Around And Around

<> Demiurge says "You were all in the back of Kate-Lynn's chauffeured limo, with a mysterious suitcase. As it was by now around two in the afternoon, you were going to stop at a pub for some food and to talk."

<> Kate-Lynn says "We were looking at the sheets, parked outside the pub."

<> Demiurge says "You were, indeed. Raquel was complaining because her uncle was listed as a great-uncle."

Kate-Lynn tucks the ring thoughtfully into her jacket pocket.

Carlotta mutters something in (very unkind) Spanish as she pages through the sheets about her family.

The chauffeur murmurs, "Will you be wanting me to fetch you food, madam, or will you be going in?"

Kate-Lynn says, "We will be going in, I think."

Justin finally just folds his sheets up and sticks them in the inside pocket of his leather jacket.

The chauffeur nods, and looks professionally back at the road.

Raquel tidies the sheets of her family and hands them back to whoever still has the briefcase.

Kate-Lynn says, "Amusing as being stalked by a mad genealogist is, I don't think this will take us much longer."

Carlotta looks up from her papers, and over at the pub. "We can get food in there?" She looks dubious.

Justin chuckles.

Justin says "Pub food, the finest."

Justin gets out of the limo, and holds the door open for the rest.

Raquel exits.

Kate-Lynn says, "Well, they will attempt most seriously to serve it to us, should we place an order."

Kate-Lynn scoots out as well.

The pub is busy inside, but not too busy. There are tables inside the room, or out on the garden terrace. There's fish and chips, pasties, sausages, pies, sandwiches, beer, juice, alcohol... all the usual.

Justin says "Inside or out?"

Gabriel follows the group.

Raquel considers the sandwiches and juice.

Kate-Lynn says, "Outside. Less noise, I believe."

Justin nods and leads the way to a table out on the garden terrace and sinks comfortably into a chair out there.

Carlotta looks at the menu.

Raquel trails along, glancing around as if for sniffling assassins.

The menu looks sadly English.

Kate-Lynn stops by the bar on her way out to order a bottle of some appropriate wine; then she joins the others and sits.

Carlotta picks off things she's never heard of or knows she would hate.

Carlotta winds up with a cheese sandwich on white bread.

There aren't any sniffling assassins in view. A prolonged nose-honk from behind a menu turns out to be a young woman with obvious hayfever.

Carlotta says "Next time can we maybe do chinese?"

Raquel selects something healthy.

Justin orders Guiness and a pasty.

The food is all brought out to them. The weather is pleasant, the traffic noise isn't too obtrusive.

Carlotta is convinced with the certainty of an athlete that the 'food' here is only to help sop up the calories from the beer.

Kate-Lynn says, "The only Chinese restaurants in England are run by the minions of the nefarious Fu Manchu; of this the American National Enquirer has assured me. Under the circumstances, dare we risk it?"

Justin just blinks at Kate-Lynn.

Kate-Lynn grins.

Raquel smiles faintly, and selects orange juice, if it's on the menu.

Carlotta says "Um...."

Justin moves over just a bit, away from Kate-Lynn.

Carlotta does likewise, although not towards Justin, either.

Orange juice is indeed on the menu.

Justin then grins back at Kate-Lynn and settles with his beer.

Kate-Lynn says, "I'm sure we can find a suitable Chinese location."

Kate-Lynn orders pigs in a blanket.

The waitress looks puzzled.

Justin laughs.

<> Demiurge says "Er, what _is_ pigs in a blanket?"

Justin says "Try the Toad in a Hole."

Kate-Lynn says, "Ah! I have been away too long."

<> Justin says "It's hot dogs wrapped in bread."

The waitress' brow clears. She vanishes in search of sausages baked in batter.

<> Kate-Lynn actually meant Toad in a Hole, but she's been a vegetarian about as long as Kate's been away from England, so she figures she'll let the mistake stand :)

<> Demiurge says "You have the ring, the map, abridged family trees, a guidebook to St Albans, a copy of Hugo's _Notre Dame de Paris_, a French-English dictionary, and handwritten notes on the Templars and the Hellfire Club."

<> Demiurge says "Before anyone asks for a summary of the briefcase's contents. ;)"

<> Justin says "Yay!"

Kate-Lynn says, "An experiment comes to mind."

Justin sips his beer and eats his handheld pie and listens.

Kate-Lynn says, "Of all the places marked on the map with a cross, the least likely to be one headquarters of the group the lawyer worked for is the Tower of London; is this agreed?"

Justin thinks a bit. "Why does tha matter?"

Carlotta sort of shrugs.

<> Raquel would like to check the Notre Dame book -- if it's currently with us -- to see if there are any dog-eared pages, etc.

Kate-Lynn says, "I propose that we visit that location, as tourists, and make search. If we find nothing, we may safely discount the map. If we find something of interest, then we have learned that the lawyer has very impressive friends as well as very impressive enemies."

<> Demiurge says "It looks like a fairly well-battered and well-used copy, Raquel, but no part is particularly dogeared."

Justin thinks at that and then nods, "Sounds good."

<> Raquel says "Any particular pages it falls open to? Any comments in the margins?"

Raquel plays with the book and nods absently.

Carlotta says "Which one is the Tower of London marked with again? A cross or one of those stars?"

Kate-Lynn says, "A cross, if I recall correctly."

Carlotta shrugs. "Hokay."

Kate-Lynn says, "A pentagram seems more likely to be associated with the walking dead; call this a personal prejudice on my part if you will."

<> Demiurge says "It doesn't seem to fall open anywhere in particular, Raquel, though the spine is fairly thoroughly broken."

Raquel looks up. "I think avoiding those is a very good idea, actually, so it's not only a _personal_ prejudice."

Justin cocks his head a bit at the last, but lets the comment go unremarked as he finishs his pie.

Kate-Lynn says, "It could be a code-book, Raquel."

Raquel asks, "Code-book?"

