8th of Fall 515AV
Switch has finally gotten to the point where the dripping water from his poorly sealed contraption embedded into his head needed to be removed and cleaned up and resealed. The old man wasn't too awfully busy and so with the assistance of the man the three inch Pycon gently pulled out the apparatus from his face, having to be extremely careful with the wire Switch had the assistance of the man and a complicated array of mini pry bars meant for holding springs under tension actually doing their same job on his face. These bars were normally meant to hold springs under tension in clocks to reach beyond them to the gears and axles that were resting behind. Each additional pry bar added was adding a combination of pain and odd sensations coursing through his nexus. It didn't help though that the clay was being pulled from around the pipe and vibrating across the inner workings and sparking odd sensations of reverberations in his nexus either.
“This is unique design you have there young man.” The man spoke in soft words that Switch couldn't tell if he was actually speaking words of truth or if he was just saying such. “I took me a whole year of research before I built it. I made a grievous error though that has been causing me some aggravation for much of this year and I must say I couldn't deal with it any longer.”Switch grimaced and flinched as one of the elderly man's picks touched the wire and sparked an intense burst of pain. “Do be careful though. I don't want to die from sensory overload though. My nexus can only handle so much after all. Getting this out is not easy and I feel I am going to need to replace the sealant agent I used originally. It did not do as I expected.” The man nodded softly as Switch reached up with his small hands to grip the apparatus, a hiss escaped the Pycon's lips as he twisted the apparatus and gave it a tug.
There was a soft popping sound as last barricade of clay released it's control of the metal piping and he was able to pull it out easily enough. As soon as the apparatus was completely free of his body the vacating hole it once occupied shrunk slightly. It took a bit of fast pace but Switch had reached for a wooden peg that was a third of the diameter of the hearing device and used it to plug the hole so it wouldn't seal completely shut on him.
A sigh of relief escaped Switch's lips as Lucis placed the small bars down on the work bench. Picking it up delicately the elder of the two looked at the device closely, it was truly was a simple device and it looked almost pathetically made. It was simply a pipe with a bit of wire strung on the inside with beads, three copper ringed leather membranes, a bit of water and some clay from his own body. This was an obvious observation that the older man could see with some easy studying of it. The last bit was the odd bit of wire that stuck out from the one end, this was the wire that sent the vibrations into Switch's nexus. All this Switch explained as the man looked it over. “It is the clay I used as the sealant that I must replace. I didn't realize that it wasn't a properly made sealant and at the time I had nothing else. Metal on metal just wouldn't worked and now I am concerned as to what damage I have within the tubing.” Lucis nodded and with the tip of one of the pry bars removed the clay that held the wire in place. It wasn't long before the wire slid free and it was handed to Switch who noticed that it was indeed pocked with moisture marks. The water dripped more than I suspected. I do hope the interior of the tube is not damaged. And to Switch's luck when the man smiled and spoke in his soft voice, “It appears the pipe isn't bad. A slight discoloration due to moisture. But nothing that can't be fixed.” Looking down at the Pycon the man nodded, “I do say this may come in handy to others if you would like to redraw up new plans for it to assist others that are not of the same… Race as yourself. We can fix this one up for you and it can be used as a prototype of a far newer more versatile format for others.”
Switch nodded half thinking about the rest of it, “Yes yes… Fix it… Yes yes… We can make this available to others, only small changes to be made. Larger scaled for them surely… More research will need to be done certainly. Yes yes…” Switch looked at the workbench, it was strewn with several pry bars, a few picks, and tattered shavings and globs of clay. “I can draw up newer schematics, both for the Pycon model as well as one that might be of better use for the larger races. Yes yes.” Something that works for more than just hearing better… Yes yes… That will also be in the plans in the future.
Lucis had returned the rest of the apparatus to Switch who looked into the back end of the pipe where the water was coming out and saw that the clay didn't seal properly and had a bubble had formed at some point then ruptured, unseating the membrane and allowing the pycon gadgeteer to reach in and grab a hold of the membrane and pull it out. A process that was clear he didn't think it full through before doing so and what water remained within was quickly poured across the front of Switch's body and across the workbench.
Switch grimaced as he set the pipe down and reached for a rag that rested nearby, mopping up the water that poured across the tabletop first before cleaning himself off. “Clay does not work well as a sealant. I know tar is used on boats. I do recall wines and other objects were sealed with wax. Maybe I can use some melted candle wax and work quickly and delicately to seal the rings. That might work better, more effectively. Tar might work as well. Maybe both?” He looked up at the man who shrugged, “Both may work, but are both necessary?”
Switch frowned and looked at the membrane he had pulled out. Picking it up from where he set it down the Pycon flipped it over examining it several times.
WC: 1116
CreditThis was made by the lovely Firenze