Cogheart

Chapter Six: Welcome To The Sand Hut

The door to the Sand Hut is unlocked as our motley group steps through the front gate. 

Iris's eyes are wide with astonishment as her gaze darts back and forth between the wreathes of pink and purple flowers tumbling from baskets on the windowsills to the bubbling pool out front and the grand archway stretching above our heads where Arthur's pet falcon Ryuk perches, observing us with his wicked yellow eye. 

"This place is huge!" she squeals, gripping Ambrose by the arm, who attempts to shake her off. "Oh, and the flowers are so pretty... my old place in Clock wasn't half as nice as this! And you all get to live here together?" 

Her wide eyed excitement brings a tweaks a strange vein of fondness in my heart. "Yeah, it's a pretty nice place. Glad to know not everyone from Clock looks down their noses at Cog's architecture." 

"Oh, not at all," Iris reassures. "Some of the snobs do, but that's because they've never lived outside of their own elitist bubbles. Plus, you guys don't look like you care too much about what the other districts think of you." 

"You're right," says Ambrose flatly. "We don't." 

I give her a small nudge. "Be nice." 

Ambrose reluctantly shakes her head as Iris hurries through the arched doorway in her childlike excitement. "I'm trying, okay? I still can't get over the fact that you're letting a fucking Cogheart crash with us." 

"What's the harm?" I protest. "It's not like I'm inviting her to stay forever." 

"Just- don't get too comfortable with her, alright?" Ambrose huffs. "I don't want her dragging us all down with her if we get busted." 

I place an affectionate arm on her shoulder. "Nobody's going to suspect anything. This is Cog, remember? Nobody gives a shit about anyone else's business unless it's something about money." 

Ambrose smiles slightly, but her shoulders are still rigid. "Yeah. Did you forget the hefty reward for turning in stray Coghearts? Because it's not a sum that most people in here would care to ignore." 

"I haven't forgotten, just so you know," I say evenly as we step over the threshold of the hut. I can already smell the smoke and terrible mixture of spices and herbs curling under the doorway- evidence of Wesley's cooking. "But it isn't as though anyone's looking through our windows trying to spot illegal activities. Half the people on this block have full criminal records already, I doubt it's us any cops are after." 

Ambrose groans as Iris eagerly pushes past her into the house with a barely suppressed squeal of delight. "You know what? I take back what I said earlier. If we're busted, I'm not covering for your ass. You can go to prison for all I care." Despite her grouchy tone, I'm relieved to see a grin on her face. 

"We'll deal with that if it ever comes up. For now..." I gesture to Iris's doe eyed gaze as she takes in the interior of our home. "Just be nice. She's very sweet, and you can't deny you find her antics entertaining." 

Ambrose doesn't hear me, already distracted with prying Iris's curious fingers away from a heavy copper gun hung on the front wall. "Hey, hey, hey. First rule, no touching! That shit's super valuable, and if you break anything, I'm putting YOU up for sale at the market to replace it." 

Iris doesn't seem fazed by Ambrose's frown faced warning, simply smiling at her and dropping her hands to her sides, her face still shining with excitement. "Okay. I'm just really overwhelmed with this place. There's so much stuff! And everything is so..." she gestures to the various relics hanging on walls, the old shaggy carpets and the numerous paintings, hand made by Wesley. "Exciting. Do you not realize how cool this place is?"