In The Shadow of Asora

15. Clockwork Sparrow

the newest supply of medicine would last Jongho's father for at least four weeks.

Jongho met regularly with Mingi, and the two hung out together to spend some time outside of work and talk about their families. After a while, Jongho met Mingi's little siblings, and the man helped him perfect his grappling hook. It created a practical addition to Jongho's gadgets.

After his last trip to Asora, he had also handed his father the book on airship mechanics. Yeosang had planned for him to use it first, but since Jongho related to his father's intense boredom in the hours he spent curled up in his bed, he had switched up the order. His father enjoyed it in the dark evenings when Jongho sat at his workbench with his goggles on his face and worked on his newest project. Sometimes, he spoke up to inform Jongho of a fact that he found particularly interesting and Jongho always listened with the utmost attention.

Winter had begun to roam the streets. Zey's shady ghettos darkened with the lack of the light of day when the sun remained hidden behind a thick blanket of clouds. Jongho had yet to taste the cold of snow on his tongue, but the air already smelled of the dreaded time of the year.

Since they were close to the ocean, they were more likely to be flooded by masses of icy rain than experience much snow. It came as a curse and a blessing at the same time. The people out on the streets were less likely to die of the cold, but each corner of the city would be wet and create a breeding ground for diseases.

Mingi had told a worried Jongho that he would be safe and that no drop of water would be able to reach him down in his hideout. Since he worried about Jongho just the same, he had also offered for him to find protection in his bunker whenever he needed to. If the necessity arose, he would even carry Jongho's father down there to shield them from the cold temperatures.

Jongho had thanked him for the offer, but he was positive that they would make it through just fine. Since his mother and Yunho were gone, they always had a blanket more to spare that they could huddle under.

In the mornings, when Jongho ran through the frozen streets, thin layers of ice created death traps at every corner. It was the time of the year where the automatons were less likely to catch up with flighty criminals, but also more inclined to shoot innocent people when their transportation balls slipped while they fired.

In winter, Jongho's spirits animated because of the white steam that rose from his gadgets at any times. In addition to the little puffs that evaporated in the air through his mask, it created the illusion of him as a mechanical being with supernatural powers just like the automatons were. He enjoyed pretending to be strong like them. The little act alleviated the dejection of being on the lower end of the food chain.

Zey warmed itself with its factories. Despite the cold winds that howled between the alleys, the dense urban lifestyle, and the heat of the steam-generated machines saved them some warmth. The veil of clouds that separated them from the aether of the skies stored the precious heat within Zey.

Asora with its mighty towers and large spaces would be colder. Jongho hoped that Yeosang wouldn't freeze. His room could get quite chilly, after all.

Jongho started to wear a warmer scarf for his deliveries. The thick fabric didn't serve as a mask well, so he got a new one that wrapped around his ears snugly and protected his face from the chilling cold and the smog. He was comfortably warm around his neck even when the cold sometimes crept through his jacket and into his very bone. As long as he sprinted over the flat roofs of Zey, he wouldn't freeze.

Jongho's father was glad whenever he returned safely. He himself had survived his fair share of accidents when the treacherous ice on the streets had tripped him up. So every day without an incident was a win.