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RESPITE GENERATOR - AFTERNOON
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Maybelline stands in her working jumpsuit, with the large double doors to the generator room cracked open to make it easier to bring things inside that might be awkward to fit through the side doors. Behind her the expanded generator thrums comfortingly, with the newest additional constructed piece looming large in the center of the complex.
Cavro stands at the end of the cart, dragging a crate of clanking parts off of it onto his shoulder to haul inside, grunting with each step before depositing the load at a clear spot near a wall. He huffs, glancing over the cargo. "These all look look like really good castings! I don't think I I have ever made anything this complicated though..." He picks up a part that ticks lightly when tilted, looking toward May.
Bracvar laughs as he steps through the door, hauling a box that could fit five of May in it without much of a complaint. None of the crates are marked, but nothing seems to have been forgotten yet. "Took a bit o' convincing, but even the most delicate lookin' part has at least one twin in these crates." He sets his box down gently at May's feet, revealing it's contents are tightly packed with cloth and paper.
Maybelline grins, giving Cavro a thumbs up. "The list I gave Bracvar were all the parts I thought would be most difficult to either make or procure." She nods excitedly at Bracvar, stepping towards the crate to put a hand against it, "The fact that you got this much is... well, nothing less then amazing, to be honest! It'll put us months ahead of schedule in building!"
Bracvar grins, laughing and waving a hand in mock dismissal. "It was nothing, I assure yeh. Just a little talk and a couple ales with an old friend. Well, and a little money..."
Cavro continues digging into his crate, setting each part neatly in a row on a nearby table. He draws a roll of dense parchment with holes stamped out of it, tilting his head slightly. "Instructions? Does this this generator use mechanical instructions for anything?"
Maybelline chuckles, "And speaking of which, I'll sign off on the delivery once we've taken a full inventory. You'll have to haggle with the town treasurer for reimbursement though. I've basically authorized my full budget for these though. If there's cost beyond that... I'll do whatever I can." She tilts her head towards Cavro, "Err... instructions? I've my own blueprints but... what kind of instructions?"
Cavro shrugs, holding the cards up. "I I have no idea... Might be part of-"
Bracvar interrupts, clearing his throat. "Not terribly important, a lot of things were thrown in as 'what ifs' by my contact. I did mention that these parts are likely lightly used, salvaged from decommissioned machines, aye?"
Maybelline walks towards Cavro to examine the instruction cards, only to stop as Bracvar clears his throat. "Oh... uhh... okay. Right. I guess anything we find like that we'll just... set aside, then?" She shrugs at Cavro a little. "Might be fun to research a little anyways."
Cavro gives a bit of a smile as he nods to May, setting the cards down on the table. "Has everything else been been running well? No issues with the the parts from the smithy?" He steps past May, looking up at the machine before him.
Bracvar looks towards the cards after they're set down, shrugging to himself before he finishes opening the crate the crab had brought over, tossing the top layer of stuffing onto the removed lid for easy clean up. He turns to look at the generator as well, chuckling. "It certainly seems more lively than when I last visited you, miss engineer."
Maybelline grins, "Been running smoothly, Cavro! Your parts have been operating at the tolerances required! What we have now is a fully contained magical generator, operating off a hybrid ICEE-AMP contaiment circuit. All the readings are very promising. These parts here will go towards building the processing and siphons, and we can finally take the strain off the temporary generator and convert it into an auxillary output."
Bracvar blinks at May before shaking his head slightly. "I understood maybe a third of that, but it all sounds very impressive! I wouldn' want to keep yeh from getting started on quantifyin' yer delivery, just one more big crate and a little'un to drop off." He scuttles out the doors, the sound of wood scraping on wood starting moments later.
Cavro nods as May explains, smiling faintly. "Very glad those parts are are serving you well, May. The whole job is sort of a a blur, to be honest, must have been too too busy after. Still..." He steps up to the generator and lays a hand on the side, feeling it thrumming away, "Congratulations!"
Maybelline nods, looking up at her work with pride. "Heh, I hear that. Feels like I just got to town, but here we are. I can't believe it's already this far along. You and Brunilda have made it all possible. Gonna be better for the town overall once it's all done, I'd say."
Cavro chuckles quietly, nodding as he turns back to May. "Well, being helpful is what I'm good at... I I think? I I guess I can't be the judge of that, right?" He turns towards the crate Bracvar had opened, squatting next to it and pulling a delicate looking glass orb full of inert violet smoke out of the cloth, four copper prongs poking from the bottom of it. "I I certainly couldn't make something like like this, though..."
Maybelline turns to follow Cavro. "Maybe not. You made plenty though. You certainly helped me out. I wouldn't be this far without your hard work. Honestly, I thought it was a longshot that any blacksmith in town would be skilled enough to make anything I'd need. But you proved me wrong, and I'm all the happier for it! For the rest... standing requests to Sarn Institions might take months or years before I got anything like these parts."
Cavro nods, blushing, though his expression is a mix of embarrassment and happiness at the compliments, the badger's face takes on a shadow of doubt as he sets the orb back into the crate, glancing over the others to either side of it. "Thank you, I I understand why you would feel that way, in in a frontier town... But I have to to admit, I-"
Bracvar bumps the large door open with his legs, grunting as he drags a creaking crate inside. "Almost broke my shell pulling this off the cart!" He laughs heartily, hauling it next to the glass orbs and letting it down with as soft a thud as he can manage. The top crunches as he heaves the crate open, revealing the densely packed materials inside, including a smaller container full of magically charged granular lead. "This'n was more than half the cost, I hope the lead is actually important." He stretches after the effort, chuckling.
