Three days later.

  Earthquakes pretty much became a thing by the time we returned from Pallport. The first one came when we were at Volcano Lane. But the other one struck almost the moment we boarded off at Orowen.

  The next one came the next morning. Then the morning after that. And also today. After the whirlwind week that was behind us, we weren't really affected by a little shaky ground. So Lily, Asmod, Smokewell and I had simply walked out of the Nook and waited under the open sky for the tremors to stop.

  They stopped after about five minutes.

  The cat stretched her back and gave a yawn. “I'm going to go and resume my nap.” She started back towards the store.

  I didn't let her get too far and lifted her off the ground. “Forget it. You are coming with us.”

  The feline looked puzzled. “Coming where?”

  “To find an apartment!” Lily hopped up and down excitedly.

  Smokewell didn't share the enthusiasm. “You are the ones who are supposed to go and find the house. I'll come when we will be ready to move in.”

  “Fine.” I shrugged. “Then we'll make you pay the rent.”

  “Cats don't have to pay rent,” Smokewell said.

  “Okay. Then we'll just take your share of the reward that Hammer gave us,” I said. “Lily?”

  “Already did.” The girl waved a pouch full of steambolts. The coins chimed inside the fabric.

  “I'll snatch your soul!” Smokewell snapped.

  “That's enough whining for the morning.” I held the cat under my arm like she was a bundle of blankets. “It's time to get moving now.”

  We waved our goodbyes to Asmod before we left to hunt for a home.

  ****

  Lily and I had circled some advertisements for apartments to rent in the newspapers. We weren't looking for anything fancy. But now that we had some real money in our hands, we also wanted something more than a place to squat.

  According to old Elsa's memories, the places we lived in weren't really something we could've called a home. They were places to sleep. Places to hide from the Inquisition. Places to lie low in. Places to operate from. But no homes.

  I wasn't sure if this place we were headed towards was going to be any different. But it was certainly going to be more than what we'd had until now.

  Our first stop was a tenement in Hobvale Avenue. It looked like a respectable neighborhood with a coffee shop a few paces down the road and a tram stop that was a few paces from the coffee shop. The building was owned by some kind of real estate tycoon of this time and world.

  That meant the price was going to be higher than usual but we also had an agent to give us a little tour. He was a guy named Louis Porter who looked like a candidate for a science experiment that had gone wrong. Big, bulging bloodshot eyes that watched our every movement with almost terrifying attentiveness, a nose that was slender as a breadstick and a pair of rodent buck teeth sticking out from under a pale upper lip. He had a non-existent chin and a neck long enough to make an ostrich proud. And when he spoke, the words were breathy and thin.

  "I'm Mr. Porter and you must be the ones that put in the request for a tour?" he said, shaking our hands. He was dressed in a business suit that mostly hung limp on his scrawny frame. And a smoky glass ball was hanging by a chain around his neck like a pendant.

  "Yes. I'm Elsa Grimly. I sent the telegram," I said, not letting his handshake linger.

  "A pleasure to meet you all," he said. "You ladies can rest assured that this is the safest neighborhood in Orowen." He swept his arm across the street. "It's all thanks to the Steam Elemental and the work of our diligent Internal Police."

  I could hear a muffled sound from Lily, which was probably a groan. And Smokewell gave a soft hiss on my shoulder.

  Porter's big eyes bulged even further at the sight of the black cat. "Is that your house pet?" he said, a little uncertain.

  "She is a part of our family, yes." Lily said defensively.

  "Oh, I see."

  "Are pets not allowed in this building?" I said.

  "No, no, that's not the case." He shook his head. "It's just...black cats are an odd choice for a pet since--"

  "No, we don't care. Can we just begin the tour?" Lily said.

  "Certainly, certainly." Porter nodded nervously, his hand going to the glass ball on his chain.

