Down by the Port, three urchins were hanging around as the Dock Crew loaded luggage and cargo onto the ship. As the loading continued, there was first only two, then only one urchin looking on.
Tepic sauntered off, content with the morning’s work. All the urchins who had places to go back to had left over a week ago, now with every ship leaving port there was a new cabin boy or kitchen maid on board, as well as another couple hiding on board, with the names of a couple of people sympathetic to urchins at their destination memorised. To Steelhead, Calidonia, Steeltopia and even New Toulouse they were headed, to find safety from the dangers the City found itself in.
Not all of the urchins were going, to some, it had been their home for too long, their mother and their father, and they were determined to stay and help. And it was curious, with every ship or airship that came into Port, there were one or two who landed and headed into the City, searching for lodgings. A pair of sailors, twins, waved goodbye to their shipmates, a fine lady stepped down a gangplank, twirling her parasol, a wealthy merchant brought his yacht into dock and jumped lightly to the decking, a handsome young man with a swagger in his step and a dark past in air piracy swung down the ladder of an airboat, sword hanging free from his broad belt. These were just a few of the new arrivals, and strange as it seemed, they all appeared to be familiar with the streets of the City, but of course, they all had one thing in common, they had all in the past been ragged urchins, children of the grimy and sooty streets……..
*grins* this sounds interesting.
((Neat! *smiles*))
(( I rather like where this is headed. ^^ Encore?))
[Interesting…]
((this was just a tie in with other posts about evacuating and possibly the City drawing people back – there will have been so many urchins starting out, who knows where they ended up, or what they can bring! If anyone needs an NPC, please feel free to use the ideas here! :-) ))
((P.S. if i get any good ideas as to what to do with some of these characters, i’ll blog it up! heheh))
((*grins* I’m sure that a fair amount of Babbagers might have bumped into some of these folks on their out-of-Babbage trips/histories. Intriguing thought, really!
Sky could possibly recognize the air pirate fella… Ah, but friend or foe? *chuckles*
Great way to tie it all together, Tepic!))
Ooh!
Do they have to have been urchins?
I do need a character…and someone returning to Babbage right now would be ideal.
Excellent idea, Tepic. :-)
((Ex urchins would have grown up on the streets, and have the City in their blood, doesn’t stop any other ex residents coming back, just seemed the urchins would be a good source!))
((It’s good to see what a small comment and conversation can eventually grow into. : ) ))
Felisa looked around at the assembled cats. She’d taken their reports first, but there wasn’t, at this point, anything new she could tell the other urchins. But she had something from them to relate to her Folk.
“Some of the M’an-folk are leaving,” she said seriously. “Not many, yet, and quietly, but leaving all the same. I think some of the Folk should do the same.” A murmur rose from the cats, though she could see the Elders looked very thoughtful.
“Look, we all know the os has returned,” she said, raising her voice above the rustling sounds. “And it’s worse than last year–much worse. Those who can’t defend themselves–the old, the young, pregnant or nursing mothers–should leave if they can, I think. With the M’an-folk connections I have, I think I can help those who want to leave this place entirely to temporarily join the complement of ships’-cats, so they can go where they will. Those who want to stay could go to the north. It won’t be easy, of course–winter will be coming soon, which will make hunting difficult. But hopefully, it won’t have to be for too long.”
Felisa hid her own misgivings as she listened to the discussions following her suggestions. Thankfully, the Elders were on her side, so she had no doubt that the most vulnerable would soon be away from the city. The young hunters, of course, were all the more eager to stay, but that was in their nature. She’d see about them later…