Professor takes exactly 88 seconds to make a detailed drawing of the ship. Upon reflection later on, Jack'll realize that he sensed cartoon magic afoot while this was happening. Cartoon magic emerging from the paper and pencil. He may not have noticed the magical nature of the paper, though. And a little Order magic thrown in with a smidgen of Magus for good measure. Because, unbeknownst to either of them, for the 88 seconds it took Professor to draw the image of the starship, it was immobilized - stopped completely from traveling at Warp 6 down to zero. There were red alerts, panic and scans, nothing giving any indication as to why they stopped, or why they were suddenly released after 88 seconds. Professor didn't even realize he had just learned Cartoon "Freeze".

Since nothing comes of the event, and no source can be found for the reason, it is assumed to be a spacial anomaly and noted in the logs as a minor oddity.


*Roll*
Well, he tries to pick it up, but it stretches and snaps itself back into the page. He gets the feeling that a simpler less specific object would have been easier to pick up, even if Professor had drawn a made up spaceship instead of the Enterprise specifically.



That sounds honorable to me. You are doing what you can out of the love in your heart to make it right. Additionally, if you don't agree and can't permanently die, you have the potential to do even more good than all of them put together.


He's a fast learner. He also realizes that using the Vulcan Mind Meld and getting permission would make psionics easier for him.


They both get the feeling they'll get lots of time in the next life/Verse.


The "light" of the Tardis is more like visibility than photons, so he'll need a grow lamp once the beans start to sprout.


Not all the Balur, but enough, and yes, it'll take some time. In the meantime, the Tardis has linked the onboard hologram Butler to the helmet, so through that route, she could probably see through Jack's helmet's visor.

---

Sometime later, the Enterprise arrives at Platonius which has a small colony of humans and others who have joined the Platonians in cultivating a truly Democratic society based on the teachings of Plato. Everyone from the ship who wants to, is given kironide injections to enhance their latent psychokinetic abilities and offered shore leave. It is explained that eating the fruit native to that world will raise a person's natural levels of kironide over time, but the injection will raise them quickly to let them for in with the society there.

When he figures out what the Professor had done, he goes and explains, “The first time you draw something, there’s a chance that it won’t be able to move until you finish drawing it. Just a chance though, because the magic of cartoons is weak in this universe,” and that’s his teaching for the professor. He’s a bit disappointed he can’t give the Professor his model of the ship though, that would have been a fun keepsake for the android.

“Thanks Marina,” Jack says out loud rather than telepathically and takes the time to digest her words.

---

Hearing about how the fruit and injection work, Jack takes the injection just to try it, but also uses the opportunity to get some of the seeds and soil and starts building a small farm in his Tardis. Hauling in dirt, he spreads it around enough to have a good blanket of soil in one of the rooms, and then sets up sun lamps. Which is also what he needs for Stella to grow, he helps her out there as well.

Out of curiosity, he also makes a combination of the kironide fruit and the beanstock beans and plants that there as well.

He doesn’t think he can stay here forever, but maybe he can find a way to have his own supply so he can keep eating them into the future.

Jack's request for grow lights, seeds and soil is considered part of his educational self directed study program, so in addition to these supplies, he is given a computer tablet with herbology, horticulture, agriculture and other plant biology courses and references preloaded.

To combine the beans with the fruit of Platonius, he'll have to cross breed the adult versions, so that may take some time.

On Platonius, everyone from the leadership to the least spends 2-6 months each year working to produce food for the world (and nearby systems in need). They use this time to philosophize about their connection to the world and their interdependence with other life. Using telekinesis they plow, plant, and irrigate. Using a specially developed method, they also psychically encourage the plants to grow faster, and in groups they heal the plants (and each other) by using their own immune system to help the plants fight off infection (they take the illness partially into themselves, sharing the healing power of their body's immune system with the thing they're healing).

Instead of relying on who has the most psychic powers like they did when Captain Kirk Shatner discovered them, whoever is most proficient at weighing the costs and benefits to the whole group of a given decision without neglecting ethics and morality is considered the first among equals, while everyone who rivals their proficiency cooperates with them to reach consensus. Even so, everyone spends 2-3 hours 3-5 days a week learning about the issues and voting on decisions. There are no laws, instead, the wisest and most discerning members with high psychic empathy judge between disputes and develop a plan of restitution and reconciliation.

