[Wright Memorial Library]The Con & The Gadgeteer(Minerva)

[Matthaus]

He allowed the woman to lead him, keeping close behind and nearly jumping out of his skin when she squatted down in front of him. Matthaus was tempted to run then, the look in her eye making him nervous and his earlier assumption of crazy coming back to haunt him. But rather, his eyes grew large and saucer like along with a very unmanly yelp as she gripped his shirt yet again. He found himself sputtering to speak around her speech but then ended up listening. She was honest. Scary like nothing he’d ever known before but honest. Not to mention she was practically offering herself to help him, to let him use her to get him somewhere. A cautious suspicion wound up his back but he also noticed her odd grapple-like tool and her example, which was clearer than any words. With a thick swallow he responded hastily, “I’d rather be on your side ma’am.” But the moment she turned around, her words echoing into his ears he paused for a moment all the same. He watched her gaze lessen from something hard into something a little less so and felt his own return the look. For an unguarded moment he held no wariness of her and called softly, hoping she couldn’t hear. “Thank you.” But the moment was gone swiftly and Matthaus tugged the cloak around himself and scurried after her, wondering exactly what she could do for him and hoping it would work well. But he also made note of where they were walking and what exits she had, her earlier threat about the orphanage ringing loudly in his head. Once the actually reached the infirmary Matthaus took a slow step beside her and glanced around, it was mostly empty but there was only a few doors and closed windows. She could do whatever she wanted. Tense and nervous he looked at the woman, shifting from one foot to the other awkwardly. Another reason he never like helped, he never knew what to do with it. “What now? The clothes can’t dry here and I doubt you want me to keep yours,” a wan smile, “I’m Evan, in case that matters.” He waited for her to either call some form of guard or man-handle him again, deciding rapidly that now would be the best time to get his questions in. "I'm wanting to do art here...do they have that?" he spoke haltingly and gazed at her squarely. What exactly had he got himself into?

[Minerva Agatha Zipporah]

"Ya cut 'at 'ma'am' crap right off," she snapped at him. "Name's Tock. An' I ain't gots no patience fer foolishness, so since ya said ya can mind yer own self, ya go 'ead an' do 'at..." She didn't want to take care of the boy. Or perhaps she didn't want to want to take care of him. He just tugged at her heart strings, whether he meant to or not. And now that her own sympathy had been brought to her attention, it pissed her off. When they reached the infirmary, she helped her own self into the storage room and gathered some towels, a set of the soft white clothing they provided for patients, and a thick, warm robe. She helped out here often enough that she knew where everything was, and the staff wouldn't care about her helping herself without permission. She led him to an empty room, and she was greeted warmly when she was spotted by some of the staff. She had spent half of the last season here, stopping by on a near-daily basis for awhile. Everyone here knew her. "What do we have here?" one of the young nurses asked when she saw Tock leading the boy in. Like most of the nurses, she was studying medicine at the University, and got hands-on training here. "Friend's son what's gots a cough," Tock lied, placing a hand on the boy's shoulder and giving him a subtle look. She was honest to the point of rude bluntness when there was no reason to lie, but there were times when the truth had consequences. She didn't want the kid getting sent to the orphanage unless she decided it. "Gots 'imself all wet, dun want 'im fer ta catch a cold, aye? Ya gots some o' 'at tea what fer coughs?" The nurse gaze Tock a long, quiet, deep look, then nodded. In a soft voice she said, "Of course, Tock." Then she stepped forward to touch Tock's arm, looked her right in the eye, and said with deep sympathy, "We'll take good care of him..." Tock scowled and pulled away from the woman. After she left to fetch the tea, Tock grumbled to 'Evan,' "'At what been the same bull shyke sympathy ya were done complainin' fer, aye? Well, ya ain't gettin' 'at from me..." She belatedly realized that must have been how she sounded when she first started doting on the boy, which had made him recoil. But experiencing it from the nurse now made her eyes tighten with restrained emotion. She tossed the clothes and towels onto the bed and said, "Git changed, an' 'ang yer clothes up ya dry. I gots ta go check on some friends." She stepped close and thrust a finger in his face, and said, "Don't ya go thievin' nothin' 'ere!" She assumed automatically that a kid his age wouldn't have any legitimate means of income. "I ain't give a rat's arse if'n ya go thievin' out in the city, but 'ere, it'll come back on me," she thrust a thumb against her chest, "cause I done brought ya 'ere. 'Sides, 'ey gots kids 'ere what is really in need, an' I ain't gonna 'as ya takin' from 'em, aye?" She stared him right in the eye for a long moment, to make sure he knew she was serious. Then she gestured to the window and said, "Dun go tryin' fer ta climb out 'ere, if'n ya decides ta make a run fer it. Leads ta a courtyard, ain't no way back out from 'ere, 'cept back inta the buildin', an' 'at leads ya right by the nurses' station anywho." She turned, gestured across the hall, and added, "Use the window 'cross the hall, leads ya out front. But stay away what from where all the gargoyle carvin's is, cause 'at's right by all the professors' offices, an' 'ey don't take too kindly ta lurkers..." She knew that one from personal experience. She turned to leave, intending to check on the other kids she knew were still here. On her way out she said, "If'n yer still 'ere when I git back, I's tell ya 'bout 'ose art classes. Otherwise, mind yerself, an' dun gimme no reason ta come lookin' fer ya..." She told herself she didn't care if he was here when she got back, though a deeper part of her hoped he would be.

