[Lucis and Lucis] The Queen, Knight and Bishop

[Savis Maren]

51st of Winter, 518

The time has come, the Nuit reasoned. She'd spoken to Madeira the night prior, and she worked out some of the details needed for the golem the Spiritist requested. But there were other matters to consider, as well. Savis Maren had never requested anything so... extravagant, and thus, her costs were never so high. The undead didn't know what to expect, and thus, she asked the Craven to join her. The peak of Zintia knew the Nuit, now, and instead of providing her a wide berth as one might to a pariah, she slid through a space in the crowds. The 'hellos' and 'good mornings' an ordinary human being might expect sounded in earnest, and Savis, unused to such treatment, thought that they were meant for other people.

The crowds of Zintia were let to brush by the wayside as she left that peak for the more subdued Tenten. The triad of buildings that served to conceal more (much more) than the impressive sight that greeted any newcomer were noticeable even from a distance. The Nuit arranged for Madeira (a busy woman in her own right) to meet her and the gadgeteer within the second structure. A skyglass dome allowed the sky to be seen through it, the colors skewed as the light refracted. Savis Maren liked this building the best, for the academic air suited the themes of the Tenten Peak and epitomized the roots of Savis' passing intrigue in gadgeteering. Here, she'd found the first hopes of fitting into Lhavitian life, and though her employment was unsuccessful due to powers out of her control, Lucis and Lucis was still the business she prized the most in this city.

The undead didn't greet the gadgeteer, allowing her silver eyes to carry through the room, her fingertips brushing along the blueprints that littered a nearby table. The sound of shifting papers was loud, and it alerted an assistant to the presence of a guest.

"Er, hello," a young man said, his features uncertain as the cloaked countenance of Savis Maren disguised her features from view. She consciously avoided showing her face here, for her previous encounter with Lucis made it clear that the gadgeteer was uncomfortable with this form. She hardly wanted to bring rise to treasured memories for the gadgeteer, who she needed focused and at his best for when the Spiritist arrived.

"Bring me Mr. Lucis, please," the cloaked undead uttered, not bothering to face the boy as she stared out the window and towards the pristine beauty of her vantage point. The cityscape was visible to her left, the fusion of impeccable, man-made construction (made with the blessings of gods, no less) and the stalwart, breathtaking natural beauty of the world beyond the skyglass. Several chimes passed with the Nuit drinking in the scenery, and when Edward Lucis at last arrived to greet her, a cough sounded through the room. With the silence shattered, Savis Maren did not move. Rather, she uttered from afar,

"Shortly, my dear friend, we'll be joined by an ally of mine. She has a request for you," she said, and the gadgeteer approached of his own accord. He stood next to Savis, pointedly keeping his eyes forward as he asked,

"Is your friend an Animator like yourself? Are you merely introducing us and leaving?"

She shook her head, his question reasonable but most definitely not the correct one.

"Please, as if I'd make nice with competition and introduce them to the greatest mechanical genius of our time," she answered, her lips curved into a smile that the gadgeteer wouldn't see.

"Of course not. Then an ally of another sort?"

"I'm certain you've heard of her, Mr. Lucis. But I'll allow her to make her own introduction. She should be here shortly," she assured him.

"Alright then," he answered before stepping away. While they waited, he cleaned the clutter off the desks, making the room presentable as Savis Maren drank in the morning sky.

[Madeira Dusk]

Madeira entered the gadgeteering shop of Lucis and Lucis battered and bruised and pleased with herself. She had come straight from the Dusk Tower, having concluded a spirited lesson in exorcism. This included having a selected student in the class possessed by a malevolent soul and having the rest of the class use every technique she had taught them so far to rescue their classmate. She liked to do this randomly throughout the year, like a pop quiz, to judge their progress. She also liked to arm the possessed student. For motivation purposes.

Things had gotten slightly out of hand this time. Madeira managed to be decked by the surprisingly sprightly Mrs Baset, and sustained a bruised hip and a magnificently black eye. But the rest of the class did manage to restrain her before she could club their teacher to death with the wooden rod she was given, and Madeira was pleased to see a very proper application of ghostnails and almost no broken bones. All in all it was a grand success.