Kate-Lynn says, "That is, encrypted messages refer to pages, paragraphs, and words in the _Hunchback of Notre-Dame_; in this manner, one with the book can easily break the code, but one who does not know which book to look at would have to work for many years to do so."

Raquel blinks at the book again. "Oh!"

Kate-Lynn says "Alternately, he could have felt a deep and personal identification with Quasimodo; who am I to judge?"

Kate-Lynn grins. "It would explain why it is so worn."

Carlotta mutters something plaintive, and noshes on her cheese sandwich.

The cheese sandwich is surprisingly tasty.

Carlotta must just be really hungry after all the energy she expended over the *walking dead*.

Raquel nibbles at her sandwich, neatly.

The food is soon gone.

Kate-Lynn says, as she holds up her last bite of sausage, "This is one occasion where I am glad to have walked into a horror movie rather than a Rowan Atkinson show."

Kate-Lynn munches, and is done.

<> Demiurge notes that Gabriel is temporarily heading off to investigate newspaper files and so on, while the rest of you go en masse to your fat... er, wherever.

<> Demiurge says "And I'll link you back up later."

Raquel sips the last of her juice. "I could have done without the... dead people," she murmurs.

Justin says "Quite."

Kate-Lynn says, "I'm sure they feel much the same, under the circumstances."

Kate-Lynn grins with faintly uncomfortable humor.

Raquel eyes Kate-Lynn, slightly disapprovingly.

Justin picks up his Guiness and leans back in his chair and drinks it. "So are we off ta the Tower then? What happens if somethin' odd happens ta us there?"

Carlotta says, somewhat fatalistically, 'We'll know not to go back to any places marked with crosses?'

Raquel adds, "After we run away quickly."

Justin grins at that.

Kate-Lynn says, "It is as good a plan as any other."

Kate-Lynn smiles.

Raquel sighs. "On retrospect, I wonder if it was a good idea to... leave as precipitously as we did."

Justin cocks an eyebrow at Raquel.

Carlotta says "Police are a bad idea."

Kate-Lynn says, "Keep your eyes to the future, and your backside to the past; this is my proposal."

Raquel says, "But we're all rather distinctive -- won't they assume that we had something to do with the matter, rather than moving quickly to get 'it'?"

<> Raquel tries to refresh her memory. Are there any pentacles on the map at places corresponding to modern law and order locations?

<> Demiurge says "Well, there's one at Traitor's Gate, which is on one side of the Tower of London area. And there's one on the Houses of Parliament."

<> Demiurge says "Though there's a cross on the Old Bailey."

<> Raquel says "And crosses?"

Justin mutters, "They *always* assume I had somethin' ta do wit it."

<> Raquel says "Are these modern police-type places, though?"

<> Demiurge says "There's a cross on the Old Bailey, and on a spot along Baker Street which might correspond to 221B, even."

Raquel picks up crumbs with her finger, somewhat fretfully.

<> Demiurge says "The Old Bailey is still a working court. But no modern police-stations are marked."

<> Raquel whew.

<> Demiurge notes that the Tower of London is a large location. You can wander round it without going too near Traitor's Gate.

Kate-Lynn says, "I am sure that, when they become involved, the police will disapprove vigorously, enjoin us against further participation in this matter, and then release us with a stern warning and no charges."

Raquel says, "I hope so. The nuns would be so upset..."

Justin's eyebrow goes up again at Raquel's statement.

Carlotta says "In New York they'd probably just shoot us."

Justin rolls his eyes, "Americans and their guns."

<> Demiurge says "See? See? This is why I live in England!"

<> Demiurge says "Ahem."

Carlotta says "At least we don't got no dead people!"

Kate-Lynn says, "We need not worry about the walking dead; a forensic examiner will discover that they died long before we killed them. Similarly, as we were all in the building, we obviously did not shoot the lawyer through the window."

Carlotta says "And how do they know that?"

Kate-Lynn says, "The concierge."

Carlotta says "If he doesn't disappear or lie or something."

Raquel sighs. "Still. If Sister Mary finds out..."

Justin hms and nods at that, "I did ask the way in."

Justin pets Raquel awkwardly on her shoulder, "Well, we'll just haveta make sure she doesn't find out, no?"

Justin sets his empty glass on the table.

Justin says "Besides, a nun wouldn't object ta a little sightseein', no?"

Kate-Lynn says, "Besides, it would exceed any reasonable officer's imagination to suppose that we shot him through the window, rushed down to the street and into the hotel and up into his office dragging a number of hacked-up corpses, deposited the corpses, took a briefcase, called the police, and left."

Raquel smiles at Justin. "Well, it's not good to lie to nuns... But I guess it would be easier if she didn't find out than trying to explain... walking dead."

Justin grins back at Raquel's smile, "Well, not lie, just not say much."

Kate-Lynn says, "They will not say: here is the work of a criminal mastermind beyond our comprehension. Rather, they will dismiss the notion lest they become a laughingstock in the papers."

Justin grins.

Raquel nods to Justin. Then she giggles, a trace nervously. "They'd never have let me go if they thought this would happen," she murmurs, somewhat under her breath, paying attention to Kate-Lynn.

Kate-Lynn says, "Mind, our explanation of events is not much better."

Justin grins wryly at that.

Kate-Lynn says, "I suggest that if interrogated, we rely on bravado and confusion."

Carlotta finishes the last of her cheese sandwich.

Carlotta says "Let's just go look at this tower."

Raquel says, "That should be easy. I'm rather confused already."

Carlotta says "I have a race in a couple of days. I don't want to get stuck in jail when I'm supposed to be racing."

Raquel brings out her purse to pay for her part of the meal.

<> Raquel says "Unless that's taken care of up front in England?"

Kate-Lynn fishes out two hundred-pound notes and places them on the table, half under a menu. "Let's go."

<> Demiurge blinks.

Justin eyes the notes.

<> Demiurge says "Kate-Lynn, that's over four or five times as much. As Justin definitely knows."

