[2018-07-21 09:33:03] <TWDuke|GM> ||||
[2018-07-21 09:47:02] <TWDuke|GM> "Thanks again for coming by on such short notice. I'll call the..." Mrs Laverty checks the note you wrote her. "Utilities Management Board, right away."
[2018-07-21 09:47:02] <TWDuke|GM> There really wasn't anything more you could do for her. The whole block was probably dealing with the low water pressure - it just happened that her boiler needed a certain threshold to work properly. Summer coming in means you don't have to be too worried about her being stuck with cold showers, but it still wasn't great.
[2018-07-21 09:47:02] <TWDuke|GM> It wasn't the only case like this you'd seen recently. Especially on the north side of town, where the buildings were a little older and the plumbing had all been done before modern regulations were in place, there had been all sorts of issues. Not just water - gas, too, and electricity especially. Too much of the council's resources were being spent on the areas of 'revitalisation', the hotspots where high-rises were springing up like
[2018-07-21 09:47:02] <TWDuke|GM> wildflowers and the clubs that were reeling in the tourists. They said that Anyport was going through some 'growing pains', that resources were stretched too thin. You suspected that there was a little more backroom dealing going on... and maybe something else, too.
[2018-07-21 09:47:02] <TWDuke|GM> "What do I owe you?" The sweet old lady rummages through her clutch for her chequebook. ||
[2018-07-21 09:52:11] <Bel|Jezza> "No worries, Mrs. Laverty," he says, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly, "I wish there was more I could do."
[2018-07-21 09:53:36] <Bel|Jezza> Belatedly, he wipes his hand off on a rag hanging out of his work overalls. Couldn't stay clean, working on an old rust bucket like that.
[2018-07-21 09:55:31] <Bel|Jezza> Wasn't her fault, really. What could you do, put 'wipe off the heater' on the weekly chores list? And it wouldn't help her problem, in any case. No leaks, valves in surprisingly good shape, insulation patched up but holding. There just wasn't any water to heat.
[2018-07-21 09:56:24] <Bel|Jezza> "Just make it a lobster and we'll call it square. 'S not fair to charge ya more than that, just to look at a couple pipes." ||
[2018-07-21 09:59:02] <TWDuke|GM> She puts one hand to her chest. "Oh, dear, I couldn't. Not after I've made you come out all this way! Here." She fishes around in her bag and pulls out a fifty dollar note, and pushes it into your hand.
[2018-07-21 10:00:55] <TWDuke|GM> "Thanks again, dearie. I'll be sure to let all the book club ladies know how helpful you've been." ||
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[2018-07-21 10:06:37] <Bel|Jezza> Jezza mumbles a few disclaimers but sheepishly takes the bill. "Yeah, well, I appreciate it, thanks. And you call back if your dunny starts acting up again, yeah?"
[2018-07-21 10:08:36] <Bel|Jezza> Too many of these calls. They might be good pay for no work, but it didn't feel the same as coming out of a dusty crawlspace triumphantly holding a blown fuse like a trophy.
[2018-07-21 10:11:59] <Bel|Jezza> It didn't help that there wasn't much he could do about it. A local handyman didn't have much pull with the big boys in town, no matter how handy. And that time he'd tried to pop by the Council meeting absolutely smashed hadn't helped matters much. He assumed. He didn't try to go by those anymore.
[2018-07-21 10:12:34] <Bel|Jezza> He makes the necessary pleasantries and extricates himself from the house.  ||
[2018-07-21 10:16:59] <TWDuke|GM> With your business with Mrs Laverty concluding earlier than you had expected, you have some spare time on your hands. Your last business for the day, meeting with Gordon Brownstone (hopefully not just to discuss your last appearance at the town Council), isn't for another few hours. A lovely summer afternoon is laid out before you.
[2018-07-21 10:16:59] <TWDuke|GM> You could just make sure you're not caught unexpectedly late, but hanging around a school as the kids are getting out might not be the best look. Especially with your scruffy mug. ||
[2018-07-21 10:25:54] <Bel|Jezza> Rather than tempt fate, he slides into the rusty ute out front.
[2018-07-21 10:26:24] <Bel|Jezza> He taps the box in the passenger seat. Nearly empty. There’s an errand to run.
