Night came quickly to the Boathouse and by the time Gunther had gone and the party inside died down it was past midnight. The otter twins followed Aiken and Jack back to Jack's cabin and watched in hiding as Jack left the Kadie with a bit of advice, like 'Don't open the windows, they're trapped', and 'I'll be back by mid-morning' and slinked back off to the Oggton territories. It wasn't long after Jack left, that the girls could make out a small shadow darting around near the cabin.

"That must be Gunther," Bebe whispers once the shadow appears. "Do you think Jack trapped the chimney?"

Nene just shrugs in reply, and waves to the shadow. From the shadows. But maybe he'll see it.

The shadow dips and skulks around the cabin a bit more in deliberate and timed movements. Seemingly satisfied about something, the shadow then slips towards their hiding spot. It's certainly Gunther, except he's dressed in light black cloth and has liberally dusted his fur with soot so he appears black. The only part of him that really shines in the darkness are his eyes; the Kettenrad family trademark of a family strain that carries the night eyes gene. "I'm surprised you came," Gunther admits as he crouches down near the two.

"Why?" Nene asks, then notes, "The windows are trapped, we heard."

"I figured you were humoring me like pretty much everyone else in town does," Gunther admits. He sits back a bit and rubs his chin in thought. "Trapped? With what?" he asks.

The two slender otters shrug. "Jack just told Aiken not to open them, 'cuz they're trapped. He didn't say how," Bebe explains.

"I wonder if this is one of the cabins the clan refit with indoor plumbing," Gunther muses, "And I wonder if the waste pipes are wide enough for one of you to slip in."

"Ewww," Nene says at the suggestion. "We were thinking more o' the chimney."

"Well, that just runs to the ovens. I'm not sure you could, or I could, actually get through that," Gunther points out. "I wonder if I could disarm one of the traps."

"You wonder if you can?" Bebe asks in surprise.

"Know where Aiken Briar is staying in there?" Gunther asks. To Bebe, he notes, "Well, it depends on which side the mechanism is on and if I can easily reach it. If I can reach it, I can disarm it, of course. Might require some creative positioning to do, though."

"Knowing Mr. Briar, he isn't likely to be standing still at all," Nene notes. "He'll be all over the place."

"Well, we'll have to find out. And, find a way to occupy him," Gunther points out as he pushes himself back to his feet. "Let's go see where he's at and pick the other side to work from."

The girls nod, and leave behind their colorful Gigi-wear, letting their own dark fur be their night camouflage.

That has the end result of Gunther stopping mid-step to stare at the two naked otters. His expression is one of befuddlement, confusion, and shock. He has to shake his head and force himself to not look at them and continue on. He slips up to the side of the cabin, near a window. The Kadie then digs in a bag tied to his side.

The twins slither up alongside the Kadie, making nary a sound.

"Did you have to go naked?" Gunther hisses softly as he pulls out a small mirror from his bag. He holds it out a bit and tries to angle it so he can see the window in its reflection.

"What's wrong?" Nene asks. "You've seen us like this plenty of times. Besides, Otter Scouts Rule #4 states: when sneaking, never carry anything incriminating or that you'd regret leaving behind."

"It's distracting," Gunther admits, "I keep wanting to look at you." He fiddles a bit more with the mirror, then hmms, "He's playing with a box in there."

"What color is it?" Nene asks, while Bebe asks, "Is it a big box or a little box?"

"Little box, gray I think. I think he got it off the bookshelf. I can't see what's inside it," Gunther admits.

"A little gray box?" Bebe whispers, sounding disappointed. "That doesn't sound very interesting at all."

"He's taking something out of it. He's shaking too. What could he be afraid of in a small box?" Gunther wonders.

"I don't think he'd be shaking something he was afraid of," Nene observes.

"Buh. Okay, that's odd," Gunther whispers as he continues to peer into the small mirror. "It's some sort of black statue with jewel eyes. I think it's a vermite statue. Why would someone have a statue of a vermite?"

"Maybe an Eeee would," Bebe suggests. "They eat bugs."

"Gross," Gunther comments, leaning back and using a free arm yo pull Nene over a bit and into his lap so she can see in the mirror. "See? He's gone over to a lantern to examine the thing." Sure enough, in the mirror is Aiken looking over a solid black statue of a vermite; only its red eyes glinting. It's probably just a trick of the light, but it seems to be staring at the mirror.

"That's the ugliest thing I've ever seen," Nene notes. "Think Jack would miss it?"

"Probably," Gunther whispers, "It looks somewhat valuable. Why? Do you want it?"

"I dunno," Nene says. "I bet with a string tied to it, you could drop it front of people and scare them."

