Small's Paradise

[OGRE MAGE]

Calvins upset flapper girl dance partner rushes away in a huff, looking for the manager. The reporter arrives back at the table just in time to watch the rude Manusco’s unwillingness to move out of the young man’s way. Despite Thurston’s kind gesture to go ahead and pass them by, the fat Italian doesn’t budge his chair an inch.

Seeing both Calvin and Charles moving toward him, the man with the case nervously backs away, replying “oh, I’m sorry suh! I don’t want nooo trouble suh! I’ll find another way!” He moves back through the service door, holding his hand up to Calvin. “Only we musicians is allowed backstage, suh.” Charles hears this as well and can verify that information, since he is currently working security for the establishment, and wouldn’t allow access to regular customers. I would take a Spot Hidden roll from any of you watching the mannerisms of this stranger.

As if nothing happened, Manusco answers Thurston’s earlier reply. “Oh sure. The magic man. I knew I heard that name before. Never seen your show.” Rene flags down the waiter, hoping to prevent anything from getting out of hand. “Yes sir? Another round for you and your friends, sir?”

All 5 of the men gathered at the table eventually see the young black man walk through a curtain behind the stage carrying a shiny trumpet. He still looks a little lost and out of place amongst the sharply dressed orchestra on stage. Anyone watching closely sees the band leader give the disheveled man an obvious glare.

Actions?

[Grognardsw]

"And what line of business are you in, Mr. Mancuso?" asks Thurston.

When the waiter arrives, Thurston says: "Good sir, please bring a White Russian to that choice bit of calico in the black dress with white trim near the end of the bar. Tell her it's compliments of me, Howard Thurston. Please give her my card." He hands the waiter his business card, along with a tip.

[Rex]

Charles

Charles drifts just far enough away from the table that he can still hear normal level conversation and tries to look like he should be there.

Spot Hidden (60) [1d100]=17

[Bluetongue]

Calvin Beauregard

Can't see the wood for the trees.

Calvin Beauregard Spots Hidden vs 25% [1d100]=97

"Thank you. To your health Sir." he drinks the glass bought by Manusco.

He engages in small talk, a little out of depth to the suited businessmen and city 'nobility' that attend the club.

[Ashuaps]

René Vézina

René, still on is guards, follows the happenings carefully and also tries to glance through the service door as it opens
Spot Hidden Check vs 60/30/12 [1d100]=58

"My dear Thurston, you need to come up North and see for yourself the beauty and charm of the Canadien girls. If your show is good enough, they will send you drinks!", he says laughing.

The reappearance of the lanky man on stage catch René's interest again and he tries to make sense of the happenings while continuing a light hearted conversation at the table.

Would Psychology be of any use to read the body language of the young black man and the band leader?

[OGRE MAGE]

Charles backs away from the table again after noticing that the sad eyed man with the case was swaying back and forth a bit more than normal. The security guard figures it's likely he had been drinking for a while before he went up onstage.

"Oh, I'm in the accounting business. Mr. Vezina here is one of my many clients," Manusco replies to Thurston without another thought about what happened with the young musician. The fat, sweaty man still seems nervous, his eyes darting here and there often, but he is cordial enough and nods at the thanks from Calvin.

Another round is ordered when the waiter returns, allowing Thurston to make his play. "Of course sir! Very good choice for the lady. I will get that for her right away, sir!"

Rene sees only an empty hallway behind the nearby door, so he starts watching the band and the interaction on stage a little closer. The well dressed band leader takes the center stage microphone to introduce the next number.... "Ladies and gentleman, we sure would like to thank you all for coming out to Small's Paradise tonight. And I would like to personally thank one special guest we have in the house tonight! None other than the leading man of New York City himself, the honorable Mayor John Haylan! This next number goes out to him and his friends."

Rene sees another terse eye contact between the pair of horn players, (no need for a Psychology roll for this one) but the leader introduces the newcomer all the same. "We have a real treat for you all with this next number. I would like you all to give a big hand to a newcomer on the jazz scene, a bright young upcoming star straight outa the Delta, nam'a Leroy Turner! We's gonna do a snappy new number for ya'll now, called Dead Man's Stomp!......So hit it."

The song begins and the crowd really seems to enjoy it. The lanky man brings a shiny silver trumpet up to his lips, his notes complimenting the leaders cornet playing perfectly. Everyone in the house goes wild at the sound and the dancefloor fills up quickly.

Actions?

[Grognardsw]

Thurston awaits response from this evening's potential dish, intending on asking the sweet biscuit for a Fox Trot to that new jazz.

"Are you okay, Mr. Mancuso?" Thurston asks. "You seem nervous."

[OGRE MAGE]

I hope I didn’t scare players away with my last lengthy post. They won’t normally be that long.

Manusco snaps out of his nervous funk long enough to answer Thurston.

