#earthrunes

"Unless you're Wadworth" Peacock looks to PLUM and Green "Scarlet cheated by having skatting skills. Most unseemly"

"Aye?"

"Another note" Clem explains

Clearly she's got at least one or two herself

"Now, now, let's not quibble." She looks at the chandelier again, then starts looking at whatever furnishings might be at the perimeter of the room.

Mostly benches for the wallflowers, and aa small area for the band.

"Feh." While they quibble, Zara slips out.

"Hmm." She takes a seat on one of the benches and bends forward to adjust one of her shoes...while her other hand reaches to feel if there's anything under the bench.

Gum. ugh

(PLUM) the professor can go to any room she likes, of course.

Oh, that's tiresome. She stands again, absently wiping off her fingers. "Then I suppose I'll move on." The impatient Fiona slips...literally...across the room, pauses to give August's cheek a kiss, and then onward...to the LOUNGE!

Zara has the head tsart, there!

Likely a significant one!

(LOUNGE)

Plum is ahead of Scarlet by a lot and arrives first. The precursor to the living room, the lounge has a relaxed air, a small table to drink around. Comfortable furniture, Still stylish of course.

(And once again, Perception plus Alertness at 7, or Perception plus invesgitation at 6)

/roll 6

PLum looks about, this is not as well kept room as she hoped. And she notices one cushion is upside down

And so she checks!

After fussing with the couch, she tidies up. She checks the vase of flowers, leaving them disheveled.

Odd.

August has remained with Miss Scarlet.

Then August is also heading to the Lounge .. of course, arriving after Plum who had a good head start

(Lounge) Scarlett and Green arrive to find Plum is ahead of them, and who knows what she's done or seen?

"Oh, drat. No chance the professor left any stone unturned."

Is the prof IN the Lounge at the moment?

Yes

"Shouldn't we work together to solve the mystery?"

"Oh, Aug-... Reverend, if we were to do that, then who would end up in possession of the prize?"

"Well.... ah, all of us? Surely... we can share? It sounded as though there were more than one book, after all."

"Well, if you'd like to share your clues with me, I won't object," she says, batting her eyes at him and trailing a fingertip down his chest.

"Of course." and he tells her of the pipe and the gun "... and I don't think he'd use the rope, so it must be one of the other objects."

"Why wouldn't he...or she...use the rope?"

"They couldn't, I'm afraid not." The Colonel says, through his mustaches. "Hem, hem."

As he joins the others, if he hadn't already?

And he joins them in the Lounge

"Ah! Colonel! What luck have you had?"

August's response about the rope is derailed by Vince's entry.

Zara looks to August/

"I'm afraid not much." He says, with a gentle shrug.

"I... I don't think he'd hang himself again." August hazards "Just a... hunch."

The Colonel rolls his eyes towards Mrs. White, a "what can you do?" look.

Mrs. white says "Indeed, a heart wrenching image"

"...Ah."

He presses a hand to his chest.

He gives Zara a sheepish glance.

"But that hunch might be cheating."

"But reasonable."

He gives her a shy smile.