>The Smoking Room< The Lady's have a tearoom, so here's a Gentleman's Club

[Cornelius Nightshade]

“If it will pass the time pleasurably, yes, but I prefer cards you know, much easer to cheat.”

{ Looking around for the house boy, to bring a chess board }

“This place is so understaffed, I am told some one recently murdered the door man, rather inconvenient.

I see your still skulking around the asteroid belt, is the plain still to go on to Venus?”

[helios]

I'm afraid you'll have to use my chess set. The club's ones have disappeared over the years. I suspect the fact they were gold and silver, rather than ebony, ivory, or wood didn't help.

*Passes over a wooden box*

[Cornelius Nightshade]

{ OH bloody hell I forgot about that! I got five pounds for those chess boards! }

“Thanks Skeletor“,

{ skeleton, black robe, scythe, chess board. Hum? }

[helios]

It was a gift, from an old friend. He said I played it so often, I ought to have my own set. Jolly nice of him, I must say.

[Theosophus Grey]

Your friend - tall, lean dour fellow, chainmail, sword, Swedish accent?  

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

The Seventh Seal: The knight's first meeting with death	LQ | LQ+ | HQ

To answer your question Nightshade, yes, still freebooting around the Belt, Letters of Mark from the Crown and all that, don't you know.  I decided to drop by my club and see to some personal business while the Mad Badger refits and the crew takes a much-needed shore leave - I'll neglect to say where, of course, you being you.  How did you hear about Venus, still paying good money for bad spies aboard my ship?

Queen's knight to queen's bishop 3.

[Cornelius Nightshade]

Your ship!?,,
Well I must tell you Mr. Grey the old codgers at Lloyds are rather keen to speak with you about that ship. Seems the old boys have convinced the P.M. that the ship belongs to them. I would keep a weather eye open for them hear in London.

In fact, and I only tell you this to enjoy the sleepless nights it will cause you. I have it on good authority that the old codgers have hired no less then three Portuguese mercenary captains to find the Badger and bring her home.

I have had a lot of things, stick to my fingers, over the years but YOU dear fellow have taken the prize. An entire Aether liner! And you chide me for the odd lollypop. And as for spies, no not as such.

“Queen’s pawn to queen’s four “

I made a point of having a Swiss account set up for Miss Curious and sent her a little note. A deal we made needed settling. Just didn’t want to spend the rest of my life looking over my shoulder for an angry young women with a bunch of firecrackers.

 I Also managed to get a set of Egyptian scrolls returned to the rightful owner, collected a handsome reward for that too.

[Auntie Ludmilla]

It's always a good idea to check over your shoulder for angry young women with firecrackers. It's like checking your shoes for scorpions, innit?

[Mad Jack Pulsifer]

'scuse me, just stoppin' in for a bottle o' claret and a chessboard, I'll be outta your collective heads of hair just as soon as I can clip--er, as soon as I can swipe get my claret and go...*tips wide-brimmed straw hat to the ladies, gives nightshade a long look, and nods to Cap'n Grey.*

*Sound of boat horn honking insistently*

Okay, Brantley, OK! I'm coming! Yeesh!

*steps through secret door to roof hidden in bookcase, his saber scabbard banging against the doorjamb*

[Theosophus Grey]

Your ship!?,,
Well I must tell you Mr. Grey the old codgers at Lloyds are rather keen to speak with you about that ship. Seems the old boys have convinced the P.M. that the ship belongs to them. I would keep a weather eye open for them hear in London.

In fact, and I only tell you this to enjoy the sleepless nights it will cause you. I have it on good authority that the old codgers have hired no less then three Portuguese mercenary captains to find the Badger and bring her home.

I have had a lot of things, stick to my fingers, over the years but YOU dear fellow have taken the prize. An entire Aether liner! And you chide me for the odd lollypop. And as for spies, no not as such.

Well, possession being nine tenths of the law, and all that...    Besides, the way those Black Suits operate, I would think that could recover the Mad Badger anytime they pleased; their not having done so leaves me with the distinct impression that someone at Buckingham likes us, what?  Oh, and it's Captain Grey to you, old boy - the jewelry's for real these days, promotion from the Martian war, don't you know.

Sotto voce: And who's the drunk with the saber?

King's bishop pawn to bishop two.

[Cornelius Nightshade]

{Nightshade gives a very insincere smile}

Now, now, you should know by now, you will always be Third Officer and Navigator Lieutenant T.M. Grey to me.

 The slobbering drunk? I did say “no one is looking after the door” must be an Australian.

Hum, I always forget, how dose the little horsey move?

