Gaius's house. Arthur knocks on the front door.
Arthur! says Gaius. Good to see you! Come in!
Can't stay long, says Arthur. I'm just dropping off Terence. And Roo-kai.
NOT! says Terence.
What's this not? asks Gaius, as they walk down the passage to the kitchen.
It's not Roo-kai, says Terence. You can ask him some questions.
Belle thinks he's not yet recovered, says Arthur.
From what? asks Gaius.
No one knows, says Arthur. He left some of his feathers in flat packs and he wasn't in the bird box he was supposed to have come in. Then he turned up in the security guard's office.
Nearly dead, says Terence.
He seems all right to me, says Gaius.
He might be a robot, says Terence. A not very good one.
Let's have a look at him, says Gaius.
He lifts fake (or robot) (or not-yet-recovered) Roo-kai onto his kitchen table.
Roo-kai looks up at the ceiling. Has he been here before? Who is poking at him?
Vinegar, says Gaius. It will be good for what ails him.
Even if he's a robot? asks Terence.
We'll soon know, says Gaius. A robot would not swallow vinegar.
Me either, says Terence
I always keep some in the pantry, says Gaius. Will you please fetch it, Arthur?
Arthur goes into the pantry. He locates the vinegar. And a chocolate bar in a basket on top of a folder, which Gaius has probably forgotten.
He shoves the chocolate bar into his pocket, and brings out the vinegar.
A wonderful substance, vinegar, says Gaius. Good for preventing nausea and hiccups, sneezes and shrinkage of the gums. It will even cure snake bites.
Anything else? asks Arthur.
Cleaning windows and floors, says Gaius. And of course, very tasty on fish when you run out of lemons,
Which is why there's not much in the bottle, says Arthur.
Indeed. In the bottle, there isn't much left.
I'll be sparing, says Gaius.
He tips some vinegar onto his finger and rubs it back and forth on the beak of his patient.
Roo-kai (fake or robot or not-yet-recovered) blinks rapidly, and breathes hard.
Excellent! says Gaius. Now for some pertinent questions. First, can you tell us what happened to Saint Roley?
He didn't... begins Terence.
Hush, allow him to answer, says Gaius.
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