Giving Your Statement - Sunday June 10th, 1923

[Rumguzzle]

You woke up to another fine spring day that didn’t quite match the emotions of the day. It was still hard to believe that yesterday really did happen. It would have been easy to stay in bed and not face the world today, but you were expected at the campus security office.

Chief Williams had said 8:00 sharp and here it was, 8:05 and no Chief.  Standing around the stone steps that led to the square, single floor building’s single entry everyone made small talk as they waited. It was a nice walk through the blooming campus grounds being so empty due to the seasonal break. Even the Robson Mail center looked like it was embracing the spirit of spring renewal with bare wood beams rising from the parts of the building that had survived the fire.

Whatever small talk may have been going on between the small gathering was cut short when Chief Williams turned to buildings corner. A bit out of breath and still working at buttoning up his shirt he slowed down on seeing the crowd.

“Sorry about that, folks,” he said while making a final adjustment to his collar. “They had me out all night and I overslept. Roadways still blocked and police figure it will take all day to change that. Big wreck, four cars and a truck load of chickens. Most of the crates busted and chickens running around everywhere. I spent half the night running after some of them dang birds.”

Fumbling his keys a moment at the door he opened it and ushered everyone inside. A wide desk stretched across the entire front of the room, a flapper to allow passage through on its far-right side. A pair of desks formed an ‘L’ in the center of the room, each with a worn wooden chair but one littered with papers and the other clean save for a folded stack of clothes in its top. On the left wall of the room was a utility closet door, several straight back chairs pushed against the wall and a small table with a coffee pot, several mugs and various cans of coffee, boxes of cookies and bags of sugar. The right wall of the room had a tall cabinet next to a row of pegs with raincoats, winter coats and that stretched from floor to ceiling.  The entire back wall of the office was a line of iron bars that made up two holding cells. Most often used as drunk tanks in prior days they were usually empty now a days. Today though, one had an occupant. Someone was sleeping on a cot in the right-side cell. Their back was to the front of the office and except for a shock of brown hair, were covered by a grey wool blanket.

“Ok, come on it. Let me put some coffee on and I’ll take your statements. One of you take a seat and we'll get started,” he said pointing to the chairs and desks as he lifted the flapper and walked into the room “The rest of you, grab one of those chairs along the wall or just wait here.”

 

[sxeBUDDHA]

Christa Linda
 

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Hit Points: 10/10 | Luck: 35/35 | Sanity: 65/65

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Location: Campus Security Office | Conditions/Effects: None

Outside the campus security office, a serene silence enveloped the empty surroundings as Christa Linda and her entourage waited patiently for Chief Williams to arrive. With the campus deserted, only the occasional rustle of leaves disturbed the quietude.

Christa Linda, seated calmly in front of the closed door, had taken charge of the situation, her personal assistant Sophia having been dispatched to fetch breakfast from a local eatery. Merlin, the myna bird, perched gracefully on Christa's outstretched hand, while her three obedient dogs remained stationed outside the office, their patience unwavering.

As the minutes ticked by, anticipation hung in the air, and when Chief Williams finally arrived, opening the door to the office, Christa Linda greeted him with a composed nod, ready to proceed with her witness account in her usual professional manner.

"Good morning, Chief Williams! Have you had breakfast yet? Indulge in a sinkerdoughnut with your morning Joe."

Despite the unexpected delay, Christa Linda remained poised and considerate, treating the situation with the same professionalism and punctuality she would bring to any movie shooting schedule. Her thoughtful gesture had certainly left a positive impression on those present in the office.

OOC

Critically failed Spot Hidden roll!

 

Edited April 7 by sxeBUDDHA
Added Spot Hidden dice roll as requested by Keeper (see edit history)

[TheOldTraveller]

Professor Seagrave enters quietly and takes out chairs for the others he expects to arrive, before taking a seat across from Christa Linda. He greets the woman politely but doesn't hold eye contact long. Instead, he watches her myna bird.

