S3 E2: A Legal Break In

Michelle Kelly

: When last we left the Lamplight Investigative Services a new case had slid under their doorstep in the form of Rose Weatherby, daughter of recently deceased Viola Weatherby: a well-known inventor, alchemist, and prominent member of society.

Following Rose’s directions, Jo Gilmore met with the proprietor of a boarding house in Nova named Zeb. During that time, Mama Amoretta and JJ poured over newspapers to find information about Viola Weatherby, which unearthed some interesting questions. What was the heart malfunction her husband died from? And what was this gadget that she was slated to reveal at an upcoming science symposium?

We find our investigators, on a new day, mulling over these clues and searching for answers.

Kenzie Tartaglione (Game Master):

Mama Amoretta finds herself in her car driving to the clinic in Cypher City. It is a community clinic created specifically for people who probably couldn’t pay to go to the hospital, needed help outside of insurance. And Mama Amoretti’s brother, Antonio, sometimes offers aid, offers his services at this clinic.. So, Mama Amoretta is in on her way, in her car, over to this clinic, from Lamplight Investigative Services. She pulls up to the entrance. It is not a building that stands out at all. It is brick, is square, is one story, there's nothing about it would call attention to it anyway. Everybody knows it for what is because it's supposed to be known in that sense. But there's no signage, there's not like a neon flashing light like they're often in a Nova, dictating what this is. It simply known as the clinic. And so Mama Amoretta pulls her car up to the front drive, steps out, and can enter into the clinic of Cyper City.

Danielle Halen: Amoretta’s gonna hobble in with her cane, kind of leaning a bit of weight on it just to make it seem like, you know, it's actually serving a purpose rather than sticking by her side for the other reason she actually has it. And she will make her way into the clinic, because I assume the staff is probably familiar with her face. If she's got questions, she's probably gonna go and pester her brother about it. So she'll walk up to the desk, the office attendant,

Dani (Mama Amoretta):

Is Antonio available at the moment? Or is he busy with the client?

Kenzie (GM):

There is probably a middle-aged woman at this table who are aware of named Maria, and she kind of looks up from the desk, smiles at you, very aware of who you are, and says,

Kenzie (Maria):

I actually do believe he's in with a patient right now, but if you can just wait a couple minutes, he'll be right out and can talk to you without a problem.

Dani (Mama Amoretta):

Appreciate it, Maria.

Dani:

And she'll just go and wait patiently and see maybe if there's like a little newspaper article or like some magazine, she's gonna pick that up and just be like what's going on?

Kenzie (GM):

You open this newspaper and I think that between the time of you and JJ examining old newspapers and you coming to this office, there wasn't a lot of time for you to read today's newspaper. You know more about the death of Viola Wetherby than this paper is letting on. It is quite vague in its detailings. You see something about maybe in another week or so, there's going to be another shutdown of public services for their monthly review. The city will have an alert, as it usually does to the speakers, saying that the trains are going to be shut down or the lights are going to be shut off or the speakers are going to be shut down for a certain amount of time. But they're worrying about that fairly early. You see an article about symposium that you recently found out about and about how they are unsure yet who is going to the spot of the late Viola Weatherby. But that is kind of how you can bide your time until your brother steps out of one of patient rooms.

He's like a fifty-something, middle-aged man. Has fairly decent good looks, graying hair, chiseled chin. Has been working as a doctor for so many years you've pretty much forgotten. And he has always had a special place in his heart for pro bono work, to give people medical care that they may not have access to otherwise. So it was very unsurprising when he joined up with this clinic.

But he strides out f the office, drops a clipboard into a slot at the nurse's desk and you watch as Maria mentions that you are waiting for him. He turns around and looks at you.

Kenzie (Antonio):

Ah, yes.

Dani:

Amoretta's gonna smile, get up, and pull her brother into, you know, a hug as a hello.

Dani (Mama Amoretta):

It’s good to see you, although, today I'm here on business. Not an injury luckily this time, but something else.

Kenzie (Antonio):

Well, I'm very glad that I don't have to patch you up, but how about we go into my office and we chat a little bit?

Dani (Mama Amoretta):

Sounds good.

Kenzie (GM):

You follow him down the hallway, turn left, into a smaller room contains simply a desk, couple chairs, that's it.But you take a seat in one the chairs across the desk from him, and he says,

Kenzie (Antonio):

Well. whenever you come calling, I know it's important. So what do you have to ask me?

Dani (Mama Amoretta):

Well, I ran up on something interesting, so you know… I don't know you saw on paper this morning, but the situation with Mrs. Weatherby?

Kenzie (Antonio):

No, I actually haven't had time to read this morning. Do you mind catching me up?

Dani (Mama Amoretta):

Well, unfortunate news about Viola Weatherby is that she's passed on. And not in a pleasant way either but I was doing so was doing so on situation you know me and how nosey I get. So, started doing some digging and found that her husband passed from something known as a heart malfunction and I know heart failures definitely a common cause for a lot of people passing. But, heart malfunction made me pause. And I was wondering, if you might know something more than I do.

Kenzie (GM):

Kind of sits back in this chair, takes that in. That phrasing specifically.

Kenzie (Antonio):

Well, I do know what you're talking about. Unfortunately, this was something that I signed a contract about many years ago when it happened. And I do have to say that I had told them my issues with the whole process in general. But it was gonna save a man's life. So I ended up going through with it. If Viola Weatherby has passed, I think it is only in her honor that I tell you what happened.

Dani (Mama Amoretta):

I appreciate that, Antonio.

Kenzie (Antonio):

So, she is a very interesting woman. There were a lot of things that she has been working on that I would never, ever have signed off on, have implemented, but this one specific thing… I - we both thought it was going to work. And so, she came in here with her husband, a few years back and had a contraption with her that was supposed to fix his heart problems. So, I opened him up and I inserted this gadget inside. It pretty much was a function that clasped around his heart and became his heart for him. That was the purpose of it. His heart was gonna fail if we didn't do anything. But unfortunately, when it all came down to it, his heart stopped working because the gadget she made malfunctioned. And so, that little slip-up in the newspaper wasn't for our best benefit. It drew too much attention, we tried to ignore it and we did for a long time. But as you can see, you have called it to attention now.