The ship's medical team has been asked to help study the genome of the Sahndaran Platonians to improve their natural immune system and reduce the strain on others for healing them regularly.

They plan on spending about 3 weeks on planet before leaving for the space station.
This message was last edited by the GM at 20:24, Wed 27 Apr 2022.

Jack takes the time to study with the Platonians once he has built his farm in his hat, and he makes sure to gather everything he can mentally about the process. Then he attempts to join in on psychic plant-encouragement, the shared act of immunity- going as far as being willing to take the burden for them, in exchange for their generosity and knowledge, and anything else they might share with him.

He wants to continue to journey with the Enterprise, but he also can’t neglect to constantly be learning. It’s in his nature, and becoming a verser has only amplified that aspect of his personality.

Of course, he also doesn’t forget to try to actually use and measure his psychokinetic power, and then compare it as time goes on. Curious at the effect of the fruit and injection on his system.

*rolls& learnings*
Jack learns their psychic methods of farming, accelerated plant growth and psychic healing (injury/illness sharing), and some of their philosophy which they can't help but talk about while they work with him. They very much appreciate his extra effort to take on extra burden during their healing practice.


*Rolls*

He finds it much easier and that he's fairly more powerful with the kironide. ((+6 to roll in this universe))


Once the ship leaves Platonius, he returns to his basic Starfleet academy training.

During his off hours, Professor invites Jack to join him and Commander Data on the holodeck for a Mystery Drama - Data will be Sherlock Holmes, Professor will be Professor Watson, and they invite Jack to be the Sherlock's younger brother, Mycroft.

Jack joins the androids in the holodeck, now wearing the historic clothing that he’d been told would be appropriate. A peacoat, a tophat, and a walking cane all being rather key ingredients to this particular version of Mycroft. His hair is slicked down on his head.  He’d also taken a few hours to read some of the literature in question, but he found it kind of dry and weirdly lacking in magic.

His shoes polished, he stands around waiting to see how the androids do this.

((For plot purposes, if you don't mind, the tophat is the Wizard hat Tardis transformed into a tophat))

Professor, dressed appropriately, walks into the Holodeck with Jack, and Commander Data is in costume, complete with deerstalker hat and pipe. "Ah! Mycroft! Professor Watson! Do come in," Sherlock Data welcomes, "I'm so grateful you've agreed to join me, having travelled all the way from Cardiff. The Grand Ball that Lord and Lady Moriah are putting on is tomorrow night, and it promises to be spectacular! Lady Moriah was just here an hour ago to deliver our special costumes for the event."

Professor Watson explains, "The Lord and Lady are big fans of our Sherlock, ever since he solved the mystery of their missing Ming Dynasty Jade Vase."

Speaking out of character, Data says, "It's so nice to meet you, Jack! Professor tells me you have an extraordinary hat. I'd love to get a closer look at it sometime." Back in character, "Won't you join me for tea? Mrs Hudson will be right up, I went ahead and took the liberty of asking for a pot and the glasses."
This message was last edited by the GM at 03:57, Thu 28 Apr 2022.

From Jack’s very limited crash course on how Mycroft acts, he has figured out some of Myroft’s behaviorisms. Pulling a red silk handkerchief from his pocket, he brushes off a chair before taking a seat. Looking introspective, and a bit lazy, he sort of settles and nods. “Yes, of course, Mrs Hudson and her tea. I suppose visiting Lord Moriah won’t be too much of a burden,” he agrees, like it’s a great ask.

Jack attempts to channel a certain nuance that suggests that he knows things, because that’s how he is supposed to act. Even though he hasn’t spotted anything just yet. As he thinks about it, he wonders if he doesn’t have some sort of magic that would help him better channel a fictional character.  Because of course, this isn’t roleplay so he can’t just start making up things to fit in character and hope that the holodeck makes him right. He needs to actually try to spot things.

Looking over the room, he tries to spot some of the tell-tales about his ‘brother’. A good jab would be fitting.

He doesn’t say anything about the hat, of course he’d be glad to show it off later, but he isn’t about to break character. Poor form, Data, poor form.

