argentmarteau | Another Day, Another Abomination of Science

More than that, if everything in here's been turned to gold.

[He'll stoop to pry a bottle off the floor, since, well. Gold now.]

What in the hell did you do, Maxwell?

...I don't think I did this.

[Tapping a finger to her lips.] I think whatever mixed into that smoke reacted when you blew all of it out. Turning things to gold requires an incredible amount of energy, that's why it's so difficult.

And yet most of your tower's now golden. I didn't put that much power behind it... I don't think.

[Suddenly there's a spot on the ceiling that's fascinating.]

I meant the original accident anyways.

You don't think?

[It's a gold and sparkly spot?]

...The cinnamon was for, ah. Well. It doesn't matter, I burned them anyway...I didn't think there was so much in the air still when I had to redo the wards.

I can't really explain more that that. My...hand slipped. I've never slipped.

[Given how quiet she gets by the end of that, she's still really shaken by the whole thing.]

Sometimes, it's a little hard to figure out how much power I'm putting behind something!

[He looks back over at her. He definitely caught that quietness.]

Hey, Maxwell. I don't normally make these sort of offers twice, but, join my gang. It's not like you can stay here until you get repairs done, gold's too soft and heavy to be structurally sound. And if you're working around others, accidents can't get out of hand like this one did.

...Or I could accidentally explode half your gang, that's also a distinct possibility.

[She rubs idly at the wards, not quite looking at him.] Does this come with jumping at your orders? Because I don't think I'm actually physically capable of that kind of obedience.

The guys you see with me are my handpicked best, or they're new. The new guys need to be broken in, the others just snap to because, well...

[He pauses, and scratches his chin.]

It's a matter of respect, I guess? They've been with me the longest, some of them, and others have some serious experiences that bind them to the gang.

That didn't really answer my question, y'know.

[She sighs, and finally looks up.] I do kind of need to know what's expected of me, here. It's not like you're only offering a couch to crash on.

Normally, it's a lot more strict, but since you're obviously a more... how do I put this, independent operator, and I can respect that, just don't pick a fight with me in front of the guys in public. As long as the chain of command goes unchallenged, then, we're good.

I see.

[She looks back down at makeshift handwraps for a while, and shrugs.] I can live with that.

[Clasping a hand on her shoulder.]

Well, then. Welcome to the team.

[Well, he gets a mock-salute before she blinks and looks over his shoulder at something.]

...I wonder if it got my clothes as well.

[That could be a problem, given how singed hers are.]

...You should probably check that. I imagine the guys can help you come up with something in our style, but.

[He kind of blinks.]

Maybe that wouldn't work so well for you.

How bad is it that you're saying that?

[Wandering over to the wardrobe and opening it to her...brand new collection of bling.]

...Well, then.

...Well it's better than your new found chainmail bikini. It just might be a little more rough than you're used to, is all.

[He rolls his neck.]

I mean, it's not like we don't have women in the gang, or anything. We can find you something.

I'm categorically banning all miniskirts unless you've the proper stockings to go with it. If I'm going to be wearing something ridiculous, it should at least look good, just saying.

[Eiriol, you worry us.]

There's no point staying here, then. The outer wards will keep this from collapsing for at least a week.

Argue it with whoever gets your uniform put together.

[Turning for the door, then!]

C'mon, then. Let me show you where you'll be staying, then.

[And if she follows him, it's... well, it's in one of the scarier parts of the island and it looks like a rundown series of apartment blocks.]

[Well, she's following...and about halfway there starts scribbling in a notebook while she walks. He may want to consider if bringing a mad alchemist down here was the best idea he's ever had.]

[Well, once she gets inside, through the doors that lock behind them, then unlock in front after verification, she will find... that apartment block has basically been gutted and turned into it's own bustling little set of buildings, in brief. There's no alchemy lab anywhere near on the level she's used to, but there is a rudimentary one, as is there a forge, machine shops, cloth and leatherworking stations... the list goes on. It looks like the upper floors are still residential, though.]

Welcome to the best kept secret on the island.

...My, my.

[She puts away the notepad and looks around. If he's paying attention, he might notice that calculating look that means she's already mapping out work in her head.]

How long has this been here?

It was started before I found it, but when the gang started putting itself together, we really started work here. The inside of the building's kept up nicer than most the dorms, we just make sure the building looks like hell.

[He laughs.]

The others know who you are. Just tell them whatever you need is on my tab, okay?

'Know who I am'? [Giving him a look that says she's curious what exactly they know, but she shrugs and goes wandering off for clothes.

and lasts a good ten minutes before getting in a discussion with someone about how to expand the inner space without drawing attention.]

[Well, he's not waiting around for that. The gang either knows her from school, since they're mostly students, or as "that scientist the boss keeps talking to" which is innocuous enough.]

[He won't be waiting for her where she left him, but if she asks around he apparently keeps audience on one of the top floors, and true enough, that's where he can be found, sitting in what seems almost like an old-style court.]

[Well, she does eventually find him, and someone apparently had what counts for traditional selkie wear, because it's a thin, floor-length gauzy dress that is clearly made to come off easy, along with the bags she's carrying, and she stops at one end of the hall and checks to see just how many people are there.

...given her expression, someone probably insisted on the dress. Probably just because there was an opportunity to force someone into it, we're guessing.]

That's a different look, Maxwell.

[He looks back and forth, among those assembled.]

This is Maxwell, she's staying with us for the time being. She pledged her loyalty, so, an insult to her is an insult to me. Got it?

[...Well that sends some curiously murmurs through the crowd and a few more looks her way.]

I said, "Got it?!"

[And that gets the adamant yes sir he was looking for.]

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