Patchwork Universe

Dr. William T. Odom · Good Joined: 01 Dec 2003 Posts: 120 Location: The Museum

Dr. Odom left the diving suit with the Curator of a fourth-floor display of marine exploration equipment. He realized that he could have left it with the exhibit he had passed in the side corridor, but he still would have had no shoes. He studied his toes gripping the marble stairs through his socks all the way to the seventeenth floor, where he was able to reclaim his shoes for the rest of the climb to the thirty-eighth floor and his office.

Closing the door behind him, William threw the bolt and dropped his coat on the chaise longue. He lowered himself carefully into his chair as if testing its solidity and just sat for a minute, grasping the arms of the chair and staring at the door.

By the door was a small table on which sat a pewter jug and a basin. After putting together a tolerable cigarette, William rose, crossed to the table, and took the tumbler from on top of the jug. He filled it liberally with akvavit from the bottle from the filing cabinet.

Between sips from the glass and puffs from the cigarette, William busied his hands with tidying himself a bit while he tried to think. He rummaged through a desk drawer until he found a brush for his coat and a comb for his hair. He found the clean shirt he kept in another drawer and a wash cloth and towel from beside the basin to scrub his face.

Meanwhile, William's brain tried to sort what it had learned.

The city was no longer outside the Museum.
Maple Hill had appeared outside the Museum.
Before he could return, Maple Hill had moved away from the Museum.
Something else, then, must be in front of the Museum right now.
The only way to find out what was to step outside again

And then there was Dr. Jewel and the grandiose promise to her he had to fulfill, although just how one went about helping a dead woman put her life in order was beyond him so far. It did remind him, though, to return to his desk and write out an authorization for her. It was written on heavy, durable paper and instructed all Runners and Guides to obey any reasonable orders she gave and all Curators to cooperate with all reasonable requests. He supposed he would have to leave it at the ticket window and whatever Runners or Guides she used would have to carry it around for her.

Dr. William T. Odom · Good Joined: 01 Dec 2003 Posts: 120 Location: The Museum

William tucked the letter of authorization and the notes from the session on 184 into a stiff-covered notebook and the notebook into an inside pocket of his coat. A strongbox revealed an assortment of coins, a quantity of which, in assorted gold, silver and copper, William dropped into the largest of the changepurses crammed into one of the strongbox's compartments, making a careful note of the amount on a folded sheet of paper wedged into the lid. He put the strongbox away and dropped the purse into one of his pockets. He would not be caught again in the position of relying on Dr. Jewel to cover for him in a public house! Finally, he wound his watch (after checking the time against the one pinned to his sweater pocket, which he also wound), topped up the ink in his pen, and made a quick check to see that he had all of his usual paraphernalia in good supply.

Then William put his feet up on a corner of his desk and had another drink and another cigarette, this one considerably more cylindrical.

When the cigarette had burned away at a leisurely pace and the akvavit had been sipped away to nothing William rose calmly to his feet. He flipped carelessly through a stack of new work he would have to do eventually and dropped it back on the desk in a crazy pile. He patted his pockets and looked around at the desk, the table and the floor for quick reassurance, and unbolted the door.

Dr. Odom strode to the main stairway with his self-assurance restored. He skated lightly down the stairs, one hand grazing the bannister and the soles of his shoes slipping from the leading edge of one tread down to the next. He stopped on the 28th floor and lingered for a little while near the stairway. He poked his head into a relatively small gallery exhibiting millefiori paperweights. A young guide looked up from a little bored dusting and pushed blond curls from her eyes. Dr. Odom smiled politely and withdrew. He glanced around for other signs of life and then continued down, silently berating himself for a number of character flaws.

When he reached the first floor, Dr. Odom checked his collar, lapels and tie by touch and commenced a quick march toward the front door.

[OOC: Dr. Odom returns to "Bad News for Zookeepers"]