RAVENLOFT: The One That Got Away, Chapter 3

[ewancummins]

Charlotte embraces her husband, but only for a moment. Baby Tilda begins crying from her nursery.
Benn's wife excuses herself and leaves the hall to tend to her infant.


Hornsby approaches his master.
The servingman dusts his hands and bows.
"It's as Madame Gehrman says. The fre--the young man left. He took his bizarre 'acolytes' with him. They did no serious harm, apart from some ruckus in the pantry. But before he fled, we all saw Juergin's...ehh...unusual visage. Madame Varga <he glances toward Dorgio, but only for a second>took quite a shock at the sight. She fainted, but has since recovered. As for the business outside, I think those little goblins were afraid of some creature they saw, or think they saw. Your intrepid guests investigated. I'm afraid I don't know all the details on what they found, Monsieur."
He nods and steps back so as not to block Benn's progress further into the hall or into the adjacent parlor.

[Adam]

Before the serving man steps away he rests a hand on his shoulder, pulling him close. "I have need of Mr. I. Leave him a message to drop by the office in the morning, if you please." He looks towards the party and the relatively frayed nerves. "Also, let's get the good bottle of brandy out. I fear we all may need it."

He nods to Hornsby, steps back, and joins the rest of the group. "My friends, I apologize for all of this trouble. I assure you, this was not the evening I had planned. I hope you've been relatively entertained, despite all of the disruptions? Charlotte has been looking forward to this get-together for quite some time now. If I may ask, what did the, uh, cyclopean creatures say they saw outside? Did you find any sign of what they were going on about?"

[ewancummins]

Before the serving man steps away he rests a hand on his shoulder, pulling him close. "I have need of Mr. I. Leave him a message to drop by the office in the morning, if you please." He looks towards the party and the relatively frayed nerves. "Also, let's get the good bottle of brandy out. I fear we all may need it."

He nods to Hornsby, steps back, and joins the rest of the group. "My friends, I apologize for all of this trouble. I assure you, this was not the evening I had planned. I hope you've been relatively entertained, despite all of the disruptions? Charlotte has been looking forward to this get-together for quite some time now. If I may ask, what did the, uh, cyclopean creatures say they saw outside? Did you find any sign of what they were going on about?"

Hornsby hastens to do his master's bidding.

[Brock Marsh Runoff]

"The good brandy," Dorgio agrees. "Or the bad, makes no difference. And you know what Gruz and Smezel were afraid of, we both do. *He's* out there."

Only now does he release his grip on the dagger, but still keeps it close by, tucking it visibly into his belt. "First though, I must attend to my wife," and with that, he goes and searches for Lorna.

[ewancummins]

"The good brandy," Dorgio agrees. "Or the bad, makes no difference. And you know what Gruz and Smezel were afraid of, we both do. *He's* out there."

Only now does he release his grip on the dagger, but still keeps it close by, tucking it visibly into his belt. "First though, I must attend to my wife," and with that, he goes and searches for Lorna.

DORGIO IN THE PARLOR


Dorgio finds his wife in the parlor, holding their young son. The boy sleeps in her arms.
Lorna does not rise, but looks at her husband as he enters.
"Dorgio, I'm frightened."

[alhoon]

Not understanding what Dorgio said, Raen says "We didn't see anything, but they said they could smell blood. "

[Adam]

Bennedict makes a systematic search of the rooms of the house to make sure nothing is out of place and there are no signs of entry.

[Brock Marsh Runoff]

PARLOR

Dorgio sits as close as he can to his wife. "I am sorry, I had been hoping this would be a more pleasant night, but strange things are afoot. What happened with the young man?"

[ewancummins]

PARLOR

Dorgio sits as close as he can to his wife. "I am sorry, I had been hoping this would be a more pleasant night, but strange things are afoot. What happened with the young man?"

LORNA says,

''I don't know, really. He had those horrible clowns with him, making a fuss. And then his mask fell off. Oh, Dorgio, I knew he had changed. But it was so horrible to look upon! What gods have cursed him? What sins did he commit? After that, I think I fainted."

[ewancummins]

BENN

LATER IN THE NIGHT


AFTER THE DINNER




Charlotte entertains her guests as best she can, but she's clearly unnerved by the night's strange and foreboding events.
She sends them all home with little packets of cake.

And then she retires to her rooms.

When Benn finally returns to his bedroom, having found nothing unusual in his sweep of the whole house and the grounds, he finds his wife waiting for him in the candlelit chamber.

She sits up in the four-poster bed, pillows heaped at her back and Baby Tilda held in her arms. Jonas curls up in the middle of the mattress, snoring softly.

"The little ones couldn't sleep without me, dear." Charlotte draws leans forward and draws back a corner of the sheet, without waking the baby.
"Come to bed."
She rubs her eyes with the back of her free hand.
"I've been worried ever since the gendarmes came and took you. A crime, surely, and something important, something bad that couldn't wait. Then, when you returned, I heard what Dorgio said. He's out there. I saw that look in your eyes, like some terrible pressure building up inside you, and now it's cracking through that Lamordian ice you wear around yourself. This is personal. Something from the past."

[Adam]

Bennedict sighs, loosening his collar and tie to undress for bed. "It is personal," he says, "The most personal, for both of us."

He climbs gently into bed, trying not to disturb the children. "I won't keep anything like this from you. We believe that the murder we went to investigate may have been committed by Jonathon Maytr."

He pauses, giving her a moment to absorb that information.

[ewancummins]

Bennedict sighs, loosening his collar and tie to undress for bed. "It is personal," he says, "The most personal, for both of us."

He climbs gently into bed, trying not to disturb the children. "I won't keep anything like this from you. We believe that the murder we went to investigate may have been committed by Jonathon Maytr."

He pauses, giving her a moment to absorb that information.

''Damn it. Damn him. Oh, Benn, be careful."
She settles into the bed.
'But you do it. Find him. Kill him. End it, please, for all of us, and most of all for Evie."

[Adam]

Bennedict nods slowly. "I intend to do so." He looks down solemnly at his children. "I am, however, concerned for Jonas and Tilda. I'm sure you would not fear staying with me, but they have no stake and this and...well we know the kind of creature Maytr is. It would not surprise me in the slightest if he tried to endanger them simply to hurt us." He looks at her. "I know you do not want me to say this, but perhaps it would be a good idea to take that vacation to Mordent we mentioned earlier tonight. Take our children away until I've found this monster and dealt with him. Do you agree?"

[ewancummins]

Bennedict nods slowly. "I intend to do so." He looks down solemnly at his children. "I am, however, concerned for Jonas and Tilda. I'm sure you would not fear staying with me, but they have no stake and this and...well we know the kind of creature Maytr is. It would not surprise me in the slightest if he tried to endanger them simply to hurt us." He looks at her. "I know you do not want me to say this, but perhaps it would be a good idea to take that vacation to Mordent we mentioned earlier tonight. Take our children away until I've found this monster and dealt with him. Do you agree?"

She nods slowly.
''Yes.''

[Adam]

He nods again. "Good, I'll have Hornsby see to the arrangements in the morning. I'm penning letters to the others who came by tonight to help with the chase, since it's possible he might have marked them as being here. Many of them are quite skilled. And I'll be with Dorgio. So, I don't want you to worry."

He holds her hand. "Despite all he's done, he's still just one man. We'll find him and we'll deal with him."