{"sf1_id":829007,"sf2_id":null,"title":"A Chance Encounter","author":"StGeorgesHorse","words":3427,"posted_at":"2015-03-10T17:04:00.000Z","tags":["Chance Encounter","FAMILY","Human","Plot Development","Story Progression","Werewolf","london"],"url":"https://fse.anthro.fr/stories/829007-a-chance-encounter","original_url":"https://sofurry.com/view/829007","image_url":"https://www.sofurryfiles.com/std/thumb?page=829007\u0026ext=.jpg","description":"#94 of The Moonrise Chronicles\n\nJust when you thought it was safe.","content":"Arrangements were made for\ntravelling, utilizing Alexei's personal plane. Leonardo was flown back\nseparately on a flight arranged by the Vatican, where he would implore his holiness\nto perform a private ceremony for all those involved. Maggie was pretty sure\nthe kind old man in the silly white cap would acquiesce to the request.\nThey had to go the New York to meet\nhis plane, and then from there they flew across the Atlantic to London.\nHeathrow was supposed to only be a quick stopover, but one of the engines developed\ntrouble and so they ended up grounded indefinitely. No one was particularly\npleased.\n\"It's not like we can just go out\nand explore. No one really has working passports at the moment.\" Edward was\ncorrect in his assessment, though he was only stating the obvious.\nAlexei looked deep in\nthought.\"Perhaps no, but they would only be necessary to get past the official\nauthorities. Once we were out of the airport, I don't think anyone would\nquestion our presence too much.\"\n\"Are you suggesting that we\ntransform and leave as wolves? I think that might be problematic.\"\nHe only smiled. \"No, but I am\nsuggesting that we can ride out of here simply enough. We just need the right\nvehicle for the job.\" He made a couple of calls and an hour later their way\nout of the airport arrived.\nIt wasn't luxurious, but like his\nplane, it was plenty roomy. The lorry scooped up its cargo and zipped back out\nthe service gate without question. The dark and bumpy ride ended in a back\nalley just off of Piccadilly Circus in the West End. They were let out to find\ntheir own way from there. The driver exchanged a few words with Alexei in\nRussian, and was on his way as if nothing unusual had happened. With the way\nsuch organizations worked, it probably was the simplest thing the man was going\nto do all week.\nNo one asked because no one really\nwanted to know.\n\"Well my friends, here we are in\nLondon. Shall we take a double-decker and have a view of the city? I myself\nhave never been here, and I think this would be an excellent opportunity to\nview the sights.\"\nMaggie was all agog over the idea.\n\"Can we?\"\nEdward shrugged and smiled. \"I\ndon't see why not. I think we'll need to figure out a place to stay that won't\nquestion our presence too closely.\"\nThe Russian smiled. \"Money can\nblind a man if you have enough of it. I think that a room is awaiting us\nwherever we chose to stay.\"\nThey waited for a bus, clambered\naboard and sat down while it traveled the crowded streets of the city. Traffic\nhere was just awful, and driving a personal vehicle had to be maddening. Maggie\nabsorbed as much detail as she could, from the old city blocks to the numerous\nbicyclists wending their way down the narrow bike lanes. It was an old city,\nfilled with many modern things, and the contrasts weren't lost on her.\n\"Hey, do you know what I was just\nthinking?\" she asked Edward.\n\"No. Do I want to know?\"\n\"Maybe. But I'll wait and see if\nyou figure it out. It's kind of funny.\"\nHe ruffled her hair before kissing her,\nabruptly realizing that they were in public in a strange place and thus cutting\nit short. He didn't need people looking at him like he was a pervert. He\nalready felt like one most of the time and the recent knowledge that she was\nolder than she looked was hardly enough to assuage that feeling. Looks counted\nfor a lot.\n\"Whatever it is, I'll probably\nthink of it soon enough.\"\nThey made their way to central\nLondon, exiting the bus and falling into step with the people on the sidewalks.\nIt was obvious that many of them were tourists, and another little knot of them\nwould go unnoticed.\n\"Where should we go?\" Maggie was so\nexcited she was nearly vibrating in place.\nEdward looked to the others. \"I\nsuppose we should at least see the required tourist traps, don't you? Things\nlike Buckingham Palace, Big Ben and the Tower of London?\"\nThere was a general agreement,\nthough the suggestion of food diverted their thoughts for the moment. \"Where\nshould we go? None of us have ever been here to know what's good and what's\nnot. I've heard some bad reviews about British cooking.\"\nHer great uncle laughed. \"And I\nhave tasted some terrible American dishes. Everyone has their good and their\nbad. But if you want the best that London has to offer, then I know just the\nplace. Harrods.\"\n\"Harrods?\"\n\"Yes. I often imported foods and\nother goods from this store. Their reputation is impeccable, and I personally\ncan attest to that.\"\n\"Harrods it is then.