[Flashback] Mad Science (Minerva)

[Valerius Nitrozian]

„Tock“, Valerius repeated. „The name suits you.“ It was just as weird as she was. „One of the slaves will show you to your room and bring you some food if you are hungry.“ With that she was sent away. Valerius suddenly felt the need to go outside and walk his dog. Dealing with that woman had been strangely exhausting! Minerva in the meantime would find that the bedroom that had been assigned to her was „fancy schmancy“, with a four poster bed, soft blankets and lots of pillows. The floor was covered with a fluffy carpet, and from the window she could see the canal. The slave that brought her to her room even gave her a pretty nightgown and brought her some water and fine, scented soap so that she could wash herself after all the work. In the morning she would find a tray with some juice and fresh bread waiting for her. Valerius wasn’t at all sure if he liked her. She was probably the strangest, most unfeminine woman he had ever met and suspicious on top of it, but she was his guest, and guests needed to be treated well, no matter who they were. Once she had eaten (or refused to eat and thrown the food at the slave), she would find Valerius waiting outside the room. He had risen just as early as she and was ready to escort her to the Defiled Blade. He had sent a slave to the shop in advance to inform the brothers that he would be arriving with an „associate“ of his. He had offered them excellent conditions on their next deal with House Nitrozian, and to his joy they had agreed. He only hoped that his „associate“ would behave herself and not do anything that would reflect badly on him.

[Minerva Agatha Zipporah]

When she heard the woman was a slave, Tock was taken aback for a moment, but quickly shrugged it off. The woman didn't look bruised or abused. If she didn't like being a slave, she could just run away, or stab her boss or something. That was what Tock had done back home, except she'd used a frying pan on her Da instead of a knife. And the posh life these slaves seemed to lead was far better than her existence in Sunberth. They were probably grateful to live in such a nice house and be so well fed. She ate and slept without feeling very impressed with the place. The architecture of the building was more interesting to her than the decoration. Though the soft bed was a rather nice change of pace. She was eager and ready early in the morning when Valerius brought her down to the smithy. They had everything she needed, and Valerius had bought her more than enough metal, so she dove straight into the work. First it was several hours of setting up the castings. The smithy had reusable blocks of wax for the first step of preparing the casting. She had to carve out a wax gear in the same size as each piece she would need. This was a long and repetitive process, since she needed multiple copies of each gear. She also wanted to make multiple extras, in case any got ruined during the process. Each block of wax she carefully measured, etching the shape of her designs onto them. Since many of the gears would be identical, she started with a long rectangular block of wax, cutting out the basic design. She carved out grooves down the length of the wax in the basic shape of the gears, until she had a long block of wax shaped like an unusually long gear. Then she sliced the wax into thin strips, each strip the size of a single gear. She set each piece aside so she could take each piece individually and work out the finer details. She set the metal in the furnace partway through the time she was carving the wax. It would take a few hours to melt, and she would only need to check on it occasionally during that time. So she used that time to continue carving the wax molds, working each one out as carefully as possible to match her measurements. Since the shopkeepers had their own projects to work on, they had the furnace running all day anyway. She just kept out of their way as she worked on her own project. Once the wax was carved, she set each piece into sand filled wooden frames. Since the gears were so small, she could fit multiple molds into a single frame. She pressed the wax pieces into the sand, covered them, and pressed down to imprint the molds in place. Once they were all set, the frames were set next the oven to melt the wax and set the molds fully. The wax melted faster than the metal, and so the molds were ready by the time the metal finished melting. She used large metal tongs to lift the pots of metal one at a time, draining off the slag then carefully pouring the metal into each mold. It then took a few more hours for the metal to cool. Once the pieces were hardened, she pulled them out of the molds, sorting out which ones were in usable condition. Unfortunately a good number of the pieces ended up misshapen or had small voids in the metal, though this was why she had made more than she needed. The ruined pieces she set aside; they could be melted down again for a future project. The rest, she started working to carefully file down any imperfections that had crept in during the process. Between the hours spent carving out each wax mold, setting them, melting the metal, and cooling and finishing them, it took the whole day before she was finished. She was covered in sweat and grime, with little bits of wax and sand stuck under her fingernails. Her face was smeared in soot from working he furnace. The fancy clothes Valerius had given her were stained and had a few burn marks. The lace was blackened from soot, and the garment would never be the same.