"Heh," Gunther comments, "You're as bad as I am." In the mirror Aiken can be seen fiddling with the statue. He's holding something up near its mouth.

"Hey, he's trying to feed it I think," Nene notes. "Man, having a baby really must drive a person nuts, huh?"

Crazy or not, but from where Nene sits she sees the statue lurch suddenly in Aiken's hand and eat whatever he was holding up to the statue! "Woah, Dagh!" Gunther whispers. "It moved!"

"Maybe it's a puppet?" Nene suggests. "Puppets don't eat," Bebe points out.

No, but Kadies do freak out. And that's what Aiken does right at the moment. The statue is tossed off to who knows where and Aiken goes running across the room. "Well, I guess we don't have to worry about making a distraction," Gunther rationalizes. "I bet we could sneak in through the bedroom now."

"Ooooooo, that sounds… uh… sneaky," Nene notes.

"Do you want to stay here and watch this? I can go try to pick the locks and such in back," Gunther says as he slips the otter out of his lap. "If that thing bothers me, I'll just smash it with one of the tools I brought."

"We want to watch you pick the locks!" Bebe whispers urgently.

"Er, why?" Gunther has to ask as he slips the mirror away and starts to sneak towards the back wall where the bedroom and its windows are located.

"For our… lock-picking badges," Nene says, smiling innocently.

"Don't those require you to learn how to pick a lock?" Gunther asks as the group slip around the back. A quick peek through the window reveals the bedroom door is closed. So … Gunther leans in close to the window and peers around the frame intently.

"We have to learn from someone," Nene notes. "Why not you?"

"Because I'm not an otter? I thought you were supposed to learn from other otters," Gunther admits. A pause, then he whispers, "Ahah."

"It's better to steal the knowledge from someone outside of the family," Bebe notes.

"If I show you, how is it stealing?" Gunther points out as he fishes around in his bag again. He draws out several long, thin, strips of wood and some rods of chitin.

"Because we aren't giving you something in trade," Nene says, and looks disappointed when the tools come out.

"Well, first thing I have to do is make sure I don't trigger the trap," Gunther notes and taps on the frame. "I have to slide these down so they keep contact with those little levers there just on the inside of the window. Once I get that, I can actually deal with the lock."

"Oh," Nene says, bobbing her head. "So this works on all traps?"

"Well, no. Each trap is usually a bit different. But with traps on doors or windows this usually works," Gunther explains. He fits the small rod into the join point of the two sections of the window to spread it slightly, then slips in the strips of wood, pressing each out and fiddling as he tries to position them under the switches to hold them still.

"So what does this trap do?" Bebe asks, squinting in the low light. "Explode? Set off an alarm? Release stink gas?"

"Well, explosions would be difficult, and he has to sleep in here so stink gas would be bad … so my guess is an alarm," Gunther answers as he continues to fiddle. Eventually, he manages to slip the strips of wood under the latches and holds them with his arms spread wide. "Hmm, can't get my feet up here… " he muses. "Want to help hold these? Otherwise it's going to be a bit of work to throw the latch; I'll have to use my tongue to do it."

"Just hold 'em steady… " Nene begins to ask, then pauses. "Can you show us with the tongue? Cuz… like… we might not have extra helping hands next time… "

"Well, I suppose," Gunther says with a sigh, "This is just a latch lock, so it's not even very interesting, though." He then leans his head in and bites down on the chitin bar he wedged in, forcing it in deeper and making the crack expand. With the two strips of wood in place, even when the window starts to pull away from the triggers, the triggers don't move.

"He just used his teeth," Bebe complains.

Releasing the pry rod, Gunther presses his mouth up against the frame of the window. One eye squishes shut and he huffs as he actually does wiggle his tongue into the crack. This part takes a bit of time as he's actually having to feel his way along (and avoid splinters). But, somehow, he manages to locate the clasp inside the window and curl his tongue under it. Carefully he pulls his head back, lifting the latch upward until it pops off its hook. The window then gives way and swings open, leaving Gunther in a rather precarious position of holding those strips of wood steady against the triggers. "Bleh," he mutters, "No one dusted."

The otters are mesmerized. "Ever kissed a real girl before, Gunther?" Nene asks quietly.

"I'm going to taste that for a week," the Kadie grumbles. Gunther is already about halfway in the window before he stops to answer, "Uh, well, no, I haven't."

"I guess we would have heard if you had," Bebe comments, then asks, "So it's safe to go in now?"

"Er, what are you talking about?" Gunther has to ask Bebe as he finishes climbing in. "And no, give me a second to disarm this." And given his hands are still occupied with keeping the switches still … he's back to using his mouth on the trap. Not nearly as much is visible here, but the expression on the Kadie's face is rather … interesting as he both gnaws and works bits of the switch apart with teeth and tongue.