  He led us inside the building and up the flight of stairs to the third floor. His sales pitch involved listing the nearby grocery stores and restaurants and how only all the respectable people frequented these places. "Also, lets not forget the Holy House of the Steam Elemental that is just two streets down the road. A person needs to be in touch with the divine to be truly happy."

  "Another Steam Elemental house?" I said. "Isn't there one on Eternity Square too?"

  Porter nodded. "There are four such Holy Houses in Orowen. And for good reason, afterall--"

  "No, we still don't care," Lily said as she pushed the apartment door open and walked inside. I followed. Porter hurried after us.

  "As you can see, the sitting room is spacious," Porter waved his scrawny arms again to show how big the room was. "You can have a couch here, a few more chairs and a coffee table to host more than a few guests."

  "We don't get many guests," Lily said.

  "Also, look here." Porter moved to the corner of the room. "You can put a piano here to liven up the evening or even put your cat's bed for her to lounge in."

  "None of us plays piano," I said.

  Porter took us to the kitchen next. "The counter is big enough for two people to cook together, there's also that small nook in the wall that can be a mini-pantry. You get drinkable water throughout the day. Also, look at all these cabinets for your fancy crockery and cutlery."

  "We don't have either of those," Lily said and wandered over to the bedrooms.

  "You'll get two bedrooms. Both of them are the same size. Both of them big enough to have a king sized bed, dressing screen over there and a dresser mirror to admire your beautiful faces in." Porter gave us a smile that had my soul cringing inside me. "And look here!" he pointed at the window. "Isn't the view beautiful?"

  "Uh...it's just more buildings." Lily shrugged.

  "No, but look over there, can't you see the steam rising in the sky?" he pointed at the pyramid of the Holy House in a little distance. "Now, isn't that just the view to wake up to? Just waking up and feeling so close to a god that actually exists?"

  "No, I want to see the bathroom first," Lily said and left the bedroom.

  "Yes, yes. Let me show you to the bathroom." he opened the door in the hallway leading to a fairly big bathroom. "All the fittings are made of brass and look at that gorgeous little bath tub for you beautiful ladies to soak yourselves in." Porter showed us that he took his job seriously and actually laid down in the tub to show us just how relaxing it was. "Now, tell me you wouldn't want to be down here with me--I mean, in my place?"

  "Heavens no," Lily and I said in unison.

  Fortunately, he kept the toilet tour a lot more brief and lot less demonstrative than the bathroom tour and led us back to the sitting room. "And I can guarantee you that you'll be happy and comfortable in a place this big and safe at the rent of just five hundred steambolts a year," he said. "Other than that you get a chance to be a part of the neighborhood associations that host all kinds of gatherings. One of which involves a weekly visit to the Holy House to cleanse the spirit and soul."

  "Isn't there a way to opt out of that thing?" I asked.

  "Of course, you can." Porter nodded. "But I won't recommend it. As you see, dark magic is a danger to our humble society. We live in a world where anyone can be bewitched or cursed. It's important to stay in touch with the divine so that we may not lose our way."

  "Um, you do know that there are witchcraft covens that work along with the government?" Lily said. "They just had to sign that agreement and they are living with everyone else. Like everyone else."

  "Yes but that doesn't mean that the dark magic is any less dangerous." Porter's voice was deep with a paranoia that people of faith often had when they spoke of things that their faith deemed dangerous. "As a man in a business of housing and people, I've seen too many families that have succumbed to the dark magic. Too many homes destroyed by humanity's sinfulness. We need to build a strong community around our faith to battle the forces of the dark."

  Lily and I just watched the real estate agent. "You know what? Give us a moment so we can discuss if we want to sign up for this place," I said.

  "Certainly, certainly. I'll wait outside," he said and walked out of the apartment.

  Smokewell hopped off my shoulder. "Before you decide to take a vote, let me tell you, no," the cat said. "We aren't buying this place."

  "But it looks so good!" Lily said.

  I raised an eyebrow. "Weren't you acting uninterested for the entire tour?" I said.

