Café de Nuit

THE STREET

AS BENN AND DORGIO
leave the house and walk down the short stairs into the street, a team of horses clop into view pulling a carriage.
The driver brings his animals to a slow walk, then a halt, just in front of the house.
A footman hops down and opens the door for a gentleman, who steps out.

It's Thom, late for dinner...


(The men hear noises from in the house.)



DINING ROOM
Charlotte attempts to play the gracious hostess and lead polite conversation in her husband's absence.
But she soon becomes frazzled as Tilda decides now is a great time to cry inconsolably from her basinet,the maid races in from the kitchen to report the cake has vanished, and a godawful racket rises from the pantry--- all in the space of two minutes!

Without wanting to alarm the women any more, Benn raises and politely suggests Charlotte would be more comfortable, with the baby in her hands, in the seat that is closer to the exit.
"Perhaps it's nothing but a couple of rats that overturned some unused furniture" the wizard says. "But we better check." He looks to Sarah and Kat. "Would you like to join me ladies?"

Sara looks at Raen happy that she can be useful. She is curious to know the reason Benn and Dorgio had to bolt but doesn't comment it, it has to be a serious one.

"Sure think, Ms Charlotte let us deal with the pantry while you take care of your daughter. We will be back really soon."

Bennedict brusquely passes Thom on the way to the murder scene. If addressed, he may give him a brief nod of acknowledgement, but his mind is clearly on the task at hand.

Juergin sighs inweardly, hoping Gruz and Smezel did not come inside and get into mischief!

He heads for the pantry and spying Hornsby, taps him on the arm. "Herr Hornsby, please let me look inside first, it may be that I haff some

"little freunds" who invited themselves to come inside."

He listens before calling ouit so whomever or whatever is inside the pantry can hear him, but in a strange language.[Boogeyman]

Kat tries to lighten Charlotte's load by ably supporting the polite conversation, and giving every evidence of enjoying her evening immensely. Which she mostly is, to be fair. She looks a little unenthusiastic at the suggested rat hunt, but sighs and rises.

"Of course! We'll have those little critters out of the pantry sharply." she grins "Kat vs Rat, the age old struggle!"

steveflam wrote:Juergin sighs inweardly, hoping Gruz and Smezel did not come inside and get into mischief!

He heads for the pantry and spying Hornsby, taps him on the arm. "Herr Hornsby, please let me look inside first, it may be that I haff some

"little freunds" who invited themselves to come inside."

He listens before calling ouit so whomever or whatever is inside the pantry can hear him, but in a strange language.[Boogeyman]

VIEW CONTENT:

"Gruz .... Smezel,,,,,,, Chief? Is you? Boss Juergin here. You is scaring very nice people here."

THE PANTRY

Hornsby stands aside.

Jeurgin opens the pantry door.
His eyes adjust to the gloom in a moment, and he picks out a diminutive figure crouched at the far end of the small room. The wreck of a collapsed shelf lies on the floor before the small intruder, with flour, sugar, dry beans and other foodstuffs fallen about in heaps of busted jars and burst sacks.
The creature turns to face him. The bells on its fool's crown jangle.
Smezel.

"Oops."

kintire wrote:Kat tries to lighten Charlotte's load by ably supporting the polite conversation, and giving every evidence of enjoying her evening immensely. Which she mostly is, to be fair. She looks a little unenthusiastic at the suggested rat hunt, but sighs and rises.

"Of course! We'll have those little critters out of the pantry sharply." she grins "Kat vs Rat, the age old struggle!"

KAT ( a little behind Juergin, near the pantry door)



Looking in over Jeurgin's shoulder, Kat sees something moving in the rear of the darkened pantry. Not a rat, too big. She can't be sure without more light, but it seems to be about the size and shape of a child, and looks as if it's wearing clothes.
And when it turns to look at the open door, she sees a big red eye glint from the lumpy head. Only one eye.
Bells tinkle.
The thing speaks in a convincing imitation of human voice,
"Oops."

