Penny sipped her wine, musing. Jaffers's protectiveness of the memory of the deceased bride was surprising; respectfulness notwithstanding, he couldn't have been more than her bartender for a few days some years ago. Unless he'd been something more?

She glanced over her shoulder at the new arrival, perturbed to see Tabitha and Mrs Turning take the table that had garnered so much unwarranted attention. She'd been planning to take it herself with Ian for dinner (or for dinner with Ian, as it were) and see what all the fuss was about.

Turning around, she swirled her wine and began to ask 'So, what is all this ruckus—?' when she heard Mrs Turning begin to choke and splutter. 'My god!' Penny slipped off the stool and hurried over, swiftly diagnosing the issue. Mrs Turning hadn't eaten anything yet; she couldn't be choking on food. But something was choking her.

'Bring salt!' she ordered Ian and Jaffers as she arrived at the table. Penny snapped open her purse, quickly consulting her EMF meter for signs of ghostly activity (no time for discretion now). 'Has she eaten or done anything?' she asked Tabitha urgently, before she turned her attention to trying to help the old woman, somehow.


OOC: Penny tries to determine if it really is a ghost, whether it's possessing or just choking Mrs Turner, and how she can stop it.
20:16, Today: Penny Dreadful rolled 8 using 1d20+2. treat injury.
20:21, Today: Penny Dreadful rolled 20 using 1d20+18. search (ghosts).

Poor Tabitha shakes her head, crying and wringing her hands. The EMF meter is going crazy.

Around you the rest of the dining car is pandemonium. Women gasping, men gaping and poor Jaffers turning incredibly stricken. Ian grabs the salt from the stunned man, pours a generous handful and with an uncertain, Uhhh.....? he flings the salt at the elderly woman. She stiffens in her chair, old bones creaking as her back jerks straight and for the briefest moment you swear her face is not her own but that of a young woman's, though the moment is fleeting and in the next instant she half collapses, breathing raggedly and gasping for air. Tabitha wails and sobs and Ian comforts her, exchanging a grim look with you.

I want to go back. T-take me b-back! Mrs. Turning pants.

Amidst all that fear and urgency, Penny was glad of Ian's swift understanding of the salt – she hadn't yet been sure how to administer it, but his throwing a handful to the face had done the job admirably. And in an instant, Penny glimpsed the face of death, the ghost of the deceased bride reliving her final moments through others.

Then it had passed. Penny moved to Mrs Turning's side, massaging her back to ease her pain and help her breathe. She hoped the poor old woman would be well. Recalled she was possibly psychic or a medium, she wondered if she might have gained some knowledge from the spirit, but it was hardly the time to ask. Penny nodded in discreet understanding to Ian, but declared 'A psychosomatic reaction, I think.' knowing most people here wouldn't know what it meant, making it more likely to be accepted. 'A good glass of water and some rest is what you need.' Penny offered an arm to help Mrs Turning rise and walk back to her cabin; Tabitha seemed in no state to escort her.

Ian looks almost as relieved as Tabitha and, behind the bar, Jaffers looks half ready to faint. Yes, he will need to be questioned later...

Mrs. Turning clutches at your arm, still breathing raggedly from the effects and Ian takes Tabitha too, putting a comforting arm around her shoulder. If she were a prettier woman perhaps you'd be jealous but the poor thing has a face like a hatchet and a rather unfortunate complexion. Still, she's one of the nicest young women you've ever met and you wish her and her grandmother well.

Speaking of the grandmother, the woman trembles and mumbles over and over as you head back to your car, She's angry, she's angry, she's angry, she's angry... Unfortunately it seems the woman is having one of her fits again though at least this time you can puzzle out who she's referring to.

She's b-been so much w-worse lately! Tabitha sobs. She keeps talking about the dead woman! I think she's become obsessed!