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[2018-07-21 10:28:28] <Bel|Jezza> The truck starts with a rumbling clatter as he pops the tab on the last tinnie in the case. He tops up, careful to keep the thing low, and makes his way to the bottle-o. The good one, this time, with a heavy bill like that weighing him down. ||
[2018-07-21 10:32:19] <TWDuke|GM> The store glitters in the afternoon sun, multihued glass bottles twinkling. You're greeted with the smell of freshly-cleaned floors and a wave. "Jezza! Good to see you! Done early for the day?" Vinny's always manning the till at this time of afternoon. ||
[2018-07-21 10:45:36] <Bel|Jezza> "Vinny!" he echoes, "how ya garn? Ya know how it is." As Jezza talks, he makes his practiced way around the store, grabbing the usual cases and, on a whim, a bottle of cheap whiskey. Treat yourself. ||
[2018-07-21 10:47:16] <TWDuke|GM> You catch a flash of your reflection in the brown glass.
[2018-07-21 10:50:43] <TWDuke|GM> You remember your first drink - your pop was out of town, and your older brother had snuck into his liquor cabinet. It burned like poison going down. When he found out, he'd taken his belt to your backside until you couldn't sit down - and the next day at school, the teacher had gone after you with the cane for that.
[2018-07-21 10:52:32] <TWDuke|GM> As soon as it came, the memory is gone. Your ankles are wet, and there's a potent smell of cheap whiskey. As you look down, you see shattered glass and liquid all around your feet.
[2018-07-21 10:53:25] <TWDuke|GM> "Christ, Jezza! You alright?" Vinny shouts while coming out from behind the register. ||
[2018-07-21 10:54:51] <Bel|Jezza> Right. That's why he didn't get whiskey.
[2018-07-21 10:57:32] <Bel|Jezza> "Sorry, Vinny," he calls back, shuffling back a little to get clear of the glass. "Slipped right outta my hand, she'll be right."
[2018-07-21 10:59:19] <Bel|Jezza> He holds up a placating hand. "I'll pay ya back, if ya need, no worries. Maybe oughta lay off a bit, yeah?" He chuckles.
[2018-07-21 11:00:27] <Bel|Jezza> Well, it was time to wash the faded dungarees anyways. At least he wasn't in his thongs. ||
[2018-07-21 11:04:24] <TWDuke|GM> "Heh, yeah, maybe." Just enough genuine concern sneaks into his voice to ruin the pretence of just joking around.
[2018-07-21 11:04:24] <TWDuke|GM> Vinny pops out the back to grab dustpan and broom, mop and bucket. Once the glass is cleared away, he leaves the rest until he's finalised your transaction. As he rings up the cases, and the bottle, he gives you a smile that doesn't quite reach his eyes. ||
[2018-07-21 11:07:21] <Bel|Jezza> Jezza's smile matches his.
[2018-07-21 11:08:56] <Bel|Jezza> It's not like he /liked/ his hands shaking and jerking all the time or the never-ending headache or how impossible it was to sleep without a little something to set her down.
[2018-07-21 11:09:51] <Bel|Jezza> He did what he could.
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[2018-07-21 11:12:08] <Bel|Jezza> He collects the cases under one arm, balancing the bottle under one arm and careful not to look inside the brown paper bag. Cargo safely pressed against his bulk, he makes his way out of the store to load up the ute.
[2018-07-21 11:13:55] <Bel|Jezza> If he took his time, he could finish off the old tinnie before he made it to Brownstone's. And a few more, too, while he got some thinking in.
[2018-07-21 11:14:23] <Bel|Jezza> Thinking time was in chronically short supply, these days. ||
[2018-07-21 11:18:34] * Bel|Jezza → Jezza|Bel
[2018-07-21 11:18:41] * Jezza|Bel → Bel|Jezza
[2018-07-21 11:18:59] <TWDuke|GM> Traffic is light as you cruise through the town. The beer is warm form having sat in your hot car all day, but it's still soothing on your throat.
[2018-07-21 11:22:19] <TWDuke|GM>  /"But why", said the Crane, "my feathers are just as silky white as your fur, Rabbit. And my eyes gleam just as brightly as yours."/
[2018-07-21 11:22:19] <TWDuke|GM> There was something there... some manner of like attracting like, or shadows of sympathetic magic. Perhaps a certain state of mind could be more receptive to certain kinds of thoughts, or help them stick better? Maybe totems to secure thematic resonance...
