TheMaster99

Château de La Lune

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Location: Château de La Lune: Lavender Room
Skills: N/A

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Leaving the bathroom, Tony was pleased to see that everything was dry; he would not be late. As he began putting on his tuxedo, a routine he was quite familiar with, he allowed his mind to wander yet again to the problems that still needed to be solved.

He doubted that the favor he still had to find time to do for George would directly reveal anything important, but getting into the family's private quarters would present a lot of opportunities, even if he was under strict escort. If he could discreetly watch George enter the code for the door, that would give all of the nominees the information they need to be able to sneak in themselves. Then they might have a real chance at finding whatever evidence might be hidden away.

That was all ifs and maybes, though; no direct leads on who the culprits are. He's seen nothing yet that changes his initial suspicions, though. Elenore must be involved to some extent, and Lawrence seems almost too obvious to the point of probably being a red herring. She almost certainly was not working alone, but ultimately this is all her show and no matter who else was involved, she's the head of the beast. But at least for Tony, what mattered most was finding and erasing any trace of the information that he'd found on his desk when he arrived.

Well, that would have to be resolved soon... time's running short. But Tony's watch told him this was not the only deadline that loomed; it was nearly time for the ball. After fastening some intricate silver cufflinks on each wrist, and checking everything in the mirror one last time to make sure every detail was perfect, he stepped out into the hallway and headed towards Constance's room. Barely a moment later, she stepped out into the hallway herself. As Tony went to meet her, the sight before him made all thoughts of murders and blackmail slip away. "Wow."

Château de La Lune

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Location: Château de La Lune: Lavender Room
Skills: N/A

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Tony glanced over when Ralph told him and Constance about the meeting that was happening. "Thanks, but I'll catch up later. Hopefully I'll have much more to share then, anyway." After responding he proceeds to his room to get ready.

Time was already running short, but fortunately, black tie made things very simple. Retrieving his tuxedo and his travel steamer from his luggage, he immediately got to work on making it look presentable. Working carefully but quickly, Tony steams out the wrinkles from the jacket, shirt, pants, and—after checking his watch to make sure he wasn't running late—even the cummerbund. Fortunately the bowtie looked fine, so with that done he started polishing his black oxfords. Less than half an hour to get ready was definitely pushing it, but fortunately they did not need too much work to be back to looking their best.

Checking his watch again, time was definitely running short, but luckily everything was more or less ready. Pleased with how quickly that was accomplished, Tony went to go freshen up a bit in the bathroom while waiting for everything to finish drying. As he did so, he couldn't help but to chuckle as he wondered whether any of the others—besides Constance, of course—would actually do black tie attire correctly. It didn't seem likely.

Château de La Lune

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Location: Château de La Lune: Foyer -> Lavender Room
Skills: N/A

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As they walked through the foyer and up the stairs, Tony looked around; he did not see any sign of George. Well, that settles the order that I'll be doing things in, then. There simply was not enough time to look all over the place tracking George down, and check on Agatha, and get ready for the ball. Investigating was important, but so was continuing to act normal to avoid drawing suspicion... and showing up to the ball in anything less than his best would, undoubtedly, be highly abnormal behavior for him.

As they walked up the stairs, Tony listened to Constance's questions and answered. "I would be a bit surprised if he lets us both in too, although I do have one idea to try convincing him with. I haven't seen him anywhere, though, so I'm going to get ready first and see if I can find him after. Will you need any help getting ready in time?" he asks as they head down the guest hallway. After acknowledging her response, Tony leaves her at her door and proceeds to his own room. At least black tie means no need to decide on an outfit, Tony mused to himself as he started steaming his tuxedo.

Château de La Lune

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Location: Château de La Lune: Solarium
Skills: N/A

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As the clock chimed the hour, Tony glanced down at his watch and grimaced. The ball was only an hour away, and although it wouldn't take the full hour for him to get ready, it'd probably take most of it. Maybe if he hurried he'd have some time to check on Agatha, but he probably wouldn't have enough to let his eyes wander much while he was past the locked door, which had been the real reason for doing it. Although maybe the shortness of time could be used as an excuse to do it both before and after the ball? That would be worth trying.

Nodding, Tony discreetly stopped the tape recording and stood. "Yes, we should probably be going. If you find anything, definitely let us know," he answered, then started leading the way out towards the foyer. When Constance asked about checking on Agatha, he glanced towards her as he responded. "I'll try to check on her if I find George, but I still need to get ready myself so I won't have time to check on her as thoroughly as I'd like. If they're amenable, I'll see if we can check in again later tonight."

Château de La Lune

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Location: Château de La Lune: Solarium
Skills: N/A

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At Jeanne's invitation, Tony sat down next to Constance. Trying to decide how to go about figuring out if Jeanne could be trusted, he listened while Constance took the lead on asking questions.

If they could be confident that Jeanne was not involved in everything that was happening, then she could be useful. But trying to figure that out without risking everything would be difficult. If they revealed too much and it turned out that Jeanne was not on their side, it would be disastrous. Based on his earlier conversation with her, she did seem to be concerned about Miguel. That would be the best way to start, he hoped.