"Kadies have really sharp teeth," Nene comments, a bit nervously. "He's chewin' through the wood," Bebe squeaks.

Gunther spits out a few bits of wood. "Yes, we do. So? Comes in handy," he whispers, then pauses. "Wait, did I just hear the front door slam? Is he leaving?"

It sure did sound like a door just slammed nearby.

Bebe runs along the wall to peek around the corner.

Out front is Aiken and … Curiel? Why is Aiken pushing her away and backing towards the cabin, though? Did they have a fight?

Sneaking back, Bebe reports: "He's outside fightin' with the missus. Didn't see a rolling pin though… "

"Well, that helps us out. The stuff won't be guarded now," Gunther says, looking pleased. He pauses for a moment, then asks, "But aren't they usually happy together? I don't think I've ever heard about them fighting."

"Who knows, but he was retreating back towards the cabin," Bebe says.

"That seems … strange, doesn't it?" Gunther says next, brow furrowed.

"Maybe the magic vermite caused it?" Nene suggests. "Maybe that's why Jack doesn't get any girl action?"

"So, check that out or go look at the stuff?" Gunther asks the two, apparently unsure of which he's finding the most interesting right now.

"Gossip is better than old junk," Nene says, and the otters move to peek around the corner some more.

Okay, things are certainly, uh, weird on the other side of the cabin. For one, Curiel is now three times her normal size and towering over Aiken. Aiken, for his part looks terrified and is cowering down. That is until it looks like he slaps the image. And in moments, the image is gone. At the Kadie's feet sits the statue of the vermite. Once again motionless.

"It was a trick," Bebe laments. "An inflatable harridan." "Where's you learn that word?" Nene demands. "I read, okay? Don't spread it around."

"What are you two talking about? And what's wrong with reading? I read," Gunther points out.

"Books is tricky," Nene whispers. "I mean, you read them, but… how do you know they aren't reading you back?"

"Because that is silly. Heck, I've even written a book or two, you know. Wingnuts write a fair amount. We have to," Gunther whispers and taps Nene's nose.

On the other side, Aiken has picked up the statue and re-entered the cabin. All seems to have calmed down and returned to normal (for Stonebarrow).

"Was it a romance?" Bebe asks. "With like, fancy dresses and sweaty guys with long hair?"

"He's gone back in," Nene reports.

"No, it was on the rotational velocity and optimal curvature patterns for the barrels of weapons such as a cannon," Gunther whispers to Bebe. He pauses, then has to ask, "Do you like sweaty guys with long hair stories?"

"Depends," Bebe says defensively. "Does your brother ever get sweaty?"

"So, do you still want to go sneak a look at his stuff? With him back in there it'll probably be harder now," Gunther whispers to the two. "And Zahn? Sure, a lot. It takes a lot of manual work to cut out some of the stuff he works on. Why? Do you like him?"

"I like to look at him is all," Bebe says. "I wouldn't like, peep on him or anything. Not with Amy around." "Let's try to get in through the bedroom again," Nene says.

"Right. Back into the bedroom we go," Gunther whispers to the two and briefly wraps his arms around both in a hug. He slinks off around the house and oozes himself through the now open window.

The otters ooze in behind Gunther. Nene bravely resists the urge to jump up and down on the bed and chew on the sheets.

Gunther slinks over to the door and presses his head against it. "Hey … I think he fell asleep," he whispers.

"How can you tell?" Nene asks, putting her ear to Gunther's other ear.

"He's not moving around; it's quiet," Gunther points out. Kadies are often always in motion, afterall.

"Maybe he's dead?" Bebe suggests. "The magic vermite monster turned into a giant muck-sucker and slurped him right down!"

"That's an, uh, interesting thought," Gunther mutters. "Can either of you see under the door or through the keyhole?"

Bebe goes high and Nene goes low, trying to see through the crack and the keyhole.

Both of the girls can see … Aiken on the floor. He's sprawled out on his back and not moving. Well, except for the occasional twitch of his tail.

"I think he's dreaming," Nene says. "He's drunk!" Bebe proclaims.

"He's asleep. Time to see the stuff," Gunther grins and slowly opens the bedroom door. On the other side is the living room … and crate after crate of all sorts of random stuff. Maps, books, scrolls, old tablets, statues, the list could go on.

Bebe sneaks up to Aiken and sniffs his breath, just to be certain.

Well, there is definitely the scent of scumble on his breath.

Bebe rubs her hands together and twitches her whiskers, while Nene looks around without touching anything. "Think there will be more traps? And where'd that vermite thing go?"

"I wouldn't be surprised if there weren't a few more traps around, but. Me might not have trapped anything in this room for fear of Aiken's safety. Everyone knows how much he likes out of town stuff," Gunther points out as he goes to the maps and starts digging through them.