  "That's a purchase tactic, Miss Elsa" Lily said in a conspiratorial tone. "I was acting uninterested so he would feel more eager to sell the place to us. That way the ball will be in our court and we could bargain a price we want."

  "That's clever," Smokewell said, "We're still not buying this."

  "Why not?!" Lily said.

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  "Because I don't want to be a part of any Steam Elemental masturbatory group," Smokewell said.

  I lifted the cat off the ground. "Keep your voice down. And yes, this may be one of those times I actually whole heartedly agree with you. That agent is creepy at best and a cuckoo in the head at worst."

  The cat nodded and turned to Lily again, "Also, stop calling those agreement covens 'witches'. They aren't. They are dogs on the government's leash. We are the last witches in Ravenwind, remember?"

  Lily rolled her eyes. "I get it! We aren't buying this house. Let's just get going then."

  And so we did.

  ****

  Next stop was an apartment building on Mingate Street. The area wasn't as high profile as the previous one. The apartment building was also a lot smaller--only two-stories tall and all brick and mortar.

  The landlady was some old woman who was rumored to be a baroness of some time. She had sold off her dead husband's fortune and come to live in the city to be along with people rather than living on some big estate alone.

  Her name was Beatrice Dalley and she looked like something out of a children's fairytale. Silk dress, walking cane, half moon glasses and a cotton bonnet on white hair. "Would you kids like some cookies?" she said in a motherly voice, opening a jar full of biscuits when we told her the purpose of our visit.

  "Of course!" Lily snatched a cookie before anyone could stop her.

  "Oh, its always a pleasure to host such lively young women," Beatrice said, her friendly wrinkled face wrinkling further as she smiled.

  I gave a polite smile in return and said, "You are very kind, Miss Beatrice. If you don't mind, we would like to see the apartment right away."

  The old woman nodded and led us to an apartment down the hallway. She told us that the building used to be her late husband's office that she had renovated to what we saw. "He was a man who liked to support the community he lived in. I think this is what he might've wanted too."

  "That sounds very nice, Miss Beatrice," I said.

  Smokewell was rolling her eyes on my shoulder as the old woman kept monologuing.

  "We mostly have families living here," Beatrice said. "I love the sound of children playing in the hallways. We also have a playground in the back with a swing and slide for them."

  "That's very sweet, Miss Beatrice," I said. Smokewell rolled her eyes again.

  Even though the building wasn't that big, the apartment that she showed was bigger than the one we'd seen in Hobvale. It had three bedrooms, two bathrooms and it came pre-furnished. The furniture looked vintage and expensive. I felt a bit uncertain as I looked at the place she was showing. "Are you sure the rent here is just 300 steambolts a year?" I said.

  "Of course, dear. Why would I lie?" Beatrice said with her motherly smile.

  "But, this place looks quite big--"

  "Bah." She waved a wrinkled hand at me. "It won't be big enough once you bring the children."

  Lily cocked her head. "What children?"

  "Your children of course," she said.

  "Um, Neither of us are married, Miss Beatrice," I said.

  "So?" the old woman said, "It's not like you are going to die a spinster, are you?"

  "Trust me. I, at least, am not looking to fall in love anytime soon," I said.

  "That's what I used to say at your age, too, young lady," Beatrice said. "But then I met Mr. Dalley and I wanted nothing more than to be with him."

  "That's nice but--"

  "Let me give you some wisdom I've acquired over the years," she said. "Everyone falls in love. Everyone! Especially the ones who are sure they don't need love. In fact, they are the ones that fall the hardest!" She stamped the ground with her cane as if to emphasise her point.

  "Woah, okay. I get it, you don't have to--"

  "You should listen to your elders. The best thing that can happen to a girl is marriage. And bearing lots and lots of healthy children."

  "You know what? Maybe we'll come back in the evening and tell you if we want to buy the place or not." I took a step back, gesturing Lily to follow.

