offered.
Myra's face snapped into understanding and she turned to Twist. “I'm sorry!” she said in sudden fear. “I keep forgetting to be careful with you...”
“It's fine,” Twist said instantly, offering the best smile he could while his pride struggled to absorb the implications of her statement. He reached out to take her clockwork hand. The moment he did, a wave of worry washed over him through his Sight. But as he smiled reassuringly at her, it ebbed away into calm. “Shall we go?”
Sunlight glinted brightly in the heavily scented air, rising high over Twist's shoulder, prompting him to adjust his black silk top hat so it cast a shadow over his pale, fine featured face. The well-tailored, black and blue accented coat that a pirate had given him in Hong Kong, was of a light enough fabric to be comfortable even in the warmth of India. His electrically powered silver and black walking stick made a pleasant click as it struck the ground in time with his steps and made it much easier for him to feel like a gentleman, no matter where he was.
Walking with Myra and Jonas through the semi-European styled, wide, and straight streets of Bombay, Twist finally got his mind into some kind of order. Although the buildings were of a familiar design to Twist's eyes, with three stories each and a generally square appearance, the shop on the ground floor of each one spilled onto the street under cloth awnings in a seemingly disorganized and highly foreign way. The innumerable people walking by looked no different from those in the bazaar, and were a constant reminder that he was far from home.
As they walked through the crowded streets, Jonas kept his gaze solidly on the ground, rather than accidentally catch anyone's eyes. Myra's metal fingers still curled through Twist's, as if forgotten, as they walked and talked together under the occasional shade of palm trees planted along the streets. Through constant force of will, Twist managed to hold his own thoughts and emotions in the forefront of his mind despite the effects of her touch on his Sight. Twist was certain that he could learn to stop losing himself in her every time they touched—if he practiced diligently.
The three soon came to the imposing gothic facade of the Victoria Terminus railway station in the center of the city. The enormous building, so recently finished in honor of Queen Victoria—the Empress of India, as she liked to be called—reminded Twist of drawings that he had seen of French palaces. There were two huge three-story wings that opening out around a plaza before the central face of the building. A single gray stone dome rose above the entrance, simply covered with statuary, stained glass, and gargoyles. The proud figure of an ancient god stood in white stone on its zenith. Above and behind the station hung the massive cloud of docked airships, all moored along the edges of the top floor ramparts.
Seeing such a sight in the center of a bustling city half way around the world from London, Twist allowed himself a moment of quiet patriotic pride. Jonas glanced up at the building before he pinned his eyes on the ground again.
“You know,” he said as he took the lead, heading for the airship docks, “all this cocky colonizing is going to turn around and bite England in the rear one day.”
“How?” Twist asked as they walked into the cooler air inside the stone building and began to climb the stairs. “We have the widest sweeping empire the world has ever seen. The sun never sets on it, after all.”
“Oh really?” Myra asked with great interest. “It's that big?”
“You know what they say about big things falling harder,” Jonas replied. In the distance, a train whistle echoed off the stone, steel, and glass of the train platforms below them.
“What have you got against your homeland, anyway?” Twist asked sharply.
“My homeland is the sky,” Jonas answered with a smile as they
Myra's face snapped into understanding and she turned to Twist. “I'm sorry!” she said in sudden fear. “I keep forgetting to be careful with you...”
“It's fine,” Twist said instantly, offering the best smile he could while his pride struggled to absorb the implications of her statement. He reached out to take her clockwork hand. The moment he did, a wave of worry washed over him through his Sight. But as he smiled reassuringly at her, it ebbed away into calm. “Shall we go?”
Sunlight glinted brightly in the heavily scented air, rising high over Twist's shoulder, prompting him to adjust his black silk top hat so it cast a shadow over his pale, fine featured face. The well-tailored, black and blue accented coat that a pirate had given him in Hong Kong, was of a light enough fabric to be comfortable even in the warmth of India. His electrically powered silver and black walking stick made a pleasant click as it struck the ground in time with his steps and made it much easier for him to feel like a gentleman, no matter where he was.
Walking with Myra and Jonas through the semi-European styled, wide, and straight streets of Bombay, Twist finally got his mind into some kind of order. Although the buildings were of a familiar design to Twist's eyes, with three stories each and a generally square appearance, the shop on the ground floor of each one spilled onto the street under cloth awnings in a seemingly disorganized and highly foreign way. The innumerable people walking by looked no different from those in the bazaar, and were a constant reminder that he was far from home.
As they walked through the crowded streets, Jonas kept his gaze solidly on the ground, rather than accidentally catch anyone's eyes. Myra's metal fingers still curled through Twist's, as if forgotten, as they walked and talked together under the occasional shade of palm trees planted along the streets. Through constant force of will, Twist managed to hold his own thoughts and emotions in the forefront of his mind despite the effects of her touch on his Sight. Twist was certain that he could learn to stop losing himself in her every time they touched—if he practiced diligently.
The three soon came to the imposing gothic facade of the Victoria Terminus railway station in the center of the city. The enormous building, so recently finished in honor of Queen Victoria—the Empress of India, as she liked to be called—reminded Twist of drawings that he had seen of French palaces. There were two huge three-story wings that opening out around a plaza before the central face of the building. A single gray stone dome rose above the entrance, simply covered with statuary, stained glass, and gargoyles. The proud figure of an ancient god stood in white stone on its zenith. Above and behind the station hung the massive cloud of docked airships, all moored along the edges of the top floor ramparts.
Seeing such a sight in the center of a bustling city half way around the world from London, Twist allowed himself a moment of quiet patriotic pride. Jonas glanced up at the building before he pinned his eyes on the ground again.
“You know,” he said as he took the lead, heading for the airship docks, “all this cocky colonizing is going to turn around and bite England in the rear one day.”
“How?” Twist asked as they walked into the cooler air inside the stone building and began to climb the stairs. “We have the widest sweeping empire the world has ever seen. The sun never sets on it, after all.”
“Oh really?” Myra asked with great interest. “It's that big?”
“You know what they say about big things falling harder,” Jonas replied. In the distance, a train whistle echoed off the stone, steel, and glass of the train platforms below them.
“What have you got against your homeland, anyway?” Twist asked sharply.
“My homeland is the sky,” Jonas answered with a smile as they
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