The velvet suit shone in afternoon sun. The copper accents of his waist coat highlighted his freshly brushed coat as he knocked on Miss Heliotrope’s door. She opened the door and positively shimmered. They had exchanged a few letters and had chosen to go out for coffee tonight. He’d settled on a proper cab for this trip, unsure of what Hüber would show up. She was on the fourth floor of a quaint apartment building. As a Holograph the stairs would be of little concern. Except for whom they met on the second floor landing.
"Why, Alderperson Jean Rhys (@MrMonkey) " smiled Hieronymoose, “Whatever would bring you to this apartment building? Surely you aren’t looking for a new place?”
“No, Aldermoose Farnsworth.” Replied Jean-Rhys, icily. “I thought I was to meet someone here tonight, but apparently someone is mistaken.”
While he knew Jean-Rhys was talking to him, she glared at Lizzy. From the corner of his eye, he could see Lizzy flicker a bit as she began to emit at a shorter wavelength. For the time, Hieron decided to play innocent.
“Excuse me for my rudeness, Jean-Rhys, Lizzy Heliotrope, Lizzy, this is my fellow Alder Sentient Jean-Rhys Witherspoon Wilhelmina Winnifred Rodchase”
Lizzy’s voice was pitched a tad higher than normal, “Yes. We’ve met. At the Governors ball. We danced the Quadrille.”
“My goodness.” Exclaimed Hieron. "Yes. You. Did. Imagine the coincidence of you living in the same building as whomever Jean-Rhys had come to pay a call to. Small worlds they say.
“Good afternoon, Alderperson. Lizzy and I were just off for a spot of “High Coffee” the papers are calling it. Until we meet again. Farewell”
With that, Hieronymoose and Lizzy moved past Jean-Rhys and out to the hansom waiting out front.
While Hieron held the door for Lizzy, he finally broke a smile at the events that had just transpired.
The cab pulled away from the curb and Lizzy began to stammer something about mixed up dates.
“Pish, posh, dear Lizzy. I have no hold over whom you may know and converse with. But to see her face was worth the world.”
“Pay no more mind to her. Let us talk more of New Halogen where you came from…”
-=-=-=-=-=-
“High Coffee” had been enjoyable. Hieron Tried the flat white, while Lizzy absorbed the electrolytes from a fine ground mixture of coffee and lithium. After nearly two hours, they left the shop full of mirth and Lizzy practically begged Hieron to call a Hüber so she could say she’d taken a ride in one.
Hieron hit the Hail and this time a human named Jeb responded. The Chaise that showed up had recently been waxed and shone in evening sun. The driver was polite and offered an array of lemon tarts, obviously unaccustomed to the traveling needs of a Holograph, but Hieron took one out of politeness. The trip back seemed too short as Hieron and Lizzy arrived back at her apartment. He offered to walk her up, but she declined.
Gathering his bearings, Hieron thought the Levithan was just a few streets over and began to walk. Passing by an alleyway, he almost thought he’d seen @Rockford_Julius, but probably just some other Squirrel as he ducked around a corner as soon as Hieron could wave to him.
After thee third block he thought he might have been going the wrong direction. By the forth block he was sure of it.
“Bugger it.” Hieron grumbled, pulled out his comm and hit the nav button. Shaking his head he had not realized how far out of the way he had gone. "At this point, he thumbed over and hit Hail one more time. A sleek, Phaeton showed up just over ten minutes later.
“Sorry, Guv’nor. I’d just sat down to some tucker when I saw your hail. I was certain some other bloke would have answered before me.”
Hieron paid little mind as he climbed in.
“Was that the Levithan than?”
“No. I’ve changed my mind. Take me back to St. Marrowbone, the day has been long.”
The ride was swift as the roads had cleared out largely. Suddenly regaining his bearings, Hieron realized they’d be going by Brummel’s new park. At the roundabout, Hieron asked the driver to pull over.
-=-=-=-=-=-=-
The moon was rising. Had he felt more inclined he’d have walked through the park to the lake and taken in the view. Perhaps, if Richard would deign to walk with him, they would stroll through Brummel’s Botanical Boulevard in the evening to take in the sites. What had he said to have put him so far off. The ball had gone splendidly, but the correspondence had faltered. He’d played this scenario out in his mind too many times. Shaking his head, he began the walk home. This was a route he knew.
Up two blocks and the Weatherby Free Public Library rose from what had been a farm that the city had grown around. It was an open secret Jean-Rhys had put up the largest sum for the library but her principles would never have her adorning the facade of the grand building with her name. He smirked again at the day’s earlier encounter.
Hieron kept walking and turned down the street that would lead to the St. Marrowbone neighborhood. So lost in his thoughts, he was startled back to the here and now as he walked past an alley and a commotion occured.
A large, bipedal being stood up from whatever he was doing. Looked to see Hieron and then charged at him. A blade held in one hand and rage in his eyes. At the last moment, Hieron remembered his walking stick and managed to deflect the blade from its target and only have it graze him across arm.
The brute kept charging though and bowled over the moose. Hieron landed without dignity on the ground, but whatever that was kept running. Hearing a faint groan from the alleyway, Hieron crawled over to see the prone body of a young lizard, bleeding profusely.
Pulling out his comm, he dialed 0118 999 881 999119 725 3.
“Emergency Services. Please state the nature of your Emergency”
“This is Hieronymoose Farnsworth the Third. I’d like to report an assault and possibly, a murder.”
