Tick Tock on the Clock (Tocky)

[Aello]

Summer 39, 512 AV Grass, parched, a fading green, shying into the earthen browns wove through paling flesh. Nestling against knuckles, overturned by beds of nails. Frayed edges tickling the underside of hands; scorched palms. Smooth skin drew over the plush pillow; displacing enough to make her head sink into the fallen debris; dangling dangerously close to the bottom, where the jagged ends of miniature mountains dwelled. Peach wings of a silken wax, drooping with the weight of morning dew fluttered, rippling the line of curled lashes at ends. They undulated lazily, like the sea after a tumultuous storm. Before fluttering open as golden streamers of light refracted against a thin opening; where sea and shore collided against the sensations. White foam; bubbles bursting. Sinking, until they had released enough to expose the muddied depths that lay below. Sodden earth which seemed to engulf everything in a single sweep. Palms scrunched angrily as they drew over uneven terrain the shade of a wolf's coat. Dismal shades of grey. Fingers turned over the blades, never taking a mark as they crushed the life out of all. Turning green metallic glistenings, remnants, into naught but an unsightly pulp. Perturbed, her fingers dug, clawing at the rock that rested beneath; scraping off shimmering sheets of mica as she fought to hold her eyes open, and come to her knees. So much for this making a decent bed, Aello thought, as her eyes raked over the crag in the rock she had chosen to shelter her lithe form from the storm. The elements that had ravaged the land for the day quickly passed. With fingers still furling, the space between flesh and nail was swiftly becoming embedded with the dirt that had been crusted to her earthen pillow- a mixture of both fallen leaves and grass that she had gathered from the thin line of deciduous trees and brush farther below. Licking her lips as her body stretched, as a lioness might from a long slumber, the girl peered down at the world from her perch. From her nest at the mountain's side, she could see down and into the forest which stretched on for miles and miles. She could hear birds singing off in the distance, squirrels chattering about something or other as they scrambled about various trees. She could see the earth; parched after a day spent in sodden muck. But no matter, it's about time to be getting up anyway, before a better one is made for tomorrow, Aello thought as she yawned and brought herself to her feet. Her arms swinging into the air as her back arced to work out the last of the kinks, before her body wilted. Reverting to its previous stance, at which point she retrieved her things and began to walk. She didn't get very far, only perhaps three full steps to the left, before her bird accosted her, flapping its wings and chirping madly as it settled onto her shoulder. "What is it Yune?" she asked of the sparrow, as she fed her a blade of grass from her pocket. Of course, the bird said no more, leaving the girl strangely uncomfortable and suspicious. It was then the colors came.

[Minerva Agatha Zipporah]

