Phillip's Harbour
Saturday, October 24, 1868. Early Afternoon.
When Bernice reaches the Red Flag, she finds it crammed with locals, the body heat enough to make the room hot despite the cold day outside. There's a moment's pause in the conversation when she enters, as the cold wind blasts through before she shuts the door behind her and everyone looks up to see who it is. Once they recognize her, she receives cordial nods and the burble of conversation resumes. The topic of the day is plainly witchcraft in general, and Miss Pau in particular.
Bernice tries not to look as conspicuous as she feels, inwardly wincing when comversation pauses at her arrival. Rather, she returns the smiles graciously, and stands a little taller, prairiedog-like, to try to spy out Gertie.
It's hard to see in here, between the smoke from the fire, the windows shuttered against the cold, and the number of people standing because there aren't enough chairs for everyone. Nonetheless, Bernice spies Gertie when the younger woman pushes out through the kitchen door, bearing a laden tray high.
Townes bites her lip, deciding the poor girl looks rather overburdened already. Instead of trying to get Gertie's attention, Bernice decides to find a place to settle, mingling in despite her uneasiness with the crowd. She keeps her eyes and ears open, watching for Dr. Green in case she can make an excuse of sitting near him.
Despite the impression that half the town is here, Dr. Greene isn't among those present. Bernice does recognizes many other faces: patients and family members, lumberers that she saw the day of the bad accident at the mill, one of the old men who usually keeps a spot on the porch of the General Store.
Finding no doctor to cling to the coattails of, Bernice takes a deep (somewhat smokey) breath, and wears her own coattails. She makes a point of saving a warmer smile for people she's treated, asking them whether they're feeling better when breaks in conversation permits, and uses that as an excuse to evesdrop sans eves while patiently waiting to put an order in with Gertie.
Her erstwhile patients answer her inquiries with good humor and polite nods. One of them, Porter Blaine, asks after her own health. "When's yer pappy coming to town, ma'am? We worry 'bout you, all alone out in the woods. Tain't safe fer a woman ta be livin' alone, not with all that's goin' on."
The young woman takes the question with the good nature she feels must be the intent, her smile a little forced. "Oh, I'm well, thank you sir. I fear my father isn't well enough to travel yet, but the good Dr. Greene has been my guardian angel, so I've been quite all right. Thank you for your concern, and you take care to keep your strength up so you heal right."
The invocation of Dr. Greene's name reasures Mr. Blaine, who nods and tugs his forelock with a "yes'm" to her injunction. Bernice catches pieces of the conversations going on around them. Some people are speculating about the identity of other witches; one man is holding forth with the disturbing notion that Phillips Harbour has been selected for the site of a convocation of witches, and that is the cause of all the strange events -- and the influx of strangers.
Tempted to try casting that theory in an absurdist light, Bernice imagines the attention directed at her, still a relative stranger, and loses her nerve. Staying quiet, she merely begins listening more pointedly, trying to catch snatches of conversation about Miss Pau. Every so often, the doctor steals glances at the rafters or floor in case she can spot traces of the nightingale or other town critters, not that she expects she could do anything in such a crowd.
The comments about Miss Pau don't sound good, ranging from "never trusted that slant-eyed girl" and "talked animals -- ain't right" and "remember her tryin' ta defend wolves? Should've known from that." The kindest thing anyone says is along the lines of "But she seemed nice ... you never can tell".
Bernice doesn't like the sound of this. She tries to filter from the snippets whether Pau is actually still staying at the Red Flag itself, or if she's been taken into custody.
In addition, the theory on a convocation of witches is gaining momentum as she listens. Speculation turns to the Mikkelsens -- "always out hunting but anyone ever see them catch anything?" and Mr. Shaft -- "talks to that beast of his like it was human -- thing could be a devil, it looks like one." A couple of people bring up a strange, wild-looking woman rumored to have been seen in the woods over the last few weeks.