[2018-07-21 11:25:01] <TWDuke|GM> By the time you reach Oak Hill Academy, most of the kids have already left. A few lads on the corner, tightly circled to pretend like they're not sharing a cigarette. One little girl, feet dangling off the short brick wall she's planted on, reading a book and waiting for a parent to come pick her up. A teacher stands nearby, occasionally looking up from his phone to make sure she hasn't been abducted, clearly hankering to get home himself.
[2018-07-21 11:26:31] <TWDuke|GM> You've been told the principal's office shouldn't be hard to find, though you're mildly concerned you look a little out of place. ||
[2018-07-21 11:33:36] <Bel|Jezza> It's a concern he's pretty used to, at this point. No matter how fancy the house, there was usually still some dirty corner of it, and odds are that's what he was there to fix. Still, a school's a school.
[2018-07-21 11:35:59] <Bel|Jezza> He pulls the rumbling car over on the curb in front of the door and kills the engine. Briefly, his eyes dance over his sweating face in the mirror, hand running over his almost-bald pate, before he lumbers himself out of the car.
[2018-07-21 11:36:59] <Bel|Jezza> Hopefully, it's just another job a few runes and a shout can handle. He deserves one of those days, one of these days. ||
[2018-07-21 11:41:09] <TWDuke|GM> The teacher's too preoccupied with his phone to notice as you pass through the schools' gates. Oak Hill Academy is a fine old school, with broad stone walls and tall, narrow windows. The roofing is particularly fancy, with crenelations and curling adornments. Gargoyles wouldn't be totally out of place.
[2018-07-21 11:43:20] <TWDuke|GM> You can see the newer constructions, no doubt to enable more classrooms to accommodate a larger student body, but they're not cheap demountable rooms. They've been quite cleverly done to maintain the dignified prestige of the older halls while maintaining modern practical sensibilities.
[2018-07-21 11:45:53] <TWDuke|GM> The school's interior is just as distinguished - hardwood panelling, portraits of past staff, clean floors. You pass a trophy cabinet marking the achievements of alumni reaching back decades. Not a hint of graffiti, or really much evidence of students at all, other than the lockers and classrooms.
[2018-07-21 11:47:18] <TWDuke|GM> You reach Principal Brownstone's office - a window of frosted glass with gold lettering, set into a sturdy door. ||
[2018-07-21 11:48:12] <Bel|Jezza> Jezza is definitely out of place.
[2018-07-21 11:49:55] <Bel|Jezza> But, if they didn't want him walking on their fancy floor with his boots, Brownstone'd have met him at the pub like he'd suggested.
[2018-07-21 11:52:33] <Bel|Jezza> Said boots make a sticky sound on the floor as he shifts to knock on the door, saying, "'S Jezza!" ||
[2018-07-21 11:55:08] <TWDuke|GM> The voice from the other side of the door says, "Come in!" It's deep and resonant.
[2018-07-21 11:55:27] <TWDuke|GM> ||
[2018-07-21 11:56:40] <Bel|Jezza> Jezza steps through. ||
[2018-07-21 11:58:48] <TWDuke|GM> The office is unexpectedly busy. The regal architecture is still there - the high ceiling, skinny window criss-crossed with a delicate cobweb of wrought iron, the hardwood furniture. But the austerity is crowded out by the sheer density of... things.
[2018-07-21 12:02:45] <TWDuke|GM> There's no better word for the assortment of items that clutter the bookshelves, side-tables, filing cabinets and indeed the large main desk. Many make perfect sense for a principal's office - old yearbooks, potted plants, photographs from school productions of various musicals, books on education.
[2018-07-21 12:02:45] <TWDuke|GM> Others stand out as the kind of knick-knacks that can give an office charm, were they in more moderate supply: Newton's cradle-like toys, a highly-detailed freestanding wooden globe, jars of coloured sand, a brightly-coloured abacus, an ornate brass orrery.
[2018-07-21 12:05:13] <TWDuke|GM> But there's more stuff crammed in among the doohickeys and memorabilia - an inkwell, somehow balancing a peacock feather. Paper planes folded from some kind of black canvas covered in gold-leaf lettering in an Arabic language. A set of ivory pan-pipes. A pair of baby shoes in good condition. A jar containing a micro-habitat for a living praying mantis.