A lot of merchants were leaving Zeltiva lately, somewhat earlier than normal. The flow of trade was normally in and out at a steady pace, but now it was mostly just out. The quarantine on the city had a lot of people nervous, and wanting to head elsewhere so as not to get sick. Some citizens were fleeing as well, heading to Syliras or Ravok in order to escape the sickness. Tock had no intention of leaving. She had too much work to do. She had seen the illness first hand, most notably with little Mikey in the infirmary. She had been helping out when she could, and it was breaking her heart seeing the little kid get worse and worse. But there wasn't much she could do about it. Meanwhile, she had projects to work on. One of them was her statue. She needed a source of stone, preferably something like granite that was nice and durable. She didn't have the money to buy stone, though. So she needed to search out some she could gather on her own. A few recent trips up into the nearby foothills around Zeltiva hadn't revealed any large enough pieces. She needed something big. Big enough to make a grand monument out of. At the very least, a life-sized statue, the size of a man. Or woman. Maybe with a few smaller pieces surrounding it for added decoration. Unable to find anything usable within a short walk, she was forced to go a little further from the city. She had tried to convince her boss to let her borrow a wagon again, but he had said no, due to the minor damage caused last time she'd borrowed one. So she was left, for now, with no means to haul back the stone. She'd just have to locate it for now, and once she had the location marked, come back later with a wagon all of her own, and a crew of friends to help her out. She had hitched a ride with a caravan heading towards Ravok. Ravok was the last place she'd ever want to actually go, considering the troubles she'd gotten into last time she was there. But she didn't intend to stay with the group all the way out. Just a day or two out, with the protection of the large group against the dangers of the wildlands. Then she'd hole up someplace secluded for a night and catch another caravan heading back, since quarantine or not there were surely some merchants who hadn't heard of the illness yet. They might not be allowed into the city, and be either turned back or forced to sell their wares in the pass, but still, there were sure to be some merchants still heading that way. They'd left yesterday morning, after Tock was done her early morning classes. The merchants set a ground-eating pace, trying to cover the distance as quickly as possible. Leaving the city sooner than expected had meant cutting a few deals short, and thus had cut into their profits. They were trying to make up for the difference by cutting down on travel time and expenses. Tock sat in the back of one of the wagons, along with a few refugees fleeing the city. They had helped with loading cargo as part of the payment for the ride, and when they stopped for lunch and dinner Tock worked to make some basic repairs on the wagons, nailing down loose boards and tightening up some wobbly wheels. It was a more than fair trade in her mind, especially since she wasn't even going along for the full trip. She also took notes as they rode along, writing down landmarks they passed so she would remember just how far she had gone. Even though it was just the one well-traveled and heavily patrolled road, she feared getting lost. She wanted to make sure that once she found the stone she wanted, she'd be able to find it again when she came back with a wagon of her own. Eventually, after an extensive time weaving through the wooded slopes that led away from Zeltiva, and without a clue how far she truly was from her adopted home, Tock spotted her goal. Off through the trees, down a light slope, she saw a large outcropping of stone standing free in a clearing. Several huge boulders were scattered about, no doubt deposited there ages ago by the shifting of the land or ancient glacial movements. "Oy, stop!" she called out. "Stop! I's gettin' off 'ere!" The wagon driver stopped and turned to look at her like she was crazy. "Here?" he asked. "But we're in the middle of nowhere! Are you suicidal?" Tock smirked, having been asked that more than once in her life. "'Ere's jus' fine," she said, hopping down and pulling Choppy down with her. She'd kept him immobile for the trip, so the merchant had no idea he was a magic axe until she told him, "Forward," and he started walking on his tall, metal, stork-like legs. She waved at the merchant and his guards over her shoulder and said, "Thanks fer the ride!" The merchant mumbled something about mad mages, and how he was sure she could handle herself, before whipping the horses back into motion and leaving her behind. She wrote down a few more notes about her location, then tucked her pages away and started marking trees. She first marked several trees by the roadside, using her chisel to cut through the bark, leaving large arrows pointing the way. Next time she came out here, the arrows would be visible from the roadside, and mark her path. She then measured between the trees, ensuring there was room for a wagon between them. The overall path wasn't clear, of course. But she marked out the width she needed, and dug out a line of dirt on either side to mark the edges of her 'road'. Anything in between those edges would have to go. Since she still had some daylight left after traveling all day yesterday and most of today, she set to work clearing. She called Choppy up, "Forward. Good boy... And stop! Leg up! Grip!" Following her commands, he stepped up to the first tree she deemed to be in her way, and he raised one leg to brace against the tree for leverage. "Aaaaand Chop!" she told him, and he began swinging his axe back and forth, working his way steadily through the tree. Choppy could work all day like this, never getting tired. He was better than a crew of lumberjacks. While he chopped, Tock continued carving arrows into other trees along the pathway she was marking. Off in the distance, her stone awaited. Once Choppy worked his way through the tree and it started to creak, she told him, "Stop! Down... back... come to Mommy." As the tree started tipping, figuring there was no one within a hundred miles to hear her, Tock cupped her hands around her mouth and shouted, "TIIIIIIIIMBEEEEEEERRRRR!"

[Aello]

