Simon is able to sleep despite the noise. The cramped condition does not bother him so much, and the swaying of the train car keeps him lulled to sleep.

Laughing at Lily's words, Josephine just shook her head as if to wave away all the negativity, and she gave her a big, friendly hug,

"Its silly to waste effort on being upset, when you can instead burn it on being happy. Come on now, we have all the time in the world to get to know people on the train, relax, and see the sights as we travel along. Its like riding, only with less responsibility. Enjoy it!" she giggled, unable to be made any less happy than before.

Even in their cramped conditions, she finds it comforting to be so close to somebody she trusts, and likes, and curls up happily, snoozing along.

It's going to be a long trip... she shakes her head at the onslaught of cheer though there is enough amusement in her face to show she's mostly jesting. She tosses and turns horribly in the cramped space and for the next few days she is out of sorts in spite of her best efforts. She is so tired that she will often slump against whichever of you is seated next to her and fall asleep that way, peaceful at last for the night holds no rest for her.

The dining houses eventually grow sparse and you end up eating in the elegant dining cars instead and the food is unexpectedly good. Trains have greatly improved these days and you are enjoying yourselves quite well, save for Lily of course. The scenery also improves once you are out of the desert and as you wend your way south you are greeted with lush trees and mysterious swampland, so intriguing you would be tempted to explore it if you weren't stuck in a moving tin can as Lily terms it.

By the time you make it to the station at New Orleans, it is quite late, well past midnight and absolutely pouring rain. The passengers tiredly file off, most of them met by relatives or hansom cabs, taking them to the wet night. Lily is so happy to be off the train that she doesn't seem to mind the rain. Instead she drops her carpetbag underneath an awning and with a happy laugh throws her arms wide and steps into the wet night, looking up at the sky as she gets completely soaked, not caring one bit. I can breathe again! she whoops. How far is the nearest hotel? Can we walk!? she suggests excitedly. Of course such a request is mad considering how wet it is. ooc: Simon, since you've spent so much time here you can go ahead and suggest the nearest hotel, etc.

Simon shook his head, "This is not the area to stay in, the docks are more of a warehouse district. We are not really within walking distance of anywhere to stay. May I suggest we take the trolley? It is open air and runs on electricity! We can make our way to St. Charles Avenue, where Loyola's Campus is. There are lots of nice but relatively inexpensive hotels there for families visiting students."

Lily arches a dark brow at the words trolley but gives a half smile of acceptance. Alright, since it's open air I suppose... she chuckles, patting Simon's cheek.

Soon the three of you are headed towards St Charles Avenue, on one of the last trolleys of the night luckily. This time of night the streets are pretty empty, especially with the rain driving down so hard. You are able to find a hotel easily and though it is a bit old it is well kept and tidy. By now you are all soaked, though Lily doesn't seem to mind, a wide broad smile on her face now that she's off the train. well, I suppose the two of us will share and you'll be on your own. I have plenty of money Lily pats her pocket with a nod to Simon. I have no idea when we can expect Victoria but hopefully she lets us have a night's sleep at least. We should ask for rooms close together, in case of trouble. If Victoria wants us here something must be wrong.

"You two are so cute together!" Josephine leans over and whispers at one point to Lily, giggling at her happiness. Still, heading towards the trolleys sounded interesting, and she took full advantage of the sights, peering this way and that, like a lost tourist might.

Hearing Lily mention how they'll be sleeping/staying, Josephine kept her opinions to herself, as she didn't wish to offend their religious companion, and she wasn't entirely sure how not to, so for now, she wisely chose silence. She was comfortable with a whole lot of things that Simon might have found distasteful, having lived her entire life in a bar, so she wanted to keep her crass ideas hidden whenever she could.

Simon bowed, "There is a chapel nearby, and I know many people here in town. I will find shelter."

Simon should be able to find a small room in the local chapel. If the people are the same, Simon should know all of them.

