[CoC: HotOE] The Lux-Vista Dream Vacation!
2018-Mar-18, Sunday 18:21![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
dorchadas
Dramatis Personae
The investigators were all the recipients of an all-expenses-paid trip on the Orient Express, paid for by an internet entrepreneur named John Milton. His latest project is lux-vista.com, a website designed to bring luxury travel to the masses. The three Americans were flown in to London and Jean-Yves took a train there to get the full experience. In Paris, they were shown personally to their cabins on the train by uniformed staff who inquired profusely if they had any needs or requests. The rooms had robes, soap, towels, slippers, drink coasters, and a personally-addressed envelope with an invitation to a reception with John Milton later that day. Jean-Yves and BJ spoke briefly, and the everyone headed to the reception.
John Milton entered the reception and greeted everyone, saying "I'm happy to be here with you on this journey of a lifetime," and began to circulate. The four introduced themselves to each other, BJ making sure to hand out business cards. As they talked, another American named Oscar Griffin and began talking their ears off. Ivy and Oscar talked at each other for a while and Jean-Yves listened politely until he wandered off. Most of the other contest winners seemed to be Europeans. Jean-Yves approached Fabian Weiss, a slightly pudgy Swiss a plastic surgeon who said that the trip would be good for finding the kind of people he'd like to have for his business. BJ approached an Italian man, Antonio Abella, a devastatingly handsome legal assistant who fidgeted constantly. BJ carefully did not mention his partners and tried to determine the Italian's relationship status, but he seemed very preoccupied. Ivy spoke to an English college student and asked to take a picture for her mother, and he agreed after some slight confusion. He introduced himself as John Walters, a chemistry student, and said how great it was to take a break from uni. Dr. Conrad tried his German on the German man, Lars Färber, who revealed himself as a train enthusiast. He gushed over the accuracy of the light fixtures, and Dr. Conrad eventually excused himself.
BJ also spoke to another Italian man near the canapés, taste-testing them and looking thoughtfully at them. He asked about the food, and the man, Faustino Gonzaga, gave his extensive opinions on their proper cooking methods and preparations. He said he entered mostly to check out the food and advise the staff as to his opinion. Ivy tried speaking to a Spanish man, Enzo Banuelos, who revealed himself as a working class contest winner and so endeared himself to Ivy immediately. He was a postman, and obviously not comfortable with all the luxury of the Orient Express. Jean-Yves approached Giuseppe Roti, who asked very direct questions about Jean-Yves job and life. He was a banker who had recently lost his job, and jokingly asked Jean-Yves if he had an opportunity. He suggested the French Foreign Legion, and they had a good laugh over the joke and then had a drink together.
At precisely 18:00, John Milton told them that dinner would be served at 19:00 and wished them Bon Voyage. The investigators changed for dinner, arrived in the dinner car, and took their seats. Dinner was delicious, and after dinner Milton invited everyone to the bar car for a nightcap. He began telling stories about his accomplishments, talking about his life and about the Orient Express. Ivy and Dr. Conrad went to bed early due to jet lag, but Jean-Yves and BJ closed down the bar. Then, everyone went to sleep.
In the morning after breakfast, they were told that lunch would be at 2 and spent some time enjoying the ambiance of the Orient Express. Dr. Conrad went to the salon car and spoke to an Australian man named Mark Wilson, a former model who now worked for an investment bank. Dr. Conrad noticed that he kept looking over at Chantelle, an up-and-coming model who was sitting in the salon car as well.
At lunchtime, the investigators went to lunch. They noticed that Faustino had been drinking heavily, and he began shouting about the inadequacy of the food. The steward tried to calm him but he rose and tried to force his way into the kitchen. Jean-Yves tried to calm him down but Faustino wouldn't head of it, and BJ asked him exactly what was wrong. He took a bite of the salmon and asked Faustino what was wrong, and as Faustino turned, the chef came out. This reduced Faustino to abject apologies, and he was taken off to sleep in his cabin. Soon afterwards they arrived in Budapest and were put up in the Hilton Hotel.
As dinner, they noticed that Chantelle seemed to be bothered about something and her companion Henri seemed not to notice. In the middle of dinner, she suddenly stood up and fled from the room. Ivy asked Henri what the problem was and he opined that it was just the flightiness of women. BJ tried to find Chantelle's room, followed by Ivy, and after a knock they were forcefully told to go away in a tearful voice. Just as they were about to leave, she yelled at them to stop sending her letters. Not wanting to bother her, they left. After dinner, the party was asked if they wanted to take a moonlight stroll in the garden, and then they went to sleep.