  Beatrice followed our movements with her eyes that were set deep in her wrinkled face. "I hope you do buy this place. You shouldn't waste your beauty like that by dying alone. You can even offer this house to your husband as a dowry. Nothing convinces a man into marriage more than a promise of a stable home." She started moving towards us.

  I frowned. “How can I sell this place? You are the legal owner.”

  “You can buy it if you want to settle down here along with your husband and children. You can buy it for just fifteen hundred steambolts.” She took another step forward.

  "Okay, we're out." I grabbed Lily's hand and yanked her after me, out of the apartment and down the hallway.

  "You can't keep running forever!" the old woman called out in a shrill voice. "Love spares no one! No one!"

  ****

  Lily groaned when we halted a few yards down the road. “Are we going to buy a place or just run around?”

  “Really? You were ready to live there?” Smokewell said. “I was older than that goat when I died and even I found her ideas to be ancient.”

  “But she was offering separate bathrooms!” Lily said.

  “Not worth it, Lily.” I shook my head. “Not worth it.” I heaved a sigh and looked up at the sun, squinting my eyes. It was almost afternoon now. “Let's check one more place and stop somewhere for a coffee.”

  We hailed a steam carriage and rode it to Lillcairn street. The building was three stories high and the landlord was a tobacco chewing, monocle wearing, tweed jacketed clerk type guy.

  His office was a small room to the right of the entrance door. The wall behind his chair was covered by bookshelves that held up thick leather tomes. On top of his desk was a plaque that read: Wesley Ainsworth (Owner).

  “So you are looking for a place to live?” He said, his mouth perpetually busy chewing on tobacco as he leaned back in his chair and took in each of our faces. “Can I see some identification?” he asked.

  I showed him a provisional ration card I'd gotten myself yesterday. Hopper knew some officer at the city council who knew the ration department guy so the rest of the process was carried out swiftly.

  Ainsworth went through the document and gave a brief nod. He didn't seem very pleased. Then his monocled eye turned to Lily. “What about her?” he asked.

  “We didn’t bring her documents,” I said. “We were hoping to get only a tour of the apartment for today.”

  “She must have some other kind of identification,” Ainsworth said. “A driving license. A passport. A birth certificate.”

  I was about to respond when something gave me a pause. Lily. She was gripping her skirt. Her movement was anxious.

  I held back a frown and looked back at the man behind the desk. “We don't have a carriage so naturally we don't have a license either,” I said. “As for the other documents, we didn't feel the need to bring those since we are only looking through the apartments, as I already told you.”

  “Perfectly reasonable.” Ainsworth shrugged. And then he leaned ahead, putting his arms on the desk and interlocking his fingers, his eyes intent on Lily. “Maybe you should just tell me your name.”

  “Lilian,” she said.

  “Miss Lilian, can I know your last name?”

  “Stark,” she said in a heartbeat.

  Ainsworth raised an eyebrow. “Lilian Stark? That's a nice name.” He leaned back in his chair. His eyes were even colder now. “Are you from around here?”

  “No,” Lily said.

  “Where are you from?”

  “Ironfort,” Lily said.

  Ainsworth nodded. “What does your father do?”

  “He passed away in an accident.”

  “What did he do when he was–” Ainsworth paused, scrunching up his nose. “What is that smell?”

  After he mentioned, I noticed it too. A really pungent odor had invaded the crampy office. Then I realized. Smokewell was not on my lap anymore.

  “This damn cat!” Ainsworth shrieked. “She pissed on my shoe!”

  A black shadow leapt up from behind the desk and hopped on top of it. The man looked ready to smack her with one of the thick tomes on the shelf behind him. But he was no match to the cat's agility.

  The feline launched herself at him and swiped her paws against his face before jumping out of the window above the shelf. Lily, who had been squirming and nervous in her chair a few moments ago, was now smiling.

  She rose up. “On the second thought, Mr. Ainsworth, we don't want to get a house here. We'll get going.”