 

[rauhric]

Alexander Saint-Cloud

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Alexander greeted everyone present and then engaged in some small talk. His mind was still locked in on the events of the night before. He found the whole situation surreal. Through the brief moments his mind was not reliving the events of yesterday it remember Professor Gellman. It is hard to let go of someone who had a profound impact on one's life. The question that keeps reoccurring in his thoughts was 'Why?' Why to everything. Why did he die? Why had he not noticed anything wrong with Professor Gellman? And why did that student go crazy last night? His mind was tired from questions he could not answer. Maybe he just needs to sleep this whole situation away.

 

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OoC:

Edited April 7 by rauhric (see edit history)

[Bobcloclimar]

Tobey, clearly uncomfortable to be rubbing shoulders with the more moneyed folk of the university, stays to the side and nibbles on a bagel he brought with him. When the chief arrives, he doesn't move, expecting the starlet to take the first slot.

[Spacesong]

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Herman P. Loggins

HP: 11/11 SAN: 25/25 LUCK: 50/50 IDEA: 85 KNOW: 80

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Waiting near the front standing by the door Herman takes in the sight. Is this lady serious? Showing up with a whole damn petting zoo everywhere she goes? He let's it go. Not really a bother, just not the sort of eccentric Herman's used to running into every day.

He thinks about taking a swig from the flask in his pocket be holds off. I can wait a bit. He chats a little with the professorial looking one, Alexander, he thinks he recalls from yesterday a bit about the weather and recent happenings. Poor guy seems tense. Herman thinks to himself after their brief exchange.

Once Chief Williams rounds the corner he gives him a small little salute "Top of the mornin', chief!" After hearing Chief Williams' story about the chickens he can't help but laugh a little. "Sounds like they got you working the hard cases, huh?"

As they shuffle inside Herman sits amused as the woman walks in with the bird calmly resting on her hand and 3 dogs follow her inside. Christa I thinks is her name? Gelman had mentioned one of his students become an actress. Herman decides to take a seat over with Tobey nodding cordially as he moves in. "Heck of a 24 hours, huh?" Gently resting forward and leaning on his own knee with his elbow looking towards where Christa Linda was sitting to have a view on the scene.

He's a lawyer. Lawyers are good at listening and getting reads on folks, so all of this is sure to be interesting.

"Thanks for the coffee, chief. I suspect we'll be here for a bit." He turns and meets Seagrave's direction to make eye contact and points to the coffee pot and gives a playful deadpan "...dibs"Dibs in this sense is children's slang that goes back to the early 1900s. By mid-20th century, it had made its way into the more formal writing of some adult users of English, though even today dibs remains more prevalent among the young.

https://www.merriam-webster.com/wordplay/word-origin-dibs

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[Rumguzzle]

OOC

Everyone give me a Spot Hidden roll

 

[rauhric]

Alexander Saint-Cloud

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Alexander continues to engage in small with some of Professor Gellman's friends. He tries his very best to move past his emotions because even he can feel the sorrowful emotions he is emanating. While observing his surroundings for a moment he feels as if he might notice something.

 

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OoC: Spot Hidden success, under 50%

Edited April 17 by rauhric (see edit history)

[Bobcloclimar]

Tobey turns to engage the good esquire in conversation with a friendly smile, but a chunk of his bagel breaks off and falls to the floor. "Pardon me, sir," he winces as he kneels down to pick it up.

 

OOC

Spot roll in my previous post. He's not seeing anything right now...

 

[TheOldTraveller]

Roll

Spot Hidden

[TheOldTraveller]

(If there is something odd, Edmund, perhaps distracted by the bird, does not notice it.)

 

 

[Delorphin]

Hector Prescott

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Hector quietly stayed in the corner, patiently waiting for his turn to speak. He had a restless night, memories of his past failures resurfaced with the new addition to the list. In his mind, replaying different scenarios of what to say to Mrs. Gelman when he has to go visit her. Part of his anxiety and panic spread to other areas of his life, including what he'll say to the chief during the statements.

"I hope no one was hurt in that accident," he says to the chief, "it would be nice if our worldly concerns were only relegated to chasing escaped chickens in the night. That would be nice."