[2018-07-21 12:08:21] <TWDuke|GM> In the centre of the hoard sits Gordon Brownstone, typing away at a laptop. An unassuming man, a little young for his position, his black hair is tidily slicked back. His shirt, tie and suspenders match the jacket slung over the back of his chair in their varying shades of black, beige and brown. He doesn't look up as you enter, instead finishing his paragraph.
[2018-07-21 12:09:08] <TWDuke|GM> Finally, he closes his computer and looks you over, head-to-toe. You notice his nostrils flare, though he manages not to wrinkle his nose overtly as the smell of spilled whisky reaches him.
[2018-07-21 12:09:16] <TWDuke|GM> "Mr Jones. Welcome. Take a seat." ||
[2018-07-21 12:12:24] <Bel|Jezza> "Arvo, Mr. Brownstone." He settles into the offered seat with a groan. "Sorry about the smell, a bit of a mixup on the way over, busy busy day. What can I do ya for?" ||
[2018-07-21 12:15:11] <TWDuke|GM> He smiles, that polished businessman smile that says he's willing to tolerate your presence. "Thank you for making time to meet with me. I apologise for any inconvenience it caused. I was hoping to have a little chat, to get to know you a little. You've been here in Anyport for... six months, now, is it? How are you finding the place?" ||
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[2018-07-21 12:22:45] <Bel|Jezza> "Mighty kind of ya." He scratches his stubble thoughtfully. "She's nice enough, and pretty, too, what with the coast and all. Good work, nice people most of the time."
[2018-07-21 12:27:25] <Bel|Jezza> "I have been meaning to apologize, by the way, about my, uh, behavior back, uh, then? Really should've taken a sickie. I hope you're not too upset." ||
[2018-07-21 12:31:01] <TWDuke|GM> He smiles. "Not at all, Mr Jones. Those meetings can get insufferably formal - your interruption was rather refreshing, in many ways." You notice that his hands are perfectly still. If he's tempted to tap his fingers or spin a pen, he's not showing it.
[2018-07-21 12:32:39] <TWDuke|GM> "Anything else you've noticed around town? Seen the Sights?" You're not quite sure how he pronounces the capital S, but you get the picture.
[2018-07-21 12:35:37] <TWDuke|GM> And you have noticed things since you've been in town. Some of your usual rituals have been much more effective, while others have been significantly less so. You're not trained in any real chronomancy, but you've definitely noticed the way that time plays tricks on you.
[2018-07-21 12:37:47] <TWDuke|GM> More than that... the whole town has a faint veneer over it, a 'flatness'. You know how to sense when reality has been tampered with, and you get that sense here; everywhere, here.
[2018-07-21 12:38:25] <TWDuke|GM> How much of that Gordon knows, however, is unclear. You don't know whether he's fishing for intel, or whether this is some kind of interview question. His face gives away nothing but an implicit smugness. ||
[2018-07-21 12:39:14] <Bel|Jezza> Fancy boys and their fancy manners. Internally, Jezza gripes that this could've been at a pub.
[2018-07-21 12:44:04] <Bel|Jezza> "Well, now that ya mention it, there's something a bit odd, yes. It's quiet around here, isn't it? Spiritually, I mean."
[2018-07-21 12:44:19] <Bel|Jezza> ||
[2018-07-21 12:46:54] <TWDuke|GM> The man grins, the corners of his eyes crinkling. His cheeks dimple unflatteringly.
[2018-07-21 12:49:37] <TWDuke|GM> "A fine observation. I've found that it really depends on your perspective. How things seem changes depending on where you're standing. What's your vantage point, Mr Jones? Where do you come from, in terms of... all this?" He gestures vaguely. ||
[2018-07-21 12:51:08] <Bel|Jezza> He lets his hands continue their constant, quiet dance in his lap, fingers twitching in what could be mistaken for twiddling.
[2018-07-21 12:55:02] <Bel|Jezza> "That's a broad question, there, Mr. Brownstone." He squints off into the middle distance. " I reckon it's been... oh, fifteen years, give or take, depending on how ya look at it. Family business, and all that."
[2018-07-21 12:56:53] <Bel|Jezza> As these things go, that's not too far off, and it's better to hew as close to the truth as possible. At least, roughly close.