The next day was a tour of Budapest, though Milton said he would not be joining the group due to some business that he had to take care of. Antonio Abella was absent, but Chantelle was there, looking immaculate. She apologized for her actions, blaming exhaustion, and brushed off any questions. The tour was a general tour of the city, including a famous church in the city center and a wine house that sold wine by the bottle and by the case. They ate lunch at Buda Castle on the river Danube, and then finally looked at the Buda Labyrinth beneath the castle, with stories of Dracula and German soldiers.
While in the labyrinth, Ivy and BJ were pulled aside by Chantelle into an outer cave, where she told them that her life was in danger. She had been receiving anonymous emails and letters for six months, and had found one in her handbag on the train, so the stalker must have finally gotten close to her. She was dismissive of the possibility of getting Henri involved, saying he thought of her as a flighty girl, and showed them the most recent letter.
In the bar, BJ walked up to John Walters, who was gazing at Morissa and Wanda, and introduced himself. John told BJ about his dreams that he'd meet a rich lady on the train and she'd fall in love with him, but that all the rich ladies on the train already had partners. John eventually begged off, saying that he had some thinking to do, and BJ moved on to talk to Oscar, who talked BJ's head off for a while. BJ eventually moved on to talking to Morissa and Wanda, and he asked about commissions of Morissa's paintings. That got them talking, and eventually BJ got the contact information of the foundation that Wanda ran. Then, everyone went to bed.
In the morning, they woke up early to realize that the train had stopped sometime during the night. Jean-Yves poked his head out into the corridor, and saw nothing outside the window but a featureless grey mist. There was something lying on the floor on the corner, with one end against the wall, and as Jean-Yves got closer it seemed to be a statue of a human leg made of some bluish material. Antonio had the closest compartment, so Jean-Yves knocked on his door. Antonio answered, and Jean-Yves made to point out the leg, but it wasn't there. He gestured to the fog, and about that time the steward arrived. He said that he was looking into things and if they saw the steward from the other car, to tell him.
Jean-Yves opened the door at the end of the car, but saw only fog. BJ and Ivy looked out the window and saw some trees faintly visible in the fog, and then a person with pale skin and dead white eyes reared up and looked at them before vanishing. This affected BJ more than Ivy, and he returned to his compartment to find someone in his bed. The others came to look at the person, who rolled over and revealed himself to be a fully-dressed Turkish man. The man demanded to know what they were doing in his compartment, and when BJ said that the man was in his comportment, the Turkish man faded away into nothing. BJ sat down heavily, and the party hauled him up and all went to the dinner car. It was partially occupied, with people dressed in antique fashions, and Dr. Conrad strolled right up to one table, ignoring Ivy's protestations, and asked them how their meal was. A Chinese man answered his questions, somewhat reluctantly, but intelligently and with presence of mind. Dr. Conrad stayed, and the others went to the salon car.
The salon car was a party, a late-night party, with music being played and an Italian woman standing on a small platform began to sing a beautiful aria. BJ recognized the woman as an opera singer named Catarina Cavallaro who disappeared suddenly, and Jean-Yves was positive that an old man, sitting in the corner, was his grand-pere Luc. As Jean-Yves said his name, Luc turned to look at him, and then the party faded away. There was light coming from the door at the other end, and BJ walked to it and opened it. It opened onto the train tracks, and a cold wind blew over BJ. The two stewards and the cook were arguing in French over whether they had been left behind and what to do now. BJ ran off, worrying about Chantelle, and Ivy followed him.
Chantelle was there and unharmed, and there was a blue statue hand on the top of her bunk. BJ grabbed it, and it made him feel very strange, so he eventually put it down. Chantelle said that Henri went to see what was going on, and BJ explained that the train seemed to have been abandoned.
Jean-Yves climbed down the train tracks and scrambled up the embankment. They were in a dense pine forest, but there was no birdsong, and Jean-Yves saw the far-off shapes of people in the mist. They were standing and watching, not moving at all, and Jean-Yves climbed down and told the stewards. They weren't alarmed, but thought it was very odd. Now that Dr. Conrad was outside, he could tell that the weather was unseasonably cold and should have been accompanied by rain. As they were standing there, a short man in dressing gown and slippers walked up to a signalman who had not been there before and said "I am the President of France!" Without changing his expression, the signalman answered, "And I am Emperor Napoleon." The steward said that it was Paul Deschanel, in a famous incident, and Jean-Yves replied that he was no longer sure he should go into the mist.
