Lodgings Post: Nathan's Townhouse

[nathan_attford]

Nathan lives in a comfortable two story townhouse, a little too close to Veilgarden to be completely respectable. This post is open for anyone to drop by, leave messages, throw stones at the windows, whathave you.

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January 16th, 1890 -- "Home From The Carnival"

[ls_cassius]

Cassius leads Nathan to his door after having escorted him back. noticably very shaken after Madame Shoshana predicted a possible encounter with Jack. Well 'Jack of Smiles' that is, but Cassius has learned from personal experience that he is "NOT SMILES". It was good to have V.V. with them for most of the journey, as for the last bit Mr. Attford had jumped at every possible shadow. It is probably a good thing that there are no longer trees in London, as their moving branches would have made things even worse.

"Well;" Calmingly. "We have have made it back!" Detaching him from them so he can maybe unlock his door. "But I am going to insist that you let me stay, at least for awhile. We are friends after all."
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Re: January 16th, 1890 -- "Home From The Carnival"

[nathan_attford]

"You're being mothering again," Nathan teases, but his smile is a grateful one as he fishes for his key, and even manages to unlock the door without dropping it.

"I'd be glad of the company, though. My housekeeper keeps most respectable hours," he makes a face as if the words are sour, "and will have long since gone to bed."

He opens the door, and gestures for Cassius to proceed him into the hall inside, if they like. "She is probably dreaming pleasant dreams in which I don't return home and make messes in her tidy house. I swear to you, that's how she sees it."

Re: January 16th, 1890 -- "Home From The Carnival"

[ls_cassius]

"I will be motherly then--And this time I haven't forgotten my feathers." They are concerned for him, not just because he helped when they were wandering about and may have ended-up in the Thames, but because Nathan is one of the few people that Cassius has no doubt is a friend. They enter and start to take things in.

"Then I will try not to wake her. But if she is your employee, then I'm sure eventually she would worry about your return." Trying to lighten the mood a bit. "Even if just for need of her owed wages, and a recommendation."

Re: January 16th, 1890 -- "Home From The Carnival"

[nathan_attford]

[Nathan's front hallway is pretty unremarkable, other than a painting of a sunrise over a grassy hilltop hung not far from the door, painted more with an eye to bright colours than realism. It is recognizable as his own work, if they're familiar at all with it, but unsigned.

And oh boy do I wish I had those room descriptions up. I shall write as they go. XD]

He steps in behind them, and closes the door. The sigh of relief he gives on re-locking it is probably not meant to be audible.

"Why don't we go up to the studio, then?" He nods in the general direction of the stairs. "It's more comfortable than the parlor, to be honest."

Re: January 16th, 1890 -- "Home From The Carnival"

[ls_cassius]

[I'm not sure how they even met, we need to think on this!]

"Then we will go up to the studio, but I should remove my boots before hand, as not to wake your housekeeper. What do you think she would think of you bringing home such a creature as myself?" Meaning their fanciful hat of course. It might come as quite a startling thing to wake-up to am over 5 foot tall peacock in the middle of the night they imagine. They start unbuckling and unlacing rather heavy boots, that certainly don't match the rest of their dapper outfit. If Nathan looks closer he can see they have bits of metal spike on the soles.

[does his housekeeper have a name?]

Re: January 16th, 1890 -- "Home From The Carnival"

[nathan_attford]

[Hmm, we do!]

He laughs at the thought. "She would probably approve of you more than she does of Bar, that's for certain. I was sure she was going to faint dead away the first time she met him. And he wasn't even wearing his dress, Cassius!" Seeming renergized just by the thought of further dismaying his housekeeper, he moves to stand on the bottem step of the stairs before turning back to face them again.

He tilts his head questioningly at their boots. "Those are quite...remarkable boots." They are a surprising contrast against his own fashionably light footwear. "Did you feel in danger of blowing away on a breeze?"

[No, she's only existed recently.