\"\nThey made their way there, and then\nto The Georgian Restaurant where they were seated in impeccable surroundings. Alexei\npulled out his credit card, had the waiter run it to check its limit, and was\nrewarded with a flurry of activity. Like he said, there was little that a lot\nof money couldn't handle.\nThey soon ordered food, had\ncocktails and drinks of various sorts presented to them, and overall found\nthemselves in a fantastic mood. It was almost like having a rehearsal dinner,\nthough that thought didn't strike anyone as such until much later. Something\nelse was to come up that precluded their happy thoughts.\nAs usual, it was Maggie and her\nunerring sense that something was amiss who noticed it first. She couldn't\npinpoint it, and so she said nothing while she scanned the restaurant. There was no feeling of dread or\nforeboding, only a general unease that there was someone or something close by\nthat posed a threat. She looked from diner to diner, noting no one who looked\nparticularly threatening.\nSince she was in London, she\ndecided to do her best Sherlock Holmes, eliminating the impossible, and thus\nleaving her with whatever was left. It wasn't as easy as it looked. There were\nall types here, though mostly of the affluent class. She eliminated several\nfamily groups, a pair of old ladies wearing way too much patchouli, a gaggle of\nbusinessmen drinkingmartinis, and a trio of white collared reverends.\nThat left the small, aged, white\nhaired man who was quietly reading the newspaper and drinking his tea.\nIt didn't make any sense. He looked\nlike someone's grandfather. In fact, she could see him hooking up with her own\ngrandmother. He looked pleasant enough and was dressed in formal attire that\nseemed to have aged as well as he did. \nShe decided to point him out to \nEdward.\n\"Look at that guy over there. What\ndo you make of him?\"\n\"Typical old British guy. His\ncostume is a little dated, but it seems to suit him.\"\n\"That was my thought. I wonder who\nhe is?\"\n\"Why?\"\n\"Because I have this feeling that\nhe's important somehow?\"\n\"Important? You mean like a prime\nminister or something like that?\"\n\"No stupid. Important to us.\"\nEdward rolled his eyes. \"We aren't\neven supposed to be here. How the hell would this guy be important to us if we\nweren't even supposed to be here?\"\n\"I don't know! I want to know who\nhe is!\"\nShe flagged down one of the wait\nstaff. \"Excuse me, but that gentleman over there looks very familiar. Can you\ntell me who he is?\"\nThe young lady looked over and\nsmiled. \"That's Mr. Louis Balfour. They say he's been a regular at Harrods for\ngenerations. From the look of him, I'd believe it.\"\nEdward kidded his bride-to-be.\n\"Someone you know from a past life maybe?\"\n\"Shut up! I have a strange feeling\nabout this guy and it's making me a little crazy. But I can't put my finger on\nit.\"\nVerona piped in, because Maggie's\nvoice was carrying farther than it should have. \"I'd take her seriously Edward.\nFish was reportedly dead a long time ago, and we know the resilience of our\nkind. He doesn't look particularly vicious, but then who of us does at the\nmoment?\"\n\"Maybe, but I say we leave him\nalone. I didn't come here to cause trouble. If we keep our noses clean, then\nmaybe, just maybe we can sightsee and then leave like we hope to, without\nattracting any unwanted attention.\"\nSomeone cleared their throat. All\neyes swung to the old gentleman, who was now standing  by their table.  He had on a pleasant smile and was holding\nhis hat in his hand.\n\"Good day to you. I'm terribly\nsorry for crashing your little party here, but the nice waitress told me that\nsomeone in this group was inquiring into who I was. That made me curious, for\nvery few outside of a handful of close friends ever ask about my wellbeing.\"\nMaggie smiled. \"It was me. I\nthought you seemed familiar somehow.\"\nHis eyes came to rest on her. \"By\nthe sound of your voice, I would have to say that you're American. Now... I\nhaven't been in America in years; far before your time young lady. So how is it\nthat you could find me to be familiar?\"\nHis gaze was piercing behind his\nwire-rim glasses.\n\"I don't know. And I'm afraid that\nyour name doesn't mean much to me either.\"\n\"No? I guess I'm not surprised.\nEven here in London-town it doesn't evoke much remembrance anymore. That\nsatisfies my desire for solitude, so I have no complaints along those lines.\"\n\"You live alone?\"\n\"I do. I go about town every day,\nso I am a fixture if you know where to look. But what of you? You seem an odd\nassortment of characters, if I might be so bold as to mention it.\"\nEdward raised an eyebrow. \"Odd?\"\n\"There is no offense meant sir, but\nyou must admit that a collection of  bits\nand pieces such as yourself and your companions is not a sight that often\ngraces the grand halls of Harrods.\"\n\"Now see here...\" It was Anna who was\nrising in anger. Alexei shut her up.\n\"Sit down. We are as he sees us,\nthere is no denying that. Where else would you find such chudaki as us?