The doctor hazards a guess that must have been St. John. Her lips purse at the fear-fueled negativity, again sorely tempted to interject. What about when the Mikkelsens went out to help find the Reverend? Or when Shaft's water contraption helped with the fire? Again, Bernice reins herself in, and just keeps circulating, waiting for Gertie to have a free moment.
As the conversation grows grimmer -- the closest thing to a bright spot would be one man interjecting that perhaps the witchhunters themselves are witches, or otherwise come to benefit from the town's troubles -- Gertie finishes her latest circuit of the room and stops beside Bernice. She has a few bowls of soup and broken loaves of bread left on her tray. "Good afternoon, Miss Townes." She offers a sincere if strained smile. "Soup?"
Bernice returns the smile sympathetically. "You poor dear. I'll take whatever's left, don't trouble yourself on my account. Do you suppose you'll get a break anytime soon, a chance to chat?"
Gertie eyes the packed room ruefully. "Feast or famine," she murmurs. "Maybe in another couple of hours, if this lot ever decides to get back to their lives. Not 'til nightfall if they don't."
Bernice winces again, and pats Gertie on the elbow. "Well, I'll see if I can't check back on you then, don't wear yourself out. The soup will be just fine, thank you. I don't suppose you've heard aught of interest to share before you whisk away?"
The maid gives Bernice a woebegone sidelong glance as she sets the soup and a hunk of bread before the other woman. "I shouldn't know where to start," she whispers. "If I did have a moment, I'd use it to find Miss Mikkelsen and warn her not to come back here."
The doctor nods gravely, using Gertie's closeness to lower her voice carefully. "Yes, thought you might be referring to that. Your note got out, and I can tell the mood here is ugly. Are many people in danger?"
Gertie gives a little nod, then starts at a bellow from her uncle. She withdraws hastily, heading back to the kitchen with a last worried look at Bernice.
Townes gives Gertie a little wave as the maid is pulled back to her work, outwardly sunny. The worry twisting her gut makes her appetite wane a bit. Lots of people... was she included with that worried look? Well, no sense letting food go to waste. She hurries through her late lunch, her appetite for gossip long since sated.
As she eats, other names get mentioned: Miss Dembkowski ("what kind of name is that, Dembkowski?") and Madame Mysteria ("where's she been in all this? If anyone'd know about a coven it'd be her.") At least no one seems to be talking about Bernice herself, or Rev. Hale. As she's sopping up the last of the soup with her bread, a group of several men are preparing to leave. They seem to have appointed themselves the task of investigating Madame Mysteria and making sure she's not "causing trouble".
Bernice frowns, and puts payment for her meal by her empty bowl, standing purposefully. She waves after Gertie whether or not the maid can see it, and makes her way outside.
Outside, Slate waits patiently in the cold air, while the group of men head east on Main Street. She whickers a greeting to Bernice. Does it seem to you like things keep going from bad to worse, or is it just me?
Bernice gives the horse a stroke on the nose, leaning close to murmur, "It's not just you. Rather disconcerting... the mood in town is getting rather ugly toward outsiders. I think you and I have been lucky so far, my dear." The woman steps quickly into a stirrup and swings into the saddle. "We're going to pay a quick visit to Mrs. Everchild's friend, hopefully to head off some trouble."
Bernice rides up Main Street, following casually in the wake of the men from the Red Flag. They reach Madame Mysteria's house and pound on the door. A moment later, the dark-haired, tan-skinned woman answers the door. "Yes, gentlemen?"
The doctor observes from a discreet distance.
The sign over her door waves in the breeze, reading: "MADAME MYSTERIA KNOWS ALL" in large letters, with "Mysteries of the future unveiled! Fortunes revealed! Charms for and cures for all your ailments!" beneath it in smaller ones.
"Since you know everything, Madame," one of the men begins, "we wanted to ask you about the witch. Miss Pau. What do you know about the devil, Miss Mysteria?"
