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DOC PLUME'S APARTMENT - MORNING
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Doc Plume was happily sleeping snuggled loosely against Nesseth. The events of last night between the pair providing more than enough vivid images for a series of pleasant dreams for the gryphon. This lovely reverie is broken rudely by the ringing of the alarm clock on their bedside table. Doc groans and rolls over a little to shut it off before rolling back and hugging their naked body against Nesseth's again.
Nesseth is likewise snuggled comfortably against Plume, his dreams being quite pleasant indeed after the events of the previous night. As the alarm goes off, he jerks a bit as he's rudely pulled back into the waking world in the middle of just such a dream, and he lets out a sleepy groan as the alarm gets shut off, though he readily snuggles back up against Plume, the scales of his nude form pressing against their fur and feathers. "Nnrgh... What... what time is it...?"
Doc Plume presses their beak against Nesseth's neck, unconsciously making preening motions against his hide. "Mmm... eight o'clock... not too early..." They let out a yawn and then wrap their wings around their lover, holding him against them. "We should probably get up. I have an appointment at nine..."
Nesseth chuckles quietly as Plume's beak picks at his scales, and he presses a little closer against them. "Mmh... I guess we can't just stay in bed for a while longer, much as we want to. Ah, well..."
Doc Plume shakes their head and laughs. "Sadly not... We did bathe last night, though, so that buys us a bit of time."
Nesseth blushes just a touch. "True enough. A bit of breakfast probably wouldn't be a bad idea, too." He winks with a roguish smirk, "Of course, if we can whip together something fast, we could spend a little more time in bed snuggling before getting up."
Doc Plume giggles and squeezes Nesseth, making no motion to get up yet. They kiss his cheek gently. "I have some oatmeal. It's quick, at least."
Nesseth hums warmly and hugs Plume close, happily nuzzling into the feathers on their neck and sneaking a playful kiss. "That works for me."
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A LITTLE WHILE LATER
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Doc Plume sits on the bed buttoning up their shirt. They turn and look at Nesseth, watching as the lizard finishes getting dressed as well. "So last night... that was good, right?"
Nesseth slips into his vest and goes about buttoning it up. He smiles at the question and nods. "It was quite a memorable night, Plume. I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did..."
Doc Plume pulls up their trousers and fastens them before sliding their suspenders over their shoulders. "I did. A lot." They sigh a bit as they walk over to their small kitchen and turn on the gas under their kettle after filling it. "It's nice to have something to help me forget the one other time..."
Nesseth follows Plume over to the kettle and waits for them to light the burner before gently hugging them from behind. "A bad experience in the past, huh...?"
Doc Plume nods. "Me and that arranged fiancé... let's just say that things were going well until he saw me for what I am." After lighting the gas, they carefully shimmy along so that Ness can keep hugging them as they fetch out a pot and the tin of oats and some brown sugar and cinnamon. "It was nice until that point... and then he hit me. And yelled, and was going to throw a vase at me before the butler burst in and stopped him."
Nesseth frowns slowly as he listens, then lets out a soft sort of growl even as he gives Plume a tender squeeze. "He's lucky he's back in Vamas and not here... He had absolutely no right to do that. I hope the butler made sure he got tossed in jail for it."
Doc Plume shakes his head. "Would have been scandal on both sides if the story got out, so the families swept it under the rug, but I think he got shipped out to one of the remote islands for a few years because of it." They sigh and focus for the moment on pouring the water into the pot, adding the oats and sugar and spices, and stirring it all slowly after lowering the flame. "Would you mind getting the milk out of the icebox?"
Nesseth lightly nuzzles into Plume's feathers for a moment, then releases them from the hug as he steps over to the icebox. "Sure thing. So, I'm guessing by the time he got out, you were already deep into your medical studies?"
Doc Plume shrugs. "No clue. Never heard of him after that. The families basically cut contact outside of obligation and business after that." They fetch mugs, bowls, and spoons out of the cupboard and drawer and carry them over to the small table nearby, then return to the stove for the pot and kettle. "It was around then that my family decided that letting me pursue studies might be a
Doc Plume good idea."