Vapors rose from the earth, an inaudible sigh. They grew, multiplying in height, shifting in color as they wound themselves around trees, encased plants and animals, and lit the way. Casting the downtrodden earth in an array of vibrant shades. The aurist's muddied eyes snuffed each of the flickering flames out as she forced her magic to scout for whatever had frightened her bird; casting farther portions of the forest in a new light. It wasn't until a few chimes had passed that the illuminations happened upon Tock and her companion, Choppy. A smirk playing onto her features as sparkles sprang into her eyes. "So there you are," she whispered, as she descended the rocky outcrop as easily as though they were but a simple flight of stairs. Her feet soon touching down on the other side; sinking into the dirt. Her boots leaving twisted prints behind. The only sign that she had come and gone. But Aello didn't care. It was not for this that she had eyes for, but two simple auras up ahead. Those which surrounded Tock and her one man lumberjack army. One a simple red surrounded in sparkles, as though a pack of fireflies were consistently going off in its midst. The touch of magic, one she didn't recognize. Or rather, hadn't seen often before. She supposed though, given the ax's abilities and actions, that it was the work of animation. But she simply couldn't be sure. The girl's aura, far less simplistic, was of greater interest to her. It was cast in several shades of blue. Some as dark as the night sky, with the hint of sparkling silver stars, others closer to the waters surrounding her home in Zeltiva. If she strained to listen too, as she walked, she could hear the crashing of waves into the shore. The call of gulls overhead. Smell salt on the air, feel the spray of the sea on her skin. Imagine it glistening in the sun's light; golden orbs after the refraction against milky skin. She could hear wood being sawed in half. Soft grunts, a sort of strain from exhaustive work. Hammers being rammed into pegs, and various tools. A strange sort of scraping akin to nothing she could ever remember having heard before, and then the unmistakable scent of sweat. The unpleasant odor ruffled her nose as she crept forward, only to have muddied eyes grow out at the shout of a single word. A warning, which reverberated off the tops of trees, before weaving its way in between, to her. It was enough to make her muscles tense. To coil and uncoil. Her skin bouncing with each of their awakenings, and falls back into bed. Enough to make her heart skip a few beats as her flesh prickled, and ears perked up in case there was anything else. Something aside from the thunderous boom as the tree crashed into the ground, taking a few of its neighbors with it. The raucous calls of frightened birds leaving their homes. Fluttering towards safety. It was enough to make Aello's eyes narrow, her face harden as her hands bunched into fists. Just what is she doing? the girl wondered, as she strode forward, with quickening strides. She could just make her out now, flitting amongst the stronger stalks, marking each. Claiming them, as though they were her own. It was almost maddening watching her from afar; knowing that her own presence within the forest could not yet be sensed. Although, Aello was bound to change that, given time. With shoulder blades pulsing beneath her flesh, beating to the same tune as her most vital organs Aello made her way along, keeping closer to the ground now. Her body hunched, so as to make it less noticeable, she approached. Her hands resting against the side of the fallen tree as soon as she had neared. Her form rounded against it, her head peering over at a back turned to a likeness. Too engrossed in her work to notice that she was no longer alone, or so it would seem. My, this one is a fool, Aello thought, as she studied the movement of her aura. A strange vibration, which produced a soft humming sound, as though issuing some sort of warning like: you missed something! After a time though, thinking it nothing, Aello allowed her fingertips to furl. Settling into the diamond back pattern that marred the elder tree. Her nail beds dipped into the gathered grime; settled into each of the simple chalices. Dirt sank into her skin; became embedded- caught in the place alongside flesh and nail. A forest maiden's adornments, her precious jewels. Through the thin veil of darkened lashes, slits of mud, she peered. For she has naught, making her out of place. Out of time. It was then that Aello pushed her fingers a little deeper, straightening herself out. Revealing her lithe, hourglass shaped form. "Why are you cutting wood out here? Without the aid of a team? With only that item by your side?" she asked, with a quick wave of her arm. "Surely, something as mighty as what you just stripped from the ground is far too heavy for you to bring back."

[Minerva Agatha Zipporah]

