Southern Star Log 10

[pyrephox]

Logfile from SamingaMU.

Soon, Thomas finds himself on the long private road that leads to the Wrights' family home, having been informed by a casual source that Wright was working from there for the time being. Unlike at Edwards' place, no reporters infest this private property, perhaps kept back out of respect for the old family...or fear of the old family's money and lawyers. The house itself is a graceful plantation-era home, painted a sparkling white, with grand, slender columns dominating the front.

Thomas walks leisurely up the driveway towards the house, the cane swinging with his step. As he walks, he's obviously admiring the house and it's surroundings.

The house is, cursory research and town gossip would have revealed, situated on about fifty acres of land, which explains its solitary majesty. Behind the house itself, he can see rolling fields, a bard, another building that looks like a separate garage, and a mother-in-law house at the edge of the treeline. As he reaches the porch, he can see an engraved brass nameplate with the family name. Although it's in excellent condition, it looks as old as the house itself.

Thomas takes one last look around the yard before turning back to the task at hand. He looks at the nameplate for a moment before going up to the front door and giving the door knocker two solid raps, then taking a half step back to wait for a reply.

The reply isn't long in coming, as there's the sound of heels clicking on a wooden floor, and then the door opening. A tired looking middle aged woman opens the door. Thomas knows enough about the town to easily identify her as Wright's wife, although they've never directly spoken before. She looks out at him warily. "Yes? May I help you?"

Thomas puts on his best smile, "Good evening M'am. My name is Thomas Hutchens, I'm with a local newspaper and was wondering if I might speak with Mr. Wright."

[[DICE]] The Conductor rolls the d666 and gets 5 3 CHECK: 6.

"Hutchens..." Mrs. Wright's expression brightens and she smiles, the expression making her a beautiful woman. "Oh, yes. I saw that charming story you did...was it a year ago? Maybe? On the history of art in the Lovell area. My mother was related to Deirdre Champion, did you know?" Her smile falters, though, as she realizes what his request must be in regards to. "I'm not sure, Mr. Hutchens. He may not be available," she says, formally, but then opens the door wider. "Why don't you come in and sit down, at least? I'll get you something to drink while you wait."

Thomas smiles a little wider as he steps into the home and tips his non-existent hat, "Thank you very much M'am. While I'm sure you can guess at my immediate reason for coming," He looks around the entryway admiringly, "I have to admit that being here is a bit of a thrill, as I'm sure you have many fine examples of local artwork that are not likely to be seen anywhere else." Thomas smiles a little sheepishly at her as his eyes come down from looking at the room.

Mrs. Wright inclines her head, looking pleased at the flattery to her collection. And, in fact, the entryway and what can be seen of the house is very elegant, with a great deal of artwork and antiques, each displayed with obvious care and an eye for detail. "You are correct, Mr. Hutchens. I actually have several portraits that Deirdre painted for my mother's side of the family. They were gifts, so have never been displayed formally. If circumstances were different..." she trails off and shrugs. "Well, perhaps you will come back, some day." She leads him into the front parlor, decorated in cheerful, pale yellows. "Please sit. Would you like sweet tea? Perhaps some cookies?"

[[OOC]] Thomas wishes to resonate her si vou plais. 8)
[[DICE]] Thomas rolls the d666 and gets 1 2 CHECK: 5.
[[OOC]] The Conductor says "She is Elizabeth Candice Wright, maiden name Bryant. She's been born and raised in Lovell, although she did go to Columbia College...the girl's school in South Carolina, not Columbia University...for her degree in interior decorating and design. She's married, with one young son, and often considers herself to be happily so...she treats the occasional bouts of depression with sherry and her hobby of collecting antiques. She has a massive web of personal attachments throughout the area, but she values very few of them...most of them are simply what she's expected to cultivate as a woman of her station. She truly cares about her husband, her son, her parents, and her young cousin. And all of the above truly care about her; most of her acquaintances are looking for what they can get rather than for a deep connection."