Nesseth pulls the milk out of the icebox and walks back to the stove, then passes it to Plume. "Here you go, Plume." He sighs after a moment and steps back to give the gryphon some space to work, "And the rest, as they say, is history. From there, you dived into your studies, became a doctor, and then moved here to get as far away from your family as you could in order to start a life for yourself."
Doc Plume nods. "Indeed so." They ladle out the porridge and add just enough milk to each bowl to provide for optimal eating. They also pour the rest of the water from the kettle into the teapot and cover it to let it steep. "There's a reason I don't use my given name anymore."
Nesseth tilts his head a bit as he watches Plume work. "You mean aside from your parents trying to force you to act like... well, like a girl? I could see that being a huge sticking point between you and your parents..."
Doc Plume nods. "That and I'd rather not have them knowing where I am or have the family name following me around. Chances are they can find out if they want, but I'd like to not make it easy for them. I'd kind of like to not lose all of my inheritance if possible, so doing it this way makes the most sense to me."
Doc Plume takes a seat and begins eating their oatmeal, giving a small smile to Nesseth.
Nesseth hums and nods as he slides into a seat across from Plume, then pulls his bowl a little closer, warming his hands up a bit with it. "That makes sense. If they can't track you, then they can't cause you any grief. I get the sense that they wouldn't think to look somewhere like a frontier town, either."
Doc Plume shakes their head. "They'll probably think I'm still in Westport or maybe somewhere like Ondonga or Policaster at the farthest." They take another bite of oatmeal before pouring out tea for themself and Nesseth. They then stand up and walk back over to their bedside table and fish something out of the drawer.
Nesseth hums as he starts to tuck into his bowl of oatmeal, rather enjoying the warmth seeping into him with each bite. He pauses as Plume stands up, then watches them curiously as they walk over to the table next to the bed. "Considering they seem well-off, I'm not surprised they would figure you'd be practicing in one of the bigger cities..."
Doc Plume comes back to the table and sets down a heavy silver signet ring where Nesseth can see it. On its face it bears the symbol of a large talon with the letters STTC arranged around it in a square. The logo is unmistakable to anyone who has even passing familiarity with mercantile trade as the symbol of the Silver-Talon Trading Company. They sit quietly and just eat their oatmeal as they wait for Nesseth to react.
Nesseth blinks as the ring is set down on the table, then blinks again as he catches sight of the logo depicted. Momentarily disbelieving, he slowly reaches forward and picks the ring up to examine it a little more closely, his oatmeal momentarily forgotten. "Silver-Talon... I remember seeing this on some pretty prominent buildings in Westport when I went there, some years back with the Guild." He looks at Plume and sets the ring back down, "So... your parents own the company?"
Doc Plume shakes their head. "No... the family is big enough. My dad's cousin is the president of the company, but I'm still a Silver-Talon and thus a part owner." They sigh as they take the ring and roll it over their fingers like a coin with practiced ease before setting it down to take a sip of tea. "And now you know my dark secret."
Nesseth sighs a bit as he leans back in his seat, thinking a bit about the information he just learned, his eyes angled down at the half-eaten bowl of oatmeal before him. A few seconds pass in silence, at which point he leans forward again, crossing his arms over the edge of the table, and smiles warmly. "Dark secret or not, that doesn't change who you are to me, Plume."
Doc Plume laughs and blushes a bit. They lean over and kiss his cheek. "You're too sweet." They go back to their oatmeal, feeling a bit better knowing that Nesseth doesn't care about their family connections.
Nesseth chuckles and smiles a bit brighter at the kiss, then resumes eating his oatmeal after he takes a sip of tea. "What can I say, Plume? Everyone is here for their own reasons, and it's usually to start a new life at the fringes of civilization. You might be a Silver-Talon, but to me, you're the cute-- er... pretty, no... beauti-- handsome...?" He pauses, rubbing his chin, then shrugs, "The really good-looking and kind gryphon doctor of Respite Falls."
Doc Plume giggles. "I don't mind any of those coming from you." They tuck the ring into their trouser pocket before resuming their breakfast. "I could say the same about you of course, well without the gryphon or doctor part. So what about you, do you have a family name or are you just Nesseth?"
