Rusted Gears

Chapter 1

The quaint town of Steamport bustled with its usual energy. On this particular day, Uni hated it.

    He woke up that morning to the sound of what sounded like a motorized carriage zooming down the streets. The night before, he had stayed up particularly late to finish up on a project, much to the dismay of his partner, Dawn, and had planned on sleeping in, but that was ruined now. After mumbling a few curses, he rolled out of bed, brushed his teeth, got dressed and stumbled down the stairs to the kitchen. Dawn was already there, dressed in his usual spiffy vest and goggles, reading the paper.

    "Good morning, sleepy head." Dawn said, not lifting his eyes from the paper. "What were you thinking for breakfast?" Uni sat across from him, resting his head in his arms, and grunted in reply. Dawn smiled, his blue eyes shining in amusement. He tilted his head.

    "I told you not to stay up too late, Mr. Uni Just-A-Few-More-Minutes-It's-Almost-Done." Uni grumbled, before looking up at his partner.

    "Shut up." Dawn laughed, before ruffling the blue hair on top of Uni's head.

    "I was thinking Jon's place for breakfast. I dont feel like cooking," Dawn mused, setting his paper down. Uni sat up, his eyes resembling an excited puppy. Jon, their good friend, owned a café nearby with the most delicious pastries and coffee.

    "Well then, let's go!" Uni stood up and was making his way through the door before Dawn cleared his throat.

    "I think you're forgetting something." Uni thought for a moment, before rolling his eyes, impatient.

    "Good morning to you, too." Dawn sighed, all too familiar with his friend's distracted nature.

    "Your arm, Uni." Uni glanced down at his left hand, which ended at a stub around his elbow. Whoops.

    "Oh, right." He ran upstairs, and strapped on his gauntlet-like prosthetic, powered by clocks and gears. He waved it experimentally, like he did every morning, before racing downstairs. "Alright, I'm ready." Dawn reached over and straightened Uni's round glasses, and brushing the wrinkles out of his clothes, before they both headed out the door.

    The smell of freshly baked cinnamon buns greeted the duo as they entered the café, the familiar ringing of a small silver bell signalling their arrival. They sat down and Jon came out of the kitchen with his usual slight limp and a notepad in hand.

    "Hey, you two. The usual?" Dawn nodded. before pointing towards the kitchen.

    "Those cinnamon buns you're baking sounds good, too."

    "I think you mean smell." Uni corrected, before turning towards Jon. "The leg working okay?" Jon smiled at him, before shifting his weight to show off the prosthetic Uni had made for him.

    "Perfectly. Sometimes I forget I even have it on." He winked, before heading behind the counter and getting their order ready, humming a cheerful song. Uni glanced out the window, distracted. He watched as a small child with hands covered in soot skipped down the street, a mechanical bird resting on her head. It chirped, the sound loud enough for even Uni to hear through the glass. He watched the bird as it jerked rabidly, spazzing out.

    "Probably something wrong with its gears." Dawn said, making Uni snap his head back towards him. Dawn had rested his chin on his pal and had followed Uni's gaze to the bird. "Maybe a little oil would be good for it." His warm gaze turned back to Uni, and he reached over and flicked Uni's nose. "Hey, maybe a little motor oil would help you and your distracted head." He teased.

     Uni smacked his arm away, trying to keep the scowl on his face, but he couldn't help cracking a smile. It was impossible to not like Dawn. Despite his slow , analytical and calculated manner, He had an easy going nature, kindness radiating off him. Dawn was one of the smartest people that Uni knew, and he knew that Dawn truly prided himself about his intelligence. Of course, Dawn would never admit it out loud.