BJ realized that he had no idea where John Milton was, and started looking. He noticed most of the doors were open expect a few, and he tried John Walters door but found it locked. He knocked on John Milton's door and there was no answer, and he continued on looking for Milton. As he walked, he heard a crying child, and he investigated and found a small girl, looking away from him, crying in a high voice. He reached out to touch the child's shoulder, and she turned out and revealed that she had no face.
Jean-Yves and Dr. Conrad were standing outside when Lars came out and said that Giuseppe Roti and John Walters were missing and their doors were locked. He asked the steward if they could check the compartments and see after their welfare. The stewards and the party followed, passing people in the hallway that they knew were not passengers on the train, and eventually arrived at the rooms. The steward opened the door and revealed blood everywhere and a body in blood-soaked curtains with a missing right arm. Lars staggered away, and asked if they should check the other room. They did, and found Roti's body missing its left arm and blood all over the sheets. The window was open, and Jean-Yves checked the window, but found no signs. The mist outside was again as silent as the grave.
That scene with the girl reminds me of the famous scene from Uninvited.
I knew something would go wrong, of course, because we're playing a Call of Cthulhu game. But I wasn't quite expecting the ghosts! I'm eager to see where this goes.
No other comments this week.
- BJ Goodwin, American Wedding DJ
- Dr. Conrad Nemeth, American Climate Scientist
- Ivy Davison, American Construction Worker
- Jean-Yves Laurent, French Army Officer
The investigators were all the recipients of an all-expenses-paid trip on the Orient Express, paid for by an internet entrepreneur named John Milton. His latest project is lux-vista.com, a website designed to bring luxury travel to the masses. The three Americans were flown in to London and Jean-Yves took a train there to get the full experience. In Paris, they were shown personally to their cabins on the train by uniformed staff who inquired profusely if they had any needs or requests. The rooms had robes, soap, towels, slippers, drink coasters, and a personally-addressed envelope with an invitation to a reception with John Milton later that day. Jean-Yves and BJ spoke briefly, and the everyone headed to the reception.
John Milton entered the reception and greeted everyone, saying "I'm happy to be here with you on this journey of a lifetime," and began to circulate. The four introduced themselves to each other, BJ making sure to hand out business cards. As they talked, another American named Oscar Griffin and began talking their ears off. Ivy and Oscar talked at each other for a while and Jean-Yves listened politely until he wandered off. Most of the other contest winners seemed to be Europeans. Jean-Yves approached Fabian Weiss, a slightly pudgy Swiss a plastic surgeon who said that the trip would be good for finding the kind of people he'd like to have for his business. BJ approached an Italian man, Antonio Abella, a devastatingly handsome legal assistant who fidgeted constantly. BJ carefully did not mention his partners and tried to determine the Italian's relationship status, but he seemed very preoccupied. Ivy spoke to an English college student and asked to take a picture for her mother, and he agreed after some slight confusion. He introduced himself as John Walters, a chemistry student, and said how great it was to take a break from uni. Dr. Conrad tried his German on the German man, Lars Färber, who revealed himself as a train enthusiast. He gushed over the accuracy of the light fixtures, and Dr. Conrad eventually excused himself.
BJ also spoke to another Italian man near the canapés, taste-testing them and looking thoughtfully at them. He asked about the food, and the man, Faustino Gonzaga, gave his extensive opinions on their proper cooking methods and preparations. He said he entered mostly to check out the food and advise the staff as to his opinion. Ivy tried speaking to a Spanish man, Enzo Banuelos, who revealed himself as a working class contest winner and so endeared himself to Ivy immediately. He was a postman, and obviously not comfortable with all the luxury of the Orient Express. Jean-Yves approached Giuseppe Roti, who asked very direct questions about Jean-Yves job and life. He was a banker who had recently lost his job, and jokingly asked Jean-Yves if he had an opportunity. He suggested the French Foreign Legion, and they had a good laugh over the joke and then had a drink together.
