Lila stood on Cooper's left side. When Cooper spoke, Lila looked at her with an eyebrow raised. "Not good? I'd say it went pretty swimmingly. Sure, we weren't able to convince him to come with us, but at least no one got punched. Or died. Honestly, it could've gone worse in a number of ways." she said shrugging.

@Fubsy@ladyanglaise

Marcella sighed and glanced back. "The talk with Daniella didn't go so well neither. Poor girl is absolutely heartbroken." A small smile pricked the edge of her mouth, a small sparkling of mirth amongst the gloom, brought on by Lila's comment. "Although, yes, I suppose it's better than someone being stabbed or run over."

Cooper chuckled halfheartedly at Lila's remark. "I guess that's that. We should go, we all need to start training tomorrow."

Lila smiled at the fact that she could bring a small sliver of happiness to such a sad time. After all, that is what she was best at. Well, besides driving of course. Lila then walked over to her carriage, which was parked right outside of Daniella's house, and opened the door closest to them for her passengers. "I'll give you two a ride home, or wherever you want to go now, free of charge. Of course, the ride here wasn't free. After all, I'm a professional now, so I've got to support myself." she paused for a moment before giving a grin and saying, "Just fooling with you. Hop in."

@ladyanglaise@Fubsy

@Framing A Moose@Fubsy Cooper smiled at her. "Thanks Lila. If you could drive me home, that would be awesome." It was about a two mile walk back home from here, through some parts of town where she knew she wasn't welcome. She was more than happy to get a ride.

Marcella smiled appreciatively at the driver. "Thank you, Lila." She was reluctant to get into the vehicle after the last rocky endeavor, but her home was too far to walk. Besides, it gave an excuse to see her friends for a little longer before they went their separate paths. With a little hop, Marcella staggered into the carriage.

Lila smiled and gave a small nod. "I'm more than happy to help." she said before shutting the door after her passengers entered. She walked to the front before opening her small compartment and taking out her goggles and gloves. She slid the goggles down her head until they reached her eyes, then pulled the leather driving gloves onto her hands. She then slid open the wooden window. "Where do you two go?" she asked.

@Princeofhearts@ladyanglaise

"I live in the Metalheart village, in an apartment on Main Street. Thanks again for this." Cooper said, making extra sure that her seatbelt was fastened before they started driving.

Marcella buckled the safety harness. "The last house to the left on Silverbrook Avenue. Thank you again, Lila." She gave the driver a tired smile. Her hand reached towards Cooper's and lightly squeezed it--a small bit of security for the bumpy ride ahead.

Cooper squeezed Marcella's hand, casting her a sad but reassuring smile. "When you're a big important doctor... don't forget about us little guys, alright? Because a lot of people do." Deep down she knew Marcella would never forget about her, but it was easy to worry, especially on the brink of so much change in their lives.

Lila closed the window before turning on the carriage. "Wake up, Alice. We've got people to drive." she said, patting the side of the carriage. The large machine let out a roar. Lila pulled one of the levers which sent the carriage hurling forward. After a while, the carriage came to a stop in front of a house in Silver Avenue. She slid open the window and called, "Marcella, this is your stop I believe."
@ladyanglaise@Fubsy

Marcella pulled Cooper into a tight embrace and closed her eyes. "I promise...I will never forget you, Cooper..." She didn't let go until Lila announced her stop. Even then, she pulled away with clear reluctance. Her hands remained clasped around Cooper's. Uncertainty and fear swam in the dark brown pools of her eyes, but so did hope. Hope for a better future. One for all of them. Ever so slowly, the Italian let go and stepped out of the carriage. With a bow of goodbye, Marcella walked to her home, opened the door, and disappeared inside.
@Framing A Moose@ladyanglaise

Cooper waved a bittersweet goodbye to Marcella, knowing they would meet again. She trusted her word, and knew that she would help a lot of people that would otherwise get turned away. She settled back into her seat as Marcella left, content with thoughts of the future. "Are you looking forward to training, Lila?" Cooper asked casually. She wasn't sure what that would be for a driver; surely very different from what she would learn as a Metalheart.
@Fubsy@Framing A Moose

Lila watched Marcella walk away. Now this scene was touching for Lila. It actually brought a tear to her eyes, though the tear wasn't visible through her goggles. The carriage let out a mechanical clanking sound. "Aww...you're crying...your such a cute little crybaby." she said, patting the machine's side. The machine let out a loud hissing sound. "Oh that's no way to talk to your best friend." she then realized that Cooper had been talking to her. "Huh? Oh, us drivers don't need training. It's a pretty straight forward job. You?"

