They continued on towards their nonexistent destination, all the hustle and bustle of the marketplace at night a mere backdrop to these two girls hopelessly engaged with each other.

“I never stay out this late,” Emi said.

“Are your parents going to be mad at you?” Beatrice asked.

“Well, my housekeeper will.”

“Oh yeah, I forgot you’re–Hic!– a L’Hime. You have a very tough life.”

“Very. It’s not fun and games being in a diplomat’s family. Everyone blames your family for everything that happens, and my parents are always away, and then there’s so much pressure for you to act like– You’re making fun of me.”

“No, I’d be much too frightened to tease a diplomat’s daughter,” said Beatrice. She winked. Emi pushed her away playfully.

“I’ll have you know, my family–”

Emi shrieked as a small greyback bear skittered by.

Beatrice broke out in a riot of laughs and hiccups. “A greyback?”

“It’s not my fault!” Emi exclaimed. “They roam around the city all day and pop out of nowhere. They freak me out is all.”

“The most adorable animal in Balarand, and you’re scared of them… Oh, Emi…”

“What’s that supposed to mean…”

They were near the edge of the marketplace by now, the last few shops before the street ended and the city turned back into an orderly row of businesses and houses. The market stands here were quaint, often elderly people selling knick-knacks, or the down-on-their-luck hawking whatever they could find. They usually didn’t have much besides old junk.

Something odd caught Beatrice’s eye, though, and made her turn towards one of the booths. There were various metal objects placed around on the table. It certainly looked like old junk, but…

The seller, a mustached man in a turban, looked at the girls, his mouth neutral but his eyes smiling wide. “I see you’re interested in my machine.”

“Machine?” Beatrice asked.

Emi smirked, realizing she knew something that Beatrice didn’t. “Machines are little contraptions made of different parts. Put them all together, and they do stuff.”

“Do… what?”

“Uh… I don’t know.” That was the extent of her knowledge.

The man laughed. “They can do all sorts of things. This one, for instance…” He pointed to a large device with numbers protruding out of the front. “This one can calculate any math equation known to man. It’s the ultimate powerhouse. But, for you, maybe this will be more interesting.” He motioned to a small cube with a lever sticking out at its side. “Just crank this, and you can power the machine… giving it life…”

He began turning the lever in a circular motion, and a tiny twinkling bell started to play from inside the metal box. It was a simplistic nursery tune, but the fact that it was playing by itself just by moving the part outside… How did it work?

Suddenly, Emi was captivated. What kind of creation was this, that could–

BOING! A fuzzy greyback bear puppet popped out of the top of the box, its paws sticking out as if it were greeting you. Emi jumped backwards a full foot. Beatrice was, once again, incapacitated with laughter and hiccups.

“H-How did you…” Emi was at a loss for words, partly from shock.

“It’s the magic of machines,” the seller said.

“Magic?!”

He chuckled. “Only the magic of man, that is. The gears and coils inside work together to form a creation so divine, it rivals the Gods. We are our own clockmakers.”

Beatrice furrowed her brows, but didn’t say anything.

“And what’s this one called? This, uh, scary thing?”

“I call it the jack-in-the-box. Great for children. Do you want it?”

“Wow. How do you make one of these…” Emi was completely bewildered, but fascinated. You and I may take gear-powered devices for granted these days, but in Emi’s youth, it was almost mythical to see something as intricate as a clock being created for entertainment.

You could learn a lot from her. Or maybe not, what with all your gear rockets. You better clean those up after I finish this story.

“Buy it, and I’ll sell you the schematic,” the seller told her. “Then you can build your very own.”

Emi took a satchel of coins from her purse and plopped it onto the table. The money clanged against the wood with a loud thud. “How much?”

The seller smiled.

So that was how Emi ended up with a jack-in-the-box, and how Beatrice, the one with the school bag, ended up carrying it for the rest of their evening together. It was heavier than it looked, Beatrice came to learn.