Nesseth nods with a smile. "Then I'll be sure to just let my opinion of you flow free whenever we're talking about what I think of you." His smile falls into a more thoughtful expression as he thinks, "As for my name, it's nothing quite as prestigious as the Silver-Talons. My full name is Nesseth Laurelli, of a small family of hunters, marksmen and markswomen from Orela."
Doc Plume smiles. "A nice name." They look into Nesseth's eyes. "Is your whole family as attractive as you are?"
Nesseth holds Plume's gaze, though a blush colors his cheeks again beneath his scales. "Well, not to sound modest, but I know some of my relatives can clean up quite nicely, when they put the effort in. Me, I'm just lucky I can get the dust off my scales every day."
Doc Plume giggles. "I'll be happy to help you with that any time you want." They eat the last bite of their oatmeal and then wipe their beak off with a napkin. They let out a little sigh. "Do you want to know my given name?"
Nesseth hums softly as he finishes his bowl of oatmeal a few seconds later. He clinks the spoon into the bowl and sighs in appreciation, then wipes his mouth with a napkin before looking at Plume again. "If you want to tell it to me, I'm more than happy to hear it, Plume." He smirks a bit, "And as an aside, I wouldn't say no to some help washing up here and there."
Doc Plume blushes on both counts. They stand and take the two bowls over to the sink. They only reply once their back is turned. "It's Pinfeather... or Pinny, as my parents loved to call me..."
Nesseth hums quietly and watches Plume go to deposit the bowls in the sink. "Pinfeather... That's a nice name. But... I do have to wonder, now." He smiles a bit, "Which name would you prefer I call you in public, as well as in private?"
Doc Plume nods a bit. "Plume works for now... or Doc... I'm still not really sure how I feel about Pinfeather." They finish rinsing out the bowls and set them to dry on a rack by the sink.
Nesseth nods and stands up from the table. "Then Plume it is, for as long as you want me to call you so." He makes his way over to the gryphon as they put the bowls onto the rack, then gives them a soft hug.
Doc Plume turns and hugs Nesseth close, resting their beak on his shoulder. "Thank you." They give a soft sigh and squeeze him again. "I'm so lucky to have met you."
Nesseth chuckles quietly as he hugs Plume, lightly running a hand over the back of their shirt. "The feeling's mutual, then. Things have moved like a whirlwind, but... it feels like it's all working out, doesn't it?"
Doc Plume nods. Their wings twitch at the touch between them, but they just wrap their wings around him more firmly as their own hands rest on the small of his back. "It does. I think we shouldn't try to put labels on it just yet though. I mean, we're both new to this and..." They give a little sigh. "I worry that I'm going to mess it up somehow."
Nesseth hums. "Mmh, that's a fair enough stance on it, yeah... We're new at all of it, for sure." He tilts his head and sneaks a soft kiss on Plume's cheek, "I think the best we can do is just... be open to each other if anything's bothering us, even if it has nothing to do with us as a pair."
Doc Plume nuzzles back and smiles. "Sure. I would just hate for something to come between us." They smile and slowly let go of Nesseth. "I should probably head down and get ready for the day. You're welcome to hang around, of course."
Nesseth grins a bit as he releases Plume from his embrace. "I could spend some time here, sure. My patrol doesn't start until around 10 o'clock or so." He smirks a little, "If anything, we just need to make sure we don't get too distracted with each other if you have free time before I head out."
Doc Plume laughs. "I think I can behave myself downstairs, yeah." They finish their tea and put the empty cup in the sink. "Just make sure you can do the same when you see me bending over to get supplies or whatever..."
Nesseth laughs and grins once more. "I'll do my best to behave, I promise. We can save our ideas for later in the evening, if we, ah... want to get some exercise in again."
Doc Plume giggles, their cheeks flushing. "Right... make sure you don't forget anything up here." They move over to the door to the stairs down to the office, leaning against the wall as their tail flicks happily from side to side.
