Page 133 of Gunslinger Girl

“I love you, too, Max,” she said. “Or whatever your name is.”

He laughed.

The door opened again. Pity turned to find Alanna Drakos staring icily at her.

“I trust you’re finished now,” she said.

“We are”—Pity smiled at her and reached down to give Max’s hand one more squeeze—“ma’am.”

“Then I’ll show you out.”

“Your son has a good heart,” Pity said again as she passed through the door, low so that only Max’s mother could hear. “It’s in the right place and with the right people. You should make sure to remember that.”

Siena was waiting for her in front of the house, smoking one of her ugly cigarettes and leaning against a marble pillar. “Say what you needed to?”

“Yes. For the moment.”

“Well, where to now? Or are you still getting your fill of Columbia?”

Pity shook her head. “No, I’ve seen as much of it as I want to.” She thought for a second. “Finn talked about New Boston. Think you can find any jobs up that way?”

Siena blew a cloud of smoke at the city. “I suppose I could. North it is, then.”

“North,” echoed Pity. And after that, maybe south, or in whatever direction fate and the bounty took them. But one day… She turned and stared at Columbia, and at the sun that was beginning to drift lower in the afternoon sky. Beyond it, past the farthest edges of her vision, was another city that, down to her core, she knew she would never be able to leave behind entirely—and didn’t want to.

One day, west again.