Turbinio

Rare Mint

Your fist clenched on your thigh.

''I spent my entire childhood with my mother. She was a traveler, just like me. Before I was born, she was a kind of adventurer or even an archaeologist. She used to look for treasure maps and lost cities. But when I turned five, she sorts of retired, but she kept traveling around with me and teaching me how to dig latrines, shoot... read Latin... you know? And when she was gone...'' You paused for a moment, trailing off hesitantly. ''I continued traveling alone and took some of her stuff. Nothing much, just some notebooks and pictures.''

''I said, Gyro, it was no big deal.'' Johnny interjected when he noticed how hardly you spoke.

''That explains a bit, but you didn't say what those Latin notes are.''

''Where are you going with this, (Y/N)?'' Johnny cut you off. You felt slightly embarrassed.

''Well... it's nothing. Johnny's right, it's not a big deal. Just a few maps of treasures, lost cities, and some versicles. It makes sense that they are written in Latin if Reverend brought them from Europe, doesn't it?''

''Reverend? Weren't we talking about your mother? You should know how to organize your lies better, (Y/N).'' Gyro teased you.

''I'm not lying, you idiot! I lived in Nicaragua for a few months, and Reverend Innes took care of me.'' You defended yourself, feeling deeply offended at any form of mockery Gyro wanted to direct at the man you considered a father figure. ''He's... he was Scottish, and he brought his records from Europe. The Latin notes are his, the maps are my mother's. Nothing more. You're satisfied? Can you leave me alone now?''

They were silent, listening intently to every word you said. You were sitting on the floor, elbows on your knees, and your face was flushed and wet. Johnny was beside you, very close, almost touching you. You looked very weak and vulnerable. Seeing this made Johnny want to stroke your hair, but he felt too shy for that.

Johnny took a breath as if he were going to speak, but let it out again slowly, without saying anything. Gyro leaned back and started to get up; however, looked at the horizon.

''Pretends not to know us, claims to be just a hawker, can barely ride a mule...'' Gyro muttered. ''But she's a stand user who keeps treasure maps... Has anyone ever told you that you're weird, (Y/N)?''

Yes, you thought. Last night, when you were having fun in the woods with Diego, their biggest rival.

''Are you okay, (Y/N)?'' Johnny questioned. ''Looks like you've lost a lot of blood.''

''Yeah, that was nothing.''

Birds were singing in the woods. One of them chirped near the destroyed house. Was it a thrush? You asked yourself, not taking your eyes off Johnny.

''I'm sorry about all this, will you be able to drive your wagon in this condition?''

''I'm fine, Johnny.'' You tried not to sound rude, but it was impossible. You felt too exposed for that. ''Please eat the mint I gave you; it will help you recover.''

He didn't seem very interested in doing that, but he obeyed you. Gyro had moved away, checking the equipment of the horses to get back to the race; for a moment you saw him stroke Cadichon's flanks, without her flinching at the touch.

You stood still, dissipating the shock of that confrontation, and watched Gyro approach.

''Hey, Johnny, is your head feeling alright? Listen, you and (Y/N), I think I just came up with something... an original gag.'' You heard him emphasize the word 'original'. ''But I'm only going to do it once, so pay attention. Only once, alright? Look at my fingers. How many am I holding up?''

''...'' You sighed, seeing that Johnny wouldn't answer. ''Four...''

''Four.'' He replied. He looked mildly annoyed by Gyro's disdain.

''Excuse me...'' You saw him lower his fingers one by one until he gestured a zero. ''Let me pass...''

An awkward moment of silence ensued, and Gyro spoke again.

''And that was the gag! What do you think?''

''Hmm... It was pretty good!'' Johnny said. ''It's pretty hilarious, actually.''

''Right? It gets funnier with time! Don't take my idea, just because you liked it.'' You saw the Italian give a big, charming golden smile and you smiled at the conversation. "What do you think, (Y/N)?"

''Actually... I didn't get it. But it's kinda funny.''

Within seconds, his goofy smile faded into a sneer.

''Damn, women really don't have any sense of humor!''

A little more prepared this time, you weren't bothered by Gyro's rude comments and Johnny's passive nods. You were satisfied that it was now okay enough for them to make some jokes.

''Don't I have any sense of humor? I'm just not easily impressed, Gyro.'' You teased.

''Nyo-ho! What do you mean? You know better tricks?''

''Exactly.''

''Then prove it, miss!''

''Prove it? Well...'' You laughed and shook your head. ''Johnny, what's that in your pocket?''

Curious, Johnny reached into his right pocket, feeling metallic cold. He hesitated for a moment, then took the object out. A green, heavy, metallic sphere that made Gyro gape.

''Woah!'' Johnny exclaimed, exceptionally intrigued. ''Gyro, it's your steel ball! When did she take it out of your holster? When did she put it in my pocket? This is amazing!''

''What the...'' Confused, Gyro fumbled with his holsters, missing one of the steel balls. "How did you do that, (Y/N)?!"

You laughed and took the steel ball from Johnny's hand. It was the first time they had seen you laugh like that.

''Magicians never reveal their secrets.'' You joked, handing the steel ball to Gyro. ''You better go, boys. You have a race to win, don't you? I'm staying here until Hot Pants wakes up.''