Then it strikes him - he has Digital magic and a Digital magic helmet ((which could be cloaked by a hologram projected by the helmet if you don't want to risk rolling 6d2 as all 1s - if you rolled anything else Jack could teach himself the skills that the helmet displayed - such as important item identification)), which is based off of what Elliott called 'Video games', in which a person played the part of a 'fictional' character. His helmet could do the magic for him, or he could try to reflect on what it did and learn it himself, then he might identify clues that way.

*roll*
Without magic, though, he does spot Sherlock's cocaine and morphine paraphernalia, a picture of a very ornate necklace (link below), newspaper clippings from the day before today regarding a string of jewelry thefts, a stack of business documents with "R.T. Moriah" stamped at the top, a letter from Lord Moriah and the following visible:
ope you get a chance to see Rebecca's beau
as been in her family for over 10 generat
esed that I have had the fortune to be
e Teegram clan. As you know, they are
st noteworthy nobility. No doubt, y
ng Mycroft will be as pleased to
cited to meet him! I look forw
   Sincerely yours,
R.T. Moriah
https://www.langantiques.com/u...ace_18th_Century.jpg


Data reads the emotions in Jack's face, but tilts his head in confusion before returning to Character again.

Sherlock continues, "I wonder where she is, MRS HUDSON!"

"COMING! Cool it, mister!" She opens the door, "I've just finished seein' to the needs of me payin' customers. HAH! Payin'! Like I'd evah see a dime from them ingrates!" She puts the pot of Earl Grey tea on a tray before Sherlock, and fishes 2 cups from beneath a pile of papers, and pulls a clean one out of... somewhere, and hands that one to Mycroft. "'Ere you go luv, just wot you like." After pouring Mycroft's tea, she leaves. From behind the door, "I'll be back wif biscuits!"

Sherlock pours himself and Professor Watson a glass.

Jak attempts to use the helmet to learn the skills himself, as always. The hologram completing the most likely version of the letter and highlighting various items, amongst other handy things. He pauses for a moment to take the tea from Mrs. Hudson. Putting on a charming face, he takes the tea from her and raises it in her direction. “Thank you, Mrs. Hudson, as always,” he says in her direction and after she has left, he gives the tea a test sip, and briefly debates tossing it into the fire.

But he actually kinda likes it, so he doesn’t. Rising to his feet, he sips at it a bit more before moving to stand near the fire.  His mind busy as he tries to learn how his helmet is choosing to highlight and figure things out.

While he’s learning however, he takes a shot, because it seems like fun.

“You think this jewel thief of yours will make an attempt at the party, and you’re hoping that I’ll distract Lord Moriah from you and your little doctor's investigations,” he says with a condescending tone as he wipes his handkerchief at the mantle a bit. Looking displeased.

Even as he questions, he turns and looks back toward Data and the Professor.

"Well, count me in, when I find this jewel thief first, you'll owe me one," he decides, and has to pick something ephemeral since he can't possibly just come up with a wine or something that would be hard to find.

*roll & learn Detect item/clue*

Jack has become so proficient at learning new magics, he has a special intuition for it now.

Digital magic is particularly ready here within the Holodeck. Jack sees numbers in code and sees the coding behind the holographic images. Although he doesn't directly understand the coding language, his intuition is able to present the answer to him without specifying how it arrived at the answer. He knows that certain items are given more attention by the system than other items. A certain items are a given more care and their creation, and in their specific placement. These items are highlighted.




((A shot of what?))

Responding to Mycroft, Sherlock says, "Splendid, old chap. A little bit of competition has never hurt anyone. If I discover the thief first, you will show me around that special container of yours. And if you discover the thief first, then I'll give you a particularly stunning item I picked up in my travels some years ago."

After a pause, there is argument in the hallway, and Mrs. Hudson bursts in with, "So sorry to bother you, but she insisted!"

Behind Mrs. Hudson a stunningly beautiful young woman of about 20 years enters into the room utterly distraught. She is dressed in beautiful elegant refinement, complete with an antique necklace. Jack's Digital sense highlights her as a very important character.

Sherlock exclaims, "Doctor Moriah! What an unexpected surprise!"