Re: January 16th, 1890 -- "Home From The Carnival"

[ls_cassius]

"Was he in 'a state' even? Or does she just have that sort of constitution?" And since he isn't around "I still don't know how you managed to get him to meet us in public with it!" Looking at him, with such an angle along with their stooping actually might resemble a bird "But, the colour really did suit him~" Though they are serious most of the time, or more 'take the facts first', Cassius has a love for the absurd, and Bar wearing a dress really was pleasing. (as well as Narciso's way of getting men in dresses in general)

They pick one up once they have taken them off. "Not blowing away, but I worry about this weather melting them, and of slipping yet again." And just barely audible is something along the lines of "d---able 'snow'.". "...And one cannot be too careful out in the city."

Re: January 16th, 1890 -- "Home From The Carnival"

[nathan_attford]

"No, he was properly dressed, I think she just wasn't ready for him to come to the door and loom at her." More fondly, "He does have that effect on people. I suppose he does look rather like the wrong kind of debt collector." What exactly the right kind of debt collector to have coming to your door is, he doesn't clarify.

He leans against the banister, watching the infamous hat bob as Cassius works on the boots. The quiet curse brings a smile to his lips - he's certain he will never hear those words again without thinking of his 'most favourite of detectives'. It fades quickly, though, and he finally begins to work towards what's actually on his mind.

"Have you dealt with Jack of Smiles often, Cassius? I...suppose you must have."

Re: January 16th, 1890 -- "Home From The Carnival"

[ls_cassius]

The right sort is probably Cassius themself, well the few times they have been hired to do so. Cassius collecting a debt of their own, is not always welcome.

They will answer truthfully, a lesser person might try to embellish or try to cause fear, but Cassius is not of that sort. "I have dealt with him enough. And perhaps too often. I have never taunted him, but he has become...my business at times."

Re: January 16th, 1890 -- "Home From The Carnival"

[nathan_attford]

"I could ask for no fiercer peahen to protect me, then," and this time both the teasing and the smile are a little forced.

A slow, deep breath and a squaring of shoulders, as though he's bracing himself against something he'd rather not contemplate, but he manages to keep his tone conversational, "He killed me, once before."

Re: January 16th, 1890 -- "Home From The Carnival"

[ls_cassius]

At his words, they stand fully up and walk over to the banister. This is not a time to be wearing their ridiculous cap, and they slip it off, setting it down slow onto the newel cap. Their hair is full of clips and pins to keep it from showing under the cap, but their expression is all together serious

Re: January 16th, 1890 -- "Home From The Carnival"

[nathan_attford]

His expression is sad, and a little wry, as though he's embarassed by his own dramatic tendencies. He looks away quickly. "Not that that's anything unusual, I suppose. You could... probably fill a theater with people who could say the same."

He shakes himself, as though resettling himself in his own skin, and this time he does manage to look at them. "I'll tell you the tale, if you like, but let's go up and find a drink first. I certainly need one, and I'm a poor host to drop that on you without even a glass of wine to show for it. Or would you rather tea?"

Re: January 16th, 1890 -- "Home From The Carnival"

[ls_cassius]

And probably a theatre more for those that will say it falsely. "I have no respect for Jack." Is all that they can get out. In truth it is more like the hate they feel for Scathewick.

They wish to tell him how much they did try to end Jack, to put a stop to him. How many nights they baited him in their 'best victim hat'. But they know it best that he at least sits down. And they know that he feels his more secure in his studio, so they simply say "As, and if you wish." Absently running a hand along their cap. "I will have have whatever you will have."

Re: January 16th, 1890 -- "Home From The Carnival"

[nathan_attford]

He leads the way upstairs, and pauses at the top to tap his fingers quietly against the dark wooden door directly across from the top of the stairs. "My bedroom," he says, by way of an explanation, and then turns right to open the door there instead

Re: January 16th, 1890 -- "Home From The Carnival"

[ls_cassius]

Follows him, being much the detective. Picking details out and filing away those that might be useful. It is all a habit, and even while drunk they can often still tell how many bottles have been drank, or what colour their companion was wearing. It is the least a natural talent-an eye for details-and also is something that has been trained for years. It is one of the many reasons that their partner dragged them into the field of an inquiry agent 'for the good of all of it

Re: January 16th, 1890 -- "Home From The Carnival"

[nathan_attford]

[Cassius' sharp detective's mind notes: Nathan really isn't a very organized person? Sadly the portrait of Bar is done from memory, and the suit is entirely a product of Nathan's sense of humour, and based on what he usually paints. Bar has refused to comment on this