Got a Black Magic Woman

[Will Stanton]

"I'll be sure to pass it along, mistress..." she said, falling back on the bow to try to get his confusion under control.

[Margali Szardos]

"I appreciate it. You better run along now, but the door is always open for my apprentice." she says with a strange emphasis on the last words.

[Will Stanton]

"We'll be speaking again shortly, I'm sure."

If WIll had picked up on the emphasis on apprentice, he didn't show it, instead casually glancing around. There had to be more to what these people were up to--they nearly ended reality. Maybe there was a clue she could stumble across casually.

[Margali Szardos]

"Through that door, down the hall and into the foyer." she says, still sounding friendly. "You were wondering which way to the front door, yes? Try not to get lost on the way, my dear."

[Will Stanton]

"I'm certain I won't" Will said, hiding her frustration. I can't come out and say "what the hell are you up to." Maybe I can find something by walking around like I own the place, she thought, doing just that as soon as she was out of sight of Margali.

[Narrator]

It doesn't seem like there's anybody around to stop Will, at least not in this particular hallway. There's the door at the end of it that leads to the Foyer and two more in between the room Margali had taken her to. The first one is locked but from there Will can see that the second door is slightly ajar.

[Will Stanton]

Making sure no one was around to see him, Will shifted into a form more fitting of a butler or servant, copying the costume of the guy who was parking cars out front, before peeking through the door.

[Narrator]

The room has a billiard table, a fancy bar that folds out of the wall paneling and a poker table. It's seems to be empty though two other doors lead out of the room. There's artificial light coming out from underneath one of the doors.

[Will Stanton]

Bingo

Will quickly went to the bar, and poured a couple (poorly-made) martinis, and then knocked on the door with the artificial light.

[Henry Hereford]

There's a startled sound from inside and some hurried movement.

"Yes?"

[Will Stanton]

"Drinks, sir," Will said, in his best Stephen Fry voice.

[Henry Hereford]

The door swings open and Henry Hereford stares at him. "I didn't order any." Something about him seems off and a quick glance shows a strand of red hair sticking out among the rest.

[Will Stanton]

"Courtesy of Ms. Szardos, sir," he said, subtly eyeing the strand of hair and stepping into the room to deliver drinks.

[Henry Hereford]

"That's certainly unexpected." he says, sounding like he's still composing himself from something. He turns around and walks into the room to give Will space to step inside. When he does he catches a glimpse of himself in the large mirror hanging on one of the walls and he runs a hand through his hair, which seems to get rid of the red strand. Walking back to his desk he seems even more fidgety and runs his hand over his mouth and chin, the movement strangely reminisced of him running his fingers through his hair to fix it.

[Will Stanton]

"Are you quite alright, sir? Would you like me to fetch you a warm towelette?" Will asked, stepping closer to Henry while keeping his eyes open for anything.

[Henry Hereford]

"What? No, I mean yes, I'm quite alright." he says, grabbing the Martini from Will's tray and knocking it back in one go. There are some papers on his desk that look like various business-related things. Plans and investments of some sort.

[Will Stanton]

"You're looking a little crimson, sir, perhaps you should lie down?"

[Henry Hereford]

"Hang on... How come I've never seen you around before? What's your name?"

[Will Stanton]

"O'Sullivan, sir. I was just transferred here from the New York facility," Will lied.

[Henry Hereford]

"We don't get any employees from New York. Who are you?" he asks, taking a step towards Will.

[Will Stanton]

"Unusual circumstances, sir. You'll understand if I'm unable to say more," Will said, holding his ground.

[Henry Hereford]

"No, I don't." he says, eyeing Will. "Do me a solid and hop on one foot for me?"

[Will Stanton]

"Sir?" Will said, confused.

[Henry Hereford]

"Do it."

[Will Stanton]

"Of course, sir, if it would bring you pleasure."

Will set his tray down, supported his weight on his left hand on the desk, and hopped maybe an inch off the ground, wincing in pain as he did so.

[Henry Hereford]

"I think you're trying a little too hard. No one's that fragile." he says and walks around Will, narrowing his eyes. "I have to say though, you're pretty good. You have the look down perfectly."

[Will Stanton]

"It's my gout, sir. The rainy weather in London causes it to act up," he said, not breaking Henry's stare.

[Henry Hereford]

Henry nods faintly a couple of times, eyes flicking over Will. He taps the tip of his finger against his lips and then suddenly throws a punch at Will's shoulder. Weak enough to not hurt a regular person much beyond maybe shoving them back some but aimed right at the joint.

[Will Stanton]

Will, surprised by the outright punch, staggered just a half-step back from the punch, his eyes lighting up in surprise. "S...sir?"

[Henry Hereford]

"You don't have gout and you're not as old as you're making yourself look. Did New York send you to meddle in our affairs?"

[Will Stanton]

"I wouldn't dare speculate on the motives of the New York branch, sir."

[Henry Hereford]

"That's a no then. How are you doing this? It's not make-up or an illusion. I saw Miss Valentine's car being parked around back couple minutes ago, so I reckon the real one just arrived and that was you I talked to, which means you're probably a shapeshifter."

[Will Stanton]

Will had a perfectly good explanation for all of this.

However, instead he decided to quickly try to deliver a hell of an uppercut to Henry's jaw, to knock him out cold before he could alert anyone.

[Henry Hereford]

Henry stumbles back against his desk, clutching his jaw. He certainly looks dazed but not unconscious. "Bloody hell, what's the matter with you?" he mumbles, his face looks like his skin is going slack and distorted in places while he keeps himself propped up against his desk.

[Will Stanton]

Will didn't reply, instead following up with a double-axe-handle to try to send Henry sprawling to the floor.

[Henry Hereford]

Henry is not exactly a fighter, so he goes down hard. He's resilient though, even if his face looks like it got shaken loose somehow and his clothes begin to look like they're too large for him. His hair has taken on a distinctly orange hue as well.

[Will Stanton]

Will knew he had a very small amount of time to act. He quickly yanked Henry back up, and hauled his ass into the chair behind the desk. He placed Henry's empty martini glass next to him, and intentionally spilled the other one on the desk--though not before sweeping up any papers that looked important, hiding them inside his suit jacket.

He then briskly walked out and headed for the nearest place to make a discrete exit.

[Will Stanton]

With no apparent roadblocks to his escape, Will ducked out a back door and fled into the night day.