Nesseth takes a few seconds to make sure everything is in order with his clothes, and that there's no forgotten articles. A quick check of his pockets also confirms that his watch and wallet haven't fallen out. With a nod, he follows Plume to the stairs, his own tail swaying cheerfully behind him with each step.
Doc Plume opens the door and heads downstairs to work, trying to keep their mind focused on more chaste thoughts and not how cute and round Nesseth's butt is.
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TOWN CLINIC - MIDMORNING
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Doc Plume sits on the bench outside the office cuddled up against Ness as the two share a cup of tea before Ness has to go on his first patrol of the day. The gryphon is clearly still enamored with the lizard, though is doing their best to at least act somewhat professional.
Nesseth leans lightly against Plume's side, a warm cup of tea cradled in his hands as he takes occasional sips. He's smiling warmly at the gryphon as the two while away the morning in idle companionship before their duties start for the day.
Erika nearly bounces as she walks towards the Clinic, carrying a big basket of assorted plants and herbs. The okapi is wearing only her usual, a small chest wrap and a loincloth, both just big enough to cover what little she has in either department. She walks into view of the pair, then waves as she notices them: "Oh. Hi!"
Doc Plume is about to steal a cheeky kiss from Nesseth when Erika interrupts them. They set down their tea on an empty barrel next to the bench and stand up, waving back to the stranger. "Good morning. What can I do for you?"
Nesseth sneakily leans over a bit to accept the kiss when Erika's appearance causes him to sit up a bit straighter again. He looks around, then smiles and waves from his seat. "Oh, good morning, Erika!"
Erika looks at the pair, somewhat confused: "Am I interrupting something? And uh, is this the Clinic? I mean it was here with Hooktail?" She looks about, somewhat puzzled.
Doc Plume looks to Nesseth. "Friend of yours?" they whisper before looking back to the okapi. "Yes, it's still the clinic. I'm Doctor Plume." They step forward and offer a hand. "Did you have something that needs my attention?"
Nesseth nods in the affirmative as he takes another sip of his tea, then sits back and lets Plume handle anything medically-related.
Erika blinks, then looks at Plume: "Oh you're the Doc? That explains." She takes the offered hand in her stubby-fingered one and shakes strongly: "I'm Erika, I have these herbs and heard Hooktail had vamooshed but gotten a new Doc to replace and... well I guess you might need some medical herbs?"
Doc Plume gives an appraising look over the herbs they can see in the basket and nod, their mood improving. "Yes... definitely. The supplies are almost out. I was worried that I would have to get an order from Bairnell's Foothold..." They open the door the clinic and hold it for Erika. "Anyway, please, come inside, we can talk business there..."
Erika nods with a grin: "I've been away for a few weeks so I couldn't come earlier." She steps in, setting the basket on a table: "Normally I'm more about the town but I was getting a thing from Bairnell and I got a bit sidetracked."
Nesseth chuckles a little as he stands up and grabs Plume's teacup, then makes to follow the two into the office. "You do have a pretty good instinct about exploration, though, Erika."
Erika nods at Nesseth with a proud grin: "Oh, I know! I only get lost like every fourth time or so.I only get lost like every fourth time or so."
Doc Plume walks over to their desk and clears a space for Erika to show her wares. "Please, show me what you have there. I see a good portion of willow bark and some aloe vera, but some of the others I don't recognize..."
Erika nearly spins in place as she turns back to the table and Doc: "Oh right! I got a few handy-dandies that Hooktail at least appreciated me bringing and you know he wasn't at least entirely crazy." She starts picking apart the herbs in the basket and setting them on the table with expert hands: "Got some of those two as you said, then some Crass Root for burns, some Faint Willow for those magical rashes or at least I think that's what Hooktail used them for, got some Scarside Fern for, you guessed it, scars, and..." She babbles for a while until a pretty impressive assortment of various mostly-green things are laid out on the table.
Doc Plume quickly picks up a pencil and a piece of paper to jot down notes as Erika speaks, almost able to keep up with the deluge of information. Other than being a touch overwhelmed by the volume of goods, they seem quite elated to have fresh supplies. "Yes, good... all right, I can use that certainly..."
