Adam wrote:"Ah, um," he says, an entirely different sort of panic setting in, "Apologies, darling. Mattheo's had a robbery, I was helping him investigate."
''Oh?"
She cranes her head to look into the shop from the doorway.
"Well, I suppose work is work. Hello Mattheo, that's a big gun you've got there."
Benn smells a burning match.
He hears Mattheo's voice from behind him.
"Must be careful...ah...um...robbers!"
Charlotte steps into the room.
She looks about at the cluttered shelves packed with written and printed works, the reading table toppled on its side, the dust in the corners.
"I see the robbers didn't clean you out."
She shrugs, turning to Benn.
"I''ll have to pay extra if I keep them past the next toll of the cathedral bell. I'm going home. If you want some of the mincemeat pie I've made for Jonas's name-day, you had better be home before midnight. "
Delight is to him- a far, far upward, and inward delight- who against the proud gods and commodores of this earth, ever stands forth his own inexorable self.
Adam wrote:"I think we're more or less done here," he says, turning back to Mattheo for confirmation.
"Why don't we head back now?"
Mattheo nods, still holding the matchlock.
"Ah, yes, well, I was hoping you could stay longer I'm not happy about the idea of spending the ni..."
Charlotte lays a hand on Benn's arm.
"Benn, darling, why don't we invite your friend over for supper? That is, if he thinks well of leaving his shop unattended."
Mattheo nods.
"Yes, yes, I have some stout chains and locks, let me just grab those."
Charlotte orders a man to help the Invidian bookseller with securing the shop.
With everything locked up, they leave.
Flurries of snow drift down from the dark, cloudy sky as they head towards Benn's house.
Last edited by ewancummins on Fri Dec 20, 2013 11:20 am, edited 1 time in total.
Delight is to him- a far, far upward, and inward delight- who against the proud gods and commodores of this earth, ever stands forth his own inexorable self.
"Odd friends you have, Franz, from what I hear. They say benn's a Practical Man and the priest is one of his contacts. I've never met them... I'm not in that kind of market... but I could find his office I expect. better not tonight though, I'm not sure if he lives on the premises and anyway..."
She lowers her voice, looking mysterious
"I hear he often works at night. Hunting... strange things!"
Dorgio's dusky face reddens a little as the green-eyed maiden smiles at him. Of course, such women rarely paid attention to him before he was marries, but such are the way of things. He blesses her along with the rest, and then turns to see the new face in the crowd approach him.
Dorgio's broad grin wanes when he hears the accent in the newcommer's voice, and he responds to the stranger in low tones. "And you must have traveled far, friend. From where did you come?"
"You said I killed you--haunt me, then!...Be with me always--take any form--drive me mad! only do not leave me in this abyss, where I cannot find you!” -Wuthering Heights
As Mattheo sees to his locking up, Benn turns to the armed men.
"I can escort my wife home, and I thank you for your time," he arches an eyebrow, "And would perhaps be willing to pay for a bit more of it, if you're amenable. Some n'er do well already returned to the scene of the crime once tonight, and I'd like to know if any of them try again. If you are not otherwise engaged, I'd like you to keep an eye on the shop, discreetly, and intervene if you see anyone up to no good."
He reaches into a pocket and withdraws a small business card. "You may or may not have heard of my agency, but we pay well for the services of men such as yourselves that can aid in our investigations. If this goes well, I may have work for you in the future."
"Of course," Benn mutters, "It would be a damned shame if we ever knew what the hell was actually going on."
As Mattheo sees to his locking up, Benn turns to the armed men.
"I can escort my wife home, and I thank you for your time," he arches an eyebrow, "And would perhaps be willing to pay for a bit more of it, if you're amenable. Some n'er do well already returned to the scene of the crime once tonight, and I'd like to know if any of them try again. If you are not otherwise engaged, I'd like you to keep an eye on the shop, discreetly, and intervene if you see anyone up to no good."
He reaches into a pocket and withdraws a small business card. "You may or may not have heard of my agency, but we pay well for the services of men such as yourselves that can aid in our investigations. If this goes well, I may have work for you in the future."
The older and larger of the two hired guards answers,
"Aye, sir, we'll look keep an close eye on it for you over the night. A silver florin a piece seem like a fair price?"
The man gestures at the linkboy.
"Five coppers added and we can keep the lad on with us. He'll be handy for messages and such, and of course for holding a light if we have to poke about in the dark to nab some robbers."
Delight is to him- a far, far upward, and inward delight- who against the proud gods and commodores of this earth, ever stands forth his own inexorable self.
Adam wrote:Bennedict nods. "More than fair. I trust Frau Gehrman gave you our address? Be certain to let me know if there are any incidents."
He leans close. "I leave the methods of apprehending any suspicious characters up to your discretion," he says, quietly.
The big man smiles and pats the hilt of his sword.
"Understood, sir, and yes, we know where to find your house, if we do grab somebody trying to bust into the shop."