@ladyanglaise

@Princeofhearts

Now.....they were all gone....

She stood at the window, the last notes of her grand piano, the last lingering sounds before the dismal silence had set in, fading away into nothing, the strings ceasing their vibrations...just as she felt her heart had ceased to undulate in her chest so tight and full of such....despair. A small tear...that was all she could muster after shedding all, it fell down her cold, pale cheek, her face pressed against the frosted glass as she watched Marcella drift away from her, and gods knew where Cooper was.....and of course...Maxwell...

~"If...if this the future...then I could only wish, no...pray...that time will stop here...and never go any further..."~ She whispered, the thick satin curtain slipping from her frail hands, taking away the only source of pure light that illuminated the rather dim parlor...then obscuring it and the young woman...in deep, depressing shadows. She sighed, sitting back down at the piano, merely just playing whatever came to her...singing whatever her heart had felt. At the moment...everything.

Sadness....sadness towards going on without them, her sweet, endearing friendships she would have to break, and yes....even a romance that was never to be. Would she remember them? Marcella, the sweet and kindhearted Italian, Cooper, the spirited and funloving Metalheart, and....Maxwell...that handsome, smart young man who had stolen her heart the moment she laid eyes upon him. A heart....that would remain in pieces...till only the gods knew when.

Anger...anger towards that stupid machine for deciding their fates. Anger towards a worthless contraption that severed the threads that held them so close together and scattered them to the four winds as the dead, dry leaves in the eve of autumn. Anger for being cheated by destiny, to have those she loved and cherished the most taken from her very arms before her very eyes. A day that was supposed to be set aside for celebration, for such wonderful moments and cheerful revelry....just like that it had become the single most day Daniella would despise forever. Shall the day of her graduation go unmarked for all eternity, as it will be nothing more than a bitter memory to forsake...as though it never existed.

And finally.... regret. The truth is, yes, she would remember them always, her dearest friends and beloved, yet....she would never see them again. A fool she was to forsake Marcella at that last moment and turn her away, to shut herself away like this, to not race after Cooper and the others and give them one last goodbye, and....to not hold Maxwell in her arms...and tell him how much she loved him... And it was this regret...that devoured every inch of her, every part, every ounce that she was now pouring into this instrument and into her voice...until once more...she had broken into sobs.

They were gone....all of them..... and so was she....

After a while or so, she stood up from her piano, a tiny voice garnering her attention back to the window. Ah, Khalil, the young lad searched helplessly for his client, not once realizing he had passed by her window nearly six times calling for her. The girl was just in no mood to answer. Upon her hand, she dried the rest of her tears, and from the parlor, out the door she ventured. The sun, just like her companions, had disappeared, light now nearing darkness, warm air...now slightly colder than before. She shivered a little, Daniella, ambling down the steps onto the pathway, a bothersome sigh as she called out to him, ~"Khalil. Khalil, I'm over here."~

Max had been working for a bit. The Old man said "hey think you can lock up the front while I finish up this clock" Max said "sure thing boss" He then went up front and began to close up the front of the store.

@Framing A Moose "A lot of technical stuff." Cooper replied simply. "How steam engines work and why, what tools we'll use and how to keep them in good condition, that kind of thing. I know a lot of it already." She looked out the window; things were starting to look a little bit familiar and she knew they were getting close to the village.

"I see. It sounds like it'll be a breeze." she called to the back over the sound of the wind. After a few more minutes, they arrived at the Metalheart village. "Anywhere specific you want me to drop you off?" she asked.

@ladyanglaise