Café de Nuit

FILD & TITUS

Northern suburbs


Fleeing the armed men from Holbin House, the priest and the gnome hasten through a neighborhood of small farms, stone houses, and dusty lanes. Hoofbeats clatter behind them, and men shout threats.
FILD staggers to keep up with the longer-legged man.
Crossing a wide field of beanstalks, Titus leaps over an irrigation canal. But FILD nearly goes for an unwanted swim when he attempts the same leap--saved at the last instant by grabbing Titus's outflung hand.
Past the bean-field, the two enter a denser section of town, where FILD tries to find a narrow side alley down which they can escape the mounted pursuers.

But the gnome leads his companion into a crooked, musty lane that terminates in a dead end: high brick walls on either side and a high wooden fence at the end.
Before the two can turn round and exit, they hear hoofbeats. Then boots.
Laughter.
"Alright, good run, you rascals. Now give her back. Or die."

Looking back, they see three men with swords drawn crowding into the lane from the open end.









---------



TOM, GERTIE
& ELISSA HOLBIN

Bay Road south, en route to the rendezvous at the Dancing Maidens



The Bay Road runs clear ahead in the moonlight. Only a few torches and lanterns shine, where pedestrians with or without escorts move north and south along the thoroughfare. The hard-packed earth gives way to cobblestones. Most doors and windows appear dark, but lights shine in a few.
A cool breeze comes up from the south with the smell of the sea.

Tom that leads the small group with Gem by his side turns at Elissa and says:

"It seems we are clear my Lady, we were lucky. Your meeting point with Richard is at Dancing Maiden where a priest will wait to get the two of you married and live in happiness."

"Yes. But we still should keep to the shadows. I'm not sure if Lady Eilissa is recognized, it is normal for her to be out, alone at this hour."

She turns to Elissa, "You agree, milady"?

The deserted alley

Fild raises his arms in surrender. He protests in Gnomish, saying he doesn't know what they're talking about. That he was out for a jog with his friend.

alhoon wrote:The deserted alley

Fild raises his arms in surrender. He protests in Gnomish, saying he doesn't know what they're talking about. That he was out for a jog with his friend.

Titus puts his hands up as well.

"Why yes. My friend here had a very specific question to asked the Speaker, one that required observing the flight of an Owl. We were chasing one that had just captured a mouse!"

THE ALLEY


"Alright, enough blather from you fellows. Just give back Lady Elissa and we won't hurt you. No need for violence."
The man in the lead finishes his speech and then lowers his sword-- but does not drop or sheathe it.

Fild, pretends to not understand what the swordsman says and denotes this in crude pantomime and a confused frown.

THE ALLEY

alhoon wrote:Fild, pretends to not understand what the swordsman says and denotes this in crude pantomime and a confused frown.

The trio of swordsmen exchange looks, muttering together.
The one in front says,
"You come out into the street so we can get a clear look at you. Slowly..."

steveflam wrote:"Yes. But we still should keep to the shadows. I'm not sure if Lady Eilissa is recognized, it is normal for her to be out, alone at this hour."

She turns to Elissa, "You agree, milady"?

THE BAY ROAD


Elissa replies,

"It's not at all normal for me to be out at night like this, especially without my family arms-men. I think sticking to the shadows sounds wise. But surely we must hurry to meet Richard?"

The Bay Road

"We will go as fast as we can and of course we will stick to the shadows and avoid the big streets. Do you know a faster way to go to the Dancing Maiden Lady Elissa?"

ewancummins wrote:

steveflam wrote:"Yes. But we still should keep to the shadows. I'm not sure if Lady Eilissa is recognized, it is normal for her to be out, alone at this hour."

She turns to Elissa, "You agree, milady"?

THE BAY ROAD


Elissa replies,

"It's not at all normal for me to be out at night like this, especially without my family arms-men. I think sticking to the shadows sounds wise. But surely we must hurry to meet Richard?"

Alfonse says "Right, well, best we get you to the church on time, then. Metaphorically, of course."

He heads off.

VAN wrote:The Bay Road

"We will go as fast as we can and of course we will stick to the shadows and avoid the big streets. Do you know a faster way to go to the Dancing Maiden Lady Elissa?"

"Horses?"

"If we use horses, Lady Elissa has a chance to be recognized,, I leave that decision up to you. Time's wasting here, look at Alfonse he is already to go .
We have a rendezvous to respect."

steveflam wrote:"If we use horses, Lady Elissa has a chance to be recognized,, I leave that decision up to you. Time's wasting here, look at Alfonse he is already to go .
We have a rendezvous to respect."

THE RUN


With Alfonse's call to run for the rendezvous, the little party resumes its flight down the dark streets.

At first they make good time, but soon they enter a denser, older section of the city and must slow their pace.
Alfonse pauses at the mouth of a narrow alley and looks out across a small plaza, trying to identify landmarks.
He sees a familiar tower...but when he leads the others that way at a hard jog, he finds he was mistaken.
He does not know this part of POVERO.
None of them do--even Elissa seems lost.

Lanterns flash behind the group. Footsteps thud on the cobbles, coming closer.

First creeping, then running, the party skirts the plaza's edge and then heads down a dark lane.

Four more times that party narrowly evades patrols.
Each escape takes the group off track again. Further and further from their goal.
There seems to be no way to take the most direct, southern route without being caught: horsemen ride those streets with lanterns.

LATER


The little group clambers over a fence that marks one side of the broad parkland of eastern POVERO. Ahead, they see grassy meadows, copses of tall trees, flower gardens stretched out under the moon and stars. The mud, fish, and smoke smells of the city dissipate in the open air. Elissa and her escort may lean a moment and catch their breath, knock mud from footgear, and look about.
The young lady rests, at least, unless dragged on by the others. She gulps for air, exhausted from the zig zag race that brought the party here from Holbin House.

While going through the park, Thom notices white, still figures that seem to watch the party from behind the shrubs and trees. Elissa knows the way from here. She guides the party on a walk through the park.

As the circle of ancient standing stones that give this park its name come into view, distant chimes sound midnight.


The party has arrived late.