Tough Luck

[Egg]

Egg kept running, panting and puffing to get the air he needed. His little legs were pumping in overdrive, and he sounded like a steam engine about to explode. He was seeing little sparks, this was a definite sign that he needed to stop eating so much food and spend more time outside. He could feel the sweat already pouring down his body.

Hearing the sounds of a scuffle, he looked over his shoulder and saw the ruffian go down. Not knowing why, he stopped, stuck his tongue out, and blew a raspberry. Why in the world did I just do that?!?! He thought as the person chasing him got up and began running again. Egg turned to take off running, and saw stars and felt pain.

The lamp post had been to his left when he had turned around. Now it was apparently in front of him, and he had smacked right into it. Looking up from the ground, he thought of all the ways possible he was about to get beat up.

"Gears and crankshafts." He cursed as he tried to rise to his feet.

[Anther's Crew]

The gnome was Rue's. If Leeger's cronies knew she wanted the gnome they'd take the gnome. Fucking bad timing, was all, but as her lungs heaved and her legs pumped she leaned forward and slowed just enough to grab hold of the gnome's arm. She yanked him upwards and pulled, half dragging with an iron grip. "Run, you shit!"

The hard slap of poorly shod feet hitting the ground was loud enough. Rue only had several strides lead on 'em, and with the gnome's round shape she knew they couldn't make it. And she, tough bitch that she was, couldn't take on three. Even if she could, Changers knew when the beat-sticks would wander through. Rue weren't going to the lockdown for nothin' and nobody.

"You know The Hammer and Spring?" Rue panted out the words as she pulled, abruptly yanking Egg off to the right at a sharp angle, heading down an alley that split a few strides down, where she turned them again.

[Egg]

Egg ran, gasping for breath as he did.

"Terrible...place." He sucked air in deeply, forcing his tired and aching legs to run. He could already feel the heat and raw skin forming on his thighs. I'll need a bath after this, and a long soak! "They... don't.... sell.... beer." He stumbled, but managed to stay upright and keep running. "Just... swill!"

He felt like he had stuck his face in a steamer. It was hot and burning and pouring with sweat. He couldn't keep running like this. He just needed some water. His mouth and throat felt like the desert, hot and dry. He started to slow down. The alley was coming to an end. Soon, he wouldn't have to run because there would be nowhere to run to.

[Anther's Crew]

Rue grunted, and picked up the gnome under his armpits. The little shit was heavy, but she hoisted him up enough that he would be able to hook his fingers into the broken out window of the rearmost and oldest building. Its excuse for a front door would empty out into the poorer street that crossed a better traveled road, near which the Hammer was set. The Hammer and Spring was closed yet, after the murder investigation, and had been bought out by some third party.

"Get up there, go out the front, and meet me there if y'wanna keep yer skin whole," Rue hissed when Egg did not immediately move to go in the narrow window. 'Course, the pudgy gnome might not even fit in there, come t'think of it.

[Egg]

Egg was wheezing as she lifted him and he grabbed the window sill with his fingers. Trying to pull himself up, he had no choice but to now admit he had put on more than a couple of pounds. Pulling with all he was worth, it just wasn't working, so he started kicking off the wall. Then he realized he could just walk up the wall! He pushed up with his feet, inching his hands further in the window, pushing with his feet while he did. He finally got in the window, and then promptly fell the six feet to the hard floor.

Slightly dazed, he rolled in the dust and looked at the window. "Ow."

Standing on weak and wobbly legs, he lifted his hand to his head, feeling a goose egg and a little bit of moisture. Not wanting to know if he was bleeding, he tried to believe it was sweat and stumbled to the front door. He turned the handle and pushed with all his might, the un-oiled hinges giving him a little bit of trouble, but finally the door opened and he was in the free air and sunset.

[Anther's Crew]

Rue stepped away from the wall and its gaping, hard edged window. She was sweating, and dusty, so a paste not unlike mud slowly formed on her skin as the dirt absorbed her sweat. She stank, but that weren't uncommon in the streets. She'd been wrapped up with filth long as she could remember. That was enough to melt the frustration, them memories, so when she turned on her heel her face was twisted up with sneering heat, the callous cynicism of orphans flickering in her eyes.

Two of Leeger's bitches trotted into the alley, grinning for all they was worth. The one she kneed wasn't with 'em. Maybe she'd popped his stones like bubbles.

"Yer far from yer perch, birdie," the one on the left said, and Rue noticed he was missing one of his front teeth.

"I ain't got a perch," Rue snapped.
"Naw? Think yer gonna fly where y'please?"
"You're fuckin' dumb."

Gaptooth hadn't been expecting that. The taunting curl of his lip smoothed, and his face hardened. The skinny man on the right snorted, and a loose smile bared his teeth. Rue remembered Skinny. He was crazy, and in the streets that was sayin' somethin'. Gaptooth pulled a knife while Skinny postured in his hollow-headed arrogance, unconcerned with whatever fight she might put up.

"We been lookin for ya," Gaptooth took a step forward, his voice all velvet violence, eyes going all reverent with the desire to cut up her face.
"What then, yer mouth on Leeger's cock kept you too busy t'hear the word?"
"If y'got cock on your mind -- "
"Anther 'n Sagath got busted. They's in the clinker. I -- " Rue swallowed, unsure how much she'd need to spill to earn herself her life, "I ain't been eatin'. Found a new sort. A job. Trade y'for talk."