"Just the tea would be fine, if it's not too much trouble." Thomas looks around the room, spotting a piece on the far wall, he smiles and gestures, "This wouldn't happen to be one of the pieces you spoke of would it? The style is very reminiscent of Ms. Champion."

Mrs. Wright beams at the observation. "Why, yes, that would be. It's of my great uncle, David. And tea won't be any trouble at all, I assure you. You just wait here for a moment," she says, being put at her ease by the man's interest in something other than the train. She gestures towards a couch, and then moves out of the room towards the kitchen.

Thomas admires the painting for a moment more before taking a seat on the end of the indicated couch. With the cane placed carefully at his feet, he continues to look around the room and examine some of the unique items in it.

There are a variety of antiques in this room. Most appear to be Southern in origin, from the forties on back to Cherokee artifacts of various types. There's also a bookcase with the Approved Reading List of the Southern 'gentry'; southern authors, histories of the area, and the required Jeff Foxworthy humor book. It takes only a few minutes before Elizabeth reappears, bearing a glass of sweet tea. "Reggie says that he'll be with you in a moment. Unfortunately, I have to go stop my son from attempting to find out where the wasps in the barn are coming from, but you'll be okay on your own for the moment?"

Thomas rises to take the glass of tea from her, "Thank you kindly. I'll be fine here to wait." He smiles again, "You have enough items in this room to hold my interest for much longer than I'm sure Mr. Wright will be."

Elizabeth laughs, and shakes her head. "As if my few objects could distract you from a story," she says, softly. "But thank you for your flattery, Mr. Hutchens. My husband will join you in a moment," she promises, before heading back into the house, towards the back door.

Thomas takes a sip of the tea, and returns to his seat on the end of the couch.
It isn't long before he can hear a heavier tread coming down the hall, and Wright emerges. He looks like a man who is tired, perhaps grieving, but determined to hold up under the unexpected burden placed upon him. He offers Thomas a slight smile. "Mr. Hutchens?" He moves forward, extending a hand to the other man. "My wife has insisted that I give you a moment of my time," he says, a touch of wry humor there.

[[OOC]] Amy says "And now we find out all Wright needs is a good hug and someone to understand him, and he'll repent of his wickedness to us all. (We can hope.)"
[[OOC]] The Conductor snickers.
[[OOC]] Thomas says "Resonate once again plskthxbai."
[[OOC]] Amy says "Roll high! Roll high!"
[[OOC]] The Conductor says "You can haz resonance? Let's see!"
[[OOC]] Thomas kicks Amy in the shins.
[[DICE]] Thomas rolls the d666 and gets 1 6 CHECK: 1.
[[OOC]] Thomas says "Doh."
[[OOC]] Amy kicks Thomas in the shins. "You never listen!" :p
[[OOC]] Thomas says "Passable roll.. nearly useless CD."
[[OOC]] Amy says "Maybe rez again after a minute or two?"
[[OOC]] The Conductor says "He's Reginald Wright. He's from Lovell, and very much rooted in his Southern, upper-class rural culture. He currently believes that he is well-regarded by the man next to him, although that feeling is not returned. His job is that of a business owner, and his other passionate hobbies are golf, Sorcery, and writing."
[[OOC]] Thomas says "Well.. I guess that's enough of a CD to confirm his hobbies. 9)"
[[OOC]] Amy says "Well, it's enough that we could off him and Heaven would sign off on the murder..."

Thomas nods as he rises again to greet Wright, "Thomas Hutchens, yes sir." He grasps the proffered hand and shakes it firmly, "I'm from the local newspaper, and I was wondering if I could have a few moments of your time to talk about the goings on at Southern Star."

Wright's grip is firm and brief, his skin cool to the touch. He nods at the angel's question, expecting as much. "Normally, these kinds of questions should be addressed to my press officer, but since my wife is taken with you, you can have a moment." His smile turns slightly sharp. "Don't disappoint her, please." He takes the chair to the side of the couch, turning and crossing one leg over another. "What's on your mind?"