Fortunately, Penny was not the sort to be jealous, not least because to this point she'd had little to be jealous over. Nor would she doubt Ian's intentions at a time like this. Her attention was focused unerring on the case. 'It is a very sad story.' she tried to console Tabitha, then patted the grandmother's shoulder, seemingly humouring her as she asked. 'Who's angry, Mrs Turning? Why is she angry?'

She pointed ahead to the passage between carriages, whispering 'Ian, the door.'

Alice: You are roused from your nap by the sound of voices approaching the private car opposite yours. The Turnings. From the sounds of it Tabitha is blubbering something and should you slide open the pocket door you see Penny, Ian (his arm around Tabitha) and a very agitated looking Mrs. Turning. Emma stops knitting to lean over, intrigued.

Penny: Mrs. Turning Abigail of course! she snaps impatiently as though it were the most obvious thing in the world. One hand slips to her throat as though fearing she will choke again. She's jealous! She'll kill every woman on this train til she finds her!

Alice is content to watch through the crack she made, and even to share it with the witch so long as she doesn't make any noise.

Hearing this, Penny grew more concerned; this ghost wasn't merely a lost soul re-enacting its fate, it was an angry spirit targeting victims with desire to kill. 'Finds who? Who is she looking for? Why is she jealous?' she pressed Mrs Turning, dropping the pretence of humouring a mad old woman and now intently interrogating the medium.

Alice: You overhear the conversation easily, gathering that something must have happened with the ghost haunting this place. Something bad.

Penny: At your questioning the old woman's eyes slowly clear. Blast! She looks at you all with sudden surprise, the epitome of a polite high society woman from days of yore. Oh dear me! I'm sorry, I seem to have had one of my fits again! I do hope I haven't disturbed anyone. Tabitha dear? What's wrong? Are you alright? She looks to Penny helplessly. Did I do something to upset her? Her face is so distraught that she would hurt her granddaughter that you find yourself pitying the poor woman, living half in the world as she does. Still, it is frustrating to be so close to an answer and not get it.

ooc: Ha! You didn't think I'd make it that easy did you?

Alice is still content simply to eavesdrop.

Penny bit back a curse, finding it painfully ironic that the old woman was psychically more lucid when in the grip of senile dementia than when she was clear-headed. She supposed it might be possible to confuse and stress her again, and thereby trigger the psychic state, but she couldn't be that cruel. 'No, Mrs Turning,' Penny began, speaking gently, patting her shoulder. 'You were choking at dinner. We helped you recover, then brought you back here to rest... Is there anything you need? We can have dinner brought here for you.'


OOC: No, not really. :p

Tabitha seems relieved by the return of her grandmother's mind and Mrs. Turning calms a bit at seeing this. Turning to Penny she smiles and shakes her head. That's very kind my dear, thank you, but I'm not very hungry for some reason. Poor Tabitha could use some tea though I think. She leans in and whispers, Perhaps with a bit of libation smuggled in? She winks. It's amazing how different she is when her mind is with her. You have a feeling she has quite an interesting history.

When you're finished with the pair Ian leans in once you're out of earshot. That was close. Too close. We've got to move quickly before someone actually gets killed. Imagine if we weren't there... he shake his head darkly. Any ideas milady? he gives a half smile. Yes, he's trying hard to re-establish himself.

'And a glass of fresh water for you, Mrs. Turning, it will make you feel better.' Penny promised, then added with a whisper, a wink, and a smile 'And I'll see what I can do.' She made sure they were comfortable and asked if they needed anything else, before leaving them to their privacy.

She vacated the cabin and heard Ian's words. 'Imagine if we were...' she mused, coming to an idea. 'Let's have dinner. I propose we take that table, and that I sit in the chair Mrs Turning was in – it will save someone else from taking the cursed table tonight, it will let us investigate the booth with little suspicion, and even if the ghost Abigal attacks again, I may learn what who it is she is after. You can be ready to throw rock salt in my mouth, as before.' She'd known Ian would object, and volunteer himself in her place, so she'd not given him a chance. They were getting to know each other rather well in some respects.

