Retreat! (RP)

Continues from Winter our discontent.

- Emma -

David was still mostly asleep when you got back from visiting Benji's grotty grotto, and he has left for work by the time you arise on Friday morning. Henry is picking you up 'just before lunch', the 'retreat' staring in the afternoon (possibly still a vestigial plan, left over from when it was a 'beach outing') with lunch, and the 'spa or refs', and the 'icebreakers' around sunset (sounds like more beach-talk).

• Are you ready when Henry arrives? Is he on time?

• Do you let Henry come up and help you carry your bags, or do you, maybe, have Sarah help you bring them down to the 'lobby'? Or do you try to avoid having Sarah and Henry see each other and 'talk' at all?

What do you do?

- Benji -

After you parted ways with Emma and the platform was getting sparse of people —with only a few late trains still running— you learned that the great black dog —purportedly a 'hellhound', if you are to believe the stories— has made another appearance.

• What are the signs?

What do you do?

- Persephone -

You know that Emma and Kat are set to meet the (possibly demonic) upper-crust elites at The Lanesborough. The hotel has many more rooms than Emma's group can use, so there are other clients in residence, and their famous restaurant and spa have limited openings to the public, but are mainly intended for guest use.

The cheapest rooms are £800 per night. That is a lot, even for your miraculous corporate card. Even a day-pass to the spa will set you back £250, but many say it is well worth it.

What do you do?

- Emma -

"Please don't embarrass me." Henry says, it sounds like he is joking... or meaning to sound like he is joking. It is an important weekend for him.

---

---

When you arrive at The Lanesborough, the doorman gets the doors, the footman gets the bags, and the valet gets the car, you don't have to do anything. The receptionist sees you coming and greets you both by name.

"Mr Godfrey, Mrs Harper, welcome. Your room is ready if you want to get settled before lunch. We will have your bags delivered." He hands you each a key.

"Sorry. Did you say 'room'?" Henry asks, seeming a bit panicked by the use of singular.

"Yes, sir?" The receptionist says without any expression more than slight polite enquiry.

What do you do?

- Emma -

"I'm so sorry about this." Henry whispers to you as you walk. He is clearly thankful that you did not make a fuss, but he also looks more worried about the arrangement than you do. "This was not my idea. You must believe me."

If you make it to the room —the porter following a discrete distance behind— it is large and luxurious, and, despite not being a 'suite', there is a decent sized couch in the sitting area. Henry will give it a meaningful glance while the porter deposits your bags.

What do you do?

- Emma -

Henry has just tipped the porter an eye-watering sum that did not even make the porter blink —being gifted a night in such a hotel could still bankrupt someone in your position— when you unleash on him.

"Yes. Yes. Agreed." He says, glancing at the couch with slight concern. He almost makes a joke that you, too, should refrain from wandering around in a towel... but the hotel's towels would cover even more of you than many of your dresses, and he does not want to suggest he is not taking you seriously.

"I swear, I had no idea 'Sin had done this. I told him we were ... just friends. I will try to get it fixed." He says, sounding earnest.

What do you do?

- Emma -

"But... you... I ... we're not ..." Henry splutters having no words to counter your tirade. "It's not my fault." He says forlornly to himself as you leave.

• Describe your spa experience.

What do you do?

Benji is just about to head back down to his lair when he catches the faint scent of old blood. He stops in his tracks and looks around, trying to identify the source.

It’s coming from a ways down the tunnel, away from the fluorescent lights of the platform. He glances at the timetable and sees that the next train isn’t due for another thirteen minutes. He looks around to make sure no one’s watching him and then hops down onto the tracks and makes his way toward the source of smell.

He finds it about twenty metres down the tunnel – a splatter of blood across the tracks. He realises there’s another splatter on the wall a few metres further, and a small puddle on the ground a bit further than that. He dips his fingers into the puddle – the blood is cold and sticky, but clearly not that old—maybe a day or so. He probably would have found it sooner if he’d been spending more time at the station these last few days. He licks his fingers clean as he looks up and down the tunnel, thinking.

At first, he wonders if another vampire might have been hunting in his territory, but this is too messy for a vampire. Too much blood has been wasted.

The trail of blood continues on, past the puddle, although – upon closer investigation—the later traces aren’t so much splatters as prints – pawprints.

Benji stares at the massive bloody pawprints, filled with dread, until he feels the faint tremor in the earth of a train approaching and quickly scurries back to the platform.

**********

Benji knows that he has to do something about the Dog and soon (if people start going missing around Picadilly Circus station it won’t be long before the blame falls on him), but it takes him until the following afternoon/evening to work up the courage. His last encounter with the creature didn’t exactly go well for him, after all, and this time he’s on his own.

The trains run 24/7 on Fridays and Saturdays on the Piccadilly line, which is rather inconvenient, but does at least mean that there’s no point waiting until the early hours of the morning to begin his hunt.

Armed with his sword, he follows the tracks from Piccadilly Circus toward Green Park and Hyde Park Corner, searching for any trace of the hellhound.

- Benji -

A few train-dodges later you are past Hyde Park Corner. You have not found any more blood, it seems that one unfortunate victim was in the wrong place at the wrong time, maybe. Other signs that a 'dog' has been active around here increase the further you get from Piccadilly, they pick up a lot past Down Street station —though you are among the few who even remember it existed. There are other tunnels in the area, disused since 'the war' —the last one these short-lived people really have any recollection of— but they don't seem to be the focus of the dog's ramblings.

Once you pass Hyde Park Corner the number of signs start to drop off again, that seems to be the focus?

You have neither seen, heard, or smelt hide nor hair of the dog itself. Just leavings on the tracks. Maybe it has some way of getting out? But where would it go?

What do you do?

- Persephone -

Circe has made plans with Thom and Anne —the barristers— over the weekend, so you don't need to fret about leaving her alone. But do you tell her are getting a room at a hotel just the other side of the park?

The Lanesborough assure you that the spa is complementary for guest, so you don't get to push the boundaries of your corporate card too far... unless you want to (rooms go up to over £4k per night [booking link]).

On check-in, the receptionist does not recognise you (unless you sent them a picture) —so Emma's situation [ref] is special— but they are immensely polite, treating you like royalty —though maybe they treat royalty differently, you don't see any right now, but wouldn't be surprised— taking your bags, and seeing to your every need.

Emma, it seems, is heading for the spa.

What do you do?

- Emma -

Maybe it is the 'fight' with your ex, or the dry air from the industrial strength dehumidifiers the hotel uses to keep the woes of the outside world outside, but you are feeling a little warm and congested as you leave your room. A good nose-blow might help... though don't ask for that from Kat, you might get the wrong sort of blow...

Kat has not answered, if she has checked in she may be... busy...

The spa don't blink an eye at your arriving dressed as they are —they might not blink, but they do admire— and have hangers and racks for every form of wrinkle-free storage you could imagine. Clean, soft towels and robes are provided.

They offer private massages, as well as couple's massages, Persephone has just texted that she is also a guest in the hotel if you want a couple's room. The pool looks great too, not too full with everyone having spent the last few weeks wet, but heated to the perfect temperature.

What do you do?

Mortals are not especially observant but Benji doesn’t think a hellhound could stroll through a busy tube station unnoticed. The creature must have some other way out of the Underground. Concentrating his search around Hyde Park Corner and the surrounding disused passages, he searches for another path to the surface.

- Benji -

It is strange that such a large dog could roam around the tunnels without being noticed by BTP (British Transport Police) or maintenance workers. Surely someone will have mentioned it? You would have heard, right? And, the last time you encountered it, it seemed pretty 'at home', not like it had just been summoned down here. What it is eating is a question as well, if it had been eating people, you would surely have heard about that, that is a direct danger to your existence here. It seems there may be some larger conspiracy at work?

• Do you find any signs such a 'larger conspiracy'? If so: What?

There aren't any maintained tube lines heading north —not since Green Park behind you. Still, your nose suggests that is the way to go. Maybe you need to break into the service tunnels on that side?