At precisely 18:00, John Milton told them that dinner would be served at 19:00 and wished them Bon Voyage. The investigators changed for dinner, arrived in the dinner car, and took their seats. Dinner was delicious, and after dinner Milton invited everyone to the bar car for a nightcap. He began telling stories about his accomplishments, talking about his life and about the Orient Express. Ivy and Dr. Conrad went to bed early due to jet lag, but Jean-Yves and BJ closed down the bar. Then, everyone went to sleep.
In the morning after breakfast, they were told that lunch would be at 2 and spent some time enjoying the ambiance of the Orient Express. Dr. Conrad went to the salon car and spoke to an Australian man named Mark Wilson, a former model who now worked for an investment bank. Dr. Conrad noticed that he kept looking over at Chantelle, an up-and-coming model who was sitting in the salon car as well.
At lunchtime, the investigators went to lunch. They noticed that Faustino had been drinking heavily, and he began shouting about the inadequacy of the food. The steward tried to calm him but he rose and tried to force his way into the kitchen. Jean-Yves tried to calm him down but Faustino wouldn't head of it, and BJ asked him exactly what was wrong. He took a bite of the salmon and asked Faustino what was wrong, and as Faustino turned, the chef came out. This reduced Faustino to abject apologies, and he was taken off to sleep in his cabin. Soon afterwards they arrived in Budapest and were put up in the Hilton Hotel.
As dinner, they noticed that Chantelle seemed to be bothered about something and her companion Henri seemed not to notice. In the middle of dinner, she suddenly stood up and fled from the room. Ivy asked Henri what the problem was and he opined that it was just the flightiness of women. BJ tried to find Chantelle's room, followed by Ivy, and after a knock they were forcefully told to go away in a tearful voice. Just as they were about to leave, she yelled at them to stop sending her letters. Not wanting to bother her, they left. After dinner, the party was asked if they wanted to take a moonlight stroll in the garden, and then they went to sleep.
The next day was a tour of Budapest, though Milton said he would not be joining the group due to some business that he had to take care of. Antonio Abella was absent, but Chantelle was there, looking immaculate. She apologized for her actions, blaming exhaustion, and brushed off any questions. The tour was a general tour of the city, including a famous church in the city center and a wine house that sold wine by the bottle and by the case. They ate lunch at Buda Castle on the river Danube, and then finally looked at the Buda Labyrinth beneath the castle, with stories of Dracula and German soldiers.
While in the labyrinth, Ivy and BJ were pulled aside by Chantelle into an outer cave, where she told them that her life was in danger. She had been receiving anonymous emails and letters for six months, and had found one in her handbag on the train, so the stalker must have finally gotten close to her. She was dismissive of the possibility of getting Henri involved, saying he thought of her as a flighty girl, and showed them the most recent letter.
LOVELY CHANTELLEIvy asked if she could reveal the problem to a couple other people, and she acquiesced. They advised Chantelle not to be alone, and eventually hurried back to the tour group and went back to the train. BJ surreptitiously quizzed Jean-Yves about his knowledge of fashion, and Ivy talked to Dr. Conrad about the problem. After enlisting their help, they all returned to their rooms, but Dr. Conrad and BJ noticed that they were each missing two shirts. BJ spoke to the staff, who were baffled but agreed to check into the problem. After twenty minutes or so, the steward brought Dr. Conrad and BJ together and said that he had checked the luggage and the shirts were not there. Jean-Yves brought up Antonio, who had been absent part of the day, and BJ asked him about his belongings. Antonio seemed brusque and tried to end the conversation quickly, and BJ let him. He moved on to Enzo's door and asked him, and while Enzo seemed very nervous, he had all his shirts.
I GROW ANGRY THAT YOU CONTINUE TO IGNORE MY PLEAS OF LOVE
SOMETHING HAS TO GIVE
I'LL GIVE YOU ONE LAST CHANCE
I WILL CONTACT YOU AGAIN SOON
THE LOVE OF YOUR LIFE
In the bar, BJ walked up to John Walters, who was gazing at Morissa and Wanda, and introduced himself. John told BJ about his dreams that he'd meet a rich lady on the train and she'd fall in love with him, but that all the rich ladies on the train already had partners. John eventually begged off, saying that he had some thinking to do, and BJ moved on to talk to Oscar, who talked BJ's head off for a while. BJ eventually moved on to talking to Morissa and Wanda, and he asked about commissions of Morissa's paintings. That got them talking, and eventually BJ got the contact information of the foundation that Wanda ran. Then, everyone went to bed.
