Party: Claudia De La Quinne, Vholanthus Sumquaes, Daisy Dandeigh Deveraux, The Captain, Wenceslas
We rejoin the Captain and Wenceslas, who are outside still, as the guard and several De La Quinne attendants arrive on the scene. A lot of passerby start gathering and the leader of the guard squad, a sergeant, asks the captain a number of pointed questions that do not specifically link in to the current situation. He takes some notes as he adds up the sites of public disturbances where the Fifth Eclipse was spotted.
The Captain does his best to defuse the situation and explains that they just try to solve these unrelated issues rather than let them run wild in the city.
The kicker is that the sergeant also requests if the Captain saw Jean-Jacomo after the tea at Julia's place.
The Captain feigns ignorance and requests the city cleans up the corpse before it bloats.
Inside, Jean-Jacomo is brought to the storage cellar (which doubles as a dubious holding cell) while still strapped up with animated vines, giving her and Claudia a chance to huddle and concoct a plan to win over Jean-Jacomo.
Plan A involves a low-cut dress and two glasses of wine. Plan B is more complicated, including a dramatic reveal of Claudia's side of the story.
Plan A works like a charm on the adolescent target and Jean-Jacomo strongly seems to want to assist the young lady with whatever burdens she may choose to lay upon him. He feels like he is never allowed to take action and is smothered by the sheer privilege that his mother keeps heaping upon him as heir of the house. He also explains that his mother is always right and his sister was daddy's favourite.
Meanwhile! The Captain and Vholanthus head back inside but are disturbed by the majordomo from the De La Quinne estate with his escort of eight fellows. The man offers to send his fellows in as guards to assist in keeping miss Daisy safe. The Captain reassures him that the lady is well protected. The man insists. The Captain tries to close the door. The man puts his foot in the way. The Captain allows the fellows to stand outside of the house and guard the perimeter.
As the majordomo heads off, Vholanthus changes shape and follows him to see what he can learn.
Once out of sight of the mansion, the majordomo changes shape to a beggar that roams the street. Vholanthus confronts him but gets ambushed by (what we can only assume to be) allies of the shapeshifter. Sorely outnumbered, the druid chooses safety over catching his prey and returns to Daisy's house.
Claudia and the Captain talk a bit to figure out how to tackle their prisoner and she walks in to the room to fully reveal the story, with Daisy softening up the situation and the Captain encouraging Jean-Jacomo to be a strong man.
Jean-Jacomo, initially not realizing who his sister was, does imply that he has been told she was sent to the Foundry of Scorchwyn outside of the City. He is somewhat shocked to find that his father may have been killed by the family to keep control of certain areas and to keep Claudia out. But at that point, matters come to a certain head.
Vholanthus approaches the house as the fellows left outside set fires at each of the house's corners.
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