Early August 2012: The Warehouse/Annapolis, MD

[damncompass]

It's a fairly boring day in the Warehouse. Joshua is on his laptop working on some paperwork, and Helena is finishing up a couple case reports at a table.

It's probably just about time for something to happen.

Comments

[damncompass]

Joshua rolls his eyes. "How about I order some breakfast for us and it'll be delivered by the time you're out of the shower?"

[timelessinventor]

"That sounds lovely." And with that, she gathers some clothes and disappears into the loo.

[damncompass]

Joshua orders some fairly basic breakfast, and turns on the news to see what's going on. It's pretty much the same old news, but there is a mention about the state Legislature's special session.

[timelessinventor]

"Anything of note?" Helena says when she emerges from the shower, still towelling her hair (not herself, though; she's already dressed)

[damncompass]

"Nah. Just the special session that we already know about." Joshua gets up. "I ordered our usual breakfast spread. Let 'em in and just charge it to the room. I'm going to shower." He grabs some clean clothes of his own, and goes off to the bathroom.

[timelessinventor]

"Not a problem, darling." Breakfast is indeed delivered while Joshua's in the shower; when he emerges, she's eating some pancakes and bacon.

(The employee who delivered it asked if they wanted any corn flakes as well. She did her best not to laugh in his face, and politely declined.)

[damncompass]

Joshua's just in his boxers towelling off his hair when he emerges. He forgot a shirt, so he just decided to dress outside of the bathroom. He grabs a bit of bacon and a glass of orange juice and leans on the desk. "So, what's the plan of attack? Go to the Capitol and find this woman and... what? Ask if she has anything old that she just got?" Last time he did this, he figured out what the Artifact was before he left.

[timelessinventor]

Helena nods. "That's the shape of it, yes. We may also see if anyone else can fill us in as to secondary effects it might be having - that may help us narrow down what we're dealing with."

[damncompass]

"Right. Well, you're the one with a century of experience here." He munches a bit of breakfast before wiping his hands on a towel and finishing dressing. He's wearing a suit jacket and shirt but no tie, Regent pin firmly on the jacket. It's comforting somehow when he's being all Official.

[timelessinventor]

"And even with that, every case is unique. You can certainly go in with a starting point in mind, but one as... thorough as Artie recommends only bogs you down, in the end." She understands the impulse behind his list of questions, but honestly. "We'll know what to do when we get there."

[damncompass]

Joshua nods. "Well, you're obviously the lead here, miss has-a-badge." He's grinning, though. "Shall we, then?"

[timelessinventor]

"I do believe we shall."

When they reach the capitol's complex, Helena smiles. "Now this architecture feels rather familiar."

[damncompass]

Joshua laughs. "Something like London, I'm assuming?" He eyes the people milling about, some with files, most on their cellphones. "Now how the hell do we find a specific journalist in a Capitol?"

[timelessinventor]

"The press office, perhaps?"

[damncompass]

"Possibly. Maybe if we ask someone..." Joshua catches the attention of a passing staffer. "Hey, where do the press hang out? Is there a room or something?"

"Uhm..." The man juggles a few files. "Most of them hang out somewhere over there in front of the Chamber. It depends on what they're covering, though. I don't think there are that many there right now."

[timelessinventor]

"It's somewhere to start, at least. Thank you, sir." The man nods and bustles off, and Helena heads for what passes for the gaggle of press at the moment; he was right that most of them aren't there.

But there are still enough to gossip, and Helena overhears some choice tidbits. It seems the darling of the year hasn't made it in yet - hasn't made it in before noon in weeks, in fact, where before that she was an early riser.

[damncompass]

Joshua listens to the gossip, listens to what people're saying. One of the gossiping lobbyists even mentioned the possibility of depression, as the journalist in question lost her husband and son in a car crash a couple years previously.

After a bit, Joshua pulls Helena to the side. "Ok, so this is definitely Artifacty, but I have no clue what. I should call Claudia."

He pulls out his Farnsworth and buzzes his sister.

[claudiometer]

"What up?"
Seriously, Joshua, save her from the ovoid quarantine. (She stepped out to take the call, since Leena's got the unpacking well in hand today, but she still has the funky glasses on.)

[damncompass]

"Nice glasses, sis. Got a sec to look something up? We somewhat have the shape of this Artifact, but it would be nice to know what we're looking for."

[claudiometer]

"Sure, just a sec." She pulls the glasses up and heads for a backup terminal.
"Okay, what do you know so far?"

[damncompass]

"Ok, so the person has all of a sudden come out of nowhere and is the journalistic darling of the press. Supposedly she's been coming in late, some scuttlebutt says depression, but no one really knows."

[claudiometer]

"'k... anyone cite a reason for the maybe-depression?"

[damncompass]

"She lost her husband and son in a car wreck a couple years ago. That's the only thing we've heard about."

[claudiometer]

"Okay, let me... oh, ouch. That's not pretty. It wouldn't be depression, but if she's coming in late because of nightmares? I think I found your culprit."
She turns her Farnsworth to display what she's turned up. "Mary Shelley's pen. It'd account for the sudden political-press stardom, and with that kind of family history it'd get her hard, too."

[damncompass]

"Shit. So, basically, keep Helena the hell away from it." What he's missing is that it might actually hit him just as hard. "Writer and family loss."