The Prince's Ball (The Lounge)
It is X minutes to midnight.
Initial visit:
The lounge is a fairly typical example of its type -- roaring fireplace, leather armchairs, bookshelves, hunting trophies, cigars and whiskey on the sideboard. A place for men to gather and talk about the ridiculous things that men talk about. You get a few sidelong glances from them as you enter, but they're all too stuffy and formal to be rude about this trespass on their territory.
Subsequent visits:
You return to the lounge, briefly wondering if the Prince keeps a lock on his gun cabinet, but dismissing that train of thought quickly. Anyway, he definitely does, otherwise some walrus-mustached buffoon would already be messing around with them and saying things like "Spiffing!"
At least six minutes after having drugged the whiskey decanter with laudanum:
Everyone in here is snoozing peacefully, slumped in the leather armchairs with their moustaches vibrating from their snores. Looks like the laudanum did the trick.
A glint of silver catches your eye -- it looks like someone dropped a coin under one of the armchairs.
At least three minutes after having taken the cigar:
The gentleman with the whiskey flask has left it sitting on one of the end tables.
At least six minutes after having taken the cigar:
It appears that all the cigars were smoked -- the box is empty.
| Pick up the coin. |
You drop your handkerchief next to the armchair, and quickly pick it back up (before any of the gentlemen present can do it for you) with the coin inside, and put both of them in your purse.
 | You acquire an item: odd silver coin |
| Take a cigar from the sideboard. |
You take a cigar from the box on the sideboard, bite the end off, and spit it expertly into the fireplace. The men are suitably impressed, and one of them lights the cigar for you. You join in on their conversation for a while, contributing some hilarious anecdotes about your late husband's hunting trips and other such rubbish, and matching them on whiskey consumption. (One of them, impressed by the Prince's taste in alcohol, refills his pocket flask from the decanter, eliciting chuckles from the others.)
After taking a cigar from the sideboard, with the loungers not incapacitated:
| Start a rumor about Cinderella. |
It strikes you that the "Good Ol' Boy" network would be the perfect way to start a shameful rumor about Cinderella, and ensure that it gets back to the Prince. You quickly improvise some outrageous slander:
The following choice is offered:
| Cinderella is a raging alcoholic. |
"Now, you didn't hear this from me," you begin, and proceed to tell a sordid tale of how Cinderella's mother used to get her knocked out on whiskey to keep her quiet as a child, and as a consequence she now spends the entire day plastered, drinking from breakfast until she finally passes out at night. The men all "tut-tut" and shake their heads ruefully, as they refill their glasses.
| Cinderella is a opium junkie. |
"Now, you didn't hear this from me," you begin, and proceed to tell a sordid tale of Cinderella's addiction to opium, and the terrible things she's done to keep up her supply of drugs. Not that you accuse her of anything specific, of course. It wouldn't be right to give such personal details to strangers, especially when they can imagine much more terrible things for themselves, given a few blanks to fill in.
| Cinderella has a terrible disease. |
"Now, you didn't hear this from me," you begin, and proceed to tell a sordid tale of how Cinderella's body is riddled with diseases, which she acquired by... "Well, I shouldn't say in mixed company, but I'm sure you can imagine." These men have pretty good imaginations.
| Cinderella is a kleptomaniac. |
"Now, you didn't hear this from me," you begin, and proceed to tell a sordid tale of how Cinderella's mother taught her shoplifting at an early age, and she continues the habit to this day, constantly filching trinkets and small valuable items, even when she doesn't need the money because of your kind-hearted charity. The men shake their heads and tut-tut ruefully.
(One rumor may be distributed per playthrough.)
At least three minutes after taking a cigar:
| Take the whiskey flask. |
You take the whiskey flask. It's still half-full from when whatsisname refilled it before.
With the laudanum, after taking a cigar:
| Spike the whiskey decanter with laudanum. |
With your back to the room to conceal your hands, you tip a little laudanum into the whiskey decanter, then do a circuit of the room to top up everyone's glasses. You pour the remaining dregs into a potted plant, and replace the decanter with a clean one from the sideboard cabinet.
At least six minutes after taking a cigar:
| Take the empty cigar box. |
You take the empty cigar box. Fortunately, you chose a fairly spacious handbag for the evening.
| Examine the curio cabinet. |
The curio cabinet is full of antique trinkets and expensive junk -- war medals, little trophies, foreign souvenirs, and so forth. The place of honor appears to be given to a tacky silver creamer in the shape of a cow. You subtly try the door, but naturally it's locked.
With a hairpin, having incapacitated the loungers via spiked decanter, and after having examined the cabinet:
| Pick the lock on the curio cabinet. |
You give the hairpin a slight bend and slip it into the lock. With a little finagling, the lock clicks open, although the hairpin is twisted past the point of usefulness. You take the stupid silver cow creamer and slip it into your purse.
| Hang around for a bit. |
You take a minute to listen to the men trade ridiculous hunting stories and argue about politics. It's all very silly and tedious stuff, but it makes a refreshing change from the silly and tedious things their wives talk about.
Time passes.
It is X minutes to midnight.
Occurs at The Prince's Ball.
Notes
- You can spike the decanter with laudanum and then disperse a rumor, and the rumor can still take effect after the loungers are incapacitated.