  She started on her way out. I followed her.

  Smokwell was on the sidewalk, licking her paw. She looked at us and rolled her eyes. “Finally, you decided to get out of there,” she said. “If I was that patient with nosy pricks like that when I was a human, then I'm glad I killed myself.”

  Lily giggled. “You know, you are the best teacher I had, madam?”

  “I know.”

  Lily's giggles turned to laughter. Then she yawned. “I'm tired. Let's get some coffee, girls.” She started walking.

  Smokewell and I watched her as she moved down the sidewalk. “What even happened in there?” I asked.

  “Don't act like you don't know,” the cat said, hopping onto my shoulder.

  This time I actually didn't. Old Elsa's memories didn't help me remember anything about Lily that might explain why Ainsworth's questions had made her so nervous. Or why seeing the man in agony had pleased her so much. As I focused on memories of her, I remembered that Lily's last name wasn't Stark. In fact, she had never told me what her last name was.

  “I won't blame her for it,” Smokewell said. “It's hard for her to live with what happened to her. I wouldn't want to tell anyone about it either if I was her.”

  ****

  The waitress at the coffee shop brought our orders. Compared to my world, the options for beverages were way more sparse. But that was also a good thing. It meant, if you had to order a coffee, a coffee was all you got. And that's what I'd ordered. Lily was having hot chocolate. And we'd asked for a bowl of milk for Smokewell. And the cafe owners were kind enough to oblige.

  I was still curious about what had happened at Ainsworth's place. But seeing that Lily was back in her usual cheery attitude, I decided to refrain from prying. I took a sip of coffee and Lily let out a heavy sigh.

  She was looking out at the sun. It was close to evening now.

  “So, did we just waste our day today?” Lily said.

  “Things like these are bound to happen, Lily.” I took a sip of my coffee. “The time and place that we are living in isn't very–”

  “You!” someone chirped out of the blue, making me almost choke on my drink.

  I turned to look at the person and it was the woman who had been about to jump out of the clock tower when we first met her. Lenora Desmond. “I thought I would never get to see you again!” she cried out in joy.

  Everyone at the coffee shop was staring at us now. “Keep it down, woman,” Smokewell said. “We are busy mourning our bad luck.”

  Lenora gasped in wonder. “The cat still talks!”

  I groaned and pinched Smokewell's ear. “Stop talking in public places, you're grabbing a lot more attention than her,” I warned in a hushed whisper.

  Lenora dragged a chair from a nearby table and made herself comfortable alongside us. “You wouldn't believe how happy I am to see you,” she said. “Also, I'm not Lenora Desmond anymore.”

  Her smile got smaller but her eyes looked a lot more serene as she told us about her divorce with her husband. “Ever since I became Lenora Griffin again, I just feel…at ease,” she said. “It feels so weird now that I think about what I was putting up with in my marriage. The constant interrogation, the constant suspicion. But, I don't have to live through any of that now.” Then she looked at each of us. “And I have you all to thank for that. For making me realize what I was doing to myself.”

  I cleared my throat nervously. What was I supposed to say to that now? “You're welcome.” I nodded.

  Lenora nodded back and leaned ahead. “Also, I feel terrible right now because you all didn't even tell me your names the first time we met.”

  ****

  So we told her our names. She brought everyone another round of beverages and also cookies to go with them. Then she asked us about what we were mourning before she barged in on us.

  I was still hesitant to speak. But Lily wasn't. So she told her about our adventures since the morning and our bad luck with finding a good house.

  Lenora gave it a thought before I saw a flicker of something in her eyes. She looked at us. “You know what? I've been in a similar situation for a while now,” she said. “I do have a place to live right now but well…it's not really a home, if you know what I mean.”

  “Oh, we get what you mean. We get it very well.” Lily nodded.

  “But there's a solution to our problem,” Lenora said.

  “Our?” I said.

  Lenora grinned. “Let me take you to a place I had my eye on since before my divorce.”