Yes, it was so easy. Fun, even.

Sal laughs very bitterly.

"Roby escaped with the nurse!"

"Roby and one of the nurses killed another nurse, faked Roby's death, and pinned the murder on Valentine. Things are not even slightly handled." She is, quite audibly, pissed about it.

"Why are we in London then? Shouldn't we be... actually no, we shouldn't be chasing down Roby, that is probably a terrible idea and I'm blaming me saying that on the mysterious coma."

What is it with Jing Yi and never reading the room?

Strictly speaking it's better he isn't in a coma-- good for him. But he is objectively agonizing to talk to. Oscar's gritting his teeth a little.

"It is! It is a terrible idea! It's also what we're planning on doing."

"We have a party invitation that includes his current location and when the whole gang is planning their next ritual."

"We what!"

Are we just telling Terrence this? She guesses empirically he's going to be there regardless. Yeah okay they're just telling Terrence this.

"Oh, I do love a ritual."

"Zounds. Do you have it? Can I see it? How do we have it?"

Not a delightful reaction, Terrence.

Sal thought they established they were telling him this but it might have gotten lost in communication somewhere. Oh well.

"You know, I didn't realize how happy I would be that we're the ones telling you until just now."

"Why would - oh." Terrence pauses. "Well, yes," he adds, helpfully.

Who has the invite. "So we're clear, this is not so much a fun get-together as it is someone getting stabbed several times by the side of a lake while surrounded by hundreds of those monstrous bat things."

At least we get a chance to... dissuade him of his enthusiasm. Not that it's worked before. The type of magic here is really bad for reasoning.

"...okay." There's not much to say to that, other than a) going is a horrible idea and b) well, I'm in if you're all in.

".......Was that in the invitation?" Now he's really confused.

"No, it wasn't. I did a spell that granted me a vision."

"Oh. Congratulations." He is confused but sincere.

Now he's just boggled. Oscar, staid bookseller Oscar, knows and does spells? Surely that must somehow be stepping on the working class and increasing state hegemony.

Only if you strongarm him into it!

"I don't recommend practicing magic," says Oscar somberly.

"Roby sent the invitation to Ruby, who gave it to Oscar, I'm not actually sure who has it now. --The reason we're going is to stop them, obviously, like Sal said it's not a fun social jaunt."

"...I'm going to strongly recommend we don't take Ruby."