Café de Nuit

Gertie is calm. "Let me tie you properly with this rope and I'll lower you there below , then we'll sneak farther over there. The drop is farther there, so someone wil come up and help me lower you down, ok?"


AFter lowering her down to #12 roof, Gertie hops down and moves with Elissa to the edge of that roof. Spying hte boys she whispers "GUys, up here I need help to lower Elissa down!"

steveflam wrote:Gertie is calm. "Let me tie you properly with this rope and I'll lower you there below , then we'll sneak farther over there. The drop is farther there, so someone wil come up and help me lower you down, ok?"


AFter lowering her down to #12 roof, Gertie hops down and moves with Elissa to the edge of that roof. Spying hte boys she whispers "GUys, up here I need help to lower Elissa down!"

Elissa hurriedly repacks her big chest and then locks it.
She drops the brass key down her open nightgown neckline, and allows Gertie to place the rope about her hips and bottom.

Out the window she goes, trembling although the air is not cold.
Over the sill, pushes off from the wall and swinging in air.
She misses the tiled roof of the side-structure, swings back and kicks again. This time she spins in air, with a stifled gasp, and thumps the wall of the house.

The rope pulls hard against Gertie's grip, but does not fray or tear loose.

Damien begins climbing the small building beside the porch, moving up toward Elissa.

DAMIEN

Climbs the brick side-building, and jumps up to catch the roof edge, just as Gertie had done.
He hauls himself over the top, but when he flips down to descends he looses his grip.
Kicking away and stretching out his arms, he manages to somersault onto the tile of the side-structure, and without making a tremendous racket.

The man stands atop the lower roof, dusts his breeches off, smiles at Gertie in the moonlight and then takes a flying leap at the open window...

and misses.

Thump.
He manages to grab hold of a porch pillar and slide down, saving himself from what could have been a bone-cracking landing. This time he does make noise.

"Okay. I think we need to move things along, milady. I will lower you down to my brother Tom. If we are not back in ten or fiftenn minutes go ahead,,

we will do our best to get the chest ot the rendesvous,,,,ok?"


"Damien wait there, Ill get you up with a rope" once Elissa is down. She takes the rope and moves ot where Damien is, towwing the rope down, but

keeping her end wrapped around her arm to help him up.

steveflam wrote:"Okay. I think we need to move things along, milady. I will lower you down to my brother Tom. If we are not back in ten or fiftenn minutes go ahead,,

we will do our best to get the chest ot the rendesvous,,,,ok?"

Elissa nods, looking paler than before.

THE BURGLARS

Damien ascends the rope, at last entering the bedchamber via the open window.

He grins at Gertie in the glow of the candle that Elissa left burning on her nightstand.

He and Gertie creep over the floor to where the chest sits at the foot of the bed, and together they lift the heavy chest (not as heavy as it had been for Gertie the first attempt).
The two burglars step over piles of clothing Elissa had removed from the chest and left on the floor.
Damien stumbles in the shadows and knocks hard against something near the wall, with a loud THUMP and a sharp CRACK.

Glass fragments glitter on the floor where a moment before the carpet had seemed clear.

The two hasten to the window with their load.
And then they hear it--rattling, and a soft knocking at the south door of the big bedchamber.

ON THE GROUND


Unaware of what is occurring in the upper floor bedchamber, Elissa waits in silence near Tom, her nightgown drawn up almost to her chin.
Tom sees that she wears a pair of soft leather shoes.

Gertie calls out "It.... it's ok I dropped a glass. I'll take care of it."

She signals Damien to get reeady in case the door opens.

steveflam wrote:Gertie calls out "It.... it's ok I dropped a glass. I'll take care of it."

A feminine voice replies through the closed door,
''Nonsense, coz. I'll send for your maid."

"Give me a few mnutes"..

MEANWHILE, BENEATH A MULLBERRY TREE BESIDE A STONE WALL

Gem snores.

Fild watches.
Alfonse lurks under the foliage.
Titus watches, too, or perhaps he checks the night sky for auguries.

Now and then, lights shine over the cityscape to the south and the countryside to the north, but no travelers or patrols pass close to the party's hiding spot at the edge of the estate.

steveflam wrote:"Give me a few mnutes"..

The door rattles again.
It swings inward.

A woman appears in the open frame. She looks a lot like Elissa in this light. She steps closer.
In better light, she looks almost exactly like Elissa, except for her clothing: a green silk nightgown and tasseled nightcap.

"Elissa, I--oh!"

She inhales sharply, steps back toward the door...

''BURGLARS! HEEEEEEEEEEEELP!"

DOWN BELOW


Tom hears a woman screaming about burglars, upstairs.

Elissa grabs his arm. She gasps and exclaims,
"Oh no!"

BEDROOM

Damien drops his end of the chest.

He runs and jumps out the second story window!

Gertie looks back as she grabs the rope and jumps out,, "We're trying to help Miss Elissa, thanks you idiot."