Tock pictured trees and animals the same way she pictured people. That is to say, they could be useful under the right circumstances, but sometimes they were just in your way and needed to be cut down. She respected wood. She worked with it, it was her material of choice above all others. She could look at a tree and see beauty in it. But it wasn't the natural beauty of what the Gods had grown. Instead, it was the beauty of what she, herself, could transform it into. She was a builder. A crafter. One who changed things, took what was there, altered it, added to it, made it better. 'Nature' hadn't done a good enough job. She could improve upon it. These trees were in her way. Maybe she'd haul some of them back to the city, though it wasn't likely. She was too far out for that to be practical, and as it was, it would take all the effort she could spare to get the stone she needed. Instead, she'd use these trees to build a construction site. She could make the framework for the pulley system she'd need, assembling it and leaving it here for later. It was just a pity she couldn't bring Cutty with her... She pulled her backpack off and knelt to the ground. She had left Bitey at home, since being out so far in the woods wouldn't be good for him. She had left Cutty and her crutches, and Diggy since she didn't expect to need to do any digging out here. But she pretty much never went anywhere without Boxy, Handy, and Naily, if for no other reason than that they were small and easy to carry around. She freed Naily from her backpack and told him, "Go on, you. Jus' stay close to Mommy." He had been frozen from moving after she had told him to 'stop' before setting out, and thus had behaved himself like a good boy for the whole trip. Now, free and full of energy like the puppy he'd been programmed from, he started rolling around on the wet grass, exploring the area. The little hammer on wooden wheels flitted about without purpose, his mind too simple to understand much beyond basic instincts. She'd let him wander for now, until she had enough wood cut to need his help. She was directing Choppy up to one of the next trees in her way when she heard the voice. Naturally, she ignored it, at least at first. "Forward... leg up, grip..." Choppy braced his leg on the next tree, gripping his metal claws into the bark for leverage. "Aaaaand, Chop!" He started cutting through the next tree, Tock nodding in approval. As she was focused on her work, Handy the wooden hand Automaton, used his little wooden fingers to climb up her sleeve and perch on her shoulder. His leather tail wrapped around her upper arm for balance, and he tapped her on the shoulder, then pointed adamantly towards the stranger. It was only then that it sank in that there was apparently someone else here... and considering she was in the middle of nowhere, that should be a surprise. Hands on her hips, Tock looked around until she spotted the stranger. She arched an eyebrow curiously, wondering what the hell someone would be doing all the way out here in the middle of nowhere. Didn't the girl know it was dangerous out here? Without a clue that the stranger was doing the same thing to her (and much more skillfully at that), Tock stared her down and tried to focus her mind on reading the stranger's aura. It was a struggle, her inexperience hampering her, and her uncertainty about what she was doing dooming her to failure. She squinted, feeling like she was seeing something... green. She frowned, trying to keep her mind focused, unfamiliar with the sensation of Djed flowing through her mind, sparking a headache. She had to stop, shaking her head to clear it, confused as to what she had seen. For some reason, she thought she saw a tree in the girl's aura... which seemed stupid to her, considering the girl was standing next to a tree. Surely, that was what she'd been sensing. After all, how could trees be a part of someone? She stepped closer, still trying to very slowly let the Djed flow through her mind in the hopes of learning more. She thought back, trying to remember what the girl had asked. "'Is 'ere's my work zone," she declared, gesturing around to indicate the entire wooded area she'd marked off, as if she could simple stake claim to a segment of the wildlands. "I can does whatever I wants 'ere. Ya cross 'at line," she pointed at the mark she'd dug out, "an' yer my 'elper. Dun wanna 'elp? Keep outta the way. I ain't done gots time what fer ta make sure no trees falls on yer 'ead..." She, of course, had no idea that the woman before her was more than capable of doing as she pleased, regardless of what Tock might have to say about it. The redhead was simply used to telling people what to do, and having them listen, damnit, either because they were too scared of her to argue, or too weak-willed. Belatedly she realized how strange it was for the girl to be here. "Ya lost o' somethin'?" she asked, scratching the back of her head. She kept focusing on the girl, trying to tell if she could sense 'lost' on her, and quite frankly not sure if such a thing was even possible with this unfamiliar magic. For now she was just getting a vague impression of leaves, fluttering in the green aura around her. She couldn't understand why, and could only guess the fallen tree was 'getting in the way' of the aura reading. "Can ya step off the tree?" she asked in a distracted tone, without realizing the girl wouldn't understand the internal train of thought.

