The Halls of Medeia - Chapter 1

[A G Thing]

Christine having noticed the approaching group steadies herself immediately from the surprise and readies for her performance even as she mentally tries to start thinking of how best to play the scene. She drops her hand holding the handkerchief behind her back and begins to wave the cloth rapidly towards George as she begins moving to meet the arriving group in a bit more frightened manner.

While the look nervous tension and fear on her face she feels is genuine she is trying to move to intercept not too aggressively but not to sedate and begins calling the others attention. It does not take much to get the fear in her voice to sound genuine as well but at the moment she makes an effort to bring the focus to herself and give George perhaps a few more seconds with the body. Her eyes begin to glisten with fresh tears as she calls upon her past and her voice echos a shaken sobbing tone she had known from long ago.

"Wh...who's there? Please, help! I was so scared!" She advances as best she can avoiding the body if necessary or but avoids even looking toward it as she never lets her eyes leave the approaching adults. She mentally tries to control the shock she had felt and immediately attempted to halt upon making the gruesome discovery.

Faking such shock believably was not easy for any actor even when shocked not too long ago. But she hoped that in doing so hoping to forestall the reveal of the body and thus attention to it for as long as possible. Perhaps George would hide or at least get what he could from the body with a bit more time if she could manage it for him. Neither of them really needed to be caught here, but she was caught already. No harm trying really.

OOC Section

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OOC: I assume I can act upon sighting them before the good father arrives on scene but I don't expect to hide the body. Just stall the glances to it for a bit is all.

Rolls for DM

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Roll for Perform acting or Bluff whichever the DM prefers!

Die roll for Christines Perform or Bluff roll

Rolled on: Nov. 12, 2014, 9:34 p.m.
1d20 → [14] = (14)
http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/4715331/
+11 for Perform = 25
+10 for Bluff = 24

[steveflam]

George moves away as quickly and stealthily as he can, remembering the info he gleaned from his
inspection of the dead body. Though it does bother him, he keeps a calm and collected front. He moves
to be away from Christine, yet in view. He does not want her implicated in anything he has been involved in
here.

[Ail]

Niles arrives at the front of the party, and focused as he was in the search, he does not notice anything strange in Christine's behaviour. The teachers too, distressed and worried with the incident, merely ackowledge her presence without any show of reproach for her being there.

Emilia almost retches at the sight of the ghastly scene, and instinctively seeks her sister's shoulder. Victoria looks slumped, as if her strength of character had occasionally left her. There is a fascination in the scene that attracts the gaze of those present, and unites them in some morbid communion. Emilia looks directly into Christine's eyes, and with a silent nod, seems to invite her to look.

Around the body, a circle of people gather: Niles, helping Father Richard to stand, whose legs begin to falter; Mrs Frost, the mathematics teacher; Miss Guicciardi, the young chemistry teacher; the music and history teachers, Philip Dowland and Edward Driscoll. Leading them was a simple man, one of the ground-keepers, supposedly the one who found the body.

After the shock, the teachers begin to discuss the action. Emilia and Driscoll are in favour of calling the police and establish a perimeter around the body, but Victoria thinks it is not possible to keep the zone isolated and safe until the authorities arrive, and is afraid of the reputation hit for school, with this incident so close to the other one. Mrs Frost suggest they should at least move the body to a safe place, and Father Richard, visibly disconsolate, says he could offer the chapel's inner rooms to prepare the body for burial or further investigation. Guicciardi says that in the interest of the boy and his family, the body should be brought to a safe place where it could be preserved until an examiner came. Her voice trails, as if suggesting that no external authority might come, if that would prove too dangerous for the reputation of the school. At this, Philip Dowland called the groud-keeper apart and instructed him to get the gypsies and prevent anyone else from coming this far into the woods.

No one seems to remember Christine at this point, and George has remained cautiously out of sight.

[Alastor]

Niles remains silent longer than the others in the group, still stunned by the violence of the scene.

As the groundskeeper is sent to keep others out of this part of the woods, the young chaplain recalls that others may already be wandering the area, which appears to be more dangerous than anyone had realized.

"What of the other missing students?" he asks.

[steveflam]

Niles arrives at the front of the party, and focused as he was in the search, he does not notice anything strange in Christine's behaviour. The teachers too, distressed and worried with the incident, merely ackowledge her presence without any show of reproach for her being there.

Emilia almost retches at the sight of the ghastly scene, and instinctively seeks her sister's shoulder. Victoria looks slumped, as if her strength of character had occasionally left her. There is a fascination in the scene that attracts the gaze of those present, and unites them in some morbid communion. Emilia looks directly into Christine's eyes, and with a silent nod, seems to invite her to look.

