((Obi and I have written this together.))

Le Pomme D'Eve tended to be lively on any given evening, with song, dance, and drink. A popular spot for the Romani and Parisians alike, it was one of the few places in Paris where both freely mingled while Claude Frollo was in power, and remained the most popular even after a few more have cropped up since. The tall, busty Madame Serpente accepted coin from any who came through the door, and allowed all sorts of rambunctious fun so long as her tankards and furniture weren't broken, and fights were taken outside.

And they [i]would[/i] be taken outside, because the Madame herself could lift the most hardy of men and toss them to the street if crossed. The only thing she'd ever said about the matter was, "I don't need door men. I've hauled logs up mountains; don't go thinking I can't handle your fat bum."

The tavern was more alive than usual, due to a boisterous newcomer who had come in for a drink and was staying for a good time. He'd only payed for about half of what had gone down his gullet, thanks to the various women who hoped to bed him, the various men who hoped to befriend him, and the other men who enjoyed the challenge of trying to drink him under the table (only some of whom had already passed out and been lugged outside to sleep it off in the gutter). Between regaling the crowd with tales of his feats of combat in battle and on the hunt, he had introduced them to a song that was apparently quite popular in his home town.

"When I was a lad, I ate four dozen eggs every morning to help me get large!"

The stranger flexed and posed to emphasize his perfect physique.

"But now that I'm grown, I eat five dozen eggs--"

He spotted a bench where about four women sat, and used both hands to lift it up over his head. Two of them gasped, one cried out in shock, and the fourth giggled from drink.

"--I'm roughly the size of a baaarge!"

He grinned as he placed one hand on his hip and held the bench - and four women - up in the air. Excitement and nervousness wafted from the bench as the four women shifted to maintain a proper balance. Several of the tavern's patrons stared in awe and cheered at the feat of sheer strength. The stranger laughed as he took the bench in both hands again and set it down.

Pierre held up his own drink as another round of the chorus started up. 

"Who has the vitality and stalwartness of equine-- No, wait, that doesn't work.
Whose fortitudinous robustness-- No! Gaah, curse the dimunitiveness of this simplistic tune!
Who is lusty and brawn as--"

Suddenly Pierre noticed the rest of the crowd had finished their verses, and quickly started up the last simple word two beats behind them:

"GASTOOOOOOOOOONNNNN!"

Gaston let out a long, hearty laugh and downed another tankard of mead.

~~~

Esmeralda glanced to the children as the skeleton said their names.

Lock. Shock. Barrel.

Peculiar names, and she briefly wondered which was which. They gave no indication at the moment. She smiled as the skeleton took his ghostly companion to his shoulders.

"I was going to offer my cloak," Esmeralda said, "but if there [i]is[/i] something strange going on in Paris, that would be a good idea."

Without wasting another moment, she turned to lead the group toward the tavern.

"Come. This way."

As they walked, Esmeralda noticed how Lock, Shock, and Barrel's bathing tub, while not completely silent, moved a lot more quietly than the thief's horse. A quick glance showed its clawed feet carefully picking its way over the cobblestones. Djahli trotted beside her, just far enough from the bathing tub that he could look up and keep the children in sight.

Esmeralda then turned back to the thief, and in particular, the red bird.

"And where did you say you and your bird were from, friend?" Esmeralda asked.

They heard the singing, laughter, and rowdy dancing before they even saw the building: a large, spacious establishment with two floors, a barely tended-to courtyard, and a well. In the back would be the stables, though there was a trough upfront being watched by a stable hand for guests not intending to stay the night.

"This is it," Esmeralda said as they rounded the corner, "and by the sound of things, the festivities came a little earlier tonight."

She made sure to stop far enough that the stable hand and any going in or out wouldn't see them just yet. Esmeralda turned to the skeleton and pointed to a part of the building still hidden in shadow.

"Some of the stones over there are more jagged," she said, "so it should be easier to climb up without being seen."

She then turned to the children.

"Lock. Shock. Barrel."

Esmeralda watched them for reactions to the names. In order, the red boy, the girl, and the smaller boy perked up.

"You can't bring your bathing tub inside," she said, "but we can probably hide it in the stable."

She pondered a moment.

"You seem to have some valuable equipment. Will it be safe?"

The children nodded in agreement.

"If anyone tries to steal from us--" Lock said.

"--They'll have to catch it first," Barrel finished with a giggle.

"That's if it doesn't run them over," Shock said with a wicked edge to her voice.

The three of them cackled, then quickly dug through their equipment for what they could fit in their pockets. Just from the sounds coming from the tavern, they sensed plenty of opportunity for trouble.