What do you do?

Benji picks up signs of human activity — scent and tracks, mostly— near the entrance to one of the service tunnels, as well as a sharp uptick in traces of the Dog. Someone coming down to feed the Dog maybe? He doesn’t know enough about technology to tell if the security cameras in this section of the tunnel have been tampered with, but he supposes they could have been.
A locked metal gate blocks the entrance to this particular service tunnel. He could just force it open— snap the lock, or the gate off its hinges, whichever gives first— but that will make a lot of noise and he doesn’t want to draw attention to himself… After a bit of thought, he braces his shoulder against the gate and waits for the next train to pass, hoping that the deafening roar of the train will mask the noise of the metal gate being wrenched off its hinges.

- Benji -

The gate pops off its hinges, any noise it might have made completely masked by the sound of the train. This is not the way the dog or its potential feeders were getting to the tracks, the dog could not navigate a lock and key, and this gate has not been used in a long time. However, the tunnel on the other side seems like the right direction, there is more scent of people, a single person or many you can not tell, what with all the train-wafted-body-odor being forced through these tunnels from behind you.

You don't get the feeling anyone is living down here ... aside from the dog, maybe, and even that seems less like it lives here than that it comes down here a few times a day. This is just a feeling, though, based on familiarity with un-lived-in spaces, you could turn out to be wrong in this estimation... especially if what lives down here is not human.

What do you do?

Benji continues following the tunnel, keeping an eye out not just for the dog, but also for any sort of clue as to what exactly’s going on down here. There’s obviously more to this than a runaway hellhound.

He takes care to move as quietly as possible, hoping that if he encounters anyone, or anything, down here, he will hear them coming well before they hear him.

- Benji -

There is no one down here except the rats... and even those are not in abundance. Maybe the dog is eating them? You see a cluster of three small, rat-like, shapes scampering along ahead of you, just at the fringe of your vision.

What do you do?

Benji squints at the rat-like shapes scampering ahead. There’s something strangely familiar about them… He picks up his pace to catch up with them.

- Benji -

Indeed they do look familiar.. but most people could not tell one rat from another. These three also seem to be tracking you... from in front, but still, they are moving along with you... but that's crazy-talk. As you speed up, they speed up too, rats are fast, but this is ridiculous-speed. You could catch them if you really wanted to, though.

What do you do?

- Emma -

You receive a few scandalised looks —and quite a few more looks that have nothing to do with scandal— as you traipse around the hotel in a revealing gown. 'Society people' are bound to talk.

"You missed lunch." Henry says, a bit belligerently. He seems to have been drinking, and is depressed. "People asked where you were. We're supposed to go to the spa now." He actually did mention something about such a timetable, but, in his usual, controlling manner, he did not supply quite enough detail for you to make plans on your own.

You could take in another spa visit, but this part of the afternoon is suddenly free. If left unsupervised, you suspect Henry will skip the spa and head for the bar.

• Is Henry much of a drinker? What does the booze do to his personality?

What do you do?

Curious, Benji stops and rummages through his pockets in search of food. He finds a stale crust of bread that he took from Jacob’s flat the other day to try to feed to Snowy and, dropping into a crouch, holds it out for the rats.

- Emma -

"What are you going?" Henry demands, sounding more weary than aggressive. "You are a married woman, for goodness sake."

You have no doubt that your married status would not stop him from ... corrupting your marriage bed, if you made the move, especially with the coke and whiskey combination, but he is not pushing that agenda and seemed genuinely mortified by the room-mixup.

Your ... well, they are not 'flirty'... let's call them 'seductive' actions are making it very hard for Henry to maintain his composure. He is feeling very unfairly put upon. You made it very clear nothing was going to happen, but now you are prancing around, almost naked, and suggesting 'staying in the room' and 'resting' before dinner. He does not know how to interpret that common ... single entendre.

"I checked. The bar closes at 1am." He says, which is a bit of a strange non sequitur, but maybe he was looking for some way out of the room tonight.

What do you do?

- Benji -

That pretty much confirm it, the rats stop when you do, they are definitely tracking your movements. They don't seem too interested in your stale bread, though, and just watch you, as though curious about what you will do.

What do you do?

- Emma -

Henry makes a sound much like 'glurk' as you stretch out on the bed. "I already ate." He declares before storming out the door and slamming it behind himself.

What do you do?

Benji cocks his head, intrigued. "Are you… following me?" It seems a bit ridiculous, but there are wizards who can control animals and creatures who can change shape — the fey, for instance. He’s been spied on by a lot of different factions lately… Perhaps these rats are just another set of eyes sent to keep tabs on him by someone after Lizabeth’s lamp? "Come over here, will you? I won’t hurt you."

- Emma -

Henry's luggage confirms that he probably knows nothing about any cult activity. There is nothing at all in there that would hint at cult or demon involvement.

He also does not have any condoms, which either suggests he was planning on not needing anything like that, or was relying on you to handle that side of things. His storm-out kinda suggest the former.

You see the clothing items you 'bought for him', as well as other essentials.

• Is there anything at all in there that surprises you?

What do you do?

- Benji -

When you ask the rats if they are following you, they seem to shrug, not exactly a 'yes', but not a 'no', either.

At your words: 'come over here', they immediately scamper over to you, looking up at you attentively. One places a hesitant paw on your trouser-leg, as though seeking permission to climb up.

What do you do?

- Emma -

When you come out of the shower, Henry is not around, so his rule against towels can be ignored... you more than violated that with the robe, anyway.

Kat has finally replied. Apparently 'Sin 'took her phone away' (or that is how you interpret her response), probably because she was playing on it non-stop. Her chain of messages is the predictable, badly formed English, and boils down to: "Where were you? Missed you at lunch. Had a massage with 'Sin, missed you at the spa. 'Sin is —finally— out. I am bored. Where are you?".

It does not look like you will get to exercise your excuse-muscles to get into their room.

What do you do?

- Emma -

Kat shows up at your room shortly after you message her, she is wearing a cute, comfy, fluffy, track-suit (someone should warn her about Russian stereotypes), which looks good on her, but still, she probably plans to change before dinner.

She looks around the room appreciatively. "Where Henry?" She asks, possibly concerned about why you are not spending any time together.

What do you do?

- Emma -

"'Sin as well." Kat agrees. "But he must do 'organising'. 'Very secret surprise'." She says in a mock whisper.

When you show Kat the dress she is impressed. "Da. Da. Is very nice." She says, not making much effort to hide her good-natured jealousy. Kat knows she is, like, a 7.5, but you are a 10(*). "Everyone will like."

What do you do?

"Well, alright, come along then," says Benji, allowing the rat to climb up onto his shoulder. He’s glad for the company, even if it turns out that the rats are spies after all. He picks up the other two rats and puts one in each pocket. "I don’t suppose the three of you know where I might find this hellhound... Or, better yet, its master."

- Emma -

Kat shrugs dismissively. "Some 'team game'?" She suggests, giving you the impression she was not too bothered to ask questions and is guessing from tidbits overheard and only partially understood. This seems to coincide with Henry's mention of 'icebreakers' after dinner/after dark.

What do you do?

- Persephone -

There may have been an older man and woman at the spa who exhibited a hint of taint, but they were not open to being approached at that time, and are gone now.

If your explorations take you to the other logical 'public place', you might end up at the restaurant and bar. There is a man sitting at the bar, looking down in the dumps and also in his cups. There is a similar whiff to that which you got off of Kat, he is not bound to a demon, but there is something about him that suggest contact, even if unwitting.

• You have heard about Henry. Would you recognise him, here?

What do you do?

- Benji -

The three look thrilled at the honour of being carried, and also glad of the company.

The head rat seems to shrug in confusion at the complex question. It almost seems to be saying: "I dunno. What do you want from me, I just got here, same as you."

What do you do?

- Emma -

"Also me." Kat agrees about 'games', though she looks less enthused by 'surprises'.

