To the relief of everyone, the weather a lot calmer when Fagin and his dogs headed out the next day. It was still rather chilly, but at least Tito would not have to worry about being swept away in a gust of wind. Rita was hopeful that she'd finally find out from Dodger what was going on at the Foxworths', and even better, she'd be able to see Oliver again, for it had been a fair while since she'd last paid him a visit. The thought of spending an afternoon in their lovely warm house was admittedly an inviting one too.
While the others went off in different directions to search the city for food and treasures, Rita kept close to Dodger, making sure he didn't slip away as he so frequently did. On this occasion, though, he was enjoying having an accomplice. As the two most successful pick-pockets in the gang, Dodger and Rita made an effective team and soon managed to score a couple of wallets between them. As always, Dodger was more than happy to show off for Rita's benefit and made sure she watched his every slick move.
After hiding their loot in a safe spot to collect later, the two dogs headed off to the Foxworths', making their way through the crowded streets and using the tops of cars to get around on.
They approached the side of the house where Jenny's room was situated and barked until Oliver appeared at the window. It was much easier to get him to let them in when they wanted to visit rather than sneak in as they'd done the first time they came to the grand house. Even from down below Rita could tell that the cat had grown up considerably since she'd last seen him. Since the incident with Sykes she'd only seen him twice, though Dodger had visited far more frequently. They waited for Oliver to reappear downstairs and open the window to the sitting room (the latch was rather stiff with all the cold weather and Oliver had to work to make it budge). Rita thought it a shame that she hadn't been around with Dodger more, she cared a lot for Oliver and was keen to see how he was doing. Preoccupied though she was in collecting for Fagin, the little kid was still important to her.
"Come on in, guys," Oliver said, puffing as he finally opened the window. He grinned broadly at his friends.
As Rita climbed in after Dodger, she noticed a small, apparently feline figure dart behind a bookcase and out of sight. Before Rita could look to see whom or what the little creature was, she found herself being met enthusiastically by Oliver, who rubbed himself against her legs in greeting. He had indeed grown considerably, becoming quite chunky and his features were rather more adult, though he still had a look of kitten about him.
"It's good to see you kid, how are you?" she asked, giving him a friendly nuzzle. She hesitated slightly. "Who's your friend?"
"She's what's been goin' on around here- some of it anyway." Dodger replied on Oliver's behalf.
Oliver looked over his shoulder to the place where the other cat had disappeared to. She came out again, briefly peering at the visitors, and then scurried out of the door.
"Her name's Evie, she's been here a few weeks now. Jenny's dad found her on his way home from work one day, she was awfully thin and sick."
"Not too keen on strangers, huh?" Rita asked.
"Just dogs, she doesn't like dogs at all. It's kind of a problem with Georgette around." Oliver explained, "Evie says that she had some bad experiences with dogs when she was out on the streets, and now she's just scared."
Dodger added for Rita's benefit, "She got unlucky and fell in with the wrong crowd; it sounds like she's been crossin' Flint an' his gang."
"Oh." Rita sighed. Realising this could be trouble, she moved her gaze from the doorway from which Evie had left the room to give Dodger a worried look.
"She's all right," Dodger shrugged, unconcerned. "She's not gonna come to any trouble while she's here, and I don't reckon she'll be going anywhere after what she's been through."
"I want to help her not be so scared of dogs, I mean, Georgette's not always the nicest person in the world, but she's not going to hurt her." Oliver said. "I want Evie to feel at home here, and that means even with Georgette around."
Dodger looked over to Rita. "I thought we might be able to help out a bit, show the kid we're not all bad. I didn't mention it to anyone else 'cause I didn't imagine she'd appreciate five dogs all at once, including one about the size of a small horse."
"I'm happy to help if I can," Rita said, and then turned to Oliver. "You're gonna want to take it slow though, if we rush her it might just make it worse. She looks in a pretty bad way."
"Yeah, she seems to be happier when no one's paying much attention to her," said Oliver, "She met Dodger yesterday though, and that went pretty well I guess. Maybe you could come and meet her now, she won't have gone far."
The two dogs followed Oliver, and found that the new cat was sitting in the hallway by herself. She was pale cream in colour, with blue grey points and silky fur. Her figure was slight, and she had the distinct appearance of someone who had not been eating well. She eyed the visitors suspiciously, particularly Rita, whom she'd never met.
"Hey Evie," Oliver greeted her, "You remember Dodger from yesterday, right? And this is Rita," Oliver motioned toward the leggy hound who, though curious, was trying to avoid staring at the young cat as she didn't want her to feel threatened. "She's a friend of mine too, completely safe."