I… She saved him, to be clear. She created it for him. It saved his life. And unfortunately the thing that saved his life, ended up ending his life as well.

Dani (Mama Amoretta):

Well I mean, I'm the last one to judge somebody for doing whatever they can't save their husband.

Kenzie (GM):

There’s a moment of silence in which Antonio obviously doesn't know what to say to you. It has been years since Dimitri went missing and your brothers have done their best to comfort you in that time. But after not being able to for so long, there is an un-comfortability now in how to deal with that. And so that kind of just sits in this silence for a minute.

Dani (Mama Amoretta):

Well, I appreciate you being honest with me, Antonio. I know I need to share the truth that you signed a promised to keep quiet about, but, I think it is important, especially now that she's gone and well, I'm just trying to figure out what happened. Even if it ain't my business, but it is my business.

Kenzie (Antonio):

If you've been hired and it's your business of course.

Dani:

Amoretta’s gonna shrug at that. She's not… Her brother knows her enough to know that it really could be coin toss into whether she was looking into this of her own accord or he was actually hired to do something about it. Because she is nosey and he knows that.

Kenzie (Antonio):

I will always lend a helping hand whenever I can. You know that.

Dani (Mama Amoretta):

I know. And I think everyone sees it and we all very much appreciate what you do for us, Antonio. Every person that comes to see us.

Kenzie (Antonio):

I don't do it for... the reputation. But... If… if this can help you in what you're looking for. Then that's information you should know. I will say, it wasn't a cover-up. If you dug a little bit deeper, you would've found it. We weren't trying to super hide it. She simply didn't want...

Dani (Mama Amoretta):

Just didn't want to make a fuss over nothing.

Kenzie (Antonio):

Didn't want to make a fuss over nothing. This wasn't created for anybody but him. She made this to save his life. She didn't want to mass produce it. She didn't want to sell it to anybody. It was a one and done type of thing.

Dani (Mama Amoretta):

That’s good to know.

Kenzie (Antonio):

Just unfortunately didn’t turn out in their favor. I was there at the end. And he wasn't mad.

Dani (Mama Amoretta):

Well, I just hope he went peacefully then.

Kenzie (Antonio):

I think he did.

Dani (Mama Amoretta):

That's good. You should come over sometime, I can make you some supper if you want. I know you’re busy!

Kenzie (Antonio):

Oh I really gotta - I know, I’m busy but, you know, I'm not gonna turn down a free supper.

Dani (Mama Amoretta):

Well, good, then you come calling by my house.

Kenzie (Antonio):

Maybe in a few days, I’ll give you a call.

Dani (Mama Amoretta):

Sound good. I’ll see you then Antonio. And thank you again. I hope everything goes well for the rest of your day.

Kenzie (GM):

Stands up from his desk and as you initiated the first hug, you watch him decide whether or not to come around the desk and initiate another hug. But he instead opts for an awkward hands up waves you out of the room.

Dani:

I’ll give him little wave as well. She knows how her brother is. She's like, I get it.

Kenzie (GM):

Unfortunately, the trolley in Cypher City is not the most reliable. But you're used to that. So, JJ jumps on her roller blades. Rollers to the pickup spot that's closest to Lamplight Investigative Services. Has to wait like thirty-seven minutes. But, again, she's used to it. She's used to it. So, when it arrives, in it's run down, clattering glory, JJ jumps upon it, and rides it, all the way back around Cypher City, all the way over the Golden Mile, and into Nova. And so jumps off at the appropriate spot, which means, she has another 10 minutes to rollerblade until she gets to her friend's house.

JJ has known Onyx for a significant amount of time. They grew up together. They went to the same school for very long time. JJ has continuously gone over to their house for dinner every week, despite the fact that Onyx currently resides in her family home in their family home, alone. Because their parents are a little bit more concerned with what Jo is concerned with, which is scientific research and gadgetry.

You blade up to Onyx's house and it is what you would consider a mansion. It is behind a wrought iron gate. It consists of like three to four stories. You're never actually sure. ‘Cause you think you've been to all of them but from the outside, it looks a little bit different than it looks from the inside. And you see the lights are on inside and you come up to the front door. You give it a little knock like you usually do. And the door opens and behind the door you see this completely purple bird individual, with a tail, almost like a tiefling, where the end comes to like a point. And she is wearing a wonderful floral apron over her fur and you can also tell through the apron that the chest is like a lighter lavender than the rest of it.

And the door opens and she appears. And you know this person is Marigold. She is the Dredges’ maid, butler, slash person who pretty much does everything for them when are away.

Kenzie (Marigold):

JJ, so nice to see you again.

Kenzie (GM):

Which is the same thing she says every week when you arrive.

Atlas Mathews:

And I think similarly to every week when I arrive, JJ is like waiting at the door and like someone's gonna open this door and say hello and I'm gonna greet them in the correct way that you greet a person. And then when it's Marigold the tension kinda...

Atlas (June July August):

(sighs) Hi, how's it going? No one's here?

Kenzie (Marigold):

Well, it's the same as it always is. Would you like to see Onyx?

Atlas (JJ):

In the - Yeah, yes, absolutely. There's just no car in the driveway, did… I just have some questions and I have a letter that I need to mail. I can mail it at my house. It's just I don't know, I feel weird mailing something to n parents from my house.

Kenzie (Marigold):

I can mail it for you if you like to.

Atlas (JJ):

That would be amazing.

Kenzie (Marigold):

Do you want dinner? Because it hasn't been put on and you usually want dinner. So we can put it for if you'd like.

Atlas (JJ):

I won't say no to dinner, but I don't want to put you out. You don't have to… but you do make -

Kenzie (Marigold):

Well, I’ll get that started for you. Onyx is up, well not in their room, but in their other room. So you can find it, I think you know where that is.

