Municipal Darwinism

"I know what you mean." Alison said quietly looking stright foward.

"You saw Popjoy's house...?" Crow lets go of the wheel for a moment to stare at her. He hisses like a steam train.
"No wonder you cut yourself."

Alison laughed softly and shrugged. "Not the only reason." She said still lokking stright.

"Honestly, Popjoy's house is quite enough. Did you see the dog with the... with the...?"
Crow motions to his own head, as though cutting it off.
"...Of a little girl?"

Alison nodded shuddering. She didnt like to think about those things.

Ceara grimmaced, "They make me sick."

"That was the tip of the iceberg," says Crow. "But I must not trouble your once-born minds with the affairs of stalkers or surgeon-mechanics."

"That would work." Alison said "Expect for the fact that I saw everything." She said as she turned to face Crow. She looked at his metal face and down and back up. Pure metal. she thought.

"Try not to think about Popjoy or his monsters," says Crow. "You need to distract yourself with..."
Crow stops and stares out of the windows ahead.
"Black Island. Look! In the middle of the Sea of Kazak! Shrike was buried there for many years."

"Black island? Do you want to go.there? Maybe violence isn't thing for you right now..."

"Black Island shouldn't be violent. There is an air caravanserai on the island, where we should be able to refuel and have our envelope checked. It is neutral, so we shouldn't encounter any serious complications."
Crow starts turning the wheel.
"This is your ship, Ceara, so ultimately it is your call."

"Maybe it would be a good idea...but you are driving," said Ceara.

«What do you mean the black island?»Alison asked confused

"Black Island is that landmass in the centre of the Sea of Kazak. It is a small, thickly wooded island that gets its name from the dark rocky crags. It is peacable enough, and technically neutral territory. However, with the attack of Tunbridge Wheels some fifteen odd years ago, they have developed some anti-tractionist tendencies."
Crow spins the wheel.
"However, as long as no one is overtly hostile, we should be fine. Speaking of which, please tie Conor to something heavy."

Ceara laughed, "We'll keep an eye on him. It may be good to get away for awhile."

"Then we shall land there. It should be a nice bit of downtime."

"Ah...downtime," Ceara grinned, closing her eyes.

(Lol I love your Avatar...no clue what it is but it's hilarious.)

((You've never seen My Neighbour Totoro? I would have thought it was just your thing. It's technically a kids' film, but a lot of my friends enjoy it, as do I.))

"It will be nice to go some time without being shot at."

(Nope never! Lol)

"With a cannon," Ceara added, laughing. It felt good to laugh.

((You should, it's by Studio Ghibli.))

"Yes," says Crow, rubbing a patch of dented metal on his back. "With a cannon."

"I don't mean to be mean." said Ceara, patting Crow on the shoulder.

"It's all in the past," says Crow. "Just don't do it again."

"Don't plan on it," she laughed, sitting back in her seat.

"Shoot me again and I'll cut your hand off," says Crow without turning around. "Don't think I won't!"

"Geez Crow, I swear I won't. You'd think I'd do that? What's with the temper?" Ceara asked.