With her tear-stained face Dr. Rebecca T. Moriah sobs, "They've killed him!!" and loses her composure.

After being conforted by Mrs. Hudson, Rebecca continues, "My husband is dead! Please help me, Sherlock!" Then she notices Mycroft and looks into his eyes with deep thoughts. She is alarmingly charming and realistic. Jack feels an instinctual urge to protect her.

Sherlock says, "Come in, have a seat. Mrs. Hudson, please bring a fresh glass for the Lady Moriah."
This message was last edited by the GM at 20:50, Thu 28 Apr 2022.

((He took a shot in the dark, he wasn’t sure if his deductions were correct and he didn’t wait for the system to present him with all the clues.))

“As you like to say then, the game is afoot,” Jack snarks and continues to take in the details as he walks around the room, examining the woman as she is brought in. Seeing as she is a computer program, he doesn’t feel TOO moved, though he is certainly a bit moved. Digital people are real too, he knows that, he has met some of them. Moving to lean against the mantle, he listens as she speaks.

Her importance is obvious, but what might not be as immediately obvious will be the small details of her garment. A bit of mud on her shoe that shouldn’t belong, perhaps, or something under her fingernails. He takes things in from where he stands, curious if there is anything to deduce from her person or if the game will only really begin when they arrive at the scene of the crime.

Picking through Sherlock’s things, he picks up one of his brother’s smoking pipes and decides to give it a try.

On a lark, he also changes his disguised visor to look like eyeglasses. That’s better. Maybe he can do that all the time, in the future, that’d be less weird than wearing his helmet under his hat.

Wild Worm Weaver Weed (Kironide enhanced)
Effects:
-slightly light-headed
-more awake yet relaxed
-slightly euphoric
-levels of Order in body shift, neither increasing nor decreasing
-drawing complicated clues together
-key insights at key moments ((state that Jack is tapping into the insights available through the plant, and I'll drop clues - not too easy, but more helpful the more times it's used in a single scene))
-when smoked, immediate boost ((about +50%)) to psionics which lasts about 4 hours, but also comes with a cool down period of 8 hours where psionic abilities are slightly harder ((about -10%)).
-when cooked and eaten, increased to 16 hours and 24 hours respectively





Mycroft finds a matchbox (from a bar down near the docks) on the table and lights the pipe which is filled with an unidentifiable substance. One puff on the pipe makes him slightly light-headed, more awake yet relaxed, and slightly euphoric. He senses the levels of Order in his body shifting, but neither increasing nor decreasing. ((Sensing the Order shifting is a normal thing for Jack now - Order increases when he gets sleepy and decreases when he is more stimulated. However, due to the nature of being an Order Mage, increased Order is also energizing.)) He also finds it easier to think about complicated issues and draw in details of his surroundings. Sherlock raises his brow when he sees Mycroft draw on the pipe, but says nothing.



At his surprising insensitivity, Lady Moriah startles and sobs a little more. Sherlock looks at Mycroft and shrugs. Watson responds by saying, "My dear Mycroft, please, the lady has just lost her husband, show some respect, lad."

Without apologizing, Sherlock excuses his brother, "You'll have to forgive my brother and myself, Dr Moriah. We weren't raised in a particularly sentimental way. Please tell us what you can about what has happened."

((yup, much less weird))

Lady Moriah notices the change, and looks intrigued, but says nothing about it.



((There is, but I need to work out some of the details before I'm ready to describe her more fully or post her response to Sherlock. I'll do that before they leave Sherlock's parlor, but I wanted to post this for now.))

One thing that stands out is that despite being taken aback by his comment, Lady Moriah is attracted to Mycroft, but trying to hide it.
This message was last edited by the GM at 05:09, Fri 13 May 2022.

This seems like the sort of plant he might have to put into his growing farm in his hat, so many interesting plants to add! Perhaps its present would increase the Order of the plants? He’d have to experiment.

The startlement of Lady Moriah is a touch interesting at least, either she’s a very good actress or she’s genuinely distraught, something he’ll have to keep an eye on. He says nothing, letting Sherlock and Watson attend to the woman’s feelings as he continues to examine everything in detail. Moving now over to the window to glance down at her carriage, driver and whoever else might be lurking nearby.

