[Mechanical Marvels] More People! (Nel, Murdoch)

[Alistair deGrey]

The room sighed its relief as the larynxes ceased their vibrations. Alistair deigned not to break his silence despite the ebbed guilt. It was simply more pleasurable to remain muted. In twenty eight years the inventor had never understood how somebody could listen when speaking. Now both of them were listening. Listening to everything, hearing nothing in particular. It was a beautiful moment, Alistair's workshop breathing comfortably underneath the silent atmosphere.

Nel worked under the silence, under the shop, under deGrey's scrutiny. She seemed not to mind in the least, which pleased the inventor. Or rather, it did not cause him any displeasure. It was interesting how Nel's attention had pruned itself to a spear, cutting away the unecessary shoots and branches. As a result, she seemed to work quickly, so disregarding her inevitable slip ups, mistakes, and bumbles, a facade of competency was fashioned for Alistair. She would do.

When the coconut cracking device was presented, bemusement crossed Alistair and subsequently his features. The word "coconut" sounded a bell in only the darkest corridors of deGrey's brain. He chewed the corner of his lip for a few seconds as he pulled the memory from murky waters. deGrey's speech forced the room back to a state of rigidity, another anaerobic exercise, "I recall hearing of coconuts, but I also recall never having seen one." His eye fell machine before him, "I would assume they have a carapace of some sort, no?" Having never seen one before, more inferences could be made, "I would also wager that they are nonlocal, probably far South. Are they native to Ekytol or Falyndar?" The query lingered in the air after deGrey had fallen silent again, examining the proposed device.

[Nel Sayo]

"You can get them here, but yeah, they're expensive," Nel sighed, as though truly disappointed by that fact, and likely she was. She continued prodding her little device every so often, inching something one way and tweaking other things here and there. "Falyndar. They're tropical. And delicious. And yeah, they have a...shell. And you have to crack it open somehow to get to the milk and the meat inside, and the shell is really thick, and really hard. You could get hit in the head with an unopened coconut and die." She nodded, very serious. "I've seen it."

She took her fingers from the device when he started to scrutinize it, and sat back, quieting. Wouldn't say another word until he decided he wanted to talk to her again; she just let the silence dwell, once more.

[Alistair deGrey]

deGrey slid off the counter and walked to the device that awaited inspection. Another soldier before a force of creation. The inventor bent down eye level to the table, crucifying the coconut cracker in his gaze. A thousand notations and queries ran through his head. How effective is it? Will it break? What force would a hammer and chisel create in comparison? How efficiently does the frame distribute the force? the list went on.

Alistair blinked and spoke, the examination complete "If my wits were about me, I would wager this fruit's altitutde to be rather... extensive, if it were to kill somebody." The inventor berated himself for asking the least important of the questions that floated about his mind. Regardless, most of them would be answered after the machine's maiden voyage.

"Unless I am mistaken, miss, that concludes my humble trial." A smile's transmission. "Have you any queries of me?" Without awaiting an answer, Alistair proceeded, "Would I be remiss to award you three gold rimmed Mizas for each day of work and training?" He pursed his lips, "Mayperhaps I could reduce my salary to seven Mizas, and you could have four." deGrey examined the thought's implications like a book.

[Nel Sayo]

"They grow on tall trees," Nel explained, in direct answer to deGrey's supposition that serious velocity would be required to kill someone with a fruit. Coconuts, though, were very special fruits. When it seemed that he was satisfied with her coconut-cracker, Nel shot him a beaming smile. "Three is fine. I'll take four if you wanna give it, but anything'll do."

She swung her legs down off the worktable and hopped to her feet, dusting her hands down the front of her trousers, and watched deGrey expectantly.

"Is that it? What's next?"

[Alistair deGrey]

The question was a valid one, and frankly it had slipped Alistair's mind. He brought his arm up to his chin and considered the query. Ahh, how clear."Recently..." The idea of sharing his motives settled like coarse sediment in his stomach. But it was a reasonable, if unvoiced, demand that Nel know why she was working. "Recently I have come across the need to construct a kiln." He was not sure if it was his desire to gift Ha'na with the kiln or the dreaded task of cutting the blocks that spurred him now. "Unless I find myself mistaken, the bricks should arrive somewhere between the 18th and 20th. When the materials arrive, I will require your assistance." Alistair paused for a few seconds, recalling the number of bricks he had estimated. "It is my belief that we'll be working upwards of fifty to sixty five bricks, so mayperhaps you should come prepared for some unpleasant labor."

The inventor screwed up his face, recalling he had failed to reply to Nel's previous statements, "Three gold Mizas it is. As well, that is all for now. Unless any other queries have presented themselves, I will see you when the 18th arrives." deGrey was almost as inept at breaking off contact as he was at commencing it.

[Nel Sayo]

Yeah. She had a question or fifty million.

"What's a kiln? That's...a lotta bricks."

She blinked at him like he was a little crazy, but he had to have been used to that, by now. A shrug rolled her shoulders, though, because she wasn't particularly strong but if he wanted her to help haul big blocks of stone about, well, she didn't really have anything better to do. Stout, powerful laborers would probably have been more useful, but she supposed one worked with what one had. And he had her.

"Okay. Eighteenth. Got it." She smiled. "And thanks."

[Alistair deGrey]

Truth be told, Alistair was a bit sketchy on the details of a kiln. He twisted his mouth for a few seconds while he thought of the best possible way he could explain what he knew. "Well, a kiln is a structure potters use to..." What was the Ha'na had used, "fire"? Yes. "Use to fire their clay. It is kind of like this," deGrey made an arch with his hands, "It resembles an arch, except with depth." Alistair had spent most of his education in the university on mechanics and mathematics, spending minimal time with architecture. Though the field now interested Alistair.

"But yes, the eighteenth. Usually the porters bring materials when they arrive in bulk. I believe I purchase one hundred and twenty cubic feet, which means a lot of it will be in the hall." Alistair motioned to the way from which Nel had come. "Goodbye, I guess..." Suddenly the inventor felt rather awkward dismissing Nel. He recalled how poorly the action had went over with Dyres. So he extended his hand to Nel, "Until the eighteenth then."

[Nel Sayo]

Nel just smiled through Alistair's awkwardness, reaching forward to take his hand in a firm, jolly shake.

As she released him, she was already shuffling backwards towards the shop's main room. Nothing nervous or anxious about it; this concluded their business for now, and she was perfectly content with the outcome.

"Thanks, deGrey," she called, with a wave, as she disappeared amongst the clockwork. "See you on the eighteenth!"

[Gossamer]

. Character: Alistair Experience: 1 XP Interrogation, 1 XP Negotiation, 1 XP Observation Lore: Dealing with Curious & Precocious People Character: Nel Experience: 1 XP Interrogation, 1 XP Juggling, 1 XP Gadgeteering Lore: Dealing with Introverts Character: Murdoch Experience: 1 XP Observation Lore: Lore of being Protective of Nel Additional Note: Interesting thread. Nice interesting character interactions. Nel, you have a job for either three or four mizas a day (never sure that was actually worked out). .