Murder on the Majestic Otter

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Graybeard
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Re: Murder on the Majestic Otter

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OOC: We have a slight continuity problem here, as the last time Jade was seen with the rest of her sub-group (Khoo, Kevin, Edgar, maybe Tori), they were all punching their cookies two decks down at the infirmary. The fix for this is easy enough: let's just assume that when Morty left and the ship's horn sounded the one-hour alert, the women decided the crew corridor was no place to be as the ship got ready to get under way (they'd be right). Everybody would then decamp to the quiet lounge that the Eisenfaust people (and maybe others) saw earlier, picking up Jade, etc. -- but minus Tori, who would have to go back to work with the ship about to set sail. The conversations can then proceed as intended.

Give me an e-head nod if this works for you. Incidentally, once I have your answer, two things are coming. One is a rather important plot development that can't happen while the doughty crew are sealed off on the crew deck. Another is that I'll do a "status review" that identifies all the named people in this thread -- there are many -- and where they are as the conversation in the lounge is happening. Hey, gotta have a good suspect list to work with! :twisted:
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Jack Rothwell
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Re: Murder on the Majestic Otter

Post by Jack Rothwell »

OOC Edited the dialogue to work. Problem solved :) I'd appreciate a summary of what's happened and who's who tbh. I've been creatively derailed and distracted for months what with one thing or another./OOC
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Re: Murder on the Majestic Otter

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[OOC: OK, that works. So opinion wanted: is it more fun for the women to move down to the lounge as I was proposing for the continuity workaround, or for them to continue conniving in the crew corridor until someone on the crew opens a door and says "hey, what are you doing here?" If the latter, I'd say go ahead and write the scene, introducing whatever senior crew might exist that we haven't introduced yet -- purser, entertainment director, maybe bosun/chief thaumatic engineer. I didn't have specific plans for introducing any of those, but why not? I'll write a rogues' gallery later today or tomorrow. Meanwhile, to give Khoo and Jade something to do downstairs, while noting an important event:]

The ship's horn that the people in the crew corridor noticed was much louder down on the main decks, and crew member Tori practically jumped out of her skin at its blast. "Gotta go," she told Khoo, Jade, Edgar and Kevin. "I have another duty station for when we raise the anchor. I'm sorry." (She didn't look sorry for much; more relieved.) "I think your shoulder will be okay until somebody can get a good look at it, just try not to use it. And as for .." She looked back toward the infirmary and shivered, saying no more before she hurriedly left for her duty station, wherever it was.

No sooner had she rounded the corner into the adjoining section of deck than, from the opposite direction, the large, cigar-smoking "Heinrich" strolled into view, this time not smoking a cigar, but with a smirk on his face. "Well, well," he chortled. "Just makin' sure that that tasty little pastry wasn't gettin' into trouble. 'Scuse me." He stepped past the group, seemingly not bothered in the least by the scene in the infirmary; but he did pause to say something to Khoo. "See that?"

He was pointing out into the water [OOC: this is the thing that couldn't be seen from the corridor where Eve, Anna-Lisa, etc., are holed up], where another large vessel was now under way and passing closer to the Majestic Otter than it really should, given that there were still a few launches and hang gliders returning to the cruise ship.

"Waffenbruderschaft," Heinrich said, his face serious for once. "If you're looking for trouble, they're a good place to find it." He set off again in the direction Tori had gone.

On the other ship's deck, Khoo could see what he was pretty sure was a submarine.
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Jack Rothwell
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Re: Murder on the Majestic Otter

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Jade craned over Khoo's shoulder with a frown.

"Is that what I think it is? What's a damn sea coffin doing so close to a cruise ship?" She caught the party's expression at her terminology and shrugged. "I don't trust those things. Airships and ship-ships I'm fine with but if you're in one of those things half a mile underwater and it springs a leak..." She shuddered theatrically. "Something to investigate you think?"
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Re: Murder on the Majestic Otter

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"Something to investigate you think?"

Khoo shivered involuntarily, glad beyond words that Anna-Lisa wasn't there to hear this suggestion. "I think we may know the key parts already," he said, and went on to describe the encounter that he and she had had with a submarine while sailing in Anna-Lisa's submersible love nest. (Of course, he omitted some of the juicier parts, notably that much of that encounter had happened while they were stark naked and preparing for guess-what.)

"Same sub?" Kevin said, more of a statement than a question. Khoo nodded. "And just a stone's throw from this ship?" Another Khoo nod.

Edgar was getting the idea. "So it's a fair guess that those bastards were using that sub to put somebody onto this ship who doesn't belong here, or take somebody off it who did."

Khoo surprised himself with the grisly attempt at humor (maybe) that came out of his mouth next. 'Somebody, or some -- bodies. Or body parts..."