Evie stiffened, but didn't back away. 'Completely safe' was a bit a stretch for any dog as far as she was concerned. "Pleased to meet you," she said nervously, looking up at Rita.
Rita crouched slightly, making herself look smaller, and greeted the cat. "It's good to meet you too," she said gently. "If you're a friend of Oliver's, you're a friend of mine."
Evie smiled shyly, but still couldn't relax.
"We're gonna go hang out downstairs, if you want to come and join us, you can." Oliver told her. He figured that giving Evie a bit of space would be the best move for the time being.
Dodger and Rita followed Oliver down into the lounge, leaving Evie to come down if and when she felt brave enough, and settled on the large, comfortable couches. They figured it was best not to force anything onto Evie, and to make use of the opportunity to catch up.
Oliver, as always, was thrilled to have his 'brother' around to hang out with, and had a great time play wrestling with Dodger. He did have a slight suspicion though that Dodger may have been letting him win a lot of the time, but it was all good fun.
Rita stretched out on the couch, watching them. There was something special about seeing Dodger show his soft side around Oliver; it wasn't a part of him that he very often let anyone see. She smiled as she watched, and found herself thinking about just how good meeting Oliver had been for her friend. He looked so comfortable in this new role, and happy. It was hard not to imagine what might have been; the courageous little cat would have been a very welcome addition to the gang, where he might have been more of an influence on the hard-guy terrier. But, Rita supposed, things just turned out the way that was best- Oliver was happiest here, and that was what mattered most of all. She hoped that the bond he shared with Dodger could survive, even if they were apart… it was hard to imagine how much it would hurt the mutt if it wasn't to be.
The trio were startled by a shrieking exclamation from the doorway; Georgette was horrified to walk in to find that she and Oliver had guests.
"Ugh... as if it's not bad enough that I've got to put up with a second 'cute little kitty', I can't even relax in my own lounge room without being bombarded by mutts who smell like they bathe in sewer water. Really Oliver, you could have warned me!" she snapped angrily.
"So you've missed me then, Champ?" Dodger smiled at her.
"You can relax Georgette; I wiped my paws on the way in." Rita laughed.
Georgette was not impressed in the slightest and made to walk off in a huff. She stopped herself to quickly make certain of something of the utmost importance. "When you came in, you weren't seen by anyone?" she asked in a hushed, almost panicked tone.
Rita shook her head, and Georgette hurried out of the room.
"Georgette's a bit sensitive right now with the new arrival and everything." Oliver explained, "She doesn't want it to get out that we have anything to do with street dogs; apparently the damage it would do to her reputation would be 'the last straw'."
Dodger laughed. "We wouldn't dream of harming the champ's rep."
"Guess she'll just have to be extra nice to us to make sure." Rita grinned. "Don't worry kid, we can do subtle," she winked at the young cat.
"Thanks guys, the last thing I want is to have Georgette in an even worse mood." Oliver stretched out on the couch and flopped down on to his stomach.
"So kid, what else has been going on here?" Rita asked.
"Oh yeah, I forgot. We found out the other day that Jenny's mom is having a new baby. Jenny's excited, but she's also worried that her parents will have even less time for her when the baby comes along."
Rita's eyes widened in surprise. "A baby! That really is big news. Jenny's lucky to have you around, it's gotta be a big adjustment for her," she said to Oliver.
"Yeah, Jenny will always have me to look after her." Oliver said proudly.
"You're gonna have your paws full, kid, lookin' after all the women in the house." Dodger winked at Oliver.
Rita suddenly realised just how late it was getting. "Isn't Jenny going to be home soon?"
Oliver shook his head. "Nope, they've all gone out to visit friends. I guess they want to share the good news. You can stay here as long as you like."
With no real need to rush off home, Rita stretched out and made herself right at home. Why not make the most of the warm and comfortable lounge room while she could? Oliver and Dodger were soon sparring again, before the little cat made a dash over to the piano to show his friends the contributions he'd been making to Jenny's playing. Soon enough, the dogs were howling along and laughing.
Peering around the door frame, Evie watched with great curiosity. Oliver was clearly not remotely fearful, in fact, he seemed to love the company of those scruffy dogs. Not feeling brave enough to move any closer to the action, she found herself smiling slightly nonetheless. Whatever Oliver was, he was nothing like any other cat she had ever known.