Nesseth goes about getting the teacups rinsed out and put away as Erika and Plume talk shop, though he keeps his head tilted somewhat towards the conversation.
Erika nods with a proud smile: "Some of those grow in real nasty places if you don't know what you're looking for, but I do so it's not really much of a worry. Happy to do my part for Respite, as always!"
Doc Plume looks at the array of plants and parts thereof strew across their desk and smiles, their beak gaping open. "Well, it's quite useful. What do I owe you for all of this? It must have been several days work to collect..."
Erika waves a hand: "Keep everyone safe and healthy, that's all the payment I need." She then blinks as a thought occurs, and hesitates a bit. She taps her forefingers at each other: "Although... if you could strongly recommend my Dad - Anthony Smithons, the old smithy okapi that his wife occasionally drags in here... if you could recommend he take it easier. Might believe a Doc better than me or my Mom."
Nesseth chuckles as he walks back to Plume's desk and leans against it a bit. "Mr. Smithons is still being a stubborn old man about continuing his profession, huh?" He smiles at Plume, "Maybe some doctor's orders would work nicely, here."
Doc Plume cocks their head at that request but nods. "Of course. It's a hard job, especially somewhere as hot and dry as here..." They look down at their notes again and frown. "If you don't mind, though, can we go over what a few of these are again?" They then spend a few minutes questioning Erika about the nature and use of about a third of the plants on the table, almost exclusively the ones only native to Aephix.
Erika nods with a lopsided grin as she leans on the wall after they've gone through the plants: "... Aaand yeah, Dad is stubborn as a mule. Can't take the smithy out of the Smith, or something. I swear we have to tie him to his bed at this rate."
Doc Plume sets their notes aside as they go about collecting jars and boxes and other vessels to properly contain the various plants, double checking the storage of the unfamiliar ones with Erika before bundling anything up. "Hooktail apparently thought himself too good to label many of his jars, otherwise I could just find the empty ones." They look over to Erika again. "And the biggest risk for your dad is dehydration and muscle cramps. Make sure he's getting enough fluids."
Erika nods knowingly: "Yeah, Hooktail told him as much. About seventy-three times. Mom is getting real frustrated cause he just can't quit and sit still for more than the afternoon tea, if that."
Doc Plume sighs. "I've met the type. I have a bunch in my family too..." They sit down at the desk and jot down a separate note about Erika's father before looking up. "Oh, there's still a few plants I don't have any supplies of that I would like, if you could get them for me. Let me know next time you'll be heading out and I can get you a list?"
Erika grins, stepping away from the wall: "Yuh! I can do that, if I remember. I do sometimes just leave cause I get excited about something."
Doc Plume laughs. "Fair enough. I'll have to come by and drop the list off when I get it put together then." They stand up and move around the desk. "But seriously, thank you so much. I wouldn't be able to do a lot to help folks if I didn't have ingredients for compounding."
Erika smiles brightly as she steps closer to Doc: "You're welcome! I just wanna help where I can." She then gives Doc a quick spontaneous hug: "Besides, happy to help such a cute Doc!"
Doc Plume blinks and hugs back. "Uh, thanks. I think?" They laugh a bit. "I'm glad to know that the local herbalist is at least friendly and helpful. All the ones back in Westport were cranky and aloof."
Erika lets go of the hug and grins: "Nah, being cranky and aloof is like so much not my thing. I want to help and be friendly and you just said that, didn't you?"
Nesseth laughs a bit. "Yeah, Erika's super helpful, and she knows the town and some of the surrounding environs back to front since she's been here for decades."
Erika sticks her (long) tongue out at Nesseth: "You're makin' me feel all old. Decades, pff."
Nesseth smirks in amusement. "But it's true, though. You've been here since you were... what was it your parents said...? Something like three years old or some such?"
Erika gives a defeated shrug and rolls her eyes: "Yeah sure fine, be technical."
Doc Plume smiles. "Nah, it's really good. I think we're going to have a really good working relationship." They walk over and stand next to Nesseth, nuzzling his cheek sneakily. "I'm so glad that folks in this town have been so decent. Shows me I made the right decision taking this job."
