and she promptly sat back down on a stool next to him he just sighed and gave up, it wasn't like he could actually leave the place unattended anyway and he headed back around the bar to console himself with another drink as the old woman launched in to her story.

"Birchmoor was built around the mines up there in the hills, it was dangerous work but folk needed the money, they just didn't realise how dangerous. Didn't matter how many people died there was always somebody else to pick up the job. The men in charge didn't even bother to bring the bodies back up to the surface, wasted too much time they said, half those graves up by the church are empty. Some nights you can still the lights up on the hills while those souls try to find their way to their final resting place and the Devil himself sends his terrible beast to snatch them and drag them to hell before they can reach the church!"

Not everyone in the Bad Wolf was having such an intense conversation and in one corner of the room an old man in glasses smiled and raised his drink to Professor Calico "Can't beat a good book." He agreed, the front of his well loved paperback emblazoned with a magnifying glass over a question mark.

[NontheistCleric]

Pavilion doesn't look directly at Miles as they leave the light spilling out of the pub and navigate up the street. Her eyes may be hidden in plain sight by green glass, but they still glow. Fortunately, it's only natural to keep a eye out in all directions if you're wary of a giant hound.

As they approach the illumination of the church-lights, she feels safe enough to turn to him again.

"You think we should just stand out here and keep watch?" she asks. "That way we can cover both exits."

[Ridai]

Ah. Sermon still going. Hm. Well then.

That at least deflates the mounting danger part. If making things a little awkward.

"Uh, yeah, sure. I'll," Miles glances at the graveyard looming. "I'll cover the graveyard side of things."

Aaand... so he does.

[Zelphas]

"Mmm-hmm." Donald nods blandly along with Edith's rant. Idly, he wishes he had a pad and paper; if he seemed like he was taking notes, he might come across as more concerned and interested in this matter. "So, to sum up, and make sure that I'm following you correctly: the Beast of Birchmoor is some sort of... hell-hound? Perhaps a Black Dog--I think its fur may have been black, though I didn't get a very solid look, and it is rather dark out... and it is mostly after the souls of departed miners. Why did it chase after the man Miles and myself, then? I can say with some certainty that we are both living." Donald's expression is one of simple, polite interest; nothing in his tone suggests that he is anything but curious about Edith's answer.

[davyjones]

Not everyone in the Bad Wolf was having such an intense conversation and in one corner of the room an old man in glasses smiled and raised his drink to Professor Calico "Can't beat a good book." He agreed, the front of his well loved paperback emblazoned with a magnifying glass over a question mark.

"Indeed. Since I left teaching, I've been able to catch up on a little bit of my collection between travels," Calico concurs. Gesturing to the book, he adds, "Mystery novel?"

Speaking of mysteries, the professor tries to keep Mr. Jordan within his peripheral vision, at least, as the latter continues to gather information from Edith.

[Dodgeson]

Leaving Pavilion by the light of the church door Miles headed bravely out into the dark and foreboding of the graveyard, everything for the moment was silent bar the distant noises of nocturnal birds, bats and other creatures of the night along with the almost unintelligible sound of the sermon coming from inside, muffled by the heavy stone blocks that built up the church.

Until the sounds of the animals went silent, only to be replaced by a sound that would be familiar to the former detective (if he wasn't around the other side of the church right now), the pounding sound of footfalls that ended with the crunch of gravel and low growl, a large shaggy black creature padding out from around the opposite side of the church and fixed Pavilion with its baleful red eyes.

Spoiler: OOC

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This is officially an extended conflict! So Pav and Miles what's the plan? Are you talking, running, doing or fighting?

Things were going slightly better back at the Bad Wolf and Edith pondered Donald's question for a moment, it wasn't an unreasonable one after all "Well the way I see it." She began "Maybe the hound gets hungry? It's been a long way since I last saw a light on the hills. Maybe you and your friend's souls are just as good as anyone else's?" Finishing the thought there was a little glimmer of something in her eye and a slight smile on her face as she watched the city boy for a reaction.

Helping himself to a sandwich from the platter on the bar, the Landlord shook his head at Edith's antics but Donald had nobody to blame but himself for this one.

"They don't make them like they used to." The old man replied to the professor, nodding in the affirmative and gesturing for him to join him at his table "I was a bit of a traveller myself when I was younger, I was an engineer out in Africa. So you were a teacher? We've not had a school here for years..."

[NontheistCleric]

Professor, Pavilion thinks to him, come up to the church. The 'hound' is here.

Then she addresses the creature directly, though she's still broadcasting the message to the Professor as well.

Curious. What exactly are you? Big scary sort, I know. Something to do with all the artron energy about... and with those eyes...

Pavilion smiles, not entirely benignly. She removes her glasses, slipping them into a coat pocket, and backs out of the church door's light, letting the shadows fall across her face and reveal her own blazing green eyes.

Nice to meet you. I'm Pavilion. Do you have a name?

Spoiler: OOC

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Rolling Resolve (6) + Ingenuity (6) to telepathically communicate with the creature: (2d6+12)[20]

Rolling Presence (3) + Convince (5) to make the creature feel we are kindred spirits: (2d6+8)[11]

[Ridai]

Shift onto one foot. Shift onto the other. Back. Forth. Back. Forth. Miles shoulders are raised and head low, to retreat the tiniest bit into his collar. Just keeping watch. Behind the church. On the spooky graveyard. At night. With the Beast of Birchmoor out and about. He is not quite sure if he should be thankful for the muffled sermons as a reassurance that other people are nearby, or if the sound only makes things creepier.

...And now even the local animals decided to take a break and grow quiet. This really isn't Miles' day.

It's for a good cause, though. Someone's got to do it. Just keep going.

Miles sneezes.

[davyjones]

"They don't make them like they used to." The old man replied to the professor, nodding in the affirmative and gesturing for him to join him at his table "I was a bit of a traveller myself when I was younger, I was an engineer out in Africa. So you were a teacher? We've not had a school here for years..."

"Maths professor at the London Met, actually. Tortured students with tensors for a few decades," Calico confirms with a mischievous smile and chuckle. "And it seems to be the way of things in village life in this new century. Children grow up, leave for the big cities, don't come back to raise their own children. It's disheartening, reall--"

Professor, Pavilion thinks to him, come up to the church. The 'hound' is here.

The professor's brow furrows slightly as the message intrudes on his thoughts. Instinctively, he puts his hand over his jacket breast pocket, feigning feeling for a phone.

"Hmph, must be the niece," he notes. "Probably got lost on the way to the church. Excuse me."

Standing and dismissing himself with a polite nod, Calico strides over to where Edith is entertaining her interrogator. With a pat on the man's shoulder, he announces, "Come, Mr. Jordan, let's go see what Miles and Pavilion have gotten themselves into."

He doesn't wait for Jordan to follow as he exits the pub and turns for the church, drawing his sonic screwdriver from his inside jacket pocket once outside.

[NontheistCleric]

Miles Marwood, Pavilion says into his mind, do not question why you can hear my voice in your mind. Enter the church by the back door and make sure no one comes out the front. The creature is here.

Spoiler: OOC

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She's still in the talking phase, so I don't think there should be a problem adding this to my last post...

Rolling Resolve (6) + Ingenuity (6) to telepathically communicate with Miles: (2d6+12)[17]