Cortex Steampunk Game: Episode 1: Red Dress, Cold Ground

[WickedCadrach]

On 07/03/2026 at 23:42, Chiyako said:

"Or perhaps I should say that it would not protect my heart from a wooden stake."

Missy met Alicia's albino stare, her gaze flitting down as the moon caught on the point of the vampire's small, sharp tooth. For a moment, she didn't react. 

In the dark, on an empty street between the cold alleys and the wind-stirred copse of trees on the hill, Missy could feel a finger of doubt pressing at the back of her mind--a small, still 'what if?' that hung in the space between that pointed fang and the smaller woman's smiling lips. But as Alicia looked away, the spell was broken. Missy blinked, a street cat somewhere in the distance hissed, and then, reaching up to cover her mouth, Missy let out a half-smothered laugh. 

"Stakes. Lord have mercy, Alicia. If I didn't know any better, I'd say there's a part of you that likes the idea that people think you're some creature of the night. Danger and all." With a small sway in her step, Missy gently bumped her shoulder against the other woman's, drawing her gaze back to properly return the smile. "It's not a bad thing. In fact, I think I like that about you. Real monsters don't make it so obvious. So what else am I to conclude than that you must not be a monster?"

On 07/03/2026 at 23:42, Chiyako said:

"You might wish to leave me here. I would rather not sully your reputation, or risk your getting harmed. People might have something to say about the young woman who involves herself with a monster."

At this Missy merely waved a hand, reaching down and adjusting the lay of her skirt as she lifted the hem away from an insidious-looking puddle in the road. 

"I make my living on a stage where I consort with specters, ghosts, demons, and boogies of all kinds. The people who want to run me out of town for 'consorting with monsters' have plenty of ammunition already. Maybe that's the trick of it though. I'm on a stage. Perhaps if you were in bright lights instead of hiding in that laboratory of yours, they might learn to embrace you." No sooner were the words out than Missy remembered the image of Alicia on the stage in the Rebirth Hall. She winced and shook her head, glancing to the woods once more to deflect the momentary embarrassment.

When Jack Beckett stepped from the shadows, Missy started and her hand instinctively took hold of Alicia's arm before she recognized the mortician. 

"There was a murder at the music hall tonight." Hurriedly relaying the bloody stage and Silas Ward's end at the hands of the phantom, Missy added, "Alicia tried to help. We were just attempting to get her a change of clothes before heading to the Golden Stag." Chewing her lip, Missy looked between Jack and Alicia. "Perhaps it would be better if you didn't go anywhere they were expecting you... Maybe not for a couple of days. I may have something that would fit you back in my room at the Lincoln Palace. It's actually not far. Jack, would you escort us?"

Spoiler

If Alicia or Jack oppose the plan, Missy feels strongly enough that I'd like to roll to convince them. 

[Chiyako]

Missy was not completely wrong, and Alicia answered her pondering aloud with a slight grin. It helped sometimes to be thought of as a monster. Some of the people who might normally assault someone like her were also superstitious or simply afraid of the monsters of myth. Fear could be leveraged against even a mob of people. Sometimes that benefit outweighed the negatives. Alas, it often times was what got her into trouble in the first place! That and the experiments.

The little bump to her shoulder was unexpected, and nearly threw her off her step, although it was not unwelcomed either. It was the sort of thing people did with one another when they were on friendly terms. She knew that much. If it had been a proper shove then Alicia would have probably lost her balance. One of the downsides of being shorter. It generally meant less mass, especially so in Alicia's case for she was also rather thin.

"An interesting way to look at it. But then a monster who is confident enough in their own abilities might make it obvious. Or one who is foolish enough to think their abilities are enough."

She did have a point when it came to those sorts of people. If they would run Alicia out of town they might try to do the same for someone like Missy. Maybe not with the same level of commitment, but it was something they shared all the same. The thought reminded Alicia that she still had to research into how Missy did what they did. She was interested in Missy for the same reason she was interested in Mister Carlo.

"A stage?" Alicia pondered, glancing down over herself. A soft giggle escaped from her. "I think it will be some time before anyone would rather see me up on a stage. No, I much prefer the safety of my laboratory. Tonight proves that it is where I belong."

When Alicia noticed movement she immediately stopped and pushed a hand into one of the concealed pockets of her skirt, the other holding Carlo's coat against her body. She had only time enough to thumb over the ivory handle of a small derringer before she recognized the figure and, just as importantly, the voice it belonged to. A moment was taken to compose herself, and to withdraw her hand from her pocket. It gave her enough time to get her accent in order.

"Jack Beckett. Good evening. You are a sight for sore eyes."

Alicia went quiet, allowing Missy to relay the information. It gave her a break from speaking, which was always appreciated. This was another reason she tended not to go out. Her accent, around the wrong people, could be used to trace where she came from, to learn more of her past. Of course some of the rumors had already caught up to her, but not everything, and she would keep it that way for as long as she could.

"Men ahead" she mumbled, casting her gaze towards the woods between them and her home. "Undoubtedly the work of Aldert Helsink."

Missy's suggestion turned her smile into a flat line. It was a good one. The right move, given everything. But it also meant being away from her laboratory for longer than she would hope for. Even so, if she wanted to make a move for it then it would be better to do so during the day, and perhaps even with an escort. She took a minute to ponder whether there might be any other way to move forward, to instead continue on their path.

"My experiments will need to wait then. A shame, but it is for the better. Let us make haste for the Lincoln Palace" she finally spoke, a slight smile returning to her lips. "A change of clothes will be appreciated. I would like to keep the coat though. There are some solvents I wish to test."

What sort of clothes might she have in mind?