"That idle hands are his workshop, Mr. Kingsmen. Do you not usually work at this hour, gentlemen? I know I have a customer," she replies evenly, and starts to close the door.
Kingsmen scowls and blocks the door with his foot. "Who's that? Some other witch?"
Mysteria sighs. "Haven't we had this talk before? I am not a witch. And my business is not your business. If you wish a consultation, you may make an appointment. I have some time free on Tuesday."
The conversation goes back and forth for a little while like this, with Madame Mysteria deflecting their insinuations and insisting on privacy for her customer ("If you were in my back room, Mr. Smith, would you want me to tell your friends you were there when they came asking?" she says at one point, after which Smith says nothing more.) The whole has the feel of a byplay that's gone on many times bfore. Still, the mood of the men is ugly and Mysteria is plainly having a difficult time defusing them.
Then one of the men looks up the street and frowns, getting the attention of his fellows. A cart is rumbling up Main Street, carrying Dr. Greene, a slightly built clergyman and ... a rather wan and disheveled Miss Pau.
Bernice, starting to mull over some plans in her mind, stops short at the sight of the cart. Blast! The woman hesitates... go to the cart, or see that the men don't get any worse in their harassment. She pauses just a moment more to see if this new distraction might give the menfolk a reason to leave Mysteria alone for now.
Dr. Greene spies Bernice on her mount, and hails her. "Ah, Miss Townes. Would you be so good as to accompany me back to my office? Poor Miss Pau is suffering from hysteria, and I'd appreciate your help in caring for her." He raises his voice slightly when speaking of Miss Pau's condition. It strikes Bernice as out-of-character for him to advertise the sickness of a patient -- and even odder to render a diagnosis of "hysteria".
The decision seems to be made for her. Urging Slate forward at a casual canter, as if she'd having a leisurely ride down the street, Bernice waves back at her fellow doctor, bringing herself up close and drawing abreast of the cart as it travels. She takes a curious glance at each of the occupants, and then nods hurriedly at Greene. "Yes, of course doctor. Let's see her put to bed right away, if you deem it necessary."
Back at the clinic, the small clergyman -- Rev. Locke -- remains with Miss Pau. Apart from minor rope burns on her wrists, Miss Pau looks in perfect health to Bernice, but Dr. Greene is quite grave and serious in helping her to one of the two cots in his office. He takes Dr. Townes aside "to clean up", and murmurs while they're in the next room, "The hysteria diagnosis is from your friend Mr. Shaft. He's attributed all the stuff they siezed as "witchcraft" paraphenalia to her illness. I've backed him up on this, God forgive me. I hope I'm doing the right thing here."
The nurse nods, letting her concern show through. "Judging by the state of her, I think you have. Rev. Hale told me a bit about these fellows... they're fundamentally good men, but they take their task seriously. Deadly serious. I learned Miss Pau is on the... other side of this conflict, but I don't think she deserves their tender mercies, and Mr. Shaft understands and agrees."
Dr. Greene doesn't look entirely reassured by this. He bows his head and says a quiet prayer.
Bernice murmurs along with him, then continues, "Frankly, I don't know a lot about the lady. What did they find?"
"Er. To be honest? I'd say she was practicing witchcraft. A mummified cat, a set of three clay bowls stained by blood, a number of dried plants, some of dubious medical benefit and some poisonous, a silver dagger, and a mortar and pestle," Dr. Greene says.
The woman's startlement is plain. "Gracious. I... I'm not sure what to think, then. Well, at the least, we have her in custody. Don't worry, doctor. As much as I hate to say it, there's still time to distance yourself if need be. The last thing I want is for harm to come your way." Bernice sighs, and rubs her temple. "For better or for worse, I think there isn't much longer for this whole strange affair to play out."
Some hours later, Dr. Greene is looking through his medical texts on treating hysteria, and showing Rev. Locke some of the salient bits -- like treating it with bloodletting, or using some of the herbs she had in her possession. Mr. Shaft and Caliban arrive to have Caliban's dressing changed, and Dr. Greene asks Bernice to take care of them in the front room to avoid disturbing Miss Pau.