Around the body, a circle of people gather: Niles, helping Father Richard to stand, whose legs begin to falter; Mrs Frost, the mathematics teacher; Miss Guicciardi, the young chemistry teacher; the music and history teachers, Philip Dowland and Edward Driscoll. Leading them was a simple man, one of the ground-keepers, supposedly the one who found the body.

After the shock, the teachers begin to discuss the action. Emilia and Driscoll are in favour of calling the police and establish a perimeter around the body, but Victoria thinks it is not possible to keep the zone isolated and safe until the authorities arrive, and is afraid of the reputation hit for school, with this incident so close to the other one. Mrs Frost suggest they should at least move the body to a safe place, and Father Richard, visibly disconsolate, says he could offer the chapel's inner rooms to prepare the body for burial or further investigation. Guicciardi says that in the interest of the boy and his family, the body should be brought to a safe place where it could be preserved until an examiner came. Her voice trails, as if suggesting that no external authority might come, if that would prove too dangerous for the reputation of the school. At this, Philip Dowland called the groud-keeper apart and instructed him to get the gypsies and prevent anyone else from coming this far into the woods.

No one seems to remember Christine at this point, and George has remained cautiously out of sight.

George tries to catch Christine's attention discreetly, motioning her to his position. Once and if she does notice him, he will take her hand and move bcak towards the school as quietly as possible. They do not move fast at all.

[A G Thing]

At Emilia's implied allowance of her gaze Christine is tempted to look back at the body, though it takes much of her will to hold her character as she realizes her act appeared to have worked mostly due to the shock of the body she is sure. Still with a few quick glances to the side towards where George had perhaps moved to, she eventually finds him beckoning to her.

Trying to stay silent while moving toward George as she notices he is motioning for her, Christine will remain ready to continue her act while hoping the staff continue to ignore her. Her eyes return to the body with occasional looks towards the others as they speak again about all that is going on. The mentions of moving the body and preventing further discovery for the good of the schools reputation stick in her ears as she listens to them. Still she moves carefully towards him attempting not to suddenly be noticed once again.

Once she takes his hand she will let him lead her back toward the school as they leave the situation behind. The body they stumbled across does seem to be the main focus of the group in all of this and yet she doubts she will be just forgotten. Still she also wonders if they should have stayed to listen to what else they decided to do with the body.

Still, once she and George are back in at least the courtyard or somewhere she is sure there are no people around she will speak up. "Did you discover anything George? I don't know if they even saw you there. I think they were too shocked by what had happened."

Christine waits for him to speak while using her other hand to pull out her kerchief and dry the tears she had summoned to her eyes from her cheeks and glasses. Her face back to being more composed and serious, it shows though that she is still obviously a little bit unnerved by what they had seen.

[steveflam]

"Nah not really. I wanterd tha medallion but couldn't git it. Them wounds look ter be made by some feral animal, like a wolf.

But wolves wouldn't do that. Somethin else did an that's whut I wants ter find out. Who was that student. It might be important or I might be graspin at straws ter be honest. Em, that was pretty grotesque. Sorry yer had ter see it. It
took me by surprise at first then I got serious an tries ter git a better look at the wounds. BEsides wolves whut other types 'o' animals live aroun here that could do that?"

[A G Thing]

Replacing her kerchief as she stands next to George,Christine puts her hand on his shoulder. "Thank you George, but I was fine. I was more worried the animal that did that was around. The corpse was a shock but nothing that does not happen right. It was the first time I have seen a body that young and ravaged to be sure. We need to learn who the boy was and if that pendant meant anything. But now that you mention it, I don't know what animals are common around here. I imagine wolves could live around here though I don't recall hearing them. Maybe a wild dog? Perhaps a badger? Or a bear? Something that could deal those wounds must be large or at least vicious, but why would it roam around here? And why would it come this close to school? Why did it attack him in the first place? Is it random bad luck and it was hungry perhaps?"

Looking back toward where the body lay in the distance she seems thoughtful as she speaks with a curious tone to her words. "It must have happened while everyone was inside, perhaps at night. I don't know if the noise would have carried that far, but if it happened that close to the school, why didn't anyone hear him scream? Surely such an attack would make him call out at least in pain?"

[Ail]

Some time passes with no one acknowledging Niles's answer. Driscoll was going to say something, but then checked himself. Dowland eventually picks it up and says:
"The missing students are, I believe, precisely the reason why we have to be careful here. Isolated, this could be an accident, a stray beast roaming in the forest. But after three disappearances... people might start talking, parents might take their children away. I suppose we have not heard anything of the other boys, have we?"

Driscoll nods negatively. "The police have quit, apparently. But we have collaborated with them as much as they wanted."
"There has not been alarm from the other parents", Mrs Frost said, and then added uncomfortably "Yet. I think there is some room to suggest a convenient theory to the authorities if they come and ask. Even if the blame comes to be laid totally on the student, people could become superstitious and react in a bad way."