After speaking with Ian, she looked in on the other cabin, and quickly filled Alice and Emma in on the situation with the ghost and the attack on Mrs Turning and what they'd learned.
This message was last edited by the player at 06:38, Fri 23 Feb 2018.

Continues Alice nodded, "What should I do?" She asked Penny.
This message was last edited by the player at 04:22, Sat 24 Feb 2018.

'Keep an eye on the Turnings,' Penny suggested quickly. 'The ghost – Abigail – might try to attack again. And of course Mrs Turning has been through a terrible experience, so see that she doesn't take a turn for the worse. If she has another spell of dementia, try to question her about the ghost. She's a natural medium.'

Alice nodded, "Right. How exactly am I to know what is a Ghost? I've never had to...ghosts were never on the menu, if you get me. Vampires, Werewolves, occasionally Demons. Ghosts were usually something Priests dealt with. How do I know, and how do I stop it once I know?"

'You should feel a sudden drop in temperature – your breath may even mist up.' Penny explained. 'If you see it, or if unseen, suspect its presence, you can force it to dissipate for a time with cold iron or rock salt. Just throw the salt at it, or pour a line across any entrance to form a barrier to keep it out, if you must. I have a jar of salt in the side pouch of my hunting kit, in the compartment.' She pointed to the overhead luggage compartment. 'We need to find the ghost's bones, though I doubt they are still anywhere on the train, or whatever item or unresolved matter is tying it to this world, and end it.'

ooc: Feel free to continue this conversation even though I'm going to move Penny along. I know the posting availability is a bit different for you two so Penny can move on with Ian but feel free to backtrack more on this conversation in case Alice has anymore questions. Hopefully that makes sense...When you're up to speed Alice, let me know your plans and be sure to roll. If you're ever going to be busy you can always roll a general roll in case I need it down the road and I can add modifiers and use it later OR I can always roll for you, whatever makes you happy.

Penny: By the time you get back to the dining car with Ian, most of the commotion has stopped though people eye you both curiously. You were the two who managed the incident after all. Jaffers is nowhere to be seen, replaced by a dull looking man in his sixties who looks quite irritated to be there. The table in question is open of course though should you sit in it a plump young well to do woman gasps and asks, Are you sure that's wise?! That's the seat that woman died in you know! The whole train is talking about it. Meanwhile her husband, who seems to be made of sterner stuff, rolls his eyes. Calm down Martha. Those are only stories for fools who's brains haven't caught up with the rest of us. Ghosts do not exist. he sniffs.

OOC: Okay.

Penny noted Jaffers's absence, and was curious as to why he'd suddenly departed. His replacement's irritation suggested this was inconvenient and unscheduled. An old woman having a choking fit was surely not so disturbing to a man like Jaffers, especially one so dismissive of ghost stories. A personal connection to this Abigail, then, as had been suggested and apparent in his manner. How close had they been? Did he know something of this haunting? An avenue of investigation to return to later.

She slipped into the fateful seat, hearing the words of alarm. She wished could be the sort of enlightened person who could say confidently there was no such as ghosts, or demons, vampires, or werewolves. Sometimes, she wished she could tell the truth, about what she did and the nature of the world, to warn people about the things that preyed on them. But it would cause chaos and panic, and force the monsters to become really dangerous... 'This is a busy train. I am certain hundreds of people have sat here without coming to undue harm. They surely can't all choke, it would be a scandal for the railway company. It was but a coincidence, and for one of Mrs Turning's condition, a not unlikely one.'

Placing her purse in her lap, she peeked inside at Professor Hertz's EMF meter, sliding and angling it to better scan of ghost activity, expecting a residue now.


OOC: Search for ghosts, 28.

Alice nodded, "Gotcha, watch for cold and let you do your thing. No problem."

You see Martha? Even this young woman has enough sense to realize it's nothing but paranoia. You could learn something from her I'd wager he chides. In response Martha stands up and leaves in a huff, her husband following after her with a sigh.