"Two weeks?" She posits about how long she has known 'Sin, and she does not know any of the others any more than you do, she met them that one time before today, same as you, and did not know 'Sin for much longer.

• Is anyone else going to be at this retreat? Who? Or is it just the six of you? (Plus some 'behind the scenes' facilitator.)

What do you do?

- Emma -

"дюжина? Dozen?" Kat confirms the number, that would have been 13 if you had been there. "Only me and old woman. And ten men. They were unhappy about number. Wanted to know where you are?"

What do you do?

- Persephone -

"'Persephone'? 'From grad school'? Of course. How have you been?" Henry says slowly, he is more than a bit drunk, and a little high, and is wracking his brain to remember if he slept with you in grad school, he is sure he would have remembered ... so probably not? He is also trying to place the accent, television having democratised 'American' for so many people.

"I was just telling Richard ..." He indicates the bar tender, Ricardo, who seems more than eager to make space for you to take over listening to this tale of woe. "... my bitch of an ex girlfriend has wormed her way into my affairs, and now is acting like we are having an affair, and we are not even having an affair, she is married, but she is being such a bitch, and is playing all slutty and dressing all slutty, and telling me to not wear a towel, and saying things that make it real hard..."

The coke-energy means he can probably keep going like this, seemingly without needing to breath.

What do you do?

"No? That’s okay. We’ll look together." Benji scratches the lead rat behind the ears and sets off down the tunnel again, returning his attention to the matter of the hellhound.

- Persephone -

Henry seems to realise he is spouting his relationship troubles to the world at large —really only the inattentive bar tender and yourself— and that that is a turn-off. Somewhere in his rant he may have mentioned that his ex was all for 'pretending he was sleeping with her, to help his prospects, isn't she full of herself...' but he was not keen on that idea, and seems oddly offended by it.

"Quite right." He agrees with focusing on him rather than his ex. "Ima doing well. Very successful." He says with no appreciation in his voice for those 'empty facts'. "I'm actually pledging a 'secret society', you know, very hush-hush, don't tell anyone." He stage whispers this last part, leaning in and wafting alcohol fumes at you.

"You staying here?" He asks, looking around and remembering something that has been bothering him. The bar closes at 1am and will kick him out, and the sleeping arrangement in his room are ... less than stellar. He is pondering the endlessly delightful possibilities of staying with you instead, though you don't know this specific added motivation for such an arrangement, his 'availability' is clear.

What do you do?

- Benji -

The rat trio seems amazed by being carried around like royalty, the attentive scratches, the kind words, the offer to work together! It is all too much for them and they fall about in fits of fainting... and laughing... can rats laugh, that's definitely the impression you get.

You can't be sure they understood 'hellhound' or 'master', but, even while playing the fool, they are keeping an eye out ... or a nose, as the case may be, for signs of these things you are hunting. As you pass an unassuming tiled stairway up, their heads turn and they glare in that direction.

What do you do?

Benji laughs along with the rats, amused and endeared by their antics. The grin falls off his face when the rats suddenly perk up and glare in the direction of the stairway. Apprehensive, he tightens his grip on his sword and slowly creeps up the stairs.

- Benji -

The stair lead out of the tunnels, up to the outside world... you think they go to the park, near Byron.

What do you do?

Benji shrugs off his tailcoat and swaddles his sword in it to hide the weapon from passers-by before emerging from the stairway into the outside world. Tracking the hellhound up here will be difficult— the relentless rain will have washed away most scents and probably most of the visible tracks. He’s in Hyde Park, he realises — near Byron’s corner. Perhaps he could ask Byron if he’s seen the hellhound roaming about? He wishes he’d had a chance to get a copy of Emma’s book for him…

With all three rats now perched on his shoulders, he cuts through the park toward Still Water and Byron, ignoring the strange looks he gets from the few people he passes along the way.

- Benji -

It is getting dark by the time you emerge from the tunnels, so the number of people about is thinning out rapidly —not that there were ever many folks wandering around the park in the rain— but you do still get some strange looks, what with your coat off and rats upon your back.

• Did you break the lock/gate/hinges separating the tunnels from the park? Or how did you get out?

Byron looks down at you, if he is puzzled by you having animals crawling upon you, he does not 'show' it. Who is he to comment, he has pigeon poop all over him... or, less than normal, actually, the rain both keeps the poor pigeons away and has washed him clean(er). The statues actually seem to be thriving under these weather conditions... but it is hard to tell with their stony expressions.

What do you do?

- Persephone -

Henry knows, in the back of his mind, that this is a bad idea, but life is short and you are hot.

"We could ... take a look ... now?" He suggests, only to realise that there really isn't time. He looks at you for a long moment, possibly weighing the option of skipping out on the evening plans in favour of spending the time with you (the fact that 'Emma will be there' is a significant factor in his desire to skip it), but he has invested a lot of time and effort into getting into this elite club.

"The more the merrier." He agrees, thinking that 'Sin was keen to invite along other hot women they did not know, arranging a 'date' for him behind his back, what harm can it do to add another. He can have two women!

He holds out his arm for you to take. "Where's ... 'The Wine Cellar'?" He asks 'Richard', the bar tender, who gives him directions [link].

What do you do?

- Emma -

Kat is thrilled by the invitation to go dancing, it does not seem like she has many friends in London, and her usual dates and dancing carry other implications.

Henry does not return all afternoon, and, before you know it, it is time to head down for the evening plans, starting with dinner in The Wine Cellar...? ... did Kat get that right? Was something lost in translation? No, that really is the name of one of the private rooms.

Kat has to meet with 'Sin to go down together, but needs to go to her room for a while to dress and get ready first.

What do you do?

"Hello again, Byron!" Benji greets the statue. "How have you been? I’m afraid I haven’t had a chance to get that book for you yet. I’m actually here on other business… I’m looking for a hellhound that I believe may have passed through this area. You haven’t seen anything like that, have you? Hellhounds or any other kind of demonic activity?"

- Benji -

Byron makes a comme ci comme ça 'gesture' in answer to your enquiry about how he has been, he is a statue, not much changes.

"On the street? No." He says, sounding bored. "But I do get whiffs of the demonic from the park every few nights." He 'looks' longingly at the entrance to the park, across the road that has cut him off from it. "And there are rumours of a beast that lurks in the dark." He sounds more enthused by the possibility of a monster nearby than you have 'heard' from him so far, you get the impression he misses such stories.

What do you do?

"Well, there are all sorts of beasts that lurk in the dark, but that does sound promising..." says Benji. "Have you heard whereabouts in the park this beast has been sighted?"

- Emma -

At a glance, you suspect The Wine Cellar more comfortable seats eight or ten, but five seats are placed on each long side plus one each at the head and foot of the table. That is twelve, one fewer than Kat indicated were planned for at lunch, but also the number that were at lunch.

You might wonder if they excluded you for missing that, but both Reginald and Charlotte Pembroke —seated at opposite ends of the long side— greet you warmly, asking after your health and showing concern that you missed out earlier. They indicate the chair reserved for you, so you are not the one intended to be missing tonight.

• Where do they seat you? Who are your neighbors? As is the tradition for dinner partied of old: You are not seated next to people you know well (so not Henry or Kat, neither of whom are here yet).

What do you do?

- Benji -

"I do not know the details." Byron says loftily, still a little put out that he is excluded from such goings-on. "Near the paths, I believe? Other side of the roses, maybe?"

What do you do?

- Emma -

"You look simply ravishing, my dear." Charlotte comments. You might notice that she, too, is wearing 'practical shoes' as part of her 'casual but immensely expensive' outfit. You might not want to acknowledge this in front of him, but Henry was right about the jodhpurs and tweed.

Charlotte looks around for Henry, frowning slightly at your seeming separation, but saying nothing.

"William Burke." The man holding your chair says, he seems to have picked up on your appreciation and is feeling pretty good about himself and the seating arrangements. "And what do you do?" He enquires, showing more interest in yourself than the others at these gatherings.