In the morning, they woke up early to realize that the train had stopped sometime during the night. Jean-Yves poked his head out into the corridor, and saw nothing outside the window but a featureless grey mist. There was something lying on the floor on the corner, with one end against the wall, and as Jean-Yves got closer it seemed to be a statue of a human leg made of some bluish material. Antonio had the closest compartment, so Jean-Yves knocked on his door. Antonio answered, and Jean-Yves made to point out the leg, but it wasn't there. He gestured to the fog, and about that time the steward arrived. He said that he was looking into things and if they saw the steward from the other car, to tell him.
Jean-Yves opened the door at the end of the car, but saw only fog. BJ and Ivy looked out the window and saw some trees faintly visible in the fog, and then a person with pale skin and dead white eyes reared up and looked at them before vanishing. This affected BJ more than Ivy, and he returned to his compartment to find someone in his bed. The others came to look at the person, who rolled over and revealed himself to be a fully-dressed Turkish man. The man demanded to know what they were doing in his compartment, and when BJ said that the man was in his comportment, the Turkish man faded away into nothing. BJ sat down heavily, and the party hauled him up and all went to the dinner car. It was partially occupied, with people dressed in antique fashions, and Dr. Conrad strolled right up to one table, ignoring Ivy's protestations, and asked them how their meal was. A Chinese man answered his questions, somewhat reluctantly, but intelligently and with presence of mind. Dr. Conrad stayed, and the others went to the salon car.
The salon car was a party, a late-night party, with music being played and an Italian woman standing on a small platform began to sing a beautiful aria. BJ recognized the woman as an opera singer named Catarina Cavallaro who disappeared suddenly, and Jean-Yves was positive that an old man, sitting in the corner, was his grand-pere Luc. As Jean-Yves said his name, Luc turned to look at him, and then the party faded away. There was light coming from the door at the other end, and BJ walked to it and opened it. It opened onto the train tracks, and a cold wind blew over BJ. The two stewards and the cook were arguing in French over whether they had been left behind and what to do now. BJ ran off, worrying about Chantelle, and Ivy followed him.
Chantelle was there and unharmed, and there was a blue statue hand on the top of her bunk. BJ grabbed it, and it made him feel very strange, so he eventually put it down. Chantelle said that Henri went to see what was going on, and BJ explained that the train seemed to have been abandoned.
Jean-Yves climbed down the train tracks and scrambled up the embankment. They were in a dense pine forest, but there was no birdsong, and Jean-Yves saw the far-off shapes of people in the mist. They were standing and watching, not moving at all, and Jean-Yves climbed down and told the stewards. They weren't alarmed, but thought it was very odd. Now that Dr. Conrad was outside, he could tell that the weather was unseasonably cold and should have been accompanied by rain. As they were standing there, a short man in dressing gown and slippers walked up to a signalman who had not been there before and said "I am the President of France!" Without changing his expression, the signalman answered, "And I am Emperor Napoleon." The steward said that it was Paul Deschanel, in a famous incident, and Jean-Yves replied that he was no longer sure he should go into the mist.
BJ realized that he had no idea where John Milton was, and started looking. He noticed most of the doors were open expect a few, and he tried John Walters door but found it locked. He knocked on John Milton's door and there was no answer, and he continued on looking for Milton. As he walked, he heard a crying child, and he investigated and found a small girl, looking away from him, crying in a high voice. He reached out to touch the child's shoulder, and she turned out and revealed that she had no face.
Jean-Yves and Dr. Conrad were standing outside when Lars came out and said that Giuseppe Roti and John Walters were missing and their doors were locked. He asked the steward if they could check the compartments and see after their welfare. The stewards and the party followed, passing people in the hallway that they knew were not passengers on the train, and eventually arrived at the rooms. The steward opened the door and revealed blood everywhere and a body in blood-soaked curtains with a missing right arm. Lars staggered away, and asked if they should check the other room. They did, and found Roti's body missing its left arm and blood all over the sheets. The window was open, and Jean-Yves checked the window, but found no signs. The mist outside was again as silent as the grave.
That scene with the girl reminds me of the famous scene from Uninvited.
I knew something would go wrong, of course, because we're playing a Call of Cthulhu game. But I wasn't quite expecting the ghosts! I'm eager to see where this goes.
No other comments this week.
