She sighed. Why did none of these tables have table cloths? She knew Zeetha wouldn't hesitate to undress to wrap her clothes around someone who she wanted to help, but Zeetha both had few people she would have been willing to help, and rarely wore enough to make a difference. Agatha warred with herself, not wanting to take off her skirt, even if it would make a fine cape. And never mind her early days on Castle Wulfenbach.
She looked about desperately for something to use, then inspiration struck. She whistled sharply and five small.... It was hard to know what to call them. They all had round bodies with limbs, each a little than a pocket watch. She eyed the five brass things.
"I only had one of you with me when I came..." She gave one particularly more attention, it had an eyeball, flat, where the face of the watch would otherwise have been. "How many clanks are you now?" She asked in the tone an irritated school teacher might take. The thing shuffled its small brass feet and she sighed. "We will talk about this later. For now, all of you, even the ones not here at the moment are forbidden from building more of each other until I say otherwise."
All the little toy things slumped. "But, I need your help right now...." She trailed off, laving the implication that she might be convinced to rescind the order if they were of aid. "You," she said, pointing to one of the outliers, "this man needs clothing. Do not take anything that will be missed, do not take anything anyone is wearing now. Go." The thing skittered off. She pointed to another. "Warm blankets, same rule. Go." It went. An army of handspan sized machines. She looked to the other three and grinned, "I need to build a heat ray." They all perked up. "Nonlethal," she qualified. They all slumped. "I can make it lethal later," she said with a sigh. "I need a good death ray anyhow. But first, nonlethal. I need parts. I need them fast. Same rules, nothing that is in use, nothing that will cripple this place, and nothing that will be missed. Go."
They ran off, seeming happy in their task. She turned back to him and smiled. "we'll have you dry in no time. Now, you are, it seems, on a ship in the aether. Whoever you were looking for probably is safe, but is also probably not here. It is... Weird... Here."
(Sorry for my typos, you got me after the computer shut down, so I am posting from my ipad)
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She looked about desperately for something to use, then inspiration struck. She whistled sharply and five small.... It was hard to know what to call them. They all had round bodies with limbs, each a little than a pocket watch. She eyed the five brass things.
"I only had one of you with me when I came..." She gave one particularly more attention, it had an eyeball, flat, where the face of the watch would otherwise have been. "How many clanks are you now?" She asked in the tone an irritated school teacher might take. The thing shuffled its small brass feet and she sighed. "We will talk about this later. For now, all of you, even the ones not here at the moment are forbidden from building more of each other until I say otherwise."
All the little toy things slumped. "But, I need your help right now...." She trailed off, laving the implication that she might be convinced to rescind the order if they were of aid. "You," she said, pointing to one of the outliers, "this man needs clothing. Do not take anything that will be missed, do not take anything anyone is wearing now. Go." The thing skittered off. She pointed to another. "Warm blankets, same rule. Go." It went. An army of handspan sized machines. She looked to the other three and grinned, "I need to build a heat ray." They all perked up. "Nonlethal," she qualified. They all slumped. "I can make it lethal later," she said with a sigh. "I need a good death ray anyhow. But first, nonlethal. I need parts. I need them fast. Same rules, nothing that is in use, nothing that will cripple this place, and nothing that will be missed. Go."
They ran off, seeming happy in their task. She turned back to him and smiled. "we'll have you dry in no time. Now, you are, it seems, on a ship in the aether. Whoever you were looking for probably is safe, but is also probably not here. It is... Weird... Here."
(Sorry for my typos, you got me after the computer shut down, so I am posting from my ipad)