[Aello]

Aello raised a single brow as nails dug into the side of the tree, forming comforting hammocks upon which to rest her fingers. "Your work zone?" she inquired, her tone cold and stern. Her eyes unwavering in their gaze. Locked on the moths in Tock's aura, drawn to a flickering flame. Their powdered wings sending soft waves of snow into smokey tendrils, before throwing their entire bodies forward for consumption. Grey vapors whirling about their bodies as crackling orange tongues licked eagerly. Forcing layers from waxen wings to drip down their twisted throats, abdomens to explode in a burst of green pus. Trying to use one of your magics? the girl questioned, as she eyed another's antennae falling away into oblivion, turning to but a pile of ash on the floor, which was drawn away by a soft gust of wind. She could see the remnants sparkling, molten embers twirling in falsified light. And failing? A satisfied smirk crossed Aello's eyes as they caught the embers. She shook her head lightly, lazily tossing several strands into her face. Where they were caught by parting lips. "Not so easy a read," she whispered as her muscles rippled pleasantly beneath her flesh. There was a long pause as the aurist's eyes continued to sweep over Tock and her animated companions. "You think a simple line makes this place yours?" Aello asked. "Stupid city girl, the forest belongs to them," she continued, with a sweep of her hand outwards. "The plants and the animals, but mainly the animals, whose homes you're destroying." There was a pause, as though allowing the woman to consider. "You know the one you cut just now belonged to a number of birds, which are likely to be quite annoyed with you." She stopped, turning to each of the trees Tock had marked. "And that one," she pointed, "belongs to a few squirrels, and a pecker." She moved her finger another few inches to point to an oak which grew several feet south of the one she had just indicated. "More birds," she went on before pointing to the last she could see with but her eyes, "that one is long abandoned. Grass beds long grown dry. That's about the only one you could destroy without effecting the livelihood of many." With that, her head turned, and her eyes fell back on the red haired woman; her peculiar ax. "Although, it's far too majestic to be thrown to such a fate. It has far too long a history to fall to the likes of you." For a long time the girl fell silent as the wind brought life renewed to the embers in her muddied eyes. "Take from the fallen. Take from the graves. Take only the dead. Those are all that you deserve," the young spiritist said, as each of her hands sank into the wood. Her fingers hard pressed for a moment before she unfurled them, letting them lay over the diamond backs rather softly. As though the tree itself were another being. Someone all knew was about to see their last rays of light; a candle about to be snuffed, and if only, if only, she tried and she wished, it could be revived. "Now, surely you're not fool enough to think that this place is unfamiliar? Child this is a shared realm. A home. Not your playground," she growled. Her eyes hardening with each word. Her hands falling into the wood, the diamonds etching themselves in red across her pale skin. She pushed deeply, took a deep breath, and then pushed up against her feet. Tucking her head in as she flipped over the log, and fell with a muffled thud onto her feet, but a few heartbeats later. The girl took several menacing steps closer to Tock. "You may want to go back into town. If you can manage to get back in one piece, on your own," Aello instructed, her voice cold as ice. "Or, be forced to face the consequences of the Wildlands. This fine forest haven, which, I should warn you, has been known to have a mind of its own."

[Minerva Agatha Zipporah]

Tock winced and turned her head away, closing het eyes and covering them with one hand. She let out a soft groan of pain at the burning in her eyes. Burning... like leaves on fire, so beautiful, so dangerous... What had that been? She blinked, trying to clear her vision, but for a moment all she could see was a blur, with afterimages of light burnt into her retinas as if she'd been staring into the sun. She sat down on the tree, rubbing her eyes to clear her vision. She looked up at the girl, refusing to risk another aura reading. It was hard, considering how beautiful the danger had been. Like watching a great cat stalking through the trees at you, the body a work of art as every muscle flexed and moved in perfect unison. Yet that beauty would be lethal if not properly contained. Tock preferred studying such things when they were caged and contained, so they couldn't hurt her. So SHE was in control. So she just watched through blurred and strained vision, squinting as the daylight filtering through the forest canopy pained her eyes. She listened with growing annoyance, her irritation at the pain compounded by the irritation that this woman was trying to tell her what to do. "Oy, piss off!" she muttered in irritation, still rubbing at her eyes. "We's done been a long ways what from any Guv's what can tells me what ta do!" she thrust a thumb against her chest, scowling at the blurry and unfocused image before her. "Whazzay care what if'n some bleedin' squirrels needs fer ta find a new 'ome, aye? Petch 'em! Lets one o' 'em come whines at me, aye? I need somethin' what fer ta cook fer dinner..." As far as she was concerned, nature and everything in it was just there to serve HER needs, serve as HER meals and be the building materials for HER creations! When the girl called her child, that really got under her skin. She shook a fist at her and shouted, "Oy, whatcha done thinks 'ow fer yer the Big Bosslady out 'ere, Sheila!? I dunno what if'n ya done noticed, but she's jus' yous an' me out 'ere, aye?" She waved her arms around to indicate the empty wilderness around them. "So's as what wit' it jus' bein' me an' yous, I ain't done been seen what 'ows yer done gonna gimme a gobful, aye? Now I'd bloody leave off if'n I was yous, 'fore I done git mad as a cut snake, aye?" She stood back up when the girl started making threats, and snapped her fingers to summon Choppy to her side, his axe head gleaming in the afternoon light. The mere sight of a walking axe was usually enough to scare people off, and Tock scowled at the stranger menacingly. The NERVE of her, marching into Tock's claimed workzone, and trying to tell her what to do! Blathering on about consequences this, and fine forest that. Bah!

