[center][img] http://i57.tinypic.com/2116trp.png [/img][/center]

Ran clamped onto the rim of his top hat tightly. The lacey cuff whipped his face. He hunched forward while fighting against the wind. His cape flew wildly behind him. The only part of his current outfit that wasn’t hindering his progress was his tight fitting, lace trimmed waistcoat. He secretly wondered how those old fashioned gentlemen managed to walk upright during windy days. [i]Perhaps they had servants to push them forward or something.[/i] A metallic hand reached out and grabbed his right forearm and pulled him towards the railing. 

“Thanks!” 

The pink haired man smiled, and Ran couldn’t help smiling in return. The older man gripped the railing tightly after making sure his black and gold falcon head cane was still suspended round the crook of his arm. His other hand continued holding down his hat which was still threatening to fly away. He felt Lesley pat his shoulder reassuringly. His yellow eyes looked in the direction his companion was pointing to and he gaped. 

“That’s … that’s like… like so steampunk!”

Somehow he couldn’t recall the names of the various steampunk-esque books and anime that he had seen over the last few years. [i]Dang! He must be getting old. How could he forget after all that research?[/i] He had lived, breathed and dreamed of nothing but steampunk for the many months because of the book cover he had to design back… when… well… back when he was working - somewhere? He studied the architecture of the buildings. He loved how the walls were covered with intricately designed cogs that moved in tandem.

“Have you ever dreamed of living in a bell tower or a cuckoo clock? I can’t imagine having to ring the bell or shout cuckoo several times every hour. Speak of the devil, look at that!”

Ran pointed to a large clock tower. The hour hand stopped at the XII mark. It was twelve noon. The window underneath sprung open and a platform rolled out. A huge table stood right in the center. Seated round it were twelve hungry mechanical Nobodies. Their hands moved up and down in unison as they brought pieces of food into their mouth. He whistled in admiration. Truthfully he was disappointed the ship was stopping there. He really wanted to see what happens at the next hour. He suspected that the “robots” will be doing different things throughout the day. 

[quote=Riley]"Hey gramps, do you have your sketchbook? Ugh, I'd take a photo if I could. If we don't capture this moment, it'll be an absolute crime—oh geez! Stupid birds, wrecking the moment!"[/quote]

[quote=Toby]"If Ran doesn't have his sketchbook, than there's only one solution. If we can't sketch it, and we can't paint it, our only option is to take a beautiful mental picture using our brain powers. Just point your lens towards the horizon annnnnnd … Ta-da! Now i'll never forget this.”[/quote]

“Riley! Toby! Glad both of you can join us. Actually my sketchpad is with me. It’s right over …. Ooops!”

The oldest among the group let go of his hat for a brief second, and rascally thing took off. The poor man flailed as he tried to retrieve the runaway headpiece. He wasn’t the only one trying to retrieve it, but the top hat taunted them as it drifted further away. The birds were completely forgotten. [i]Crap! Martini will be disappointed. He had promised he would return the suit in one piece.[/i] 

[quote=Boy]“Hey mister, I think you dropped this.”[/quote] 

Ran craned his head trying to see who it was. There was would whoosh as something zipped pass. Soon there was a soft sputter followed by some swearing. The mechanical coughing was replaced by a smooth purr. Before long a boy, who looked no older than Harper, drifted backwards on his hover board. He pulled to a stop in front of the humans gathered along the railings and touched the tip of his fedora. Tucked under his right arm was Ran’s hat. The young Nobody grinned as he reached out and plonked the top hat onto the man’s head. Ran immediately clutched the rim tightly. The hat was threatening to fly off again. 

“Good catch!” 

The boy beamed. “You were lucky I was doing my rounds. Anyhow I gotta go! Have to send these lunchboxes before the food gets cold.” 

The delivery boy sped off into the distance on his noisy hover board. Now that it was relatively quieter, the whistling of the steel slicing the air became more audible. Ran nodded his head in Inadi’s direction to get the others to look as well. Slowly he turned around till he was standing with his back pressed against the railing. This was perhaps the only way he can get a better view. He remained silent as he watched the bespectacled young man practice with Kane. Each movement flowed seamlessly into the next. When the boy was done, he whooped loudly along with the rest of the spectators. He wanted to clap, but didn’t trust his hat enough to let go.