Café de Nuit

The tense, intermittent conversation comes to an abrupt halt at the sight of a lantern light suspended high in the air, amid the branches of a towering tree. "We arrive," Rolande says briefly. Gerard brings the boat up as close as possible to the base of the tree; a wooden staircase spirals up from the swamp, encircling the tree trunk.

"Salut, la maison! Roland calls up. A hoarse, cracked voice replies, "Oui, montez-vous."

"Up we go!" Roland says, smiling--a smile which does not hide his apprehension very well. Standing, he steps out of the boat into water which reaches above the ankle of his knee-high boots. Cursing once in his own tongue, he says, "Un peu por l'avant, Gerard."

Obliging, the boatman pushes the boat forward as far as he can. "Er...Madame Kingsley," Gerard says, making a gesture with both arms to indicate carrying someone. "I do not know if your boots are suitable?..."

Draxton waiting for Kingsley to get down looks around the place trying to figure what he can from the enviroment.

Tarlyn looks around in the rain, trying to discern any threatening or odd noises.
If I was a mage I'd stop this infernal rain for good! You can't hear or see anything in this weather. Us "bodyguards" are almost useless in it!
Now he looks at the stairs leading up and breathes deeply then lets his breath out slowly, senses alert now. The voice seemed to some out of nowhere, and it seemed very eerie to him. I would be willing to wager that that was in fact this Chicken Bone the Brotherhood wants to see so urgently. Well I hope all of this travel in the rain and through this hellhole of a swamp is worth it in the end

Hiro stands up and drops himself out of the boat to land standing in the water, a large splash occurs.

"About time." he mutters

Gertrude’s eyes opened at the sound of Rolande’s voice, and she took one last deep breath as she looked around. Where…? Her own thought was answered as she saw the staircase winding around the great tree. Blessed sun, she thought, looking up. She’d imagined a creaky shack with a porch in the middle of the bayou. Much more impressive, she privately thought, amused.

She listened to the greeting and the reply, then turned at Roland’s translation. She hesitated at his suggestion but pragmatism won. Her boots were good enough for the water, but stepping gracefully out of a punt while keeping layers of petticoats, cloak and skirts dry was a challenge she was grateful to defer. Her hems were already damp due to the bilge water, but she didn’t need to make it worse.

“Thank you, sir; I would appreciate it.” A light blush settled on her cheeks, even as she imagined telling Rupert about being swept off her feet by a tall dark handsome stranger, and his own melodramatic riposte. This brought a private, soft smile as she realised anew that she would be sailing home after all this. Soon…

As Rolande took her in his arms, she saw his face and concern quite clearly. This sobered her up and focused her thoughts once more on the present situation. Again, she went over Jeanne's instructions. She didn't expect it to be an easy talk; the reactions to the voodan's name was a warning in itself. Let our mistakes be few- and small...

After Gertrude, Dadrag gets out of the boat too. As he sees the small treehouse sighs.

"Such an important person could leave in a better place." Says between his teeth as he looks his wet cloak. Then reaches the others.

It is obvious the long trip has put Hiro and perhaps Dadrag out of sorts. Pulling up his burdensome pole he props it over his shoulder and moves to the base of the tree and stops.

"Someone should stay down here and mind the boat and the only escape, I recommend another needs to scout upstairs to make sure it is safe before the bulk of us move up as well. I can volunteer to stay below while you all go up."

Buchvold keeps silent as he exits the boat keeping his relief at exiting such cramped conditions to himself, only permiting a brief smile to cross his face at Hiro's words.

So much for any illusion of unity.

He kept silent though, waiting for Kingsly's (inevitable) rebuke.

She will have a point, but still, we know little of the gentleman. Hence the guards. Me, I care not. I will not get involved in the inevitable debate.

Taking Gertrude in his arms, Roland sloshes through the mud for the few steps necessary to deposit her on the second step of the stairs. "You will go first?" he asks her, looking around at the others. "Or shall I? Gerard, vous restez avec la barque, non? Le monsieur (here he points to Hiro) reste aussi."

The swamp-fisher nods curtly, casting a suspicious eye upward and a not-much-less suspicious eye at Hiro. Taking a corn-cob pipe from one pocket, he begins to prepare for a smoke--apparently he expects a long wait.

The bard waits patiently as the men to either side of him disembark, then takes a moment to re-sling the instrument-case -- high on his shoulders, well above the muck -- before he steps gingerly from the boat. The silt below the water's surface is slimey and yielding beneath his boots; he winces a bit at the ooze-slick footing. Good thing you left your snap-blade in your other boots, Crow-my-lad: this mire would foul the mechanism horribly!

Well, enlightening as that conversational interlude might've been, it's back to work. Time to prove your nerve to Roeccha, 'Brother Crow'.

At Rolande's query, the bard steps forward into the lantern's light.

"Begging your pardon, sir, but those steps may not be as sturdy as they look. Perhaps another should venture before Madam, to ensure the wood's not rotted through or slickened by the rainfall?

"I could go, to make sure the stair is sound: I'm likely the lightest man here," he adds, to excuse his own initiative. (His words are chosen carefully to exclude the equally-lightweight elf, knowing the Brethren are unlikely to trust so-untested a hireling to 'break the ice' with Chicken Bone.)

In truth, as with Brother Perrison's predictions, the spy dares not sit out a meeting with a personage as insightful as Chicken Bone is reputed to be. Moreover, his curiosity as to the FoS ring's provenance is genuine, and with Roeccha no doubt monitoring his doings, he needs to show willing now. And if any ill were to befall Kingsley for his absence, he'd be quite miserable.

"Pardon my intrusion" Tarlyn says rather dryly to Crow "Yes, you may in fact be light, but I think I may be the lightest one here" Tarlyn smiles to Crow, then looks to the others "Would anyone obejct to me testing the stairs first. I shall not enter the abode of our "host", that is for our friend here to do first" looking to Gertrude. "I only wish to test them to see if they are in fact SAFE as our colleague" he looks pointedly at Crow with a raised eyebrow "fears". Tarlyn smiles to himself.

Rotipher of the FoS wrote:
"Begging your pardon, sir, but those steps may not be as sturdy as they look. Perhaps another should venture before Madam, to ensure the wood's not rotted through or slickened by the rainfall?

"I could go, to make sure the stair is sound: I'm likely the lightest man here," he adds, to excuse his own initiative. (His words are chosen carefully to exclude the equally-lightweight elf, knowing the Brethren are unlikely to trust so-untested a hireling to 'break the ice' with Chicken Bone.)

"Ah...of course, m'sieur," Rolande says, glancing between Kingsley, Crow, and the other brothers. "If you wish to go up first, by all means." Recovering the lantern from the bow of the barque, he hands it to Crow and gestures for him to proceed.

The bard accepts the lantern, then glances at the elf, whose pushiness is starting to annoy him. Do all outlander hirelings countermand their employers' peers...? Or is it an elven character-trait to be so crass?

"Beg pardon, but we don't know if this 'Chicken Bone' is familiar with, or fond of, elves. Best if he sees a human face first."

Crow shoulders his way past Seaven, then sets his free hand against the moss-encrusted bark of the great tree and begins making his way carefully up the rickety stairs.

"No problems, I never did say I was to enter the abode, by all means do proceed" Tarlyn says icily then steps back to let Crow pass.