[Valerius Nitrozian]

While Minerva prepared everything, Valerius disappeared with the owners of the Defiled Blade to discuss their little business arrangement in more detail. He even offered them a little extra in case his „associate“ misbehaved. He didn’t want any gossip in case she did something weird which would almost certainly happen. After a while he approached her again. Actually he positioned himself right behind her and looked over her shoulder so that he could see what exactly she was doing. She would likely find that a little annoying, but at least he didn’t interrupt her, but let her do her work. He didn’t know why she was suddenly playing around with wax when she had asked for a place where she could smelt things, but he decided that the questions could wait until she was done. He didn’t want her accidentially blow the whole forge up because he had distracted her. So he just watched her – and eventually figured out what the wax was for on his own. While the metal was slowly melting, he disappeared to get something to eat, but he showed up again soon. Being here all the time was a bit boring – everything took so much longer than he had expected - but he didn’t really trust her enough to leave her alone. „So … are you finally done?“ he asked her once the metal parts were coolling. He looked her over and made a face. The clothes he had given her were ruined, she was sweaty, she probably smelled, and her face was covered with soot. He would make her take a bath before he allowed her to enter his quarters again.

[Minerva Agatha Zipporah]

OOC"Make" her take a bath? LOL! That'll be a fun conversation! To date, I don't think anyone has 'made' Tock do anything... If you succeed you deserve a medal! ^.^ "Ain't needja breathin' down my neck, Guv," Tock said when Valerius got a little closer than she cared for. "'Less ya wanna grab some tongs and lend a 'and, 'en get lost..." She couldn't stand people who stood around and tried to boss her. Back home, no one stood for someone lording himself over the others. And in her Granddad's shop, anyone with empty hands was given a task and set to work. Once she filed down any rough spots or flaws in the gears, she tucked everything away to bring back to Valerius' place. Each gear only weighed a few ounces, so all in all she only had less than five pounds of metal. This sort of project wasn't about size though, it was about precision. She frowned at Valerius' impatient tone. She didn't like being rushed. "Done makin' parts," she said. "Jus' need ta assemble 'em, an' spark up the magic, aye? Gonna take a few days though, like I done said. Ya can't rush magic. 'Is ain't no fancy flashy fire magic what ya can just snap yer fingers an' WHOOSH!" she snapped her fingers and flung her hands towards his face as if hurling flames at him. "Takes time what fer ta do 'er right, aye? But don'tcha worry none," she waved a hand dismissively. "When she's done, yer gonna 'ave yerself somethin' what ain't nobody else got. An' she's gonna answer ta ya an' no one else, aye? Can't ask fer better security 'an 'at." When they headed back to the manor, she was ready to just head straight back up to the room and start working. She didn't care how dirty she was... cleaning up was a waste of time, when she would just get more greasy when she was working. She'd take a bath next week or something, after she was all finished with her project. Besides which, the time she spent bathing was that much more time she could have been spending on assembly. She'd just as soon get the project done sooner rather than later.

[Valerius Nitrozian]

"No, thanks", Valerius replied. "I'll leave the tongs entirely up to you. And Guv? What is that supposed to mean? I'm Valerius, I already told you that." He continued to stand a little too close to her, as if he hadn't heard her at all. Valerius didn't care that he was getting in her way or invading her personal space. "I'd like to watch you spark up the magic", he remarked, ignoring the fact that she seemed to be a little annoyed. "I haven't had a lot of opportunities to watch mages do their work yet." As she flung her hands towards his face, pretending to be some kind of fire mage, he frowned and abruptly made a step back. He didn't want to have her hands anywhere near him. "I'm looking forward to that", he remarked somewhat dryly as she talked about him having 'somethin' what ain't nobody else got'. He just hoped it would really work. "I don't think so", he informed her as he noticed that she was about to head right to his room. He didn't want somebody as dirty as her anywhere near his things. He extended his hand as if to hold her back, but then he decided that he would much rather not touch somebody like her and just positioned himself in front of her, in the middle of the stairs. "Tuuli!" he called for the slave that had brought her the clothes before. "Miss Tock would like to wash, and she also needs clean clothes. She has been working hard, and the things we've given her seem to have gotten dirty in the process." "You can just throw them away."