<> Daimon says "Big tip."

<> Raquel . o O (Not very inconspicuous...)

Justin says "Kate-Lynn, thas easily four or five times as much as ya need to pay for everythin', at least take one of 'em."

Justin says "Even if y' wanna be known as a big tipper."

Kate-Lynn makes a wry face. "Well enough," she says, and reclaims one.

Carlotta just sort of *looks* at Kate-Lynn. "Eat out much?"

Raquel blinks.

Justin looks, somewhat longingly at the last hundred pound note, but doesn't touch it, you don't steal from what could be 'pack'... and walks by it after Kate-Lynn.

Raquel shakes her head and stands up. Kate-Lynn has the limo, the chauffeur, the tip... She follows after Justin.

The chauffeur has been waiting patiently in the parking lot. He brings the limo round for them. "Where to, madam?"

Justin still obviously thinks, fucking *rich* Yanks.

Kate-Lynn says, "The Tower of London, please."

Justin piles into the limo back.

Raquel puts a hand to her mouth and looks a bit pained at the chauffeur.

Raquel . o O (Poor man -- doesn't he get anything to eat?)

The chauffeur nods, waits for everyone to be in, and zooms off into the London traffic.

Kate-Lynn doesn't grasp Raquel's thought from her face, not because she's callous but because she assumes such things are taken care of.

Raquel asks, "Are we all going to go in together, or in a couple or three different groups?"

<> Demiurge says "The chauffeur presumably grabbed a sandwich earlier, then returned to the car."

<> Raquel goes whew.

Kate-Lynn says, "I'm ambivalent, strategically. Personally, I had rather have allies around me."

Justin says "Let's go together."

Carlotta says "Si.."

Justin says "If we get a bad reaction, we'll know it's us."

Raquel nods. "But should we appear to be all one group?"

Raquel says "We are, well, distinctive. Especially all together."

Kate-Lynn says "We are eccentric tourists. We can take pictures of inappropriate things."

Kate-Lynn says "But if you have another plan, my ears are open."

Raquel looks from Kate-Lynn to Carlotta to Justin, and then settles back in the car seat and pokes through the Templar papers.

Carlotta shrugs at Raquel a little bit.

Kate-Lynn says "How would we seem to be different groups while remaining near in case of trouble?"

Raquel says, "I don't know -- personal space groupings, looking at roughly the same things as tourists." She shrugs. "It probably wouldn't fool anyone anyway."

Kate-Lynn meditates. "If anyone asks," she says, "we could explain that we're here for a family reunion."

Justin just bursts out laughing at that.

Raquel twitches a smile. "I wish that Mr. Guerson had included the rest of the geneology..."

<> Kate-Lynn says "Is there a FAX in the limo? As a player, I have no idea whether that's just a humorous legend that some cars come equipped with them or if the really high-class rented vehicles do."

<> Demiurge thinks. I think that there is. Along with the bar and all.

<> Demiurge notes it's going to be about half an hour for the limo to get across London to the Tower.

<> Raquel quietly ponders how Justin and Carlotta and Kate-Lynn can be related.

Kate-Lynn says, "I have a thought."

Kate-Lynn calls her antisecretary.

Raquel looks through the Templar material, half-listening to Kate-Lynn's end of the conversation.

A few minutes later, the antisecretary answers, sounding bright and bouncy. "Good afternoon, Ms Costello."

Kate-Lynn says, "Afternoon! I have a request."

The antisecretary says, "All ready this end."

Kate-Lynn says, "I have developed a strange curiosity regarding my family tree; a matter of whimsy and folly, perhaps, but I am in a mood to indulge these traits."

The antisecretary has the air of being used to this manner of speaking. "How far back do you want us to go, Ms Costello?"

Rorschach has disconnected.

Kate-Lynn says, "Can you find a professional genealogist to confirm some scribblings I've made and will fax you on my recent lineage, go a few more generations back, and look for connections to a handful of other names I'll scribble on the bottom?"

The antisecretary says, "Certainly, Ms Costello."

<> Demiurge says "Ah, how nice it is to be rich."

Kate-Lynn says, "Excellent."

<> Raquel says "Not just rich -- _feeelthy_ rich!"

<> Kate-Lynn grins. Yup! One must get good value out of anything you spend 40% of your points on :)

<> Justin hee!

The antisecretary dictates her fax number.

<> Raquel says "Ee."

Kate-Lynn says, "I'll send it along, and no doubt speak to you later; 'stello out."

Kate-Lynn hangs up.

Raquel pages: BTW, is there anything in the Templar papers that leaps out as of interest? Anything underlined several times, for instance? O:>

You paged Raquel with 'Alas, no. Though there's a lot of detail about how they were accused of devil-worship, adoring a brazen head, etc. (It's the basic history of their downfall.)'.

Kate-Lynn says, "I have a suspicion, incidentally, that they've gotten to him. So, instead of including your names and sheets, why don't I just pick an appropriate name from elsewhere on your trees?"

From afar, Raquel drats.

Raquel says, "My parents are dead -- you could ue their names."

Kate-Lynn nods, taking out her sheet and a pen. "Reasonable enough. As for the rest of you?"

Justin frowns mildly at what Raquel says and pulls the sheets out of his breast pocket and points at his sister's name for Kate-Lynn to copy.

Carlotta picks a cousin that she doesn't much like.

Kate-Lynn scribble scribble scribble scribble FAX!

The fax goes off okay.

Raquel asks, "How long do you think it will take before we find out?"

Kate-Lynn says, "A fair while. Unaccountably, the backwards people of the early 20th century, and those before them, failed to keep complete computer records of births and deaths."

Raquel giggles.

Kate-Lynn says, "Were it possible, I would remonstrate with them most sternly."

Raquel sobers a bit. "I'm not sure that we would want to encounter them at this point. They ought to be dead, after all."

Kate-Lynn says, "If they return from the dead, my adjunctions will be all the sterner."