Now almost a bell later, Emma had led her through Tenten and to the proper building that Savis had described the night before. Yet as they walked inside the ghost wandered off almost immediately. The illiterate child proving completely uninterested in the many technical resources the library-like space was crammed with. A worker on the ground floor directed her to the room above, where he assured her the owner was waiting for her.

Madeira smoothed down her skirts and hair, and fixed her jewels so they sat straight on her fingers. Nothing could be done about the eye, unfortunately, but she still managed to look presentable as she crested the top of the stairs.

A great domed ceiling stood over the top floor, giving uninterrupted light and a magnificent view of the city. The air was ripe with fresh paper and wet ink, its many desks covered in technical blueprints and concept art. Savis was towards the rear, appreciating the view, while a spry old man in his sixties was fussing with the messy papers of a nearby desk. It was him she approached first.

"You must be Edward Lucis", she smiled, stepping forward and offering her gloved hand for him to shake. The man glanced up from his work, took in her bizarre appearance with a single stroke, and took her hand gently in his.

"You must be this mysterious ally of Savis'. Welcome. You're the Dusk Tower's new teacher, aren't you? Craven, was it?"

"Madeira Craven, yes", she smiled, pleased to be recognized even partially by this extraordinary person, who likely had very little contact with any Tower outside of Dawn. "Your reputation is legendary, sir. Though I know it best through our dear Savis. Is it true you built her wheeled and arm contraptions?"

The Nuit had brought his name up before, most notably as they were discussing the human corpse they had stashed in her basement. She trusted this man and his skills so completely she had suggested asking him to build stolen human bones into a working, moving skeleton. Madeira had shot that idea down immediately, for secrecy reasons. But as she looked over this kindly old gadgeteer she wondered if he she was remiss not to let Savis tap in on this association. And she wondered what it would take to make this obviously talented and respected man turn the power of his favorable opinion onto her, too?

"Simple gadgets, truly. It's the animator who's to be recognized for its sophistication", he answered modestly. "Are you... quite alright? Can I get you anything?" He glanced at the eye that was almost swollen shut.

"Not to hear Savis explain it. You're a genius, truly... And I'm quite alright. Hazards of the job, you know?" She turned their clasped hands to highlight the pockmark scars across the back of his hand.

"Indeed. Why don't you and Savis step over here and explain exactly what you need?"

Madeira noticed that while he spoke at a slightly higher volume so Savis would be sure to hear it, he did not look her way, not to acknowledge her or wave her forward. There was a kind of awkwardness between them that Madeira couldn't quite put her finger on.

The man pulled two extra chairs over to his chosen desk, and the pregnant woman sat gratefully. From within the desk a out a notepad and a set of charcoal materialized.

"Savis and I have discussed an animation I would like her to make for me", Madeira explained while he set himself up. "I have an interest in carving, you see. But I often find myself working with small objects and with great detail. I need a contraption to help with different magnifications while my hands are busy with delicate tasks. Something that can speak, see what I am doing, and have a wide range of movement."

Lucis nodded at the explanation, writing notes all the while in a cramped shorthand. "Excellent. I presume you've given thought to this potential animation, Savis? Please, give me the technicalities you require, then I shall come back to you for the practicalities, Miss Craven."

x

[Savis Maren]

Incidental tension suffused into the personal relationship between the gadgeteer and his formerly mute former employee. Savis Maren relieved herself of the disrespect that dwelled under the surface, chalking up the entire incident to a terrible coincidence. She did, however, not force the shell's face on a former... associate, and remained quite hidden from sight until Madeira Craven entered the room.

And another piece finds the board, the Nuit thought. The powerful revelations of the Winter brought the Nuit to a different state of mind, and the pettiness wilted away from her visage when the Spiritist arrived at last. It was time for business, and though the Craven and Lucis had their moments of introduction, it was very soon that she'd need to involve herself.

