On Shadow.

[realmrsreynolds]

Sallie's accustomed by this point in her career in Milliways with bringing people through to her house.

Sometimes however, she does forget to mention that her door leads to the back end of her walk-in pantry.

"Mind the rice bags, please," Sallie throws out behind her. "I haven't had a chance to put them away yet."

'Them', here, meaning 'a stack of burlap bags waist high that restricts the narrow walkway of actual living space to about half of its original width'.

Sallie's concise like that; even she has issues navigating it all.

Comments

[hopeitsworthit]

Dean tosses his own shit in, then follows.

"Nah. I think we're good, for now."

Later depends on what they find. Like always.

[realmrsreynolds]

Sallie doesn't reply with more than a nod of the head as she awkwardly backs up the hovercraft and heads away from the Reynolds Ranch, leaving more than a few hands who witness her driving off wondering what in the 'verse she's up to.

The scenery, for however similar it is to Dean and Sam's normal travels, is not half bad; when they get to the City (capital C, even -- that's what happens when there's only one, after all) things get more unusual.

Unless Sam and Dean are used to a mishmash of sedge hats and rickshaws between general stores that look like they came out of towns of the Old West, with open-air storefronts thrown in for good measure.

"Almost to her house," Sallie calls behind her, winding around and above traffic. "'Bout another five minutes."

[gavemea_45]

"Smells better than Deadwood, at least," Sam observes.

His grip isn't white-knuckled, but he's eyeing some of the closer vehicles a little warily as Sallie weaves her way through them.

[hopeitsworthit]

"Yeah, because that shit's what bothers me most."

Dean's voice is a little tight. And it's got nothin' to do with the whole hovercraft thing.

"Jesus."

[realmrsreynolds]

"We're here."

'Here' being more like seven minutes away from their last position on the main drag into the City, where things are slightly more spaced out.

"The doctor's house. He'd live part o' the time actually out in my district, and the rest in his actual house. Didn't want patients traveling too far to see 'im."

The house is much smaller than Sallie's, but there's enough of a yard around it to make it feel as though the size was by choice and not the necessity from the encroaching City buildings. Sallie powers down the hovercraft and jumps down first, reaching back in to grab her bag for Dorothy.

[gavemea_45]

"Sounds like he was a good guy."

Sam trades a look with Dean.

[hopeitsworthit]

"And that was all, huh?"

Dean looks right back at Sam for a second.

Maybe there's another reason the doc didn't like sticking it out at his place.

Who knows?

[realmrsreynolds]

Sallie's the one who knocks on the door, and Dorothy's actually the one to answer. (Sallie is visibly surprised.)

Before Sallie can say a word, Dorothy gestures with a tilt of the head toward the two men behind her. "Who are they?"

"Just some new employees what came out on the craft with me. We have to go into West End, pick up some supplies. You know how it is. Any shot of them coming in? I didn't think there was much of a point of making them wait in the ride."

Slightly quieter, "[Besides, they're still new. I need to keep an eye on them. Hope you do not mind.]"

Dorothy doesn't and stands aside.

[gavemea_45]

"Ma'am." Sam ducks his head in a nod as he steps into the entryway.

A quick glance around the room doesn't show anything immediately untoward. There's a doorway just behind Dorothy, one that looks like it leads into a central sort of area.

"Hope we're not intruding. We could wait somewhere out of the way while you and Mrs. Reynolds visit?"

[realmrsreynolds]

An awkward pause.

"Of course," the second woman offers. "It has...been awhile since I've had guests weren't family in the house. If you'd like you can get yourself something to drink while I take care of your boss."

Dean and Sam are waved off to Dorothy's right as the two women move down the hallway.

[hopeitsworthit]

Dean heads down the hallway, affable smile dropping away as he shifts into business-mode.

"Besides the kitchen, what're we looking at, Sammy. Workroom? You think she's got a shed or something?"

[gavemea_45]

"Something like that, yeah -- some kind of office, maybe. Somewhere he saw patients, or whatever."

Sam follows Dean into the other room, moving around the side toward one of the cabinets.

"Split up or work the place together?"

[hopeitsworthit]

Dean shrugs, checking under a couple chairs for any charms or symbols. Just in case.

"I'd say split up, but it's gonna look kinda hinky if I'm over here and you're somewhere else."

Huh. Nothing. Go figure.

"Not that it ain't gonna look hinky if we're both somewhere else. Split up? It'll get us finished faster."

[gavemea_45]

"Sounds good."

He nods to Dean and then retreats the way they came, moving cautiously back up the hall.

[hopeitsworthit]

Dean, meanwhile, makes himself busy.

First he pours a drink--one for Sam, too.

Versimilitude's handy.

Then he starts looking through drawers, under furniture and rugs, and behind paintings.

This is where the EMF detector comes in real useful.

Except for the part where it seems like everything sets it off. Huh.

[realmrsreynolds]

Sallie's in her habitual chair, and Dorothy's in her recliner.

At least the mirrors aren't still covered.

"So, hired on some new folk?" Dorothy makes conversation, playing with the sweetroll Sallie pulled out of her bag.

"That I did. They are brothers; tend to work best as a team, so I hear."

Sallie's the only one with a view of the hallway, and notices Sam moving out of the kitchen.

"Know what they're doing, far as I can tell."

[gavemea_45]

There's a door that opens off the main hall, but it leads to a spare room-- an empty one. He gives it a fast scan just in case, but comes up empty.

Not far past that, though, he finds a set of stairs. Sam makes a face and eases his way slowly up them, avoiding creaky boards as best he can.

[hopeitsworthit]

Yeah, okay. This EMF thing is just weird.

Maybe the chick--Dorothy?--maybe she's just evil. Or something.

He's having a hard time buying it, though.

Dean keeps the detector out anyway; one free hand's all he needs right now. And if that changes--he can just drop it. New one won't be that hard to rig up.

Now.

What else is on this floor?

[gavemea_45]

Turns out that the late Dr. Gaetano's home office is upstairs, and it doesn't take him long to get into the file cabinet.

Or the desk drawer.

The computer system's a little more of a challenge, though.


What's worse, there's nothing unusual in any of it.

[hopeitsworthit]

Doesn't seem to be anything weird. Except the EMF thing.

So Dean heads for the stairs, too, meeting Sam on his way down.

"Nothing down here. Well--weirdass EMF, but unless a Christo's gonna work on Dorothy, pretty sure it's not all that. You?"

[gavemea_45]

"I found jack."

Sam sounds as disgusted as he looks.

"There's an office, yeah, but nothing pings."

[realmrsreynolds]

They're back in the hallway again.

Talking.

"Help you with anything, gentlemen?" Sallie calls to them, doing her level best to remain official-sounding.

[hopeitsworthit]

"You mind if we head outside, ma'am?"

Dean's voice is carefully diffident.

"Sammy, here has this thing with claustrophobia."

[gavemea_45]

Sam cuts a look at Dean before letting out an exasperated breath.

"Yeah."

For some reason, it comes out more than a little flat.

"Claustrophobia."

[realmrsreynolds]

Claustrophobia? They're worse than Malcolm.

"Certainly. I won't be much longer."