Gathering evidence of things said and unsaid. Trying to put his newfound skills through their paces as he walks around, listening.

The attraction is strange for a woman so recently widowed, and from the perspective of a person who understand that his is a holodeck illusion, he has to wonder if it isn’t a clue. This and her charming nature makes him all too concerned that his weakness for beautiful women is being targeted.

Jack notices the news articles have a common theme - jewelry which can be taken apart and the gems and sections sold separately. Many of the known and most unknown pawn shops in London are marked on a map, some once or twice, others more. However, so are the names of a number of known private Curators.

An economy section of newspaper is clipped, highlighting the sudden growth of a certain mining company called, "M&M Subsidiaries" with its acquisition of an abandoned mine and re-purposing it to mine fool's gold.

On the desk, there's an official and very private document, stating the name of the individuals who are the sole trustees of M&M Subsidiaries, listed as "Mister M. Morganson & Doctor L. Moriarty". Another document, equally private, lists the sole trustees of a separate company - "Moriah, Morgan and Elliott Real-estate Auctions" as being "Lord Moriah, Mister Morgan, and Reverend Elliott". Both documents have clearly been stolen from city records, but are casually covered by a tobacco leaf.


Composing herself Rebecca takes 3 deep breaths. Jack senses magic in those breaths. Rebecca begins, "My husband fell through the roof of our Conservatory, while I was tending to my plants. When I ran to his side, I..." She chokes up and nearly hyperventilates as her face turns red and tears stream down her face. 3 magical breaths again and she continues, "There was nothing to be done, but call on the one person who I trust already has an idea who killed my husband and why. Isn't that right, Sherlock?"

He knowingly nods, "As a matter of fact, it is, my good Doctor."

She continues, "I've sent my first maid to gather and inform the police, but informed her to wait until she saw me leave with you - that way you'll be the first to see everything."


*roll & learn Sense Truth*
As an Order mage, Jack can innately sense truth. She feels truthful.

Lady Moriah's face is flushed and her breath is raspy and strained. Her ring finger is deeply worn red and raw from her wedding ring, to the point that it is likely to bleed soon. Her arm has been delicately and caring bandaged by skilled hands - the size of the bandage beneath her sleeve indicating a wound about 9 inches long.

She didn't say how he was killed or by whom. It wasn't indicated whether he was dead before hitting the ground, or if the fall killed him.


Jack sees her Carriage driver chatting with a street urchin, and her butler anxiously looking up and down the street - he has a blood smear on his lapel and possibly his knee. The horses are agitated and sweating, and a distraught young maid holding a handkerchief to her face is sobbing somewhat and watching in the direction of Sherlock's front door from the end of the street closest to Scotland Yard.


Sherlock notices his reaction and says, "That was a leaf from a special cultivar of Maddam Moriah's. She's a Botanist and world traveler."

The plant lights up in his item vision, labelled, "Digital item: Wild Worm Weaver Weed" and beneath the label is a button labelled "Save copy?" and another labelled "Discard?"
*Learn Save digital copy of item*
This message was last edited by the GM at 03:40, Sat 30 Apr 2022.

The thief had perhaps been making use of M&M’s “mine” to sell off “new gold.” Nothing actually being dug up, just a front to move their misbegotten goods from one place to another. The names suggest that the deceased may have been a part of it, had he discovered the misdeeds or had he been a part of them, then there are the other names on the paperwork. Moriarty and Morganson, both fit the naming pattern, so either could be the partner in the business. Either has motives under certain circumstances, but he lacks the evidence to make any speculations there.

Her truthfulness is undermined by her apparent use of magic, though he’s slightly confused how the holodeck is making a person who uses magic. Her breaths are digital magic? Or is the holodeck inadvertently making me focus on the breaths because they are out of place?

Hypnotism, perhaps?

“Doctor, you might examine her wound, I doubt she had time to see anyone with a proper degree in such things,” he advises, mostly so that he can glance at it between looks out the window. Still smoking from the pipe.

The carriage driver’s discussion is unlikely to mean anything unless he’s a spy for someone and the urchin a go-between, a possibility, not to be discarded. The smear on his knee makes sense, he’d have crouched next to the fallen man, but the lapel is interesting. The maid has already been explained by Rebecca.

