Chapter 18: Capital State of Mind

I let out a long low whistle.

The capital is more impressive than I could’ve ever imagined. As we pass through towering ivory walls, I’m met with the grand sight of a bustling metropolis. Far from the rural charm of Provo, this place is a proper city! There's towering stone cut buildings with glass window panes, beautifully paved streets, huge storefronts selling anything from clothes to magic potions, and the people!

They’re so clean and happy! They’re still in old fashioned clothes but tailored suits and ornate sun dresses. Fancy cloaks, Top hats, the whole nine! It's not as grand as a modern city like Tokyo but it's definitely nicer than the podunk town I grew up in. I must look like a fish the way I’m gawping at everything. Kizzik and Rina are less impressed by their surroundings. Our rickety little cart skitters along the cobblestones as we continue down the street. We catch the glances of a few people, they seem less than thrilled by our presence. I even see a woman scowling at us as we pass. I guess they’re not as friendly as they look.

“Pay them no mind. Once we get cleaned up, we’ll blend in quite well.” Guille says. He’s picking at his fingernails completely unphased by the death stares we keep getting.

He tells us to head for the bank first. He needs to withdraw some funds. It’s not a hard building to find. The bank is a large white stone building with imposing pillars at its entrance. It’s capped with a golden dome that gleams in the sunlight.

“I won't be but a moment.” Lord Guille jumps off the back of the cart and hurries inside as we continue to draw the ire of the wealthy citizens of the Capital. They are so obvious about it too. We didn't even do anything! Aside from looking poor I guess.

“Is it always like this?” I ask.

“Pretty much. Outer territory folk are little better than cattle to these people. Especially non-humans.” Kizzik says, hissing at a dapper gentleman that gets too close to the cart. The man squeals and runs away. It seems that even this world is still subject to things like prejudice. My companions probably have it much worse. My train of thought is interrupted by an odd noise. Something I’d never expect to hear in this place but a sound I’m all too familiar with. Its an engine!

I spin around to see a vehicle bouncing down the path. It bears an uncanny resemblance to the original Model T design but a little different in proportion. It’s larger, a little wider. This particular vehicle also seems to be on its last legs. Smoke billows from the hood. The mechanical thing makes a terrible screeching sound before coming to a sudden halt in the middle of the road. The passengers all jump out, coughing up the smoke they’d inhaled. My curiosity gets the better of me. Who knows when I’d get a chance like this again!

“I’ll be right back!” I say as I hop out of our cart.

“Wait a second! You cant just-” Rina calls after me but I’m already gone.

The vehicle is a beauty up close, gold trim, polished chrome and are those leather seats inside? A bit of smoke is still pouring from the hood but it’s not something I haven't seen before. A person wearing leather gloves (I’m guessing its the driver) holds a spanner in one hand and a screwdriver in another, standing in front of the open hood looking completely out of his depth.

“Mind if I take a quick look?” I say.

He nearly jumps out of his skin at the sight of me.

“Where in the hells did you come from?! Nevermind that! Get out of here this instant! I don't have any spare coin for a street urchin! I don't care what horrible disfigurement you’re hiding under that mask. You won’t get any sympathy from me!” The man waves the spanner at me. I have to duck under it to avoid being clobbered.

“Whoa! Hey man, I’m just trying to help! You’ve probably just got a gunked up oil filter!”

The man goes to take another swing at me but his companion grabs him. A young red haired woman. She’s dressed in a brown leather jacket, goggles strapped to her forehead. She has freckles that look like someone flicked a paint brush at her face. Her expression is that of intrigue as she sizes me up.

“You said something about an oil filter?” She asks.

I nod. “I’ve worked on similar uhh… autocarriages like this one and smoking usually means the oil’s leaking out somewhere. Probably because of a faulty filter.”

There's a spark in the woman’s eye. She smiles a wide Cheshire grin. “Show me.” She snatches the spanner from her driver and hands it to me. She watches me closely as I work. It's great to be able to work on a car again. Feels like meditating. I’m not sure how much time passes under the hood as I work. Not everything is in the “right” place but my instincts take over and it’s easy enough to find the problem.

“Here.” I pull out the filter. “ See all this gunk? It’s from your band lining being worn down.”

She takes it from me, not seeming to mind the grease, and flips it over to inspect it. “Hmm… so we just need a sturdier lining.”

“Not necessarily.” I interject. “The larger issue is the filter design. It’s limited and only cleans a small portion of your oil. Do you have something to write with?”

The woman produces a small pad of paper and a pencil that was tucked behind her ear. I jot down the basic design and elements to a full flow filter. I hand it back and she scans the page. Her eyes light up with sudden realization.

“This is… Genius!” She cries out, holding the page to the sky like some kind of holy text.

“Not really. It’s a common part where I come from.” I say bashfully.

The red headed woman grabs me by my shirt. “You must take me there! I must know your secrets!”

“Ohh, erm.. That might be a little difficult. You see I’m-”

I feel someone grab my collar. “Leaving. He’s leaving. Come on Kenji.” Rina pulls me away from the other woman, towing me back to the cart. She calls after us but we don't stop. I watch her driver pull her away too as she tries to follow us. “Come on Lady Hedy. We can’t have another public scene! You know how your mother would feel!”

Rina all but throws me back into my seat. “Why do you have to draw so much attention? Can't you just sit still for ten minutes?”

Ok, maybe I deserve that. I slump down in the cart, pouting a little but I’ll live. I wish I could’ve talked with that woman more. I’m more than a little surprised to see a vehicle in this day and age. The technology I’ve seen up until now has been medieval at best. I didn't think these people would be capable of something so advanced but then again, I was just recently flying around in my ‘magic mech suit’ so maybe a car is pretty normal by comparison. Lady Hedy huh. I’ll have to remember that.

Guille arrives shortly after that with two men carrying a small chest. They set it on the cart and the whole thing tilts to one side.

“Savos’ Bells! How much gold did they give you?” Kizzik yelps.

“Just your payment and some extra for new clothes, food and lodging for us.” Lord Guille says.

The Lazcerta and the elf look at each other, then back to the Lord. “Say no more! Let's go shopping!” Kizzik snaps the reins enthusiastically and we take off towards the merchant district.