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RESPITE FALLS GENERATOR ROOM - MID AFTERNOON
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Narrator: The Generator has -somehow- kept working through out all this, to somewhat generous definitions of 'Working' and 'Generator'. From the outside, there is a sharp smell of ozone, as the lightning cracking down at regular intervals does rather 'interesting' things to the air around it. Just outside, with a large arrow point down above it, are a pair of boots made out of some odd black stretchy material. Presumably to be worn for anyone entering the ruinous, but patched up generator building. Inside crackles and whirrs can be heard, through the wooden board door. Unlocked..at least.
Maybelline carefully opens the door connecting her quarters to generator, glancing inside again. She wrinkles her nose at the smell, looking at the... thing which Strix constructed in her absence, then nudges the door wider and works her way in with her crutches. "Strix?"
Strix points back outside "Put on Boots" Inside was..a horrifying array of wires, metal bits and in one case a piece of Ham that appear to be in a position that was preciously occupied by a fuse box "Not safe. Zappyblasts if not wearing it"
Maybelline blinks, then nods, backing up to put on the (slightly overlarge) boots, one awkwardly hanging off her bad leg. "Yeeeahhh... that's what we need to figure out, isn't it?" She glances at the crutches, "Uh, and these?"
Strix zips over to her, he's got the same, abet better fitting boots on, as well as gloves, and a coat made from the same stuff. He grabs a few bits of it from a desk and quickly jabs two of them on the end of the crutches "There! No No Zappies" The more she sees the more..well..it'd be enough to have her safety instructor curled up in the 'safety ball' "Strix happy to see May back again. Strix not like having to" At the top of the room, a clock hand that was turning is finally pointing straight up, everything in the room vibrates and....BADOOM! Lightning surges through the entire room, everything going blindingly bright for a split second "Working on same project for so long..." He stops, before passing her some goggles too. "Strix not need. Kobold eyes strong" He's got a pair himself, but wearing them above his eyes..honestly more a fashion statement.
Maybelline slips on the goggles, closing her eyes at the sudden flash before she tries to reorient herself, trying to take in... everything. "Well... yes. And I appreciate all of... this? I don't even know how it's all working, let alone not constantly on fire." She swallows before she nervously begins to move into the room, entirely unsure what she's looking at. "There's... a lot going on here. But I'll be more then happy to take this project off your hands. Well, maybe not 'this' project, but the generator."
Strix: "Is on fire a lot. Everything that can go on fire already burned up. Strix don't want generator. Strix not like.." BADOOM! "This" Lord Between, He's used a cutlery kit wrapped up in string as a capacitor..how!? WHY!? ...OH GOD, He's somehow managed to use one of the Barbecue Skewers as a power splitter, on the one hand..that's impressive, on the other hand THERE'S A GODDAMN SPLITTER THERE. He's used it to wedge between two batteries to balance the load between them. In theory, all of this could be studied to learn so much..in practice it would just result in a reversion to alcoholism. It's the funhouse mirror of engineering. "Strix think that generator should be returned to May soon."
Maybelline nods, eye twitching both horrified, and attracted to the mishmash of engineering miracles spliced together with textbook examples of *Never Do This*. "Y-yes. I'm uh, happy to have it returned to me. I think. So uh, before I can start. How do we turn..." She waves her hand nebulously around the room, "This off?"
Strix considers this "...Hmm..Strix need to think. Lightn(BADOOM!)ing blasts power safety anti explosions measures. No more lightning, safety goes, remaining lightning will blow up everything...." Strix rubs his chin thoughtfully, before moving, and picking up some sort of frankencrossbow "Strix make this. Not fully made. Not actually shooting lightning bolts yet...." He moves, and grabs a bit of wire, and starts wrapping it around a piece of wire "Strix think if Strix short out Lightning rod and battery feeder reflectiony thingy...Power will back feed..but..can vent through skybolt" He seems to be doing some metal math "Lightning make circuit between ground and sky, if power -greater- on ground than in sky....then generator's lightning potential maker will go in reverse..."
