Kevin's Watch

Oliver placed his bag down beside the door and pulled out a key. "I've never really read much 'bout all that," he said as he placed the key in the door. "Sorry. Guess it must have been a real other world, hey?"

The door then opened and cold, moist air rushed out of the dark entrance. In the distance, Tatiana could see a faded yellow lamp illuminating a spiralling staircase. It led down into the tower. Mold covered most of the brick and mortar, and the iron stairs were rusted in most places.

Oliver picked up his bag and stepped inside. "Close the door behind you; the boss will kill me if any bums take up residence inside." He then walked down the creaking staircase. Fifty stairs down, the pair having descended a full revolution, he stopped and placed a thumb in his mouth, sucking at it. When he pulled it out Tatiana could see that he had cut himself - a cut oozed thick, rich blood. "Damn rusted metal," he sighed.

Resisting hunger frenzy (Resolve + Composure) (2 successes needed): 3 successes.

Tatiana manages to withhold the urge to lunge at her mortal companion and drain him of his blood.

Tatiana looks around ,mastering her hunger...."Looks very old. When was built?" she asks, putting on a wide eyed fascinated expression, while stepping closer to him as if in slight fear.

Oliver rests against a damp wall looking at his pale companion. "The bridge was built around the turn of the nineteenth century. Although really the current structure was built in the twentieth following the floods of '27. Real strange story about how it was built; they say it was it worked on day and night, although there was only ever a day crew. The records do not say who worked on it during the night apart from some figures in the water. The Russian migrants called them the 'Vodyanoi'. I wonder if they were ghosts or something. But I haven't seem 'em, though."

At the mention of ghosts, Tatiana steps up against Oliver. "Such tales were told in Murmansk. Always by Uncle Gregor. You...feel safe, da?" as she smiles up at him

Oliver smiles uncomfortably as he Tatiana steps closer to him. His breathing quickens and she can see the artery on his neck pulse more quickly - the blood surging through him . . . .if she were to bite into it, warm red blood would fill her mouth. He sensed her looking at him and looked away embarrassed.

"I'm not sure that it's ghosts. But maybe it's something ordinary - like some masons or something. Ghosts . . . nah."

He looked down the stairwell. "Just a few more stairs to go and we'll reach the walkway under the bridge."

Playing a bit of the coquette now, she asks.."walk under bridge? By moonlight? Is place of much...romance?" she asks with cheeky grin, before ducking her head away as if to hide a blush.

"Well," he shifts uncomfortably, but remaining where he is. "Not much in the way of romance there; only us engineers can get under the bridge. "Uh . . . we can uh . . . walk there, hey."

Nodding quickly, head still ducked as if embarrassed by her own forthrightness, "Da, please to keep walking, and show."

Oliver laughs. "Yes, let's." He descends ten stairs - the stairwell curving around along the wall - and reaches an iron door partly corroded. With his good hand, he inserts the key into the door and opens it. Moist air floods into the stairwell, as well as the sounds of muted traffic and the groaning and creaking of metal.

Before Oliver and Tatiana is a walkway made of thick mesh, with a chest high railing on either side. The walkway is connected to the looming body of the bridge above by metal struts and cables. Almost twenty feet below them is the Ghostsilt River, black and glistening. The body of a deer or a person - it is hard to see - drifts past. Oliver walks ahead in the direction of one of the centre pylons.

"Just a ten minute walk, lady," he says over the traffic above.

"The body, floated by. Are there many? Do people take them out, examine? or no one care?" she asks as she paces her erstwhile guide.

"What body?" he asked as walked along. "Oh, yes. We see them from time to time. Two years during the fires and raids in the Russian district saw some people fall into the river on fire, too. But in general no one cares."

She let the comfortable silence continue as they approached their destination....

The bridge shook as heavy traffic travelled across. A constant rumbling mixed with the sighing and screeching of metal as the pair made their way to the distant pylon. It was dark under the superstructure, but Oliver had a torch and knew his way well. Ten minutes later, Tatiana and the engineer arrived at the half-way point of the bridge. He turned to her and pointed to the pylon at his right - a large curved brick and mortar structure.

"That's it. See that ladder near me? We climb down that and reach the platform below. Say, you really sure you want to do this? I mean, come back tomorrow when there's enough light. Night is too dangerous."

Boldly, Tatiana steps forward..."Nyet, I am here, to do this now." as she grasps the first rungs and commences her descent.

"Hey wait lady!" Oliver shouts. "Damn broad!" He points the torch down and illuminates the twenty feet climb for Tatiana. "Be careful; the last few rungs are slimy. I'll be down there when you reach the bottom."

Carefully concealing a moue of distaste at the filth, Tatiana descends quickly, then stands expectantly waiting for him to point the way further.

Tatiana descends down the rusted and slippery ladder, the sounds of the distant traffic and the iron rattling of the bridge looming above faded and replaced by the sound of water lapping against the mighty pylon she is climbing down. Oliver maintains his watch over her, lighting her way. After two minutes she reaches a platform that circles the structure. There are signs that the water flows over the surface, as debris litters the surface. There are also fresh blood marks - dried now - spattered over the brick walls.

Tatiana hears Oliver climbing down.

IN false wide-eyed wonderment, she looks around as Oliver comes down. "Is most fascinating" she says.

Investigation (Wits + Investigation -1 [poor lighting]) roll: 0 successes.

Oliver climbs down the ladder quickly - his understanding of the bridge's structure granting him much confidence. In time he reaches Tatiana, standing beside her. However, before he reaches her on the platform, she manages to look around. Seeing nothing, she waits for her companion.

Oliver steps off the ladder and wipes his dirty hands on his overalls. He flashes her a quick smile and then shines the torch around. "Well, we're here. Anything in particular you are interested in -"

His voice trails off as he points the beam of light off to their right. Kneeling down, he swipes away some dirt and algae from the part where the platform connects to the pylon. "That's weird," he breathes. "It's like there's some hidden door here."

/ooc---hit him with Entrancement

"Oh, secret..to explore, yes? Is very exciting!"