Turbinio

Missing Cats

As Johnny pondered whether or not to interfere, the old man frowned with confusion clear on his face. Gyro repeated his question, speaking unnecessarily loudly judging by the distance they were from each other.

''I don't understand, young man.'' The man said. ''Which newspaper edition are you talking about?''

Gyro repeated as many times as he deemed necessary. How could anyone not know that woman? Johnny watched uneasily, hearing something harder than resignation in Gyro's voice. He glanced at Johnny, then glanced impatiently at the pile of newspapers. He picked one up and looked at the cover for a few seconds. Even though he was chosen at random, he let out a nasal laugh as he read the title from the headline.

''Steel Ball Run participants claim there is a God-sent miracle worker within the race''

Usually, when buying a newspaper, Gyro expected to see his face emblazoned on the covers - and maybe Johnny's face in whatever space was left in the corner of the page - but to see the almost perfect portrayal of (Y/N) occupying that place was terribly frustrating. Gyro opened it and flipped through the paper for a brief moment, looking for any glimmer of his name on it. ''the expert runner'' or ''the most coveted by women'' were titles he would be more than willing to assume.

''Hey! If you want to read the newspaper, you'll have to pay!'' The merchant exclaimed.

''Take it easy, wait!'' The Italian quickly returned to the front page of the newspaper after being distracted. He cleared his throat and pointed to the woman's face emblazoned on the cover. ''I'm talking about this woman here, sir. Did you see her?''

''The healer witch? Why didn't you just say so, son? I've heard she's here in town, but I haven't seen her.'' The old man explained. ''If that's all, you can already pay for the newspaper.''

Gyro grumbled but paid and thanked the man leaving two coins on the small old counter. Unceremoniously, he flung the newspaper into Johnny's lap and climbed onto his horse, facing the icy, slippery streets.

''He said she's in town somewhere. At least she's alive.'' Gyro noted. ''Didn't you want to see her? Let's go find her then.''

Johnny stared at his partner in silence for a few seconds, with a questioning air.

''I didn't say that...'' He replied. ''But yeah, let's go find her.''

At one point, they gave up trying to figure out how long they'd been walking around Mackinaw City, although they're pretty sure it was a little over two hours. It was almost indubitable that (Y/N) should have arrived in town at that time if even Diego was already there. The crowd had dispersed and the city had returned to its usual activities with occasional riots in some bars and hotels.

Gyro was at his limit of patience but decided to continue accompanying Johnny when he noticed that the path would be interrupted by crowds of women offering wine and food, wearing their best dresses and keeping their hair loose in long locks ruffled by the snow. However, at a certain point, there were no more women taking care of Gyro's well-being, which made him remember why he was walking aimlessly through that city.

He was ready to complain for one more of the countless times Johnny needed to hear it when a high-pitched scream caught their attention.

There was a boy on the sidewalk. He spun around, holding a cat aloft while a girl jumped up, trying to grab the animal. Johnny's eyes widened as he looked at the cat, as did Gyro.

''Give it back to me!'' the girl said. ''You're going to hurt him!''

The boy laughed and lifted the cat even higher. Then he noticed Gyro standing, coming up beside him, and stopping with a less-than-pleased expression on his face.