Erika grins as she looks at the two: "Most of the folks in this town are great! Well, except the few the aren't. That new elephant lady seemed a bit grumpy. I wonder what's her deal?" She shakes her head, then picks up her basket: "Anyway! More stuff to do, and who knows maybe you do too!"
Nesseth blushes just a touch at the sneaky nuzzle, then smirks a little more openly at Erika's last comment. "Well, perhaps. I suppose I do have a patrol coming up soon that I need to get ready for, among other things."
Doc Plume nods. "I have a lot of appointments this afternoon, and I need to get all these herbs labeled and filed away before then. Maybe some lunch too. I'm so bad about forgetting to eat sometimes."
Erika nods at the two, then gives a small bow: "Imma leave you to it, then~. Cheerio!" Before either can really realize, the enthused okapi has vacated the building.
Doc Plume bursts out laughing. "What a character."
Nesseth 's hand is only partway up in a farewell wave when Erika practically vanishes from the office. He lets his hand drop back down as he laughs as well. "She definitely is. I don't know how she can stay so energetic every day, though."
Doc Plume shrugs. "Not sure. Maybe she sleeps 16 hours a day or something." They hug Nesseth close and lean their beak against the side of his head. "I wish you didn't have to go on patrol."
Nesseth slips his arms around Plume and returns the hug with a soft hum, sneaking a soft kiss. "Mmh, yeah, but it won't be too long. As much as we probably want to, we can't always be, ah... 'distracted' during the day."
Doc Plume giggles. "I know. Probably best to get back to normal after last night..." They hug Nesseth close and give him a gentle kiss. "Mmm. Want to help me get these these plants all labelled and put away, then?"
Nesseth smiles and leans into the kiss for a moment, then nods as it breaks. "Sure, just tell me what you need me to do, and where you want it all to get stored."
Doc Plume has a bit of fun ordering Nesseth around as he helps them for a while before he eventually has to leave for the day.
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MARKET STALL - AFTERNOON
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Strix: Just on the edge of the market, Strix has a small stall set up, most of the space is taken up with Strix himself, working on his arm. He's got his natural arm, and a very rough, very ugly contraption to replace his right arm, basically just a bunch of steel rods bolted together, and some rough metal fingers and wires running through it all...but its easier to work with than no arm, as he tries to solder something in his 'proper' roboarm. Beside him, there is a small sheet with metal balls on it, about the size of a human's clenched fist. 'Glow-Up Bulbs- 5 gold'. According to the sign above.
Maybelline walks through the market place with her hood up over her face again, just trying to stay out of everyone's way as she buys some extra supplies for home. Finished with her shopping, she now walks towards the edge of the market, bringing her towards Strix's stall.
Strix glances up to Maybelline, half distracted by replacing a blown fuse. "Yes. Come. See. Glow-Up bulb, if you want a bulb that glows and goes up. Buy it!"
Strix: "..Please listen to important side effects. Do not use in coolers"
Maybelline hesitates, looking at one of the bulbs with a distrustful eye, "Glow-Up bulb? Um... not interested, sorry." She glances at Strix, eying the mechanical arm on the table. "Do you... need help with that?"
Strix: "Don't even know what Glow-Up Bulb does. Strix shiny. Don't sell many shinies" He grumps "Why take help from someone who badeye Strixshinies?" Shaking his metallic arm, a few broken shards of metal fall out "Damn cat!"
Maybelline snorts slightly, getting her hackles up. "I'm a stoat, thank you. And I'm a graduate of Central Sarn University, with degrees in mechanics and magitech theory with full certification in ICEE Generators! I think I could figure out an arm!"
Strix: "No, Not you! Cat fault for getting arm messed up" He waves a claw at her, before picking one of the globes "Then why stinkeye Globes! Top Shiny! Bad engineer if think these bads!"
Maybelline growls a little, "Hmph. Don't know why I'm bothering. I'm from Glaushire. I know quality engineering." She reaches for one of the globes to examine it.
Narrator: The globe has a small activation button on it, which would draw a small amount of heat from the surroundings to power it..and then glow with a decently bright light, and float in the air. It's a torch!
