Magnificate · 1209
The Last King
(REMINDER TO SELF: Add The Man in the Pallid Mask to the deck & link encounter cards when they appear in the database!)
Jenny adjusted her evening dress and stepped into the #Ballroom. With pairs dancing to the discordant tune the trail of blood was trodden over and useless. Jenny had no choice, but to mingle with the guests. She nibbled at the #food, hoping that the smaller the portions the more time before she'd need to vomit. Before long Leo De Luca brought #Mr. Moreau with him and so Jenny had an excellent excuse to put down the appetizers and just listen to the producer about his one-night play in Arkham. As soon as Jenny had finished her impromptu interview she felt an ominous presence and then #an infuriating woman held her hands just over Jenny's shoulders, so that she wouldn't leave her chair. #Dianne Devine was the worst sort of socialite, but at least was just merely irritating rather than literally maddening and Jenny was able to abscond the normal way.
Later in the #dining room Jenny listened to #Ashleight Clarke when an #unkempt maniac run between the elegant tables. He yelled incoherently as if to drown out the song, but the entertainer sang all the clearer and stronger. #Leo tacked him before the maniac had the chance harm to Jenny and then the pair left for the #courtyard. #Miss Ishimaru, an eastern woman and costume designer for the King in Yellow, was easily recognizable. Jenny suspected the woman would appreciate someone chatting with her in her native language and so she approached Ishimaru-san on her own, with Leo keeping an eye on the from some distance.
In the middle of the conversation an #unnatural shriek could be heard from the dining room and Ishimaru-san playfully #(tough crowd) covered her ears. Playfully, because to her the performer's sudden transformation evidently wasn't that much out of place. Jenny made her excuses as soon as she learned that Ishimiru-san actually wasn't responsible for The Stranger's costume and dashed towards the #Living Room. The #monstrous form of Ashleight Clarke closed the distance, but Jenny was able to avoid confrontation even in spite of tripping and falling face-first into the #puddle of something corrosive.
Jenny was fine herself, but her evening dress fell apart. Leo quickly threw his suit over her shoulders. #Mr. Perry, whom Jenny hadn't met in person, but knew through their mutual friends, saw all that and puffed his cigar in amusement. Jenny endured the embarrassment, but there was no getting back the time she wasted on steering the conversation to relevant topics. Finally, she managed to saddle Leo with the man, while she was running interference on #the wailing performer.
The last VIP, #the hostess herself, was in the #Gallery. Jenny maneuvered Ashleight Clarke into the loose-hanging drapes and with one swift motion tangled the shrieking woman in them. But with the curtains torn from their holders somehow the entire window-frame came apart. #Roaches teemed from the between the cracked parget and barely managed to outrun them, throwing #platefuls of blood-splattered food at them. When at last Jenny could catch her breath the seat thing she did was to take an elegant piece of cloth from the display and tie it around her upper body. She had to look at least somewhat presentable while talking with #Constance Dumaine, who was still keeping up appearances despite #the madness all over her manor.
Clock struck the thirteenth hour.
With all the clues the two of them could gather Jenny and Leo fled to the foyer.
"Wait, there's just one more thing we need to check!"
The Last King: R1. VIPs Interviewed: Constance Dumaine, Jordan Perry, Ishimaru Haruko, Sebastien Moreau, Ashleight Clarke, Jenny Intruded on the secret meeting! Doubt: 2, Stranger Tally: 2, -2 Tokens, +2 Tokens, 5XP (Delve Too Deep, 8 clues)
This scenario was orders of magnitude easier than the previous one. No weakness were drawn, the VIPs flipped in far away locations and perhaps most importantly Jenny is tailor-made for this scenario. It makes perfect sense given her background, doesn't it?