“What happened to you?” Iseulte asked.
Kirby looked like he’d lost a fight. He wasn’t a small guy, but she had seen him in some tough spots and knew he was better in a battle of wits than a battle of fists. His clothes were dirty and torn in spots and he had scratches on his arms and one cheek. Carmela searched through her backpack and handed him a comb without saying a word.
“Really?” he said.
Iseulte nodded. “Definitely. Now tell the story.”
Carmela’s cat ears slid out of place while she was rummaging for the comb.
Kirby combed his black hair as he spoke. “I found what I was looking for,” he said.
“Good for you!” said Carmela as she adjusted the cat ears.
“But I couldn’t pay the price to get it. I decided that I needed to raise some money quickly so I began asking vendors if they needed help. Finally, one woman hired me to watch her booth and restock. She needed the help because the crowd was bizarre this year. A lot of the attendees seemed confused or even unhinged. I don’t know how many times I answered the question ‘What is this place?’”
“And someone started a fight with you?” asked Iseulte.
“No. The woman I was helping, Marla, she sent me to get something from the drayage room way on the other side of the con. I got to the drayage room and it was a warehouse bigger than the ballrooms.”
“You got into a fight in the drayage room?” asked Iseulte.
“No! I didn’t get into a fight. Do you remember that conversation where we talked about dinosaurs?”
“Yes!” said Carmela, “And I found a book about them!” She shuffled through her backpack and pulled out a book with a huge beast with a mouthful of teeth on the cover. “We’ve been reading it.” Her cat ears slid out of place again.
“Did you know,” said Iseulte, “That dinosaurs went extinct millions of years ago?”
“Yes, yes, I do,” said Kirby.
“Did you also know,” said Carmela as she put the cat ears back, “That birds are also dinosaurs?”
“Yes, I do. Do you want to hear the story or not?”
The two girls fell silent.
“The drayage room had a lot of other things stacked up besides the stuff for the con merchants. There were huge shelves with equipment and crates and everything was covered in dust. While I was walking through the room, I saw something large coming out from behind the shelving. It was a dinosaur.”
The two girls looked at each other and began laughing. “You know what extinct means, right?” asked Carmela.
Kirby looked annoyed. “Yes, I do. But this wasn’t extinct. It was a medium therapod, maybe a baryonix by the way it moved.”
“Or someone dressed like a dinosaur. I’m sure there’s someone dressed like one somewhere around this place,” said Iseulte.
“I am not mixing up a cosplayer with a real dinosaur,” said Kirby, “You know that I’m a scientist.”
“We’ve heard you make that claim several times,” said Carmela.
“I’m beginning to see why parents always complain about their teenage kids,” said Kirby. “I’m not kidding though. That baryonix chased me out of the drayage room and into tunnels I doubt anyone has visited in generations. I fell down a set of stairs.”
Iseulte winced. “Is that where you got all banged up?”
“Yeah, luckily it was a short flight so no serious damage. It gave me an idea though. I had evaded the baryonix but it was still looking for me. I went back up the stairs and retraced my steps to another set of stairs that was much longer. Then I got the dinosaur’s attention and lured it down the stairs. The theropod’s feet are too big for the steps so lost its footing and tumbled down the steps. I barely escaped through a side door before it roll over me and crush me. Then I made my way back here and found you.”
“Wow,” said Iseulte.
“What?”
“You don’t have to make up stories for us,” said Iseulte, “we won’t think less of you if someone beat you up.”
Kirby glared at them.
“Did you go back and get the thing you were searching for?” asked Carmela.
“No,” said Kirby, “If that dinosaur survived the fall and made its way back up the stairs, I don’t want to be near where it might be searching.”
“We’re ready to go if you are,” said Iseulte, “and if it makes you feel any better, you can take revenge on the dinosaur’s little cousins on the way out. We will even help you get revenge.”
“How could I do that?” asked Kirby.
“You buy chicken dinners for all of us,” said Iseulte, “so you get to be the predator!”
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