"I do hope your other patient is recovering well, Miss Townes," Herbert asks as he helps Caliban with his jacket.
The ape gives his boss a distinct "Hey, it's okay, I don't need help!" look as he shrugs his jacket off. He smiles at Bernice, with fish on his breath.
"Cal did do a bit of carrying today, I'm afraid," Shaft tells the doctor. "But it was for a good cause, I think."
Bernice takes the two aside, and busily prepares a new dressing and some cloth to treat the wounds with cleansers. When she turns around, her face is quite serious looking, even despite her rounded features and large green eyes. "Well, we hope she'll be alright. We haven't seen a case of 'hysteria' in... ever." The young woman frowns a bit, but her expression soon softens. "He did? What happened? Let's have a look."
"Just some of our camera gear," Herbert says quietly. "But Miss Pau's performance may have caused him to tense up a bit.. it certainly did me. And we were expecting it."
The doctor steps over to Caliban, gesturing for the ape to seat himself on the examination table so she can begin checking the dressing. "How much was Dr. Greene there for? I want to be sympathetic to Miss Pau, but the things they found... bloodstained bowls, a dagger, poisons, a -mummified cat-?"
"Ook, eek eek ook, OOK ook!" the monkey explains cheerfully as he's being examined.
Bernice's frown returns as she picks apart the dressing, looking over the wounds carefully even while she replies. "Let's begin at the beginning."
"He was called in after the hysterics began," Shaft notes. "And, really, that was a very reasonable excuse for her to be in possession of those items. I'm willing to believe it, at least."
After a moment of thought, the man offers in a whisper, "I suspect the cat may have belonged to a previous Player. Likely a relative."
The ape gives the doctor a curious look, then tries again. "Ook, ook. Eek ook ook. Eek ook eek eeeek."
Townes spares a glance up. "But what's the real reason? Besides that she's a Closer. What is she really?" She seems satisfied to wait for an answer as she listens closely to Caliban.
"A fellow Player," Shaft replies. "And.. ah, not a Closer, actually."
Bernice comes as close as she's ever come to swearing as she fumbles the bottle of cleanser she'd picked up and only just manages to get it back under control, clutching it with both hands.
"Eek, ook ook," the ape continues. "Ook eooop owook."
"Are you.. all right?" Herbert asks the woman, surprised at the fumble.
The ape reaches out to help Miss Townes with the bottle, but subsides seeing she's got it. He gives his master an odd look.
"Not a..! I thought you told me she was!" The woman puts one hand on her hip, using the other to touch the bottle to her forehead, closing her eyes as she does so.
A moment later, Dr. Greene appears in the doorway, and puts a finger to his lips with a meaningful look at all three of them.
"Forgive us, Dr. Greene," Herbert says in a whisper.
"There was some confusing early on, I admit," Shaft explains in a whisper once Dr. Greene has left. "Like yourself, I was surprised to discover that an Opener could still be a good and honorable person, and with altruistic intentions at that. As far as I know, she is the only Opener remaining. If there are others, she may be our only means of finding out. Besides, I ... and Caliban ... consider Pau to be a friend."
Bernice's back stiffens, realizing her hissing must have gotten harsher than intended. She settles down and nods.
"Eek eeook," the ape says quietly.
"It was she who first warned us about St. John," Shaft admits. "I had hoped she could be convinced to withdraw, now that our side has a clear majority."
Bernice sets her bottle down, and sighs, straightening out the treated cloth and beginning to re-dress Caliban's wounds. "I.. yes, you're right. I think I was just confused. I didn't mean to say I thought she was a bad person intrinsically, I came to trust Girard after all... I just worried about her methods. Please understand, this is all very new to me. I'm nothing special, I'm just a doctor who knew some remarkable people."
"And who can talk to animals," Shaft adds in. "Or rather, talk to them and understand them. Gertie seemed in better spirits this afternoon. Did you drop by the Inn?"
