Roald slips out of the service passage and into the corridor, where the light is weak and the older boys are still watching.
At the far end stands a new boy in a pristine, expensive uniform, too clean for Repton and too straight-backed for his own safety.
Angel
You there, which way to the assembly hall?
The question hangs in the narrowing corridor. A few older boys turn their heads, their attention sharpening at the sound of confidence.
Angel
This place looks simpler when someone is not blocking the way.
Roald sees the brass-catch locker beyond the stacked cleaning gear, but Angel’s careless stance has put them both under notice.
“Will Angel help me find Sutton's locker if I offer to show him around the school?”
YES (Likely, rolled 40)
Angel
You seem to know the layout of this dreary place better than the others. If you show me the way, I might just find it worth my while to share what I know of the house secrets.
Roald Dahl
He is offering a trade, and his ignorance of the prefects' reach is as dangerous as it is useful.
Angel
I am Angel, by the way. It is a pleasure to meet someone who does not look like they are waiting for a cane to fall.
“I ask Angel what he knows about Sutton”
SUCCESS (Superb Diplomacy, rolled +1)
Angel’s smile fades into interest, and he lowers his gloved hand as if inviting a proper exchange. Roald asks about Sutton, and the older boys keep their distance, listening without stepping in.
Angel
Sutton? I have heard that name in the house. He is not one of the celebrated boys, that much is plain.
Angel
They say he keeps to the servant work now, near the masters’ side of things, and that he learned quickly how to be useful without being seen.
The Older Boy
Sutton went quiet after the searches. If Angel is asking, he should know the boy is not talked about in front of prefects.
Angel glances toward the dim corridor, then back to Roald, speaking more softly. The brass-catch locker glints through the stacked cleaning gear behind them.
Angel
If you are looking for his things, the locker is down the side passage. But names in this place are slippery, and people like Halloway prefer them that way.
Roald Dahl
Roald asks what Angel knows about the locker, and whether Sutton was taken somewhere else.
Angel
Only that the clever boys learn where to look before they ask anyone official. If you are trying to keep your head, that is the sort of secret worth sharing.
“I move down the side passage and find Sutton's locker.”
SUCCESS (Good Agility, rolled -1)
Roald slips past the stacked cleaning gear and into the side passage, keeping his shoulders small as the older boys’ attention stays behind him.
The brass-catch locker stands in the gloom, its latch catching what little light the corridor gives off.
Roald Dahl
Roald asks whether this is Sutton’s locker.
Angel
It is, or was. That depends on who last put a name to it.
Angel’s guarded look sharpens, and he keeps his voice low while the distant hall remains full of shadow and watching.
The Older Boy
If you mean to open it, do it quick. Prefects dislike a crowd around a marked locker.
Roald reaches the locker at last, with the brass catch close enough to touch and the question of what lies inside hanging over the passage.
Quest Complete
Find Sutton’s locker
Skill Upgrade: Diplomacy Superb→Legendary