Atlas (JJ):

I'll only get lost twice on the way.

Kenzie (Marigold):

If you do, if you just go to the wall and ring the bell, we'll come and find you.

Atlas:

And at that I think, JJ's eyes do widen little bit. I forgot that this is, holy shit.

Kenzie (GM):

Despite the fact that you come to Onyx’s house every week, on rote, it consistently chances.

Atlas (JJ):

Thank you. Again. Marigold. I'm gonna go…

Atlas:

And I think JJ starts going in another direction and then like looks and like the staircase is the other way.

Atlas (JJ):

Did you guys get new flowers?

Atlas:

Trying to play it off kinda as like…I'm just gonna look his.

Kenzie (GM):

The staircase has actively switched spots since you were here the last week. It is same staircase though. It is beautiful marble staircase. Probably abbout twenty-three steps up. About three feet wide. Has a beautiful golden gilded-handrail up the side of it. So it's the same staircase staircase is simply located in the opposite side of the room that it was before.

Atlas (JJ):

Man, you guys know a lot about decorating. This is… I sometimes look at stuff like that and go man, I wish that was somewhere else.

Kenzie (GM):

As you say this, notice that you're of speaking and your voice is just echoing because Marigold has walked off into a further room to start the dinner preparations for you.

Atlas:

If there's no more audience JJ kinda of

Atlas (JJ):

(Sighs) This is so fucking weird. Alright, let’s... the second bedroom. So that’s the one on the second, no the first bedroom is on the second floor, the second bedroom is on ether third floor, fourth door down.

Kenzie (GM):

You start your way up the marbled staircase. You get tot he stop of it. You go down the hallway and you find yourself at a familiar, wrought iron spiral staircase. And you start up it to the third floor of the abode, and down the third floor hallway, on the fourth door…

Atlas:

Yeah, I’ll do like a (knocking song) da, da, da, da, da…

Kenzie (GM):

And you hear back, not in a knock, but in a very loud and boisterous voice.

Kenzie (Onyx Dredge):

Da! Da!

Atlas:

I’ll open the door.

Kenzie (GM):

And you see, standing in the middle of this room, they have a massive pair of spectacles on that are like four inches wide. It's like a welding mask with those on top of them, looking at something in the middle of this room at a table. You see your friend, Onyx. And they do not look up at you despite their obvious reaction to your knock and they are still looking at whatever it is they're looking at as you walk into this room.

Atlas (JJ):

Ooooo there's a ghost in your room that just happened -

Kenzie (Onyx):

Yeah, okay, shut up, JJ.

Atlas (JJ):

(laughs)

Kenzie (Onyx):

What’s going on?

Atlas (JJ):

We didn’t really decide on a day last week so I decided to show up, because we don't really decide on a day any week and I just kinda show up. So, I have a few questions and also a letter but I think Marigold already took care of the letter.

Kenzie (GM):

They pull their little masks up to the top of their head. And you see a fairly narrow face, wide eyes, very dark brown skin, has pointed ears. Has teeth that are not tusks necessarily, but they're all pointed. Kind of smiles and their smile is a bit of a creepy grin at all times.

Kenzie (Onyx):

We never really make a date for these things. I just kind of expect you to show up when you show up. So what do you want to talk about?

Atlas (JJ):

First, how was your week?

Atlas:

And I think JJ is doing a similar smile of like, and both like fangs are just kinda like, yes, we are excited. We are excited together.

Kenzie (GM):

Onyx is in this almost like brown overall type because they're working. But you can see that it covers like a very nicely made silk gray shirt over linen pants. It's a very nice outfit that has been covered by a Carhartt overall type of situation. They put down what they're working on and clatters - they’re very unceremonious about it - so it clatters to the table. They walk around it and they go,

Kenzie (Onyx):

Okay.

Kenzie (GM):

And they fall into this very old and brown leather chair that has the leather ripped off of it in places. And they spread their arms out and they go,

Kenzie (Onyx):

My week has been great. Nothing to complain about. But obviously you got something on your mind that I'd like to hear.

Atlas (JJ):

Well…

Atlas:

And I think JJ like walks over to the table and picks something up. It's not the main thing that got dropped, but maybe it's like two rings that are together and just picks it up and twisting it around and fidgeting with it. Fidgeting with it.

Atlas (JJ):

Nothing much has happened. I mean, we've solved some cases, we got some new cases, a lady got murdered. I -

Kenzie (Onyx):

(laughs) Stop. What?

Atlas (JJ):

A lady.

Kenzie (Onyx):

A lady?

Atlas (JJ):

Got murdered.

Kenzie (Onyx):

Got murdered.

Atlas (JJ):

And she was an inventor?

Kenzie (Onyx):

And we're just gonna like throw that out in casual conversation amongst friends? Just like throw them out of the ether?

Atlas (JJ):

You're so right.

Atlas:

And will like sit in front of chair and just go,

Atlas (JJ):

(clears throat) This week, there was a woman who was murdered.

Kenzie (Onyx):

Okay, well that's too formal, but you know what I mean. know what I mean.

Atlas (JJ):

How do you tell someone that? Well, I'll tell you how - Okay, so, her daughter shows up. 2AM. I'm at the office for reasons. Maybe that reason was that I sleeping at office. Who's to say? Not me.

Kenzie (Onyx):

The bed is right there.

Kenzie (GM):

And they point over to a very poorly up air mattress with ripped blankets, just old, like something that they probably just grabbed from like an old closet or off the street, honestly. And it's not well made, but you do know that could sleep on it if you wanted to.

Atlas (JJ):

How am I gonna rollerblade here at like midnight when we finish cases?

Kenzie (Onyx):

Well, you wouldn't because you would just be here.

Atlas (JJ):

But then, but then, I have to rollerblade to work!

Kenzie (Onyx):

But that's I get it because I also don't want you up in my fucking space all the time. I need my personal space and I need to think and breathe. So it's good, it's good, it's good. So what's going on? What did you say?

Atlas (JJ):

Oh, what were we talking about?