\"\nAnna's face went red. \"Be careful\nwhat insults you throw around brother.\"\nThe argument was quickly escalating\nwhen the dapper little man raised his hand. \"I did not mean disrespect so\nplease do not fight because of my words. I learned long ago to tame those\nwayward collections of letters and apply them to the page. My utterance of them\nwas never intended to spark dissent.\"\nOne thing Edward noticed was that\nthis guy was very proper in all his ways. It was like he had spent years\nrefining his mannerism and appearance. He was old, but he was beginning to\nsuspect he was older than he looked. He cudgeled his brain, looking for a\nconnection with the name, but nothing was in the forefront of his mind. A quick\nlook into the future didn't show much either. He didn't look too far, for he\nknew the danger in seeing things without context.\n\"We are often at odds Mr. Belfour,\nbut that doesn't mean we are not all joined in a common cause. Despite our\nappearance to you, we are a very close knit group.\"\n\"A conglomerate then, just like the\nrock. A collection of odd size particles, nonetheless joined together with an\nagent that binds it together.\"\nMaggie grinned. \"That's us!\"\nThe old man stood there for a\nmoment. He then stood a little taller. \"Might I be welcome to sit at your\ntable? I have already eaten, but I must admit there is something about you that\npiques my curiosity.\" \nEdward was debating on his request,\nbut Maggie spoke before anyone else had a chance. \"Sure!\"\nHe pulled a chair over and sat\nbackwards on it, resting his arms on the back and resting his chin on them. The\nfood was just arriving, and with it several bottles of wine. Maggie offered him\na glass.\n\"Thank you, I think I will partake.\nMen might strive to ferment words into rhyme, but wine is bottled poetry. I can think of\nnothing that pleases the tongue more than a liberal dose of mellifluous words.\"\nHe watched in silence as they ate,\nat some points making them feel almost uncomfortable. And yet his quiet smile and\npleasant manner were nothing short of Victorian perfection. He refused to ask\nquestions during their meal, and instead had the remainder of his tea and\nsandwiches brought over and partook of them. When everyone was full, he welcomed\nany questions they might have.\n\"So you're a Londoner then?\" asked\nAlexei.\n\"No, not hardly. I was born in the\nnorth. I'm a Scotsman by birth.\"\n Maggie raised her eyebrows.\"You're Scottish? You don't sound\nvery brogue.\"\n\"No young lady, I do not. A\ncultured man learns to hone his ways, and by ways I include my pattern of\nspeech, to that which the rest of the world recognizes as being civilized.\"\n She giggled. \"Are you saying your\ncountrymen aren't civilized?\"\n He took her mirth good-naturedly.\n\"Not at all. But when in London, it is best to fit in. That's why you all stand\nout so much.\"\n Edward looked at his group. They\ndidn't look all that weird. \"How so?\"\n               \"Your\nfaces for one. It is obvious that some of you are Russian and others American.\nAt the best of times this is an strange combination. Your clothing choices too\nbetray hints about you. Your method of speaking is very distinct, and you carry\nan air about you with I find intriguing.\"\n                \"You\nsound like a detective!\"\n                \"Yes, I\nsuppose I do. Arthur Conon Doyle was quite the sleuth in his own right, and\ntaught us through his literary creations how to apply a little common sense to\nthe world. I only know what I see. So tell me, what do you see in me?\"\n                There\nwas silence until Maggie spoke up. \"I see an old man who clings to old ways and\nlives as an outsider in his own world.\"\n                \"Go\non.\"\n                \"After\nthat, there isn't much to tell.\"\n                \"I live\nalone because I prefer it. There is a fellowship more quiet even than solitude,\nand which, rightly understood, is solitude made perfect.\"\n                \"What\ndoes that mean? I'd swear I've heard that before.\" Edward was struggling to\nrecall when and where.\n                \"A\nfamous man once said it. I, like him, have found the meaning of it and live my\nlife by it.\"          \n                \"But\nbeing alone must be hard on you. Don't you have family?\"\n                He smiled sadly and patted Maggie's hand. \"No little one, I do not. I have my routines\nand they suit me fine. I long ago left behind the disruptions of public life. I\neven traveled for a while to be rid of the fame and notoriety that can follow a\nperson. I am quite content to live as I do.\"\n                \"Without\nfriends?\"\n                \"Without\nattachments. I know many people, and many people think they know me. So it is\nan uneven equilibrium, but it suits my methods far more snugly than anything\nelse that could ever be contrived.\"\n                \"That\nsounds awful!