"Huh." Sis said as she looked at her wrist, for some reason. "Looks like we're not doing one this time."

"Not doing what?" I asked as S and I stepped out of the hole, clad in our new suits.

"Nothin'." Sis said.

Somehow, this interaction felt eerily familiar, though I couldn't quite place it. 

I didn't dwell on that for very long though, there were more important things to think about.

Namely, S in a suit. S wearing a suit. S was wearing a suit. S in a suit. Ssuit.

He looked really good in it. 

He was naturally quite lithe, and the nature of the suit accentuated that fact to the hundredth power, making him look like something more than human. Plus, that classy and neat look combined with his casual and rough stance and the slightly disgusted look on his face created a simply wonderful, utterly captivating juxtaposition that I couldn't ever get tired of if I tried. Even his tie, despite its odd color was just... Perfection. 

"Hm? Did I get something on this already?" S asked.

"Oh, uh, no, you're good."

"Right." 

I'll look at something else for a bit, I don't want to look like a creep, after all. And it's not like that look is going anywhere any time soon.

Because I've already engraved that image deep into each and every neuron that comprises my long term memory.

"Right, why doesn't yours have these, uh... White thingies?" S asked, tugging at his cuffs.

"Oh, I couldn't wear those. They wouldn't work on me." I explained. I didn't look nearly as good as S's did. I just grabbed a simple, all black one off the top of the pile, and it was more than enough for me.

"Really? If you say so. Guess what you're wearing right now looks pretty good, anyways." S said.

Eh? Heh? Bweh? "Y-you have no idea what you're talking about." I said. He didn't. Wrong answer. Bad. No good. 

"What kind of response is that?" S said with chuckle, a skeptic's eyebrow and a twitch of his nose. "Anyway, maybe these rags aren't so bad. Though, somethin' about 'em kinda makes my skin crawl..."

"Not enough dirt on it for you?" I joked.

"Heh, yeah, that's probably it."

"Gentlemen!" Todd turned and shouted into his little window thing, looking at no one in particular. "Are you ready to set off?"

"Right, think so!" S said, but not before leaving a moments pause in case anyone had any objections. "Ready to go, Todd!" 

"Okay! We're setting off now!" Todd returned monotonously.

Thus, we sat down, I secured everything I brought from the house (My money, my toolbox, basically everything I own) near my feet, and we set off for the duke's place.

Sis and I were sitting next to each other, which meant that S had the entire opposite seat to himself. Something he took full advantage of, laying down lengthwise and occasionally running his legs up the wall, for some reason.

"Huh. Y'know, this is a lot more comfortable than I thought it'd be." I said as the horses carried us along. "Figured it'd be all bumpy and uncomfortable and stuff." Honestly, this was a pretty smooth, pleasant ride. 

"Really? You never ridden in one of these before?" S said.

Ah, crap, I slipped up! Dangit, I should've known that basically everybody in this world has travelled by horse before!

"Actually, now that I'm thinking about it, that makes a lotta sense." S continued. "Not like you'd ever have a reason to, what with your holes and such."

"Oh, uh, y-yeah. That's why." 

"Riiiiiight. Anyways, I've heard these things used to be like that a while ago, now that I'm thinking about it." S continued, "I'm told they used to be real uncomfortable and sometimes painful to ride in, and the horses would get tired after, like, 15 miles. Sounded like a whole lotta suck."

"Is it not like that anymore? How do you fix horses getting tired- It's magic, the answer's obviously magic." I said. "It's, like, a magic cart or something, isn't it?"

"Deus ex magica." Sis quipped.

"Yep. There's probably something on the cart, like enchanted wheels or something, but it's the magic on the rope things and the horseshoes that's real important." S explained. "Something about making the horses all refreshed and energetic or something. Dunno how it works, but I do know what the horses gotta sleep for, like, a week once the stuff wears off."

"Huh. Neat." I said. 

. . .

"Is... Is that ethical?" I asked. "Isn't that, like, the same as just drugging them up until they work better?" This sounds a lot like forcefully giving wizard cocaine to horses.

"Right, that's... Something I try not to think about."

"Huh." Whelp, no reason I can't do the same thing, I guess.

. . .

"What's this duke guy like, anyway?" Sis asked after a while. "Can he be trusted?"

"He's a guy who was born into more money than the working man will ever see in his natural life, and gets paid every day just for existing." S said, not making any effort to hide his disdain. "Still, I've met worse people."

"Uh, h-he's a good guy." I tried to answer her question a bit more reasonably. "Really generous, too. Well, with hand me downs and stuff, anyway. He's got a big house, lot of employees and all that. And he's got a daughter, probably about half your age."

"He's got good taste in food, too. I'll give him that." S pointed out.

"And if she were to be held hostage, he could be inclined to use his vast resources against us..." Sis said, thoughtfully.

"W-well... Actually, yeah, that's entirely possible." I said. I haven't spent that much time around the guy, but based off that thing with Catface and the fact that he literally gave us a house after we helped his daughter out of a jam, it's hard to imagine anything he wouldn't do. "But, really, he's a good guy. He's only ever been nice and helpful to us. If a bit pushy." 

Actually, speaking of that jam we helped her out of, I wonder what came of that rod she was babbling about? Or that criminal guy we beat up. 

Hope that guy's doing well. At least, not robbing little girls. That's a good bare minimum, I think. 

"Stick close to me." Sis commanded.

I nodded. To be honest, I was planning on doing that anyways. I was worried about one of us getting lost, that place is bigger than some shopping malls.

"A-anyways, I don't think we have anything to worry about. I mean, who would be deplorable enough to hold a 4-5 year old hostage?" I said, in an attempt to ease her (and my) worries a bit.

Immediately as the words left my mouth, I realized how stupid of a question that was. 

"Cat-" S and Sis began at once.

"I know..."