03.15.09 - Get Away

Location: Ruingate, Via Ariadne and Main Gate

Characters Involved: Darcy, Harper, Crow

Darcy is grimy and bruised and thin and scruffy and /triumphant/. She moves down along the street at a quick pace, keeping close to buildings, shivering a little in the chilly wind that sweeps down along the path. With a quick look around her she slips into the mouth of a narrow alleyway.

Harper has given Crow a little something... /not/ to knock him out, but it should keep him quieter. The kitten is curled in the nook his arm and he's got a pack over his shoulder. Triumphant isn't exactly the word to describe how he's feeling. Keyed up, maybe? He waits in the alleyway, hunched and looking out anxiously.

Darcy slinks down the alley a few more steps, toward Harper, her expression softening to one of relief when she sees he's already here. The party at the tavern is well underway - music and laughter and shouting can all be heard. She edges toward Harper while her ears flick alertly. "Hey."

And in case DArcy hasn't noticed, Crow is there! Apparently he's decided to risk it after all. He looks very briefly defensive as he glances down at the kitten, then eases up and comes forward. "Okay. Ready?" he whispers.

For whatever reason, yes, they had themselves a brain-fart and now are trying to steal a kitten from Ruingate. Crow doesn't put up a fuss just because he has been carried everywhere by Harper in the duration of his slavely-manny days, so it is just another normal occasion. Still the child is tired due to the late hour and also.. drugged? He remains curled in the crook of the buck's arm, looking almost like he's dozing.

Darcy takes a breath, and nods. "Ready. .. Harp. If we're caught? We're probably going to wind up dead." So she leans up and, briefly, kisses him. Her fingers brush along Crow's ear and she steps back, turning, slipping back out toward the street with a glance at Harper as she does so. "Just. Act... natural."

"Natural. Right." Harper shakes his head on this mutter, following after her. Act natural and if they run into anyone, Harper has a stolen kitchen knife hidden on his person somewhere. He hook his arms protectively around Crow.

Out of the alley, down the street. Darcy still keeps to one side, letting the deepening shadows of the evening cover her motions as much as possible. Walking, walking - then in front of them is the gate.

The gate with the guards that Harper can only hope are /actually/ drunk. Or not even there! Abandoned their posts! AWOL! Ahhhhh, the whole Ruingate military structure collapsed! Or okay. Just drunk will do. He steps to the side, to walk in front of Darcy.

Darcy smoothly shifts her position so she's behind Harper. And, with a deft motion, she reaches to pick Crow out of Harper's hold. The kitten is cradled protectively near her, freeing up Harper's hands for... hopefully, not having to stab anyone.

Crow doesn't like being disturbed, even if they tried to shut him up. He huffs and then gives an unhappy mewl when he is lifted from Harper's hold, prickling somewhat. Both ears snap backward as he grunts.

Okay, and cue hidden knife. It's a fair-sized kitchen knife, too. He creeps towards the gate, eyes scanning the wall ramparts above them for any signs of life. Meanwhile he approaches the chain which hangs to the left of the gate, which disappears into the stoneworking and leads to the winch inside of the gate. His paws fall to the chain and he grips a hold of it, preparing to pull. It /only/ has to go up a foot or two... /just/ enough for them to slip under. He prays that it is a quiet one.

"Oh hey thar!" Comes the voice of a guard as he meanders up to the two once they are beside the gate, grinning lopsidedly with a dull light to his eyes. "Ya wantin' t'get out bunny? Well /I'll/ help ya with that." Drunk, definitely drunk.

Darcy slides a liiittle further into the shadows with Crow. Her ears twitch, and she just stops breathing entirely when the guard appears.

Vermin wanting to help them get out, not exactly what Harper expected. He takes a step back. His eyes narrow. He falls back a step, eyes flitting upward to the wall once more. "... What." He's totally holding a kitchen knife, hey.

No, no, he's not alone. Another, a rather buff and mean-looking fox, shows up just behind the drunk-guard and smacks him in the back of the head. "What're ye doin'?" he hisses, then his gaze goes to Harper. It widens. "What're /ye/ doin' 's more like what I should be askin'!"

Well, Harper didn't really expect them to make a /clean/ get away. Did he? Harper swings the chain at the guards to distract them, then lunges forward to brain one with the hilt of the knife. Stabbing can be so unreliable, messy, and /loud/. Knocking out, less so.

The first guard is smacked in the side of the head with the chain - that knocks him out. The other guard jerks, reaching for his sword and getting this out about halfway from its scabbard. His mouth is open and a shout just starts rising to his mouth before the hilt of the knife connects with his forehead - and he drops, out cold.

And Harper goes to /haul/ on that chain. The gate rises a foot, then two... "Darcy!" he calls. "Get /going/," he orders.

There's some noise from nearby. Maybe other guards heard? Darcy doesn't wait to find out, she ducks under the raised gate, hugging Crow to her side, rolling a little to get through the space. Once she's through, she gives a quick glance over her shoulder at Harper, and takes off into the woods.

There's a hook for the chain for /just/ such occasions, and Harper hastily tries to hook it... but the gate's not open enough. He haaaauls back on it, and the gate comes up a bit more. There's a big *clack... clack... clack* sound every few seconds. Urgh. Harper looks green. He's finally able to hook the chain in place. And then he's running for the gate, to duck under.

Darcy waits for him, in the woods, tense and with the kitten kept near to her. There are guards up on the wall but they don't seem to have noticed the happenings at the gate yet. Who knows how long before they find their knocked-out comrades, though. "Let's get out of here," she hisses at Harper, voice a little urgent.

Harper runs out a half-crouch, kitchen knife clutched closed to his chest like a charm against evil. He reaches the little pair and he catches Darcy's paw and pull her along, off into the woods. Getting /out/ of there!