Kenzie (Onyx):

A death.

Atlas (JJ):

Murder! So the lady gone, daughter at my office in the morning.

Kenzie (Onyx):

Interesting.

Atlas (JJ):

I have to huff it to my boss' office, it was the only option, don’t let anyone convince you otherwise.

Kenzie (Onyx):

We do it sometimes.

Atlas (JJ):

We do it we do it for the people. It's simply what we must do. So I do it and then my boss comes my boss talks to the daughter of the lady that died. And I know her name… somewhere in my brain. Famous inventor. Might have known her. Was about to give a big speech. Husband died of weird things. Jo knows her.

Kenzie (Onyx):

I mean I’m really stuck up in my own workshop a lot of the times. I don’t really think anybody else has anything to do with me. I like making my own shit. I like them keeping to themselves. So, you’re really going to have to find that name for me.

Atlas (JJ):

I know. I'm gonna keep talking and eventually I will remember. But she gets murdered as an assistant. But I think the daughter did it. Most important, I wanted to ask about… So there was this mini steam engine thing and Jo said so many words about it so quickly. But it was small. You could take little steam engine and you could put it inside of something.

Kenzie (Onyx):

Did Jo make it?

Atlas (JJ):

No.

Kenzie (Onyx):

Well, whoever made it, I wanna kiss on the mouth.

Atlas (JJ):

That’s weird. Because she's a corpse. Waa -waaa.

Kenzie (Onyx):

Okay, well I take it back, but I still, you know, it stands. And the fact that that's really fucking cool.

Atlas (JJ):

It sounds cool, but it also sounds like something someone would murder someone for, so… I sent this letter your parents already your parents. I didn't send it -

Kenzie (Onyx):

What does it say?

Atlas (JJ):

- Marigold sent it downstairs.

Kenzie (Onyx):

What did it say.

Atlas (JJ):

It said to Craig and Diane, but then I scribbled that out and I said dear Mr. and Mrs. Dredge because I know your parents like me, but like what if they didn't? You know? And so I wanna still seem formal, but then I scratched it out and then was like, they're gonna know, like they'll hold it up to or something. And I heard that you can like hold up something to candle flame and you can see words that have been like erased. So then I got rid of that letter. Dear Mr. and Mrs. Dredge and in it, I put the name of this person. And I know it so well. You would not even believe it.

Kenzie (Onyx):

I'm like second guessing whether or not this is important to you because I don’t think you know the name.

Atlas (JJ):

It is important to me that is why I've forgotten the name, really.

Kenzie (Onyx):

Is that how that works? Is that why when I'm in the middle of something, I sometimes forget how make it, because it's important to me.

Atlas (JJ):

Yeah, and you thought about it too hard. You thought about it until your brain didn’t want it anymore.

Kenzie (Onyx):

Do I have ADHD?

Atlas (JJ):

Yeah, because you forgot that you have ADHD. And I've been telling you this since forever.

Kenzie (Onyx):

Okay, well, can you talk to Mama Amoretta and like see if her brother can give me some drugs for that?

Atlas (JJ):

Probably. I bet that there are better drugs that you could get here. Quite honestly. You don't even have to go in for anything. I'm sure you could just show up and talk for a minute and they’d be like…

Kenzie (Onyx):

See? I don't like doing that. Cause like it gives me a reputation I don't wanna have amongst the quote unquote elite of Nova city. I don't want them to think they're my friends.

Atlas (JJ):

I thought you were saying that you didn't like going in and talking to a doctor.

Kenzie (Onyx):

Well, I also don't like that but that's actually not the big issue. Somebody’s gonna see me walking into that doctor's office and then the next event they're gonna have lot of for me that I don't want to answer.

Atlas (JJ):

Tell them that you had diarrhea. No one asks more questions after you’ve said you’ve had diarrhea.

Kenzie (Onyx):

Well that's a little bit more invasive than I want to be. Anyways please continue your diatribe?

Atlas (JJ):

Oh I had a diatribe.

Atlas:

I think JJ turns to the side and there’s a guitar or something with string

Atlas (JJ):

Viola! Viola Weatherby! Viola Weatherby is dead! And her daughter needs us... Nope! I never met her daughter! And you don't know that I met her daughter because I didn't.

Kenzie (GM):

So I'm gonna need you to use the Mask to see if you can persuade Onyx to not realize that you actually know who this person is. So, roll 2d6 plus the number that is your wit. So plus one.

Atlas:

The total is 10 plus 1.

Kenzie (GM):

So you get to choose two of these options. They believe a big lie, which is you don't know who this woman's daughter is, as you have stated. The lie you have is unexpectedly perfect, creating a new opportunity and/or they give you the benefit of the doubt and remain convinced even if there is some evidence of your lie.

Atlas:

I’m gonna go with the last two because I think it's less like you really truly know that I never met this daughter and more of a like - if anyone asks me, I'll say that you didn't.

Kenzie (Onyx):

Okay, well, I mean, I know that Ms. Weatherby was working on some stuff that like, was pretty crazy according to the world, but like, I wasn't really working on it with her, so I don't have a lot of intel.

Atlas (JJ):

Do you know anything about the Weatherbys? They do things.

Kenzie (Onyx):

I mean,Viola Weatherby is like one of the biggest and the best in right now and like you… She’s fucking dead you said? Because that's hear-wrenching.

Atlas (JJ):

Oh no, I'm sorry.

Kenzie (Onyx):

Viola Weatherby has more knowledge and understanding of gadgetry than anybody else in business. So we're now fighting, compensation with knowledge, and it’s never really met equally. And it's kind of fucking mess. And so I just think that it - she was a super cool woman, that if she ever wanted our help I would have given it to her, but I think that my parents scared people off too much that they won't even come to me now to answer their questions

Atlas (JJ):

Well, if it's any consolation, I do think you've kinda won now.

Kenzie (Onyx):

I'm not, I was not invited to the symposium.

Atlas (JJ):

What do you know about the symposium?

