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"Here There Be Vampires" A Promise City, Arizona Story Hour
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<blockquote data-quote="orchid blossom" data-source="post: 2819533" data-attributes="member: 12815"><p>Chester holsters his Remington and walks over to 308. He knocks on the door. "Hello? Are you in?" When no one answers, Chester tries the doorknob, just on the off chance it's unlocked.</p><p></p><p>Chester is surprised when the doorknob turns easily in his hand. The door swings in to reveal an eerily dark room. The bed remains unmade but there are no other signs that the room was recently occupied. The curtains rustle a bit as a breeze from the partially opened window disturbs the delicate fabric.</p><p></p><p>He enters the room cautiously. He looks around and finds an oil lamp on the table. He lights it, then closes the door. Chester checks the room for anything odd, paying special attention to the window and under the bed.</p><p></p><p>Chester looks around the room carefully. When he gets near the bed he kneels down and sets the oil lamp on the floor. Almost immediately something catches his eye. Some small object, no bigger in diameter than a dime is glinting in the light of the lantern. He reaches out and picks it off the floor and looks at it closely. It is a cufflink, not just any cufflink but a cufflink shaped with the letters C.T. </p><p></p><p>As he examines the cufflink a gust of air comes through the window. The lantern sputters severely and almost falters completely before regaining it's former state of brightness.</p><p></p><p>Chester shivers, but not from the breeze. He pockets the cufflink and reaches for the doorknob. <em>Time to get back to the others.</em></p><p></p><p>* * *</p><p></p><p>Jake makes his way down one flight of stairs and then looks down the hallway. He sees Ruby standing and looking his way.</p><p></p><p>When she sees Jake she breathes a sigh of relief but doesn't move. "Hello husband. I missed you." She keeps the innocent smile on her face.</p><p></p><p>A young teenage girl reaches the top of the stairs carrying a basket of laundry. She nods to Ruby as she walks by and stops at room 205. She knocks and when there is no answer she unlocks the door with a key from a ring on her belt. She drags the laundry basket in the room and closes the door behind her.</p><p></p><p>Ruby curls a finger for Jake to come to her. "Kiss me darling, right now."</p><p></p><p>"You are so impetuous, my pretty little vixen." As Jake moves close he whispers, "I'm listening," and kisses her.</p><p></p><p>Ruby kisses Jake passionately, throwing a leg up around his waist. They push back on the door, continuing to kiss passionately, while Ruby keeps an ear open for the young girl.</p><p></p><p>After about 5 minutes the door to room 205 opens and the young girl comes out basket in hand. She giggles when she sees Jake and Ruby in the hallway and walks past them and heads back down the stairs. As she walks by Ruby extends her arm and with a slender finger she manages to free the key ring from the young maid’s belt.</p><p></p><p>She continues to kiss Jake, maybe even a bit longer than necessary, including some moans of pleasure and some, "Oh Babys" for good measure. Once she is positive the girl is gone and they are alone, she holds up and jingles the keys in front of Jake's eyes. "My, that was pleasant."</p><p></p><p>"Why don't we wait and see if she comes back with any more keys." Jake says grinning broadly.</p><p></p><p>Ruby grabs him a bit roughly and kisses him for a long moment before turning her back still inside his arms she tries a key in the lock.</p><p></p><p>Ruby smiles as the key turns the lock easily. She slowly turns the doorknob and swings the door open, being careful to keep the noise to a minimum. Inside she sees a neatly kept room full of traveling and adventuring gear of all sorts. She sees backpacks and climbing gear, a few mining tools, coils of rope, lanterns, flasks of oil and torches, and other common items. On the desk is a hand drawn map of Thomaswell sketched out with precision. There are several strange markings on the map that Ruby cannot decipher. The dresser is full of clothing, mostly rugged clothing designed for outdoor work but there is also one drawer dedicated to finer clothing including a suit. On top of the dresser there are several bottles of liquor and a shot glass which appears to be clean or not recently used. The bed is made neatly, the sheets and blanket tucked in tightly. The chest at the foot of the bed is locked.</p><p></p><p>"Well, Mr. Cook," Ruby says slyly, "Where do we start?"