Solo New Season, New Hobby

[Lua Petri]

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10 Fall 518 AV

For most of her childhood, Lua had always thought working with machines was an interesting and respectable job. Ever since her parents had bought her a small mechanical toy as a child, she was fascinated with learning for herself how to make something like that. But as she grew up she could never find the time. If she did have the time, she didn't think of it.

But as the temperature slowly began to dip and the Watchtowers turned from yellow to red, Lua finally found time. Especially with the fog thinning out and a lot of people deciding to take time off to celebrate. She took a day off from The Sunrise Nook, and shortly after 10 Bells she left her little cottage to head to Lucis and Lucis. She had gone once before, meeting a curious woman named Savis who worked there. It was a longer walk than usual, and she ended up stopping at Mhakula Teahouse for a quick rest and a cup of tea before continuing the rest of the way.

Boxcode by Allassanachassanya

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[Lua Petri]

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10 Fall 518 AV

When she got to Lucis and Lucis, she felt excited walking into the machinery-filled building once more. Seeing all these poles and gears lining the walls made a smile stretch across her face. She knew nothing about how most of them worked, but she focused on the fact that she would know more in the future.

An elderly man was sitting at the front counter, working on something small. He must've been Edward Lucis, the owner. Lua hesitated to approach the counter, not wanting to distract him from whatever he was doing. But she took a step and ended up kicking a loose screw. It skidded across the wooden floor, causing a fairly loud and long rattle. Mr. Lucis looked up, and Lua's mouth stretched into an awkward smile. "Oops. Sorry about that. Didn't mean to disturb you. You look... busy."

He chuckled, lifting his hands to reveal the finished project. It was a mechanical duck, and when he twisted the key in its back it began to walk across the counter. It made whirring and clicking noises, its mouth opening and closing with clicks. Lua's eyes widened as she watched, and her smile widened. "That's beautiful! How long did it take you to do that?"

Mr. Lucis looked at Lua, the duck continuing to waddle until it slowed to a stop near the edge of the counter. "Just a couple days, but that's only because it's such a simple design that I've practiced for years." He put his arms on the table. "But the real question here is, how can I help you today?"

Boxcode by Allassanachassanya

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[Lua Petri]

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10 Fall 518 AV

Lua walked up so she was standing right in front of the counter. She ran her hand through her hair, thinking as she looked at the duck. "Well, I've wanted to get into that sort of thing, making little walking machines and whatnot. But I have no idea where to start."

"Ah! I see!" Mr. Lucius nodded, walking out from behind the counter. He led her to an area of the shop where crates filled with different pieces of small machinery sat. He pointed them out and explained what they were: gears, screws, bars, string, pulleys, screws, levers, wheels... Lua lost track. When he finished naming all the pieces he looked back at Lua and smiled. "Any idea what you'd be interested in making?"

"Thank you," Lua nodded and looked over the pieces. "It would be amazing to get to make one of those ducks someday, but that's probably too ambitious right now."

Mr. Lucis laughed. "Yes, focus on right now. As a novice it's best to take things slow and make sure you're comfortable making very simple objects before making anything more."

After about thirty chimes of explaination and examining, Mr. Lucis helped Lua gather up some materials she would need to make a simple wind-up contraption. She bought a pair of wheels and an axle, string, metal poles, small screws, a metal base shape, and a key for winding. It came out to around fifty kina, which Lua handed over with hands shaking from excitement. But as she began to put the pieces into a bag, she nodded to Mr. Lucis and thanked him for the help. Hopefully this would come out well!

Boxcode by Allassanachassanya

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[Lua Petri]

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10 Fall 518 AV

She returned home at around thirteen bells. Lynelle was excited to see her, jumping up and trying to lick her face. Lua grinned and knelt down, hugging the pup and rubbing her thick poofy fur. "Hey, girl! Did you miss me? I'm back, don't worry!" Lynelle continued licking and letting out excited whines, even while Lua tried to stand again. She followed Lua as she checked on the chickens outside and on Lua's food and water bowls. Only when Lua went to her table and sat down with the bag on the table did she point at Lynelle and order, "Sit, girl! Sit!"