A little while later 'Sin arrives with Kat on his arm. She did not get the hint about 'games' and is wearing her usual high-heals and short skirt. They are seated, separated and intersperse, with the other guests, there is only one seat left, Henry's.

What do you do?

- Emma -

"Oh yes? Anything I would have read?" William asks after merely glancing at Henry and his entrance with Persephone. You can't be sure if he noticed your reaction and is providing a polite distraction —surely he knows you were meant to be 'with Henry' at lunch— or if he is just genuinely interested in you, or if he has any other, ulterior motives for asking.

What do you do?

- Persephone -

"Evening everyone." Henry says expansively. "This is ... shit... what did you say your name was again?" He 'whispers' to you at drunken-whispers-volume, so everyone overheard. He was too busy wracking his brain about 'grad school' to pay attention when you introduced yourself earlier, and the whiskey and coke are not helping either.

The elderly 'couple' at opposite ends of the table look a little concerned, but appear ready to rally to the occasion, not that there is really any room for another person at the already over-crowded table.

Similar to with Kat and Henry, but a lot stronger, you get the whiff of demonic influence from all of them (except Emma), but again, you don't think it is 'direct contact', and definitely not like your situation. They don't show any signs that they pick up on your taint, but they may be good at hiding it?

What do you do?

- Emma -

"'Relationships'? Shucks, I could probably benefit from reading that." William says, rubbing the back of his neck and putting on an 'ignorant' accent that is unintentionally poking fun at Persephone's americanness (she has not spoken yet, so it probably is not deliberately targeted at her, but if it brings you any —malicious— joy, he would be thrilled).

"Hmm... Yes, 'the news'...? Um, which time? Not 'the weather one'? That did not turn out too well, but was worth a shot. Share price took a bit of a hit when that tanked, but 'nothing ventured, nothing gained' I always say."

What do you do?

"Then that’s where I’ll start looking," says Benji. "Thank you for your help — again. I'm sorry I can't stay and talk for longer, but I'll be back. Hopefully with that book I promised! And my violin, if the rain ever stops..."

Leaving Byron, he crosses the road and heads back into the park proper to try to pick up the hellhound’s trail again.

- Benji -

"It seems to be clearing up?" Byron says optimistically. And he is not completely wrong, you may be in for one of those rare few hours of 'merely light drizzle' or less, but you know that that will not last.

You have a fairly good feel for the smell of the dog from down in the tunnels, and may even be able to pick out the people that have been interacting with it down there, but the near constant rain has washed the park clean of any lingering scents, everything smells clean.

• Where do you start you search? What are you looking for?

What do you do?

- Emma -

The intense eye-contact is working on William, he does not know how to interpret your emotional response, but flushed cheeks and effort to control one's breathing seem like good indicators of his chances, specially if you and Henry don't seem to be as exclusive as everybody thought.

"Oh well, the headline... yeah, that was a bit harsh, but I suppose it summed it up... missed all the nuance of what I was trying to do. 'Negative results are still results', though." He is enjoying talking about himself, but you get the impression he does not really want to go into the specifics of his failed tech venture related to the weather problem.

He doesn't seem overly concerned about Henry bringing an extra person to the 'party'.

What do you do?

- Persephone -

Kat looks up when you speak. "Persephone!" She calls happily. "I did not know you are coming here." Given how they probably know what line of work Kat is in, and that your admonition to keep his mouth shut prevented Henry from introducing you as 'someone from grad school?', they might well make assumptions about where you know Kat from.

Nonetheless, Reginald calls for another chair to be laid on, brushing aside the staff's objections that "the room is already beyond capacity", or that "there literally is nowhere to put it, sir".

• How do the eventually manage to accommodate a seat for you? What compromises are necessary in the small room around the table the only just fits in it?



• Are the staff able to move around to serve the ongoing array of courses that make up the fancy dinner?



They seat you away from Henry and Kat.

• Do you know that this is traditional for English dinner parties?

For a secret society they don't seem all that concerned about letting outsiders attend, this may be a 'recruiting pitch' —similar to your approaching Viviana— or maybe they just are not that good at the secrecy aspect, or maybe the whole point of being in a secret society is that others know about it and know that they are not worthy?

What do you do?

- Emma -

"That's so true." William says dreamily, though you suspect he would agree with almost anything you say at the moment. He proceeds to describe his most recent project, using words that he is clearly trying to keep simple, but that are so full of jargon technical terms that you end up no more the wiser about what he is doing, there are computers and AI and blockchain and other buzzwords throughout, but he assures that those are 'not what it is about', just tools.

What do you do?

Benji begins his search near the rose garden. He can't smell much of anything except the rain and the mud, so he has to rely on his eyes. He's looking for tracks in the mud, yes, but also other signs of the infernal -- withered plants, demonic symbols scratched into trees, traces of blood where sacrifices may have been performed, etc.

- Benji -

If there ever was any sacrificial blood in this park, the rain has washed it away. Anyway, a wise cult would clean up after themselves if they did not want the authorities getting involved in their business. But... 'The authorities' don't employ vampires, but maybe they should? No matter how well a cult cleans up its bloody sacrifice, a vampire cop would pick up the traces... normally... but the weeks of rain would dilute the evidence, even for such a cop, unless the sacrifice were very recent, and you have no reason to think that is the case tonight.

The rose garden looks pretty miserable, it is the wrong season for blooms, and even the herculean efforts of the grounds keepers have flagged due to the weather. You can't find any signs that you can attribute to a large dog here.

As you proceed deeper into the park, many of the trees might have scratches that could be from a large dog, but they could just as easily be from careless kids, playing.

What do you do?

- Persephone -

To fit all the bodies in —they seem to be bending over backwards to accommodate extra people— you are crammed onto a three-seater bench, blessedly the same height as the chairs. Emma on one side and a small, effete man moved to your other... but then they are forced to move Lawrence to the opposite side, which causes some musical chairs again over there.

The man beside you looks very out of place. He is maybe 20, but looks younger, and gives the impression of someone unaccustomed to the clothes he is wearing. He is being pressed against you, but that does not seem to bother him, if he even notices. "Me?" He squeaks nervously. "I'm no one." His eyes dart over to Lawrence for permission to continue before he adds. "I, uh, came with Mr Wakefield." He has a 'common' accent, South London, maybe, if you have any ear for these things, and seems to be trying hard to 'speak properly'.

"On, come now, Percy. We are among friends. We can use the word 'boyfriend'." Wakefield calls from the other side of the table before turning back to grilling Henry —possibly about you.

"Yes, Mr Wakefield." Percy stammers... not exactly the sort of pet-name one used for their boyfriend.

While Wakefield, during the shuffle, 'smelt' a lot more directly connected than Kat and Henry, young Percy seems only slightly more tainted than they are.

What do you do?

- Emma -

As if summoned by your words there is a servant at your elbow... well... slightly behind your elbow, since there is less space than there should be between diners. He leans over and places a small plate, almost completely empty but for a little, foamy arrangement in the center, along with a glass of something fruity before you, ... possibly 'accidentally' managing to brush your breast with his hand as he does so?

Your throat is feeling dry and scratchy, and your skin feels a little hot and feverish in the close confines of the small room.

What do you do?

- Emma -

"Hot indeed." William says. "But its not all bad." He does not seem to be too bothered by the closeness.

Seeing you playing with your glass, he waits the bare minimum time for everyone to be served —the staff are doing their best to keep it synchronous, but they can't all enter the room at the same time— then he stands, brushing against you since you are so close, raises his glass and toasts: "To those strangers who decided to join us tonight. We appreciate you." Not much to it, but he takes a sip before sitting, and you can do the same.

Each course is accompanied by by some inconsequential talk, your hosts —the Pembroke's— time their own consumption such that they start first and end last, even if they need to hurry some of the group along with meaningful looks from time to time.

What do you do?

- Persephone -

"Uh... I don't know." Percy says. He seems puzzled by your name, as if you are making it up to mock him.