Savis turned when Madeira questioned the gadgeteer, seeing that gloved hand extend towards the elderly man. As she expected, the gadgeteer did indeed know who the Spiritist was. Even if it was just in passing. Rumours spread quickly throughout the six peaks of Lhavit, and surely a rising star among the limited number of instructors with the Towers would cause a stir. Savis' silver gaze shifted from form to form, her gaze focusing on the distinct expressions that formed. With Madeira, it was more difficult to read, the swollen flesh of her face distorting her smile and calling as much attention as possible to the risen purple flesh over her eyelid.

"Your reputation is legendary, sir. Though I know it best through our dear Savis," she quipped, and the Nuit nodded in appreciation. Dear Savis, recognized for its sophistication... Who knew how a room full of one's allies might result in this array of praise. Savis couldn't help the chuckle that escaped her lips, the girlish laughter quite taken with the copious flattery. Well-deserved, the Nuit reflected, quite willing to admit the totality of her worth.

Then, soon enough, Lucis went on to business. The pair of women were supplied with chairs, and Savis Maren allowed her fingertips to traverse the back of Madeira's chair. However, she did not move to sit. "I'll stand, thank you. You're too young for this, of course, Mr. Lucis, but old bones do tire of moving to and from that center of weight," she joked. Fingers rose up, thin and bony digits pressing into Madeira's shoulder. The touch had no strength behind it, a sliver of affection shown. In public, anyway. For all that the Nuit talked up Madeira Craven, it seemed to only make sense to brandish her favor in a visible way.

"Excellent. I presume you've given some thought to this potential animation, Savis? Please, give me the technicalities you require, then I shall come back to you for the practicalities, Miss Craven."

"In truth, Mr. Lucis, I'm quite pleased with the considerations I've given. Madeira's made it clear that the objects she seeks to imbue with carvery are particular in shape. She wishes for a multi-armed golem body. My thought was that several knobby joints could make for each of the arms so that the golem can remain thin but the limbs can work around each other with ease.

Following that, Madeira requested different magnification lenses, and certainly, that's very useful. However, several arms working in unison won't favor bringing up lenses to the eyes and towards the main body... So how about...?" Savis Maren, as she spoke, breached into the depths of her soul, she looked to the gadgeteer pointedly as the astral disconnected from the physical. An easy shift and the Nuit slid a film of djed, separating the two in an easy shift of pace. Then, she tapped on the gadgeteer's wrist and a soft cough parted her lips. The Nuit released her other arm, next, tearing a single page from the back of the notebook before handing it back to Lucis. Then, she took a charcoal pencil from his store, placing the paper on a virgin section of the desk. She began to draw, keeping the paper within view of both Spiritist and gadgeteer.

Savis Maren's invisible hand threw charcoal over the surface of paper. First, she created six dots, each of which orbited the center of the sheet of paper. Then, she joined the dots with a cylindrical body, placing six points equidistant from one another, three on each side. Then, the Nuit simply connected dots, forming six unique arms, each bent at a knobby joint as she emphasized,

"Each arm has at," she placed a circle about a third of the way up each 'forearm', "These points a single glass or a tiny jewel. Whatever cost-effective reflective surface you can pin onto the surface. It'll have a multitude of eyes, to allow the magnification lenses on each arm ample eyes to properly take advantage of." The illustrated her point then moved to the base. She created a circular platform, supported by four small wheels and illustrating a sturdy steel pole and a joint in the middle of it all.

"The joint here to service omnidirectional navigation to go with the capacity for omnidirectional sight." Savis sought, more than providing the Spiritist the grandest golem she could create, to truly test the bounds of her limitations, and with this level of complexity, she salivated at the idea of bringing a marvel of craftsmanship to consciousness.

"Lastly, there's the matter of these 'hands'. While two of them - one on each side - need be dedicated to the several differently focused lenses... the rest should be specialized with the different sorts of carving tools, so that the golem can utilize its judgment to decide how best to tackle a project."

More than simply giving Lucis a detailed depiction of what she wanted Madeira to have access to, she fully brandished the weight of her capacity for this discipline. She anticipated her own needs, and absolutely intended to surpass the Spiritist's expectations.