He saves the copy of the leaf. Neat! “Wild Storm Weaver Weed, if I’m not mistaken.” He informs Data, that feels in character, that sort of ‘hah, I already knew’ behavior. Turning back toward the room, he puffs at it again, feeling rather wizardly.

Jack might like to see the scene of the crime, but he tries to stay in character and be a bit blase about it, letting Sherlock and his 'games' continue at their own pace. So much fun.

The sensation of drawing complicated clues together increases as he takes in more of the plant smoke, and he feels that tapping into that feeling will give him key insights at key moments. ((state that Jack is tapping into the insights available through the plant, and I'll drop clues - not too easy, but more helpful the more times it's used in a single scene))

Despite her situation, talk of her special project brings a genuine smile to Dr. Moriah as she says to Mycroft, "You know of my work? I named it after the caterpillar that eats its leaves - the Wild Weaver-Worm. I find that I have visions of the butterfly when I release enough of the plant's smoke through my lungs."


Focusing his attention on it, Jack remembers what she was actually doing, and through deduction from her body's physical clues to her emotional state, Jack learns how to calm himself by breathing in love and breathing out tension transmuted into love, then watch the breath breathe by itself. ((General buff, especially for awareness of truth))
*Learn Spiritual Magic: Awareness Breathing*



Professor Watson didn't respond at all.

Doctor Moriah looked confused and said, "I'm not a medical Doctor - my Doctorate is in Botony."

Sherlock added, "I've a little field training, but I'm certainly not licenced. I'll take a look, though." Sherlock offers to take her wounded arm which she entrusts to him, carefully unbuttoning and rolling up her sleeve. The wound is dressed quite well, gauze wrapped not too tightly or loosely around a beautifully zig-zag stitched clean straight long laceration. Lady Moriah winces a little when the gauze sticks to a silk stitch and snaps away.

"Marvelous stitches, Rebecca! My compliments to your Butler!"

"Butler?! Nonsense, Sherlock." Professor protests, "How do you know that?"

"Elementary, my dear Watson."


The stain on the lapel matches the shape and size of the injury on Lady Rebecca's arm.

Additionally, the Butler was unconsciously holding onto an umbrella like a sword - ready for battle as he waited for the Lady to return.



Jack's Digital Memory also stores a note about the addresses of the M&M Subsidiaries and the Mine in question, as well as the office of "Moriah, Morgan and Elliott Real-estate Auctions".

Sherlock announces, "Come! There isn't a moment to lose. The sooner we see the late Lord, the likelier we are to catch the killer and keep the good doctor good and living. I think it best, if you are willing, that you stay with us, Rebecca."

Rebecca agrees, "I would very much like to accompany you... but my instinct is telling me to follow this man as much as I can." She looks seriously if somewhat confusedly  into Jack's eyes. He senses more magic just before her statement, but it was too brief to be clear about - he'd have to be taught whatever that was in order to learn it.

Jack thinks of a certain caterpillar he’d seen smoking a pipe somewhere in cartoon land, at the words from Dr. Moriah. In response to her question, he shoots her a wink and a smile, and says nothing more on the subject. Better for her to come to her own conclusions on his attention to her work than for him to possibly be caught in a lie later.

Sinking into character as he does, he idly watches the proceedings. Paying attention to the effects of the magic. Perhaps he could combine the plant that produces such an effect with the kironide fruit? Or at least make a mixed pipe of some sort? Something to experiment with, he could talk to Dr. Moriah once this is all over with, and work with the hologram to come up with something!

He isn’t certain why he for some reason thought Dr. Watson was a medical doctor. Silly wrong universe brain.

The lapel stain still seems like a weird place for her defender and would be doctor to be stained, as he tries to imagine the physical positioning necessary to have made the stains probable.

Walking with the others, he proceeds down toward the carriage. “Have no fear, my dear Doctor,” he says and offers her his arm to hold onto. “You will be safe with me.” Tapping his cane a few times as he walks down the stairs, he continues to be attentive. That’s the name of the mystery game.

As they walk down and take a seat in the carriage, he fiddles with his “glasses” and makes them play back the moment that she’d looked him in the eyes. Trying to puzzle out what she’d done using the internal holograms. He’d still need to be taught, but he’s curious what it was.