Raquel says, thoughtfully, "The assassin told me to watch out for the zombies."

Kate-Lynn says "It was kind of him to give you warning."

Raquel nods.

Raquel says "He was very... odd."

Raquel looks faintly disapproving. "He called me 'doll' and 'sweetheart.'"

Carlotta says "Nice guy."

Carlotta sniffs slightly.

Kate-Lynn says, "One must expect a certain coarsity of language from murderers; it is the way of the world. Mind, if you want to slug him somewhere delicate at some point, I will have no objections."

Raquel blinks. "I don't think I'd be able to, um, slug him very effectively."

Raquel sighs. "He said that we didn't know what 'it' was or how to use it, and we'd have to come to him eventually, because he did. And that he needed it."

Justin tilts his head a bit, "And was willin' ta kill for it."

Raquel nods.

Justin says "So we know."

Kate-Lynn says, "I hold to the position that using a ring is not terribly difficult."

Raquel frowns. "Did... did the ring seem familiar to any of you? Or is it just something I've heard of and forgotten?"

Kate-Lynn says, "I am still puzzling through my reaction to it."

Kate-Lynn reflects. "Perhaps it is the Plantagenet seal."

Carlotta says "The what?"

The limo approaches the Tower, which is now visible. It's more of a large fort or castle, sprawling along the edge of the river. The entrance point is quite visible, and crowded by souvenir shops.

Justin frowns quietly at the question, "It seemed... familiar... to me, but I don't know why."

Raquel looks at Justin. "Not just me, then?"

Kate-Lynn says "You know. When you wish to seal a letter, and you're a King, you fold it, drip hot wax on it to keep it closed, and press your ring into the wax before it completely cools to leave an unforgable mark."

Kate-Lynn says, "Don't you?"

<> Demiurge says "Noblemen had such seals too."

Justin nods at Raquel.

Raquel looks thoughtful.

Kate-Lynn says "Had we but hot wax and a vital message for the Earl of Warwick, we could experiment."

Raquel muses, "I wonder if Mr. Guerson chose five people because there are five petals on the ring's design... Aren't there?"

The chauffeur murmurs, "Off here, madam?"

<> Demiurge says "Indeed, the ring shows a five-petalled flower, yes."

Kate-Lynn says, "Indeed. Thank you."

Kate-Lynn opens her door and gets out, stretching.

The limo comes to a stop, allowing the four occupants to descend. A hundred yards or so away, there's a slow-moving queue to enter the Tower grounds. It seems to involve paying money.

Justin gets out and unfolds himself carefully.

One can also buy cute Tower souvenirs, postcards, photos, fudge, toffee, dolls, fold-your-own-paper-scaffold...

Raquel gets out of the limo after Justin does. This is entirely unconscious.

Justin stands aside for Raquel and hovers near her quietly.

Raquel is not bothered by hovering.

Kate-Lynn stops and buys a doll, thoughtfully, and then gets in line.

<> Demiurge says "Beefeater doll, nobleman or noblewoman doll, or any particular sort of doll?"

<> Kate-Lynn says "Nobleman doll."

Carlotta follows along, thinking all these Anglos are nuts, what is she doing here, etc.

<> Demiurge says "They're souvenir knockoffs, though the costume is authentic style, if inauthentic material. ;)"

Raquel trails after Kate-Lynn.

Justin slouches after.

Kate-Lynn says, as she joins the others, "I have a new doll. He is named 'Sniffly Assassin'. Please keep this name in mind in case voodoo turns out to be the operant principle at work."

The queue shuffles the four questers to the front, where an elderly woman behind the turnstile requests money in return for a ticket, and points out various tours which are available, and proffers maps of the Tower.

Justin just blinks at Kate-Lynn.

Raquel coughs. "I'm not sure that's the best of ideas..."

Justin shakes his head, gives the granny at the turnstile a brilliant grin.

Raquel starts fumbling for her purse for money, again.

The elderly woman gives Justin a nice indulgent smile, evidently considering him comparatively normal.

Kate-Lynn weighs factors mentally, and then allows the others to pay for themselves, unless they turn out to be unable to do so. Excess generosity eventually wears thin the nerves of the recipients.

Kate-Lynn takes note of the various tours, gets a ticket, and takes or buys a map.

Raquel brings out money to pay for herself when it's her turn.

Eventually they're all shuffled through. The map shows that the Tower is actually a set of fortresses, some built around later ones or joined up to them. Traitor's Gate is a river entrance, where the heads of traitors were put on spikes.

Justin just follows Raquel and Kate-Lynn and conveniently forgets to pay for himself.

Kate-Lynn admits, "I'd like to see the birds," and checks her maps for anything that indicates that that area is off-limits.

The elderly woman coughs as Justin tries to walk past. "Excuse me, sir."

Kate-Lynn glances back.

Justin gives the elderly woman a puppy-dog look. "Yes, ma'am?"

The lawns where the ravens live are marked as being more or less in the central area.

The woman says, "You forgot to pay." She points at the sign.

<> Justin says "Darn, and I thought we'd already shuffled through..."

<> Raquel grins at Justin.

Raquel rummages in her purse again. It's not like she had to pay for lunch, after all.

Justin gives the woman a rueful grin as he pats down his pockets, "I seem to have forgotten my wallet... could I pay later?"

<> Raquel will hand money to the lady if Kate-Lynn doesn't get there first.

Kate-Lynn experimentally whistles a few bars of "It's Not My Fault (I'm Not to Blame)" from Disney's _Hunchback of Notre Dame_.

<> Kate-Lynn does not get there first.

The woman takes the money from Raquel with a smile, and gives Justin a reproachful nod as she passes his ticket.

<> Raquel, the poor churchmouse, pays for Justin. O:>

Nothing seems to happen as Kate-Lynn whistles.

There are a few Beefeaters standing around, in full scarlet and black livery with halberds.

