Jack's London, Thursday Morning
Roger "Chouchou" Abernathy
It hadn't been hard for Sebastien to track down the address of a courtesan he knew as Chouchou -- a tall, rangy woman who often adorned herself with a domino mask, whose breathy contralto voice and prominent Adam's apple stood in contrast with her evening dresses. She also seemed to know more about the murders than mere gossip could have told her. Further private questioning was essential,.
Her home was close to the apartments of the murder victims, and suggested a comfortable wealth.
Kate Gregson
So, they'd found something for the non-powered Midwestener to do, and that something was... questioning a courtesan. Okay then. Kate had been convinced she could pull off being a spy, once, for Christ's sake; she could totally do this. Talking to people and being observant were talents she had. And she was a young woman on official business, not a random, suddenly slightly nervous teenaged girl in way over her head.
Still, she had to take a deep breath as she squared her shoulders and reached out to knock on Chouchou's door.
Roger "Chouchou" Abernathy
The door was answered by a tall, rangy man. His eyes were lined, his paleness accentuated by face powder, his lips kissed with lipstick. He wore what looked to be an expensive shirt and moved painfully, as if his muscles were stiff.
He blinked at the unfamiliar woman, as if expecting some sort of solicitation. "May I help you?"
Kate Gregson
Kate quirked her lips into a polite little smile. "Well, that depends on if you're who I'm looking for," she said, and managed not to wince at how aware she suddenly was about clearly sounding like she wasn't from anywhere around here. "Chouchou, yes?"
Roger "Chouchou" Abernathy
Chouchou looked surprised by the pet name, but not unfriendly. "Roger's fine when the sun is up," he said, stepping back from the door to let Kate in. "But, if you're calling me that, I have to assume you know somebody. Or else you know somebody who knows somebody, right?"
He was resigned; there was always some new pretty girl trying to creep into the edges of the scene. It never hurt to be polite to them.
"Come in, tell me why you tracked me to my lair."
Kate Gregson
Kate nodded, then stepped past Chouchou over the threshold of the apartment. The way she brushed some of her hair back with her left hand - the hand with Sebastien's ring on it - as she did that may have been calculated, may have been coincidential.
"I'm sorry to say it's not really for anything pleasant."
Roger "Chouchou" Abernathy
Chouchou's eyes slid to the ring, and he clearly registered its import as he arranged himself on a dusty velvet couch and nodded to a chair for Kate.
"Well," he said, trying for lightness and not quite getting there, "now you have me all intrigued. Why is Mr. De Ulloa sending a friend to say hello?"
Kate Gregson
Kate took her appointed seat, making sure to keep her back straight as she sat. "Well, we're currently looking into two murders," she said, and there was a certain air of... professionalism, in the way she was carrying herself right now. Disregarding the whole murder investigation thing, her parents would have been proud.
Of course, there was still the occasional glimmer of girl-out-of-her-depth. She couldn't be perfect. "Sebast--" Like that. "Um, Mr. De Ulloa thinks you might know something useful."
Roger "Chouchou" Abernathy
"The boys a few streets over?" Chouchou asked, and the attempted lightness was even more obviously false. "Horrible. I wasn't ... a very intimate companion of either of them, but of course one gets to know the people one sees at parties and such. I don't know how much help I'll be."
He fidgeted, wincing a bit as he shifted uncomfortably in his seat.
Kate Gregson
Kate took note of that, eyebrow twitching upward a bit with curiousity, but didn't comment.
"Well, since you did know them," she said, "would you happen to be able to name any of the people they associated with? Um, professionally."
Roger "Chouchou" Abernathy
"Oh, I shouldn't share trade secrets," Chouchou said hesitantly. "Not much of anyone terribly interesting, anyhow. It was mostly private citizens with a few unique needs."
Kate Gregson
"Of course," Kate replied, maybe a bit dryly, and added almost under her breath, "isn't it always unique needs?" Because this was the perfect time to realize she was a former cakesitter talking to a courtesan. Oh, her life.
With a little shake of her head, she leaned forward in her chair a bit, and with that action seemed lose some of the maturely distant impression she'd been trying to give off. "There's been murders, Roger. Don't you think that kinda overrules the whole courtesy thing?"
Roger "Chouchou" Abernathy
Chouchou moved his mouth to one side; the fact he agreed with her was fighting his courtesan's reticence. Something -- perhaps his fear he'd be next -- tipped him to be accommodating.
"One name," he said. "They'd both been seeing Michael Penfold -- his family's terribly wealthy. He has a reputation for being a bit rough. But for heaven's sake, don't spread it around that I told you that."
[Totally departing from canon because canon gives me a headache and pretty much relies on Sebastien godmodding, here, la.]
Kate Gregson
"I won't," Kate promised even as she dug out her phone to type the name down. M. Penfold. No, she didn't trust her memory.
She looked up again. "Uh, not that you have any real reason to believe me --" Seeing as she was now realizing she hadn't even identified herself by anything other than Sebastien's ring. "-- but I promise, I won't. We're looking to catch this guy, not get more people hurt."
Roger "Chouchou" Abernathy
How important was a name, anyhow? Chouchou hadn't thought to ask for it; the ring said enough.
"You can't make more of a hash of it than the police," Chouchou said, and fluffed his curls. "Good luck with it."
Kate Gregson
"Thank you," Kate replied as she slid the phone back into her pocket and got to her feet. "And thanks for your time and your help. It's really appreciated."
[OOC: Follows this, this, this, this and this . Inspired by "Chatoyant." Preplayed with bitten_notshy. NFB, OOC welcome.]