have just loved it. The fruit exploded in a shower of thick glutinous mauve juice full of tiny seeds. The boy fell out of the tree, knocking the boy behind him down too.
By this time the two of them were out near the end of the branch in the foliage, and among the fruit. The young Pausert was no dope when it came to getting the idea. He picked and flung one of the Tyrian fruits at the crowd helping their leader to his feet. It hit the tree trunk and showered them all in its jellylike juice. The boys scattered like a picnic that has just discovered a zark-scorpion on top of the potato salad. Goth and Pausert sent a few more of the fruit hurtling down at them, sending them running for cover.
Pausert yelled in delight, beaming from ear to ear. Goth thought that it was no wonder he and the Leewit got on so well. They must have been very alike, once.
"Well, I'm sorry I have got you into such trouble," he said, apologetically. "But it was worth it."
"Why are we going to be in trouble?" asked Goth.
"The alarm. Someone will come to see what the problem is. They'll be able to run away, probably. We are not supposed to be in here."
"Uh huh." Goth looked around for a way out. "Suppose we climbed down the tree a bit and out onto that branch there, and out along it. Might be able to get down and to the door first."
Pausert shrugged. "Maybe, but we shouldn't be here. It would only be right to stay and take our punishment."
He hadn't changed that much, thought Goth. "You are allowed to be here," she said. "I mean, you have a key. They don't. And I'll bet they would say it was all your fault they are here."
"Likely. Rapport and his friends are always pretty good at saying it was all my fault," he admitted, with a rueful grin.
Goth smiled nastily. "So follow me along the branch."
Goth hoped that he would not wonder too much about the fact that Tyrian fruit kept flying down at the little gang hiding behind a nearby stone-palmetto, even after they'd left. And that the gang could run, but they weren't getting out, because she had the key safely ported into her pocket.
They shimmied down the branch and dropped into the pipelike thicket of bright yellow-stemmed plants. With an awkward slither Goth descended into their midst. They creaked but did not break. She celebrated by 'porting another couple of Tyrian fruit down on the boys who had been persecuting Pausert. It was a very good and almost indelible dye, as she remembered. Quite expensive too.
Pausert followed her lead. Only he must have weighed a little more than she did, and the yellow stems gave way. He landed, with a lot more of a crash, on top of her. Hastily she ported a couple more fruit down at the gang just in case they had heard the commotion. But by the sounds of it there was another kind of commotion coming.
"You lot! Just what do you think you are doing here?" yelled an angry-sounding adult voice. "Stop! Come back here! You can't get away! We'll catch you!"
Goth took advantage of the fact that Pausert was winded and a little stunned to hide both of them with a light-shift, as the purple-spattered group of boys ran for the small door they had come in through, hotly pursued by a couple of uniformed men. She listened in satisfaction as someone yelled, "It's locked!" They sounded suitably horrified.
Soon they came running past again. "Time for us to go, I guess, Captain."
"Captain?"
"Uh. I mean, Pausert. You just reminded me of someone that I call captain."
"You don't think that we should go and turn ourselves in to security?"
He really hadn't changed! "No," said Goth. "Then I'd be in a lot of trouble too."
That worked. "I'll get you out," he said.
"Good. Because I'm still hungry. Come on, let's go. Just keep calm and keep walking. Pretend we belong here. I'll be right behind you."
With any luck he wouldn't realize that what was walking behind him looked very like one of the little maintenance robots. Actually, hopefully he wouldn't realize that he looked like a
By this time the two of them were out near the end of the branch in the foliage, and among the fruit. The young Pausert was no dope when it came to getting the idea. He picked and flung one of the Tyrian fruits at the crowd helping their leader to his feet. It hit the tree trunk and showered them all in its jellylike juice. The boys scattered like a picnic that has just discovered a zark-scorpion on top of the potato salad. Goth and Pausert sent a few more of the fruit hurtling down at them, sending them running for cover.
Pausert yelled in delight, beaming from ear to ear. Goth thought that it was no wonder he and the Leewit got on so well. They must have been very alike, once.
"Well, I'm sorry I have got you into such trouble," he said, apologetically. "But it was worth it."
"Why are we going to be in trouble?" asked Goth.
"The alarm. Someone will come to see what the problem is. They'll be able to run away, probably. We are not supposed to be in here."
"Uh huh." Goth looked around for a way out. "Suppose we climbed down the tree a bit and out onto that branch there, and out along it. Might be able to get down and to the door first."
Pausert shrugged. "Maybe, but we shouldn't be here. It would only be right to stay and take our punishment."
He hadn't changed that much, thought Goth. "You are allowed to be here," she said. "I mean, you have a key. They don't. And I'll bet they would say it was all your fault they are here."
"Likely. Rapport and his friends are always pretty good at saying it was all my fault," he admitted, with a rueful grin.
Goth smiled nastily. "So follow me along the branch."
Goth hoped that he would not wonder too much about the fact that Tyrian fruit kept flying down at the little gang hiding behind a nearby stone-palmetto, even after they'd left. And that the gang could run, but they weren't getting out, because she had the key safely ported into her pocket.
They shimmied down the branch and dropped into the pipelike thicket of bright yellow-stemmed plants. With an awkward slither Goth descended into their midst. They creaked but did not break. She celebrated by 'porting another couple of Tyrian fruit down on the boys who had been persecuting Pausert. It was a very good and almost indelible dye, as she remembered. Quite expensive too.
Pausert followed her lead. Only he must have weighed a little more than she did, and the yellow stems gave way. He landed, with a lot more of a crash, on top of her. Hastily she ported a couple more fruit down at the gang just in case they had heard the commotion. But by the sounds of it there was another kind of commotion coming.
"You lot! Just what do you think you are doing here?" yelled an angry-sounding adult voice. "Stop! Come back here! You can't get away! We'll catch you!"
Goth took advantage of the fact that Pausert was winded and a little stunned to hide both of them with a light-shift, as the purple-spattered group of boys ran for the small door they had come in through, hotly pursued by a couple of uniformed men. She listened in satisfaction as someone yelled, "It's locked!" They sounded suitably horrified.
Soon they came running past again. "Time for us to go, I guess, Captain."
"Captain?"
"Uh. I mean, Pausert. You just reminded me of someone that I call captain."
"You don't think that we should go and turn ourselves in to security?"
He really hadn't changed! "No," said Goth. "Then I'd be in a lot of trouble too."
That worked. "I'll get you out," he said.
"Good. Because I'm still hungry. Come on, let's go. Just keep calm and keep walking. Pretend we belong here. I'll be right behind you."
With any luck he wouldn't realize that what was walking behind him looked very like one of the little maintenance robots. Actually, hopefully he wouldn't realize that he looked like a
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