\"\n                \"To\nyou, who is yet young and full of energy and vigor, I suppose it does. But in\nmy youth I spent a great deal of my energies and abilities in fruitless\nendeavors, which left their mark upon me and upon this city. I prefer to stay\nout of the limelight now, for being in it holds no fascination for me.\"\n                \"So you\ndon't have any friends?\"\n                \"I did\nnot say that. Friends are a very valuable resource. We are all travelers in the\nwilderness of this world, and the best we can find in our travels is an honest\nfriend. Those friends I have know me as well as they can, but you must understand how\ndifficult it is to find an honest person anywhere on this planet.\"\n                Edward\nwas going to say something, but this guy's words kept going through his head.\nHe really had a way with them.                Maggie was under no such onus \"I\nagree. Considering everything that I have seen, I think we could probably\nexchange stories for hours.\"\n                \"You?\nWell, I suppose the events in our youth tend to eclipse those in our later\nyears, for we lose the sense of sharpness the unaltered fascination with\nlife grants us in those early years..\"\n                Edward\nsnapped his fingers. Everyone looked. The old man looked at him through half lipped\neyes. \"Yes?\"\n                \"I\nthink I figured out why you sound so familiar! You've been quoting people this\nwhole time haven't you?\"\n                The man\nsmiled. \"Yes, I do have that habit. Call it an occupational hazard.\"\n                \"You\nread a lot?\"\n                \"Oh\nyes, don't you? I find that in my aged years, that is the only way to safely\nhave adventures. I am far too old to be cavorting about the London roofs tops,\nor even the sandy beaches of the tropics.\"\n                Maggie giggled.\n\"I can't see you running across rooftops. What were you, one of those chimney\nsweeps?\"\n                \"No my\ndear, I was not. Let's just say that when I was younger, I had urges that\nneeded to be fulfilled, and running wild along the clay tiles at dusk was one of the\nbetter ways of dealing with them.\"\n                \"Yeah,\nI like going out at night too, when I can. Some of the most interesting things happen\nin the dark.\"\n                \"I seem\nto read some innuendo into your statement. You are too young for such\nexpressions.\"\n                \"Not as\nyoung as you...\" Edward kicked her.\n                He spoke\ninstead. \"She's a little older than she looks Mr. Belfour. I'm sorry if our\nAmerican ways distress you.\"\n                \"Oh no,\nit's fine. I have found this conversation to be refreshing. Often I am stuck\nwith dull conversationalists, but you seem rather interesting, even if a few of\nyou act rather tongue-tied. We can't have everyone talking at once now, can we?\"\n                \"No, I suppose\nnot.\"\n                \"And so\nI shall leave you good people to carry on with your sightseeing. I assume you\nintend to hit all the highlights?\"\n                \"Yes, depending\non how much time we have available to us.\"\n                The\nlittle man pulled an old silver case from his pocket and extracted a business card.\n\"I go by several names about town. It's nothing more than an old habit really,\nbut I still find it useful. If you wish to get together again, I would very much\nlook forward to it. If you do not wish to call the number, I will be here\ntomorrow at one in the afternoon, so if you desire to meet me for lunch, I would\nbe happy to pick up the tab.\"\n                \"If we're\nstill here tomorrow, we'll look you up.\"\n                \"Good,\ngood. Until tomorrow then, I bid you good day.\" He turned and tottered off.\n                Maggie was\nholding the slightly yellowed card. \"He doesn't get out much. This thing is\ndingy around the edges and it smells like tobacco smoke. Oh, and look, he uses\nthe same first name as you do!\"\n                Edward\ntook the card and read it. There was an address, and a telephone number hand\nwritten on it. The name was printed in flourishing scrip letters.\n                Mr.\nEdward Hyde.\n                \"Why\ndoes that sound familiar?\"\n                \"I have\nno idea. I don't know anyone in London and neither do you.\"\n                \"True,\nbut you said something about him was different. I agree.\"\n                \"Yeah,\nbut I don't know what it is. He's old; really, really old. Do you think he's\none of us.\"\n                \"A\nwerewolf? I suppose it's possible, but if so, why didn't he say something?\"\n                Maggie\nchoked down a nasty response. \"Would you? Not everyone has our best interests\nat heart you know.\"\n                \"True\nenough. The last thing we need is to get tangled with someone who seems nice\nbut turns out to be nothing but trouble.\"      \n                \"And\nyou think this guys is trouble?\"\n                \"I don't\nknow, but I sure as hell don't want to run into any Jekyll and...\"\n                \"What?\"\n                Edward\nwas staring intently at the card.                \"I was saying that I wouldn't want to run\ninto any Jekyll and Hyde types.\""}