It Happened One Heist

The Greenhouse

As soon as the two thieves had returned to the castle they had Monkey Fist's wound cleaned and properly dressed. They couldn't risk him flinching and getting caught, or the injury getting worse. So until he was fully healed he couldn't be the criminal Monkey Fist. For now he had to be Monty Fiske, dead man on holiday.

The mountainside air had become more brisk than usual this evening. Summer was at its end.

Monty changed into his lounging clothes, tied the belt to his smoking jacket and decided to pay a visit to the greenhouse.

Inside it was adorned with classical-style cement statues of people with their animal companions, loosely inspired by a selection of Greco-Roman gods. This included Athena with her owl perched on her forearm, Artemis gently petting a fawn's head, and Hades and Persephone greeted by a trio of excited hounds.

Monty turned on the light fixtures and it gave the statues a striking, haunting look. The kind that may have frightened him as a small child and given him the idea that one shouldn't turn their back on them. As an adult they hardly frightened him anymore, as they seemed content and at peace. At least they weren't twisted in horror and agony as he once was.

However the reminder of his fate disturbed him once more and he flipped the switch that turned on the music. A little bit of Sondheim usually calmed his nerves, and the plants looked like they could use it, too.

The greenery had fallen into slight neglect since his time away, however in his absence a couple of the monkeys had mimicked how their master took care of them and did manage to keep several of them alive. Now the worst they sustained was some wilting.

"Losing My Mind" from Follies. A lovely, albeit melancholy tune to start the night with. However, no sooner did the music start that his ears picked up some unexpected accompaniment.

He tilted his head. This wasn't the version with vocals. He looked around the greenhouse. He was so sure it had been empty.

Over on the far end of the atrium he spotted Maggie slouched forward on an ornate stone bench, a half-empty bottle of red wine in hand.

"I know you're back there, Monty," Maggie called out without turning around. She knew his size and his stride too well based on the echo that her singing had created.

Monty relented and decided to join her. He descended down the stone steps and took a seat next to her.

Maggie smiled as she limply tilted her head, looking like a puppet missing a few of its strings. "Enjoying the show? I should take you out for karaoke sometime... I do a mean Pat Benatar."

He glanced at her choice of drink. "I'm just glad to see you chose the Merlot."

Maggie gave him a funny look. "What? You really think I'd be so stupid as to bogart your Monkey King booze? After the trouble we went through getting it?"

"Mmm. Point taken."

She took another swig. She joked, but it couldn't mask the sadness in her eyes. He had never seen her so melancholy, much less inebriated to the point that he could smell the wine on her breath.

He wasn't sure if he really wanted to pry as to why she was do down. He was most unfamiliar with handling the emotions of others. Also, in her vulnerable state, he didn't want to open a Pandora's Box of anger and grief.

However if it had to do with the context of the song, a woman having great difficulty moving past an old flame even as she had made a new life for herself, he could venture a guess.

The music played on and Maggie swayed back and forth as she hummed along.

"I didn't think you were a Sondheim fan," Monty remarked.