“Oh, ah, it’s probably nothing.” He continues to look around as he slides one hand into his pants pocket. “I received a strange note. Well, never mind all that. I don’t want to trouble you with my concerns.”

His eyes continue to dart around the room.

[Ashuaps]

René Vézina

As the mayor is being introduced, René asks Manusco "I must say, this is a strange city where alcohol is illegal, yet the mayor come to an establishment like this one. Well, maybe more opportunities I guess. It certainly explains why these places have not been closed down."

The song start and René starts tapping his foot with the rhythm of the trumpeter. "I need to talk to this guy and bring him to Montreal. He'd be a great leading act that you could support.", he says to Thurston smiling.

“Oh, ah, it’s probably nothing.” He continues to look around as he slides one hand into his pants pocket. “I received a strange note. Well, never mind all that. I don’t want to trouble you with my concerns.”

On hearing this, René's attention turns back to the Italian.

"Let me see this note. I might be able to help.", he tells Manusco nicely but with just enough authority in his voice to convey his seriousness.

The long posts are very nice, so keep writing them whenever appropriate.
\

[Rex]

Charles

Charles keeps an eye on the mayors table as well as the table with the Italian and company. he also occasionally scans the rest of the place. Trying to blend in.

[Bluetongue]

Calvin Beauregard

He has a habit of scribbling notes, things if people that take his interest. The new musician certainly had the crowd enraptured, so he pens a few lines about how wild he plays and how raptured the dancers get. If he could only hype him up as much as the trumpeter hyped the crowd.

Then he suddenly thinks the title dedication given to the mayor. 'Dead man's stomp' Is that a cryptic warning that the mayor and friends are about to be hit?

Calvin Beauregard ' psychoanalysis skill check vs 1% [1d100]=82

Perturbed, he cannot be sure. Where are the big bouncers? He excuses himself from the table to go to the bar, finding himself next to Charles.

He orders a whiskey and muttering to himself as much as anybody says, "I don't like it. I love it and I don't like it. Dead man's stomp eh? Well who's the dead man? Something's going down, just like this whiskey."

[OGRE MAGE]

With Dead Man’s Stomp now in full swing, and the dance floor packed with rowdy patrons, the volume in the place intensifies even more, requiring dialogue to be literally shouted across the table to each other.

Manusco nods his large head at Rene’s comments about the situation with the Mayor, shouting in return “welcome to New York, baby!” The heavy Italian pulls out a crumpled piece of paper from his pocket at the urging of his client.

After hearing the latest songs introduction, Calvin can’t shake the premonition that something bad is about to happen. He pens a few notes before slamming the contents of his glass and hopping up to get another, instead of waiting for the waiter, still talking with the cute recipient of Thurston’s proffered drink. When the hack reporter expresses his foreshadowing towards the nearby Charles, all hell breaks loose near the bar area.

With the heightened discussion underway at the table, another figure suddenly appears through the side utility doorway, this one a short, rat faced white man dressed in an expensive suit. Staring directly at Rene and Thurston, the man nonchalantly pulls a massive long barreled .45 caliber revolver from his jacket and shoots Pete Manusco once directly in the back of his head from close range.

Though the room is raucous, the report from the hand cannon is deafening to anyone nearby. Charles and Calvin turn just in time to see Manusco’s brains splattering all over the table, partially covering both of their stunned friends with blood and bone fragments while they look on in stunned disbelief. Let’s have our first group Sanity check of the game, please.

The gunman sticks his smoking revolver under the heavy coat draped over his other arm and starts walking swiftly towards the exit at the other side of the room. The macabre scene splayed out all over the table can be seen by anyone nearby, soliciting growing screams of horror as patrons notice the now dead Manusco slumped over in the gore with most of his head missing.

Actions?

[Bluetongue]

Calvin Beauregard

ah. Regretting he didn't pick up on Manusco's nervous behaviour, perhaps he knew he was the target. Still if I had scored 1% in my psychoanalysis check I pre-determined to dive on the mayor so maybe that failure is a good thing

Calvin Beauregard: Sanity check vs 70 wisdom [1d100]=35

"Welcome to New York baby." he clinks his glass to Charles if he has one, echoing the last words of the victim.

"He knew. He knew something was going down. The musician was told what to play as a signal to the assassin." the hack declares.

He doesn't pursue the gunman.

[Grognardsw]

I feel like long posts are the norm for CoC

Sanity Check [1d100]=34 Made it.

Thurston, having just met Mancuso, is here to enjoy himself so he could care less about the Italian’s troubles.

“So Calvin, what have you been up to lately? Writing any muckraking exposés?”

Thurston keeps an eye on the flapper for her reaction.

“Rene, are you thinking of expanding your business south of the border?”



The next second Thurston is covered in Mancuso's blood.

For several moments Thurston is in shock as he watches the murderer walk through the club.

Thurston stands up and starts wiping the blood off him. He's heard of these emboldened New York and Chicago gangsters. Mancuso must have been caught up with them.

