Shadows of London: 1-19 Condolences

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After the danger at the cemetery, Caroline has been confined by Madam Petit at home. There is a huge report on the black magic club in the papers, and there appears to be an official conclusion regarding the origin of the disease.

Info

Style: Event Logs: Madam A, <Jane Eyre> Required: Evening Study, Edward Goodwill Lv. 4 Recommended: Erudite Travels, Private Quarters, Sunset Hours, Bookish Courtyard, Evening Study, Viridescent Ripples, Treasured Collection Rewards: 3,000 , 600 , 3 , 1 , 1 , Blueprint: Quiet Condolences

Quiet Condolences

Dialogue Choices

Note: Changing choices when replaying will cost 5

Jesse's enthusiastically flipping through <A Lady's Code of Conduct>. I decide to--

• Ask him directly
• Feel him out

Transcript

Expand for script.

• The police reach the cemetery, and Scotland Yard conducts a final investigation.
• When Doctor Grey and I walk out of the woods, the cemetery is no longer in chaos.
• Bodies are covered with white cloth and placed in rows; the dazed survivors are being questioned.
• Doctor Grey and I share an unspoken agreement to keep the Baroness' death a secret from the police.

• Aunt Petit is deeply shocked by my latest "adventure".
• But she doesn't rail at me like I expected. She merely grounds me for half a month.
• Anna: It's time to get changed for breakfast, Miss Rayes.

• You: Will I have to copy lines from <A Lady's Code of Conduct> again?

• I subconsciously rub the calluses on my fingers.
• Anna: Maybe not, today.

• Anna winks at me, and a rarely seen, cheeky smile spreads across her face.
• Anna: Mr. Erskine is here to visit, and Madam has prepared a grand breakfast.

• Anna: They might even ask you to go on a stroll in the park later. You haven't been out for so long.

• You: It hasn't been half a month yet. Aunt Petit is a stickler for the rules.

• Anna: You've been repenting indoors, and obeying Madam's every word. She should be appeased by now.

• Anna: Madam doesn't say it, but she really cares about you. She panics when you're in danger.

• You: I know, Anna. I won't let her worry about me again.

• Bernard Erskine: Ah, Caroline! It's been a while!

• You: Good morning, Mr. Erskine.

• I give Aunt Petit a self-conscious glance, but she seems calm and collected.
• Bernard Erskine: Sit down, child. You seem to have grown thinner over the past few weeks.

• Bernard Erskine: Underground clubs aren't for ladies. You're lucky to have survived!

• Bernard Erskine: Learn from your lesson, and grow wiser.

• Madam Petit: Bernard, has Scotland Yard concluded their investigation? Have you received any news?

• Bernard Erskine: My dear Violet, I pay close attention to anything you're interested in.

• Bernard Erskine: As for this particular incident, the whole of London is paying attention to it--

• Mr. Erskine waves his hand, and a servant brings over a copy of the newspaper.
• Bernard Erskine: This is today's morning paper. I guess you haven't read it yet, right?

• Aunt Petit hurriedly takes the paper and reads.
• Madam Petit: Madam A?!

• She frowns slightly, muttering to herself.
• You: Aunt Petit, what does the paper say?

• Madam Petit: I guess it's been concluded.

• Aunt Petit pushes the paper over to me.

Secret Club Banned, Epidemic Revealed

Scotland Yard has discovered several vials of an unknown substance, which may be the cause of the epidemic. The vials have been handed over to doctors for investigation.

The founder of the club, Madam A, has been confirmed dead. The body was discovered in the woods next to the gathering place. The remains were in horrific condition, and it is speculated that this was caused by black magic gone wrong.

The victims on site are mostly young aristocrats. The social season has been greatly affected by this incident, and will be put on hold for two weeks.

• You: (There's not a single mention of vampires in the article.)

• You: (The article says the epidemic was a scheme cooked up by a black magic organization. That seems to be the official conclusion.)

• You: Aunt Petit, do you know who this "Madam A" is?

• Madam Petit: She's of the same generation as your grandfather. I've heard of her, but I've never seen her.

• Madam Petit: People say she was of distinguished birth, but lost her senses after her lover died. She lives in seclusion, and is obsessed with black magic.

• Madam Petit: But it would be impossible for her to pull off such a huge ploy given her age...

