[Infirmary] Long Day (Iggy)

by **Minerva Agatha Zipporah** on August 9th, 2012, 4:58 am

Tock glared at Iggy when he described the 'risky' endeavor he was proposing. She growled, "I ain't fer ta kill 'im, bloke!" She marched up to him and jabbed a finger into his chest, "'E's done gonna git better jus' fine fer all on 'is own, aye?" She stared him down for a long moment, quite angry, enough so that his hypnotism attempt had no effect on her this time. After a moment she turned away, grumbling under her breath. She cleared some space on the table and plopped down into the chair, which was the only chair she had. She really needed to get around to building some more furniture, but she'd had so many other projects eating up her time.

There were scraps of wood lying all over, and under the table. She gathered some up and laid them out, and slid a piece of paper in front of Iggy. "First things first," she told him. "Blueprints. Ain't does ya no good fer ta try an' build somethin', only fer ta git inta it an' find out what it ain't the right size. So's ya gots ta start off what wit' sketchin' it..."

She was vaguely aware that he didn't have any place to sit, but it didn't cement in her mind enough to make her actually do anything about it just then. "Starts off jus' givin' 'er a sketch. Git yer thoughts on paper. 'En I shows ya 'ow fer ta make a proper blueprint outta 'er..."

by **Ignotus Everto** on August 9th, 2012, 9:16 pm

"Precisely what I was thinking." he said calmly, taking a step back when she jabbed him. "Which is why we're both of the same mind; that it's stupid to try it. Now please calm down. I'm sorry I brought it up. I'm worried too." He stared back at her, his pupils dilating slightly, and the words rang out in her mind: "I just snapped at him for agreeing with me..."

"Let's just get back to Animation." Ignotus said wearily, shaking his head to himself. "I shouldn't have mentioned anything else. We're here to teach me how to make a baby, after all." The Nuit turned away, his brow creased. He hadn't shaken his head because he was disappointed. He was starting to see spots. "Petch..." This wasn't the first time this had happened. He was overexerting himself. "This has to stop soon, before I'm the one retching on her shoes."

He closed his eyes for a few seconds before looking back to her, smiling. "Hopefully mine will be as beautiful as yours, eh?"
There was no magic behind this statement. He had to be careful now. Very careful. Keep pushing himself, and a sore throat forcing a switch would be the best outcome. He simply nodded to Tock when she ordered him to draw a sketch, and got to work, bending over the paper due to the lack of seat. The sketch was crude, childish almost, but it was understandable. A cylinder with a rounded top and three eyes arranged in a triangle at the point where the curve began. Two wheels connected by a simple axle supported the golem's weight. Simple and workable. The Nuit finally rose up and stretched, his back crackling quietly. "Will this work?"

by **Minerva Agatha Zipporah** on August 9th, 2012, 11:18 pm

Tock felt a sudden surge of guilt... I just snapped at him for agreeing with me... The thought rang in her mind, though somewhere in her gut, something felt... wrong. She couldn't put her finger on it, though if she had been able to focus on where the feeling came from, she might have realized that the implanted thought simply wasn't one she would have had cross her mind. She might have thought, Jus' done snapped onna bloke what fer agreein' wit' me..., but that wasn't quite the same thing.

Yet she wasn't able to zero in on this, nor realize what it was that was bothering her. Instead, the 'wrong' feeling in her gut was assumed to be more guilt, and she sighed, rubbing a hand across her face. Iggy was being nothing but nice, flattering, and appreciative. He was also following everything she told him to do. There was no cause for her to be snapping on him.

Not that she'd actually apologize.

When the sketch was complete, she nodded, and brought out some rulers to show him how to make a more proper blueprint. "Now, ya does 'er from both sides," she said. "Front'n'back. Gots ta decide 'how big 'ose wheels are... 'ere, look," she bent over and patted her knee to summon Naily over, then scooped the little hammer up and set him on the table. "If'n ya wants 'im ta be 'bout 'is big, ya can use 'ese measurements." She measured Naily's wheels, since she couldn't remember where his blueprints were. The walls and ceiling were just COVERED with blueprints, and she had lost track of what was where. She jotted down some numbers for the diameter and width of the wheels, and the length of the axle.

"Ya gots ta know fer 'ow big each piece o' wood is," she explained. She guided Iggy through the blueprints, showing him how to sketch an outline with thin, light lines before drawing in the darker lines of the design itself. A square frame outline laid out the dimensions they needed, in order to know exactly how to fit the circle of the wheel in at the right size. She wrote lines of numbers down alongside each line they drew, denoting the dimensions.

