Arthur watched as the pigeon fluttered over and landed on the counter. It strutted around as it cooed and pecked at the box. At that, he waved a hand at it until it moved.
Nyssa stood from her spot and moved over, looking at the bird.
“Hi, I don’t think we’ve met,” she said with a smile. “I’m Nyssa.”
“Charmed,” Lady Pigeonette replied. “I’m Lady Pigeonette. Chief scout and information broker for The Assembly of Liberty. You’re the one Arthur pulled from the sewers, correct?”
“Yes.”
“Excellent.” With that, she turned once more to face him. “About my favor.”
He knew what she was talking about, of course. She’d been instrumental in making sure the knights were in a position to deal with Riccardo. At the time, he thought it strange that she hadn’t asked for anything in return.
He should have known that wouldn’t last.
“Of course. How can I help?” He put on his salesman’s smile and leaned on the counter.
“Don’t sound so concerned,” she said. “I simply want you to promise you won’t sell to the gangs.”
“What? They’re still around?” That came from Nyasa, who frowned.
The pigeon bobbed back and forth in a way that appeared to be a nod. “Yes, though not in the same form as when they had the Heady Siblings leading them. Small groups are fighting over shelter. Not that Leo isn’t trying to group them into a unified force once more.”
Arthur nodded. It wasn’t difficult to imagine the hulking bodyguard trying to get the entire group back together.
“Why bother asking? They don’t exactly have the ability to pay me.”
“Oh, they do.”
That caught him off guard, and it became his turn to frown. Before him, the pigeon strutted once again. He put a hand out to stop it from going near the box again. There was a feeling in his stomach that he shouldn’t let anyone else mess with it.
“Explain? I thought Riccardo hoarded all the gold. At least until Carina gave it back to me before the battle.”
Once more, the pigeon bobbed. “Most of it. He gave some of it to his lieutenants. Not much, but enough that they might think it’s worth the attempt. I want your promise that you won’t sell to them.”
“I still have nine hundred gold. I’m not that hard up,” he thought as he tapped the counter.
“Agreed,” he said. “We can do that.”
The pigeon ruffled its feathers and cooed again. “Excellent. I’ll be taking my leave then.”
“Can you wait a moment?” Nyssa asked.
“Yes?”
Arthur watched as the rat girl cleared her throat. “I was wondering. We’ve been told a little about The Assembly of Liberty, but can you explain about yourselves?”
Before his eyes, he watched the bird puff up. He could almost feel the smug pride radiating from the animal. It made him curious about what the person on the other side of the line was doing.
“I wonder if she has to sit around to control them?” He thought. “I bet Dr. Kunibert would kill to be able to control his rats like that.”
“Us? We are the primary superhero group in the city!” Lady Pigeonette’s voice was excited as she spoke. “Myself and the others, raised to fight against the forces of evil and protect the people!”
Arthur resisted the urge to point out all the people he’d met so far. They certainly didn’t look like they’d been helped—half-starved, as they were. Though her words begged additional questions.
Who raised them? And why? He remembered Dylan mentioning the rumor that they were government experiments who’d escaped. It made him eye the bird with more care. Sure, Lady Pigeonette may not be dangerous. However, Dylan also mentioned that they fought with Riccardo’s goons on and off.
So there needed to be some kind of heavy hitter.
Nyssa continued her line of questioning while he mulled over the implications.
“So, you fight crime?”
“That is our purpose,” Lady Pigeonette confirmed as the bird strutted across the table. “We were supposed to fix things, but Riccardo and his sister delayed us. However, now we can make things better.”
There was a slight pause as she ruffled her wings again. “Once we can clear out the smaller groups
“You mentioned training,” Arthur broke in. “Who trained you?”
For a moment, he thought the bird was about to take flight. Instead, it simply hovered for a minute before flying to land on top of the box. A surge of protective instinct went through him. For a second, he reached for his cane, before forcing himself to breathe.
“Please get off that.”
To his surprise, she complied. When the bird once again landed on the counter, it looked at him.
“Do not pry into our secrets. Suffice to say, for now, we train each other.” The words were bitter, and he nodded.
“Fine.”
Nyssa cleared her throat. “Perhaps some tea? If you wouldn’t mind staying for more questions.”
The bird made a motion akin to a shrug. “About what?”
Arthur thought for a moment. His mind went to a safe subject they would both have some knowledge of. That, of course, took him to her mention of the gangsters trying to reorganize.
No one really talked about what happened after the battle. None of the knights were interested in where they ran off once the fighting was done. The thought of the knights made him think of their last interactions and what Sienna had said about their prisoner wanting to talk about caches.
A question about them came to mind, however, instead he asked a different one. He wanted to reset the mood.
“Let’s start with your tea preferences, shall we?”
***
Arthur was the one to step away and get the tea while Nyssa and Lady Pigeonette chatted about this and that.
When he returned with three cups of the steaming liquid, they turned to face him. He did his best to smile as he placed them on the counter. While she dipped her beak in, he cleared his throat.
“What do you know about the gangsters’ supply caches?”
That appeared to catch her off guard if the strange sidestep was any sign. The bird looked up at him, and Arthur paused. Was that interest in its eyes? It was hard to tell.
“How do you know about those?” She asked.
Arthur paused, not sure why the question surprised him. She admitted she was their information gatherer. However, how he knew may not be information The Watchdog Knights wanted him to share.