Lily bids Simon to be careful and then she and Jo head to the inn though she lets Jo take the lead as far as ordering the room, which you share though it has two small beds and Lily ecstatically stretches on the thing, looking immensely happy.

Soon you are all in your respective beds for the night. Simon is easily admitted to the chapel and his old companions are happy to see him, chatting a bit before he retires.

Eventually you all fall into a deep and sound sleep, having been deprived of such on the train so long. The peace is interrupted, however, by a very vivid dream...

There are flashes, quick views that flit away into intense moments of sound and blurred visions. You are in a small room, the low ceiling slanted in a triangle, no doubt an attic of some kind. The dust and cramped quarters are oppressive. Blackness, a scream of pain, blood on the dusty wood floor, someone shouting though you can't understand it. Red flowers. Roses? A black raven stares at you, unblinking and unmovable. Then you awake, jolting upright and covered in sweat, heart racing though you aren't sure why. It is morning.

Jo: You experience the same thing, though when you awake you see Lily is upright too and looking quite agitated.

Looking surprised, and sweaty and worried, Jo glanced over at Lily, and after a second, she laughed softly,

"I just had the weirdest dream... phew! Glad to wake up from that one!" she laughed again, falling back onto her back in relief.

Speaking from this position, she asked,

"You sleep just a badly? I think in my dream I was in some screwy attic, or something... roses and birds... ugh." she shook her head, clearly trying to just wave the experience off.

Simon woke in a cold sweat. He had seen prophetic dreams before and quickly wrote down the details of this one before it was lost.

Jo: Lily lets out a string of expletives that you're certain she wouldn't say in front of Simon, and bolts out of bed. Get dressed. Fast. I had the same dream and considering the circumstances it could be Victoria trying to get a message to us. Come, we must meet up with Simon she starts to dress with impressive speed. Roses...crows...heaven forbid she just tell us what she means! If it even is Victoria. What else could it be though? she grumbles as she tugs on her boots. Just then there is a soft knock at the door. The Indian woman stiffens, grabs a pistol and keeps it by her side but motions for you to get it. Should you do so you'll find no one is there but there is a small box, wrapped in black parchment paper sitting on the other side.

Simon: Soon after writing your dream you hear a soft knock at the door. Should you investigate you'll find no one there but there is a small box, wrapped in black parchment paper on the other side of it.

Looking strangely at Lily, Josephine knew better than to not trust her friend, so she hurriedly pulled her pants on, and fell over trying to tug them over her legs. Finally, she got dressed and stood back up, and answered the door, finding a box,

"Just a box. Black paper. Should I touch it?" she asked, fully unsure as to what she was supposed to be doing here. Suddenly things got very real, and she'd just waken up. No time to even fix her hair...

Simon opened the "present."

Jo: Lily peeks down the hall, sees no one and then takes it herself. If it's warded I'd rather be the one to take that bullet she explains matter of factly. Then she takes it to the desk and cautiously opens it, gasping an instant later and backing away involuntarily. Should you decide to look you will see a single eye, human with the nerve bundles still attached. It's incredibly grotesque, the iris is brown and it is still covered in blood. In a neat little folded note of very fine parchment you read: A small note of advice. Leave New Orleans to its own devices

Simon: You see a single eye, human with the nerve bundles still attached. It's incredibly grotesque, the iris is brown and it is still covered in blood. In a neat little folded note of very fine parchment you read: A small note of advice. Leave New Orleans to its own devices

Simon put the box back as it was, except that he put the wrapping inside. He dressed for the day, said his goodbyes to the clergy, then went to the telegraph station. He sent to messages.

The first went to his superiors in Rome -
Arrived in New Orleans (stop)
Need to know bounds of assignment (stop)
Please Advise (stop)

Note: This is Simon asking for whether or not he can exorcise demons as he sees fit, or does he need Rome's permission.