Spot Hidden

[Rumguzzle]

Sitting down with Christa Linda first, Chief Williams pulls out a small rectangular pad of paper and a pen from his desk drawer. Stubs fill most of the pad but there is still a thin line of full sheets at the bottom. Setting it down on the mess of papers and notebooks the covered the top of the desk he began to write.

“Sorry for the mess, been a crazy couple of days. here by myself with break and all.” With a quick flick of his wrist, he signed his name on the slip of paper he had been filling out. Setting his pen down, he set one hand on the pad as he carefully tore the page free, adding one more stub to the pad. “Here you go miss and I am sure you understand. With that out of the way, I’d like to get your statement.”

The slip of paper he handed Christa Linda was a fine in the amount of $6.50 for “failure to obtain appropriate permits” and “lack of proper restraint on animals.” It had the university seal in one corner and the administration building hours with the statement “Cash payments preferred” in the opposite corner.

As Miss Linda began sharing her account of what transpired, one of her dogs that had sat facing the drunk tank began whining, a low whimper of sound that stopped as the animal lay down, his head on the floor and looking into the cell and the man sleeping there.

This caught the attention of Alexander St. Cloud, raising his curiosity a bit. It took a few moments for him to take note of it but once he saw it, he was sure it seemed off. One of the sleeping man’s arms hung over the edge of his cot, not unusual at all by itself but there seemed to be a bit of dark dust gathered where his fingers and the cement floor met. It reminded the professor of a little anthill.

Not able to single out the whining of one animal over the noise of them all, Herman Loggins didn’t note anything unusual about the cell. Instead, he was occupying his time reading through some campus newspapers that had accumulated on the counter. A photo in an article from a month back caught his attention. It was from the night after the Robson Mail Center fire, the photo from the next morning showing blackened roof edges and burnt timbers. Skimming the accompanying article he was surprised the see the name Glenn Mathers. Reading on, the lawyer learned that Glenn was one of several student workers at Robson and had been the one to raise the alarm that night. He had fallen asleep at the library and was heading back to his dorm late at night when he caught sight of the flames. The fact that they were able to put the fire out before the whole thing was lost was attributed to his early warning. Apparently, the lad had something of a heroic streak!

Chief Williams took down the last of Christa Linda's statement and waved Tobey over to get his statement.

OOC

Sorry for the delay in posting.

 

[Bobcloclimar]

Tobey sits down with the chief and gives him a detailed account of what he observed the previous day, wringing his hat in his hands the whole time. "It was awful, just awful. Thirty years here, sir, and I've never seen anything like it." He continues on, oblivious to what might be transpiring in the drunk tank.

[sxeBUDDHA]

Christa Linda
 

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Hit Points: 10/10 | Luck: 35/35 | Sanity: 65/65

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Location: Campus Security Office | Conditions/Effects: None

After Chief Williams handed her the ticket, Christa Linda glanced over it with a mixture of annoyance and resignation, noting the university seal and the stern wording. As she folded the ticket and tucked it into her purse, she overheard mention of a competent lawyer among the gentlemen present.

Turning to her assistant, Sophia, Christa Linda inquired about the lawyer's identity. Sophia quickly directed her to Herman P. Loggins, whose reputation preceded him as a reliable legal counsel.

With a nonchalant demeanor, Christa Linda approached Mr. Loggins, still wearing her sunglasses, and introduced herself and Sophia. "Good morning, Mr. Loggins," she began, her tone polite yet assertive. "I'm Ms. Christa Linda, and this is my assistant, Sophia." She gestured towards her animal companions with a subtle nod, introducing them by name. "This is Luna, Rocky, Daisy, and Merlin."

As Sophia handed Mr. Loggins her business card, Christa Linda observed the details printed on it. The card displayed Sophia's contact information, including a phone number and address, along with a professional logo representing her services.

"I'm in need of new legal services," Christa Linda continued, her voice carrying a note of determination. "While I typically prefer to keep a low profile, I felt compelled to pay my respects to our mutual acquaintance, Professor Gellman." She paused, her expression serious. "I aim to avoid any future fines imposed by the authorities, which would only consume valuable time for my personal assistant. Are you available?"