[Aello]

Aello snorted. "Like you could catch one," she retorted as her eyes traveled to the gleaming ax head. A line of silver which shimmered in the light, similar to the blade she carried, the one without the taint. Her eyes sank to its unorthodox legs. The way it swayed as it moved along. It reminded her of penguins, the way it wobbled. Easily blown over if only given enough force; a strong gust of wind perhaps. It was enough to make her face contort into an expression that embodied the coupling of derision and mockery. "So it is just the two of us," the girl whispered, her words spilling over her rounded lower lip. Cascading down the tip of her chin, where they were lost to her swan's neck. "All the better, don't you think?" she asked, as she took another step forward. "For this way, no one can hear you scream," she added, her tone deadly. Like a viper's tongue, slithering out of its scaled mouth, to lick at the air before its head snapped after it. "Why don't we start by choosing a medium?" Aello asked as she tilted her head to the side. Her hands crawling down her thighs until they rested upon the hilts. Her fingers pressed down, enough where the indentations they made in the fabric could be clearly visible. She stayed still for a moment, her lip curling into a wicked smile as her right hand slid to the side, before rushing back in. Grabbing the hilt of her cursed blade, and slowly pulling back, past the veil. Just enough to reveal a hint of metal. A blood stain. "The brush is fond of crimson," Aello whispered. "Care to serve its palate?" she asked, as she pulled it free, and let it dangle at her side. Her thumb idly stroking the hilt a moment before she whipped her arm back, flicked her wrist, tossing the dagger casually at her mark. Should she hit it, which she knew was highly likely, considering how rarely she missed nowadays, the point would sever the strings. Lodging itself in fabric, pinning Tock's right arm to the log she sat upon. Assuming she'd be unable to get herself up, considering her lack of training with a blade, Aello would stride forward. Knocking Choppy away with her second, concealed blade. A flat edge of metal brought against a wooden rod. As soon as he was disposed of, the aurist would be upon her, holding the dagger against Tock's neck, where an Adam's apple would be on a man. Pinning her left shoulder down with her right hand, before pushing up against the ground with her feet. Jumping up just enough to propel her onto the log, where she would soon settle in, straddling the red head's body. Aello's dagger would fall a little harder against the neck as she spoke, "here's the deal girl. You can obey, or submit. Tell the artist what you'd like carved first, or let her surprise you. Show you just how creative she can be." There would be a short pause as her eyes raked over Tock's body. The way her skin would blanche. The way her chest would rise and fall, so rapidly now, in comparison to before. As she listened to thundering of her heart. "You have two options: be destroyed here, in this desolate place, where the only creatures that would ever find your body are the wolves and carrion crows, or you can repay the forest, and myself for your insults. Petulant little shyke that you are." Aello would fall silent for another moment, allowing herself to bask in the breath that buffeted against her skin. So warm, like a moist summer air. "Now, there is one way that can be envisioned for your repentance... with this timber, you shall craft something that the forest will delight in. Something before all the watching, beady little eyes. It is thus, that if they are displeased they can destroy you. That I can." Aello's dagger would slide up a little, the diagonal end coming up against chin. Raising it, as though to show the woman's defiance for her. "You shall serve us both. The forest, and your assailant. With this log, or rather, with the parts that you need, you shall build a clock. A timekeeper, if the likes of you fails to understand..." Her voice trailed off for quite some time. "The parts you don't use, you can make with what you will. Just be sure that they aren't wasted. The forest has eyes you know. Monsters with the ability to use force far greater than my own," Aello insisted, her muddied eyes flashing dangerously as the dagger moved back down, towards the center of a stilling neck. As though it were trying to choke in another breath, swallow a clump of saliva. "What say you girl? Shall you be let up, or shall the forest enjoy a new painting?" OOCSorry the last few paragraphs get a bit strange. Erm... it's all an attempt and what she would do. I can't really force it on you. And um... I'm not sure how your pc is sitting, so the angle of the dagger may be weird... or not hit the intended part. I'm not sure you described what your pc was wearing. *shrugs*