The impression you get from Percy builds on what you suspect from Kat and what Wentworth said. They are not the sorts to be part of any highfalutin club or secret society, the label that floats to the surface about them is 'victim'.

What do you do?

- Persephone -

Poor Percy looks even more bewildered at the talk of 'nuts for Greek Mythology' and the names, it all sounds made-up to him. He either knows very little about Mr Wakefield, or is under instructions to not talk about what he does, it is something about 'the law' and there are wigs involved.

Pressing him makes him nervous about saying the wrong thing. Do you push?

What do you do?

- Emma and Persephone -

The formal part of the dinner proceeds, slowly, these people are stuffy enough that the idea of 'games', later, seems strange.

By the time the interminable-feeling courses are done —each very small, but also very good— Reginald slips away to check on the next part, and Charlotte assigns you teams —ostensibly by drawing names from a hat— and directs you all to finish desert and make your way through to the ballroom.

The ballroom has been done up like an escape room, various stations set up at each corner and spiraling inwards to the center. You can start at any of the corners, there is only space for one team per station, unless you want a repeat of the dinner crampedness.

Emma: Henry —who has been paired with the betrayer, Persephone— tries to catch your eye and indicate, "I told them about this. I did this for you.".

• Who else is 'on your team'?

What to you both do?

- Persephone and Emma -

Between them —and a ream of reference notes that appear printed from the internet— Reginald and Charlotte explain the 'rules', as best they understand them:

There are various stations in the escape room, each has clues hidden in it in addition to those needed to escape the room; these clues will be needed for 'the next part'; 'time is of the essence'. This last point does not seem to extend to 'running', but the senior members in your team feel it is important enough to keep the pressure on, there is no 'prize', other than the social standing of 'winning'.

Someone else has set this up, there is a little plague adverting the mobile escape room company, but possibly the missing member from lunch is overseeing the arrangements and what comes next.

What do you do?

- Emma -

Desperate to win as you are, William seems to equal your keenness.

It is strange that he should care so much about a game. You get the feeling that something else is at stake here: that coming first actually matters to him beyond the simple bragging rights. You can't tell what, but this feel important, paying attention going forward may matter a lot.

Pity your head feels so muzzy and full of cotton-wool.

What do you do?

- Persephone -

"They are ... you know... 'the rich and powerful'." Henry answers, he seems to have taken your advice and sobered up a lot during dinner. Of 'demon cults' he apparently knows nothing.

"This game? It was actually my idea." He admits. "I though it might be nice for Emma..." He does not provide context, but looks in Emma's direction sadly, seeming not at all happy about how the day has turned out, and now more than a little guilty about being here with you. He has picked up that she is upset... but then she was upset before you came on the scene.

He seems a little startled by your talk of winning... and by what is being won. Ordinary he may be have been all for it, but having Emma here gives him second thoughts.

"That's the spirit!" Reginald says, possibly having overheard your whispered offer, or maybe just responding to your enthusiasm to win.

What do you do?

- Emma and Persephone -

In addition to what you needed to solve the escape rooms' puzzles, between your two teams you gathered 3 extra clues, with possible overlap, but with at least one that the other team does not know.

In addition to the clues that make it clear you need to Enter Hyde Park (fortunately it is barely raining tonight), you are looking for:

• the horns of the rose
• the fall of the water
• the den of the snake

There may be other clues, but the senior members of your team are pressing for the team to move. Poor Kat is 'dragged' out in her high-heel shoes and mini-dress.

What do you do?

- Emma -

"Emma!" Henry rebukes, no more amused by your innuendo now than he was in the room earlier. He is about to show you the clue he has written down, and you just catch a glimpse, enough to know it is in the same form as the two you have, but not enough to read the words before Persephone steps in close and torpedoes your efforts.

'Sin, lumbered with a group of 4 vs everyone else's 3, seems to have just solved the first part. "It's in the park!" One of his unnamed/unknown lackeys declares, only to be shushed. They head out of the ballroom, towards the front entrance and the night-dark Hyde Park, you don't know if or how many clues they have.

Charlotte, with Lawrence Wakefield, and Kat, put their heads together upon hearing this and seem to agree, following 'Sin out. It seems that, despite explaining the rules to you, they are no more in the know than everyone else.

What do you do?

- Emma -

"It was worth a shot." William says, pleased by your competitiveness. But your attempted espionage with Henry has cost your team time, and you are no longer first to leave The Lanesborough, two teams are ahead of you. You make your way through the entrance and on through the rose garden.

Surprisingly it is Percy who makes the next connection. "Um... 'the fall of the water'..." He speculates. "Isn't that just 'posh speak' for the waterfall? There's on over there." He points in the direction you have been travelling.

What do you do?

- Persephone -

With the Hyde Park connection made explicit you can tell that that is less 'a clue' than rather specific scene framing. You can't see any fault with everyone else's logic, and following to the park seems a nobrainer.

"In case it wasn't obvious." Henry says to you as you walk. "That was my ex, the one I told you about. You see how she is behaving: all suggestive-like, and looking like that! I worry for her marriage."

Mainly he looks saddened by everything. "I was a right arse when we dated, we were both young and foolish. I have tried to make it up to her, to look out for her wellbeing, but I am not sure I am not just making it worse..."

"What are you two gossiping about?" Reginald demands as you enter the park. "We have a game to win, here."

Your clue 'the den of the snake' means little to you. Henry thinks he recalls a 'local legend' about 'the den', but can not recall the details.

What do you do?

- Benji -

All of a sudden, there are people in the park. Laughing and chatting and seemingly playing a game in the middle of the night. They think they are trying to be quiet, but they have had a bit to drink over dinner and are exuberant.

You hear talk of clues and locations, possible a treasure hunt. They are headed for the same area you are searching for the dog. You already found unmistakable clumps of thick, black, wiry hair on the stone of the Holocaust Memorial, hair that you recognise from your previous encounter with the hell hound.

What do you do?

Benji had been beginning to worry that he might have lost the hellhound’s trail entirely, but the discovery of the fur confirms he’s on the right track! Assuming the hellhound came from the same direction he did, that would suggest the hellhound was travelling westward – toward the Serpentine perhaps? Hugging his bundled-up sword close to his chest, he begins walking in that direction, keeping an eye out for more traces of the hellhound along the way. He hears clumsy footfalls and drunken laughter nearby. He frowns to himself. Whatever game the humans are playing seems to be driving them in a very similar direction... He hopes for their sake that he can find this hellhound before it finds them.

- Benji -

From your vantage point by the Holocaust Memorial you see the group (or groups) of people heading down the path. Emma and Persephone are with them... though distinctly not together, each has two men with them, each group is chatting amongst themselves.

What do you do?

- Persephone -

"Did we ever...?" Henry asks, still trying to rack his brain about that time at grad school so long ago... so long that he does not really remember you, which is hard to believe.

"Because, now that you mention it: I think it was a 'tourist' thing, a bit called 'the den', but I don't recall where."

It might not matter too much if Henry can recall the location, you get a distinct whiff of something demonic —like you have never felt before... (except maybe, as a vague memory of when you signed your contact?)— it comes from down river to the south.

What do you do?

- Emma -

All the non-game clues are starting to form something in your brain, there is definitely something weird about how much these grown men want to win this game, but 'Sin also seems inclined towards making sure Kat's team is not the first, even if he does not win, you are pretty sure he has tried sabotaging them.

• Did you ever talk to Persephone about 'demons' and 'cults' and the sorts of things they are known for? Until recently you did not even know demons were real, but did your research cover things like sacrifices and other unsavory topics?

• Does any caution pierce your competitive spirit? Do you still aim to win this? You can see where they are headed and can get there first, if you so choose, it is just over the low fence... [streetview]

What do you do?

Benji had not been paying much attention to the humans, so he is startled to recognise his friends among them. "Oh! Hello Emma! Hello Persephone!" he calls out, waving to them both. "What are you doing here?" Emma’s group is a bit ahead of Persephone’s and farther away, so he trots up to Persephone’s group, still clutching his sword wrapped in his coat and with the trio of rats still perched on his shoulders.

