At the Hotel Savoy, Mr. Cable is upstairs; Brother Clary is in the lobby, and Marianne Trevors has just entered the lobby.


OOC: We are at last able to post on the same thread !  Whew, I thought I'd never be able to manage it.
This message was last edited by the GM at 12:08, Fri 30 Jan 2009.

Marianne swept into the lobby, positively seething. Even if Hans Gruber wasn't there at the moment, or at least not physically - and this thought made her take a hasty look around in case he was practicing his disappearing trick again - this had his fingerprints all over it.

She stopped short when she saw a familiar face in the corner of the lobby. A look of complete astonishment appeared on her expression, displacing the anger as the pieces fell into place. It was followed by untempered delight. Marianne could hardly contain her smile as she walked up to her former adventuring companion. "Brother Clary!! I cannot believe my eyes! It has been years. How have you been?"
This message was last edited by the player at 03:41, Sat 31 Jan 2009.

"'Ell, I'll be! Miss...Marianne, ain't it? You sure are a sight fer sore eyes; jest as purty as a field o' bluebonnets at sunset!"

Then he wrinkles his brow a bit.

"First Gruber, then you.  What brings you hear to Chicago?  Workin' on another book?  Or sumthin' else?"  He begins scanning the lobby for anything else that seemed out of place.

Marianne grinned mischievously. "You could say I'm here for a book. But as usual, my research has turned a bit... first-hand. I got a message from the mysterious Mr. Gray that I just had to investigate. If I had to guess, I'd say I'm actually here for the same reason you are. I was informed that there was some 'religious mook' working with our good old friend Hank and that dra- err that detective, Cable. That would be you, wouldn't it?"

"Don't even mention Gruber's name to me. He didn't say a word about you. Just let me go on about how I hoped to run into you here - and I'm glad I did!" she added with a clearly delighted smile, and then continued to complain. "He thinks he's being gentlemanly, making me run around in circles, chasing my own tail. Well, he'll find out soon enough."

Same old Marianne, same old temper.
This message was last edited by the player at 04:48, Mon 02 Feb 2009.

Clary and Marianne spoke in the opulent lobby, with Marianne disparaging Gruber. It was then she noticed a familiar form that stopped at the lobby door, to be turned away by the doorman; it was none other than Hans Gruber. He looked exhausted and sweaty, even shabbier than before, as if he'd run all the way from the fair.  On the sidewalk outside, Jasmine ran up and started yelling at him too, as if that wasn't enough; the glass doors were too thick for Marianne and Clary to hear what was being said, but from the German's red face and downcast eyes, Jasmine was laying into him pretty thick.

"Speak of the devil," Brother Clary muttered drily.  "Think we oughtta give him a hand, or let him stew a bit more?"

"Hmph... Forgive me if I don't feel quite so charitable towards him at the moment. I'll go investigate that note before he intervenes. Gray said he had information on Gruber, and an object that he's touched would apparently be useful in some capacity.

So what do you say, Brother Clary? Will you come with me? Or save our old friend from his well-deserved fate?" she asked with a grin.

Jasmine was still yelling at poor Hans Gruber, who was doing the greatly-ashamed toe-shuffle thing now.  The door opened; they could hear she was berating him in Arabic before it shut again.   Then she pointed at the hotel and stamped her foot.  He darted toward it as if she'd shot him out of a cannon, and was stopped again by the doorman.

Then Gruber said something to the doorman, who stepped back, with a startled look on his face, and held the door for the scruffy German as if he was visiting royalty.  In three quick strides Gruber was next to Clary and Marianne.

"It is not safe to speak to that Grey man !"  He said to Marianne, in as close to a nervous tizzy as she'd seen.  "He is Trouble !  Why do you not listen, I am doing my best to keep you safe !"

Brother Clary interposed himself between Gruber and Marianne.

"Now hold on jest a minute," he said, in his most calming gruff voice.  "S'pose you tell me what the problem with Grey is?  After all, that tough guy detective is meeting with him now.  Surely he can handle what's going on, right?"

Hans Gruber looked at Clary, the eyes bloodshot and weary, shaking his head.  Sweat had plastered some strands of his hair against his forehead.  "He has special power over - ladies.  But is not much safer for Steve Cable.  I - cannot approach him.  He has made sure of that.  But you - he cannot affect you as much, not with the Cross."

The black-clad Texan glanced over at the elevator through narrowed eyes.  "Stay here with Marianne,' he said sharply to Gruber.  Then he was off toward the elevators like a blast from his shotgun.