((I forget that part - do you remember the msg #?))


He imagines she might have placed her lacerated arm on his lapel when the Butler arrived on the scene if she went to him for some comfort during her distress.



She gladly accepts his arm, "I have no doubt of it."


The best he can tell is that it's a Spiritual magic.

The butler is very protective of his mistress when she arrives. Although she seems to care for him like a nephew, he clearly cares for her like a mother.

When they appear at the door, the driver immediately pretends he wasn't talking with the street urchin who promptly disappears with a handwritten note in his hand. The maid waves to Lady Moriah and disappears toward the fuzz.

Once everyone is in the carriage, they leave for the estate and arrive shortly.

The Conservatory takes up about 90% of the first floor of the estate, with mirrors on slowly rotating pivots which provide sunlight throughout the whole of the area. One section is directly within a glass enclosure, with a balcony from the 4th floor directly above the hole in the glass through which Lord Moriah had fallen. He is laying face down on the floor in a pool of his blood.

There are signs of a struggle on his clothes, loose threads of an unusual dark teal color clinging beneath his fingernails, and a blunt-force trauma wound on the back of his head. There is a contract in his pocket, not otherwise visible without removing it from the pocket. Rebecca is barely able to contain herself and keep from sobbing, but she is intent to remain calm and carry on.

((Just thinking of the caterpillar from Alice in Wonderland. We didn’t get into detail of every toon npc I saw, and I figured I could make one up, since it was fitting. Just ignore it if I wouldn’t have seen him.))

Jack will have to ask Stella one she’s properly in bunny form, if he hasn’t figured it out by then, how a hologram is using spiritual magic. Maybe she’s possessed of a spirit because she’s so “real” or is it because Jack is there and altering things himself? It’s so interesting.

Arriving at the conservatory, he stares up at the spot where the Lord would have been before he idly begins to circle the area. Looking toward where he suspects that the Doctor would have been tending to her plants if she’d been there when she said she was, and then attempting to reconstruct the process of the fall.

The combination of defensive wounds and the trauma to the back of the head are contradictory in a way. Usually the single blow to the back of the head is sufficient to make throwing someone over a railing a one-and-done, but apparently the attacker had surprised Lord Moriah, or had they beaten on him and then one final lump before throwing him over, or was the trauma itself the cause of death from the fall? Perhaps hitting his head on one of the support beams above?

The cloth will obviously need to be matched with what others have been wearing, but he doesn’t say anything. Not yet, he needs to take in every detail. The contract seems like a red herring, perhaps, but he doesn’t say anything. So obviously visible, if it were a link to the crime, would it not have been plucked out?

“What room is that?” he asks, looking at Lady Moriah as he points toward the balcony he’d have come from. Fourth floor narrows it down, the balcony more so, but it's an expansive place.

((Okay, no problem, I just want sure if I forgot something. He saw the caterpillar in Toonland, and it told him many things - among them being the saying, "love your life, but not too much."


There are gardening tools one would expect the Lady to have been using and a lilly in the middle of being trimmed.


A stone balcony porch off of a study on the 4th floor - they'll be going up there shortly.

Nah, he could tell someone hit the Lord over the head from behind.


Looks like the Lady was at her table tending to the lily when she heard the crash of glass behind her. There is a broken pane of glass with blood on it near her table with the tools, and a few drops of blood leading over to the body. A torn and bloody silk sheet is nearby - matching the bandage cloth on the Lady's arm.


"That is... was... my husband's study. He was meeting with some business associates today."

He doesn't see anyone wearing that cloth yet.



Sherlock uses a pair of chopsticks to look at the front of the contract, and says, "Interesting... this is a contract for the sale of an old mine that had belonged to the Moriah estate. It looks like Morganson was in charge of the auction. What do you make of that, Mycroft?"




Professor Watson looks to the balcony and says, "Perhaps we should take a look up there?"

"Ever the one to point out the obvious, aren't we? Yes, let's go." Sherlock agrees.

Jack is pleased that everything makes sense so far, and that the Lady can at least be ruled out as the immediate cause of the death, though not necessarily ruled out as a conspirator. The business associate, that makes sense.

