[oh, if Robin knew, he would be clawing his own face off in jealousy.

Tonic, meanwhile, clears his throat of leftover leaf debris before continuing.]

The last I heard, it's some kind of a carpenter's shop... But I'm more interested in the man who works there. He made my extra parts, you see.

[he gestures to his leg, in particular, with his free hand, getting a thoughtful look on his face.]

Never met him. I suppose I've mostly just wondered what he looks like.

[but it's in that musing that something shifts. there are a lot of bodies roaming around the streets, even in smaller side-streets like the one they've turned down. it's easy to miss people. especially people who look like they're just resting out on their front stoops.

an otherwise uninteresting young man, dressed in simple clothes, dark-haired, freckled, suddenly gets up to follow them, and heads for Tonic with a lot more hurry than coincidence would allow. it also doesn't help that they have a knife all but concealed in their left hand.

this kind of speed isn't normal, nor is the way the attacker makes practiced, precise aim right at the level of Tonic's throat.]