Kenzie (Onyx):

That I wasn’t invited to it and it feels like pretty big slight on everybody's - not that I'm working on anything important, I'm not, because I don't have any fucking ideas right now. It's like a dead zone in my brain.

Atlas (JJ):

Ice cream but you make it by riding a bicycle.

Kenzie (Onyx):

God that would’ve been - just even that would have so much better than anything I've got going on.

Atlas (JJ):

Smoothies but you make them by riding a bicycle.

Kenzie (Onyx):

Anyway so the symposium is like the biggest event that the college puts on like every four years, okay? So, when you're invited it’s like a big deal because you might not get invited in four years because maybe you don't have an idea. And granted -

Atlas (JJ):

Like you.

Kenzie (Onyx):

Okay, JJ, do you want me to kick you out my house because I also didn't have and idea last year and it's making it feel like you're rubbing it in a little bit.

Atlas (JJ):

You didn't have an idea last year but isn't it every four years?

Kenzie (Onyx):

Sorry, last time. The problem is - I had a good idea last year!

Atlas (JJ):

Last year you were working on the paintball gun -

Kenzie (Onyx):

Exactly.

Atlas (JJ):

- that like, can also make you jump higher?

Kenzie (Onyx):

That’s the problem with the symposium, is that my ideas happen between the four year span when they should happen.

Atlas (JJ):

That is kind of rude of them. The fuck? I hate colleges.

Kenzie (Onyx):

The point of the symposium is that like the students at Arcadia get to like show what they've been working on for that semester, right? But then also they invite these incredible inventors. So, the entire point is to like do something that’s so big that you’ll be getting invited to the symposium. And apparently, Weatherby did it.

Atlas (JJ):

Yeah, ‘cause Weatherby invented that steam thing. That Jo knows a lot about. That can power little machines.

Kenzie (Onyx):

Yeah, yeah, yeah, the steam thing is a thing. The steam thing has been a thing. That’s not what she was going to take to the symposium. No one knows what she was going to take to the symposium.

Atlas (JJ):

Oh.

Kenzie (Onyx):

I’ve used the steam things. They’re fucking great. They’re little tiny steam engines to put in shit.

Atlas (JJ):

Man, I need to listen better when Jo talks.

Kenzie (Onyx):

There are a lot of reasons you should listen better when Jo talks, but I also understand the looking at Jo's face -

Atlas (JJ):

(groans)

Kenzie (Onyx):

- is like you just immediately black out because it's so beautiful, ya know?

Atlas (JJ):

(pretends to throw up) Nerd alert!

Kenzie (Onyx):

Don't talk to me like you don't know what I'm talking about, JJ!

Atlas (JJ):

Listen.

Kenzie (Onyx):

Mr. I've walked into this - trying to sleep in our agency and she's there and I won't sleep. Yeah, don't even start with me.

Atlas (JJ):

What if she needs something? What is she like, I don’t know, wants to talk?

Kenzie (Onyx):

What if she's hot? I get it! It's what happens.

Atlas (JJ):

There's no what if, okay? I have eyes, she's hot. Alright, but there's nothing more than that. Like, I mean, sometimes we ride on the same motorcycle. What are you - what is this thing?

Atlas:

JJ will literally like jangle the little pieces of metal in front of -

Kenzie (Onyx):

That’s the inducing pendulum. I don't think you should touch that because it's gonna make you sick.

Atlas (JJ):

The seducing pendulum?

Kenzie (Onyx):

Inducing. But I should make that.

Atlas (JJ):

You should. Then you’d get invited to the thing, the symposium.

Kenzie (Onyx):

Well I don't wanna really like trick my way in. I think that I be taken on brains.

Atlas (JJ):

No, no, no, no, no, no, that's thing you're bringing to the symposium you’re not seducing, well... actually…

Kenzie (Onyx):

Do you want dinner right now? ‘Cause I'm kinda hungry. Did I answer your questions? Cause I don't really know what question you came in with, I don’t remember now.

Atlas (JJ):

I forgot what questions I asked. But I'm hungry, so yeah, sure.

Kenzie (GM):

Onyx leads you down out of this workshop, down the little spiral staircase that is here, down the marble staircase, around the corner, through what you had thought was what you remembered to be where the servants quarters were but they were not that. It is now the dining room that has been set up in a glorious manner. There are like ten chairs at this table but there are two place settings and like twenty-seven candles and it's so stupid.

Atlas:

Onyx and I always sit at the opposite ends - like at the heads of the tables, since we were kids, ‘cause we were like nope we’re vampire now, this is great. This is amazing.

[ad break begins]

Kenzie:

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[ad break ends]

Kenzie (GM):

Jo has taken it upon herself to go to The Circus and find out what information she can from there. The Circus is a bar, a club, a burlesque space. If you were looking to find anyone, someone at The Circus would have the answers for you. Whether or not they tell you, well that depends on you. It boasts an array of clientele and is the usual meeting spot for any dealings that are looking to be made.

Gratefully this evening is not as wet as the evening before. It is still overcast, but the rain is not falling as it was. It leaves puddles through the cobblestones. It leaves water dripping off of signposts. But it is not actively raining. And so Jo walks up to this club in a fairly put together aura and walks in and is met with a live band, a bouncer already at 7pm, shoving somebody outside.

You walk into what looks to be a pretty shitty dive bar - is kind of what the outside of the space looks like. But once you get in, you realize that it is much more taken care of than that. In the backspace in the bar, you know is a kind of burlesque club, it’s kind of hidden. It’s not hidden like a secret, it's hidden in a sense of privacy. But you walk in here and I think Joe knows a lot of the people here. Knows a lot of the workers, knows a lot of the patrons. I think possibly has specific relationships with certain people. But not with all of them. With a lot of them it's just like, I know you because we all come here. But there are a few girls in this space that Jo has actively had relationships with throughout the years actively had relationships with throughout the years.

April Consalo:

As Jo enters, she kind of shrugs off this coat that she has. And as she throws it over her shoulder, says,

April (Joanna Gilmore):

David, need any help?

