Still, after your mistakes at the Perch, you are not going to set foot inside the establishment without walking the perimeter at least once - an admittedly awkward proposition with a cart, but you are not going to be deterred. As you draw closer to the entrance, you make note of the House's shingle, depicting a bed with a yellow frame. You also note that the house has a raised cellar, necessitating a small stair of three steps between the sidewalk and the front door, recessed into the building. The stair has a railing -
And the railing has a Strange-Stain on it.
Pattern's Perdition! Struggling to keep your face neutral, you try to process this. You had figured that those men might have gone to another Public House, one close to the Perch, considering that at least one of them had an injured leg ... but, honestly, this - could this Strangeness have been left behind by someone else? It is possible, certainly ... though you cannot help but recall that one of the men did have communicable Strangeness on their hand, as evidenced by the handprint by the window. It suddenly occurs to you that the men who made the prints might still be inside, and you get shivers all up and down your back.
Spheres and Stars, what do you do?
> Please choose ONE of the following:
> If the men are in this Public House, then the place is too dangerous for you to treat it as a storehouse when other options exist. And if they aren't ... either way, right now you need to focus on getting supplies and finishing errands, not following three or four day old leads. There are not too many hours left in the day for trading, and assuming that you don't manage to leave the Mount tonight, most places of business are going to be closed for Titheday tomorrow. If you do investigate this place, it should be later. Keep moving, find another House.
> If for whatever reason, the late Aldoin's house does not pan out, then this might be the last lead you have to father. Ever. You hemmed and hawed about poking around the house across the street from the South Burying Ground, where the Hook Gulls were congregating - and what happened? Before you could make up your mind, a decision was made for you when the Inquisition remediated the entire building. At this point, you have better odds of bleeding a stone then learning anything of substance from the site. What if the same thing happens here? There will always be other opportunities to shop, but you will only ever have one father. Get the wand ready, and head in.
Sorry about falling asleep on you guys. But I think sleeping on this update certainly improved it.