Juergin's eyes narrow . He takes a deep breath.

He speaks to Smezel directly "Herr Benn will not be very happy you made this mess, Smezel. Please, help me clean this up. I am so embarrassed now." He turns back to the others,

but his words are meant mostly for Hornsby and teh maid.. "I am terribly sorry about this. I will help clean this mess up right away. Any repairs needed, please let me know

I will take care of the cost. Again I am really sorry for this."

He looks at Smezel "We will clean up unt you will wait for me outside with Gruz.. I am presumink he is outisde waitink, ja?"

steveflam wrote:Juergin's eyes narrow . He takes a deep breath.

He speaks to Smezel directly "Herr Benn will not be very happy you made this mess, Smezel. Please, help me clean this up. I am so embarrassed now." He turns back to the others,

but his words are meant mostly for Hornsby and teh maid.. "I am terribly sorry about this. I will help clean this mess up right away. Any repairs needed, please let me know

I will take care of the cost. Again I am really sorry for this."

He looks at Smezel "We will clean up unt you will wait for me outside with Gruz.. I am presumink he is outisde waitink, ja?"

Gruz pokes his head up from under the fallen shelf, and shuffles close to Smezel.
The monocular manikin mumbles in its own language, Smezel hops up and down, jester's cap jingling. He says,

Raen was behind the group when the Falkovnian started talking in a strange language. He hasn't seen the creatures but he was puzzled when Juergin claimed "friends" did that mischief.

"Mr Juergin, what happened? Is someone in there?" He asks simply.

IN THE PANTRY


One of the little humanoids hops on the other and tears at its head.
They wrestle on the floor.
Something rips.

The victor of the contest lifts the jangling hat and plops it on its head. The light from outside the pantry glints off the bells and off the creature's large, single eye.
In common speech, it says,
"Gruz hat is Gruz hat."


The other small monster sputters and curses. It adjusts a shabby coat of short fur--maybe rat or moleskin--about its scrawny frame and swaggers toward the door. Now Raen and Kat clearly see its hideous face: one bulging eye set over a pug nose and a grotesque, too-wide mouth. It points at Juergin, and opens its rubbery lips to speak,
You know Smezel is smart, Boss. The Bad One comes. The thin places."

Juergin listens, a little perplexed, then realizes this is not a good thing at all.

"Dodds? You mean bad thing worst than Dodds? And is that where Benn and Dorgio went? Where bad thing is?"

He turns to Raen

"Yes, my acolytes Gruz and Smezel. They're Boogeymen but mean well. I tink dere ist something bad outside. They came in because something bad or evil is outside.

Something worst than Dodds by the sounds of it."

steveflam wrote:Juergin listens, a little perplexed, then realizes this is not a good thing at all.

"Dodds? You mean bad thing worst than Dodds? And is that where Benn and Dorgio went? Where bad thing is?"

He turns to Raen

"Yes, my acolytes Gruz and Smezel. They're Boogeymen but mean well. I tink dere ist something bad outside. They came in because something bad or evil is outside.

Something worst than Dodds by the sounds of it."

THE PANTRY

The two bizarre, diminutive acolytes creep into the doorway of the pantry.
Smezel, the one wearing a coat of rodent skins, bobs its oversized head at Raen and Kat, blinking the cyclopean eye.

The one dressed in faded motley, whom Jeurgin called Gruz, sticks its ugly head out the door. The big bulging eye stares, unblinking, at Kat's dress. The monster drools.
It cocks its head to the right, still staring.
"Give to Gruz. Cloth. Cloth is nice."

Raen is taken aback "What are they again? The name sounds familiar but it doesn't come to mind at the time. You say they're your acolytes sir? In any case. You said there's something bad outside. Let's go see if that bad thing endangers our host and friend" Raen says and moves to get out.