Kenzie (David):

I’m so good, Miss Jo, it's all good. Just somebody who didn't know where his lines ended and where ours met. So, time to get out.

April:

Jo gives like a little salute to the drunk man that's getting thrown out. She has thrown out many a drunk man herself and assisted David in many a bouncing of rowdy patrons. She just insists that there is respect.

Kenzie (GM):

This also is a place in which they actively respect their burlesque dancers and performers, and so there's like very thin line of what is okay what is not. And so while it is a dive bar, it is a place that you can meet people for secrecy here, there is still an idea that you have a respect for the individuals who working in the establishment. The funniest thing about this bar is that they have a running tally of the last time the sun shone in Cypher City. And currently, that tally is ridiculously high. It is at 39 days.

April:

I think Jo walks past David and finds a comfy chair to sit in and sort of observe who is there and who's dancing, who's drinking, what state of drunkenness everyone seems to be in.

Kenzie (GM):

The dancers specifically are not in this portion of the bar. They are behind a wall in the next room. So you can't necessarily see that from this chair that you're in. But that's really not the most important point for you right now. And you see... I actually think Jo probably knows by face, at least, everybody in this bar currently.

There are two bartenders back there. It’s a pretty long bar actually.It probably has like two racks and there are two bartenders back there that you know of as Fiona and Danielle.

Then you see a smattering of individuals that would likely prefer you didn't know who they were during their time here. But that's really how to do it you frequent The Circus. And so you know them. They know you. There is a lot of nods of acknowledgement to you. There is lot of looks your way and quickly looking the other way. You do see also, which isn't surprising, a couple Roses scattered throughout. They don't seem to be doing any specific business, they don’t seem to be waiting for anybody. They seem to simply be members of the Roses that are in the bar currently.

April:

Jo notices that it's Fiona behind the bar. And while she remembers that Fiona was upset for some reason when she left, is still kind of unsure of why. And so she thinks they're probably still on good terms. So she heads over to Fiona, slides onto a stool, puts her arms on the bar.

April (Jo):

Hello?

Kenzie (GM):

So, as you slide into this seat, you see that Fiona already has the tonic pouring on top of the gin and passes it over to you.

Kenzie (Fiona):

I feel like I need to apologize to you.

April (Jo):

Do you?

Kenzie (Fiona):

Well, I just… See, I work here, and so, I knew I would see you again. And I just feel like the way we left things was odd. And maybe it's just me, who thinks they're odd. But I think professionally, I would like say I'm sorry and to move on from this.

April (Jo):

Well, I'm not sure why. You’re apologizing. It was odd. We left things in uncomfortable manner, but I'm quite sure why.

Kenzie (Fiona):

I think maybe I don't know either. And so I think the best way to deal with it is to apologize. If that's not the way deal with it, then perhaps we forget about it.

April (Jo):

That's usually my choice.

April:

And she her drink up.

April (Jo):

To forgetting.

Kenzie (GM):

You watch Fiona grab a small shot glass from under the bar top, pour gin in it, and tap you and take a shot back.

April (Jo):

So have you heard the news?

Kenzie (Fiona):

That's a question to ask one of us.

Kenzie (GM):

And you watch her down at the other bartender and look back you.

Kenzie (Fiona):

I’ve heard a lot of news.

April (Jo):

Really?

April:

She sort of raises one eyebrow.

Kenzie (Fiona):

Jo, this should not be a surprise.

April (Jo):

What have you been hearing?

Kenzie (Fiona):

Honestly? I heard that you are looking into somebody's death. Which is not something that you obviously want to know, I would think.

April (Jo):

That’s true. Would you mind telling me who informed you?

Kenzie (Fiona):

I can't tell you that, you know.

April:

She rolls her eyes.

April (Jo):

But I was hoping that you'd make an exception.

Kenzie (Fiona):

If I make an exception for you, then I have to make an exception for everybody who comes looking for my favor.

April (Jo):

But I do have your favor, don't I?

Kenzie (GM):

I think that this is not one of your playbook moves. I think that you have to roll to Entice. Which is a heartstring move. So, when you appeal to someone's or emotional sensibilities, you roll your Heart. So 2d6 plus your heart.

April:

It’s a 6. Can I spend a string on her to make it a seven?

Kenzie (GM):

Fiona gets to choose one of these or you can get another string on her.

April:

Let’s just choose one.

Kenzie (GM):

She’s gonna promise something that she thinks you want.

Kenzie (Fiona):

You know what, Jo? You need to be more confident in your own abilities because Jack has been around.

April:

Jo takes this in.

April (Jo):

Well we do keep different hours.

Kenzie (Fiona):

Let me just say that she's been around more often than any of us are used to. I think she's looking for you.

April (Jo):

Looking for me.

April:

Jo grins and slides some money out of her pocket across the bar to Fiona.

April (Jo):

That's not for the information. It's for the drink.

Kenzie (Fiona):

Is it for the kicking me out of your apartment very early this morning.

April:

Jo reaches in and brings out more money and puts it across the bar.

April (Jo):

Are you now expecting her? Tonight?

Kenzie (Fiona):

Well not right now. She was already here. She left.

April (Jo):

Did she say where she was going?

Kenzie (Fiona):

She didn't speak to me.

April (Jo):

Rude of her.

Kenzie (Fiona):

(scoffs)

April (Jo):

Hmmm.

April:

Jo finishes her drink and like gently slides it over to Fiona.

April (Jo):

What times has she been arriving? Is it regular? Is it -?

Kenzie (Fiona):

She's too smart for that, I think. I've seen her the past few nights around 10 tonight. Tonight, saw I her around 5. But she doesn't... Once she leaves, she leaves, she’s done. There's also a difference between Jack being here for casual times and Jack being here for business and I think the first is what was happening.

April (Jo):

They're a lot of business people here tonight.

Kenzie (Fiona):

Jack doesn't order a gin drink if you're not here. And she ordered one for the past three nights.