Once Iggy finished a more detailed schematic of his design, Tock nodded and said, "Oy, awright, now. Ya says ya wants a scout... now ya done gots ta figger two things. First, what's 'e done gots ta know 'ow ta scout fer? Since ya ain't done 'is 'fore, 'e ain't gonna be so smart. Like a animal." She was petting Naily as she said this; the Animated hammer had the mind of a dog inside him, and thus wasn't able to understand language. He could only follow 'simple instincts and reacting to stimuli in a predictable way.' Thus he could react to someone's presence and roll up to greet them, the way a dog might, and he could follow some basic commands, just as a dog could be trained to 'sit' or 'stay.' Except he had been programmed to 'pound nails' or 'smash toes.'

"So like, ya can only teach 'im fer ta scout fer stuff an animal might understands," she explained. "Can't be like, 'Baby go fetch me a book 'bout 'ydraulic pressure..." Handy hopped off her shoulder, misunderstanding her words for an order. HE was smart enough to perform a task like fetching a book, though not smart enough to fetch the right book. Tock giggled when she saw him looking around, crawling across the floor, in search of a book. She leaned over and told him, "'Ere ain't no books 'ere, baby... 'ey's all at the library."

Handy turned to look at her, then pointed a finger in the air triumphantly. He started crawling for the door, but Tock told him, "Stop," and he froze in place, as did all the other Automatons except Bitey. She sighed and told Iggy, "'E dun know what as 'e'd git lost..." She shook her head, smiling proudly at the cuteness of her child.

"Anywho," she said, turning back to the blueprints. The Automatons were still frozen, unable to move at all until she released them from their command to 'stop.' "Ya gots ta 'as an idea whatcha done wants 'im ta does, an' think fer if'n ya needs anythin' else but eyes, an' thinks fer whatcha gonna teach 'im. Best thing fer now would what been ta only teach 'im a couple o' simple simple things... like 'see if'n anythin' what's movin' in 'ere...' 'E won't be able fer ta understand 'people', but 'e can knows what somethin' what moves from sommat ain't moves. 'At sorta thing done been good fer knowin' what 'e can scouts fer."

She let Iggy take a moment to consider what sort of things he might want his 'scout' to understand. Then she said, "Fer second, ya gots ta program 'im fer what ta DOES when 'e's done been scoutin'. Ain't gonna been smart 'nough ta really communicate. Like, oy, watch," she snapped her fingers at Handy, and he turned and scurried over to her. All her babies were programmed to follow nonverbal gestures and commands in addition to words. "Baby," she told Handy, "shows Mommy which one is the screwdriver..."

The wooden hand obediently scurried over to her tools, climbing over the side of the toolbox on the floor and falling inside. After a few moments of rummaging, he pulled up a screwdriver, raising it up in his fingers to offer it to her. "Good boy!" she told him, leaning over to scoop him up and kissing his fingers. Handy was one of her smartest creations, and he could understand things better than the others. To Iggy she said, "'Andy what been smart 'nough ta knows what I meant, aye? But the others ain't..."

To demonstrate, she set Naily on the ground and told him, "Naily, fetch Mommy a screwdriver." The hammer just stared at her with his little glass eyes. Then she said, "Fetch Mommy a nail." He knew the word 'nail,' at least as well as a dog would know the word 'fetch.' He looked around, spinning on his little wheels, but when he didn't immediately spot one, he went back to staring at her. He just wasn't smart enough to figure things out on his own.

Finally, she fished out a nail and set it in the floor. Without even being told, Naily rolled over to it and pounded it into the floorboards. "Programmed response," she explained to Iggy. "'E sees one, 'e pounds it in. Jus' like a puppy would fetch a ball, if'n ya threw it. Simple instincts. Can't does more'n 'at, when ya starts. Maybe even a wee less, what since it's yer very first. But I can 'elps ya a bit..."

