Beryl was unsure whether her visit to Qismah’s benefited herself or Mr. Russell the most. The fellow returned as her customer, despite recent harsh words, but neither felt the need to apologize. He did admit she had been right and his help had been beneficial, she had learned a few things from him even, but tonight he needed to purge his system. She offered him the Herbalists remedy, warning him of its potency, and he agreed to the treatment. His pitiful defeat at the hands of Domino showed him how far he had fallen.
The depressed fellow meant to stay the evening with her, but as the gazelle moreau warned his evening was spent in misery. The method was vile, but the result appeared to be worth it. She found the adventurer exercising out in the Essex garden one morning as she passed to pick up her mail. He bore a determined look on his face as he worked to get back into the form he had previously.
Confident he would recover, she focused on whom she could use to test the trance formula. Wright was in no condition to assist in her ruse, and Beryl knew things about Mr. Hyde that suggested he would be a poor subject.
She considered her options as she entered the Essex and found mail addressed to her from Myrtil.
Dear Beryl,
Thank you for your last report and for what you are doing for us. Please take care of yourself though and don’t do anything that would put you through too much risk.
What you could be looking for is the bottom part of a torn letter. The day Amnelys died, at the Wax Museum, she was holding a letter.
Nicholas went to discuss with her and they had a fight and he tore that letter into two parts and stormed off with one half in his fist so maybe there is a tiny chance it is still somewhere in his office…
Mister Holmes and Doctor Watson have the other half of the letter and Fly left an exact copy on a table at the Wax Museum. He was hoping Amnelys wouldn’t get forgotten that way, but I guess that didn’t work very well.
Anyway, that’s the best I can think of for the moment.
Good luck!
Myrtil
There was a ripped letter? Beryl read the urchins response several times, wondering how no one had mentioned its existence to her before. It was something the feline could search for in the office, but if it incriminated Nicholas he would have burned it the night he tore it from the woman’s hands. He would have been a fool to hold incriminating evidence against himself. But if Beryl was right then perhaps the letter might instead prove his innocence. That would be worth keeping around.
She thoroughly burned Myrtils response, making sure every inch was turned to ashes before she returned slowly to the brothel. It was getting easier for her to walk so that her followers did not have to struggle to keep up. Sometimes she longed to run through the city and lose them along the twisted alleys, but that was hardly the behavior she would expect from Lynn Mimistrobell.
Halfway through her journey the familiar felt a nagging doubt enter her mind. Her ears perked slightly as she increased to a brisk walk as she passed over the cobbles. Those following her noted the change, and increased their own speed, but they had heard nothing.
But now each figure noted others shadowing on the rooftops and alleys, bottles and cans pushed over as someone ran off after being spotted, and figures taking too much interest in their passing.
Beryl did not know she inadvertently clued her many followers into each other or how nervous and paranoid it made them. She lifted her skirts as she entered the building and rushed up the stairs to her room paying little mind to those she passed. Crystal let out a sharp whistle as the feline breezed towards her space, which had been locked but now stood half open.
The cat shut the door behind her, shocking Diamond who jumped away from the nightstand. On the bed were several vials she filled with Qismah’s different narcotics and in her hand was one of Phaedra’s special chocolates. From her expression, she had not expected the other woman to have returned so swiftly.
Beryl locked the door as Crystal tried to enter and assist her friend. The familiar turned back to the woman caught red handed and ignored the outside. “That chocolate was rather expensive, Diamond. I hope you weren’t planning on stealing it?”
Diamond’s eyes narrowed and let the chocolate fall to the bed. “Of course not. Mr. Nicholas would have my hide if he caught me stealing from the other girls….”
“Will he now?” Beryl watched her reaction coyly. There was real fear there, not of her but Nicholas should he believe the feline. “So if you weren’t stealing them then what did you intend to do? Plant something unpleasant in my possessions? Sabotage my little helpers before our next competition?”
“You can’t prove that,” Diamond narrowed her gaze defiantly, “It’s all here and hasn’t been touched. It’s your word against mine and Crystals.”
“That is true, Diamond,” Beryl agreed as she moved towards the bed. “I feel this would not be your first…offense.” Diamonds involuntary wince was unnecessary for the feline. “You are in my room and rummaging through my possessions. I have every right to call Nicholas here to settle our little dispute and see what he thinks.”
“Perhaps we could arrange something else then,” Diamond said as she smiled. She realized that if Beryl would call the procurer she would have done it already.
“Now you mention it there is something you can do for me,” Beryl passed up the needles and drugs and looked at the chocolate she had tossed on the bed. “Would you be so kind as to eat that chocolate you tossed aside? I want to be certain you didn’t tamper with both.”
Diamond paused as she glanced at the confectionary. She knew Beryl used drugs, and while she didn’t know what was in the chocolate she saw the unusual effect it had on ‘Smiley’.
“Don’t worry, Diamond,” Beryl was secretly laughing at the woman’s unnecessary discomfort. Phaedra needed to know if the chocolates were for a man or a woman, so even if there was an effect it would probably be diminished. “It’s only a chocolate.”
“A drugged chocolate,” Diamond said bitterly. “What is it filled with?”
“An aphrodisiac and whatever you might have added to it,” Beryl admitted calmly. “And it should only work on men.” That was possibly a lie, but it would be good to know its effects.
Diamond’s features smoothed as she confidently unwrapped the chocolate since she hadn’t added the laxative yet. She took a single bite and her eyes widened as the delicious taste entered her mouth. She closed her eyes and savored the entire chocolate, a warmth spreading through her. Beryl watched the reaction, wondering what effect it was having. She was the only one in the room this time, but if Diamond held no desire for women or a cat woman…
“That is a good chocolate.” The lass opened her eyes grinning confidently, “Am I free to go now?”
Phaedra’s confectionary definitely affected her, but Beryl was not surprised that she was not the object of her affections. She opened the door allowing her to depart. Diamond passed, undoubtedly compelled to seek the true objects of her desire.
The next day, the feline discovered that Diamond had quite an interesting evening. She had flirted with Nicholas and viciously sabotaged Trixy, who woke up finding her shampoo turned her hair sickly green. The woman was furious as it wouldn’t fade back for several weeks. The feline tried to avoid laughing outright and noted that she should leave the cosmetics and drugs in a safer location.
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