April (Jo):

Interesting. Well, perhaps I should give her a call. Thank you, Fiona. Do you know who's dancing tonight?

Kenzie (Fiona):

Melanie. Coretta. I think actually that's the only two. The rest of them called off this evening.

April (Jo):

Are they alright?

Kenzie (Fiona):

As far as know, no one's hurt. No one has been taken advantage of.

April (Jo):

Good. You know you can always call me if anything gets too...

Rough?

Kenzie (Fiona):

That's... Yeah. Uh-huh.

April (Jo):

I love David.

Kenzie (Fiona):

No, sorry. That’s why I was confused this morning.

April (Jo):

I'm sorry -

Kenzie (Fiona):

‘Cause I know that - no, it’s fine. It doesn’t really matter at the end of the day. It was just a very confusing half an hour. We’re good. I promise.

April:

The light bulb finally goes off in Jo's head.

April (Jo):

Oh, Fiona, I wasn't rushing you out because of...

Kenzie (Fiona):

It’s fine.

April (Jo):

It was genuinely the machine. I do apologize. My gadgets have my heart.

Kenzie (Fiona):

And it would be terrible of me to think otherwise. So it was just simply a very confusing morning. And I have moved passed it as I believe you have so… We're fine. I promise.

April (Jo):

Well, that's good because you make the best drinks. Wouldn't want to be without you.

Kenzie (Fiona):

Well, make the strongest drinks.

April (Jo):

Speaking of which, could I have a second?

Dani:

Amoretta will kind of lightly clap her hands together, set down her little cup of tea she's fixed for herself, pondering over to do.

Dani (Mama Amoretta):

Alright, kids, we have the key to getting in. Which means its gonna be a lot easier to explain our presence because we didn't get a key from just anybody. However, there is still be the issue explaining our presence. Now, few solutions in mind. We could go at an hour where we think ain't nobody gonna walk in on us, make sure we don't move things around too much so that people that are still looking around don't notice anything’s been poked about.

Or we could try and wait a day or two, that's little bit riskier, because things could be cleaned up by then. But we could wait for contact information from this Arthur, fella, and see if he can get us the right permission to get in. But those are my current plans at moment beyond just the key and everything. But, I wanna hear what you folks have to say and if you got any ideas, I am more than happy to listen. And if it works, I'm more than happy to use it.

April (Jo):

We can't wait. We can't. Rose is waiting on us. And the police could change the crime scene at any point. We are actively losing evidence every moment that we not there. I’m thinking disguises.

Atlas (JJ):

My plan also has to do with disguises.

Dani (Mama Amoretta):

So what kind of disguises are we thinking of?

Atlas (JJ):

Well, there's a few options. We could be crime scene cleanup crew, then no one is supposed to know who we are, so that works out really well in our favor. We have a key, which also makes sense. The police gave us a key so that we could come in and up any, like, any bodily fluids. If there is no bodily fluids and then they question us on it, they’re like there’s no bodily fluids, then we can just say, you don't know where the fluids are, they told us where they are. We could also pretend to be enforcers, but then we have to dress up as enforcers and that's kind of gross.

April (Jo):

Also illegal. Worth pointing out.

Atlas (JJ):

So is breaking in.

Dani (Mama Amoretta):

We're not breaking in. We have a key.

April (Jo):

Exactly. We’re walking in.

Atlas (JJ):

So is using a key to get in a place that we don't have permission to be.

April (Jo):

Is it? I mean, technically doesn't the lab now belong to Rose and she’s the one that gave us permission. I know that we are going into an active crime scene but… perhaps we don't know that. How would we know? Rose just told us to go there and clean. Well, maybe perhaps we shouldn’t say that, that might get her into a bit of trouble actually. Should we call her?

Atlas (JJ):

We're not supposed to call her.

April (Jo):

I suppose we'll have to call Zeb. Or whatever his name is.

Atlas (JJ):

I think it was Zeb. Let me check.

April (Jo):

No, I know his name is Zeb.

Kenzie (GM):

The Matriarch has a move called Family Meeting. When you assemble your family, they will tell your what they think about the current situation or team. If you take their advice, you can clear a condition or mark experience. If you do not, you choose someone who prefers the course you choose and you give them a string.

Dani:

I mean I suppose the plan of disguising ourselves as a cleaning crew of some kind and articulating why we're there when it happens because we have a general bullshit lie of we were told to clean.

Kenzie (GM):

I'm gonna let you mark one XP for allowing this plan to happen.

The evening of the second night begins to fall upon you all. You need to find out more information about what happened during this crime, about who it happened too. There’s lot of information in the balance right now. The only information you have is a name of a assistant and the key. That second part truly kind of hooks you all. When you all walk up to the address, that is this lab, it’s quite obvious that this is not the only lab in this building. It is a very large space. It is almost like a half moon dome. There is a beautiful garden out front. There are probably like seven floors to this place. You have have a key to a room, you don't have a key to a building.

And so you walk in through the front doors, that are open. And as soon as you walk in though there is a man behind a desk.

Kenzie (Security Guard):

What’s your name? Business. Utility.

Atlas (JJ):

My name's Julianne. It's very nice to meet you. I'm sorry, we're just actually looking for the lab. I believe the enforcers were here for the last couple days. We actually just hired hired to come in, pick up some of the - like they some boxes that say like, I think they say evidence on them and then return those. But we're mainly here just to clean up, you know, get the room returned to you guys really is what we're here for. Make sure that usable by the next person that needs it.

Kenzie (GM):

Roll me The Mask. So roll me 2d6 and add your wit to it.

Atlas:

That’s a nine plus one, so a ten. I want them to believe it, no questions. And I would love if the lie I have chosen is unexpected like perfect.

Kenzie (Security Guard):

(chuckles) I’m so glad you guys showed up. It's been a mess here for so long. So here’s the key.

Kenzie (GM):

Hands you another key.

Kenzie (Security Guard):

Please go up. floor. First floor. So easy to spot. Just get rid of all the shit in it, please. I just can't deal with it anymore.