Nene looks for jewelry, while Bebe searches for clothes. Specifically, frilly clothes.

"What the … this is a Wingnut map," Gunther growls and pulls out an old parchment. "I'm sure of it. This looks like one for the old clan territory. What the heck would he be doing with this? Where did he get this?"

"Wait, how old?" Nene asks, coming over to look. "Like, before the flood?"

There's lots of bits of old jewelry around, mostly bits of colored glass and bead necklaces. As for frilly clothes, though … not really any of that. Well, except for one very long and flowing white dress with a star painted over where the heart would usually be.

"Before the dam was built. When the clan lands were further away from where they are now," Gunther says and curls the map closed again. "I recognize some of the marks. Seen 'em before in all the master plans we have in the archive."

"So, we could go check them out?" Nene asks, holding up some glass beads and eyeing them critically. Bebe, meanwhile, takes the white dress over to Aiken, and then starts to take his clothes off…

"Uh, no, you can't go into the archives," Gunther says quickly. "I shouldn't have even mentioned them!"

"What are you doing Bebe?" Nene demands. Bebe just cackles and finishes stripping Aiken, then getting the dress onto him. "I just wanna see his face when he wakes up and can't remember anything! And maybe Jack won't recognize him and will think he's a woman… "

Gunther covers his face. "You wouldn't do that to me, would you?" he asks.

Bebe blinks at Gunther, and asks, seriously, "Do you get drunk?"

"No. But I have knocked myself out a few times," Gunther admits.

Nene pats Gunther on the back, and promises, "Don't worry, if it ever happens, I'll make sure she stops at taking your clothes off."

Gunther's tail puffs straight out at that. "Uh, I'm not sure you'd want to stop there. There isn't much to see," Gunther says quickly.

"That's not the point, you see… " Nene starts to explain, but is interrupted by Bebe stomping around in Aiken's ill-fitting pants and shirt, going, "I'm the MAN now! Hahahaha!"

Gunther covers his face again. "You know, I just realized something," he says weakly.

"What?" Nene says, leaning across Gunther's back with her arms over his shoulders.

"I think we just had a date," the Kadie admits.

"Was there food?" Nene asks. "I don't remember there being food."

"Is that a requirement?" Gunther asks as he resumes looking through the maps.

"I think so," Nene says. "And we aren't supposed to be naked, I think. And the drunk passed out adult I'm not sure about either. Are there any good treasure maps in that pile?"

Keeping his head buried in the maps, Gunther says out of the blue, "And, uh, Nene, Bebe? I think you look better without the vests and such; I'm sorry the town requires you to wear them now." And as fast as the comment came, it goes and Gunther switches topics, "Nothing near here, I don't think. Lots of these are from around Justininople, or some place called Half Valley … never heard of that place."

"That's the Old Country," Bebe says, coming over with her baggy man-clothes. "Where the otters all come from after being created by the great god… uh… Brewski."

"I thought it was the Great God Bob?" Nene asks. "Sometimes I think Granny just makes stuff up because she's forgotten."

"Well, there's lots in here about Half Valley and a few about something near it. Called the Pearl, perhaps? Lotsa scribble," Gunther shrugs and puts the maps down save the first one he had. "This one is going back to the archive, though; he shouldn't have it."

"How'd he get it?" Nene asks. "Isn't that stuff in the super secret underground Wingnut vault guarded by rabid beasthounds and deathtraps?"

"I have no idea how he got it. Maybe someone left the clan and took it a long time ago," Gunther says and shrugs, "As for the vault … you're not supposed to know about that."

"I'm right then, about the beasthounds?" Nene asks. "That's like worth a dozen Otter Scout points if it's true!"

"I cannot confirm or deny it," Gunther deadpans.

Nene nuzzles Gunther behind the ear, and asks, "Pleeeze?"

"Sorry, I can't. I got in big enough trouble the last time when I let someone into the hot tub in there," Gunther says with a sigh. "Not that we have a hot tub or anything."

"You've got a hot tub in your secret library?!" Bebe exclaims, and then clutches the front of Gunther's shirt. "Why? Just tell me why? I don't care how perverse it is, I must know!"

Gunther gacks and tries to pull his shirt free! "Forget I mentioned it! Doesn't exist! The vault doesn't exist! Nothing exists!" he chitters.

Bebe tries making big eyes at Gunther, but Nene tells her: "Try to find the magic vermite!"

Both of the otters begin frantically searching for the evil little statue, chatting back and forth about who they will scare the fish out of with it. "Oh," Bebe says, looking back to Gunther. "You gotta feed the girls on a date, my mom told me so!"