Thomas returns to his seat, pulling out his notepad and pencil, "I'm sure a businessman of your calibre can understand the wish to get the information from the source." He smiles, and flips a few pages through his notepad, "And I assure you that my interest in many of the items you have here is quite genuine, you have a fantastic collection. Now down to business, I don't want to waste too much of your time. As the principal financial backer for Southern Star, were you involved in much of the day to day operations of the company, or did you leave that largely to Mr. Edwards?"

Wright raises an eyebrow, inclining his head to the complement for his home, but not replying to it. Instead, he focuses on business, and answers, "Mr. Edwards was, unfortunately, not very adept at the financial end of the business. I served as advisor after I became the principle backer, mostly to help him keep his tax and stock information straight. The actual /work/, of course, was Edwards. I'm not an engineer, and didn't want to muck the thing up," he adds, with a quick, practiced grin of self-depreciation.

Thomas nods and smiles, "Of course, not all of us can be engineers, or savvy business men for that matter." Tipping his head towards Wright before continuing, "So in your time working with the company, was there any indication that things were being done in any way that was not up to a quality standard?"

[[DICE]] The Conductor rolls the d666 and gets 6 5 CHECK: 5.

Wright chuckles. "I'd hardly have allowed the work to continue if there /was/, Mr. Hutchens," he says. "I saw no indication that the work was not progressing as it was supposed to. I knew, of course, that Mr. Edwards was not...entirely stable. I didn't know that he was an addict, of course. I thought it was simply the instability common to men of great potential." His eyes shift away from Thomas, his voice going oddly flat, as if the man's practiced charm suddenly deserted him, "I wanted the project to succeed, of course. I had no idea that there was such a flaw at its heart."

Thomas scribbles a few things down as Wright talks, then looking up, "I was under the impression that Mr. Edwards' previous addiction had been dealt with, and that he was no longer involved in such activities." He flips back a couple of pages in the notepad, "Would you characterize Mr. Edwards as a man under a great deal of stress during this time?"

Wright shrugs, a touch of contempt showing through. "Is a junkie /ever/ really an ex-junkie? And yes, Edwards was progressively more stressed as we approached the date. Perhaps...perhaps he felt guilt, worry over what he'd done," he suggests, with a shake of his head. "I can't say. I wouldn't want to speculate. Whatever weaknesses that Edwards has, he was a brilliant man. I have every hope that his designs, properly built, will go on to revolutionize the industry."

[[OOC]] Amy says "Especially because Wright will own the rights to them, if memory serves from our conversation with Edwards, no?"
[[OOC]] The Conductor smiles widely.

More scribbles in the notepad, then ignoring the first part, Thomas continues, "I wasn't aware that Mr. Edwards had done anything. The police had not completed their investigation when I last spoke with them. Either way," He refers to some other pages in the notepad and moves on hurriedly, "I understand that you hired a security specialist. Was there some concern about security within the plant in the late stages of production?"

"Of course," Wright says smoothly to Thomas' first statement, although his eyes are cool. "We mustn't condemn the man before he has his day in court...no matter the personal betrayal I feel about the matter," he adds, with a heavy sigh. "And yes, I was worried about industrial espionage. Just because the designs were revolutionary, you understand."
"Wright! Where the hell..." The 'security expert' himself comes around the corner, surprisingly light and stealthy for such a large man. He freezes as he sees Wright and Thomas together, his eyes narrowing suspiciously. In a gruff voice, he continues, "Didn't know you were busy. Sorry. Boss."
Wright's smile is suddenly a touch strained at the edges. "Not a problem. We were just speaking of you. Joe Bolden, this is Thomas Hutchens. He's a reporter...a local, for once."

Thomas looks up at Joe, nodding politely, "Nice to meet you Mr. Bolden. Perhaps if you have time later, I have a few questions for you as well." He looks back to Mr. Wright, "If you don't mind of course."