</p><p></p><p>He closes the door so no one from the hallway will see them. "Lock it. Why don't you see if you can get into the trunk? Be careful though, he seems like a slippery one. He may have made it hazardous to break into. I'll look around." </p><p></p><p>Jake further examines the room, the floors, under the bed, the window. During which he makes frequent pauses to listen for activity in the hallway. He makes note of the type of alcohol on the dresser and then tries to memorize the map as best he can, especially the locations with strange markings.</p><p></p><p>At least during Jake's searching there is no activity in the hallway that he can hear. There doesn't appear to be anything hidden that Jake notices. The window is closed and locked with the curtains having been closed. An empty suitcase, heavily used but of fine quality is stored under the bed. The floor is the same as in the other rooms, being hardwood and decorated with an area rug. There is nothing found under the rug. </p><p></p><p>The alcohol on the dresser consists of a bottle of whiskey, tequila, rum and bourbon, all of high quality and from various regions. All have been opened and vary in regards to the amount of content remaining. He finds a well drawn map that appears to be to scale. It also appears to be a complete map of the town as far as Jake can tell.</p><p></p><p>Meanwhile, Ruby checks the lock on the chest and doesn't see anything unusual about it. She deftly slips a lock pick from her bodice and sets to work opening the lock. </p><p></p><p>Jake startles when he hears Ruby muffle a scream. He sees her eyes light up and her body stiffen. She falls over to the ground, a small plume of smoke rising from the area of the chest.</p><p></p><p>"Mierda." Jake scrambles to the window and flings it open. He then dives to the floor to stay low and pulls Ruby away from the chest. When she is far enough away from the smoke he examines her. "Come on Ruby, talk to me."</p><p></p><p>The small plume of smoke dissipates rather quickly, but as Jake approaches Ruby he can see scorch marks on the wooden trunk around the lock as well as on Ruby's hands. She moans as he talks to her, her breathing is shallow.</p><p></p><p>Jake curses and takes the key ring from her. He listens to make certain that no one is in the hallway before unlocking the door. He puts the key in the outside of the door before cradling Ruby in his arms. He pulls the door closed with his foot and locks it with the hand holding up her legs. He wiggles the key free before moving quickly up to Chester's room where he kicks at the door. "Hurry up, dammit. We had a little accident."</p><p></p><p>Minerva and Nanuet rush over to the bed where Jake has lain Ruby. "What happened?" Minerva says as she looks Ruby over. She lowers her head, focuses on her olive pendant, and says a healing prayer. </p><p></p><p>Ruby coughs weakly, her eyes open but she is still dazed, still weak. The burn marks on her hand have lessened but not disappeared. "Ouch," Ruby coughs. She tries to open the fingers on her hands but winces. "That bastard," she coughs again.</p><p></p><p>Kate saw the burns on Ruby's hands and quickly ran back into her room. She had a few lotions that would soothe them, although nothing particularly medicinal. She grabbed a couple bandages and ran back in. While the others questioned she began to rub a lotion on the burns.</p><p></p><p>"No fire,” Jake says. “Just a little accident while attempting to gain entry to a trunk. Seems like Mr. O'Neil had the contents protected with some sort of enchantment."</p><p></p><p>She picks up her head slighty, "Yeah that bastard O'Neil...," Ruby moans, "There must be something good in there..." She plops her head back down on the bed.</p><p></p><p>"Something good doesn't have to mean something suspicious. Did you check it with any 'special sight' first?" Kate asked.</p><p></p><p>"Nooo," Ruby moans again. "I didn't think he was smart enough for that. But when I go back... Owww," she interrupts herself as Kate puts balm on her hand, "WHEN I go back I'll find out."</p><p></p><p>"After all," says Jake, "what fun is it getting burned up only once. I left the window open and locked the door. Maybe he'll believe the intruder came in that way." He walks over and sits next to her. "Is anything else wrong, do you hurt somewhere else?"</p><p></p><p>"You don't have to be smart to know to protect your belongings in a strange place,” Kate said. “I <em>would</em> like to know if that trap was magical, and if so was it an item, or is our friend Mr. O'Neill talented?"