- Everyone! -

Lawrence Wakefield sees Emma sprinting for 'the prize', instead of trying to change this, he shouts urgently: "Percy! Come away! Now!"

As Benji stumbles into the intended-to-be-secret affair, calling two of the women by name and forming a link between them, Reginald says a very bad word, then: "He's going to spoil everything! Abort! Abort!" He does not seem to be talking to any of of you who were at dinner.

Emma vaults the waist-high fence in a stunningly athletic manner, especially considering the dress she is wearing, and lands in the grass on the other side... except that she doesn't... land that is, the ground seems to open up in a dark maw, swallowing her whole!

The dark portal starts to close...

What do you do?

Benji is caught off guard when Persephone suddenly breaks into a sprint, but his confusion quickly turns to understanding and then horror as he sees Emma vault over the fence and vanish into darkness. He races toward the fence, relying on every bit of vampiric speed and strength he possesses to try to reach the portal before it closes...

- Persephone -

You grab for Emma, but she is already falling and you are sucked down with her, possibly slowing her fall and saving her from a twisted ankle.

What do you do?

- Benji -

You fall for a while —feels like ages, but is probably no more than a second. You land in a tunnel, it is very dark, and you doubt your human companions can see anything at all.

You don't know of any train tunnels down here, and the rotten egg smell suggests 'sewers', but there are other things that smell like that too. What did Persephone mouth to you moments before this happened? Did you catch it?

What do you do?

- Emma -

You have the disconcerting, swooping feeling as the ground you plan to land on is not there, this is worse than missing a step, and you fall into darkness. Someone grabs you from above, maybe trying to pull you out, maybe trying to pull you down, this slows your fall enough that you are not hurt as you land on the ...

• What is the ground like? It is loamy, like a cave, or rough stone, or worked stones, like a sewer? There are no (official) train lines under Hyde Park, but, judging from the smell, it could well be a sewer.

At least it is dry.

What do you do?

- Elsewhere, and unknown to you all ... -

"Well... That wraps that up in a nice, neat bow." Reginald says as the two disposable women and the unknown man vanish into the dark.

"It will all be fine." He says to Henry as Lawrence Wakefield drags a confused Percy and 'Sin leads Kat away too, Kat did not see much, being as far back as she was. "It's all part of the plan. Do back to your room, and don't talk about it. Alright, Henry? Do you hear me?"

Henry gapes at the night, not knowing what he just saw, and believing it even less. What did that 'Persephone' woman just do to Emma? He ponders as he stares at the dark trees and stream that he now recalls was called 'The Den' in some folklore.

Demon. Benji had indeed caught what Persephone had mouthed to him and the mingling smells of blood and brimstone confirm it. He quickly scrambles to his feet. He’d thought Persephone must have sensed the hellhound he’d been chasing but, looking around, he fears that there might be something far worse than a hellhound down here.

His sword and his coat are lying on the ground nearby, having been dropped during his fall. He picks them up and slips on his coat before turning back to Emma and Persephone. "Are you both all right?" he asks. "What happened back there? What is this place?"

Throughout the last 200 years, Benji’s seen a lot of strange things and he’s learned to take most things in stride, but Persephone’s demon form is difficult not to flinch at. She’d said she was a demon, or becoming one, but turning around to see Emma weeping into the arms of some kind of eldritch monstrosity was still a bit of a shock. Even so, he tries not to let his fright register on his face, at least, so as not to hurt Persephone’s feelings. He knows what it’s like to be treated like a monster, after all.

Persephone’s explanation lines up with his own understanding and fills in some gaps. "Sacrifices?" he echoes, nervously, as Persephone flies up to get a better look around the cavern.

Benji: There are rotting sheep and pig carcasses on the floor, they have signs of being mauled (or maybe just 'eaten'?) by canine (dog) mouths. There is a butcher's stamp, clearly visible, on one of the pig carcasses, reducing the likelihood that the dog hunted these animals itself, and making it much more likely that someone used them to distract the beast for some reason.

Persephone: The ceiling over here is high enough that you can ascend to well above the heads of your companions. There are two passages leading out from here —or really: one passage that passes through this grotto— they both look low enough that you can not fly through them very easily, but you can't see much once you leave the bubble of light from Emma's phone. Your phone might still be with your things, unless it was shredded along with your clothes?

Everyone: From down one of the passages comes a sound... your imagination conjures up all sorts of horrible things, 'heavy foot falls' are prominent in those images.

What do you do?

- Emma -

"There's no place like home... here, little blonde girl." A huge voice says from out of the darkness.

What do you do?

- Emma -

"I want you to die." The voice says. Surly it can't be 'quoting' the movie! You still can't see what is speaking.

There are no signs of previous sacrifices, in fact, you get the feeling you are/were to be the first in a long time (but maybe Benji's knowledge will help clarify that if you all have a moment to share your insights).

• What do you find down here? How do you turn that to your advance?

Benji silently sidesteps closer to Emma, facing the darkness with his sword raised.

- Persephone -

"Ho ho ho! Who's that, then, little mouse?" The voice booms from out of the dark, not impressed by the name. From back down at ground height you see can further along the passage, a huge figure approaches, flaming horns brushing the ceiling, despite its slightly bent posture.

It is a demon of nightmares!

What do you do?

- Emma -

You see a huge 'man' approaching from the one passage, he glows like the embers of a fire, and once he enters the bubble of your phone's light, you see sulphurous smoke emanating from his naked body, head, and ... horns!

He could have attacked you, rather he called you 'little blonde girl', suggesting her could see you while you lay on the ground... (or that he was expecting you specifically (or Kat?), but it could just as easily have been Percy who was first... nah, he was too timid, it was always going to be you, right?) He didn't attack, it does not seem like his intent is to harm you, more like he is herding you somewhere.

There is something else going on here, some bigger game, you just don't have all the pieces.

If this demon —for that is surely what it is— isn't meant to kill you —and even if it was, you are not much of a challenge— and is only an intimidation tactic, then maybe it is not actually as dangerous as it looks. Maybe, with a concerted effort, you all can quickly take it out? Benji has a sword! And there are several large thigh-bones that could make rather wicked weapons.

What do you do?

Benji points his sword at the demon as it emerges from the tunnel. The tip of the blade is trembling slightly and he realises that he’s shaking. He came prepared to fight a hellhound, not… whatever this is.

But I can’t just run away like last time! he tells himself, firmly. After all, he and Persephone are the only thing standing between Emma and the demon. At Emma’s cry, he musters his courage and darts forward, his sword flashing silver in the weak light of Emma’s phone.

- Persephone -

"Get off me you daft besom!" The demon demands, though its booming voice is sounding more than a little petulant. It tries to beat you away with its one hand, the other holding its side where Benji's sword did a right number on its apparently vulnerable flesh. It does not seem very strong, and you have suffered worse blows in your friendly kickboxing classes.

"'Exit'!? What do you mean: 'Exit'? This is all there is." It indicates the corridors and the stink —if you give it a chance too. There is a definitely element of 'Hey, lady. I just work here!' to its attitude and level of knowledge.

What to you to.

- Benji -

Before it went down under Persephone's onslaught, the demon struck out at you, but you barely noticed its ineffectual blows. There is an ashy mark on your coat, but it really is not much of a fighter.

You are reminded of the surprising ineffectiveness of the hoard of demons sent against Jacob, they looked scary enough, but they also went down rather easily. At the time, maybe, you attributed this to the skills of your Demon Hunter friend, but maybe it is a pattern? This feels a lot like Chaudry again.

What do you do?

- Persephone -

The demon gives you a 'well, duh' look, that is clearly not just you 'having a bad hair day', it can see the demon.

"'With'?..." It says, sounding confused by the word. "I didn't think I would get to go with. I always hoped to get to see what comes next. Can I come?"