Delight is to him- a far, far upward, and inward delight- who against the proud gods and commodores of this earth, ever stands forth his own inexorable self.
Bennedict claps the man on the shoulder and turns back to Charlotte and Mattheo.
"Shall we be off, then?" he says, smiling in his most appeasing fashion.
***
A few moments later they arrive at the Gehrman household, an austere brownstone in a working class neighborhood in Pont. It is not large and some of the shingles and siding have seen better days, but the warm glow of a fire burns from the windows and the sound of a child's laughter echoing through the windows promises the comforts of home. The Gehrmans could afford more, but Bennedict had spent too much time among the affluent upper-crust of society, investigating their "issues," to ever feel comfortable associating his family with them.
As the couple step inside, young Jonas runs forward eagerly, whatever he was previously doing erased instantly at the sight of his father, grabbing hold of his pant leg in an eager hug. "Papa!" he shouts.
Benn's face is split by a rare, genuine smile as he squats down to return the boy's embrace. "Happy Birthday, my boy," he says, "Have you been good for Hornsby?"
He looks up at the man who had previously been sitting with Jonas, Benn's young assistant from the agency. He nods imperceptibly as Jonas shouts "Yes, papa. He was telling me about the monster you chased!"
Charlotte's face sours slightly. "Oh he was, was he?"
Unaware of the turn in his mother's mood, he continues on. "Yeah! He said you was chasing a....a...lady demon?"
"Succubus," Hornsby answers.
"Right, suck-a-bus," Jonas continues, "Only he said it wasn't a...a...one of those, it was just a mean lady."
"That's right," Bennedict answers. "And that's why we don't hide from scary things, right?"
"Right, we find 'em and we beat 'em up! Cuz they're usually big fakers!" The boy pantomines a boxing match with an invisible opponent.
Bennedict chuckles. "Close enough," he agrees, "And we can't have a young detective like you working with sub-standard equipment, can we?"
The boy looks confused, mostly at the more elaborate words, until Bennedict reaches into his overcoat and hands over a brown paper package wrapped in twine. Jonas eagerly rips the paper clear to reveal a child's size version of Benn's trusty spyglass, eliciting a squeal of delight from the young boy. He is momentarily struck for words and turns to show the gift to his mother.
Benn fixes her with his eyes, winking . "Forgot the day, eh?" he answers.
With that Benn introduces Mattheo to Hornsby, collects overcoats and hats, and sees to shepherding family and guests towards Charlotte's dinner.
"Of course," Benn mutters, "It would be a damned shame if we ever knew what the hell was actually going on."
Mattheo digs into a platter of roast mutton, complimenting Charlotte's cooking between bites.
Benn's wife eases back in her chair across the table from her husband. She sips her cup of mulled wine.
Delight is to him- a far, far upward, and inward delight- who against the proud gods and commodores of this earth, ever stands forth his own inexorable self.
kintire wrote:Kat tilts her head a little looking curious.
"Odd friends you have, Franz, from what I hear. They say benn's a Practical Man and the priest is one of his contacts. I've never met them... I'm not in that kind of market... but I could find his office I expect. better not tonight though, I'm not sure if he lives on the premises and anyway..."
She lowers her voice, looking mysterious
"I hear he often works at night. Hunting... strange things!"
Franz listens intently. He still remembers some of the time he spent with Benn and Dorgio. Kat's comment doesn't surprise him in the
least. Her mentioning looking on the morrow sounds good to him. However he will ask the obvious question to her comment.
He leans forward, speaking in a low voice "What do you mean exactly, Benn hunts strange things? I haven't seen him in a while and would be curious as to what he has been up to this past while."
"well you must understand I don't actually know him or anything, so this is all rumour, but they say he takes cases about eldritch stuff. You know: demons, ghosts, curses, strangeness, all that. As well as normal stuff of course. He's got quite the reputation in certain circles."
She pauses as she eats, shooting a sharp glance at the server who has glanced between the two and given Kat a lascivious smirk. The two clearly know each other well and perhaps are not best friends.
Dorgio's dusky face reddens a little as the green-eyed maiden smiles at him. Of course, such women rarely paid attention to him before he was marries, but such are the way of things. He blesses her along with the rest, and then turns to see the new face in the crowd approach him.
Dorgio's broad grin wanes when he hears the accent in the newcommer's voice, and he responds to the stranger in low tones. "And you must have traveled far, friend. From where did you come?"
Delight is to him- a far, far upward, and inward delight- who against the proud gods and commodores of this earth, ever stands forth his own inexorable self.
Dorgio's broad grin wanes when he hears the accent in the newcommer's voice, and he responds to the stranger in low tones. "And you must have traveled far, friend. From where did you come?"
"I have traveled far indeed. My home is Barovia, inside the village that bears my country's name. I shall being returning soon once my business here is being concluded."
"Seven Seals...Seven Rings...Seven Brides for the Scarlet King..."