"The police could be here any minute, and they may not look the other way on the alcohol."

Thurston vaguely recalls a troublesome letter Mancuso was talking about. He lets Rene collect it.

[Ashuaps]

René Vézina

René grabs the piece of paper handed over by his contact. "There's some good business to be done down here", he tells Thurston "Pete here is helping me with some leads" he adds turning towards Manusco just in time to see the gunman pull his gun out and shoot
Sanity check vs SAN 60 [1d100]=25

René quickly jumps to his right to avoid a flying piece of brain and in doing so, succeed in placing himself in the best position to be fully covered by blood, grey matter and bon fragmentsDodge Roll to reduce suit cleaning bill (60/3/15) [1d100]=78. Wiping his face with a piece of clean table cloth, René watches the gunman walk across the room.

"The police could be here any minute, and they may not look the other way on the alcohol."

"Hmm, I wonder where are the security guards? ", he says "I think it might be better not to be here when the police arrives" he adds quietly.

René gets up, quickly look at the scene and with a air of concern move towards Manusco, checks for pulse on his neck, lifts the body to place him on the floor behind the tables and proceeds to massage his chest, apparently trying to revive him but uses the opportunity to search the dead man's pockets and quickly grab anything of interest.

"He's dead", he says out loud as he gets up having apparently failed in his attempts to revive him. "Should we take that door?", he tells Thurston turning towards the backstage door.

[Rex]

Charles

Sanity check (50) [1d100]=89

Charles just stands there, starring at the carnage. Seemingly frozen in place for a moment.

[OGRE MAGE]

The next few minutes inside Small’s Paradise plays out in a slow crescendo of utter chaos. The back half of the room and everyone in the bar area who didn’t witness the shooting begin to realize what just happened, and with the front half as of yet unaware, the band goes right on playing through it all.

Shouts begin to echo out as people around you grab up their belongings, most making a bull rush for the front doors. The rat faced shooter gets caught up in this chaotic exodus and is soon whooshed out with the rest of the fleeing, screaming patrons.

Calvin watches it all from the bar, apparently unfazed that he just witnessed a horribly gruesome murder a mere ten feet away. (he loses 1 Sanity point regardless) He tries to clink the nonexistent drink of the black man standing next to him, when he notices the open mouth and blank stare on the face of the security guard. (Charles loses 3 points of Sanity and was unable to act for that last round, but finally snaps out of it.)

Thurston was only trying to enjoy his evening when he was unexpectedly showered with blood and brains. Though when he looks to René, he sees that the Canadian got the worst of the splatter. Immediately thinking that they best be going before the cops arrive, Thurston starts wiping himself off while René, with the crumpled up note still in his hand, wipes some of the gore he is covered in on the side of the tablecloth. (You both also lose one point of Sanity for your successful checks.)

With the unknowing band still in full swing, the revelation of the murder slowly seeps towards the stage, table by table, causing even more chaos to spread through the masses and even more people to charge for the exits. René suggests they take the back way out, but hopes to frisk the clearly dead Manusco first. He lifts one arm, trying to leverage the huge mans unmoving form to the floor, finding nothing left in the first pocket he digs into. A second later, this already horrifying scene becomes much, much worse.

With a third of his head and almost all of his brains currently missing, Manusco suddenly lifts his other arm off the table and slaps it back down into the growing pool of blood. His dead body jerks and straightens up in the chair again as his hand splats out time to the bands music on the gore filled table, rhythmically spraying more blood and brain matter off in every direction. (I will need a second Sanity check from each of you after seeing this. If you fail, please post a d6 roll instead of making an action.) Then the dead Italian’s lips start to quiver as if trying to say something or sing along to the loud thumping music that still fills the club.

The manager rushes over in time to see the remains of Manusco suddenly sit upright again, causing him to feint and fall to the floor right where he stood. Other patrons who notice the dead man moving again begin screaming even louder as they trample over others to get out of the room.

Actions?

[Rex]

Charles

Sanity check (47) [1d100]=5

Charles finally snaps out of it and scans for the shooter, then the mayor. Once he sees the mayor he moves to protect him.

[Grognardsw]

Thurston Sanity Check for Post #57 [1d100]=13 Made it.

Thurston is unnerved but also fascinated at the sight of Mancuso's corpse moving to the music. The stage magician thinks that would be some magic trick, but it's clearly not the parlor variety. Some type of voodoo like the Haitians and dark creoles practice?

"Mancuso?" he says aloud, wondering if the corpse retains intelligence despite the missing brain.

Thurston pauses only seconds for a response, then tries to escape the chaos by the back door.

"Come on Rene!"

[Bluetongue]

Calvin Beauregard

I am going to go to the trumpeter.

"Play it again. You know the song. Serenade him in his passing. Dead Man's Stomp."

Something in the music vibe to get the patrons dancing and ignoring the gore.