The second is addressed to Penny & Kate
Arrived safely (stop)
Have new acquiescence (stop)
Sending Blessing (stop)

Note: Penny and Kate have likely been shown Simon's short hand cipher. Basically certain words have two meanings, such as the phrase Arrived safely which means both "we're OK" and "we are in danger," Have new acquiescence can also mean "new enemy, Sending Blessing should be read as is since both are capitalized.

Once telegrams are sent he seeks out Lily and Josephine. He shows them the box and tells them of his prophetic dream, which mirrors their own.

Josephine nearly shrieked at the sight of the eye, and covered her own mouth to prevent exactly that, flinching and turning away. She'd seen a lot of gross things in her youth, but this was a new level.

"That's..." she flinched involuntarily again, twisting away to close her eyes and hide her face...

Jo: Lily sits down on the bed, hard, shaking. D-do you think that's Victoria's? she looks incredibly upset, more so than you've ever seen her.

ooc: Go ahead and respond and let me know what you plan to do for the next twenty minutes or so. Simon will catch up to you soon and then we'll respond from there.

Shaking her head, Josephine closed the gap between them and put her arm around her shoulder,

"No, no chance. Probably just something to scare us. Don't worry about it." she said, rubbing her gently, waiting for Simon to arrive.

Jo: Lily looks a bit uncertain but decides to go with your words for now, likely because she's too afraid to think anything else.

Eventually Simon arrives at the door and Lily rushes to him, upset. When she finds his own experiences are the same and he has another eye she is even more distraught, worrying again that it is her friend's. We should have heard from her by now if she were alright! That dream, that could have been her! Trying to get help! she turns to Simon. You said you lived here. Do any of her clues make sense to you? W-what if those are her eyes!?

ooc: Simon, please roll a knowledge check, or gather information if you decide to go out and actually search/ask around. Jo, if a search ends up happening please roll a gather info check as well.

Simon tested his mental resources.

11:13, Today: Father Simon Cole rolled 16 using 1d20+12. K:Theology.
11:13, Today: Father Simon Cole rolled 20 using 1d20+4. K:History.
11:12, Today: Father Simon Cole rolled 29 using 1d20+10. K:Behavior Science.
Was suppose to be +8 so total is 27
11:12, Today: Father Simon Cole rolled 17 using 1d20+10. K:Arcane.

Jo was playing damage control with Lily, and tried to reassure her,

"Don't worry, Lily, panicking won't get us anywhere, right? We've gotta stay strong and focused for our sake AND our friend's..." she said, trying to calm her, "If we relax, it'll help Simon think as well, and then we'll have a plan. Nothing wrong with taking some time to straighten our plan, and our minds, before setting off, right?"



Natural 1 on the calm attempt, but that still manages a 21, and far as I know, skill checks aren't a crit failure on a natural one like attacks would be, so here's hoping!

Lily takes Jo's words to heart and presses her lips firmly shut, sitting down hard on the bed in an attempt to be patient though her green eyes boring into Simon expectantly probably don't do much to ease the pressure on the man.

Simon, you wrack your mind for ideas. You determine the likelihood is Victoria, or someone anyway, is trying to reach you. The attic is probably where she is but the rose and the raven...? Then you recall something from your old days. The rose route it was called. A street of flower girls, mostly selling roses down in the east district of the city. It may be a long shot but it's the only start you have right now. The raven evades you for now save that it is usually an ill omen.

ooc: Lol, yeah! You don't want to freak Lily out! Good thing you have good stats!

After taking a few moments Simon says, "Someone wants our attention. They are saying they can see us. The rose reminds me of a row of flower vendors, it's called Rose Row. The raven thing eludes me. Perhaps we should start with Rose Row?"

Glancing around the room, a little creeped out by that information, Josephine questioned,

"Wait, like, can see us right now? I don't like that..." she said, pulling closer to Lily for comfort.

Simon shook his head, "No its more like 'I'm watching you' or 'I've got my eye on you.' If it is Voodoo, then it is possible the sender is using it to watch us. I think it is meant as a warning."