May 22 – A Weekend to Remember

((Private entry, but feel free to comment!))

 

This really has been quite an exhausting weekend–I must be
sure to take some time off to rest, despite what might occur during that time.  These past two days have been…something
else, that is certain.

 

 It started Friday, with
the arrival of Miss Hermit at my door, telling me that she had to leave New
Babbage, and wished my help to put it about that she had perished in a fire at
her home.  I was certainly surprised by
that, but I understand her reasons.  I
just hope it will keep her safe until she can return to Japan.

 

Once she left, I hurried over to her home to at least appear
to fight the fire.  I also salvaged some
ashes, and a few scraps of clothing, for later burial with her
“bones.”  But while I was
there, I heard an explosion from not far away, and rushed over to see that the
Grim Bros. site had exploded.  So now I
had another fire on my hands, one that took hours to contain.  I was assured by the proprietor that no one
had been injured in the explosion. 
Though I’m still not entirely sure I didn’t see something moving in the
smoke at times…

 

I slept later than usual Saturday, owing to my tiredness
from fighting the fires.  After I’d
breakfasted, I went to Militia headquarters to file my…doctored report on the
two fires.  It was while I was patrolling
after that that I finally saw the snake that has been plaguing the area for
weeks.  Though it is now green, instead
of the black that was originally reported, there’s no doubt it’s the same one.  I chased it throughout Clockhaven and the
Port district, but the thing is extraordinarily quick.  I was joined in the hunt by several people at
various times, including Miss Anatra, Mr. Moreau, Miss Jed, Miss Kimika, and
Mr. Wexhome.  Though we did manage to
finally wound it, we still were unable to stop it.  Miss Jed thinks we need to devise some sort
of trap, and I agree; patrols and chasing simply aren’t going to work.

After those hours of runaround, I went back home to rest
some before the ball that night.  Most of
the spirit friends did indeed drop by to see my gown for the evening, and I did
my best to try to cheer Evie and Tasha. 
I think, though, that only the passage of time will heal their hurts.

 

At the ball, things were running smoothly at the
beginning…until Dr. Obolensky came.  I
was dancing with the Baron at the time, but when I saw him striding
purposefully toward Miss Gabrielle Riel, I broke off the dance and drew
nearer. 

 

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I didn’t hear everything that
passed between them, but from what I heard, I believe that Dr. Obolensky had
the impression that Miss Riel was in possession of a formula for a powerful
fuel, and he wanted it.  When she refused
him, in no uncertain terms, he suddenly shoved her into one of the cages
standing nearby and locked her inside! 
Then he informed the rest of us that we would have to pay $20,000L to
free her!  The gall of the man!

 

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While ball attendees lined up to begin paying the ransom,
Dr. Obolensky beckoned me closer, to gloat over his plan, knowing–or, at
least, thinking–that I couldn’t stop him. 
He told me that he had already attached rockets to the corners of the
dance area, and he only needed to leave and press a button to send us all flying!  (He already had enough fuel to do that–we
just wouldn’t fly far enough for his full satisfaction without the other
fuel.)  When I realized, though, that he
meant that the button wasn’t in his physical possession, I knew what I needed
to do.  I pretended to look away in
worry, but then suddenly wheeled, and shoved him into the other cage, locking
him inside!

 

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He did taunt us by saying that the locking mechanism was
different for that cage, meaning that we would have to pay $20,000L to *keep*
him inside.  Thankfully, the New Babbage
citizens stepped up again, and ensured that he would indeed stay caged.  They also finished paying what was needed to
free Miss Riel.  She was then able to
peruse a piece of paper she’d snatched from Dr. Obolensky, and discovered that
the fuel within the rockets was unstable, and would deteriorate enough by the
end of the ball to be useless.  With that
reassurance, we were able to carry on with our dancing.

 

 

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There was one curious thing, though.  He taunted me specifically with an accusation
of cheating, of all things, by shoving him into the cage.  (And I must say, he was surprisingly easy to push.)  When I replied that I’d merely used the
advantage he had given me by standing so close to the cage, he said something
to the effect of, “I knew you were the right one to choose.”  I wonder what he meant by that?

 

Unfortunately, this felicitous turn of events didn’t
last.  As the end of the ball approached,
a sudden cloud of smoke hid Dr. Obolensky’s cage from sight.  When the smoke cleared, he was gone!  I would certainly love to know how he managed
that.  Thankfully, it was past the
deadline on the fuel, so we were still safe from his machinations.

 

Today, of course, has been filled with developing the
photographs I took during the ball.  Now
that that obligation is done, I think I shall travel for a few days, and relax.

 

((Starting Monday, I’ll be house- and dog-sitting for a few
days.  I’ll have BAR access, but not SL.  Don’t blow everything up while I’m gone!))