[Minerva Agatha Zipporah]

Normally, when Tock started yelling, shaking her fists, and summoning her babies to scare people, they tended to back off. She bullied most people into letting her have her way. It usually worked. After all, normal, sane people sought to avoid a fight with an angry, magic-wielding madwoman. Except, of course, when the other person was an angry, magic-wielding madwoman with better knives. Vision still blurred from Auristic overgiving, Tock was slow to react to what was happening. She followed the woman's movements, her own hand straying to the plain, ordinary dagger on her belt. The other woman moved so fast, Tock barely had her knife drawn before the other one was thrown. "Aaaaaghh!" she screamed in pain as she felt her arm pinned to the wood. The blade nicked her flesh, but somehow snagged her shirt sleeve and pinned it down, instead of piercing tender skin muscle as she'd feared. The woman had to be one HELL of a marksman to make a shot like that. She tried to reach to pull it out, but everything was happening too fast for her. She saw Choppy knocked down before she could think to shout the command word, struggling like a turtle on its back, kicking his legs and trying to get up. He wasn't built to get himself up from that position with any kind of ease. Then the woman was on top of her, and she didn't know what to do. Tock was a builder, not a fighter. She got in a tussle here and there, but her combat ability was laughable. She could take down a drunkard in a bar brawl, but against an experienced killer, she was nothing. As the woman pressed her left shoulder down, unable to reach across to the blade that pinned her now, her fingers instead closed around Grippy, the tool holstered on her hip. But the angle was awkward, Grippy holstered on the wrong side, so she couldn't draw him with her left hand, nor could she move the arm clear with the woman holding her shoulder down. She held still, not sure what to do. She didn't fear for her own life. No, she didn't fear death. Her own mind was too far, too long gone for that. No, that wasn't what she feared for at all. "My babies..." she gasped, trembling. "Don't 'urt my babies... please... please don't 'urt my babies..." The wooden hand perched on her shoulder was stroking her hair, his metal joints clicking ever so softly in the still forest. He didn't understand what was going on, didn't know fear. Neither did Naily, the little wheeled hammer rolling up to stare at the scene before him with tiny glass eyes. Tock silently considered her options. Her babies weren't pinned down... they could be ordered with simple words. She could get Naily to bash the woman's toes in before she knew what was happening. And then she'd slit Tock's throat, and there would be no one left to protect her babies. "My babies..." she whispered, looking up at the woman with a mother's fear. Pleading with her frightened brown eyes, barely able to make out the woman's features through her blurred vision. The woman wanted a clock. A bleeding clock!? What kind of psycho woman cared so much about dumb old trees and squirrels that she would threaten to kill her to get a petching clock!? "Fine," she hissed through her teeth. "Ya wanna clock? Promise ya won't 'urt my babies, an' ya gits a clock..." If that was what it took to protect her children, then so be it. A clock was easy enough. Of course, she'd have to figure out how to make one from nothing but wood instead of metal, but she'd figure out some way.

[Aello]

