A Peculiar Evening

Well, seems lots of people is writing diaries just now, so thought i’d better do a bit of it meself. Course, ain’t easy, seeing as i ain’t got a diary, so i’m writing this in the back of Lisa’s one, i’m sure she won’t mind, and i knows it will be safe, cus she keeps it under the loose floorboard hidden beneath her mattress…

Still, yesterday evening i was down by the Asylum, and realised i hadn’t seen Lisa or Tenderpaws in a bit, so decided to drop in, as yer do. When i got to the door, i was just about to knock when it springs open in my face and Strifeclaw and that strange moreux Miss Zaros comes tumbling out. Well, them two has a bit of a history, so i expected them to start going at it hammer and tongs like, but no, they don’t. Strifeclaw yells to me that Lisa ain’t in, and that Snow was fighting a steam clockwork upstairs and needed me help. They then both dashed off yelling something about needing to be doing something more important the other side of the City. Took me right by surprise, that did, cus Strifeclaw ain’t the sort to go leaving a friend in trouble, and if Snow needed help….

Well, i dashed upstairs, only to find they changed the locks AGAIN! Yer’d think they would leave them the same, so’s people could open them up quick when they need to, but no, i had to mess around before i could get through, must have been there almost a minute, guess i’m out of practice. Once i was through, i found Snow in dishabille, all black fur and big teeth, being pushed into one of the special rooms by this great hulk of a steam engine!

I yells at metal head what it thinks it’s doing to my friend Snow, though tell truth, Snow did seem to have a bit of a temper on at the time, and he was sort of tearing bits out of the machine. Was a bit of a surprise when it tells me in a right posh voice that it were just trying to put Snow safely in the room, and didn’t want to hurt him. It was then i did a bit of quick rethinking, cus of course that was what us urchins were intending to do anyhow, though not sure the Asylum were the best place for him.

So i spoke nice, firm an clear to Snow, as the book told me yer were supposed to, telling him not to fight and to go quietly into the room. Not sure he were really listening, but he did move back, and the clockwork slammed the door and bolted it! I kept talking to Snow, telling him to calm down and relax, and it seemed to work! Gradually he became less hairy, shrunk back, and turned back into the Snow we prefer.

Didn’t have much time though, as the big machine sort of toppled over, steam and smoke leaking from all sots of places, making some very odd noises. Last time i heard something like that it were gears all over the place and picking bits of clockwork up fer weeks after. Searched for it’s safety valve, and it told me it were under a flap, which was jammed down. Now, luckily i had me small pry on me, and with a bit of huffing and puffing i levered it up, and could turn the little wheel inside. It was a bit hot, but that’s to be expected with steam engines. Thankfully, it seemed to calm the clockwork down, and i were able to look in through the glass at Snow, who were looking right miserable.

It was then that Miss Beatrice came out of her room, and i told her what had happened. She was most interested in the clockwork, particularly when it asked if anyone could help repair it. Strifeclaw came back round then, though seemed confused about what he had been doing and where he had been, particularly as the mechanical man had apparently been trying to kill him at one point, though i guess quite a lot of people have tried that in the past….

Miss Beatrice started fixing up the clockwork, twisting together broken wires. Strifeclaw was a bit unsure about letting her have a go, but she does build some wonderful buildings, and the clockwork was telling her what to do, so don’t recon much could go wrong. Was a bit odd how all her fur stood on end, like she were too near one of them elecktrik globes at the Fair, and when she turned the valve to close it, there was a bit of a nasty burning smell. Didn’t seem to worry her though, and that was the end of the repair, so she went into the bathroom to touch the pipes and clean up her paws so Strifeclaw could patch her up.

The clockwork did some more whirring and clanking, then got up, much better than it were. It seemed right friendly, though even posher than before, and we were chatting to it trying to understand what it were that had gone on, though it were even more confusing than before, something about not being able to choose before but now could because of Strifeclaw and Miss Beatrice.

Snow seemed calmer too, and i chatted to him a bit, just letting him know it were all going to be alright and not to worry. Then the big lump of metal says Lilith were hurt somewhere and that we maybe should go help her! Well, Strifeclaw an me were right upset, seeing we could have been out helping her ages before, if only the metal bonce had told us! Quick as a wink, we told it ter take us to her, and we were off!

It were up in the building where the trams rise up that we found her, and Strifeclaw was setting her to rights in no time. We got the clockwork to pull up some planks to rest her on, and Strifeclaw decided to take her back to the hospital by tram, as the smoothest way. The clockwork had decided to try and sort itself out, it were a bit big and clanky, and i offered to take it over to see Miss Avariel, see if she could help.

Well, i left it there, and be interesting to see how it turns out. It were a bit of a confusing evening, but it worked out quite well. Snow ended up back with us, and in a safe place, least until that Cagnark comes back, Lilith got back to the hospital, and the killer clockwork changed it’s mind and were helping us! Still not sure why Strifeclaw let that Zaros go, but i’m sure it will all work out…