Jake Bullock @JakeTheSharp

*finishing the meal and pulling out my battered pocketwatch, looking at @NotJustDaggers as I ask for the check* We should get going soon.

>>meet @NotJustDaggers on the platform, my hands shoved into my pockets to keep warm, seeing him waiting for me already* Goof afternoon.

*grins at @notjustdaggers* The train leaves later. W could get something to eat before we board together? There's a lovely place nearby.

I'll arrange for a hotel suite. We can share my compartment on the midnight train tonight rather than risk the ride in snow, @notjustdaggers

Problem, @notjustdaggers? Have a better idea? *trying the last of the pastries as I sip my tea slowly*

>>apartment, stabling the horse & taking the iron gated elevator to the top floor, looking out at a city covered with snow* @NotJustDaggers

*nods to @NotJustDaggers in parting, thanking the stable boy for taking such good care of his horse, taking a slow path back to his rented>>

Sleep well, @NotJustDaggers. Let’s meet at my place tomorrow. Noon at the coffee shop. My treat this time?

I should really go. The others will be concerned. This is nothing compared to a blizzard in the Rockies. *grins at @NotJustDaggers*

You seem tired. *places the coffee cup on a small saucer and then next to @NotJustDaggers as he sits on the table* I need to ride home.

I knew a lot of Chinese in California. Indians too. I bet we know some of the same tricks, @NotJustDaggers. *raising my brows teasingly*

*nodding listening to @NotJustDaggers* I wonder how she ever came into contact with you, hidden away in this mansion. *grinning at him*

I.. Uh.. *rubs my forehead as watches @NotJustDaggers* I hate needles. Always have. *sips my coffee black and warm*

Oh. The needle was to draw blood. *shajes my head as @NotJustDaggers sips his tea* We would just poke our finger with a knife. Not as fancy.

*giving @NotJustDaggers a disapproving look* That seems like folly. Surely there’s another way to do this. *hands him the tea instead*

*catches the servant and takes the coffee and tea from her with a charming smile as I rejoin @NotJustDaggers in his private laboratory* Tea?

>>*lifts it up and hesitates before moving the mouth under my nose, inhaling with purpose* Smell this, @NotJustDaggers…

I’ve never used it. Seems to complicate matters. *notices a bottle of wine open on a small side table near @NotJustDaggers’s family crest*>>

*Jake furrows his brows as @NotJustDaggers makes the request* Poison, though. Beast of a way to go. *lost in thought for a moment*

I was afraid of that, @NotJustDaggers. The dead boy was assigned to watch you. *leans in to get a close look at the crest* What’s it say?