The silence stretched on before he decided how to answer. He didn’t want to lie, but it wasn’t his secret to share. It would be best to tread carefully.
“One of the knights mentioned it. They love to gossip while they eat.”
That seemed good enough, and she took another drink of tea. When the beak lifted from the cup, she spoke.
“They’re small deposits that Riccardo squirreled away for a rainy day. His previous lieutenants knew about some of them. They’re using them as bribes against the others.”
“What do they hold exactly?”
“Supplies. Scarce bits of food and additional weapons. Clothes. Jewelry.”
“Jewelry?” Nyssa asked, whiskers twitching. “Why?”
“Because that’s the type of thing that gangsters hoard.” Lady Pigeonette said like it was the most obvious thing in the world. “What criminal doesn’t like gold? So he collected it in a form he could find.”
A sudden feeling hit Arthur at that point. Not painful, but a heat of sorts that burned inside at the thought of gold.
“If I can get that, it would be my own. Not hers.” He resisted the urge to lick his lips at the thought.
“Do you have any of it?” He knew the longing was audible in his voice, but he couldn’t bring himself to hide it.
“The jewelry? I believe we have some.” The bird moved around the counter. “When we raid the gangs, we take things we can use. Captain Swordsmen believes we can starve them out. Mister Nimble doesn’t agree, but he’s always been more bloodthirsty.”
Arthur nodded. The heat in his chest wasn’t going away, and he wondered what was happening. With effort, he tried to calm himself.
“How much of this have you found?” He asked.
“A bit. Most of which isn’t useful for us, but better in our care than their’s.”
“Would you be willing to sell it to me?” Arthur gestured towards the box. “Or perhaps make some kind of other deal?”
“What would you be doing with it?”
“Equipping those in the sewers.” His answer was immediate. “Any upgrades would be better than what they’re using now. You could help a lot of people.”
“Why shouldn’t we give it to them directly, then?” Lady Pigeonette asked.
Arthur paused, unsure of what to say. That would get it to them and save him a lot of money. It would rob him of all the experience points from the sales, though, and the potential store perks that awaited him. With Pydes’ mention of needing to get to level fifteen, he didn’t want them to go to waste.
Plus, a small part of him disliked the idea of not being included in such a big trade. As stupid as he knew, that sounded.
Once again, he decided on a half-truth. “Because any sales I make allow me to grow more powerful. Which can be used to help more people.”
“I see. In what way?”
“You know of my stock rotation perk, correct?” He asked, and she nodded. “I got that by leveling. If I can get higher, I’ll be able to upgrade that and unlock other things. That has a trickle-on effect. Help me, and I can be more efficient at helping them.”
The bird strutted about for a moment before it nodded. “That makes sense, I suppose. Perhaps we can donate some things to the cause?”
“You won’t regret it,” Arthur said. “Any items you can’t find a use for, I’ll use. I seriously appreciate it.”
“We need to stick together!” Lady Pigeonette declared.
Nyssa looked at him with a slightly bemused expression on her face as the bird took to the air. “I shall send someone to speak to you about supplies. It was nice meeting you, Nyssa.”
“You too,” Nyssa said with a smile.
With that, the bird vanished. Only when Augustus stuck his head in to squeak, which Arthur took as him saying she was fully gone, did Nyssa speak again.
Her voice filled with mirth as she chocked out the words.
“Mister Nimble? Really?”
When her eyes met his, he grinned. Before he knew it, both of them were laughing as Augustus moved back outside with a shake of his head.
***
The rest of the day was quiet, a fact that Arthur both appreciated and loathed.
It reminded him of the days he’d manned Derrick’s store. All those hours alone, waiting and hoping someone would arrive. Though, as he watched Nyssa paint, he had to admit it beat the constant sources of bad news that’d been arriving as of late.
Now he had two different trade partners, one of whom he might not even have to pay. That would help considerably with his leveling, provided the Sewer Dwellers wanted to buy it. Not that he could think of a reason that they wouldn’t.
New clothes and weapons were something he would have jumped for joy at in their situation.
That thought made him look at his own clothes, glad of the box. His old uniform was still as pristine as it’d been the day he arrived. A piece of home he both loathed and didn’t want to get rid of.
“Should I get some new clothes myself?” He muttered.
Nyssa shrugged, and he winced at the fact she’d overheard.
“It couldn’t hurt?” She sounded distracted as he continued to work.
“I suppose,” Arthur agreed.
He wasn’t sure what he’d want, though. His mind went to what Derrick used to wear. A more casual version of his own outfit. Shorts and a polo shirt. As the boss, his old manager claimed he didn’t need to wear anything fancy.
That didn’t sit right with him, though. Arthur knew he wanted something nicer than that. His mind went to Gastho. A suit like that would be nice, though he wasn’t sure that he deserved it.
With a yawn, he stretched from his spot, grabbed his cane, and moved to the door. The sunlight beat on him, and he looked up the street. To his delight, he saw a familiar vehicle trundling towards him.
Arthur raised his cane before smiling and waving, seeing a large hand wave back.
“Well,” he said to Augustus. “Time to hear about how the fight went.”
As Theobold came into view, his smile faltered.
His security guard was alone. Upon closing the distance, Arthur’s eyes widened. On his back was some kind of massive beast. However, his attention switched when he noticed the blood that poured down Theobold’s muscular arm.
“Get the box ready,” Arthur said to Augustus as he hurried over to see the extent of the damage.188Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5lAvVt37ls