Strix: "Psh. School. Learn Shinycraft through experiment! Not Classes! Don't know when shiny will blow unless you blow it up!"
Maybelline examines the orb closely, then shakes her head, "Classes teach you the basic to avoid explosions in the first place! There's lots of simple precautions you can take to avoid those kinds of mistakes! You know what makes explosions? Shoddy craftsmanship and careless engineers." She sets the orb back down on the stall.
Strix: "No. You know how to make things that don't explode. Strix knows to make things that won't explode" He nods to the orb "Orb won't explode. No matter what. Best Shiny here. Strix knows all the simple precautions, all the non-simple precautions" He scrapes out some more armbits from his arm, before polishing the inside "Strix has lots of care!"
Maybelline stares a moment longer with a sour expression on her face, then slowly turns her gaze back to the arm, watching Strix work a moment.
Narrator: The arm is actually very well made, with an eye for detail. While there's certainly no 'standard' that May can see, it all put together tightly, with a huge amount of backup and redundancy- This thing got struck directly by lightning, and its held up surprisingly well.
Maybelline has an eye for detail, scanning the arm. She slumps a bit, voice low, "That arm is... very well made."
Strix: "Of course well made" He's vaguely insulted, mostly from residual grumpiness..but he's taking the compliment too! "Made many broken arms. Next arm will be better" He shows a small leading wire out of the arm "Will bring this wire down to boots. Then next lightning strike won't hurt" He points to another spot "Lightning will charge arm here instead. When arm breaks next will remake better"
Maybelline nods as she examines it a little closer. "This... is your design?" She looks back to the globes. "All of these?"
Strix: "Yes. Would never use NotStrix design. Not proper. Don't know how any could do it" Ironically, when Strix puts his mind to it and actually goes out to make something he intends to use long term..it's made with a huge eye for safety.
Maybelline continues to watch him work, "Well, NotStrix design is... well, I guess it wouldn't know you as well as you do, but that doesn't mean you can't learn from it." She picks up the globe she had previous set down. "How... much for the globe?"
Strix: "4 gold. Careful. Cools hand when you turn it on"
Maybelline pulls out the gold from the purse beneath her cloak and sets it on the stall. "And don't use it in the cooler?"
Strix: "No. Bad. Colder it is, the colder it will make it..so make not work in freeze" He passes over one of the orbs "Will follow you, or poke button to make it stay in air" He waves a claw idly "Can work out rest in own time"
Maybelline nods and stashes the globe away. "I'll do just that. I... thank you, Strix. I'm... sorry."
Strix: "Strix welcomes thanks" He grumbles a little at a particularly tricky bit of soldering, before turning it around "Please. Solder. These two bits" He waves his grungey tempoarary arm "Fingers too shakey"
Maybelline starts to turn away when she hears Strix's request. She turns back slowly, then nods, stepping closer to look at the arm. "These two pieces here? Sure..." She pulls back her hood, reaching into her overalls to pull out a pair of goggles before she takes Strix's torch.
Narrator: The two broken metal struts are in in an awkward position, and very wiggly. Verrry annoying to put together, and not much room to work with. It's not too difficult for someone skilled at the art though!
Strix: "Strix thanks you"
Maybelline solders the pieces Strix indicated, her work is a little slow as she is clearly being careful, but precise, her small hands perfect for such work even in the cramped interior of the arm. She finishes quickly and smiles, "Of course. My work may be NotStrix, but I take pride in it all the same. I hope it's what you needed."
Strix: "NotStrix work isn't worse than Strix's, but Strix would never use it, because Strix can't learn by copying" He nods to himself "Thank you. This is very good" He takes the arm back, nodding at it.
Maybelline bows her head, removing her goggles. "...I guess what my old instructor used to say is true. You really only start learning once you leave the classroom. Good luck with the repairs, Strix. I'll see you around, yes?"
Strix: "Yes. Good" He nods, waving her off
Maybelline takes the cue, pulling her hood up over her head and turning to head back home, feeling more than a little humbled, but not in a bad way.