It seems it was just summoned here a few minutes ago, and its job was to chase its victim (singular, helpless) down the passage, that is all it knows.

"I don't think we are allowed to know the ...you know, names ... of our summoners?" It sounds hesitant, as though worried it may be the butt of a joke. "Do you know yours? Why don't you break free and consume his liver?"

What do you do?

Benji hops back a few steps out of the demons reach (although it doesn’t seem to be much of a threat anymore) and brushes the ash from his coat. "Persephone’s right. We can’t stay down here forever."

He cocks his head at the demon curiously. "Would knowing your summoner’s name allow you to break free from their control then?" he asks. He glances at Persephone, hoping he is not undercutting her negotiation, before adding, "I actually think I might know it."

"Erm... Excuse me..." The demon booms hesitantly when Emma suggests staying here and not going down the tunnel. "I do have a job, you know." It seems a lot happier when Persephone both suggests continuing in the direction it was supposed to chase you, and allowing it to come along.

Of down the tunnel, whence it came, the demon knows nothing. It was summoned where it started and given orders. It did not think to go exploring.

"If I had the name... oooh, what torments I would wreak upon their person!" The demon rubs its hands in glee. "But what sorceries would you use to learn such valuable information?" 'True Names' are a big deal, people don't share them willy-nilly, you can't get them off someone's driver's licence, or even from a friend, the exact way they are spoken, the precise pattern of sounds made by the mouth and mind of the person themselves, is hard to emulate... if you believe such things.

What do you all do?

- Emma -

"Um... I'm not sure I should allow you to wander around...." The demon says in the ignored background, though it does not sound too confident about its ability to do anything about it.

What do you do?

"Well, it probably isn’t his true name," Benji says to the demon. "But I have reason to believe a wizard named Chaudry might have summoned you here. Does that sound right to you?"

To Emma and Persephone, he explains, "I was tracking a hellhound through the park when I ran into you two. I’m pretty sure the hellhound was summoned by the same wizard… or, at least, that would be the simplest explanation anyway."

He peers down the tunnel in the direction Emma indicated and nods. "That certainly makes sense to me! I’m sure this demon wasn’t summoned to chase us toward the exit after all."

- Benji -

"Indian fella? Could be." The demon agrees that Chaudry may well be its current master.

"The hellhound?... I don't think so, not unless he royally messed up. I think this whole thing has something to do with getting rid of that thing. Though I am only guessing from, ya know, outside clues." It indicates the carcasses used as distractions and possible attempts to get past the hellhound guardian.

"Be a mate, though, bruv. You already stabbed me. Don't make me fight you. You have to go that way." The poor demon whines when the conversation continues to drive away from its task. It does not sound at all happy about the idea of fighting you again, but it does not actually have a choice.

What do you do?

"Listen, you don’t seem like such a bad chap and I’d really rather not kill you either but, if you try to stop us, I’m afraid I won’t have much choice," Benji says, sympathetically. "What are your orders precisely? Perhaps we can find a way to work around them."

- Benji -

"'Work 'round them'?" The demon says, feeling the strange words in it mouth. "I didn't know that were an option." It contemplates your proposal.

"Stand here. Wait for portal. Someone falls through. Scare them, and chase them all the way down that passage. How did I do? Did I scare you? Four out of five ain't bad? ... But I suspect that last one was the only one that actually mattered?"

It is probably correct that all the preliminary orders were ... well... preliminary to the actual order, which was to chase the victim into the trap. If you can find a way around that, it is all ears... Well, not all 'ears', much of it is also 'naked man'.

What do you do?

"Well, did he say when you had to chase us down the passage? Seems to me we could take a short break between number four and five on your list there to do some exploring up the other end of the tunnel," Benji reasons.

- Benji -

"Seems like a 'technicality'." The demon says dubiously. But it is considering your words. "'When' was supposed to be right after 'human drops in'. The boss will already be wondering where we are, if he comes and checks..."

The demon stands awkwardly, clutching its side. "Grr! Argh!" It says unconvincingly, then 'softer' and more to itself. "There was only supposed to be one puny human. Not a knight with a sword and a demon guardian. No wonder they got past me!" It seems to be practicing excuses.

What do you do?

- Persephone -

"You trying to trick me?" The demon says when you ask it its name in the middle of a conversation about the importance of names. It can't see what you are up to, the trick must be real cunning to go over it head. "You want to get together when we get back home?" It waggles its ... let's pretend we are only talking about ... eyebrows at you suggestively.

What do you do?

Chaudry
Chaudry is a small time conjurer, specialising in summonings. He fell into disrepute after a few schemes went bad a few years ago and has been trying to recover his reputation... unfortunately his reputation is that of a fraudster and con-artist.

He had a connection with an illegal dog fighting ring, allegedly using demon dogs, but, if this demon is to be believed, that may have been part of a larger plan, research to get past the hellhound that Benji has been hunting. Rumours of this particular 'track cryptid' predate Chaudry's time in London.

Emma: You did not really speak to Henry after lunch, but what you could gather from Kat might suggest that Chaudry was the extra man at that gathering. He does not seem their type: Maybe he is working a con on them? Maybe they are using him for their own ends? Maybe it does not matter, they all tried to kill you.

Persephone: Chaudry has caused more problems for demons and their reputation than almost anyone. He is spoken of in he same vein as that guy that put lead in petrol and CFCs in refrigerators. You don't have free reign to take him out —you don't know who his benefactors may be— but messing with his plans will definitely buy you brownie points, and eliminating him —especially discretely— would be for the greater good... of demonkind...

This demon before you is par for the course with Chaudry, mostly show, little actual fighting ability. But he does have some tricks up his sleeves, so don't underestimate his minions.

- Emma -

Um, yeah, maybe you are getting a hint as to where the stories of demons having tails with anchor shaped ends comes from...

What do you do?

- Persephone -

"They let you have a phone!!?" The demon says, awestruck. "Those are, like, ultimate temptation for humans. But you broke it?" It sounds genuinely distraught at your loss of such an artifact of human-kind.

It does not have a phone, nor any way to contact you using one. It will also need some motivation to reveal its true name —the easiest way to get hold of it, in- or out of hell— but, and don't ask me how you know, your act of carving your number into its chest was definitely a turn on.

What do you do?

Benji is watching Persephone’s exchange with the demon with a bewildered expression. He catches Emma’s pointed glance but it takes him a few seconds to decipher it. "Oh! You want me to go first?" He’d been hoping someone else would volunteer to lead the way, but he supposes it makes sense that it should be him. He’s the only one who can see in the dark, after all… "Well, alright. Follow me, then, I suppose!" He sets off down the tunnel.

"Erm..." The demon raises a claw in hesitant objection to everyone ignoring it and walking past, but it is a bit smitten and distracted by Persephone's flirting. It follows behind, ready to take on the visage of 'chasing' if your route brings you round to its master.

There are not a lot of tunnels, their purpose is unclear, and they look old. There is also no obvious way out, the air, once you get away for (or used to) the dog-meat-distractions, is stuffy and dry, like the weather outside has has no effect anywhere in these... what are these? 'Caves'?

It is possible the only way out is the way in: via some 'portal' or similar. And it is possible only the wizard who brought you here has the means to activate this portal. Maybe you can find a passage that brings you to him from behind? Maybe you can use that to get the drop?

What do you do?

- Emma -

Wandering these tunnels with a demon companion (or, is it two demons —as Persephone insisted she was— (and a vampire)) while hiding from a (unverified) madman —who must be getting impatient and be thinking about summoning more demons to hunt you down— is just the sort of thing to put one in a creepy state of mind.

You find evidence of a large dog, the animal carcasses (seemingly used as distraction) have been eaten... and that has to go somewhere. The fact that Benji says the dog is sometimes seen on the train tracks suggests it has a way out of these tunnels. But you don't find a physical link between this place and that.

