The London Treasure Hunt

[Nicolette Vauquelin]

Plot: Join the group solving the clues/riddles. I'll start it off, and when you guess the location correctly I'll let folk know. Then someone else can put up the next riddle/clue, and letting us know when we work it out!

~//~

 

Nicolette nibbled her fingernail, not actually chewing it of course (out of care for her manicure), it was more accurate really to say she was mouthing her fingernail. For some reason the gesture seemed to help her to think.

 

The Burnt X

 

"What can it mean?" she turned to the English people around her, who might be more familiar with the paces and peoples of London..

 

"And..." she grinned now,"...what do you think the treasure is?" she hoped it might be a kiss from the King, although there were any number of others she'd like a kiss from too, playful eyes swung towards the person next to her.

[Guest]

John was next to her (for it was a pleasant place to be). "Chuh-charring Cross?" John guessed. It would be a pun, but that didn't seem too far fetched. "It's nuh-nuh-near Piccadilly, I think."

 

As to the reward, "I'm nuh-not sure. When I was younger it was... sweets, usually." He grinned with fond memories. He certainly didn't want it to be a kiss from the King. Ick. "What d-d-do you want it to be?" John asked.

[Nicolette Vauquelin]

"La! Yes it must be this." Nicolette sighed her admiration, her hand moved to touch the Hugenot cross that nestled at her neckline, "you are very good at this game." she lowered her eyes, reached to squeeze his arm, and then skipped apart.

 

"Mmm....I hope the prize is not a poultice." she grinned with the tease. Poltices were a penny a dozen, she could make one in her sleep. "What do you hope it is?"

 

 

 

 

OOC: Guess is correct, gah I knew it was too easy!

[Guest]

John smiled just a bit too widely at the small sign of affection, "Beginner's luck." He said. He laughed at 'not a poultice', for that was a broad desire indeed.

 

"Hmm," He thought when she asked what he hoped it was, "Books are always nice. And I'm not t-t-totally opposed to sweets." John smiled in good humor.

 

The group proceeded to Charring Cross, where there was indeed a small box. Inside it was a folded piece of paper.

 

My splendor is so great that even the highest lose their heads before me.

 

OOC: It's all in good fun.

[Douglas FitzJames]

Douglas read the note over John's shoulder, an easy feat for a man of his height. Something splendid... that witnessed executions.

 

"T'soonds like the Toower o' London tae me."* The big man suggested.

 

As to the nature of the prize? He smiled at Nicci's voiced hope of what it might not be. "Sweets er guid, gold is better."** He suggested, ever practical.

 

Subtitles

* "It sounds like the Tower of London to me."

** "Sweets are good, gold is better."

[Guest]

John chuckled at the rough Scotsman’s practicality. “B-b-boring perhaps, but familiar isn’t always buh-bad.”

 

“You thuh-think so?” John said, not sure himself. “Let’s t-t-try.” The party moved to the Tower of London, but after a bit of searching found nothing.

 

OOC: Nope.

[Nicolette Vauquelin]

"Le bonbons?" she tried clarify as the gentlemen concurred 'sweets' was a prize worth winning.

 

Maldon also fancied a book, while Douglas' eyes sparkled as he spoke of gold. Nicolette was left to giggle, "La! The choice of prize says something about us all." It was good to see Douglas again even if he was engaged to Fiona. Seeing Douglas reminded her of a lovely picnic on the edge of England, and of Samphire, that he'd bravely picked for her.

 

Yet to the current puzzle, Douglas guess had them hunting around the Tower of London. Royal jewels were there admired, and Nicolette closed her eyes to imagine herself wearing them -- but no further clue to the Treasure hunt. Again they looked at the previous clue.

 

"Mmm... where was King Charles the First... beheaded?" she whispered the last word behind a hand, god knew mobs would freak out if they heard those words on the tongue of a french girl currently. "Or, were there not heads on pikes taken down when King Charles the Second was restored? Mmm... was it in the temples district?" Guesses from dim memory, but surely between the other two they'd know if either place was 'Splendid' enough to possibly be the answer to this riddle.

[Guest]

“Oui, le bonbons, Mademoiselle.” John’s pronunciation was impeccable. He didn’t speak French, but the phrase was so simple that even he could construct it.

 

“Yes, I l-l-like books, Lord Duh-Dundarg likes gold, and you hate poultices.” John said, a bit of amusement in his voice. She answered what she wanted in staring at the jewels, though John took her desires to be jewelry and not queenliness. Nevertheless, John was quite happy to mill around the Tower, which had various treasures on display.

 

Then Nicci ventured a guess. “That was the Buh-banqueting Hall wasn’t it?” John said of the execution, his voice also lowered. “That p-p-place is a good deal grander than the Temple or Luh-London bridge.” John said. And indeed, there was a small box with the next clue inside the Banqueting Hall, a grand gilded structure with all the pomp of Baroque fashion.

 

OOC: You’ve got it!

[Nicolette Vauquelin]

"hmm.... the appeal of knowledge," she considered of John's wish, "the appeal of means." defined of Douglas, "and..." then blinking of her own she hesitated to place it into some umbrella category, "...not what we already have."

 

She was so pleased when her erratic knowledge of English history was enough to set a course for the Banqueting House; even more so when there she found the next clue. Gathering the gentlemen near she read out the cue on the paper.

 

tick tock tick tock, in a royal dance the stars twinkle, let us watch