Crashing at the Cabaret : (Day 4-Early Morning)

Marisol arose early. She moved with quiet care to avoid disturbing Sister Lyen, who’d shared the double bed overnight. After dressing, she laid out a pair of her denims for Lyen, thinking bare legs on horseback would offer the nun several days’ soreness by which to remember the experience. *They might be short* she considered, but the legs would still reach comfortably into the nun’s new boots.

After splashing water onto her face in the bathroom, she slipped into the kitchen to prepare sandwiches for the whole party. She could see Dorian, slumped in a chair, hat low over his eyes as he slept. *Gill and Haddie,* she thought to herself. Their relationship had never been what she wished. Neither of the first meetings had been friendly. And of course, there was Haddie’s near lethal attempt at sabotage, a move which prompted an equally poor reaction from Marisol herself.

*Does it matter anymore?* she asked herself as she packed food. Apparently, it did. Here she was, preparing to join her former shipmates in an effort to rescue two of their own.

The sleepy room at the Montagne blinked into existence one lid at a time. With a yawn and a stretch, a few tender pats of her hair told Lyen it was mostly unmussed from the night in Marisol’s graciously shared bed. Rubbing the sleep from her eyes, feet in her boots, Ly said another quick prayer for Haddie and Gill.

A hand fell on a laid-out pair of denims, and with a second yawn, she thankfully wiggled her way into the well worn pants. Thus clad for the day of searching, Ly spied Pietro poking out of the bedside table drawer. With a sigh and a chuckle, the nun stepped lightly out into the living quarters of the cabaret. It wasn’t hard to find Marisol busying herself with provisions in the kitchen.

“Zǎoshang hǎo (good morning),” she called softly, “I see they still have need of your talents in the kitchen.” The spread was almost completely packed, but coffee was yet to be brewed. The nun found pot and grounds and set the stove to light.

“Thank you for sharing your bed,” she nodded at Dorian, “we wanted to get an early start rather than back and forth to the Veil. Are you joining us to track down Gill and Haddie?”

Marisol offered a quiet smile to the Sister, before answering. “Yes...Dorian’s got horses waiting at the livery stable. I’m gonna help you get them to the boat, and then see if Riley wants me along from there.” As the aroma of coffee filled the room, she set out three cups and began to pour. “Here,” she handed the first to Lyen. “Would you put this under Sleeping Beauty’s nose?”

Ly accepted the cup and sidled up to Dorian. Her companion sat with his legs and arms crossed, hat rising and falling to his breath. Hesitating for a moment, tendrils of steam rose from the suspended cup in her hand. It was hardly the time to reflect, but Lyen couldn’t help but admire the Dentist for his candor during the previous night’s festivities and fears. He was a man of principles, or a code at the least, and she thought she could feel his guard coming down day by snow-covered day. Yesterday when they prayed together for Gill and Haddie, she wagered she saw a spark of faith in his eyes.

The mug rested with a click on the side table as Ly tapped two fingers on the brim of Dorian’s hat. “Rise and shine. Marisol’s kicking us out to the cold. I hear you’ve been busy this morning.”

Dorian stirred, then reached to massage the back of his neck. “That is a fabrication,” he quipped in a sleep thickened voice. “Oh,” he reacted to the rich coffee, “thank yah, Sistah.” For a moment, his face was hidden behind the cup and his hat brim. The coffee went down in deep, luxuriant swallows, reinvigorating him to wakefulness with the warmth and obvious stimulant effect. “Ow,” Adler muttered once again as he worked the back of his neck, “remind me not tah sleep in chairs.”

He set the cup down, then flipped his pocket watch open. “Oh,” Dorian reacted quietly, taking to his feet. “It’s time we should go collect tha horses. Y’all ready?”

Marisol reached for her coat and gloves. “All set,” she replied.

“Ah’ll meet yah both out front in a moment,” Adler replied. “Where’s tha bathroom?”