[2018-07-21 12:57:50] <Bel|Jezza> "I don't mind the questioning overmuch, but couldn't you've just given me a bell?" ||
[2018-07-21 13:00:25] <TWDuke|GM> He smiles. "I wasn't sure whether or not I would need use of the privacy, for the purposes of a demonstration. I am, after all, an educator." He pauses for just a moment, and you can see the gears clicking away inside his head.
[2018-07-21 13:00:54] <TWDuke|GM> "You know what? You're right - since we're here, we might as well make use of it. Observe."
[2018-07-21 13:02:49] <TWDuke|GM> Gordon Brownstone moves his laptop to a bag on the floor by his feet, freeing a patch of space on the otherwise festooned desk. From the same bag, he pulls forward an apple - red and glossy. He peels off the sticker, and discards it in a trash bin under his desk.
[2018-07-21 13:04:44] <TWDuke|GM> He pulls a string and a stick of white chalk out from a pen-holder. With a practiced manoeuvre, he draws out two clean circles, side-by-side, right on the top of his desk. And then, with   no ceremony, he puts down the apple.
[2018-07-21 13:06:29] <TWDuke|GM> Or at least, something like the apple - in one circle, there's a dull grey thing, vaguely spherical, but with the right indentations to make it apple-shaped. There's even something geometrical protruding from the top, something like a stalk. It sits on the desk, almost two-dimensional in appearance, if it weren't for an impression of weight and stability.
[2018-07-21 13:08:37] <TWDuke|GM> Meanwhile, hovering in the space above the other circle is a gleaming red mess. Resembling a floating, shifting crayon scribble, you notice that the inner portions of the crazed shape is a pale yellow-green: the same colour as the apple's flesh. You're not sure whether you're imagining it, but you can almost smell the fresh apple smell coming from the scribble.
[2018-07-21 13:09:36] <TWDuke|GM> Brownstone sits back in his chair, and folds his hands in his lap. "Now, Mr Jones, this isn't an exam, there will be no grade. But tell me - which of these two is the apple?" ||
[2018-07-21 13:15:39] <Bel|Jezza> Jezza peers at first one circle, then the other, before sitting back. "Well, Mr. Brownstone, I suppose it's neither, ain't it? Like the, er, whatsits name, sorites paradox? A heap isn't a thing, 's just a name for a collection of traits and such."
[2018-07-21 13:16:23] <Bel|Jezza> He laughs. "Unless you're gonna tell me you took the spirit of the apple and chucked it in one of 'em." ||
[2018-07-21 13:16:45] <Bel|Jezza> ((replace 'heap' with 'apple'))
[2018-07-21 13:22:07] <TWDuke|GM> "A good first guess! And a relevant reference - you're better-read than I expected." He smiles again, the same dimples appearing. "Of course, Eubulides of Miletus probably wasn't a Practitioner. We have the privilege of knowing that there is indeed such a thing as a heap, or an apple. At least, as far as the Spirits are concerned."
[2018-07-21 13:22:07] <TWDuke|GM> He leans forward again, admiring his own handiwork. "I'm not going to tell you quite what I've done just yet. But you have more tools at your disposal that you haven't tried yet. Have another look, and tell me what you See." ||
[2018-07-21 13:24:00] <Bel|Jezza> Jezza frowns, but blinks lazily to call up the Sight. ||
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[2018-07-21 13:31:45] <TWDuke|GM> It takes a moment for you to focus - there are things lurking at the edges of your vision that you'd rather not See. But looking at the circles again, you start to notice little things. The thing in both circles is somehow more vivid, less 'flat' than the rest of the room around you. Even the dull grey shape seems more lively than the desk it's sitting on.
[2018-07-21 13:31:45] <TWDuke|GM> There's such little to confound your vision that you can See lots of the little spirits that you'd normally gloss over. The first one has a spirit of roundness, of smoothness, of crispness. A tiny spirit of weight, a faint connection to the table on which it rests. The scribble, meanwhile has a spirit of redness, of freshness, of health and life and plants.