Gaptooth stopped advancing, but he didn't put his knife away. He was frowning at her, considering.

"Cut on 'er anyway!" Skinny was pouting. Rue regretted never being able to kill the bastard. He'd always been too quick.

"Talk then," Gaptooth said.

Rue explained about Yoger's daft plans, and the desperation of a pinched belly and where it'd lead them. Gaptooth watched her, disgust slowly pulling at him until he sheathed his knife. Even Skinny didn't say a word, which was. . .interesting.

"Leeger said we ain't messin' with them. You'll be dead right soon enough." Gaptooth turned and walked away. Skinny grinned and spat, making a crude gesture before following along behind. Rue stared after them, more than a little shocked at the reaction. She'd never known any of Leeger's goons to back off a fight, and that more than anything made her cold.

Rue had to take the long way to The Hammer and Spring, feeling keenly the scrapes and bruises from her tumble, and just as much the cuts that weren't there but shoulda been. If the gnome wasn't there she'd have to track him down again, and he definitely wouldn't like that.

[Egg]

Egg sat next to the Hammer on an abandoned barrel. Looking down, he was sadly debating if the washerwoman would be able to get these stains out. This was his favorite shirt! And he stank of sweat and fear. He placed his head in his hands and drew in a shuddering breath. What had these people got him into? As a matter of fact, what had made these people interested in him in the first place?

Egg was naive in many aspects, but he knew that if he ran, she would find him. As an inventor, his home was pretty well advertised as being his. He had a feeling that if she did have to track him down after all this, he would be in a very large amount of trouble. He winced as he remembered the strength with which she had grabbed him. Most likely a very good idea not to run.

Egg amused himself by pulling a piece of paper and a charcoal stick out. She may have his pencil, but that would not stop him. Egg set his mind to the task of creating a machine that would get all this dirt out of his clothes.

[Anther's Crew]

Rue slouched against the wall near where Egg sat, tipping her head back and breathing in and out. She liked breathing. Funny how much nicer it was when you was afraid you wouldn't breathe no more. She didn't gabble her troubles at him, just stood silent for a moment as the gnome's charcoal scraped over paper. Rue was cruel by nature, but the urge to slap him and his stuff around had left her.

"Hey." She nudged his shoulder with her hip, watching the street. "I got a question."

[Egg]

Egg turned his head towards the person while keeping his eyes on the paper he was crazily sketching and formulating on. This was so simple! Something that twisted the clothes in a ring with a constant flow of water, and once you added the soap, it was genius! He almost had the mock up drawn and if his equation was correct...

"Divide by two with a remainder of... sorry. What do you want to ask?" He made a few more marks on the paper, and then carefully tucked it away and gave his full attention. He wondered briefly if he looked as dirty, but then thought he most likely looked worse. He could feel the goose egg on his forehead, and he had fallen into the dust of the street and into the dust of the Hammer. Eh. That's life. He thought.

[Anther's Crew]

"What d'you know 'bout the Paragon?"

[Egg]

Egg looked over and shook his head. "Nothing. I know what a paragon is, but I don't know anyone who uses it as a name."

Standing up, he thought about it for a moment. The itchiness of the dirt and the feelings of cobwebs were beginning to seep in, making him feel uncomfortable.

"No, definitely not. Why? Is he the person that wants to employ me?"

[Anther's Crew]

Rue swayed her head side to side, not looking at him as she mused over his question and how to respond to it. She settled on indifferent scorn; it was the most comfortable out of her limited range of emotions. "Nah. They's a group. Rabble, guards'd say. Scum like me, but with shinier buttons." She fluffed an imaginary collar, then spat. "Real interested in thumbin' their noses all jackdaw at the lawmen. S'what they want with you."

She watched him, eyes sharp as a crow's.

[Egg]

Hmm. Criminal enterprise? So that's why they wanted him.

"Well... I'll take the job, but they need to understand that I do not invent with the express purpose of killing. Blowing things up, breaking locks, forging documents... I can invent for that. But to slit a mans throat when you're twenty feet away or those kind of things, that's not my style. But other than that, I'll help. Mainly because I know you'll just chase me again."

He nervously itched at the back of his neck.

"But do we have to go now? I would really love to go home, bathe, and change."

[Anther's Crew]

Rue stared at Egg, a dodgy frankness in her eyes. "Y'want t'be treated special? I'll be needing something right special in return." She rubbed her thumb against her fingers in the classic street sign for bishani. "Business is business, an' I'll do what the master says. Don't bother me to mess with hurting, none. Got it in me mam's milk, I did. But I ain't got no particulars who I follow iff'n it means I keep breathin' longer, get me?"

[Egg]

"Well that is well and good for you, I'm sure, but I try not to be an asshole. You start building weapons and bombs, and eventually the Guard comes out for you. You think gnomes have any rights in this city? Half you people think we're insane, the other half think we're just stupid and lucky. Most of you think we're dangerous anyways, and won't even spit out some food to trade for an invention that makes your life better. So yes, I will have 'special' treatment, because special treatment keeps me in work and out of a jail cell, or worse, a short drop with a sudden stop."

Egg stood, looking at this person who had thrown him into a wall, chased him, and then helped him escape from some other thugs that she was most likely at odds with.

"So you can either follow me to my home so i can take care of my needs or you can go on somewhere and explain to your boss that you being an asshole lost him any chance of working with me. I hope we understand each other."

With that, Egg turned and started walking, looking for the street that would help him get to his home.