''I almost forgot.'' You broke a silence that had been there for a long time, handing him the map of Kansas City. ''Your map. But I think Ringo already sent the location to whoever hired him.''
''What do you mean?'' Gyro took the map.
''Inside the house... there is a birdcage, but no birds. It seems to be a pigeon, I guess.''
''So... that means that the government is on to us? Ringo already sent the information about the map with a carrier pigeon?''
''Is on to us? No, no.'' You let out a relaxed smile to cover up your anger. ''No, there's no 'us'. The government is on to you, Johnny, and maybe Hot Pants, but me? No way. I'm done with all that bullshit.''
''You're here with us, right? You are also a stand user and you were attacked by Ringo, weren't you? It's too late to try to run away, (Y/N). We're in the same boat.''
Something clicked and rumbled. It was Johnny, regaining consciousness. He spat and shook his hair to get rid of the blood and dust, groping his aching forehead. Angry, you ignored Gyro's every word. It was all ridiculous and you couldn't be involved with two men in the aim of the government.
He looked pretty good after Gyro had applied the Cream Starter to him. He looked confusedly around and took a deep breath.
''Hey, Johnny, are you better?'' The Italian waved his hand in front of his eyes.
''Yes...'' Johnny replied, looking annoyed. ''But my head still hurts.''
You listened to Johnny's complaint and felt around the floor littered with his stuff, picking up a bottle of herbs and opening it effortlessly. It was the rare mint you had bought in that French boutique, and Gyro's eyes widened, recognizing the bottle.
''Chew on some leaves, Johnny.'' You handed him the vial. ''It's a special kind of mint.''
Johnny took the vial. He had a sweet look, although he looked very upset about it all. He gently picked up a few leaves and examined them for a few seconds, smelling the sweet, resinous scent on his fingers.
''Hey, wait a minute Johnny, don't eat that.'' Gyro stopped him, with a stern voice. ''That vial... I saw it in that potion shop!''
''Potion shop? What are you talking about?''
''You ain't fooling no one, (Y/N)! We went to that French shop you were at, and we spoke to the Frenchman. He said you bought three potions! You better explain yourself!''
You smiled with furrowed brows, although you were still shaken by everything that had just happened, and looked down at the floor. Your eyelashes were still wet with tears, so you dried them. The thought that Johnny had been killed like that broke you. Tears left dirt marks on your face, and you wiped it away, laughing weakly now.
''You really think I would buy potions?''
Gyro gazes at you suspiciously.
''I don't know, but I think Johnny better not put that in his mouth.''
''Why? Johnny...'' You glared at him, placing a hand on his knee. ''It's just rare mint leaves. It's not anywhere you find it, so I bought them. Ignore Gyro, it will ease your headache.''
''Are you... are you sure?'' Johnny questioned. ''The way that Frenchman said it, these potions seem pretty weird.''
''For God's sake, it's not a potion! It's just mint leaves!''
''Yeah, yeah. You say just like the mermaids who attract fishermen with a beautiful song and take them to the bottom of the sea to become lunch.'' Gyro sneered. ''Don't let her fool you, Johnny. We still have a lot of questions to ask her!''
''Now I'm a mermaid too? Should I thank you for the compliment or am I still a witch?''
''A witch mermaid would be terrifying.'' Johnny added, and you rolled your eyes. Gyro laughed wryly at the thought of that.
You looked at the two men in disbelief, and they looked back at you. You felt your left arm completely ensanguined and pooling under your hand. A gentle wind blew and their hair ruffled in response. Both were a shade of pure blonde, but different. Johnny's hair was darker and straighter, it went well with his blue clothes. While Gyro's carried a distinctly sandy tone, and although constantly messed up, he seemed to be very vain about his hair. You would often see Gyro smoothing the top of his head to get rid of the ripples left by his hat, while Johnny didn't bother to always keep his hat on.
Then, you remembered something Gyro had said.
''Wait, were you following me? How did you know I went to that store? Damn, that's really creepy!''
''Wait, it's not what you're thinking!'' Johnny justified himself, embarrassed. ''We were just looking for you, but you were already gone.''
''Looking for me? What the hell did you want? Asked about me all over town, making everyone think I know you?!''
''Damn it, (Y/N), stop talking and listen to us! You seem like the type of person who goes around judging without even listening to others!'' Gyro interrupted you, frowning.
''Oh, right!'' You replied wryly. ''Only two people know that I know you: God and the world, isn't it? How can you be so reckless?!''
''It's not your turn to ask questions here! Tell us, what were you doing with Sandman?''
''Jesus, you guys are unbelievable.'' Told them as you got to your feet, tired in every way.
''Wait, (Y/N).'' Johnny stopped you, putting a hand on your shoulder deftly. ''We were looking for you because we wanted to ask you about something.''
''Ask about what?''
You refrained from ignoring Johnny. He was much more serious and understanding than Gyro. Therefore, he is more convenient and bearable. His big, blue eyes don't stop looking at you.
''Gyro said he found a bunch of notes in Latin under the counter of your wagon. He said you seemed to be hiding them, so we wanted to ask.''
It took a few seconds for your mouth to move, trying to form words that scrambled over your discoveries of the past nights and your mother's memories. You stopped, swallowed, and tried again, eyes slightly widened from side to side, looking at Gyro and then at Johnny. Then you took a deep breath, now looking at God only knew what. Did they even read the notes? you wondered. Have they seen Joseph of Arimathea's map?
''I... I mean...'' Said softly, your voice betraying you and stuttering. ''This has a simple explanation, but it's not easy to tell.''
''Then try it.'' Gyro said as if he was scolding you.
You didn't know where to start and you were afraid of the next questions they would ask. Keeping a map with the approximate location of the corpse's parts was, to say the least, suspicious for someone who wants to stay as far away from all that mess as possible. You've rethought everything you've done since you set foot in San Diego and saw Gyro for the first time, in a duel. If you didn't want to be involved in this, why were you still there? You wanted something from this race, but what exactly was it? What made you stay there? What made you approach Gyro and Johnny? What made you accompany Diego in that grove? Was it the brutal nature of your curiosity? The need or desperation to get answers? Or simply the spark of confidence and adrenaline they made you feel?
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.''