Raquel gawks around a bit, like a tourist. Of course, she really is gawking around.

Kate-Lynn admires.

Justin sighs sadly at the reproach but follows Raquel thoughtfully, completely ignoring the Beefeaters and most of the tourist trappings.

Justin murmurs, "Thanks." to Raquel.

Raquel smiles up at him. "No problem."

Kate-Lynn heads off towards the central lawns. "I wonder if I should wear it," she muses aloud.

It takes a few passages between heavy rock walls to approach the main central area where the ravens sit around on the lawns. Around it are main buildings containing exhibitions, Crown Jewels, and similar fun.

Raquel says to Kate-Lynn, "Probably not around the ravens. If one grabbed it, who knows where it would wind up?"

The ravens are surprisingly big, to people who've never seen those birds before. Black. Dangerous-looking.

Justin unconsciously gets between the birds and Raquel.

Raquel edges a little closer to Justin. Scary -- are they agressive?

The birds don't _look_ aggressive. One hops towards the group a few steps, cawing.

Kate-Lynn admires. "They keep London from falling," she says, "or so I've heard. As it would no doubt embarrass Britain if they failed, I can only approve of this work."

Various groups of tourists mill around.

Raquel asks, a little plaintively, "Do they bite?"

Carlotta edges around, looking halfway-impressed, but not *that* impressed. Heck, the Spanish were doing this all a long time before the English, and Manhattan's taller anyways.

Carlotta at least tries to not look that impressed.

Kate-Lynn says, "I assume they require provocation before they bite."

Justin just watches them quietly.

The raven caws again, fanning its black wings. Really, just like any biker guy showing off his shoulders.

Raquel looks around for crosses.

Justin grins a bit at that.

Kate-Lynn goes down on one knee and looks curiously at the raven. "I don't think I have any food on me," she admits. "And I suspect that gifts of food are considered improper in any case."

The raven hops a couple of steps forward, cawing again, inspecting Kate-Lynn.

Carlotta peers at the ravens.

Carlotta has a New Yorker's distrust of wildlife. Which is to say, severe.

Raquel simply looks around. Crosses. Assassins. Sniffly ninjas...

Kate-Lynn says, "I could offer an entertaining aphorism, as an alternative sign of respect; for example, 'too many books spoil the broth.'"

<> Demiurge rolls the d666 and gets 1 4 CHECK: 1.

<> Demiurge says "Are you seriously trying to talk to the raven, Kate-Lynn?"

Justin murmurs quietly, "Isn't it supposed to be a murder of ravens? Or is that crows?"

Raquel shakes her head. "I don't know."

<> Kate-Lynn says "Only in the sense one talks to a dog, except with proper respect for nobility."

The raven tilts its head, surveying the group thoughtfully.

Kate-Lynn says, "Whereas even a bit of broth can spoil a book; the asymmetry is regrettable."

Kate-Lynn smiles at the raven, rises to her feet, brushes off her knee.

The raven seems to be watching Justin now.

Kate-Lynn says, "I am uncertain, Justin."

Kate-Lynn says, "The people who created such terms obeyed no logic or pattern."

Justin watches the raven back, nearly as black-eyed as it.

Kate-Lynn says, "I see no immediate evidence of a secret society, unless it is extremely well-disguised."

Justin, puzzling himself even with the motion, gives the raven a small bow.

Raquel smiles at Justin and the raven. "Maybe we should add them to the geneology," she murmurs very softly.

Kate-Lynn says, "Still, many places yet to search. At least I have been told that I resemble someone they would recognize."

Justin grins at Kate-Lynn.

The raven pauses, then takes off, flapping for Justin's shoulder.

Raquel ducks with a slight squeak.

Kate-Lynn says, wryly, "Already our numbers swell. Soon we need fear no corpses; we shall be an army."

Justin looks a bit startled, but is still for the raven when it looks like it'll land on him, rather than Raquel.

The raven lands on Justin's shoulder with a clump and a clatter of wings, claws biting into the leather.

Justin smiles at that. "Smart bugger. Yeah, I can take that."

Raquel wrinkles her nose. "I'd really rather not think about what ravens might eat, this soon after lunch."

Justin says "Carrion and meat and cleaning up after battle, no?"

Raquel nods. "Exactly what I'd rather not think about..."

Justin nods quietly at Raquel and peers at the raven thoughtfully. "And what battle, my beauty, are you cleaning up after here?"

Kate-Lynn says, "I am sure it will not object if you pretend, temporarily, that its usual repast is salmon steaks with a nice rice pilaf off to the side."

Raquel giggles at Kate-Lynn.

The raven bends closer to Justin, and caws, very softly, "Prince Edward's Tower. Someone meet there. This place too public."

Justin's eyes get *really* big.

Raquel looks concerned. "Did it bite?"

Raquel . o O (Are the birds _supposed_ to sit on people's shoulders?)

The bird flaps off again.

Justin coughs before he can start breathing again.

Raquel looks concerned.

Kate-Lynn raises an eyebrow.

Justin then lets loose a string of invicative, that sounds nearly as much a prayer as the blue cursing it actually is.

Kate-Lynn says, "Ah! Did its claws pierce your shoulder?"

Kate-Lynn looks at it dispassionately for blood, evaluating her resources to stem such a flow.

The raven flaps off to join several other ravens.

Justin runs out, eventually and shakes his head at Kate-Lynn. "No."

Raquel looks a bit meek at the cursing.

Justin watches the raven rejoin the others and frowns mildly. "I was just told... where to go."

Justin sighs and turns back into the rest of the place to look for signs for Prince Edward's tower.

Kate-Lynn raises an eyebrow. "Really, the parting did not look that vehement."

Justin turns back on Kate-Lynn suddenly. Looks like he's going to just yell at her and he just deflates and goes back to looking for signs.

Justin mutters under his breath about friggin' unnatural.

There is, indeed, a set of signs. One of them points at a tower, PRINCE EDWARD'S TOWER. It looks old. Then again, the whole place looks old.