Lynelle was still a fairly excitable puppy, and it took Lua a couple more times to get her to finally sit. She watched Lua with her mouth open and tongue hanging out, her small spiral tag wagging excitedly. Lua opened the bag and dumped out the components onto the table, moving them slightly with her fingers to spread them out and examine them. "Alright, let's see..."

For bells she sat at her table, looking over the pieces and doing her best to figure everything out. She connected the wheels to the axle, screwing them in and playing around with that for a bit before continuing. She connected it to the base with strings and the poles, using notes in the plan to make sure it worked. Connecting it so the key successfully caused the toy to wind and then move was the trickiest part. It took several tries to finally get it to work. It was dusk by the time Lua finished. She had stopped to refill Lynelle's water bowl as well as get herself a quick snack of fruit, but other than that she had stayed at the table working hard.

Boxcode by Allassanachassanya

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[Lua Petri]

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10 Fall 518 AV

When she finished she sat back in her chair, reaching up and stretching out her back and arms. She let out a long yawn, which awoke Lynelle from her nap on the bed. She looked at Lua attentively, and wagged her tail slightly. Lua grinned at her. "Finally done. Wanna check it out, girl?" She grabbed the toy and put it on the ground for Lynelle to sniff. She hopped out of bed and rushed over, sniffing and huffing over the toy curiously.

Lua watched with a small smile, and cranked the key a couple turns. When she let go, the toy immediately began to vibrate and slowly roll forward. Lynelle jumped back and began to bark at it, startled and excited by it. Lua let out a laugh, watching Lynelle amuse herself. "This could be a good toy for you. It'll keep you distracted better than a bone can."

The toy kept slowly rolling and Lynelle watched it with her head on the ground and tail wagging. Lua stood up to prepare dinner, but suddenly Lynelle started barking and pounced on the toy. Before Lua could do anything, she landed on the toy and crushed it. The wheels popped off and rolled in seperate directions across the cottage, the base dented, and the string holding it together snapped. Lua froze, watching with her jaw dropped. "L...Lynelle!"

Lynelle looked up at her, her tongue hanging out of her open mouth once more. Lua let out a frustrated squeaking sound, but relaxed. She knelt down and gathered up the pieces, petting Lynelle on the head. "It... it's salvagable... Nothing's really broken. The strings I can replace, the base is still in tact...." She sighed at Lynelle. "Silly girl. Didn't you see how long that took? Though I guess this means I'll be able to practice more...."

Boxcode by Allassanachassanya

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[K'irr Darkwater]

Lua

Observation - 2XP
Socialisation - 4XP
Gadgeteering - 2XP
Organisation - 1XP
Animal Husbandry - 1XP

☉ Location: Mhakula Teahouse
☉ Location: Zintia Peak
☉ Location: Tenten Peak
☉ Edward Lucis: Owner of Lucis and Lucis and gadgeteer
☉ Edward Lucis: Characteristics
☉ Gadget: Wind-up, mechanical duck
☉ Wind-up duck gadget: Characteristics
☉ Gadgeteering: Basic components and parts needed to construct the six different simple machines
☉ Organisation: Gathering materials needed for a simple wind-up gadget
☉ Animal Husbandry: Commanding Lynelle to sit
☉ Gadgeteering: Screwing wheels to an axel
☉ Gadgeteering: Following a basic plan
☉ Gadgeteering: Connecting wheels and axel to a base with string and poles
☉ Gadgeteering: Crafting a simple wind-up gadget
☉ Simple rolling wind-up gadget: A good toy for Lynelle the excited pup?
☉ Lynelle the pup: Destroyer of gadgets

Comments
Here you go, sorry I couldn't award you anything else. Keep in mind what I left on Nahaali's grade as it applies to this one too. Keep at it and do let me know if you have any questions or concerns regarding your grade!