Chapter Two

The two men hobbled through town. In the hour it took to walk to the inn, Kai struggled not to smile while Gray kept his eyes on the lamp hung at the door. The inn was two stories with a flat tile roof and even flatter whitewashed walls, but neither one complained.

"Don't know why you even bother with that thing," Gray growled, "You can't even use it half the time anyway."

"Maybe not," Kai agreed. He cast a glance down at the prosthetic, and a sudden sadness swept over his face. "Still," he said, much more to himself than his companion, "it does keep me going the other half."

Kai bit his lip and pushed through the door open with his own weight. He kept his thoughts from the few elderly patrons at the bar which stared at him. How many years had he seen those same curious looks? Just as many as he had just smiled back, he supposed.

"Hey! Where's the lady of the house?" the crippled man asked. When no one answered, he sighed and began to turn back. "Well, I suppose we'll be taking our business elsewhere then..."

"Oh no, you don't."

Ann huffed when she caught sight of the two men, first staring down Kai before turning her attention to the man standing behind him. "And what's he doing here?" she accused, jabbed a calloused finger in his face. "I thought I told you I didn't want him in my bar."

"Yes, you did," Kai said with weak chuckle, rubbing the back of his neck. "Seeing how you were more than willing to have me pay for the room, however, I'm afraid he needs to at least be able to use the stairs."

"You didn't pay me with honest money, I'll wager."

"Does it matter when it comes to business?"

The young woman's face became a dark red which seamlessly bled into her equally dark red hair, but she chose not to argue. Instead, she put her hands on her bony hips and brought her attention down along Kai's leg. Her blue eyes sparked to life again, and she crouched down immediately and let her gaze fall on the brass of his artificial kneecap. She was quiet for a moment while she tried to move it, but when it refused to give, she shook her head in disappointment.

"Let me guess, Viento, you got sand in it."

"Doesn't he-"

"No one asked you," she snapped, glaring up at Gray. "Now... let's see what we can do in the workroom." Ann stood upright, brushing off the dust of the wood floor from her overalls, and made her way behind the counter and into the room tucked behind the liquor cabinet.

The two men followed without question, and once again, Kai was left to rely on the help of his own redheaded companion. They said nothing to each other, but he couldn't help glancing at the other without some genuine concern. It was a feeling that was somewhat misplaced given his current state, but the moment didn't last.

"Quit looking at me like that," Gray warned with his eyes fixed straight ahead. "It's no trouble as long as you got one leg working right. You know I just like to bitch."

The pair smiled as they shuffled into the kitchen. Ann didn't seem to care enough to notice while clearing the small table in the center of the cramped space, her elbow almost knocking over the gas lamp beside the sink. She did this with one sweep of her arm, and the papers that had once been scattered there became a great heap at the far end of the wooden slab. Then, from inside a bench along the wall behind it, she pulled out a rusted out toolbox.

"Sit there," the young woman ordered, pointing to the seat beside her. Kai did as he was told, and she nodded in approval. "All right," she continued with a stern look. "Let's take a gander at that leg of yours first. We want to make sure it's just sand before I start to clean her out."

Her patient obediently sat back in his chair and let her fuss over the troublesome thing. Although he winced when she bent it at the artificial joint, the truth was Kai felt nothing. It wasn't even the sound of compressed air being released or the way the pressure gage jostled against where metal and leather met skin. It was something else that caused the shadow over his face.

No, the first thing he noticed was that Gray had gone. No doubt he'd fled up to the room they shared to wait for his drink. Kai couldn't blame him since the whole procedure was quite dull, and he still intended to keep his promise. After all, the night's earnings were more than enough to pay for than just a heavy dusting.

Aside from his companion being gone, there was very little else for the man to take interest in. The kitchen was small and bare without a single decoration on the walls or resting in the shelves and opened cupboards. Like the wood shack he had left only a couple hours before, the room was a dusty brown, and even the once red sandstone countertops were faded and worn from being in near constant use day after day. This made him wonder if color could even exist in a place like Mineral Town.

"You really should think about getting yourself some auto mail," Ann said, having finished her own inspection. "You'd still have to worry about cleaning out the joints, but at least you wouldn't have any gears that would get stuck like this."

"It's too bad I have such thin skin then and an even thinner wallet," Kai replied. He shivered with the thought of his nerves being connected to something more unnatural than what he had. After all, his current leg was powered by a form of water, and that was uncomfortable enough.

"Well, it's not like you guys could afford it with throwing dice," she muttered, taking up the lamp behind her. Having placed it between them on the table, she went back to the old bench. This time she pulled out what looked to be an empty gas can, but it also looked like the prosthetic with its brass sides and various gears and pumps. "Won't take me long," Ann assured him. "Just need to clear out that knee, I think."

"I figured."

She glared at him. He knew just as well as she did that she hated to be offered a diagnosis by her own patient. Of course, that didn't stop him from smiling. He always enjoyed how being right just made her all the more upset.

"Kai Viento, do I really have to tell you to keep your mouth shut?" He shrugged. "I might be a cook, a waitress, a barmaid, and an innkeeper's daughter, but I also happen to be the only mechanic here that's willing to put up with your crap. You better treat me with some respect."

"Yes, of course," he agreed with a grin. "You worry too much, Ann."

"I know," she huffed. "That's the only reason I can't tell you 'no' even when I should." The man laughed at that, but she only continued to glare. "You're such an asshole. Even worse than that Gray Cameron."

"But you love me."

"Only because you pay me."

"I could always pay you with kisses then."

"The way you go about kissing girls around here, they wouldn't be worth a penny."

Both he and the young woman exchanged glances, but while he had been grinning since the beginning, she was the first one to laugh. This, of course, made him laugh as well, and soon their faces were turning red with it. That was before he tried to lean forward and there was a loud pop.

Ann was quick to see to the damage, and if the way her lips had become such a thin line was any indication, the problem was much more than sand being caught in the gears. However, after holding her breath for a moment, she sighed.

"Just a hole in the leather," she explained. "You look at bit dry, too, now that I can see inside. Good thing we caught it now, or you'd just be back in tomorrow."

"Can you fix it?" he asked. "I know you'd need it for the night, but I can manage until tomorrow morning." Ann nodded, and before he could thank her, she began to undo the leather belt that held it to his natural leg. He tried to insist on doing it himself, but she waved him off.

"I know what it looks like," the young woman reminded him. "Rick might've been the one to make this thing for you in the first place, but I was still the one to fix it for you when you lost the foot. I had to take it off then, too, you know."

Kai became sullen and said nothing as she pulled away the artificial limb. His stump of a leg wasn't the horror he often told himself it was, but it did look a little unsightly. For one, the flesh had long since turned white against his otherwise olive skin, and for another, it was also heavily bruised from the apparatus that was strapped to it day in and day out.

"Just roll your pant leg back down if it bothers you," his mechanic advised. He did so without hesitation, and she sighed to see him refused to tie the denim off. "I'll go and get Gray, so you sit tight and wait for us."

This order didn't sit well with her patient, either, for when Ann had ducked out of the room, he was up on his only foot with his opposite hand on the table for support. He hopped once and almost lost his balance, catching himself on his chair. However, he wasn't easily discouraged, and with renewed determination, he turned the chair around to use as a walker.

By the time Gray and the young woman had returned, Kai was halfway across the bar. Ann could only sigh, but the other man was less understanding. He simply picked up his crippled friend and swung him over his back.

"I should have that leg done up by tomorrow," the hostess called up after them. "I'll bring it up to you in the morning with your breakfast!"