Raquel creeps a bit closer to Justin and looks at him, rather like a curious mouse.

Justin heads in that direction, stopping to wait for the others if he gets ahead, eventually recognizes Raquel again after his startlment and gives her an unsteady smile when he can.

<> Carlotta is distracted by work, damn it. Assume that the raven freaked her out, and she's now muttering 'Hail Marys' under her breath, or something.

<> Demiurge nods.

Raquel smiles back and stops looking quite so nervous. "It... didn't bite?" she asks, hoping the answer was, 'yes, it bit'.

One enters Prince Edward's Tower through a small entrance at the base. A narrow flight of stone steps curls upwards. There isn't a rail.

Justin looks confused by the question then shakes his head a bit brusquely and leads them on.

Justin just goes up the steps.

Justin looks around when they're about halfway up to see if there's anyone else near their group.

Raquel follows, sticking close to Justin and looking around rather dubiously.

Carlotta follows along, eyes big.

Justin checks above as well as below.

Nobody seems to be following them. The stairs open onto a plain, rather dark room, lit by the light that falls through windows. There's another door on the far side.

Kate-Lynn follows, too. Justin's behavior, however odd, is less strange than that of the corpses.

Inside the room, there's a man of medium height, broad-shouldered, waiting. He's wearing jeans, black tshirt, battered leather jacket, hair cut back painfully short. He looks across.

Justin goes into the room quietly and looks back at the man, meeting his eyes.

Carlotta blinks.

Carlotta edges to one side of the door, and stays there, near the exit.

<> Demiurge rolls the d666 and gets 1 1 CHECK: 1.

<> Justin says "Hee!"

<> Kate-Lynn says "Woo hoo!"

<> Demiurge says "Oh, lord."

<> Raquel says "Oh my."

<> Demiurge says "Well, Justin, you were _complaining_ that you were due a DI. :)"

<> Justin says "I *was*!"

<> Justin dances a mad war-dance.

<> Raquel laughs!

<> Demiurge thinks about how the heck to handle this.

<> Raquel patpats Demi. Why, something good for the Divine Cause will happen!

<> Demiurge says "But good for you? :)"

<> Justin grins.

<> Raquel says "Well."

The man frowns. He says, slowly, "I think Assiel made a mistake sending you up here. Who _are_ you?"

Raquel drifts back a bit from being close behind Justin, to give him room to maneuver.

Justin says "Hm. It seems ta be the question of the day. Who are we all to be gathered in one place, at one time, is it for a reason?"

Kate-Lynn says, "Kate-Lynn Costello, at your service." She grins.

The man snorts. "Trade, I'm sure." He looks to the others.

Justin says "Justin Campbell, sir. I don't really know whose service I would be in."

Kate-Lynn says, "Pardon? Trade for what?"

Carlotta mumbles something. Possibly her cousin's name.

The man says, to Justin, "Oh, you're one of us. That's clear enough." He looks to the two other women.

Justin settles a bit more centered on his legs, not liking the judgement in the man's eyes, not liking the attitude much.

Raquel keeps her mouth shut and edges behind Justin a little.

The man's voice grows a shade harsher. "I was told that four people were here looking to make contact. I assumed that you were new down here, or from one of the other Tethers in town. If not, what's going on?"

Raquel . o O (Good question.)

Carlotta shivers. "Down...here?"

Carlotta looks...up.

Carlotta says "Madre di Dios..."

Raquel looks at Carlotta and her eyes go a bit wider.

Justin says "No clue whatcher talkin' about."

The man says, "So how did you know to come looking here?"

Kate-Lynn says, politely, "Someone has chosen to assault us with walking dead, and we felt it prudent to explore the situation in full."

Carlotta's brain shunts over to one of her great aunts, who *always* had a Rosary. Right now she *really* wants that Rosary. Or any other rosary.

Raquel watches the man's expression at that.

Kate-Lynn says, "You can appreciate how this might concern us; it is an unusual and not altogether pleasant situation."

From afar, Raquel wonders if Raquel _has_ a rosary somewhere in her luggage or purse. O:>

The man nods, as if this isn't something entirely surprising. "Looking for allies? Or needing some help?"

You paged Raquel with 'She may even be wearing one.'.

Justin says "Someone to tell us what's goin' on."

Raquel pages: Necklace-rosary?

You paged Raquel with 'Yes.'.

<> Justin says "Yeesh, that was a mistake, but Justin doesn't know that."

The man frowns. "Who's supposed to have briefed you?"

Raquel murmurs, "Jerry."

Raquel fingers the discreet rosary at her own neck. Though this man is not nearly so scary as the zombies and does not require prayers to defeat.

Kate-Lynn says, "Our plans were not formed to that degree. I for one did not actually expect to find the Tower of London infiltrated by anyone, however benevolent; the notion seemed far-fetched."

Kate-Lynn reflects on this.

Kate-Lynn says, "At that, it remains so."

The man frowns. "Whose Soldiers _are_ you?"

Justin just laughs at that.

Justin says "Soldiers?"

Carlotta says "Soldiers? I ride bikes for a living."

Raquel coughs. "If we were anyone's, he's dead now."

Something dark seems to come into the man's eyes. "Ah." He steps towards the group of humans thoughtfully.

Justin frowns mildly at Raquel, "Jerry tried to tell us stuff, but he was killed before he finished. Can you tell us what's going on?"

Justin directs the question at the man.

The man pauses his approach for a moment. "Who is Jerry?"

Raquel decides that maybe a bit of praying, very quietly, wouldn't hurt.

<> Demiurge says "Full name was Jerome Guerson, for those trying to remember."

Raquel murmurs, if no one else does, "A solicitor."

Justin says "Who said we were in someone's will and sent us the quid to get here."

The man points at the floor beneath his feet. "Here? In the middle of this Tet - that is, _here_ here?"