Since Khoo was unaware of the fact that the Waffenbruderschaft was developing a, as one might put it, professional capability in organ running, this really was an attempt at humor. If he'd known about all that, he'd have kept his mouth shut. Probably.
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Re: Murder on the Majestic Otter

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The blacksmith shrugged.

"There's one way to know for sure." Her tone was surprisingly level for what she was about to suggest. "A luxury ship like this will be fitted with harpoons to fend off pirates and the like. I'm thinking a well placed shot could hook the intrusive vessel. We reel it in, ask some questions and pay for damages later."
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Re: Murder on the Majestic Otter

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Khoo shuddered at Jade's suggestion, as he tried to imagine what kind of defensive resources a Mesuinu Enterprises ship might have. From everything he'd learned from Anna-Lisa, he was quite sure they'd be abundant, lethal, magical, and weird beyond imagining. "Ah, I don't think..." he got out, but he stopped in mid-sentence, realizing that Jade had given him an idea. He pulled Edgar over to the side and had a hurried conversation, part of it telepathic. The familiar nodded, and Khoo cast an Obfuscation spell. Edgar winked out of view to the non-magic users in the group, although Khoo could see him winging toward the Waffenbruderschaft ship, specifically toward the submarine.

That was part one of his idea. He'd need some help with part two. "I'm going to create a Wind Sprite," he told Jade and Kevin. "Long story, but I need for you to keep me from being distracted until Edgar gets back. I think he'll have the kind of intel that you want to get from that sub." At least I hope so, as long as that Obfuscation works. He didn't wait for a response, but set about casting the spell that had become sort of a specialty for him.

[OOC: I'd propose pausing this sub-thread, or rather, letting it make silent progress as Edgar heads for the Waffenbruderschaft ship, and getting back to the other bunch for an exchange or two. Last I knew, they were still on the crew deck, but they wouldn't be for much longer since the crew are getting ready to sail. What next for them? Up to you, at least until Anna-Lisa sees that ship and does something insane...]
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Re: Murder on the Majestic Otter

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[OOC: This was originally put up as a test to make sure the forum is OK. There have been problems with spammers recently and we had to block a lot of addresses. (This isn't the first time.) Things seem to be working, so a brief bit of content to move things forward up on the bridge deck -- Jack, we miss you!]

The women in the corridor with the officers' quarters did not notice the Waffenbruderschaft ship, at least not yet. However, they did notice something else.

They were talking and trying to figure out what to do, when the door to the bridge opened -- and Officer Stuffed Shirt poked his head out. He looked at Elke, Annabelle and so on with obvious surprise, then closed the hatch emphatically. The Ward that had been on the hatch returned in force.

"Hey, didn't we see him going the other way just a few minutes ago?" Annabelle said. "And I would have expected him to act like a big, burly, self-important man and throw us out of here, not to act like he'd seen a ghost."

She didn't notice the look on Anna-Lisa's face.

[OOC: Back over to you, JR.]
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Re: Murder on the Majestic Otter

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OOC: JR and I have been swapping a few messages, with the result that I'm going to be pushing this long-dormant thing slowly forward in fanfic style for a while. Next installment hopefully tomorrow. Once again, if there's anyone who'd be interested in "adopting" one of the current NPCs, or for that matter, introducing a new PC, newcomers are always welcome! See this thread for a list of who's available for "adoption."
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Re: Murder on the Majestic Otter

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[OOC: OK. as promised, a little action to get this back moving; not a lot, but a little. More to follow.]

Khoo watched anxiously as Edgar approached the Waffenbruderschaft ship, followed by the Wind Sprite. Both should be invisible to anyone on the ship, unless that guild had been getting more deeply into magic than most in Farrel. Unfortunately, that seemed possible.

Well, no reaction so far, he thought as familiar, Wind Sprite and submarine converged. Now would be the tricky part, and the part that most risked discovery. If a deck hand came along while he was lifting gases from the submarine onto and around Edgar, hopefully he'd just think it was one of the miasmas that stagnant water belched out from time to time. If he thought it was something else ... there might be complications.

No, no signs of detection, he thought ... just as the ship bearing the submarine began to pull away from the Majestic Otter.

That wasn't part of the plan, although it should have been.

-------------

Anna-Lisa didn't dare speak while the women and Leo were in the crew corridor, but there was definitely something that had to be said. She decided to risk telepathy. Could Elke receive and respond? This wasn't the best setting to find out, but it was a worse one for talking out loud. Here goes...

<"Griwoldiel,"> she thought at the Eisenfaust woman, hoping for the best, and that her sense of urgency, near panic, would get through in the unfamiliar medium; she herself was no whiz at telepathy. <"I'm just sure of it. We have to get out of here. Now.">

The message seemed to have got through; Elke backpedaled immediately through the hatch, the other women quickly following suit. Now if, by some Weave miracle, he just didn't recognize me...
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