Yes, yes I did," says Bernice. Her dexterous fingers make quick work of the new dressing, securing it after she's satisfied the wounds haven't worsened. "I didn't get much chance to speak with her, the place was chaos. She was worried, I could tell, I'm glad she was looking happier." Standing up straighter, the doctor's face grows worried again. "That reminds me, I followed some men out of the Red Flag that had it in mind to give Madame Mysteria some grief. I wanted to see that she was alright, but that was when I encountered Dr. Greene and Miss Pau."
"Local men?" Shaft asks.
The ape winces a bit at the re-dressing, but bears up quite well.
Bernice nods, her hands pausing when Caliban winces, then proceeding a bit more gently. "Yes, one was the brother of a fellow I treated, and the other two I recognized from the night of the fire, helping out."
"I'm not sure what they might have done since I saw them last," the woman adds. "I hope the madame is alright."
Shaft drums his fingers on his hat, which rests on his knee. "I hate to admit it, but letting them harass Mysteria works in our favor. Either the Sheriff will deal with them or they'll go too far. Either way, people will see that the witchhunters are spreading disorder, and refuse to cooperate with them. Hopefully."
The ape looks doubtful. "Ook ook," he points out.
"Eek ook ook," Caliban continues, looking worried.
Herbert turns to Bernice for a translation.
Bernice nods at Caliban, then turns to Herbert. "He's concerned the Sherriff would be more likely to side with the men, or worse, start organizing the hunting. The Sherriff is a good man too, but I can understand the concern. He's as traditional as any of the townsfolk. I wouldn't expect him to understand."
The Englishman sighs. "We just need a few days of their attention being drawn elsewhere. Or else we'll have to neutralize the hunters. Did you find out if they were investigating the Mikkelsen Sister, Rae?"
"I fear they must be," says Bernice. She finishes securing the new dressing, clean and white, and gives Caliban a gentle pat on the shoulder. "Gertie hears a lot at the Red Flag, and she wished for a way to warn the Mikkelsens not to return. I heard a bit of that rumbling myself when I was having lunch there."
"Maybe we can solve one problem with another," Shaft mutters. "These hunters claim to have faced demons before. We could steer them towards the Hill.."
"Ook, eek eek," the ape says, looking considerably comforted by Miss Townes's gesture.
Bernice shakes her head at Shaft. "We mustn't. I don't think any good would come of that." She gives Caliban a smile, and begins packing away the bottles and rolls of linen. "So, what do you plan to do now? Will we be allowed to keep Miss Pau under our care?"
"If Dr. Greene insists upon it - I don't doubt he will, rather than turn her over for further interrogation," Shaft says. "We must endeavor to calculate the location of the banefire next, hoping that we have all of the necessary locations to work from. If we do not, then we will need to talk to Miss Pau in private. Or, rather, you will, as Caliban or I would be a bit too conspicuous. Also, you should be on watch for a Nightingale. That would be Pau's Companion, Lei."
Townes glances at the doorway to the next room, then nods back at the two gentlemen. "I'll do that. I was actually hoping to spy it today. I'll speak to Pau when the oppourtunity arises. At any rate, I think we've spent more time than looks reasonable. You'd best get back to it, sirs."
Shaft holds Caliban's jacket out to him, still not wanting the ape to strain his shoulders. "Of course. Thank you for tending to Caliban, as always, Miss Townes," Shaft says, in a more normal tone of voice.
Bernice offers the two a warmer smile. "Always my pleasure. You two be careful. The townsfolk are very suspicious, and I heard some rumbling about you and Caliban as well. Stay on your guard."
"We will," Shaft promises as he puts his hat back on. "And if you'd like to have your portrait taken, feel free to drop by. I have some experimental emulsion dyes that I think might do some justice to your colors."
Townes flushes a little pink around the cheeks, looking a mix of pleased and awkward at the compliment. "I'll be sure to visit, Mr. Shaft."