Kate-Lynn says, politely, "London. Then he was shot, which ended the meeting precipitously."

Kate-Lynn says, "There seemed no point in speaking with him further."

Justin nods at Kate-Lynn. "And the zombies came into clean up after, one would assume."

Raquel says to Justin, "Maybe."

Kate-Lynn says, "For what it's worth, he seemed to feel we were Plantagenets."

Kate-Lynn says "Or Templars."

Kate-Lynn says "I am not certain."

Justin nods at Raquel.

The man's eyes are like solid granite. "So your contact got shot, the Death-boys came in on it, and you came here for help, but you don't have idea one what's going on?"

Raquel looks at Kate-Lynn. "He did?"

Carlotta says "Oh just show him the ring."

Justin just tilts an eyebrow at Kate-Lynn.

Justin murmurs, "Death-boys." tasting it quietly.

Kate-Lynn says, "Well enough."

Kate-Lynn fishes in her pocket, opens the bag, slips it onto her finger with her other fingers, and removes her hand from her pocket.

Raquel watches the man's face.

Justin says "Not for help, mon. For knowledge."

Justin watches him as well, quietly.

The man moves closer. He reaches out to take Kate-Lynn's wrist, bringing the ring up close to peer at it.

Raquel . o O (But help wouldn't be shunned, maybe.)

The man says, as he studied the ring, "So how did you know to get here?"

Kate-Lynn says, "It was marked with a cross on a map. It seemed more auspicious than a place marked with a pentacle, and less numerous than the places not marked at all."

Kate-Lynn folds her fingers to make it difficult to snatch the ring off, but otherwise does not resist inspection.

The man lets Kate-Lynn's hand drop. "I don't recognise the ring. Let me see the map." It doesn't seem so much rudeness, more natural behaviour.

Carlotta had the briefcase.

Carlotta still has it, actually.

Kate-Lynn, in that case, gestures towards Carlotta.

Carlotta opens the briefcase, and pulls out the map.

The man stalks across, takes the map, inspects it -- and then whistles.

Carlotta says "What?"

Justin cocks an eyebrow at the whistle.

The man says, "_Shit_, it's complete."

Justin says "Complete what?"

Raquel frowns. "Don't swear," she mutters.

Kate-Lynn considers this.

Kate-Lynn develops an unpleasant suspicion.

The man refolds it, and hands it back to Carlotta. "Hang onto this, girl. Whatever you do, don't try any of the pentacle-marked-places. They'll take you into bad company."

Justin relaxes slightly when the man hands it back.

Carlotta tucks the map away and blinks.

Carlotta says "Don't worry."

Raquel asks, quietly, "Which one did the, ah, Death-boys come from?"

The man sticks his hands into his pockets, and stalks back across the room. He mutters, over one shoulder, "Not sure. I know they have a base out Whitechapel way, but you can get zombis anywhere."

Kate-Lynn says, "I had heard this before, regarding the Houses of Parliament, but this is the first time I have heard the British Museum so described."

Carlotta says "So what are we supposed to do, go to cross-marked ones until we find someone who recognizes the ring?"

The man says, "You might get lucky at the Library for that, or with whoever your "contact" belonged to."

Raquel mutters, "He didn't say. His assassin didn't say either."

The man considers, and seems to come to a decision.

Kate-Lynn says, "He sniffled. Perhaps we were intended to infer deep meaning from this."

Justin says "The assassin said that he needed the ring, that he alone knew how to use it. Given that we'd rather not treat with him and he sent the zombies, who would his... natural enemy be?"

Carlotta peers at Kate-Lynn, "And maybe he was on drugs, huh?"

Kate-Lynn says, "The road of life offers many possibilities."

Raquel . o O (Drugs? For his allergies?)

The man considers. "A lot of people. Look, I'll be blunt. You lot clearly don't have much clue about what's going on."

Justin contemplates a smart remark, but just stays quiet and listens.

Raquel waits, patiently, being used to people telling her things she doesn't know and should.

<> Kate-Lynn suspects a corporate takeover bid, but doesn't say.

The man says, "There are ... groups out there, capisce? Some of us try and do good stuff for ... for people. But we have different ways of doing it. My -- Boss, my boss, he believes in people making their own way. Not in just giving them stuff."

<> Justin got talked to by a raven, *knows* he has no clue.

Raquel continues to listen.

The man frowns. "I can tell you've got potential. I figure you've got enough of it to be able to put together some of what's going on. If you can prove you can do that, I can ask my boss for help."

The man shrugs. "And if you don't, you're not going to be deep enough in to get hurt, so no skin off my nose."

Raquel asks, "And if we get killed by zombis because we didn't figure out enough, quickly enough?"

He shrugs. "Then your soul goes to heaven, girl."

Justin blinks mildly at that.

Raquel fingers her rosary. "So the Sisters hope."

Justin says "Heaven? For getting killed by zombies? Or for trying to figure out this... whatever it is?"

The man says, "For doing what's right."

<> Raquel has been called doll and sweetheart and adorable and sweetie, and is not inclined to be called 'girl' by someone not believed to possess a gun.

The man says, "I don't know your Jerry. I don't know your ring. You'd do best finding out who he was and tracing that."

Kate-Lynn watches the man dispassionately.

Carlotta pulls out some papers. "How about these? Recognize any of this?"

Carlotta shows the man some of 'Jerry's' academic papers.

He looks at them, shakes his head. "Was the guy a teacher?"

Kate-Lynn says, "He's not useful to us, Carlotta." Her voice is neutral.

Justin nods at Kate-Lynn and relaxes a touch.

Carlotta says "Maybe a professor. I dunno. Maybe you can tell us which 'cross' we should try next."

Kate-Lynn says, "I, for one, intend to jump through the hoops I choose for myself; those, and no others. It's vaguely irritating that in this case they may coincide with the ones he proposes. Nevertheless."

Carlotta ignores Kate-Lynn, who is being stupid.

