Laos stretched on for miles along the ivory coast of the Fragilli Sea. The rickety carriage hobbled along the sole road toward the city, passing the hills of the second wall until all that laid before them were the smooth fields of swaying sea grass. The placid turquoise of the ocean against the emerald of the land, blazed under the noon day's sun, a rare gem Abby was glad to see.

Pillars of eroded sandstone erupted from the ground forming most of the old city's skyscape. They stood as the last remnants of a bygone era erected to worship the many gods, skeleton hands outstretched and begging to the heavens not to be forgotten.

The city was a marvel, a mix of weathered traditions and modernized ideals, pickled in the briny scented sea air that rolled in off the coast, attracting sailors and scholars alike. Steel wove its way through sandstone, serpents bent on squeezing the life from Laos' many chapels and worship houses.

As Abby stared at the city before her, a breeze tousled her hair. She smiled; she couldn't wait to get out of the carriage and stretch her legs.

Laos, the city of chaos, was home.

"Three minutes to the inner gate." A metallic voice crackled over the loosely hanging speaker above Abby's head.

"Thanks, Ritz," she said, addressing the body-less AI carriage operator as though it was a real person. It very well could have been, considering the other more robotic company Abby was keeping in the back car.

Crum sat next to her on the two person seat, his knobby knee brushing against her bare hand. He grimaced as he continued plucking balls of maroon velvet off his trousers that had stuck to him like honey. He'd, very loudly, voiced his disdain for the well-worn carriage when they'd first got in, but Abby'd silenced him by threatening to unleash Henrich on his ears.

Speaking of the Mayweather's only son, he sat across from Crum, sandwiched between his sisters, brow dripping with sweat, yellow pit stains gaining in size across his white tunic. He leaned over, a pained expression on his face, opening and closing his mouth, like a fish that'd been beached. Polly kept her gaze hinged outside, watching as miles of ocean raced past.

Poppy sat furthest away, the others placed between her and Abby as a protective human shield to prevent any more altercations between the two. Abby thought it a bit much. However, truth be told, had Abby snuck a second pastry into her coat pocket—she hadn't, but the idea had crossed her mind—there'd have been a decent chance said pastry would have been smashed against Poppy's smug, freckled face once more.

In all honesty, more pastry might do her face well, Abby thought as she took a sideways glance at the girl.

With Poppy's fattened cheeks and black smudges under her eyes, she looked like a dead raccoon, one that'd been run over and left to roast under the sun. It was ironic. Two out of the three Mayweathers now resembled dying, smelly rodents.

Full-blooded Mayweasels.

Abby felt a nip on her hand and glanced down. Lucy was curled on her lap, looking annoyed that she had stopped petting his head.

"Sorry, Lucy," she whispered, itching a favorite spot of his behind his ears. Crum sneezed and gave the cat a glare.

"Did you have to bring them?" he spat, wiping a sleeve under his nose.

Abby paid him no mind. Instead, she turned her attention to the seat opposite her where perched on the bench's back was Sebbi, lying with his front paws tucked under him, eyes closed. He looked like a summer sausage that'd fallen on the floor and collected lint. She didn't know why the mostly feral cat had decided to come, but she was happy all the same.

"The air reeks," Poppy said as she placed a delicate, gloved hand over her nose.

Abby glared. "Of course it does,"she said through clenched teeth. "Laos is a port city. It's by the sea."

Poppy scoffed and rolled her eyes. "Very funny, Abbernathy." She harrumped and flung her arms over her chest. The old, upholstered bench creaked under her weight.

The speaker overhead crackled and sparks danced around its exposed wires. "Now approaching Laos' inner gate," Ritz said. "Would you like to know the history of said gate?"

"No thanks, Ritz," Abby said, leaning further into her seat.

Lucy nuzzled against her chest. She appreciated the warmth that emanated off him, his purrs loud enough to rival the mechanical whirs of the carriage's inner gears.

"Very well," the AI responded. "At forty feet high, the gate was constructed from alchemically enhanced metals to withstand—if need be—an attack from the monsters of Mingare Plains. This of course, was in addition to Laos' two outer walls—"

"I said no history lesson, Ritz," Abby yelled, slapping the speaker box.

Exposed copper wires sparked, tiny blue bursts exploding in the carriage like fireworks. Ritz was in desperate need of an operations upgrade but Abby's father never found the time to take the carriage to the shop. So it continued to sputter and spark and misinterpret voice commands.

"As you wish, Miss Abbercacky," the AI complied.

Abby sighed. It also continued to call Abby by ridiculous names that sort of resembled her already ridiculous full name.

"Abbercacky?" Crum asked, a smile on his lips. Abby rolled her eyes and shot him a glare.

"Shut it, Crumly Crum Hudcrum."

Poppy heaved a heavy sigh into the air, making both Abby and Crum glance her way.

"Just like a Smells to own such a shoddy AI carriage," she remarked. Henrich Jo nodded in agreement, his chins jiggling with all the ferocity of persimmon jelly but lacking all the fruity, delicious appeal.