[2018-07-21 13:31:45] <TWDuke|GM> You focus, looking for the spirit of the apple itself. It's faint, almost imperceptible, but it's there - nestled in the middle of each circle. It moves and shifts identically in each, like a reflection but without being flipped. ||
[2018-07-21 13:35:48] <Bel|Jezza> His frown deepens. "Looks like it's... both? At least, according to the apple. Darn if I know how you did it, though." ||
[2018-07-21 13:41:44] <TWDuke|GM> There's just a hint of a pause before Brownstone replies. It's long enough for you to realise that he's stopped watching the circles, and has instead been staring at you intently.
[2018-07-21 13:41:44] <TWDuke|GM> "A very fine second guess. 'According to the apple' is a very interesting qualifier. Ultimately, I didn't invite the apple into my office for a conversation. What do you think? Is the apple in neither circle, or both?" He blinks, which only serves to help you realise how little he's been blinking while looking at you. ||
[2018-07-21 13:44:16] <Bel|Jezza> He cracks a knuckle in thought, giving his jittering hands a chance to do something productive.
[2018-07-21 13:51:49] <Bel|Jezza> Meeting the man's gaze, he says, "If the spirit of the apple signifies where the apple is, then it's both, Mr. Brownstone, but I'll admit I'm none too comfortable saying much about it. The spiritual fundamentals are not necessarily my forte." ||
[2018-07-21 13:54:30] <TWDuke|GM> He keeps his gaze fixed on your own eyes as he says. "And just as well. If a thing that was only bits and pieces of an apple wasn't really an apple, where would that leave you?" ||
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[2018-07-21 13:58:02] <Bel|Jezza> There it was. "Yeah, well, we all have our struggles."
[2018-07-21 14:01:20] <Bel|Jezza> He flinches involuntarily, then sighs. "I'm not much of a fan of whinging about my condition, Mr. Brownback, not in polite company." ||
[2018-07-21 14:03:07] <TWDuke|GM> His eyes snap away from yours, blinking, and the moment is broken.
[2018-07-21 14:03:07] <TWDuke|GM> "I'm terribly sorry, Mr Jones, that was altogether too forthright of me. I can get a little carried away." He adjusts the position of a few items on his desk, seemingly only to entertain his hands and his gaze.
[2018-07-21 14:06:31] <TWDuke|GM> When he looks back at you again, the businessman's smile has returned. "Anyport is a great place, Mr Jones, I truly believe that. This town accepts all sorts, no matter where they've come from or what they've left behind. I'm glad you've found your way to us. From all reports you are very talented, and have proven yourself an asset to the community countless times over."
[2018-07-21 14:08:46] <TWDuke|GM> He reaches forward again, this time with no slick efficiency or sleight-of-hand. You watch as his forearm bifurcates at the elbow, two shimmering translucent copies each stretching forward towards a different circle. They each grasp the contents, and when they are withdrawn they seamlessly return to being a single arm, holding a single apple. He pauses to admire the red shine, turning it over in his hand.
[2018-07-21 14:11:20] <TWDuke|GM> "Mr Jones, I believe we could have an excellent working relationship. I'm not afraid to say that I have ambitions for this town. I want to transform it from the sleepy little seaside village it once was into the dynamic, thriving community it can be. I could use the help of a person with your talents."
[2018-07-21 14:11:38] <TWDuke|GM> He extends the hand containing the apple, now made whole again, offering it to you.
[2018-07-21 14:12:25] <TWDuke|GM> "What do you say, Mr Jones? Would you be open to working alongside one another?" ||
[2018-07-21 14:13:51] <Bel|Jezza> ((change my last post from Brownback to Brownstone))
[2018-07-21 14:14:00] <TWDuke|GM> ((Gotcha))
[2018-07-21 14:14:50] <Bel|Jezza> Jezza looks at the apple, then the man.
[2018-07-21 14:22:56] <Bel|Jezza> "As long as you pay,"  he says, reaching out to take the apple. As far as reactions went, that was pretty mild, he reasons.
[2018-07-21 14:23:03] <Bel|Jezza> It could've been much worse.
[2018-07-21 14:23:08] <Bel|Jezza> ||
[2018-07-21 14:24:42] <TWDuke|GM> Brownstone doesn't smile this time, not exactly. His eyes narrow slightly, and there's the tiniest quirk of the corner of his mouth. You wonder if it's the most genuine emotion he's shown the entire time.
[2018-07-21 14:25:15] <TWDuke|GM> "Of course. Now, let's get down to business, shall we?"
[2018-07-21 14:27:53] <TWDuke|GM> ||||