Tepic had been eagerly telling Beryl about a man who was offering a free lunch to whoever found his bag and missing works when they had noticed Theodore standing with his arms crossed near Fae Way, looking towards Bookworms home. Despite Beryl wanting to remain hidden from the man who had once been their jailer, Tepic called out to him in greeting.
Theodore came to them, stomping bare footed in the snow, and raised a single finger to his lips and shushed them quietly. That was all he did before he walked back to the same spot he had been previously and turned back to watch the house down the street.
He hadn’t made any threatening motions toward them, and their curiosity got the better of them, though Beryl still knew the man could be dangerous after what he had done last Summer. Even if he had been coerced, he had played a part in destroying several buildings, including Bookworms home which had made her temporarily deaf.
They approached him and Tepic asked the first questions, why he was standing there and where were his boots. Though Tepic repeatedly assured Theodore that he was a fox the man kept calling both of them kitty as he responded, his shoes were ruined and he was waiting for Bookworm.
He didn’t seem to notice the cold despite his jacket, and he was larger than most men. Tepic remarked about the mans abnormally large bare feet, which made him respond that he was still little. Tepic looked up and up at the man surprised and asked him if he expected to grow bigger yet, at the mans nod the fox whistled and Beryl motioned for Tepic to take another few steps back.
Tepic finally asked if he was still working for PJ and both of them were relieved to hear him say that he wasn’t. Tepic offered him a vole as a sign of friendship, and that was when Theodore reached out a hand that was going for Tepics head.
Tepic jumped back, surprised by the motion and Beryl scratched at the hand and hissed. Theodore withdrew his now bleeding hand slowly, Beryl was ready to run with Tepic but the large man just said that he had wanted to pet the kitties.
Beryl felt as if history had just repeated itself and Tepic also asked him not to hurt Theodore again. Beryl agreed after stressing that Theodore shouldn’t try to do that again without permission. Intentionally or not, someone Theodore’s size could easily hurt someone by accident.
Tepic offered to wrap Theodore’s hand in a mostly clean cloth. Tepic examined the huge hand, wiped away the surface blood and wrapped the cloth around, tying it in place. Theodore thanked the ‘kitty’ again and pet Tepics head. Beryl inwardly cringed as he watched and Tepic was prepared to drop if it was too strong, but Theodore seemed to be gentle about it.
They began to talk about the Man in Blue and PJ, and during the conversation Jimmy Branaugh and Fly Copperfield came towards them with other news about a man named Nicholas that they were sure had killed Fly’s sister. They were looking for him and wanted to talk to Bookworm as well. Tepic eventually offered to relay the messages.
They eventually split up, leaving only Beryl and Fly alone together to talk. The cat warned them about Bookworm since he wanted to speak with her, and then wished them the best in dealing with Nicholas.
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