Joe shakes his head. "I'm not hear to answer questions," he says firmly, but doesn't seem ready to leave, as he folds himself into one of the delicate antique chairs, the poor thing looking strained by holding him up.
Wright coughs. "I'm afraid the terms of his contract preclude speaking to reporters. Standard clause," he assures Thomas, throwing Joe a warning look. Joe looks back, his muddy green eyes flat and unrepentant. Wright turns back. "Let us continue, shall we?"

[[OOC]] Thomas says "BTW.. resonate the demon too."
[[DICE]] Thomas rolls the d666 and gets 4 2 CHECK: 3.
[[OOC]] The Conductor says "Most people who know this fellow call him Soegos, and he hails from the Archives in Hell. He views himself as completely and utterly superior to everyone in this room...Wright regards him considerably less, although there's a certain level of terrified respect. He doesn't have any hobbies, but until very recently, his job was shredding reports of human achievement."

"Of course, I understand completely." Thomas flips through his notebook again, "Now, where were we. Ah, yes. You spoke of espionage concerns. I wasn't aware of any other competitors to Southern Star. Does this mean that there were other companies actually watching the progress of the new line?"

Wright regains his composure quickly as the talk turns back to the Star. "Oh, I had expressions of interest from the moment I devoted resources to the project." He grins. "No one wanted to risk their own capital on it until someone did, but after that, they were all sniffing around, trying to see what I saw in it."

Thomas nods again, more writing, "And that brings me to my last question. With the status of the company somewhat up in the air at the moment, can you tell me, if Mr. Edwards steps down, is found guilty, or is otherwise no longer able to run the company, who will step up to take his place and run the company?"

Wright blinks, perhaps not having expected that. "I suppose I would," he says, after a moment. "Of course...Southern Star as a company is a dead concern, I'm afraid. I would not insult the people of this community by trying to revive it after this tragedy. I would helm it for the break down, though, and I have made a commitment to finding its employees other jobs within my businesses...those who are not found guilty of wrongdoing, of course."

Thomas furrows his brow, writing some more, then closing up the notebook and pocketing it. "That's all the questions I have. Thank you very much for your time Mr. Wright, I appreciate it. And if you don't mind, please tell your wife that I would still like to see some of the other portraits by Ms. Champion." He reaches into his coat and pulls out a business card, "I'm sure that there are other history buffs like myself in the community that would appreciate a chance to get even a secondhand glimpse as some of the items in your collection." He smiles genuinely as he hands over the business card.

[[DICE]] The Conductor rolls the d666 and gets 6 4 CHECK: 1.
[[OOC]] The Conductor says "Roll perception, please?"
[[DICE]] Thomas rolls the d666 and gets 1 3 CHECK: 1.

Wright rises politely as Thomas speaks, Joe following his example...although in the latter case, it almost can't help being threatening. Wright takes the business card without looking at it, tucking it away. "Certainly. I'll walk you to the door, shall I? Joe..."
"I'll go see what Liz and the kid are up to," the man interrupts with a grunt, and there's a flicker of pleasure in his eyes as Wright twitches...it's a minute movement, and only Thomas' perceptive eyes seem to pick up the byplay before both men turn away from each other. Wright's voice is utterly smooth and unconcerned as he says, "You do that, Joe. This way, Mr. Hutchens."

Thomas stands and allows himself to be guided towards the entry way, "I thank you again Mr. Wright for your hospitality and your time." He extends a hand to shake again, "If there's anything I can do for you, please don't hesitate to call the number on my card." *Resonate just before he leaves*

[[DICE]] Thomas rolls the d666 and gets 3 1 CHECK: 5.
[[OOC]] The Conductor says "Okay. You're looking at Reginald Davis Wright. He and his family have been in Lovell for three, going on four, generations...and the eldest men in the family have been Sorcerers for about that long. He learned Sorcery at his father’s knee, and has a wide variety of social connections, including one demon (Soegos), and several Ethereal Spirits. The demon contact is relatively new, and the demon is enslaved to him...but neither he nor the demon have any faith in that bond, and Wright is terrified of him. Most of his social connections are of no importance to him: only his son, his wife, and one of the Ethereals."