Chapter 26: A Walk Through the City
The two of them kept moving along the cobblestone streets. The sidewalks were paved in cut stone, lined with copper lampposts standing dark and unlit, flanked by tall buildings of more than two stories that formed the strange geometry of a great city.
Rough cowboys, sharply dressed gentlemen, ladies in beautiful gowns, humble wagons and lavish carriages. The sheer variety of people moving through the streets — and their social standing — was striking, though it matched the city's rapid growth over the past few years.
'Ever since steam-powered machinery started arriving from the other side of the world, cities have grown at an unbelievable pace. Ironwood had already begun its shift toward becoming a modern city around the time my mother died — but Steam City moved far faster. The name suits it perfectly. It's hard to believe this city and that little town from before belong to the same county…'
And the progress of cities was only going to accelerate with the years. Maybe at some point, the territories of Columbia would expand right alongside the pace of technological advancement.
That simple thought made Bonnie feel like a caveman by comparison — everything she had seen and lived through so far was barely the beginning of the steam age, while other places already had monstrous cities full of things like this. All she had to do was look at the newer trains. It was insane.
While Bonnie got lost in her own thoughts, Evelyn hummed her song with a smile, looking entertained by the great clock tower built from concrete and metal. There were machines that heated food in seconds, mechanical shooting games where cowboys tested their skill with a revolver, and plenty more.
This, without question, was the future of the country.
Sooner rather than later, the two girls came to a stop in front of a single-story building — a long structure with clean glass windows. Inside, varnished wooden tables held more "refined" patrons enjoying delicious-looking food that Bonnie had already seen once before.
"Here it is," said Evelyn. "You're going to love the food at this place. It's a little pricey, but since I never stay in one spot for long, it's worth the splurge, don't you think?"
"I suppose so. I'd also like to talk about something important."
"Excellent. And what better time to talk than over a good meal? Come on. Let's leave the horses with the others and head in."
Fortunately, the restaurant had an open area off to the side where several horses were already tied up. The street also had a handful of carriages parked nearby, so taking up the space wasn't an issue.
With the horses settled, Bonnie walked behind Evelyn toward the restaurant entrance — but out of nowhere, a blonde girl no older than fifteen cut across her path. They collided; the girl's head knocked straight into Bonnie's nose, who immediately clutched the spot in pain.
"I'm so sorry, miss. I'm in a hurry," the girl said before continuing on her way.
For just a second, Bonnie noticed her eyes were red, just like Evelyn's — but her skin was unnaturally pale, almost ghost-like, barely standing out against her plain white dress. Her small hands trembled as she vanished into the crowd.
"Hey, you okay?" said Evelyn.
"Yeah. I think so," Bonnie answered.
When she looked at her hand, there was blood. Her nose wasn't broken, but it was bleeding. She quickly pulled a handkerchief from her pants and pressed it to her nose.
"Kids these days never pay attention to where they're going…"
'We're both still kids ourselves…'
Either way, Bonnie pushed forward.
"Let's just leave it. It was an accident — I'll forget about it soon enough."
"If you say so…"
A little further on, they took a seat at one of the tables by the window. Bonnie glanced at the handkerchief — it was soaked with blood, which probably looked unpleasant to anyone sitting nearby.
'What are you all staring at, busybodies?'
Her thoughts weren't going to reach anyone, of course.
"Our food should be out soon, but… are you sure you're alright?"
"Yeah. I think it stopped bleeding already. It's nothing compared to the bullet graze on my arm."
"Okay. So what did you want to tell me? Ask away."
'I almost forgot about that.'
She leaned in toward Evelyn, propping her elbow on the table, and lowered her voice.
"So, I have something like a pearl necklace and a gold bracelet. Do you know somewhere I could sell them for a good price? I need the money — what little I have left is going toward this meal, and probably a few other things I want to buy."
"Selling things, huh…? I think there might be a place. We could swing by before meeting up with Lady. They won't pay you the exact value of what they cost — but they should give you a fair offer you can work with."
"Thank you. If everything goes the way I want, I'm going to need that money. I also have to keep working on the Stigma. The rock-throwing helped me understand how it works, but I still have a long way to go."
"It's not that hard, considering most people pick it up fast. You need to train your body, sure — but you'll also need to train your mind. The heightened senses get overwhelming once you fully develop them. Trust me. The headaches are brutal — but once you get used to it, everything else gets easier."
'I know. I'm guessing the luck and escape part is mostly automatic — otherwise there's no way I would've gotten away from the Sheriff's men. But the senses and the movement are things I'm going to have to work at on my own, no matter what.'
The body learns through repetition — that was the key. And if a situation ever called for the Ballad's powers again, she would need to seize the moment, give everything she had, and learn while her life hung in the balance.
There's a reason people say life itself is the best teacher.
The food was finally brought out by a pretty young woman with black hair and a tidy uniform. Bonnie glanced at her for a second, admiring her looks, and thanked her for the meal. That small gesture, however, made Evelyn give her a suspicious, knowing smile.
Picking up her spoon, Bonnie enjoyed the salty taste of the soup — but right then, Thieving Cat opened her mouth.
"Did you know Lady likes girls?"
That comment made Bonnie choke on her soup. She covered her mouth with a napkin — being a girl raised to mind her manners — and tried to play it off as though nothing had happened, mortified.