She tapped her fingers on the blueprints and said, "Oy, so, 'e goes inna room, o' whatever, aye? 'En what's 'e does when 'e gets back? 'Ow's 'e gonna 'splain ta ya what 'e found in 'ere? If'n 'e finds what 'e's lookin' fer, 'ow can 'e tells ya, when 'e can't really communicate. Gots ta 'as a way what can be pure instinct fer 'im, o' else a totally predict'ble response. Certain stimulus, certain response." She waited for him to absorb all of this, and see what sort of answer he would offer.

by **Ignotus Everto** on August 11th, 2012, 5:27 pm

For sanity's sake, he copied Naily's measurements, for the most part. Then came the lecture. Ignotus listened intently to everything Tock said, occasionally repeating a phrase to himself to cement the lesson in his memory. And now came the brainstorming. His golem would be about as intelligent as a dog. Maybe a little less so. As Tock had said, it couldn't communicate. So how would it serve as a scout? It could sense movement, and even an insect could move towards something. But if it just rolled up to anything that moved, that thing could very well break it. Unless it only rolled in its direction for a set distance before coming back... Then all he'd have to do is keep an eye on it.

Perhaps it could even be programmed to do both. He had seen Tocks' automatons respond to verbal orders. If it could point out the direction something was in, and go straight up to it if he still had trouble finding it, that would make things so much easier for him."How many responses can I put into him?" Ignotus asked curiously.

by **Minerva Agatha Zipporah** on August 11th, 2012, 6:48 pm

"Only a few fer now," Tock told him. "Maybe one o' two Directives. Dem's like, absolute laws. Things what as 'e GOTS ta do, no matter what. Like, one fer ta obey ya, an' maybe another fer ta run away from danger. 'Ems what'll be above all else, aye?"

She then pulled over a sheet of paper and began jotting down notes. "After Directives, it's not so much 'bout 'ow many commands. When 'e's done gots a Directive ta obey ya, 'e'll does anythin' ya tells 'im... long as 'e understands it, aye? 'Ere, watch."

She turned to Naily again and said, "Forward... back... stay." Upon her command, he rolled up, then back, then held still. "I done taught 'im basic words an' what 'ey mean, aye? But watch 'is... Walk... Run... Jump... Go in a circle..." The hammer didn't move, except for turning to face her at the sound of her voice. Then he leaned his hammer head down and spun one wheel, almost looking like a puppy trying to scratch his ear.

"See?" she said. "'E dun know 'ose words, so as 'e can't obey 'em. 'Andy's smarter, taught 'im more words. So I dun gotta use jus' the same command over and over. Naily won't know what fer the difference 'tween 'forward' an' 'a'ead' an' 'front.' 'E jus' knows forward, an' 'at's 'at. So's as ya gots ta think fer every word ya wants 'im ta know. An' 'member the 'xact commands fer each what ya want 'im ta does. An' best keep 'em all fer similar things fer now, cause 'ow she ain't jus' teachin' 'em the words, is teachin' 'em what 'ey means, too. So ya done gots fer ta teach 'im 'ow forward is 'is way, backwards is 'at way, left is 'ere, right is 'ere, an' all 'at. S'easier what if'n ya does all 'at at once, aye? Keeps 'em fer knowin' 'ow she goes."

She jotted down some more suggested commands for basic things the Automaton might do. "I'd say fer now, stick wit' movement. Cause fer any ol' animal what knows 'ow ta move 'round, an' s'easy fer teachin' a dog like 'come' o' 'stay'." As she spoke, Naily continued moving when she said things like 'come,' not being smart enough to realize when she was no longer speaking to him. If Iggy glanced back, he'd notice the other Automatons in the room had been moving about as well, following the words Tock spoke during her examples, even though she hadn't meant them to. In her amateur efforts with her early creations, she had never found a way to make them distinguish when she wasn't speaking to them. It was potentially dangerous, as evidenced when Choppy the walking axe had advanced on them while neither was paying attention, summoned by the word 'come'. But Tock just waved her hand at him distractedly, and he moved back once more. She was only vaguely aware that if she accidentally used the word 'chop' in a sentence, Choppy could very well kill someone because he was obeying the unintended command.

"'En ya gots fer ta worry 'bout things like, 'ow's 'e know what 'e found," she said. "Cause 'e ain't gonna be smart 'nough fer ta think on 'is own, o' tell one person from another, o' any o' 'at. 'As fer ta be specific. So, ya tells 'im 'forward,' o' sommat, aye? 'En what? 'E rolls inta a room, an' whatcha wants 'im ta does 'en?"

She thought for a moment and said, "'Ere's what where a good Directive were come in 'andy..." Handy crawled up to her upon hearing his name, and she giggled, brushing him away with her hand. "Not you, cutie..." He scratched his finger against the table for a moment, then wandered off and picked up a chisel, holding it up. He liked holding stuff; that's what hands were for.

