They certainly did stand out, a pennant of steam following The Spine's footsteps, lingering in the air longer than the small puffs of hot breath from the locals passing by. Most eyes briefly locked on them before quickly averting, no doubt out of fear of their strangeness being contagious, but a few lingered. The looks varied, some curious, some appalled, but it hardly mattered. The automaton was confident that they wouldn't be harried as long as they kept to populated areas and away from the shadowed alleyways.

"I'll do my best," he replied, turning a corner and glancing down to flash a warm smile at the Walter Girl. In truth, a lot of his memories of the colonel prior to arriving in Nusquantum were hazy due to wipes. He thought he could recall enough to help pick out a gift the man would find useful, though. "Maybe another coffee pot. That way he can have two goin' at once."

Was that a joke?

The Spine was smirking. It was definitely a joke.

As they began to cross a stone footbridge he slowed to a halt. The water ran cold and clear beneath the bridge and the sky could be seen clearly through the gap in the buildings that crowded either side of the waterway. Exactly the kind of pretty spot he'd been hoping to find. "Speakin' of giving gifts... I wanted to pass somethin' by you while we were out if, uh, if you don't mind."