"Where did that come from? Don't you think it's a little messed up telling me that behind her back?"
Evelyn shook her head.
"Lady doesn't care if people know — even if they end up judging her for it."
"I see… Good for her, then."
Evelyn rested her elbow on the table and propped her chin on her hand.
"Yeah. I think so too. It's a good thing, being honest about who you are — even as an outlaw."
Bonnie finally got the sense that Thieving Cat was hinting at something she wasn't quite catching.
'What is she getting at? She just dropped that out of nowhere. Does she think I like girls? She wouldn't exactly be wrong, but that doesn't even make sense right now.'
"Anyway. Let's finish eating and go sell your jewelry. We can use the trip to take a walk and clear our heads."
"Yeah…" Bonnie answered with a nervous little laugh.
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With full stomachs and lighter hearts, the two of them continued their tour of Steam City. In what seemed to be the heart of the city — a wide intersection where five streets met among five towering buildings of metal and brick — the shouts of newspaper boys rang out. A handful of people were posing for a traveling photographer and his large box camera.
Bonnie watched him, half hoping she might get a photo of her own taken. It reminded her, once again, of all the photographs sitting back at her old house — ones she would never be able to go back for.
'I wish I'd brought the photo album with me. I might never get the chance to go back for it…'
"Do you want to get a photo taken, Bonnie?" said Evelyn. "Since we might not see each other again, it could be nice to have something like that."
"Oh… Wouldn't that be expensive? I'm not really in a position to spend money like that right now."
"Please, sweetheart. My treat. Remember — Victoria's off doing business somewhere far from here. I won't be short on money for a good while, so let me cover it."
'I'm not about to turn down something free,' Bonnie thought.
She let out a sigh and gave in.
"Alright…"
Evelyn winked at her, then walked over to the man taking photographs beside his small horse-drawn cart. Soon enough, both girls were posing at one of the five street corners on horseback. Bonnie offered a small, polite smile, while Thieving Cat pointed her index finger forward like she was holding a gun.
The photographer told them to wait a few minutes while he developed the picture.
In the end, Evelyn paid nearly a full Crown for the service — but now they each had a copy of the photo.
"Do you like it?" said Thieving Cat.
Bonnie could barely manage a whisper in response.
"Yeah. I really like it…"
"Excellent. Consider that a gift from me. Now let's go sell your jewelry and then meet up with Lady. If we're lucky, we'll make it in time to greet Victoria too."
So they kept moving, taking in the city's marvels along the way — like the statue of the town's original founder, dating back to before this place was even a city. Along the route they ran into a troupe of acrobats promoting their circus, and a brief gunpowder display that sparkled and flew through the air up close like falling stars.
A few minutes passed like that, but then Evelyn started to sweat.
"Damn it… where was it? I was sure it was right around here."
"Are we lost?" Bonnie asked. She remembered Evelyn herself had mentioned having terrible sense of direction. That made her wonder something. "You said earlier you're bad with directions. So how did we find the restaurant earlier?"
"That one was easy — all I had to do was go in a straight line. Give me a few more minutes and I'm sure my luck will guide us right to where we need to go."
'I really hope so…'
Evelyn led Bonnie through narrow paths, streets packed with people, and wide intersections. Eventually, both of them had to admit they weren't getting any closer to where they wanted to be — they were lost.
"This is humiliating."
'It really is,' Bonnie thought, scanning their surroundings.
She noticed something and was a little surprised.
"Hey… what about over there?"
"Hm? That place… that's exactly where I was trying to go! You found it!"
Bonnie pressed a hand to her forehead.
'We passed by that place like five times. How did I not see it before?'
If she stood there trying to figure that out, she'd never find an answer. If the Desert Ballads were already a giant mystery, why wouldn't Evelyn's terrible sense of direction be one too?
Thieving Cat led Bonnie to the spot. They left the horses tied up nearby and went inside. The place was small, packed with clocks showing their exposed gears and a scattering of old relics from the country's native peoples.
The one running the counter was a boy around twelve years old, with short white hair and dark skin. His eyes were the color of hazelnut, and he wore blue overalls over a plain white shirt.
"How can I help you, ladies?" said the boy, stacking a few wooden crates off to the side.
Bonnie shot Evelyn a look that practically said: Are you serious? He's a kid…
Evelyn put on a confident front and walked up to the boy, ignoring Bonnie's judgmental stare entirely.
"You must be Adam's son. First time I've seen you here."
"I help my father with inventory. What do you need from him?"
The boy's eyes lit up.
"Really? That's wonderful news! Hold on a second," the boy said. He bolted toward a door at the back of the shop and vanished through it.
Evelyn turned back toward Bonnie.
"See? Everything's under control. You're going to be amazed by how much you can get here."
"This looks more like a junk shop to me."
"This place is more than that. Victoria found it herself, so it's got to have a few secrets worth knowing."
Suddenly the door swung open, and out walked a tall, thin man bearing a striking resemblance to the boy who had run ahead of him — or maybe it was the boy who resembled him. He wore a beige beret and a much finer set of overalls than his son's.
"Thieving Cat. You've got some nerve thinking you can walk back in here after last time," said the man, his expression cold.