Saturday, July 9, 1066 SE
The Legendary crew wakes up in a buoyant mood, following their incredible opening performance last night. They assemble in the dining room of the South Gate Hotel and animatedly critique their production of Masha and the Bear, noting areas of improvement for tonight's showing. Marigold sits with her friends Branna and Mon, and they wonder whether they should go pick up Dhuka to bring her back to the Hotel, or if they should leave her with Branna's parents for a few days. It's harder for her to get herself in trouble in the small sleeping town of St. Gleb on the south side of the Lavra River from Konstantina, but she may be a burden to her parents. Branna sends a message to her parents, and they will come for a late lunch to pick up Dhuka.
Anya joins them for breakfast, a rare occurrence. She usually eats alone in her room, but it seems like her role in assisting their opening night to go off without a hitch has improved her spirits.
Mon follows up on a conversation with Hennadii about the rooms that were once occupied by long-term residents, during his first years of ownership. He looks at his records, and confirms that there were two residents who lived on the first floor, in rooms currently occupied by Vadim and Luba, one on the third floor, where Mon is currently staying, and one of the fourth floor, in a room currently occupied by Ioulia. Armed with this information, Mon returns to his room and painstakingly searches it, looking for any hidden compartments or loose boards that could easily be removed. Unfortunately, his efforts are not rewarded.
Marigold picks up copies of the local newspapers. The Konstantina Sun has a good review, praising the play for its moralistic bent and deeming it appropriate for parents and their children. The Shredded Truth pans the play as a glitzy event catering to the rich, and recommends it only if you want to see the nobility in its natural habitat of decadence.
Branna and Marigold are still in the dining room when a pageboy from the Konstantina Palace delivers an invitation, requesting their presence to perform the title song of Masha and the Bear at 2 in the afternoon. Marigold wishes Sir Sergeii were here to receive this invitation. With him not here, it's up to them to organize this activity. Marigold wonders if part of the Legendary's second crew could travel to St. Boris and perform mini scenes of Masha and the Bear for folks who cannot afford to attend. And some of the folks who are wealthier might find the performance intriguing enough to purchase tickets. Branna was thinking along similar lines. Mon, who rejoined them a few minutes ago, mentions they should secure permission from the city authorities to perform in public. Branna suggests they could raise ticket prices a little, and then they could donate the additional proceeds to the St. Boris food pantry.
Branna sends a page boy to Sir Sergeii’s 4-stories townhouse, located near the park inside the Walled City, to tell him about the invitation to the Palace. The reply comes that Sir Sergeii will meet with them at 10:30 to discuss logistics.
Branna and Marigold head to the theater and check on the costumes needed for the Palace. Luba and Vadim are both the star performers, along with the chorus. They will also ask a few members of the orchestra to join them. They will bring costumes back, and maybe sing as they parade through town.
Mon sends a message to Yevgen at the Luthier’s Harp reminding him of their discussion and that Mon is still looking for a few more to complete the ensemble.
Mon visits Ioulia’s room and helps her pick up sheets of scores. Behind a baseboard, he discovers a small purse. He uses a sleight of hand to pocket the purse without Ioulia noticing. She complains that her scores are all over the place, and now she can’t find the score she was working on.
Helping her, Mon has a memory. He remembers a lullaby his mother used to sing when he was a little child. Ioulia correctly identify the lullaby as the Sailor’s Complaint, a song popular long ago in the Sezja Delta. He remembers the clothing at the time. And he recalls that Mikolai wears clothes from that era as well.
Looking at the purse, Mon finds a pure silver signet ring with a Black Sun symbol on it. He also discovers a tiny, leather-bound book containing a list of names and room numbers from 1039 SE. Several names are crossed out in red ink. Mon borrows Marigold’s magnifying glasses, and decodes the entries.
RoomGuest NameStatus / Red Ink Notes
201Viktor Zhiva~~Transferred to Cathedral Scriptorium~~
205Elena Mykolenko~~Contract Terminated. Do not readmit.~~
212Father Kostiantyn~~Special Dispensation: Midnight Entry Only~~
301No Name Listed~~REJECTED. Blood purity insufficient.~~
304The GuestVessel for the descent. Keep sedated. 02/05 arrival.
308Captain TarashenkoAssigned to 304 Guard Detail.
310Olena Kravchenko~~Relocated to St. Boris. Monitoring required.~~
404Logbook Missing~~Evidence Purged.~~ Voice harvested. Process complete.~~
Mon examines the records to see if he recognizes the handwriting. He does not, but he is able to rule out that it is neither the Cardinal’s nor Dr. Sadistik’s handwriting. He asks Marigold and Branna to look at the handwriting and memorize it, in case they run across it elsewhere. He then hands Marigold both the ring and the tiny leather-bound ledger.
While this is happening, Sir Sergeii arrives. He commends Branna for setting this up.
Mon casts Motivational Speech on Luba, Vadim, and three others to help them perform better. Sir Sergeii returns before noon, with the necessary permits to perform outside and to parade down the Grand Avenue to the Palace.
The crew assembles by the walls, and warms up in front of a sizeable crowd. Mon plays the pan flute and elevates the performance, supporting the singers without obscuring them.
They rehearse, and then parade to the palace, attracting more than a thousand people along the way. Windows of the upper floors of buildings along the Grand Avenue are open, and people hang out, watching them go by.
They are greeted by Royal guards. They bow, the crowd applauds. Fifteen members of the Legendary are allowed in.
They are taken to the 3rd floor boudoir in the East Wing. It is a 2 floor space, coral walls, white ceiling, and silver accents. The intendent tells them the guests will be here in about 15 minutes. He requests no sudden movement, and asks that they do not sing too loud. One of the guests is sick and cannot tolerate loud noises. They practice.
The purses contained 15 gold pieces
Marigold recognizes that one of the persons in attendance is the Queen
Musician playing Ioulia’s score. She is really ticked off.
Mon sends the musician a message: We know you stole it.
Marigold is asked to stay behind, and she’s invited to come back to the palace tomorrow at 2 and bring her bubble machine. The queen would like to commission one for the palace. Marigold will bring the backup and will gladly sell it.
Dhuka is slaying the dragon. She will stay with Branna’s parents until Wednesday.
Things that went missing: Ioulia’s brooch, which she inherited from her mother, and possibly the score she was working on. Herald’s Collection of Love Letters: A significant stash of correspondence from various women, ranging from high-society figures like Lady Astral to waterfront workers. Dhuka’s Pink Unicorn Stuffed Animal. A Bottle of Chateau Durso Sunset Vintage: Expensive wine that Vadim had borrowed from the theater's abandoned cellar.
A set of sketchbooks and Pencils: Used by one of the Legendary’s artists to document her observations of the theater and its residents. A Silver Bracelet: A unique piece featuring comedy and tragedy masks that she had purchased at Gemstone Harbor. Lilia’s Stage Management Logs: As the stage manager for the Second Crew, she maintained the official records and schedules for the Konstantina performances. Someone’s Disheveled Traveling Gear: The belongings of Mon’s former understudy, who had recently returned from a harrowing stay in the Cathedral jail. Solomiya’s Conductor Batons: The tools of the orchestra's conductor, who was part of the troupe residing at the hotel. The troop's accounting ledger. the delivery Manifest for all of the
Albina’s Annotated Script: As Luba’s understudy, she would possess her own copy of the play's script for her role in the chorus.
Herald’s Personal Grooming Kit: Possessions belonging to the lead actor, known for his professional and put-together appearance.
If the items turn up somewhere, Branna requests she be informed infor