Picking up the conversation after Constance had asked a few questions, Tony chose his words carefully. "So, after you asked me about Miguel earlier, I did some asking around myself. None of the nominees have heard from him, and we're all concerned... especially after this morning." Both technically true statements, which didn't give away what they knew; half-truths are much easier than lies. Suddenly remembering the tape recorders that Sam had given them earlier, Tony casually slid a hand into his pocket, acting like he was just habitually making sure his wallet was there, and discreetly started recording. "He's definitely not anywhere in the building. Nowhere we can access, anyway; obviously some places are off-limits to us, so nobody's been able to check there. Unless you have?" he asked.

As he spoke, Tony maintained eye contact with Jeanne, paying close attention to how she reacted. If she truly knew nothing about anything that was happening, he assumed she'd just be concerned. But if she slipped for even a moment, he didn't want to miss it.

Roll Request

Tony will try to see how Jeanne reacts to each piece of what he said.

Château de La Lune

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Location: Château de La Lune: Dining Room -> Solarium
Time: 4:15 PM
Skills: N/A

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Tony nodded when Constance said she was done eating, stacked his dishes in a neat pile, and stood. ”We shall,” he agreed, offering his arm.

Constance gently took his arm and moved in close, and sighed softly. She could hear a bit of a commotion with Richard, and arched her brow as she moved with Tony, and frowned a bit. ”Seems things are getting more interesting.” She whispered softly to Tony.

Tony glanced over his shoulder as they left the room, taking in the scene; George and Felix seemed to be trying to comfort Richard. ”Certainly seems like the reaction of someone who wanted to reconnect with his daughter, not someone that wanted her dead,” he observed quietly. Maybe Richard would be someone they could get some answers from.

”We can talk to him later. I think he’ll be unconsolable for a bit. But, I do agree. I doubt he wanted her dead.” Constance had some thoughts, but she couldn’t articulate them at the moment. Not with so many of the family there, and possibly listening. She really hoped that Richard would be willing to talk to them, but perhaps Millicent had pushed too much, too fast and too hard. It sounded like he had just found out about his daughter and had lost her in the same day.

”You think Sam and Jeanne are done?” Constance looked up at Tony, and then out to where they had been sitting.

Nodding in agreement regarding Richard, Tony led the way into the solarium, where he’d talked to Jeanne earlier. ”Hopefully, they’ve had plenty of time to talk,” he answered. Sure enough, as they were walking in, he seemed to be heading for the dining room. Tony nodded as they passed him; there’d be time to compare notes later.

Constance nodded softly, and looked over to see that Sam had stepped out and then nodded as they passed him and then went to step into the room, and smiled softly to Jeanne. ”Hello, do you mind if we join you for a bit?”

Château de La Lune

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Location: Château de La Lune: Dining Room
Skills: N/A

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Tony nodded in response as George made eye contact and mouthed something that he thought was "Talk later." He wasn't great at reading lips, but that interpretation made far more sense than "Tow Mater," "Mark Hater," or "Darth Vader." In any case, he seemed to be taking the bait, which was a promising development. Maybe Tony would be able to get a look behind the locked door that likely hid some of the family's secrets. Perhaps more importantly, it would be a great chance to take a peek at the code being entered on the keypad. If he could get the code, that would open a lot of doors for their investigation - literally and figuratively.

Letting that lead rest for the time being, Tony started paying more attention to the other ongoing conversation in the room, regarding Renee. That one seemed pretty tense, with Elizabeth getting fed up and leaving the room altogether. He hadn't been paying much attention to the conversation, but he hoped that Millicent was getting something useful from it. Getting some valuable information would be worth having more angry La Lunes than they already had, but if it was for nothing then it certainly wouldn't be ideal.

His attention turned back to Constance as she spoke, offering her help later. He nodded as he began to respond, speaking considerably more quietly than he had been; he was not trying to be overheard this time. "Your help is always welcome. I don't know if he'll want to talk with anyone besides me, but if nothing else, having someone close enough to make sure I don't... get lost, would be reassuring."

Finishing the last of his food, Tony checked his watch; it was past 4, now. He turned towards Constance again. "Once you're done eating, shall we go talk to our friend?" He hoped that she understood he meant Jeanne, although he supposed that if she understood it to mean Sam, that would be fine too. They may not exactly be on good terms at the moment, but he was supposed to be the messenger between the groups, after all.

Château de La Lune

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Location: Château de La Lune: Dining Room
Skills: N/A

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While the room reacted to the remarks made by Millicent and himself, Tony sipped his coffee, watching and listening. Millicent had certainly riled up the room a bit, and it would be interesting to see how that situation unfolded, but for now his focus was on his own lead: George. If he remembered correctly that was Agatha's husband, and he looked nervous, or maybe unsettled, by Tony's comment. Tony wasn't sure if he had hit the mark by theorizing that she was ill, or if there was something else going on, but based on his reaction there was clearly something going on there.

