A Study in Dust and Stone, Session 3: Gumbo and Books

Scene setup

Story Direction Table Roll
[D100]: [13] => Downtime
Downtime Disturbance Table Roll
[D100 + 1]: [6 +1] => No Disturbance

-2 Mythos points for undisturbed downtime

October 27th, 12:21 p.m. | Baton Rouge, Louisiana

We arrived in Baton Rouge shortly after midday. The humid air of the city felt thick, pressing against the station platforms.

Lorenzo: "Care for some lunch, Mr. Fontenot?"
Remy: "I could eat. I know a place nearby that makes a great gumbo."

We settled into a worn leather booth and placed our orders. As we waited, Remy began to speak of his sister, Camille, and their childhood together. It was painfully clear they hadn't had an easy life; every story was etched with the grit of survival.

Lorenzo: "What is it that you do for a living, Mr. Fontenot?"
He looked at me slyly, a half-smile playing on his lips.
Remy: "I am in the business of… beverage transportation."

Ah, a bootlegger. I have no problem with that, and I told him so. In fact, a man with his specific talents could be quite useful to the Dante Alighieri Society.

Lorenzo: "An interesting enterprise, indeed. Personally, I never quite understood why you Americans prohibited alcohol. But tell me: do you only transport… beverages?"

Remy immediately smelled a business opportunity.

Remy: "I could transport anything, for the right price. What did you have in mind?"
Lorenzo: "Books."

Remy looked taken aback, his brow furrowed.

Remy: "And why would you need a person with my skills to transport books? Are they of… dubious provenance, maybe?"
Lorenzo: "Sometimes they are, I will not deny. But after what happened on the train, I feel comfortable telling you that the books I deal in are quite dangerous by themselves."
Remy: "Ah, occult shit. I see. We can work with that."

He clearly doesn't believe in the "occult shit" yet. But he will.

We finished our lunch—the gumbo was indeed delicious, spicy enough to wake the senses.

Lorenzo: "So, what is the plan with Camille?"
Remy: "My initial plan was to get to the Golden Kraken shortly before her performance, but now I think it’s better to see her as soon as possible. By day, she works as a waitress in a high-end restaurant not far from the club."
Lorenzo: "Seems reasonable. We should ask her if anything unusual has happened at the Kraken lately."

I paid for our lunch, and we stepped out into the bright afternoon sun, heading toward the Garden District.