Meanwhile your EMF is going quite animated. Not enough for the ghost to still be present, but definitely reacting. Ian signals for two menus as you do your work. We might as well eat while we're here he shrugs. If you start choking I'll drench you in salt my dear he smiles. As you look around you see little of interest about the table. No tell, tale signs of something awry. Nothing suspicious, nothing sinister. Just a simple table with grains of salt here and there from the misadventure before. The only indicator of something wrong is the emf and the fact that you feel a bit on the chilly side. Should you order something, it comes without incident. Ian orders Salisbury steak and creamed potatoes along with a scotch. Well, we're not going to get far this way I suppose. I'm thinkin Jaffers is the way to go. We should also question that woman who told you about all this, see what else she knows. I can do it or I can sic Alice on her if you like

Penny rolled her eyes at the man's words to his wife; in downplaying her fears over ghosts, she perforce had given ammunition to him. As the couple left, she pointed to Ian, saying 'And this young man has enough sense not to belittle his wife.' She gave him a mischievous smile for their pretence at husband and wife.

'Please do.' she agreed on the matter of salt. 'But do draw the line at belting me with iron.' She wondered how the ghost had attacked Mrs Turning; spectral hands around the throat to murder, or possession and reliving the death throes? She supposed she would find out soon enough...

She ordered a traditional American dish: maccherone pasta with Parmesan cheese and Virginia ham in a cream sauce. She figured something soft would be safer to swallow should the ghost decide to strangle her. She ordered a Riesling white wine to accompany it. So, this was it: a date, with the possibility of ghost attack to add a frisson of excitement. The ghost would be easier to handle. 'Indeed, I was rather expecting to be attacked by now, but perhaps our ghost has spent itself tonight.' she considered, stirring the elbow pasta with her fork. 'Perhaps if I'd ordered oysters, but I simply cannot stand them. But I agree, Jaffers certainly knows more than he let on. Still, our bird has flown the coop for now, and I daresay I won't get any more of use from Mrs Arkwright.'

'However, they are not our only persons of interest. Remember Jaffers pointed out those two young men, and their particular interest in this table?' Penny had wondered if they were hunters – two brothers travelling together were certainly the type – but they would have acted as soon as Mrs Turning was assaulted. So, what was behind their interest? She'd passed them often enough to take in the details of their appearance and mannerisms, and had taken a seat with a decent view. Surely she could deduce some facts about them...


OOC: Scanning the two men who were watching this table
17:46, Today: Penny Dreadful rolled 34,28,25 using d20+17,d20+8,d20+9.  Sherlock Scan: investigate, sense motive, spot.
This message had punctuation tweaked by the player at 09:50, Thu 01 Mar 2018.

Alice remained alert for the things Penny described. She is at least on guard, even if she is woefully unprepared for facing the ghost that is obviously around them.

Penny: Ian laughs at your comment about not belittling you. It is still only half in his eyes, but that's saying something these days.

He glances at the men in question, who keep looking at your table with trepidation, clearly expecting something horrible to happen to you, yet relieved when it doesn't. They eat hurriedly, as though eager to leave. We may have to be aggressive with those two. Cowards look ready to bolt any second he takes a long swallow.

'Indeed. Unless they're very new at this, they are much too jumpy to be hunters.' Penny agreed softly. She didn't look around to the two men, having already viewed them and using subtler means of observation. She explained to Ian, 'Judging by their similar bone structure, mannerisms, and close relationship, I surmise they are most likely brothers. The coal dust staining their attire shows they work with coal; given where we are, I'd wager as shovellers for the locomotive's boiler. They've made an effort to scrub up in order to visit the dining car, so they've come here for a reason, and their curious interest in this table shows it to be more than just for a good meal and drink. I conclude they work on the train and know of the ghost story, and have more reason than most to believe it.'

She enjoyed a mouthful of pasta and a sip of Reisling, while she contemplated their next step. 'If we were to both confront them, it would look unusual, even suspicious. But a gentlemen concerned two rough men are paying undue attention to his wife...?' she proposed with a knowing smile, trusting Ian to handle the next part.