"Understood," came Ritz's voice through the speaker.

The whole of the back car looked between themselves in surprise.

"What's understood—"

"Air cooling system engaged. 20 percent..."

A low whirring started in the back car, fans turning on, cool air filling the carriage. Abby grimaced. Everyone else seemed pleased with the stream of cold air. Henrich Jo especially; he looked as though he'd died and gone to rodent heaven.

Abby shook her head and started to button up her coat, forcing Lucy to slide back to her lap. He looked at her with an irritated face, but she ignored his attempt for more rub and focused on pulling up her coat collar.

Once the pea coat covered half her face, she tucked her hair behind her, but left enough of it to cover her ears. Abby lamented at not having brought her fleece and mittens, but she hadn't thought she'd need to prepare for a blizzard so early into autumn. 

Crum looked at her with a quizzical gaze. "What's wrong?"

"Ritz has done this before," she whispered as she deeper inside her jacket until just her eyes peered over the collar.

"Increasing system controls. 30 percent...42 percent...Turning up jets to full power."

Abby closed her eyes and wrapped Lucy in her arms.

Love, the cat meowed, You're strangling the handsome life from me. There's no need to be so—

The whirring of the fans sped up, filling the tiny compartment with a screeching noise, and then, silence. Crum relaxed.

"See?" he said, glancing at Abby who was still anticipating the worst, "Nothing's happened—"

"Wait for it," she said, bending over to shield Lucy with her body.

Click.

"Systems at full capacity in ten, nine, eight..."

Without an inkling of what was to come, Crum hurried to button his coat and follow Abby's lead. The AI continued to count down as he placed his head in his lap, hands over his ears.

"...six, five, four..."

Poppy looked at the two of them—bent over, heads tucked into their coats like tortoises inside their shells—and sighed. "Vicrum, my goodness, don't placate that heathen by indulging in her silly games. Do remember your place—"

"...one."

With an ear-splitting screech, the gears and fans in the back car switched on. All of them. Arctic-like winds blasted through the carriage's vents, whipping the hair of those foolish not to follow Abby's lead into surprised faces. Icy blasts stung exposed skin, making eyes water and tears run down reddened cheeks. Poppy screamed at the alarming cold.

Abby wrapped herself tighter in her coat, but to no avail. The frigid air cut through her like a knife through butter, frosting over her very heart. Puffs of icy breaths could be seen in the carriage, even as the sun streamed in through the curtains. Abby's teeth were chattering in her head, threatening to rattle free and fall onto her lap. Sebbi hissed.

Looking up, Abby saw the cat's eyes alight with anger, a clawed paw swatting at the air that rushed past him. He was trying—in his own cat way—to fight off the cold.

Henrich's body was shaking from tremors, his wide belly rolling like the angry waves of the Fragilli when a storm blows in from the west. Polly was bent over in her seat, her head shoved deep into the folds of her pastel blue dress, gooseflesh running up and down her bare arms.

Poppy looked as though a tornado had ravished her body. Her perfectly groomed red hair flared out around her, tears streamed down her face, mixing with her eyeliner and turning her face grey. She looked toward Abby with pleading eyes.

"Help," she mouthed.

"Ritz, stop!" Abby screamed.

"Your command does not compute," the AI said.

The air continued to fill the cabin, making its occupants resemble human icicles on the verge of shattering.

"Shut off system controls!" Abby screamed again, reaching up with shaky hands to rip the speaker box off the ceiling. It came off without a fight and clattered to the ground. Staring into the black box, she continued, "Stop this right now."

"As you wish, Miss Abbertacky," the AI said.

The fans slowed, the cold receded, a warm breeze slowly filling the car. Abby released a sigh she hadn't known she'd been holding in. Crum rubbed his hands together, his fingertips as red as the twins' hair.

"What a horrid ride," Poppy said between labored breaths.

Before the carriage came to a stop, it hissed one final blast of air, shooting it up through the vent right under Poppy's feet. It blew everything on the surprised child upward, everything. Abby didn't have enough time to divert her gaze, and in horror, she watched as Poppy's rainbow-colored underthings were put on display for everyone in the carriage car.

Now that's an image you'll never unsee, Lucy meowed, wiping away the tiny frost crystals that had gathered on his whiskers.

"We have arrived at our destination," Ritz piped up, the monotone voice cutting through the awkward silence.  "Welcome to Laos."

Abby looked at each person and cat in the carriage. Poppy was smoothing out her dress folds, face flushed with every ounce of blood in her body. Everyone else avoided making eye contact and gazed at their own feet—or paws.

Prying herself off her seat and knocking Lucy to the floor, Abby made for the door. With a rusted sigh, it opened, letting a rush of humid air fill the cabin. Abby turned back to face her guests.

"Well, you heard Ritz. Welcome to Laos, everyone."

^-^ Remember to press that star if you enjoyed reading about Ritz, the faulty AI operated car. ^-^