[Minerva Agatha Zipporah]

"Oy, ya ain't so sharp, is ya, Guv?" she asked when he professed ignorance of the nickname's meaning. "Guv cause ya done been tryin' ta govern me, aye mate? Oy, ya done gotta spend more time down wit' us common folk. Ye'll learn all kinds o' new words, aye Bludger?" She'd let him just wonder about that one. She'd also be damned if she was going to call him 'Valerius.' Anyone who thought his name was THAT important needed to be taken down a peg or two. A name wasn't important. Tock didn't even use her real one. She just snorted when he tried to enforce his will on her about washing and changing clothes. She didn't even get angry about it; she just thought it was funny. "Ya done need ta learn what ta stop speakin' fer other people's wishes, Guv." She didn't have to take this from him. She had nothing invested here, and he was the one who wanted something from her. As far as she was concerned, that gave her all the power in this situation. Then there was the fact that he seemed so afraid of touching her. That pissed her off a little. He acted like she was diseased or something. But it was also a tool she could use to her advantage, giving her more power. This man thought his power was in his name. Well, her power was right in her hands. So she just shoved her way past him. She figured he'd either be so afraid of getting dirty or breaking a nail that he'd move right aside, or else she could demonstrate for him the strength borne by hands that were used to swinging a hammer. Since his status was so important to him she doubted he'd be too keen on walking around town with a black eye. One way or another, she intended to get into that room and get back to work. It just depended how much mess she would have to make in the process.

[Valerius Nitrozian]

"Thank you, but I have no interest in learning such words", Valerius replied. "I get by just fine without saying 'bludger' or 'guv'. As for the common folk, if they had something interesting to offer, I woul of course spend more time with them. Maybe you'll be able to convince me that they are worth getting to know with that thing you are making?" "So you prefer being dirty?" He arched an eyebrow. "How unfortunate. You were just beginning to impress me a little." As she shoved past him, he abruptly made a step back so that the dirty, smelly commoner wouldn't touch him - and then she was already in his room, walking across his precious carpet with her dirty feet. He made a face. He wasn't sure how he was supposed to stop her without touching her or hitting her. Hitting a woman was definitely not acceptable, and mere threats didn't seem to work in her case. She would just get more stubborn. "Tuuli", he turned to the slave who stood there, not knowing what to do or say. "Just bring Miss Tock some fresh clothes. It seems as if she really wants to continue her work right now. Maybe she'll take a bath later." The slave hesitated and looked from Tock to Valerius and back. Valerius glared at her, and she quickly left the room. "And you", he turned to Tock. "Are you doing this to me on purpose? What will my slaves think of me when my guests just do whatever they want?" "Your work'd better be flawless." With that he went to his arm chair, sat down and looked at her coldly while she hopefully began to work as fast as possible if she knew what was good for her.

[Minerva Agatha Zipporah]

