concentration. She turned it round once or twice and then held it out again.
"Ermm, I don't see anything, is there something on it?" She smiled, her expression radiating innocence.
"Err..." He faltered. He wasn't sure what to do right now. By all accounts, he should probably be running for his life about now, but he wasn't sure, not just yet.
"Uhh, it was nothing, trick of the light". He reached for the hand tentatively, testing as if it was about to bite him, but then took it and pulled himself up.
"Erm..." he started again, standing up completely still. Then came a blast of a horn, from some distance away.
"Ah! The alarm! I have to be going, miss." He saluted, then turned and ran, whipping up dust behind him.
"Oh, wait! You forgot your sword!" she shouted after him, picking it up off the ground and waving it in the air. Spring barked at the figure, but didn't give chase. He had been given a job to do and besides, the lady smelt nice.
She sighed and put down the sword with a clink. She wondered why everyone was always in such a hurry, it was never like this back home. Something brushed past her leg, and she looked down. The dog was sitting down next to her, looking dutiful.
"Come on, I'm sure we can catch up with him, I'm pretty sure he'd like this, ermm..." She pulled the small silvery object out of her pocket.
"...Round, thingy back".
The dog seemed to like this idea, and stood up expectantly.
"Hmm, do you know where he went?"
The dog whined and gave an apologetic wag of his tail.
"Oh well, I'm sure we'll find him eventually, let's go."
They both walked into the alley and the noises of the city died away.
Out in the streets, a crowd was gathering. Near the docks, but a couple of streets away was a large square, designated by the city council as a public area. It was supposed to have been a ‘Community Outreach’ program, though since this was the Reparts, any outreacher would probably find their arm coming back with less fingers than they originally started with.
The ground had been laid in new stones, lined up neatly, and hardly worn down. Almost no-one came here, it was too exposed, too bright, too clean. The buildings making up the square shape had boarded up windows or large thick curtains. Light wasn’t welcome here, and the people who lived here wanted it known to the world.
"Ermm, I don't see anything, is there something on it?" She smiled, her expression radiating innocence.
"Err..." He faltered. He wasn't sure what to do right now. By all accounts, he should probably be running for his life about now, but he wasn't sure, not just yet.
"Uhh, it was nothing, trick of the light". He reached for the hand tentatively, testing as if it was about to bite him, but then took it and pulled himself up.
"Erm..." he started again, standing up completely still. Then came a blast of a horn, from some distance away.
"Ah! The alarm! I have to be going, miss." He saluted, then turned and ran, whipping up dust behind him.
"Oh, wait! You forgot your sword!" she shouted after him, picking it up off the ground and waving it in the air. Spring barked at the figure, but didn't give chase. He had been given a job to do and besides, the lady smelt nice.
She sighed and put down the sword with a clink. She wondered why everyone was always in such a hurry, it was never like this back home. Something brushed past her leg, and she looked down. The dog was sitting down next to her, looking dutiful.
"Come on, I'm sure we can catch up with him, I'm pretty sure he'd like this, ermm..." She pulled the small silvery object out of her pocket.
"...Round, thingy back".
The dog seemed to like this idea, and stood up expectantly.
"Hmm, do you know where he went?"
The dog whined and gave an apologetic wag of his tail.
"Oh well, I'm sure we'll find him eventually, let's go."
They both walked into the alley and the noises of the city died away.
Out in the streets, a crowd was gathering. Near the docks, but a couple of streets away was a large square, designated by the city council as a public area. It was supposed to have been a ‘Community Outreach’ program, though since this was the Reparts, any outreacher would probably find their arm coming back with less fingers than they originally started with.
The ground had been laid in new stones, lined up neatly, and hardly worn down. Almost no-one came here, it was too exposed, too bright, too clean. The buildings making up the square shape had boarded up windows or large thick curtains. Light wasn’t welcome here, and the people who lived here wanted it known to the world.
