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July 29th Part 7: A new hiding place, and an unexpected meeting.

“Hurrah urchins!”  Gil cried as he congratulated them all as the cat rubbed his paws.  “An’ mister A!”

Tepic looked at them with his hands on his hips, “I was runnin all over tryin ter find yer two!  Didn’t ‘spect yer both ter be back here….” Apparently he’d thought Gil was in front of Arnold, and Arnold also explained he’d thought both of them were behind him when he’d left Gil there unintentionally alone.

Looking at the pieces of the broken clockwork he said, “Get those to Avariel…”  After a moment of thought he realized that with the noise they had made and the momentary power fluctuation they might soon have visitors.  “Or leave them here for her.”  The last thing he wanted was for them to be found by another one of those things or someone he couldn’t trust.

They began to move for the raft and safety, Gil gesturing for him to get seated.  Sounds from above suggested movement, and while it might be the power station workers it could also be more clockwork dinosaurs coming. 

They pushed off and Gil whispered as they departed, “Fink yer ‘idey ‘oles are found out now…”  Arnold nodded and stopped them so he could pick up the device before they moved on.

Tepic nodded and whispered when he was back, “Can always kip down at the Theatre….”

Arnold looked at him confused, “The theater?”

“Aye, dinna fink a rappy could get up there,” Gil reassured him. “We can take ye.”

As they made their way forward Arnold’s heart jumped as he saw someone standing in the sewers in front of them, and he cursed.

It was that young girl Felicia, who peeked towards them, coughing slightly at the smell, “He.. hello?”

“‘ello Lisa!”  Tepic cried out ahead, “Yer missed all the fun!” 

Arnold turned to Tepic horrified and shouted, “What fun?!”

He wished he hadn’t yelled, but there was no taking it back.  Gil helped her board the raft and they continued down the sewer passages quickly, telling Felicia what had happened as she shivered, “My friends were telling me about those things.”

“They’re right scary they are!” Gil agreed.  “But good fhing I always carry extra taters… even rotten ones!”

The young girl smiled a bit hesitantly. “I see.”

“It’s trying to kill me,” Arnold said, then looked back at Gil, “But seemed like it would have killed you if I hadn’t come back.”

“It dinna like me one bit….”  He rubbed his side gently, showing his wound.  Arnold frowned…were cats and rats really close enough for those things, or was there something he wasn’t seeing?

“Blimey mate!”  Tepic cried as he noticed the blood on Gils shirt.  “Yer didn’t get bit did yer?”

Gil waved dismissively, “I get worse from the srizzle snakes,”  Recalling a year ago when the giant snake had also bitten him Gil looked to everyone, “Why’s fings always bitin’ me?”

“I’ll need to clean myself then see to your wounds.”  Even with the hospital gone he had still been trained…
 
Tepic mused and answered him as he piloted them down the sewer tunnels, “Yer must look too tasty, mate, now us foxes, nuffin likes our taste…”

Arnold rode with them relieved all the same, no longer worried about Gil and the effect the device might have had on him.  If all of this hadn’t been a shock then nothing would be enough.

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