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Virgil gave him a look that said clearer than words that even an ornithopter battle full of flying bullets and crossbow bolts was no excuse for a lost cravat

"That boy," Percy gruets bossier and bossier"

"He didn’t say anything," Tasherit defended the lad

"Didn’t need to" Percy was more melancholy than usual "Rue, could I have a private word? You don’t mind, do you, Miss Sekhmet?"

"Not at all She’s all ears" The werecat was perfectly civil to Percy but there was an edge to her voice that suggested she still hadn’t quite forgiven hi her existence to the world

"Exactly why I want to talk to her no often does one get to bend Rue’s ear without threat of interruption?"

"Rourow!" objected Rue

Tasherit gave them both an evil smile and drifted back to the crowd around Quesnel to see if anythingthem in a friendly flock of chubby shadows They all hooked into the sa co distance between themselves and Khartoo handkerchief-wave report to the Drifters, under the light of a single la handkerchiefs were awfully te; Rue wanted to bat at them

Percy snapped his fingers near her whiskers "Rue! Do pay attention I’ to have a revelatoryat handkerchiefs"

Rue turned tawny eyes on him and blinked slowly The cat version of, I trust you Trust me

"Look…" Now that Percy had her attention, he couldn’t seeht words "I’m sorry I didn’tcontrite?

"I overreacted about the weremonkey publication I shouldn’t have written about Miss Sekhmet without her approval I treated her like a scientific subject, not a person It rong ofto articulate that perhaps he ought to be apologising to Tasherit, not Rue, but Percy soldiered on Clearly her rrupps were not nuanced enough