Maybelline turns towards the other crate and oooo's. "You actually got the charged-lead? Wow, that was a stretch! Considering the difficulty Elizabeth had with charging the containment cell..." She frowns, sighing, "But that aside, that's definitely important!"
Cavro looks toward Bracvar, sighing under his breath and looking over the crate. "Charged lead? Oh, is is that supposed to help with with the charging? Or is that part of containment? I I'm sorry if your plans showed it, I've forgotten."
Bracvar nods, though his grin is a little less jovial. "Aye, the benefit of recycling. Usually can't get the stuff, always spoken for before they tear a generator down."
Maybelline nods, "Charged lead will be used to line some of the conduit lines. If I have enough, I can add an extra layer to the city lines underneath too, a bit of revitalization if you will, I don't know how worn those lines are." She frowns. "Definitely worth checking before I hook up the new power source."
Cavro nods with a warm smile, straightening up as he listens to May. "That makes sense, I I guess it's more conductive then. Interesting! You sure do know a a lot about this stuff, I'll have to to listen closer next time."
Bracvar laughs, nodding as he stretches again. "Just one more crate, but this one's a little less for the generator, a bribe of sorts, as requested." He winks at May, forgetting briefly that it doesn't really mean anything with an eye patch on, before scuttling quickly back to his cart.
Maybelline straightens up at mention of the 'bribe', blushing slightly, "Oh. Oh... right. Ha..."
Cavro turns to May with a curious expression. "Bribe? Is... This something I I want to know about?"
Maybelline scratches at the side of her neck, laughing softly, "Just a present for Louma. You know, Guard Captain and all... it's not actually a bribe."
Cavro pauses, tilting his head slightly. "But... Getting a gift for a a Guard Captain sounds like a bribe..?" He seems to be missing the detail of May and Louma's relationship at the moment.
Maybelline glances at Cavro, this not making the blush fade, "Yeah, but less so when you're dating her. Hahhhhh..."
Cavro blinks, suddenly nodding as it clicks together, his embarrassment clear. "Oh right! I I I'm sorry! It must have slipped my my mind!"
Bracvar scuttles back inside, beaming a smile as he carefully sets a relatively small box down on the nearest desk, lighter in design than the crates the generator parts arrived in. "I couldn't get a spear, of course. I had to avoid the extra eyes, what with the last crate. Yeh can wait until later, we can work out whatever yeh feel is fair for it after givin' it to Captain Louma."
Maybelline nods back to Bracvar as he comes back inside. "Thanks for going out of your way for that. And yeah, can hardly charge that to the city treasury, heh. I'm make sure to give you fair price for it, though."
Bracvar chuckles, nodding slightly. "Aye, on yer own time, I know yeh aren't going anywhere after all the work yeh've put in here. I'm going to head back to the Minnow, I think, fer a pint and some. Ah, and Cavro, need another bunch of those two-pronged nails of yers, held down the cover great, but they also hold the side boards tight together, too!"
Cavro nods after a few moments, chuckling quietly. "Glad they're serving you well, Bracvar. I I'll try to get some made before you you leave."
Maybelline gives Bracvar a thumbs up. "I'll get the signed off invoice to you there once inventory is taken. And uh, yeah. I'm pretty well committed to Respite now, in just about every way. So you can definitely find me here."
Bracvar laughs, patting the badger heavily on the shoulder as he nods to May. "Aye then, take care for now, May. Cavro." He gives each one parting nod before scuttling out of the building. His cart can be heard crunching across the road a few moments after he's stepped outside.
Cavro buckles slightly under the pat, chuckling quietly as he waves the crab off. "Good day!" He turns to May and the rest of the still-packed crates. "I I hope this all doesn't put you way over budget..."
Maybelline frowns, but manages to chuckle, "I don't really have much of a budget for awhile now. Plume has contributed a bit, but I'm mostly just keeping enough for food and the rest..." She points to the generator.
Cavro looks to where she points, nodding sadly. "Maybe the the town can move a a little more toward this project? They must know how important your your work has been."
Maybelline shrugs. "They're doing their best to... Respite isn't the richest town, but there's a few wealthy traders here who, no matter what my personal opinion of them is, have contributed. I just... I still feel like it's my fault. My responsibility."
Cavro shrugs, turning to May. "Perhaps, but even if if it is, it's done. You made your second chance, so so just keep moving forward, right?"
Maybelline nods solemnly. "That's the plan. Got a lot of good friends to help me though. Thanks, Cavro."
Cavro chuckles, lightening up a little. "That's right, you do! And apparently a a Guard in your pocket."
Maybelline blushes, "More like I'm in her pocket. But uh, that's neither here nor there. But yeah, it's something I definitely didn't count on when I moved here. That I'd actually find folks I care about here... and who care about me."
Cavro smiles warmly, nodding as he glances toward the crates, then the generator. "You've made a difference in in their lives. It's only natural..." He turns back to her. "There's a lot to to unpack here, maybe one of us should should pick up some food?"
Maybelline nods, "That's... not the worst idea. Get some lunch and then do the inventory. I think we can get it all unpacked before it gets too late."
Cavro nods, turning towards the doors. "I'll go go find something good, then. See you in a bit, May!"
Maybelline gives Cavro a thumbs up. "Just get me a sandwich or something. I'll get started with what's already open. I can at least get a little bit of this stuff unpacked."
Maybelline sets to work as Cavro heads out for lunch, humming to herself as she sets about unpacking the parts, one eye glancing towards the 'bribe' as she thinks about Louma with a smile.