Returning her attention to Iggy, Tock continued, "Directives been like, a core instinct. 'Bove all else. So's as ya can use 'at ta yer advantage. Been too complex ta teach 'im sommat like, 'See if anyone been in the room, an' come tells me.' Cause ya gots ta teach 'im what all 'at stuff means. An' 'at's too 'ard fer a beginner. So, 'stead o' all 'at, ya give 'im a Directive fer 'Come back if'n anythin' moves,' aye? Now," she pointed her hand at him to make sure he was payin' attention, "What means as 'e can't tell the difference 'tween a person movin', o' an animal, o' curtains blowin' in the wind, o' whatever, aye? Like 'ow a cat might'n run away cause fer 'e saw a branch rustlin'. Instincts. Fight o' flight. Ya use 'at instinct, it does what ya can't programs 'im ta does, aye? Ye'll know a room's empty, if'n 'e dun roll back out. An' if'n 'e does, ya know sommat's movin' in 'ere," she sat back in her chair and shrugged. That was likely the best a brand new amateur could hope for, but it would serve its function.

"Izzat 'ow ya wants 'im?" she asked. She couldn't be sure if there was anything else Iggy wanted a 'scout' to perform, beyond alerting him to intruders and potential danger. But if there was, she'd have to think how to incorporate it into a novice creation's limited instincts and predictable patterns.

by **Ignotus Everto** on August 14th, 2012, 3:34 am

He flipped his scout's blueprint over and started scribbling down notes. This was quite a bit to take in: Directives, learned actions, learned words, limits, methods, suggestions. Lesser minds would have likely lost her. Ignotus, however, devoured every last anecdote with scholarly zeal. "I see... So I teach him everything from scratch?"

Working a mind was easy for Ignotus, and he was liking Animation very much indeed now. He just might have a new favorite discipline! Well, second favorite.

"Directives been like, a core instinct. 'Bove all else. So's as ya can use 'at ta yer advantage. Been too complex ta teach 'im sommat like, 'See if anyone been in the room, an' come tells me.' Cause ya gots ta teach 'im what all 'at stuff means. An' 'at's too 'ard fer a beginner. So, 'stead o' all 'at, ya give 'im a Directive fer 'Come back if'n anythin' moves,' aye? Now,what means as 'e can't tell the difference 'tween a person movin', o' an animal, o' curtains blowin' in the wind, o' whatever, aye? Like 'ow a cat might'n run away cause fer 'e saw a branch rustlin'. Instincts. Fight o' flight. Ya use 'at instinct, it does what ya can't programs 'im ta does, aye? Ye'll know a room's empty, if'n 'e dun roll back out. An' if'n 'e does, ya know sommat's movin' in 'ere,"

Ignotus tapped his chin thoughtfully, "Can I have him switch between coming back and going towards what moves with directives, or will that be too difficult for him?" Versatility would be useful. Very useful indeed. But first he needed to know if it was even possible for him.

by **Minerva Agatha Zipporah** on August 14th, 2012, 4:39 am

"Aye, gots ta teach 'im everythin'," she said. "Even what from, what ye'd think anybody would know. Think like fer 'e's an infant, cause 'at's what 'e's gonna been. Won't what know nothin' but whatcha done tells 'im. The smarter ones, 'ey can learns some more once 'ey's made, but ain't no faster fer learnin' 'en a baby is, aye? Takes years fer 'em ta learn much. Best ta program 'im what wit' anythin' 'e really needs, right from the start."

When he asked about switching Directives, she shook her head. "Can't change a Directive, aye? 'Ey's programmed what fer good. An' 'ey goes one over the other..." To demonstrate what she meant, she grabbed some paper and listed three lines of Directives in two columns:

1. Obedience 1. Exploration
2. Exploration 2. Self-Preservation
3. Self-Preservation 3. Obedience

She tapped the page and told him, "First way, 'e does what ya says no matter what, o' if'n ya ain't tellin' 'im nothin', 'e goes an' seeks the stuff out, an' if'n 'ere's nothin' what ta seek, 'e runs. Second way," she tapped the second column, "'E explores, even what if'n ya ain't wants 'im ta. An' runs from danger, even if'n ya tries ta tell 'im not ta. An' only obeys what if'n 'e ain't 'splorin' o' runnin'."