</p><p></p><p>Ruby tries to sit up, but realizes she is not as strong as she thinks. She tries to hide it and sit up again, obviously stressing. "I'm a little weak. I'll be alright. I want to know too, what's in there. He must be good, because I know I am." She glances around at her friends. No one had mentioned her picking the lock on the door to the boarding house, even though she had never mentioned those skills in front of some of them before.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="orchid blossom, post: 2819533, member: 12815"] Chester holsters his Remington and walks over to 308. He knocks on the door. "Hello? Are you in?" When no one answers, Chester tries the doorknob, just on the off chance it's unlocked. Chester is surprised when the doorknob turns easily in his hand. The door swings in to reveal an eerily dark room. The bed remains unmade but there are no other signs that the room was recently occupied. The curtains rustle a bit as a breeze from the partially opened window disturbs the delicate fabric. He enters the room cautiously. He looks around and finds an oil lamp on the table. He lights it, then closes the door. Chester checks the room for anything odd, paying special attention to the window and under the bed. Chester looks around the room carefully. When he gets near the bed he kneels down and sets the oil lamp on the floor. Almost immediately something catches his eye. Some small object, no bigger in diameter than a dime is glinting in the light of the lantern. He reaches out and picks it off the floor and looks at it closely. It is a cufflink, not just any cufflink but a cufflink shaped with the letters C.T. As he examines the cufflink a gust of air comes through the window. The lantern sputters severely and almost falters completely before regaining it's former state of brightness. Chester shivers, but not from the breeze. He pockets the cufflink and reaches for the doorknob. [i]Time to get back to the others.[/i] * * * Jake makes his way down one flight of stairs and then looks down the hallway. He sees Ruby standing and looking his way. When she sees Jake she breathes a sigh of relief but doesn't move. "Hello husband. I missed you." She keeps the innocent smile on her face. A young teenage girl reaches the top of the stairs carrying a basket of laundry. She nods to Ruby as she walks by and stops at room 205. She knocks and when there is no answer she unlocks the door with a key from a ring on her belt. She drags the laundry basket in the room and closes the door behind her. Ruby curls a finger for Jake to come to her. "Kiss me darling, right now." "You are so impetuous, my pretty little vixen." As Jake moves close he whispers, "I'm listening," and kisses her. Ruby kisses Jake passionately, throwing a leg up around his waist. They push back on the door, continuing to kiss passionately, while Ruby keeps an ear open for the young girl. After about 5 minutes the door to room 205 opens and the young girl comes out basket in hand. She giggles when she sees Jake and Ruby in the hallway and walks past them and heads back down the stairs. As she walks by Ruby extends her arm and with a slender finger she manages to free the key ring from the young maid’s belt. She continues to kiss Jake, maybe even a bit longer than necessary, including some moans of pleasure and some, "Oh Babys" for good measure. Once she is positive the girl is gone and they are alone, she holds up and jingles the keys in front of Jake's eyes. "My, that was pleasant." "Why don't we wait and see if she comes back with any more keys." Jake says grinning broadly. Ruby grabs him a bit roughly and kisses him for a long moment before turning her back still inside his arms she tries a key in the lock. Ruby smiles as the key turns the lock easily. She slowly turns the doorknob and swings the door open, being careful to keep the noise to a minimum. Inside she sees a neatly kept room full of traveling and adventuring gear of all sorts. She sees backpacks and climbing gear, a few mining tools, coils of rope, lanterns, flasks of oil and torches, and other common items. On the desk is a hand drawn map of Thomaswell sketched out with precision. There are several strange markings on the map that Ruby cannot decipher. The dresser is full of clothing, mostly rugged clothing designed for outdoor work but there is also one drawer dedicated to finer clothing including a suit. On top of the dresser there are several bottles of liquor and a shot glass which appears to be clean or not recently used. The bed is made neatly, the sheets and blanket tucked in tightly. The chest at the foot of the bed is locked. "Well, Mr. Cook," Ruby says slyly, "Where do we start?" He closes the door so no one from the hallway will see them. "Lock it. Why don't you see if you can get into the trunk? Be careful though, he