"Maybe if'n ya GOT a little dirty," Tock replied, "ya might impress ME a little. But ya know what, Guv? 'Is 'olier 'an 'ou attitude ain't earnin' ya no points wit' me..." Tock respected hard work. She respected people that did things for themselves. And she respected people that earned her respect, rather than demanding it based on their name or their status. "'At's the problem wit'choo," she said after his rant about how he looked in front of his slaves. "Ya done thinks 'ow I's the one what's makin' ya look bad." She started attaching the new parts, screwing them to the underside of the lid on small posts and washers that would allow for easy rotation. She worked very slowly and carefully, remeasuring each location before she attached it. "Ya don't never stop ta think what 'ow it could be somethin' wrong wit'choo. A proper 'ost done treats 'is guests wit' some respect, an' tries fer ta make 'em 'appy. 'At's 'ow ya gets 'em ta wanna done come back, see?" She'd learned this in Mura, where hospitality was second nature to everyone. Once the main central gear was attached, she rotated it a fee times to make sure it was turning smoothly, and made some minor adjustments. "Make people 'appy," she said, "an' 'ey's done gonna like ya better. But seems like all ya wanna do is badger folks what inta doin' what ya say. Ain't 'ow she works, Guv." As she got the first outer set of gears attached, she hooked one of the rectangular metal strips onto guides that would allow it to slide. She turned the central gear again, which turned the smaller gears, and made the strip slide in, then out when she turned the other way. She fiddled with the alignment a bit when it wasn't quite sliding as smoothly as she'd like. "'Ole time I done been here," she continued, "ya ain't done asked me what I want, aye? If'n ya cared 'bout yer guests, 'stead o'just yerself, ya'd be more polite, an' ask what 'ow ya can meet other people's needs." Once the first set was aligned to her satisfaction, she shook her screwdriver at him, and said, "Ya oughta take a trip ta Mura some time, and git yerself a lesson in manners. 'Ey don't cotton ta know rude blokes like you done tellin' 'em what's what 'ere, aye? 'Ose ladies done gots far more class 'an ye'll done ever 'as." She continued working, aligning the next set of gears, taking her time to make sure the job was done right.

[Valerius Nitrozian]

"I have no interest in getting dirty", Valerius replied. "Neither in the literal sense nor with you. I prefer being clean. As for the points I'm supposedly not earning with you ..." He shrugged his shoulders. "... I don't care. I don't need points with you. Feel free to keep them." Valerius did not respect hard working people. He just made them work. He preferred to watch them and occasionally give them orders. He also didn't need anybody's respect. He had money and his social status. That usually got him what he wanted anyway, at least with everybody but this 'Tock'. He watched her closely as she attached the new parts, half listening to her. What she said wasn't particularly interesting. "So what's wrong with me?" he asked and arched an eyebrow. "I offered you a bath and clean clothes, you declined that offer. I can ask the slaves to bring you something to eat and drink though if that makes you stop." "I don't need you to come back", he told her. "I just need you to finish her. By the way, I've provided you the materials you need. Isn't building weird things what makes you happy? I asked you what you needed and gave you access to a smithy and a room where you could do your work. As far as I am concerned, you should be a little more grateful." He frowned as she shook her screwdriver at him and instinctively moved back. He couldn't help but picture her trying to stick that thing into one of his eyes. He wasn't completely sure what she was trying to tell him afterwards. He still hadn't gotten used to her accent. It seemed to have something to do with Mura, Konti and his supposedly bad manners though, so he replied, "I would love to visit Mura sometimes, even though an island full of women seems strange to me. I doubt that the Konti have more class than I do though. At least they didn't manage to teach you any."

[Minerva Agatha Zipporah]

"What's wrong witchoo," she told him, "is 'at ya didn't 'offer,' Guv. Ya ordered. An' when I done said no, ya done tried ta make me. 'At's not bein' a good 'ost." "An' don't go actin' like ya done been doin' me no favors, neither," she said with another shake if the screwdriver. "Ya ain't done nothin' ta been generous. Ya done been givin' me what I needs fer cause I's makin' ya somethin'. If'n I weren't, ya wouldn't so much as offer me a spot o' tea, an' I done knows it. So nah, I ain't no grateful. Grateful's what fer people what ain't 'spectin' nothin' in return. Ya don't get no grateful from me. Ya gets 'er," she patted her contraption lovingly. "Ain't need no class, neither," she said. "Gots smarts," she tapped the screwdriver against the side of her head, "'ose is better'n class. Class ain't do ya no good, if'n ya leave 'is city an' ain't nobody what knows ya fancy name, aye? 'En where's ya be? One day, ye'll see, an' ya done been wishin' 'en what fer some smarts 'stead o' jus' yer name." She continued working on her assembly until she was getting too tired to work more today. It was only at that point that she finally accepted Valerius's offer of a bath, since she didn't want to sleep in all her sweat and grime. Though she would be up bright and early the next morning to out the finishing touches in the assembly, and then fire up the magic.