She scratched a big X over the second column and said, "Always put obedience first, aye? Can't 'as 'em not does whatya says. Self-preservation's best fer second. Since ya ain't want 'im ta run INTA danger, 'stead o' away from 'er..." she scratched out the first column and rewrote it:

1. Obedience ~~1. Exploration~~
2. ~~Exploration~~ Self-Preservation ~~2. Self-Preservation~~
3. ~~Self-Preservation~~ Exploration ~~3. Obedience~~

"'At's fer better, aye?" she said.

She then considered how to tackle his main issue. How to get the Automaton to go towards things, when needed, while still maintaining a Directive that would keep the critter safe and undamaged. "What ya can does is," she said after a moment's thought, "include a keyword. Try 'is instead..."

1. Obedience
2. Exploration keyword to activate/deactivate mode
3. Self-preservation

She tapped the new list and said, "Makes 'im obey first, aye? 'En puts in a code word fer ta activate 'is explorin' instincts. 'Ose'll 'as 'im go towards stuff, like," she scratched her head, trying to think how to explain, "like a puppy what wants ta rush ta the door an' greet strangers, aye? But if'n ya says the keyword again, ya can shut that off. An' what 'at reactivated self-preservation. Y'see?"

by **Ignotus Everto** on August 15th, 2012, 3:42 am

So the order the directives were given determined which was most important. He smiled faintly and copied her table down onto his notes, nodding. "I see... So after I give him those orders, I teach him what self preservation, exploration, and movement mean? As well as how to roll, what the codeword is, and everything else he needs to know?"

He would risk a bit of magic now, he decided. "I understand it perfectly now... Thanks!" The words themselves would hopefully spark a bit of pride: the magic would be in forging a third link between Ignotus and the positive emotions she was feeling. All slightly different in essence, but with the same essential message: Ignotus was a source of happiness.

With a few scratches of his pen, he finished his chart.

by **Minerva Agatha Zipporah** on August 15th, 2012, 4:15 am

Tock nodded, smiling bashfully at his continued praise. It felt good, teaching this man. The pendant she wore, nestled in her cleavage, started to glow the color of sunshine. The color of pride.

"Awright," she said with a grin, "let's git ta buildin', aye? Still gots a few bells left..." The Animation itself would have to be tomorrow morning, but they could assemble the simple construct now.

She began guiding Iggy through the process, working on one of the two wheels herself while she had him do the other. First there was measuring, which she urged him to do at least three times, to make sure the measurements were correct before cutting. Then she showed him how to line up four pieces of wood in a stack, clamping them together to cut them all at once. "Makes 'em identical, aye?" she said. She led him through cutting the wood into four identical pieces, each sharply angled. Once the cutting was complete, she laid the pieces out, showing him how they formed an octagon.

"Now we carves 'em down ta a curve," she explained, showing him how to use the mallet and chisels to chip off the excess wood, until the excess was removed down to a narrow width off the marked lines that showed the desired shape. "Can't chisel 'er no closer 'an 'at, aye?" She brought out the files next, carefully filing the wood down the remaining amount needed until it lined up with the curve they needed.

Once this was done, she sanded the pieces down to a smooth finish, holding them up to her expert eye to check the curves for any flaws. "Easy peasy, aye mate?" she said, giving him a grin.

by **Ignotus Everto** on August 16th, 2012, 6:11 pm

A playful salute and a cheerful "Aye, aye!" later, Ignotus was on his knees in front of a wagon wheel. While he followed Tock's instructions to the letter, his hands were more than a little bit clumsy. Yours would be too, if you'd only had them for two years. Still, they could have turned out worse. Throughout the process, the meticulous, almost obsessive attention to detail that ensured his bodies didn't fall apart at the seams, and allowed him to take this lesson in the first place became quite apparent. Not that it was a fast process, mind. He was always a full step or two behind Tock, and the finished product was far from her equal. Still, for a beginner, it could have been worse.

"Easy peasy, aye mate?"

Ignotus nodded, grinning back. "This is... Kind of fun, Relaxing, even." He wasn't lying. Building golems was turning out to be more fun than he thought it would be. With Tock back in happy land, his nerves weren't fraying like old twine any more, and he could fully immerse himself in the task at hand. Of course, that meant he'd forgotten to keep blinking again. The Nuit looked up hopefully, lacing his fingers together, "How did I do?"