Aello raised a single brow. "Babies?" she asked. "Hardly, they're fabrications of sentient life." With that, her eyes lifted, following the lines cast by the wooden hand. The way the limbs flitted through red hair. It was as though the tree were bleeding, and the spiders were left to weep and to comfort. It seemed strange to her, that connection, and it was thus that she forced herself to ignore. For her eyes to fall back into the clouded. "Not just any clock," Aello hissed. "But the best your hands have ever crafted. An elaborate creature crawling out of the wood to catch all eyes. Something the lady of time herself will be proud of. Do you understand?" she asked. "Only then can they all be spared. You have my word in that." She paused, as she dug the dagger a little deeper, threatening to sever skin. "Do as you're told, make the goddess proud, and you may go on your way, without the lesson on why you are doing what you are." The girl paused for but a moment, her magic billowing out around her, as though willing the aurist to see something more. "Just how destructive and heartless you are. Just how bitter and cruel. Mindless. Soulless." With that, Aello swung her right leg over the woman's body, allowing it to smack her left before she pulled the dagger away from the Tock's neck, and hopped off the tree. Making a point not to step on the struggling animations. "Come," Aello instructed as she sheathed her dagger, and extended her right hand to help the red head off her back. "You may have all the help you need... as long as it's reasonable. Attainable, and easily offered," she added, before returning her hand to her side. "Now, the only thing is," she went on as she cast a furtive glance skyward, "is that you don't have too many bells left to work by. As far as a decent light is concerned." She paused, allowing her eyes to drift for a moment, as though deep in thought. "You'll want to have it done by then so you can start making your way back. The forest is a dangerous place for a city girl. Heck, even for one of the ladies of the wood itself." The aurist took a deep breath. "Especially with the wolves. They've been acting strangely of late. Perhaps you could sense it too... and with Nex so far north, there's no reasoning with them. Just slitting their throats lest they rip yours away." The aurist's lips parted slightly, releasing a small chuckle as a peculiar smile crossed them. "But don't you worry your pretty little head about that. Your neck will be safe enough while you're nearby. Although, I'm not sure the same could be said of your hide." It was enough to cause her smile to widen as her fingers flitted about the slits that ran up the side of her long skirts. They dangled dangerously close to the concealed hilts. But a breadth away from manipulation. She hoped the girl noticed as much.

[Minerva Agatha Zipporah]

If not for the knife at her throat, Tock would have had some choice words (and fists) for this woman, insulting her babies like that! What did she know!? Tock had put her heart and soul (LITERALLY, in the latter case) into bringing life to them. This woman didn't know the first thing about life. All she cared about was the bland, ordinary life of the forest. But Tock had MADE life, wrested it from the fabric of her very soul, sculpted it with her own hands, and brought it into this world through sheer determination and skill. This woman wasn't a mother. There was no WAY she could understand the love, pain, devotion, and sacrifice that came with that. Tock had given her own blood for her babies. This woman just couldn't see that. Tock ignored the woman's hand and got up on her own. She didn't need or accept help from anyone unless it was under her terms. Which usually meant bullying and badgering them into it, and using fear to get her way. The irony of the situation was, of course, completely lost on her. The moment she was up the first thing Tock did was rush over to Choppy and help him up. She hugged him tight, showing no concern for the sharp axe blade that rested so close to her neck. Her baby would never hurt her. She stroked Choppy's handle and whispered soothing noises to comfort him. "S'yous okay, baby?" she asked softly, kissing the side of his blade. "Did the mean scary lady 'urtchoo?" She checked him over, heaving a sigh of relief when she saw he wasn't damaged. She held him tight a few moments longer while Crazy Forest Bitch rambled on about the fading daylight and some necks in the north. Tock didn't have a clue what she was talking about, and dismissed it as the ramblings of a madwoman. The irony of THAT thought was also lost on her. Tock then turned and glared at the woman with a pure, smoldering hate. Murderous thoughts crossed her mind, but she knew she couldn't see them through. Not today. Maybe one day... A thought occurred to her, but she kept it pushed aside for now. Maybe... She turned back to her baby and leaned her forehead against his blade. His protection came first. She considered trying to grab him and run, but she was sure this woman could move faster than her, especially with the weight of her tools and her babies weighing her down. Running wasn't an option. She sighed and rose, committing herself to the task. She didn't know how she was supposed to build a clock in a day. It was IMPOSSIBLE. Well, no. ANYTHING was possible. She was a genius, a grand powerful Magus, and an expert craftsman. She could do it... she just had to think... "Fine," she finally said. "Ye'll 'as yer clock by sundown..." With those cold words she climbed onto the fallen tree trunk, turned around, and hung her head upside-down, lying across the dead wood with her feet propped up on one of the branches and her hair brushing the dew-laden grass below her dangling head. She thought better upside-down. Always had. She closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and started working on calming herself and clearing her mind. Then, upside-down, eyes closed, she started designing a clock in her head.