The man says, quite equably, "No, I'm not. Go find someone who is." He pauses. "But you can run here if you're in trouble. We're a shelter too."

The man says, to Carlotta, "Try the British Library, or the Science Museum. Or anything you've got on where he came from."

Raquel fingers her rosary and thinks very hard.

Justin nods at that thoughtfully and looks up at the ceiling and around at the stone walls, "Solid."

Carlotta says "Okay, Thank you."

There's a flicker of a smile about the man's mouth as he looks at Justin again. "Yes."

Justin frowns quietly, "Did the raven really speak to me?"

Carlotta gives a heartfelt, 'A Dios', and packs up the papers and the map.

Kate-Lynn says, "That," and inclines her head, "I will thank you for, both in advance and at the time."

The man nods. "He did."

Justin nods at that and takes a deep breath. "Thanks."

The man says, to the group in general, "Later." He turns, making his way to the stairs on the other side of the room, heading downwards.

Raquel raises her hand. "Excuse me? May I ask one more thing?"

He pauses, glancing back.

Raquel looks down, then up again. "You said that a soul would go to Heaven, for doing the right thing. Would it go to Hell, for doing the wrong thing? Or reincarnate?"

Raquel watches his expression on that last word.

He says, briefly, "Depends. So don't try it." His face is as flat and unreadable as stone.

Kate-Lynn says, "You may wish to tell your boss, in any case, even though you do not plan to ask him for help. Jerome seemed to consider this important." She shrugs, and makes her own way out.

Raquel nods thoughtfully to herself, with a trace of satisfaction.

The man passes through the far doorway, vanishing into the shadows of the stairwell.

Raquel trails after the others.

The old stone of the tower is very still.

Outside the sun still shines brightly, hordes of chattering tourists wander round gabbling, children play, and the ravens caw on the lawn.

Kate-Lynn says, as she walks, whether or not she's being followed by the others, "That was a mistake. I should have clung to my original plan, *investigating* him rather than asking anything of him. And I suspect I will perpetuate the error by asking again at the Library. Still, we can snoop around another cross afterward."

Raquel giggles and nods.

<> Demiurge says "Still got plenty left!"

Raquel murmurs, "Maybe we can snoop at the Library until we are discovered?"

Justin nods quietly and follows.

The limo is still waiting in the carpark.

Kate-Lynn says, "I use 'I' and not 'we' because I am not a leader any more than a follower; I do not criticize anyone else's actions."

Kate-Lynn says, "In any case."

Kate-Lynn comes around to the driver's door. "I think I'll take a turn at the wheel. Would you mind sitting in the passenger's side?" she asks him.

Justin grins mildly at Kate-Lynn and then opens the door for Raquel and Carlotta.

Raquel smiles at Justin and gets in.

Justin smiles back, though the smile doesn't quite reach his eyes.

The chauffeur nods with bland impertubability, and climbs into the passenger's seat.

Kate-Lynn climbs into the driver's seat, fastens herself in, and takes off in a squeal of rubber. She obeys the speed limits and laws and gives cursory respect to other drivers, but given that she's in a very large car and waits until the last moment on turns, the process retains a spirit of excitement.

Raquel eeps and fastens her seatbelt, if one can be found.

Justin gets in after the women and gets a Scotch from the bar and tosses it back quietly and then settles in for a good brood in the corner of the limo, where he can wedge himself from Kate-Lynn's driving.

Kate-Lynn remembers to be on the left side by the time she's out of the parking lot, although it looks for a moment like she was going to forget.

Justin mutters, very softly, about women drivers.

While the London traffic hampers Kate-Lynn's driving a shade, it remains fast.

Raquel brings out the letter upon which is scribbled the phone number the assassin gave her. With an air of one trying to distract herself from Kate-Lynn's driving, she asks, "Are there ways to tell where a phone number goes to, besides looking in the phone book?"

<> Demiurge says "Alas, you have no Sephar."

<> Raquel mourns! No Sephar!

<> Sephar sniffles.

<> Demiurge says "Mind you, imagine all your reactions if you did meet a talking mouse. ;)"

Kate-Lynn heads for the British Library. She takes a moment at a stop to slip sunglasses on. Our ring gleams on the hand on the wheel.

<> Justin laughs!

Raquel asks, a bit more seriously, "Justin? Did... did the bird really talk to you?"

Justin takes just a bit to register his name, but when he does he quirks a grin at Raquel, "Well, he said it did."

Kate-Lynn gives a competing driver the bird, but it doesn't speak to the man, because, well, the windows are opaque.

Justin says "And it sure sounded like it when it was takin' ta me, but you know how folks can throw their voices."

Raquel smiles back. "Like -- a parrot? A trained bird?"

Kate-Lynn says, clippedly, her concentration obviously on the car, "He would have to have thrown his voice like it was an aerobie."

Justin shakes his head, looking a bit more confused, "No. It... was more like a person. Real with brains and knowin' what it was sayin' and the beak was moving with the words."

Raquel's hand creeps to her rosary-necklace. "What if it's a familiar?"

Kate-Lynn says, "Not one of *those* ravens," with absolute conviction.

Kate-Lynn weaves the car sharply into a space in the adjacent lane.

Raquel says, "Can we be sure?"

Justin says "I don't know if we can be sure, just yet, but I do think Kate-Lynn might have something. The guardians of London's wholeness jus' doesn't seem the type to be turned that way."

Raquel says, "Whose word do we have besides his?"

Justin chuckles, "A legend of the City?"

Justin says "I guess if I now have to believe in zombies, I might as well believe in the good things, too."

Justin frowns thoughtfully at saying that.

Kate-Lynn says, "I had not expected that they could speak; nevertheless, they merit our consummate respect either way."

Kate-Lynn says, "They're sort of like secular Bibles, only with wings and without all the people misinterpreting them."

The Limo approaches the British Library. This is a slightly quieter, older part of London, with buildings in high white stone.

---

The League