Working Title III: You Meddling Mortals

Chapter 20.5 - What's That Smell?

"SKREEEEE!!!" The massive avian opened its maw and roared. Its bellow shot bits of Krenshaw out of its gullet and sprayed the crowd.

"Ugh, terrible!"

"Some got in my drink!"

Sinn drew his bow and quickly knocked an arrow. "It's going to charge."

The beast dropped its head and outstretched its wings. It put one massive, meaty leg in front of the other. Its footfalls crashed against the street as it scaled the stairs from the beach with one massive stride.

Boom.

Boom.

BOOM.

BOOM.

Aster's hand darted into his robe and produced his binder. He grabbed the exact page and snapped it open. He inhaled sharply and held his breath as he watched the beast, aggressively manipulating his hands and mumbling something under his breath. Nadine reared back on her hind legs as if to charge herself.

"Stop her, Pierrot." Aster commanded.

"What?"

Aster's gaze was fixed on the charging Bird. "Stop her!" He said as he twiddled his fingers.

"I can't?" Pierrot turned to Aster; his eyes panicked.

"Oh boy."

Nadine rocketed forward, scraping and scratching and thumping her way toward the Terror Bird.

"Hang on!" Shouted Aster. At that moment, a smell of burnt cooking oil crept into the air. The cobblestones appeared wet and the grout between them was now a deep, wet brown. The Terror Bird's feet shot out from under itself, and it used its massive neck to keep its eyes fixated on the charging Nadine. It continued sliding down the street, on its stomach, kicking and thrashing its feet looking attempting to stand back up. Nadine's breath quickened in anticipation of her new prey. As she lifted her front legs up for another stride, her back legs shot out from under her as well, as if the whole street had been greased.

In fact, that's exactly what an onlooker would tell you it looked like. The whole street looked as though it had just rained in color and the sun reflected aggressively off the remaining rounded cobblestones. Onlookers shielded their eyes.

Aster, Sinn and Pierrot were ejected from Nadine's back as she fell backward. She landed with a SLAP. Sinn grabbed the curb and slid to a stop quickly. He looked for Adeline, who he saw standing perfectly still where the street was dry.

"I heard Aster say stop, so I did!"

Aster and Pierrot shot down the street behind Nadine. Aster laid perfectly still while Pierrot had gotten to his knees.

"Okay, so is there a next step to this?!" Pierrot asked.

"No, but at least it's not charging us anymore." Aster shrugged.

***

Patches held her face in her hands – Aster had chosen to put everyone on their backs in the middle of the road by coating the road to the beach in foul-smelling grease. Her eyes remained closed as she watched from Kiki's point of view.

"Did you hear that crash down by the beach?!"

"Yeah! Two of 'em! What could have happened?!"

"Kiki, where is Bon Qui-Qui?" She watched as the little black cat skipped deftly from rooftop to rooftop.

"Mrrow."

Kiki's gaze affixed on Hussein, Iris and Bon Qui-Qui sitting in the middle of the street. Iris held Hussein's leg and Kiki focused on the blue sparks that danced around the wound. Patches felt a "pang" in her chest. She dismissed it, as she reminded herself that Iris was chaste. Because who would touch her?

"No, Kiki. Let me see how Bon Qui-Qui looks."

Chirp.

Kiki looked over to Bon Qui-Qui, standing and chattng with a big smile on her face. Save for the earlier wound and her hat being in tatters, she appeared to be okay. Kiki zoomed out. Patches counted the dead Krenshaw and felt a familiar warm malaise wash over her as she noted the blood that ran down the streets into the sewers from the dead monsters. Hussein and Bon Qui-Qui seemed covered in gore but smiled despite it.

Bon Qui-Qui was right, and she giggled because she indeed wasn't cut out for this. Thank her stars.

"Kiki, hop down there please."

Growls of protest.

"It's fine. Just let Bon Qui-Qui know that-"

"Oh! It's Kiki!" Bon Qui-Qui waved her arms back and forth. "Kiki! Kiki Look at me! Tell Miss Patches we's okay! We're gonna head to the beach from here because I think I heard the Bird from that way!"

"Okay, Kiki. Stay to the rooftops and follow them to the beach, please."

Chitters.

"Excuse me, Miss?" Patches took her head out of her hands and A man in a red shirt unbuttoned to the third button sat down next to Mister Brown Tunic at her table.

"I heard about you from a friend of mine, he's competing. The one with the whip?"

Patches noticed just how much the sun reflected off the man's bald head.

"Ah, yes. I've met with Hussein. We had a wonderful evening."

"Could I interest you in-"

"I'm not working right now, sorry. I've got friends competing and I can't step away."

The man sneered. "Fucking Bitch." And stood up quickly enough to knock his stool over.

"Shame there are still men like that." Mister Brown Tunic chimed in.

"Oh you have no idea..." Patches plopped her forehead back into her hands and resumed her Kiki-vision.

"So are you just that upset or...?" Mister Brown Tunic continued.

Patches didn't move. "What no, I can..." she sighed. "How can I even explain this..." she thought to herself.

"I can see what my cat sees."

"Through your hands?"

She sighed again. She remembered why she didn't mingle in public unless she was working or with Bon Qui-Qui.

"Yes, through my hands I can see through the eyes of my cat."

"Neat trick." Mister Brown Tunic sipped his ale. "Reckon that guy's got the best seat in the 'ouse though. Patches again pulled herself away from Kiki-Vision and looked up to see what this simpleton was looking at. Over the ocean, perhaps two stories up, floated a seafaring vessel. In place of sails, a wooden dome had been constructed. She noted two huge propellers, easily half the height of the vessel itself, turned slowly. Twelve shiny chrome metal tubes stuck out from where oars would normally go.

She tugged at her collar, it's thick leather band was unbreathing and she felt her finger become wet with her own sweat.

"No, I've got the best seat in the house." Patches replied. "He doesn't make money off his seat like I do mine."

Mister Brown Tunic coughed into his drink.

***

Bon Qui-Qui sniffed the air. "What's that smell? It smells...bayud..."

"I don't smell anything." Iris replied.

Bon Qui-Qui began walking toward the smell. "It's coming from where we heard that bird scream." She continued to sniff the air. "That's...cooking oil! But..used."

Hussein scrunched his face up in confusion. "This poses more questions than answers. Your friends...are they warriors like you?"

"Oh, heck no!" Bon Qui-Qui turned to face him. "Aster likes his books and wagging his fingers, but I guess Mistah Sinn hunts sometimes..."

"The B-Team is needed on the beach. I don't think that smell is a sign of anything good." Iris interrupted. "Follow your nose!"

"I always do! Because it's on the front of mah face!" replied Bon Qui-Qui with great conviction.