Francis had been doing a good job of helping Dennis these last few days with his learning. Dennis wasn't really sure if what he was being taught was school curriculum or just things that Francis thought was interested. But he was having fun and he got tons of free ice cream, and really, there was nothing wrong with that. He didn't wander off most days, opting to stay outside of the ice cream parlor with his own bowl of ice cream, or up in the flat reading the things he could get his hands on.
Today, of course, he was outside, getting what remained of the nice-ish weather that was being offered to him. He had some pistachio ice cream with strawberries on top and the presentation of the bowl was just really nice to look at. Which could have explained how he didn't notice someone headed right towards him.
Dennis looked up quickly at his name, colour draining from his cheeks. His eyes grew wide and he looked over his shoulder to see if Francis knew what was going on. He was busy though with a small lunch rush of people who worked or lived in the Alley. Dennis knew some of them by name, they came by almost everyday. When he decided that Fortescue couldn't help him then, Dennis turned back and looked at Sebastian for just a second.
He didn't say anything as he pushed away from the table, left his things, and ran.