seems like a slippery one. He may have made it hazardous to break into. I'll look around." Jake further examines the room, the floors, under the bed, the window. During which he makes frequent pauses to listen for activity in the hallway. He makes note of the type of alcohol on the dresser and then tries to memorize the map as best he can, especially the locations with strange markings. At least during Jake's searching there is no activity in the hallway that he can hear. There doesn't appear to be anything hidden that Jake notices. The window is closed and locked with the curtains having been closed. An empty suitcase, heavily used but of fine quality is stored under the bed. The floor is the same as in the other rooms, being hardwood and decorated with an area rug. There is nothing found under the rug. The alcohol on the dresser consists of a bottle of whiskey, tequila, rum and bourbon, all of high quality and from various regions. All have been opened and vary in regards to the amount of content remaining. He finds a well drawn map that appears to be to scale. It also appears to be a complete map of the town as far as Jake can tell. Meanwhile, Ruby checks the lock on the chest and doesn't see anything unusual about it. She deftly slips a lock pick from her bodice and sets to work opening the lock. Jake startles when he hears Ruby muffle a scream. He sees her eyes light up and her body stiffen. She falls over to the ground, a small plume of smoke rising from the area of the chest. "Mierda." Jake scrambles to the window and flings it open. He then dives to the floor to stay low and pulls Ruby away from the chest. When she is far enough away from the smoke he examines her. "Come on Ruby, talk to me." The small plume of smoke dissipates rather quickly, but as Jake approaches Ruby he can see scorch marks on the wooden trunk around the lock as well as on Ruby's hands. She moans as he talks to her, her breathing is shallow. Jake curses and takes the key ring from her. He listens to make certain that no one is in the hallway before unlocking the door. He puts the key in the outside of the door before cradling Ruby in his arms. He pulls the door closed with his foot and locks it with the hand holding up her legs. He wiggles the key free before moving quickly up to Chester's room where he kicks at the door. "Hurry up, dammit. We had a little accident." Minerva and Nanuet rush over to the bed where Jake has lain Ruby. "What happened?" Minerva says as she looks Ruby over. She lowers her head, focuses on her olive pendant, and says a healing prayer. Ruby coughs weakly, her eyes open but she is still dazed, still weak. The burn marks on her hand have lessened but not disappeared. "Ouch," Ruby coughs. She tries to open the fingers on her hands but winces. "That bastard," she coughs again. Kate saw the burns on Ruby's hands and quickly ran back into her room. She had a few lotions that would soothe them, although nothing particularly medicinal. She grabbed a couple bandages and ran back in. While the others questioned she began to rub a lotion on the burns. "No fire,” Jake says. “Just a little accident while attempting to gain entry to a trunk. Seems like Mr. O'Neil had the contents protected with some sort of enchantment." She picks up her head slighty, "Yeah that bastard O'Neil...," Ruby moans, "There must be something good in there..." She plops her head back down on the bed. "Something good doesn't have to mean something suspicious. Did you check it with any 'special sight' first?" Kate asked. "Nooo," Ruby moans again. "I didn't think he was smart enough for that. But when I go back... Owww," she interrupts herself as Kate puts balm on her hand, "WHEN I go back I'll find out." "After all," says Jake, "what fun is it getting burned up only once. I left the window open and locked the door. Maybe he'll believe the intruder came in that way." He walks over and sits next to her. "Is anything else wrong, do you hurt somewhere else?" "You don't have to be smart to know to protect your belongings in a strange place,” Kate said. “I [i]would[/i] like to know if that trap was magical, and if so was it an item, or is our friend Mr. O'Neill talented?" Ruby tries to sit up, but realizes she is not as strong as she thinks. She tries to hide it and sit up again, obviously stressing. "I'm a little weak. I'll be alright. I want to know too, what's in there. He must be good, because I know I am." She glances around at her friends. No one had mentioned her picking the lock on the door to the boarding house, even though she had never mentioned those skills in front of some of them before. [/QUOTE]
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