You came here through a 'portal', it opened in the ground and closed behind you and your brave companions. You don't know much about 'portals', or magic —or, it seems, anything really— but one piece of wall feels ... different, in an otherworldly way. You can't explain it, but there is a horrible connection to back home. You are no tracker, but, with this feeling in mind, by the light of your phone, you are pretty sure there are dog spoor concentrated here, like it has a way through solid stone.

How you would activate this 'portal' —if it even is one— you don't know. But given the hellish nature of the dog, and everything else you have seen down here, there is nothing to suggest it will be 'righteous'. The cost may be high.

What do you do?

- Emma -

Chaudry, being human (presumably), would need light down here, so your phone might not immediately catch his attention, but the dog possibly does not care about light. Whether that lack of caring plays to your advantage you have no way of knowing... Whoops, wrong, you may be about to find out...

The dog lies sleeping, you can hear its heavy breathing moments before your light falls upon it. In a different room just off to the side you hear something shift, then there is light spilling out into the passage and a voice says: "What's taking so long? Go and check."

What do you do?

- Benji -

Your new rat friends, snuggled in your coat and unnoticed by your companions, still don't have a strong understanding of your 'hellhound or its master' quest, but something of your request got through, and their little heads pop up, alert, as you approach this intersection.

To the one side sleeps the dog, to the other you hear Chaudry muttering to himself, it seems he has just summoned another demon to try find where his victim got to.

What do you do?

- Emma -

You have made your way around the back of Chaudry's trap, you hear heavy, shuffling, footfalls proceeding away from you, out the way you were 'supposed' to come in by.

It seems he has summoned another demon to do his bidding, but it is out of the room right now. Chaudry may be alone, if you act fast you may be able to catch him with his pants down... no, bad choice of words, given what you have seen thus far... But you will be placing yourselves between the summoner and the hellhound.

What do you do?

While they wait for the demon to pass, Benji offers his sword to Persephone, hilt first, hoping that she can use it to defend herself and Emma should the hellhound wake or Chaudry’s newest demon return. He slips into the shadows, preparing to sneak up on Chaudry and restrain him before he can cast any spells, when Emma suddenly charges into the room ahead of him! Surprised but realizing he has to act quickly now, he darts into the room behind her and prepares to grab the wizard while Emma has him distracted.

- Emma -

Chaudry takes an involuntary step backwards as you are suddenly in his face. His eyes dart everywhere, looking for answers.

"Wha? Who are you? What are you doing here?" He exclaims. Possibly the fact that you weren't at the lunch meeting, and so he does not recognise you, is the only thing that buys you a moment of inactivity.

The room is set up just like you might picture a sacrifice chamber, there is a stone altar —not originally part of the room, you don't think— and a fire burning in a brazier right next to it.

Chaudry has a knife, it is more fancy than functional, and you don't think he intended to overpower his victim by himself.

What do you do?

- Benji -

At the same time you start moving, Chaudry is panicking and reaches out and rips a paper banner hanging from the altar, half of it going into the fire. From the split in the paper two demons step out, flanking Chaudry defensively.

Chaudry has not seen you yet, if you halt in time you can remain outside the room and in the shadows.

What do you do?

- Emma -

"Who exactly..." Chaudry starts, then remembering his role: "COWER BEFORE ME!" He bellows, but he seems to hurt his throat doing so, and quickly stops. "What is your purpose here?" He demands pompously, trying to work out what is going on.

He now has two demons, bigger and stronger looking than the first. They look ready to grab you at their master's slightest command.

What do you do?

- Emma -

Chaudry blinks at you, stunned by your sheer hubris. "Actually: I don't answer questions." He says. "So you are the one? How did you get around that side? You didn't wake the dog, did you?" He seems more worried about the sleeping dog than about any threat you might post on your own, though he is a little worried about how you dealt with his other demon.

"What are we talking! Grab her!" He shouts to his henchmen. They lunge for your arms.

What do you do?

- Benji (and, maybe, Persephone) -

The summoner is fast, he summons up two more demons, these ones look more attuned to restraining (but then the first one looked scary, but was mainly there for show?). The 'restraint demons' lunge for Emma, but she is quicker still, darting away and then sprinting past you.

Emma keeps running. You can't be sure where she is headed, she did not say anything about it, but maybe she has discovered a way out?

Do you follow? Or do you use the confusion of her sudden departure to ambush the demons as they pass?

What do you do?

- Emma -

You appear back in ... in our world (? Is that an appropriate distinction? It feels like it?) —pulled back here by something that feels both beautiful... and scary ... wild; something that is both very much like you, and also very, very different.

A few seconds/minutes later your phone starts to go off, dozens of messages and missed calls, from Henry and the hotel, mainly; all crammed into the space of the few minutes you were 'down there'.

It seems Henry was worried. You don't know what he saw, or what he thinks he saw, but the blue lights probably mean he called the cops, expecting them to sort it out.

What do you do?

- Persephone -

"'"Persephone Mei Zhang. Persephone Mei Zhang."'" Kal chants. "You sure? That's a seriously weird name." You have heard this before, but never from someone whose name is so much stranger than yours.


"Oops! There's the boss." Kal says in a way that is so reminiscent of 'office work' that it borders on the satirical. "Uh... Grr? Argh? Oh, forget it. I did my best."

"Come back, you fools!" Chaudry calls after the demons chasing Emma, but they already have their orders and are gone. Chaudry looks around for an advantage, but sags when he sees you in all your glory.

"You the one that's been messing with my business?" He asks, pulling out a pack of fags and offering you one as he lights up. "This was supposed to be simple."

What do you do?

- Persephone -

"What's it to you?" Chaudry says defensively, he is not in the habit of giving away information and has no reason to share with you.

He halfheartedly makes to hide some of the evidence of obvious sacrifice prep, but gives that up as a lost cause. He does not even bother with 'it was like this when I found it, guv'nor' lie.

What do you do?

Benji leaps back out of the way as Emma bolts past him out of the room, pursued by two demons. He hesitates, glancing back at Chaudry, but decides that stopping the demons from catching Emma is the priority. Besides, Persephone is advancing on Chaudry with a scary expression on her very scary face that makes him think she can probably handle the wizard just fine on her own.

He chases after the demons and, upon catching up with them, pounces on the slower of the two with his teeth and sword bared.

- Benji -

The trailing demon goes down in a flurry of teeth and sword, they are not that tough, but still rather rocky for your teeth. As it dies it falls and grabs for whatever it can, clutching at its fellow's legs and causing it to trip and fall as well, kicking you on the way down (Take 1 Harm, a Minor Injury that you can decide the details of).

The other other demon, the one that was sent to look for the sacrifice, sees this and looks on the scrum in confusion. It was sent to look for a helpless victim, not a vampire with a sword!

What do you do?

- Emma -

"What's your name, ma'am?" The officer in the car ask while looking at a picture of you... from one of your books, of all places(*).

Once you confirm your identity they radio in: "We have the missing person. Proceeding to The Lanesborough."

The female officer gets in the back with you. "Can you tell us what happened?" She asks gently. She does not explain anything, waiting to see how your side of the story line up.

What do you do?

---

- Emma -

You see the officer write what looks like 'bandstand' and 'toilets' as she notes down what you say.

It is not far to the hotel, but the car is driving very slowly, giving them time to asks questions without the need to detain you. "Are you sure you don't need the hospital?" The officer asks gently, looking over your torn clothes as well as your cold and wet condition. (You do feel a little feverish, and chills at the same time, but that has been all evening.)

"Let's go through the one more time." The police say, and you know from research that they will go round and round in circles if given the chance, this has proved to be the most effective way to catch people out in a lie. "Tell us about this 'game'."

What do you do?

- Emma -

"Yes, of course." The officer says, in a way that sounds a lot like, 'no, not just yet'. "What about the woman who was with you? Where is she? We need to find her before we can rest." Technically they need to find her before they can rest, but including you in the 'saving' is meant to motivate your caring instincts.

• What about Persephone? They did not mention Benji, maybe Henry did not know about him? Did you just abandon your friends? Your friends who were only down there to help you?

What do you do?