"Eat me, Upper-Dupper! Yeeeeeeeee haw!" Squim cackled maniacally and rapped his knuckles on the ground. Tricks, for once, simply ignored him. The man before them was of much greater concern. What was she to do? They had to escape. She was so young, and beautiful; it would be a. . . hmm, wait, that might work. . .
Tricks rose from her cautious kneel and smiled at Gregorio, a poor attempt at flirtation. "Why, my sorry, big guy. I didn't mean nuthin'." She twisted one foot playfully and blew him a kiss. Gregorio visibly twitched at her advances.
"What the devil are you talking about? You'll have it for doing all this, you know. The guards are probably on their way now." Contrary to his belief, Jack, the only soldier present amidst the chaos, was still soundly asleep, his armoured back leaning stiffly against the wall of a cafe.
Tricks fluttered her eyes. "Aw, don't be like that. . . I c'n make it aaaaaall better. . ." She licked her lips and rubbed a hand up her thigh slyly. Gregorio instantly rebuffed her paedophilic invitations with a hasty "Now, look here, I have no time for this," and began to stalk forward again.
"Well, crap, eh? That was bust." Tricks instantly dropped the ruse and backed up a few steps. Her mind raced furiously for some kind of alternative, a way out. . . but there was nothing. The area was clear of obstacles or distractions to put to use. Gregorio would catch them if they ran. The jig was up.
And then, suddenly, Galley was amongst them, standing rigidly beside Squim. His oversized clothes and patched cap did nothing to reduce his stature: Tricks thought him to be years older than six and a half in that instant. He winked at her from beneath his cap and stared at Gregorio, daring the big man to continue forward. Gregorio, a little perplexed at this new arrival, slowed his pace. These kids were not to be underestimated, no matter how young they were.
"Stop there, Upper. Don't take another step or you'll be sorry!"
Gregorio blinked. "Say what? I think it is you, young man, who should stop." The words of caution sounded stupid as they left his mouth. For all his military know-how, Gregorio had no plan past 'grab the thieves and turn them in'. This dishevelled little boy, on the other hand, seemed in command of things. His shinning eyes said as much quite clearly.
Galley smirked. "Don't say I didn't warn ya, then. Marlo, now!"
It was then that Gregorio realised his mistake: he had strayed underneath one of several large, billowing umbrellas that decorated the area (the aristocrats demanded such an amenity for, though there was no visible sun, it could come out any day now, and they wished to be prepared). Marlo had scaled up to the interior of it and grabbed hold of a thick rope that could pull it closed with a moment's notice. He let go of the pole and plummeted towards the ground, clutching tightly to the rope and quickly pulling the umbrella shut as he descended. The opulently decorated folds of it pulled tightly inwards and encapsulated poor Gregorio, if only for a few moments. He rumbled in surprise and struggled against his multicoloured foe.
Galley laughed and motioned for Marlo to follow. Tricks and Squim were already running for the alleyway. Squim playfully leaped at several shocked aristocrats along the way, scaring one woman witless and a man into tripping over his coattails. Galley and Marlo ran, side by side, Galley still laughing playfully, while Marlo thought to himself: I'll follow him until the day I die.
Their timing was perfect. The guards were just then coming out in force. Jack, still snoozing, soon found himself beaned over the helmet by his captain's billy club, relieved of his post, and sent home without pay for the next month.
--
Teodora was utterly dismayed by the crowd's sudden dissipation. She made a mental note to complain loudly to her father upon returning home for the final part of the ceremony (for which she was already forty-five minutes late).
--
"Idiot! Worm! Lunkhead! Don't you listen to mama? Worm! Answer me, worm!" Tricks soundly drubbed Squim over the head with a stick she had found in the sewer. Squim retreated in pain and embarrassment, cursing everybody in sight and clutching protectively at his patchy skin. His flight took him behind a pile of rotting food, where he rested and watched his fellow Sewer Rats tentatively. Tricks, especially, caught his attention, for he had once again failed to impress his sister – worse, he'd made himself look stupid.
She scowled in his general direction and spat. "I got that guy's blood'n my teeth. Ew. Rest up, twits, then we head home to mama." With that, she promptly seated herself upon a crate and closed her eyes.
Galley and Marlo – never Marlo and Galley, for Marlo would perpetually be subordinated to his friend, and he didn't mind that one bit – settled themselves against a plank of mouldy wood. They'd already walked a long way after the escape, and both boys were beat. As such, they sat quietly, lost in thought.
Marlo would be the first to speak. He had to. Even for a quiet lad such as himself, the long interval of emptiness was too much to bear. "Hey Galley?"
"Yeah?"
"You're so smart. I never woulda thought up that brulla thing on my own."
"Brella. Umbrella."
"Oh, right."
"Thanks. It was a bit of genius, eh?"
"Yeah."
Silence reigned again. They sat, comforted by one another: Marlo nestled safely in the assurance that Galley could get him out of any jam, and Galley beaming with pride at himself and the compliment just paid to him. He had, for once, been in control of things, if only briefly – and he'd liked it.