Looking toward the contract, he stares at it for a moment and replies, “Nothing, yet,” and continues to examine the area. Getting closer to the body so that he can look it over a bit more closely. In particular, making sure he has a good examination of the cloth under the fingernails, and any lingering scents that might be a clue later.

When it seems they’re finally going to examine the scene of the crime, he nods and follows along, continuing to swing his cane about idly.

The Grand Ball tomorrow night will likely be cancelled.

In his inner coat pocket, Sherlock fishes out the heirloom necklace that Sherlock had a picture of on his wall ((msg #28)). The necklace has iron rich dirt in the deeper crevices that are hard to clean.

There is some reddish mud in the deeper crevices of his shoe, fully dry mud, but enough there to suggest he was someplace with iron-rich mud in the last day or so.

The Lord has a small laceration on the pad of his thumb and inner-forefinger which look different than the others.

There's a bloody letter-opener in among the debris beneath the Lord.

Nothing more noteworthy about the cloth or scent yet.



Upstairs, they open the door and immediately see dramatic signs of recent struggle. There is blood here and there, and a man wearing an unusual dark teal colored torn suit laying in a pool of his own blood near the balcony, having been dragged over to the edge some time ago.

Then the man whimpers, "help..." just before making unconscious.

At that moment, Scotland Yard enters the Mansion in full force, and within minutes, everyone is being pointlessly questioned.

The 4 of them meet again at Sherlock's a few hours later. The unconscious man is unconscious and in the hospital under guard. Sherlock will be notified as soon as he wakes up.

Lady Moriah, Sherlock and Professor Watson are discussing where to go next.

Arrangements for the Ball to continue as planned are being taken care of by others. Lord Moriah wouldn't want anything to take away from the charity being benefited

Jack, seeing all of this starts to come up with plausible explanations, but doesn’t really feel like they serve a purpose just yet. The mud likely matches that from the mine their business concern had been connected to, the cut to his finger suggests that a contract was perhaps bound by a bloody fingerprint, and he makes a mental note of it. His character would be able to foil any plots around “signed contracts by the Lord Moriah” though he isn’t sure why it matters to him now. Perhaps he’s just getting into character.

The missing necklace of course, connects it all together. He’d surmised that the goods were being flipped by the concern already, if only due to Sherlock’s previous connection of the two and their proximity on the table. He hadn’t seen the evidence connecting them, so Sherlock would be ahead of him, but he’d been investigating it longer.

The man’s suit matches the suit bits under the fingernails of course, though he hasn’t spotted the blunt instrument that was used, just yet. Perhaps there was a third party in play. He actually suspects there was, perhaps the cat burglar themselves. Someone who could have come and gone unnoticed.

“The mine,” he suggests.

He can tell the wound on Lord Moriah's hand was an attacker's wound made by the letter opener.



Lady Moriah identifies the necklace as her family heirloom. It had been stored in a safety deposit box at the bank, and the Lord was supposed to have brought it home with him two days ago. But when she asked him, he had said to her that he needed to "Take care of something, first."



They ride in Lady Moriah's carriage to the mine on the outskirts of the city. It's clear that the mine is still in operation, although it isn't running at the moment, a foreman is on site. He explains that the mine operates from 4am-4pm Monday to Friday, and is closed after hours. Only the company Trustees have keys and access to the mine other than himself, he opens the gate every morning at 3am and locks up at 4:15pm to go home. He knows the trustees stop by after hours from time to time, but that's all he knows. He agrees to stick around to help out the famous Sherlock.

Inside the mine, most foot traffic clearly goes all the way to the mineral extraction points deeper in, but a fair amount of older traffic in dried mud seems to go only a part of the way back, just beyond a bend. The walls in that section are wooden and all appear more or less identical, and Jack can see a secret door highlighted in his Digital Vision. There are lamps spaced out evenly through the mine, but at the bend, there is an extra one near the secret door.

---

Once Jack reveals the entrance and they get inside, they find the stash of stolen jewelry, much of it in various states of being segmented for sell-off.

There's no paperwork, and only evidence of about 2-3 people ever having been in the room. There is an abandoned mine shaft in the corner, and signs of struggle around it.