[MWBailey]

That'd be Mad Jack Pulsifer, Cap'n of the RTAF Beau Rosin. Mercenary, Time Traveller, and some would say Pirate (but not in his hearing). And he has just left me behind.


WHAT! HE JUST LEFT ME BEHIND! COME BACK HERE, YOU!*fading sound of running feet*

[Theosophus Grey]

Four legs, four squares.

By the way, Cornelius - may I call you by your Christian name, despite your behavior to the contrary?  Very well, then - while we were at IceBerg station some months ago, a young lady of your very apparent acquaintance stopped at the ship, looking for you.  I regretfully relayed that you had parted the ship's company, and were nowhere I knew of, although she might want to cable Lloyd's on that account.  Her story was that you had... met, shall we say, while engaged in some nefarious scheme with the pirates of the Rim, and... well... let's just say you might be getting that cable in about, oh, another six to eight weeks.

Cigar?

[Cornelius Nightshade]

Strange, I never been to IceBerg station,

Now that I think about it, about a week ago I did get approached by some crazed women and her whelp. Don’t think I would call her a “lady”.

Of Corse I never saw her before in my life.

 She made such a commotion I was forced to call the police to get her off my property. Put up such a fuss that the authorities locked her and her scurvy brat up in Bedlam. Pity that, still from what I hear a bed and three meals a day, all on the public dole.

Speaking of meals, I don’t know about you but I’m getting peckish. Steak would be just the thing, what do you say, on me naturally. After all if what you say is true, the salary of a civil servant,, well,,,

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{That clip is even more sinister without sub titles}

[MWBailey]

*climbs up from his laboratory in the basement*

Did somebody say chess? Well, if it ain't old Corny! I hear you've managed to rob your way to the top o' the heap o' robbers, Nightshade ol' bean!

Pardon the sulfide steam, been making gren -- er, cocktails, you know. I say, anybody see a lorry drop off a keg of glycerine lately? AH! there it is.

*pours a stout and sits on the keg, extricates watch and consults it*

Let's see, I have about six hours until I have to be back downstairs to meet Jack, we're going to take a couple of friends to the Symphony tonight...

[helios]

Swedish? Yes, yes he was. Why do you say?

[Theosophus Grey]

Swedish? Yes, yes he was. Why do you say?

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

The Seventh Seal: The knight's first meeting with death	LQ | LQ+ | HQ

 

[Theosophus Grey]

Speaking of meals, I don’t know about you but I’m getting peckish. Steak would be just the thing, what do you say, on me naturally. After all if what you say is true, the salary of a civil servant,, well,,,

Capital idea, let's retire to the dining room - the chef here does a top-notch Beef Wellington.  Join us, Mr. Bailey?  You're welcome as well, Helios, just leave the scythe here with the glycerine... 

[MWBailey]

Ah, yes, steak sounds liek a good repast. *checks the edge on his khukri*Good, good, still surgically sharp. awfully hard to cut steak with a dull knife, you know...

[Nikola Tesla]

*pops in here for some virtual sleep, since real sleep is out of the question*

(out of character:  nice avatar, Bailey  )

[MWBailey]

*pops in here for some virtual sleep, since real sleep is out of the question*

(out of character:  nice avatar, Bailey  )

(OOC:Thank you, sir! May I say I have enjoyed your electrically-oriented avatars as well)

[Emperor Bob]

*Wanders in and looks about absentmindedly
Jolly nice place, this.  I hope none of you mind awfully if my pipe and I settle down by the fireplace and smoke a bit of Cavendish. 

[MWBailey]

You might want to ask Cavendish about that, fellow doesn't say much, but he might be put out if he wakes up to find someone smoking him...

*Cavendish looks around sleepily, says "carry on, carry on, I could do with a good smoking" and goes back to sawing logs*

Oh, well, have a go, then!

[Emperor Bob]

Well, fair enough then, although I'm not quite sure how to get the fellow into my pipe.  Or lit, for that matter.

[Dr. Fu Manchu]

I too have a pipe, but never for tobacco a trury barbaric western habit. But prease Sir a cup of tea would be most welcome at this time.
Sank you.

[MWBailey]

Well, fair enough then, although I'm not quite sure how to get the fellow into my pipe.  Or lit, for that matter.

give 'im a bottle o' brandy, he'll be lit up in no time...

I too have a pipe, but never for tobacco a trury barbaric western habit. But prease Sir a cup of tea would be most welcome at this time.
Sank you.

 Here you go, Doctor Fu. I must say, I've never seen anyone smoke a cup of tea before...

(several horrific puns later...)