Birmingham didn’t miss a beat. The pavements thrived with life, jostling people negotiating the too-narrow walkways at speed, occasionally stepping out into the path of a bus. Cars sped distances of a matter of metres before having to slow to a stop or swerve, blowing their horns in long, angry bursts. Every now and again, the traffic parted like the red sea, pulling up onto the pavements to allow an emergency vehicle past with its wailing siren and flashing blue lights. The pedestrians were either glued silently to their phones or swearing emphatically, the local accent emphasising the ing for every fuck.

Sapphy drank it in, expanding her lungs to breathe in the stale, polluted air and turning on the spot to get a full view of the vibrant scene. Her muddy green eyes slid over the sale! signs on the various shops, noting the position of Poundland, Wilkos and the fast food joint simply called Fried Chicken.

“This is Kings Heath, man.” She told Torram, stood at her elbow with a somewhat lost expression. “I been here before.”

She tossed her used hop loop on the floor, neither noticing nor caring that there was a pungent black bin only a few steps away. The pavements were already marred with white spots where dropped gum had been trodden into the grey concrete. Kings Heath had the mark of a place which must have started once as a small town before it grew organically and became consumed by the never-satisfied monster which was Birmingham city. The streets were too small for the volume of people and the roads groaned under the quantity of stop-start traffic.

It was about as different from the tavern in the forest as could get but, fortunately for them both, this was a world Sapphy knew. Her sharp eyes fell onto the nearest bus which pulled up at a stop in front of them, a flashing number 50 on the front. Catching a bus would require money which neither of them had, but there was no way they were going to walk all the way from Kings Heath to Aston. Expecting Torram to follow her, Sapphy started down the pavement, keeping an eye out for anyone distracted enough to not be paying close attention to their wallet. Local Brummies knew better than to keep their wallets in pockets on show, but since the process of gentrification had begun in Kings Heath this area was become increasingly popular with tourists. By the time they made it to the bus stop and boarded the bus, Sapphy had successfully swiped a couple of notes and, best of all, a contactless debit card. She gestured to herself and Torram as they stepped on the bus and pressed the card against the sensor. The sensor beeped immediately. Sapphy grabbed Torram by the wrist and dragged him up the flight of stairs immediately behind the bus conductor onto the upper deck where the demographic was younger. Ignoring the jabbering teens at the back, Sapphy slid into the front row seat in front of the huge bay window. When Torram joined her, she immediately wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him on the cheek.

“This was a good idea.” She admitted.