Maybelline nods slowly as she's trying to follow Strix's logic. Which... logically makes sense? "So. We just dump everything back up and let it balance out...? Cut the circuit and let it push the energy back out? That... should work? And then I can get this all cleaned up and start building." She smiles, every bit the smile of someone who is utterly terrified of the implications of what could go wrong. Hell, possibly the implications of what could go right!
Strix: "Okay!" Strix looks to the clock, and jussst as the timer runs down to the next Strike, he fires the bolt, puncturing the machine at base of the lightning rod, the trailing wire touching the other mass of metal and insanity just below the batteries..and...Everything goes white for a moment, as the entire electrical infrastructure of the generator glows with electrical potential..before there's a distinct *SCLORP!!* sound, one that would haunt the sleep of any poor engineer who's well read enough to know what's happening as everything vents back out of the generator room, a blast of lightning firing UP out of the building, meeting the leader bolt coming down, carrying it up...and visible through the room of the generator, striking the cloud cover above with an explosion...not of energy..or even sound, just a deep tingling in the bones, and literal hair-raising as the entire goddamn sky flashes with power dispersing into the much, much larger surface area than the room could ever possibly have...everything balancing close enough to not do any damage. Strix forgot to carry the 2 in one of his mental maths, demonstrated by the Ham-Fuse cooking itself in an instant and exploding...but..it..kinda worked? ...Slowly, but surely...it began to rain.
Strix: "...Huh. Strix was aiming for top of battery, not bottom of battery"
Strix: "Good thing Strix bad shot"
Maybelline 's eyes go wide as Strix fires the bolt, which she probably should have expected him to do right this very moment, but it still catches her off guard. "Well, I survived one explosion..." She watches in horror and awe as her hair stands up on end, fluffing out her fur, before being splattered with hot ham. "...I was not prepared for today."
Strix picks a piece of ham from his shoulder, and tries it "....Strix needs to make this ham again. It's very good"
Strix: "Oh!" Strix dashes forward, and turns a switch, just before another bolt would have been called down "Strix silly. Nearly forgot"
Maybelline blinks, "O-OH! Right! Is that... it then?"
Strix: "...Strix thinks so" *Another Circuit in the back explodes* "...Maybe wait until the morning"
Maybelline nods, twitch at the extra explosion. "That seems... wise. At least if something really blows, it sounds like it's raining outside..." She pauses, having definitely heard everyone talking about the first rain of the season, but suddenly entirely sure this is their fault... somehow. "Guess the town really won't have any power now, until I get the first tier solution up. But at least they've likely prepared for that."
Strix: "...Yes" He nods "All back up batteries were drained by reversebolt, will take some time to recharge...but Strix now free to make own stuff"
Maybelline nods, giving Strix a thumbs up. "Yep! I'll take it from here. I uh... thanks, Strix." She glances down a moment, then looks back up, "You told me... the day would come when I'd have a project I cared enough about to work on even after it exploded. You were right. Can't say it's the generator, but it is... Respite. That probably sounds really sappy, but, this town is... nice. It's not perfect but... I like it. And I want to make it better, even after I exploded."
Strix: "Strix think town okay. Better than home. Strix allowed do Strixprojects without being annoyed"
Maybelline: "Better then home..." She sighs, "Most of it. I miss my family still, but I'm making new friends. I don't know. This generator is going to be Mine too. Biggest shiny May's ever built. That's gotta be something to be proud of, once it's done."
Strix: "Exactly! Strix approve" He puts down the crossbow on his workbench, shooing away a beetle that had come to investigate a bit of splattered ham "Strix will take away all Strixprojects this evening, so May can work from morning!"
Maybelline grins, "Perfect! If you need help I can..." She glances down at the crutches, "Okay, I might not be that good for moving stuff around. But I can help take stuff apart at least."
Strix: "Strix appreciate thought, but Strix prefer only Strix touch Strixprojects"
Maybelline nods, "I... sorta understand. Yeah, I do. But I'm right through there if you need me for anything." She points back towards the door to her quarters.
Strix: "Right! Will do" Strix gathers up some of the smaller things, and starts packing them away.
Maybelline watches a moment, turning to look where the ham had previously been. She picks a piece of ham off her face and ponders a moment before popping it in her mouth. It's... actually pretty good? She shrugs, then turns to hobble her way out, calling back, "Thanks again, Strix!"