• Bernard Erskine: Perhaps it's an impostor using her name to do evil.

• Bernard Erskine: Or maybe Madam A took some kind of black magic potion to turn herself into a monster.

• Madam Petit: Bernard, don't talk about such nonsense in front of Caroline.

• Bernard Erskine: I'm not the one who came up with it. There are rumors floating around the city about that Scarlet Rose Club.

• Bernard Erskine: There are survivors who claim they saw Madam A's eyes turn red, and that she had fangs, and drank blood at the scene...

• Mr. Erskine turns towards me with a cheeky look in his eyes.
• Bernard Erskine: Caroline, you were there too, right? Did you see Madam A?

• You: No... I fainted after drinking the "prayer water".

• Madam Petit: Thank goodness you hadn't joined for long...

• Madam Petit: The others had been taking that poison for much longer, and they became muddled, and babbled nonsense.

• Madam Petit: At least the cause of the epidemic has been found, and I believe London shall regain peace and quiet.

• Bernard Erskine: Haha, meanwhile, I hope that our curiosity will be entertained for a while longer.

• Bernard Erskine: Mystic writing regarding vampires and black magic has been selling rather well lately. A happy side effect!

• You: Isn't that considered delighting in calamity?

• Bernard Erskine: Haha, your sense of justice is as strong as your aunt's, Caroline.

• Bernard Erskine: Oh yes, have you heard anything from Mr. Savile?

• I'm rather taken aback.
• You: I haven't been in contact with anyone ever since I got grounded.

• You: What's going on with Mr. Savile?

• Bernard Erskine: He's always been rather elusive, but this is the first time I've been unable to contact him.

• Bernard Erskine: I wanted to ask him to write a new column while mysticism is still a fad.

• Bernard Erskine: But he's completely vanished into thin air!

• Madam Petit: As a mystic writer, he might have gotten caught up in the incident, and he's trying to avoid trouble.

• Madam Petit: Just like Caroline and Miss Barnet.

• Aunt Petit goes off on another lecture. I hang my head in repentance, and worry about Vincent.
• You: (Where has he gone? Maybe he can't appear in public again...)

• Aunt Petit and Mr. Erskine head off to Regent Street in the afternoon, and I start copying lines from <A Lady's Code of Conduct> in the tea room.
• You: Oh no, I made a mistake!

• Frustrated, I crumple the paper into a ball, and toss it into the bin.
• A cheery voice pipes up outside the door.
• ???: May I ask if Miss Caroline Rayes is doing repentance in this room?

• You: Jesse?!

• I jump to my feet, and open the door.
• You: You're here!

• Jesse Lindvall: I heard that some poor girl has been grounded, and I came to comfort her.

• Jesse Lindvall: Guess what I've brought for you?

• Glee is written all over his face, and he doesn't seem to realize that I can see half the cover of the book he's trying to hide behind him.
• You: <Jane Eyre>.

• You: If you're trying to relieve my boredom of being cooped up at home, I'm sorry. I've already read that book.

• Jesse Lindvall: There's something unique about this copy of <Jane Eyre>. It's not like the one you've read.

• Jesse Lindvall: Take it, and promise me you'll read it!

• Jesse shoves the book at me, but I'm not at all interested.
• Jesse Lindvall: I must say, you're really brave! Running off to join that club by yourself.

• Jesse Lindvall: Edward thought I was a member, and reported it to Scotland Yard. But you were at the cemetery instead, not me.

• You: I've been punished duly, and I don't need you to remind me of it...

• The events of that frightening night keep replaying in my head while I've been cooped up indoors.
• The Baroness' words, Vincent's real appearance, Doctor Grey's gun... Numerous questions keep circling in my head, making it hard for me to sleep.
• You: (After parting with Doctor Grey that night, I haven't heard any news about him either.)

• I think back on the last conversation I had with Doctor Grey.

• Edward Grey: You still believe Vincent's innocent, despite seeing so many dead club members along the way, am I right?

• You: The Baroness turned them all into blood-drinking monsters, and Vincent was only trying to protect me.

• Edward Grey: Since I'm unable to convince you, I can only remind you--

• Edward Grey: Humans and vampires are enemies by nature. Even if vampires have been in hiding for several centuries, this fact remains the same.