Tony turned and listened as Constance responded, and nodded. "Yes, I believe she was. If she is feeling under the weather then that's some really unlucky timing, it would be a real shame if she misses out on the award ceremony and everything. I suppose I might be able to help if that's the case... I mean, you shouldn't work on vacation, but I've already had to do so twice so one more wouldn't hurt.

"I'm sure that if she is sick, someone will ask at some point," he added, before taking another bite of food. As he ate, he kept a close eye on George, or at least as close as he could without staring and being obvious. He briefly considered asking directly, but dismissed the idea, for now. Acting eager would likely do more harm than good. If she was ill, they'd probably planted the idea well enough for George to bring it up, if he had any interest in doing so. Tony was no expert himself, but he'd spent more than enough time around manipulative people to know that making someone think something was their idea often saw better results than trying to convince them to do it. Especially when keeping a low profile is as important as it was now.

Château de La Lune

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Location: Château de La Lune: Dining Room
Skills: N/A

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Tony nodded and agreed without argument to let Sam talk to Jeanne first, although internally he had plenty. He tried not to stew over them much as they sat down to eat. They needed to focus on figuring out the secrets of this family, not fighting each other.

Unfortunately, so far there wasn't much progress on that front. More and more, Tony was becoming sure that if they were going to figure this mess out, they'd have to find a way to search through the family's private wing. Elenore's office in particular, but any of their rooms could hold the secrets they needed. Finding a way to actually do it would not be easy, though. Not only is their whole wing locked behind a keypad that none of them knew the code for, but even if they got past that, getting caught in there by anyone - family or staff - would be disastrous. Maybe if they could come up with a legitimate reason for one of them to go in with one of the family members, they'd be able to find out enough to plan the real search. Figuring out the code and getting a peek at what lay behind would be a lot better than trying to go in blind. But how?

Of course, that wasn't the only mystery to be unraveled. When he'd talked to Jeanne earlier, she'd mentioned something about how Vorace - the namesake for the award that was now the least of their priorities - had also died by falling down the stairs. Of course, he did not believe that Renee had actually fallen on accident. Was it possible that Vorace hadn't, either? It was a stretch, but it would definitely be worth asking her about it a bit more.

And perhaps it was the least important of the mysteries, but where the hell was Agatha? Plenty of the La Lunes were showing up for the weekend's events even if many of them clearly would've preferred not to. So why was she the exception? It probably didn't matter, but it was weird. Elenore didn't seem like the type to tolerate people refusing to do as she wanted, so why had Agatha not been dragged out of wherever she was hiding? Tony supposed that the answer was probably something simple and uninteresting. Maybe she was just sick and recovering in bed, or something. That seemed far more likely than some grand conspiracy.

Although... that gave him an idea. It probably wouldn't work, but it wouldn't be risking anything either. If he was wrong, it would just seem like an innocent comment. But if he was right, maybe it would be the in they needed.

Tony took a sip of his coffee, then turned towards Constance. He spoke in a casual tone, but loud enough for others to hear. "You know, I don't think I've met Agatha, yet. Did you see her come in? ...I don't think she was at dinner, either. I hope she's feeling well."

Maybe it was a swing and a miss. But if he happened to be right, maybe he could convince someone to let him pay her a visit.

Château de La Lune

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Location: Château de La Lune: Dining Room
Skills: N/A

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Leaving Sam's room, Tony walked with Constance down to the dining room, remaining quiet and just thinking about the mess of a conversation they'd just had with Sam. He also thought about how to approach their planned conversation with Jeanne. It was possible that she was a potential ally, but it was also possible that her concern for Miguel was an act. Or maybe she was concerned, but wouldn't be willing to go against her family. Knowing very little about her, it was impossible for Tony to judge which way she might lean. They would probably have to just play the conversation by ear, and be very careful about what they say, and even more careful about what they leave out. Unless she proved herself to be an ally, Tony wanted to avoid raising too much suspicion.

Arriving at the dining room, Tony saw that most of the family was in attendance. Jeanne was there, keeping a close eye on the door, and even Lawrence showed up; however, he only stayed long enough to gather some food, then left. So Elenore still had him in time out, then. Looking over the food options, Tony took a couple pastries, a jambon-beurre - which, as far as he could tell, was a fancy French name for a ham sandwich - and poured himself a cup of coffee. Glancing at Jeanne, he noticed that she seemed to perk up as Sam walked in, having trailed a bit behind them. He wondered what that was about; maybe she thought Sam was the most likely to have seen Miguel? Or maybe there was some other reason.. who knows.

Not long afterwards, Jeanne left the room. Sam left too, after filling up his plate. Was he following her? Tony had mentioned his intention of talking to her with Constance, and had assumed that Sam would probably end up joining them, but maybe after their conversation Sam decided to just take matters into his own hands? Tony didn't particularly trust Sam, but if he didn't want to follow them around, that was fine by him. As long as him going off on his own didn't end up sabotaging his own plans. If Jeanne was an ally, Sam talking to her couldn't cause much harm. But if she was an enemy trying to play innocent...

Tony turned to Constance. "It looks like both Jeanne and Sam have left already. Do you want to go find her, or would you rather sit and eat first?"