Jorge continued to stare at the gauntlets as the sound of the buggies filled his ears. The bumpy ride did not even make his eyes flinch for a second. He tried to avoid it, the thoughts creeping up on him. Jorge breathed in and closed his fist, and opened his fist again to exhale. Was he worthy enough of wearing Alejandro’s gloves?

There all of them sat; Jorge, Mister Gyeong, Seung-Hyeok, and Tvuj. The Cortez Line extended for göröms across the Ommekadi Taesi Desert. The Line connected the Luzokapital to Lungsod ng Laguna Sagar, and the rest of Buhanggilog’s tricity system.

“You there.”

His shoulders perked up. He raised his fists up, only to find Tvuj who had tapped his shoulder.

“Was that person in the train, important to you?”

Jorge said nothing, only listening to the sand scraping against the metal jeepney. “So what? You’ll help find Hojun, and we’ll help find Suruj.”

“...” She returned to her seat, reading his mood. “How did you meet Suruj? What was he like?”

“An edgy, emo guy.” Jorge let out a sigh, and shifted his legs. “You sure the people you were with would allow you to be split up with them?”

“Well, you could say that this is a part of our goal here in Buhanggilog. A personal goal of mine.”

Even if he didn’t talk to her that much, he felt some sort of weird feeling from Tvuj. Something Jorge didn’t understand. He decided to be quiet.

Mister Gyeong crossed his arms. “Anyhow Miss Tvuj, are you sure you can find her?”

“As long as she uses sahar spells, with Konseki I can probably trace her down.”

After half an hour, the caravan halted to a stop. Everyone fell sideways like gwatpai tiles. Jorge chewed the sand in his parched mouth, and opened his eyes. He instantly got Tvuj off his lap, and saw Mister Gyeong and Seung-Hyeok who tumbled to the floor. Jorge’s feet sunk into the dunes, the blistering heat biting his skin.

“Is everyone alright?” The driver called out from upfront. “Since we’re the leading vehicle the Line needs to be stopped due to an engine problem.”

“In this jeepney?” Jorge stood up and hopped out the back. The others filed out as well.

“Yes po, this jeepney. Soon the announcement will be made. Heh, they could’ve done it sooner but, this is fine.” The driver popped open the hood. “Huh… That’s strange. I thought it would’ve been a problem with the sahar generator, but this is interesting.”

Mister Gyeong pushed Jorge out of the way, and made his way to the driver. “Buhang, you better find the problem this instant or…”

A meow.

When Jorge took a peek at the saharic engine, his feet instinctively moved. “Borja! What are you doing here!”

“I-guyangi! The Bangkaño’s cat was the problem?” Seung-Hyeok hissed as he tried to inch his way towards Jorge, but Tvuj intervened. Jorge picked up Borja and held him in his arms.

The driver closed the hood, which had proven to be loose. “Everyone, calm down. The feline just interrupted the flow of sahar in the engine since the particles became attracted to him. Now he’s safely removed, I'll get the jeepney started again.”

If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

The engine roared back to life as the announcement blared throughout the line of buggies. People standing returned back to the passenger seats, and the convoy of jeepneys moved forward through the desert.

“Listen up. When we arrive Qamar will already have eyes upon us.” Mister Gyeong referenced the moon Qamar, “Tomorrow we spare no time in searching. We shall split up to look for Hojun.”

Tvuj leaned forward. “Okay, we’ll do that. Where are we going to stay for the night?”

“A small inn. There’s no need for something grand.”

While they discussed the plan, Jorge petted Borja’s back as he purred. He wondered why Borja hid in the buggy’s engine, since he never planned to bring him along on a trip that could last long. Well, he concluded that it was better to be with someone he knew as the other three were unfamiliar to him.

“Heh, so you like cats.” Jorge turned his head to Tvuj, who rested her head on her hands.

“So what? We’re buddies, and that’s that.”

Tvuj let out a smile, “No, no, it’s just interesting to see a guy with one.”

An image of Hojun’s smile flashed across his mind. Now that he thought about it, Tvuj smiled very frequently, unlike Hojun. Did Hojun ever smile? He ruminated on his memories for any time she smiled.

"I thought it should've been obvious. We're going to a restaurant."

The time when Hojun took him to a restaurant for the first time. She had only smiled once. As Jorge repeated those words again in his head, Borja rested in his lap.

He woke up by the sound of the jeepney’s engine turning off. Wiping his sweat off, he noticed that he had been gripping Alejandro’s gauntlets strongly the entire time. As the group hopped out of the vehicle, the evening wind immediately stroked everyone’s face. Jorge embraced it as others unloaded their belongings and persons.

“That excursion was quite excruciating.” Seung-Hyeok yawned and stretched his legs.

Mister Gyeong patted his back. “Indeed. Now we must secure a hotel. Boy, uh…”

“Jorge Tarique.”

“Tarique. I might be bitter to say this, but I thank you for worrying about our lady. Of course, I haven’t garnered the slightest respect of you yet.”

Jorge shrugged his shoulders. “Well that sure makes it better.”

By the time they found a place that was actually open for the night, the first thing Jorge did was collapse onto the stiff bed’s cold embrace. After spending so much time cramped in the jeepney, the joints in his legs creaked. The fact that he never got much opportunity to lay down on a bed enhanced the feeling of comfort. Borja jumped on his back and purred.

“So, does Hojun ever smile a lot?” Jorge blurted out into the open, not aware of how weird his question was.

Mister Gyeong took off his cloak and set it down on the chair. “That’s an odd question. But, a valid one. Why do you want to know?”

“Mister Gyeong, we really shouldn’t disclose information about Her Royal Highnes-”

“The boy asked a question, and I shall be obligated to answer.” Gyeong interrupted Seung-Hyeok. “After all, he is assisting us.”

Jorge scratched his head. “I dunno, I just never seen her smile.”

“It can’t be helped.” The frail man sighed, and looked out the window. “Hojun is a princess. But growing up she was referred to as a prince. So, in order to hide Hojun’s fragility as a woman…”

“What?...”

“They ordered m’lady to never smile in public, since it reveals her femininity.”

“Huh? Why would they even do such a thing?” Jorge rolled over and stood up. “If she’s a girl then let her be one.”

Mister Gyeong shook his head softly. “I think you know that’s not how the world works, Tarique. Even I knew m’lady’s desire, but I never stood up for her. It’s my greatest regret as her elderly right-hand man that has been with her since she was a tot.”

“...”

Tvuj popped her head from the bathroom door with a towel on her head. “How long are we going to stay here? The hair dryer here is pretty bad.”

“Until we find Hojun, and until you find your Suruj.” Mister Gyeong got up from the chair. “We start our search tomorrow.”

“Okay then… Anybody else want to use the shower?”

“You’re still in there, miss.”

“Oh right! Sorry!”

Mister Gyeong, Seung-Hyeok, and Jorge sighed as the bathroom door shut. Tvuj did not seem worried at all. Unlike the three of them, she just went with the flow and parted with her group without batting an eye. While Jorge had quite trouble at the fact Mister Gyeong and Seung-Hyeok bore mild hatred towards him and Borja, Mister Gyeong stared at the cat like he wanted to murder him. Knowing that, Jorge made sure to keep Borja under the bed covers.