Atlas:

And think JJ will like reach across and like…

Atlas (JJ):

I am so, so sorry that we were not here sooner. Honestly, sometimes, don't tell anyone I said this, sometimes the enforcers, they just make these things drag. You didn't hear it from me. It's just -

Kenzie (Security Guard):

Well, you didn't hear it from me, but you're right.

Kenzie (GM):

You walk past the entrance to this building and see that there are three different entry ways. They all list a specific floor they go to. And the first two would deal you well. The third one apparently doesn't go to the floor that you're looking for. But it is stairs and it is an elevator, like in the old sense of an elevator, where it's like a cage. Does need somebody to maneuver.

April:

Jo definitely doesn't even like elevators in general. There’s like a kind of neurotic thing so she immediately says,

April (Jo):

Uh… stairs.

Atlas (JJ):

Stairs. Stairs are good.

April (Jo):

Brilliant.

Kenzie (GM):

You see that there's a door. It's wood, iron, it's got like a big circle with lot of runes on it.There is a massive lock, an iron lock on this door.

Atlas (JJ):

Oh, no, there's a lock on the door. How will we get in? Just kidding, we have two keys.

Dani:

She’s gonna produce a key and then just go make sure there's no guards walking about. Go too unlock the door, peek inside.

Kenzie (GM):

It's dark when you open the door. There are like large floor to ceiling windows that spread even further up, like an arched ceiling. The night time city lights come through in a blue tinted haze because the glass in this room is all blue tinted. So they shed little light upon the scene in front of you, but they do shed some light on the scene in front of you. There's a lever, close to the door. It’s a full hand push up lever.

Dani:

Can I get a closer look and see can trace back to where that lever goes to see if it props open the door or if it actually traces to like a rudimentary alarm system? So she’s not accidentally activating the fire alarm.

April:

Jo takes her lighter out to help Mama see.

Kenzie (GM):

As Jo kind of brings her light out to shed a little bit of light on the situation. It’s quickly obvious to both of you that this lever turns on a light.

Dani:

I’m gonna make sure everyone's in the room. And Amoretti’s gonna close the door shut behind them. And then she's going to flick on the light switch so they get a little bit more illumination.

Kenzie (GM):

When pushed up, these like globe fixtures hanging from the ceiling shine a dim yellow light down on everybody. There are lot of smaller lights affixed to walls, sitting on desks. None of the equipment seems to be currently running to like a source for them.

The floor is like large red and black square tiles. There's an iron spiral staircase that leads up to not even a floor really, but like a ledge upon which a desk sits.

Jo though, I think, would see some gadgets that she would recognize. Even if they were things that you have never been able to actively get your hands on. There's a Riveted Compass Ophthalmoloscope. An obviously hijacked Gyroscopic Juggernaut. And the list goes on. However, this place looks messy for a person... Like it looks like it was left how it was left. It looks like it was just like left how everybody left it for this investigation. So there have been obvious treks into it from enforcers, but the actual space itself doesn't seem to have been impacted by that investigation. And so you are coming on to like a pretty fresh investigation of the space.

April:

Jo comes in deeper into the room with the light that they turned on and also her own lighter. And she moves about the space in an almost reverent way. She really looked up to Viola and a lot of the things that she's seeing are recognizable to her and familiar. And also things that she has imagined getting her hands on for long time. And she gets so caught up in looking at sketches and machinery and pieces that were left. That for a moment she kind of forgets why they're here. And this like wave of sadness washes over her that she never got to meet one of her heroes.

But then she does approach what seems to be like the main work desk. And she very carefully starts to try to look through them and see if any stand out to her.

Kenzie (GM):

As Joe begins to through papers that are left in this work space. Jo is standing over what Mama Amoretta can know and conceive of as a pretty large blood stain. And has kind of ducked down to look more intrusively at that. And has found that the cause of death from Viola Weatherby is still up in the air. But I think that Mama Amoretta would without a doubt, call the cause of death loss of blood.

Dani:

Main cause of death is the hemorrhage. Now its a question of what caused the hemmorhage. I’m going to mark it out to the other two to make sure they don’t step in it. ‘Cause then having foot tracks in blood is going tobe very bad for everybody! In the mean time I think Amoretta is just going to warn them about the blood stains and warn them keep an eye out for anything else that stained, making sure that if it is they stay away from it so that they don't add their fingerprints to the scene. If they are going to touch something because they use like cleaning disguises, they probably have gloves so they're not their fingerprints everywhere. So I imagine they probably bring some cleaning supplies too so they can't actually cover up their own tracks and have perfectly good reasons to have those supplies with them.

So she is going to find any recent correspondence, like any letters and stuff that's probably within the past week or so. Any recent logs that come from the inventions so that she can see what was recently being worked on. And Arthur's contact information. And Zeke's too, if she can find it.

Kenzie (GM):

You don't find enough information about the project that is about to go up. In the sense that you understand that it has been tampered with. It has been taken. I think that you also find information on Zeke Emory. And the only way I can describe this information is completely confusing to you. It does not make any sense. Like you cannot make heads or tails of what this correspondence means.

So obviously Viola and Zeke had correspondence but what it was is like super confusing to understand.

Dani:

Interesting. It’s like really weird nerdy scientist flirting where they just tell each other about their newest invention.

Atlas:

JJ is cleaning anything that doesn’t look important because she feel really bad that that guy was so upset.

Kenzie (GM):

While JJ is looking through the premises. Sees Mama Amoretta taking notes, sees Jo just walking about the room, JJ hears a noise. And you look and you look and you see that part of the floor has started to lift up. And the barrel of a revolver peeks through.

Atlas (JJ):

Um, guys!

Kenzie (GM):

You watch the floor of this room, like maybe four squares in total, be pushed up. You see the rounded edge of the barrel of a revolver peek through.

Kenzie (Jack):

Fancy running into you here.

Kenzie (GM):

And pulling herself out of this apparent hidden door in the floor of Viola's lab is none other than JJ's ex and Jo’s ex, Jack.