• Edward Grey: Once vampires appear in the vicinity of humans, it means a war is about to begin.

• You: But Scotland Yard doesn't even seem to believe that vampires exist.

• Edward Grey: Tonight's events will garner a lot of attention, and Scotland Yard will try its best to quieten things down.

• Edward Grey: Even if they believe it all, they wouldn't announce such supernatural things publicly.

• You: Why?

• Edward Grey: To maintain "law and order".

• A dark cloud passes over his eyes.
• Edward Grey: My foster father told me that vampires have been hiding in London for a century.

• Edward Grey: They have hatched evil schemes before, but their evil-doings have always been covered up by this massive city.

• Edward Grey: And I'm afraid we can't even imagine all the issues involved.

• You: Your foster father knows so much about vampires, Doctor Grey. Who was he?

• Edward Grey: He was a recluse, and I don't know what he experienced in the past.

• Edward Grey: Tonight's the first time I've ever seen a vampire.

• My intuition tells me that Doctor Grey's hiding many things from me.
• You: (Jesse's pretty close to Doctor Grey...)

• You: (Does he know anything about Doctor Grey's "second identity"?)

• Jesse's enthusiastically flipping through <A Lady's Code of Conduct>. I decide to--

Ask him directly

• You: Jesse, can I ask you some questions about Doctor Grey?

• Jesse Lindvall: Huh? Are you trying to find out if he's single?

• You: You misunderstand...

• You: I'm just feeling curious. On the night of the ritual, he was carrying a gun...

• Jesse Lindvall: His foster father left it to him.

• Jesse Lindvall: Scotland Yard was making a move that night, but Edward secretly went to the cemetery anyway.

• Jesse Lindvall: I was really worried about him.

• You: I see.

• You: Have... Have you ever seen Doctor Grey use a gun?

• Jesse Lindvall: No, he spends his days tending to patients, and he's never even hurt an ant, much less gone hunting.

Feel him out

• You: Jesse, have you seen Doctor Grey lately?

• Jesse Lindvall: He seems very busy. I tried looking for him at this clinic a couple of times, but didn't manage to find him.

• A sly look creeps into his eyes.
• Jesse Lindvall: Caroline, are you hoping he'll come visit with me?

• You: Stop thinking weird things. I'm just curious...

• You: Does Doctor Grey have any hobbies outside of work?

• Jesse Lindvall: Cricket, concerts, and so on. About the same as anyone.

• You: Well, does he have any hobby that's different from the rest? Or habits?

• Jesse Lindvall: Does fossil research count as one?

• You: What else? For example... Does he know much about firearms?

• Jesse Lindvall: Oh, are you talking about his revolver? His foster father left that to him.

• Jesse Lindvall: He says he keeps the gun with him for self defense, but I feel he's treating it as a keepsake.

• You: Has Doctor Grey ever talked to you about his foster father?

• Jesse Lindvall: I only know that his foster father was a priest in a remote parish.

• Jesse sighs, and looks a little sad.
• Jesse Lindvall: Edward's an orphan. He used to be really close to his younger brother, and they suffered in the workhouse for some years.

• Jesse Lindvall: His brother died of illness at age 7, and then Edward was adopted by the priest.

• Jesse Lindvall: According to Edward, his foster father was very strict with him. I'm guessing the foster father is the reason for his grim personality.

• You: How did Doctor Grey's foster father pass away?

• Jesse Lindvall: In a fire, if I remember right. It was 13 years ago.

• You: (13 years ago? That's the same year my parents died... Is it a coincidence?)

• Jesse Lindvall: Let's not talk about sad things. Edward might have had a complicated past, but he's a perfect gentleman!

• Jesse Lindvall: If you're interested in him, I can help you get together!

• You: No, thank you! Don't you dare meddle!

• You: (I guess Jesse doesn't know much either...)

• Jesse Lindvall: Alright, alright, I'll stop teasing you. I've delivered the book, and now I have to go back home.

• Jesse Lindvall: I didn't join that club, but Father has been incredibly strict with me of late. It's unbearable.

• You: *sigh* I'm worse off. I can't even go out.

• Jesse Lindvall: Just bear with it for a few more days. Once the social season resumes, we'll be able to meet up at a ball.

• You: Alright... Let me see you to the door.