By the time Dodger and Rita left the Foxworths' it was early evening and the air was becoming ever colder. Rita shivered slightly as she stepped outside, quickly wishing she was curled up back on the comfortable- and no doubt expensive- furniture indoors.
Dodger sidled up to her, an excited gleam in his eye. "You still up for hangin' out tonight?"
Rita had forgotten about Dodger's suggestion the night before, but was pleased that he hadn't. "Sure. You're supplying dinner, right?" she replied, looking over her shoulder as she started to walk away, back to the hiding place where they'd left the wallets they'd stolen earlier.
Dodger caught up with Rita, and the two headed into the city, keeping an eye out for any opportunities to make a decent meal. Once they got moving the cool air was actually quite pleasant and gave the two energy to move around the city at high speed; skimming over the tops of cars with ease. It was fun; of all the gang, they were the two most adept at this unique method of locomotion, and once they got going, they almost seemed to fly through the city. Exhilarated, they egged one another on, and put on quite the show for passing pets out for late afternoon walks. The pet life was something neither Dodger nor Rita could imagine; they were free and proud, and that was the way they liked it.
The pair scoured the alleyways, tipping over trash cans and digging through rubbish. It wasn't too long before Dodger came across something appetizing. "So Rita, chicken sound good to you?" he asked, pulling out a half-eaten cooked chicken. It was long since cold; no thanks to the chill in the air, but the scent was awfully inviting all the same.
Rita licked her lips hungrily and rushed over to join Dodger. They found themselves a quiet spot, out of the way enough so that they wouldn't be disturbed, and started tucking in. As they enjoyed their meal, the two talked together, freely as they didn't often get the chance to. Usually there was at least one of the others around, which was fine, but at the same time it felt good to be one-on-one for a change. Both were relaxed and happy, able to laugh together and just take pleasure in one another's company.
As they talked, Rita noticed that Dodger let his mask slip a little, not needing to put on a show as it was just the two of them. He became very natural around her, the usual smug tone fading as the barriers went down, and Rita loved it. It had always been a very rare occurrence for Dodger to show his softer side, but since meeting Oliver, that seemed to be gradually changing. He even talked to her about the kid; something that was a bit of a tender area. Dodger was gradually getting over the hurt of the perceived rejection, and admittedly it felt good to be able to share his feelings with Rita. She'd felt his loss to the gang as well, having very quickly developed maternal feelings towards Oliver, and seemed to understand how much Dodger missed him.
With the cold chicken polished off, Dodger leapt up into a play bow, daring Rita to come and chase him. Unable to resist, Rita crouched, ready to jump at him.
"Come on, Rit. Think ya can handle The Dodge?" he teased, and he ran off into the busy streets with Rita close behind.
The two ran and played in the cold evening air, revelling in the sense of freedom and one another's company. As they came close to the docks, the two clashed and fell to the ground, growling playfully and grappling at each other with their teeth and claws. It was fast and furious, and an onlooker might easily have thought they'd stumbled onto a vicious dogfight, but it was all for show and play.
Exhausted, Rita finally admitted defeat. "Okay Dodgie-baby, you win this time," she panted, falling against him.
Dodger moved in close to Rita, feeling the warmth of her breath as his muzzle gently brushed up against hers, their mouths almost touching. It felt nice… it felt wonderful. Realising that he'd gotten too caught up in the moment, he quickly moved back, feeling strangely awkward.
Rita looked at him, curious, almost certain she'd just seen him look at her in a way that she'd never seen him do before. There was a softness there, different to the playful smarminess with which he usually eyed her, but somehow there was also a great intensity behind his gaze. Was it a look of deep affection- love even? But then, he'd hastily withdrawn, as if fearful of what was happening. It was almost as if he was holding back from something more, but Rita simply told herself that she'd imagined it. All the same, she felt her heartbeat quicken with some sort of pleasurable exhilaration.
Dodger nudged his head against hers. He'd almost gone too far, and he knew that she'd picked up on it. However he felt about Rita, he couldn't just go blundering in without thinking; she was his friend, and he really wasn't a romantic commitment kind of guy. "Come on," he said, "we'd better get back."
"I've really enjoyed this, Dodge, thank you." Rita said, and then walked over to pick up the wallet that had been dropped a short way away on the ground when they'd started to rough-house. She walked close to Dodger as they continued home.
"No problem, we should do it again sometime," Dodger grinned and added, "and then I can beat you all over again."
"I wouldn't bet on it!" Rita scoffed, nipping his ear. "You better watch out, mutt, because I one of these days I am really gonna kick your tail."