Emilia looks distraught. Victoria is not much better.
"We have to plan for that event. Rebuild our reputation. We have some serious thinking to do."

Christina and George begin to walk away.

Spot check for Niles: DC 17

[steveflam]

Replacing her kerchief as she stands next to George,Christine puts her hand on his shoulder. "Thank you George, but I was fine. I was more worried the animal that did that was around. The corpse was a shock but nothing that does not happen right. It was the first time I have seen a body that young and ravaged to be sure. We need to learn who the boy was and if that pendant meant anything. But now that you mention it, I don't know what animals are common around here. I imagine wolves could live around here though I don't recall hearing them. Maybe a wild dog? Perhaps a badger? Or a bear? Something that could deal those wounds must be large or at least vicious, but why would it roam around here? And why would it come this close to school? Why did it attack him in the first place? Is it random bad luck and it was hungry perhaps?"

Looking back toward where the body lay in the distance she seems thoughtful as she speaks with a curious tone to her words. "It must have happened while everyone was inside, perhaps at night. I don't know if the noise would have carried that far, but if it happened that close to the school, why didn't anyone hear him scream? Surely such an attack would make him call out at least in pain?"

"Yeah, but why would an animal attack this student viciously like that. I don't buy it. Somethin' else be goin on 'ere. I don' think tis random either. There's a reason fer this. It weren't no bear or wolverine, I kin promise you that Christine. I think some more investigation might turn somethin up 'ere. Weirdness bin goin on at the school now an I bet tis connected ter them ruins. An I bets anythin them gypsies knows way more n they be lettin on but dint tell us diddlysquat."

He frowns, thinking.

"Let's make it back to school. I want ter hit tha library. I know it won't do any good, but you never know. An I definitely wants ter git into town soon and check out anythin in bookstores, libraries o r even if there be some kind of town logs or somethin that 'appened 'ere in tha past."

[A G Thing]

Christine listens to George with a less optimistic but still thoughtful look upon her face as they casually walk through the grounds toward no particularly important destination other than solitude. It was odd how strange and even hostile the outside felt just from knowing that someone had died. "I guess these things could all be connected. While your in town, maybe I will head out to see if the Gypsies are around the area. Perhaps with what has happened they might be more inclined to speak more of it now. Of course I wonder if the staff will even let us out or if we're going to have to sneak out instead? Still, Father Niles can't come with both of us."

She looks back again toward where they had been and shakes her head. She then scans over the area seemingly to making sure to look for people nearby. Christine seems a little more resolved after a moments thought while her gaze moves over the area and when she looks back to her friend she seems to be set in agreement. She lowers her voice a bit as she moves near George to speak so they are not easily overheard.

"I guess we follow your lead if you think their connected. We should also ask around carefully about who the victim is then. There has to be some reason why it was him if it was not random like you say. But that also means that those who may have arranged this death could be watching to see who gets interested. If that is the case then it might be best to be careful George. With what we say, who we ask and who is around to hear."

[Ail]

George and Christine go back to the college. After lunch, they have some free time to wander within the grounds, but the gates to the exterior are firmly locked. They can try the library.

Meanwhile, the teachers group decides to arrange the removal of the body to a room near the chapel. Father Richard goes first to prepare it, while Niles is asked to help transport the body.

[steveflam]

George heads for the library with or without Christine.

[A G Thing]

Christine after watching George go will then head to her room to make preparations for sneaking out soon. She takes time making a disguise ready for herself and also makes up one for George just in case it should be needed from her various collected articles of clothes in her costume trunk.

The security may have been increased due to the death but she had to try to get out to find answers before more died perhaps. She may sneak out easier alone but with the darkness rising as it is she readies her lantern realizing that she can't use it too much while sneaking about.

The Gypsies nearby may have more to tell her if she pushes to get the answers this time though she is not looking forward to going alone. But the danger is growing and there is little else she can think of to get the answers they need when no one will talk about what is going on or the ruins.

"I can do this!" She whispers a few words of motivation to herself as she begins gathering the outfit. From a distance she would appear little more than a young lad with her hair bundled within her cap and the bindings that while uncomfortable and the coat that was large enough to kept her figure from being too noticeable. She would put it on and sneak out later that night once the first inspection had passed.

[Alastor]

Left behind to help carry the mangled body to the chapel, Niles turns to the overs who have also been assigned a part of the task.

"Can we find something to ... cover him with at least?" says the young chaplain hesitantly, "It wouldna be respectful to carry him like this, and we should spare the other students what we may."

Niles looks into the faces of the others while speaking, then studies the ground in the silence which proceeds their response, apparently uncomfortable himself with the sight of the corpse.

Looking over the ground near the body, he tries to imagine how this boy's life had ended; whether he had a chance to repent his treatment of the young gypsie , or at least the comfort of his friends beside him.

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