[Matthaus]

Tock? What kind of name was Tock? But he didn’t question it, only nodded jerkily and watched the exchange between her and the nurse with mild curiosity, this woman, this Tock, she seemed well-known. That could come in handy and she had already said she could make complicated questions go away… He caught her look and smiled a bit. This time a genuine smile, even if only half of one. This woman was strange but she was a necessary evil. For now. And she didn’t lie, at least not about a lot and what she had lied about was to help him, whether good will or not and whatever her reasoning was they woman earned a real point of trust with him. For all her odd speech patterns and her insistence she wasn’t trying to help she was helping and it wasn’t like Matthaus wouldn’t get anything out of it. Indignant Matthaus’ back went ramrod straight, “I don’t steal! People give me what I want. I’ve never stolen anything.” He may be a lot of things but he was not a thief. If people fell for his tricks it was their fault not his and he never did the same person twice, it wasn’t good manners. Then he listened in shock as she basically told him his escape routes. Not that it mattered but he had the strong urge to run anyways just to see if she would hold her threat and chase him but it wasn’t worth her orphanage threat. He heard of orphanages and none of it ever sounded like fun. After she left he waited a few moments, staring at the spot where she had been in mild confusion. This was not what he had planned when he had gone to the library. Not anything remotely close and here he was. He decided it didn’t matter but as he put on the clothes he couldn’t help but feel he was getting something for free. Lots of people thought conning was like that but it wasn’t. He worked hard to think of his plans and went through a decent amount of trouble to get them set up. He worked for it. He didn’t take charity. Stripping quickly he felt a cool relief at being in clothes that didn’t seem perpetually damp and folded his neatly on a bed and eyed the way Tock had gone. But he sorely missed his cloak and once more placed on the dry one Tock had given him. Feeling protected and curious as to if this woman was really what she said he didn’t run but tried to follow her path down the hall. Immediately confused by the corridors and many different doors. Still he walked with a confidence he didn’t actually have, trying to find these other ‘kids’ Tock had spoken of and the woman herself. Tapping the nearest nurse he gave a winning smile, and gestured to himself. “I’m here with…” he trailed off, he didn’t want to get her in trouble, not really, “a friend and I got lost. Where is the children’s room again?” “A friend?” “Yes.” He whispered it and looked away, not trying to look sad but only looking to see if he could spot Tock and hope he wouldn’t have her hauling him around again. But the nurse interpreted it as sadness, he could see the pity on her face as she offered to take him to the room. Sure enough a few chimes later he spotted the faintly familiar patch of red and thanked the young nurse, waving a no one in particular like he actually knew someone there. He didn’t say anything though. Just watched Tock and wondered if he should go back.

[Minerva Agatha Zipporah]

Unaware that she was being tailed, Tock headed through the mostly empty halls, glad to see there weren't many kids left here. Those that were left seemed to be recovering, and that was a great burden lifted from her chest. Though she knew not all the empty rooms were empty because the patients had recovered and gone home to their families... She stopped at one room. The room. Chalk circles marked with magic runes still covered the floor. Apparently, the infirmary staff had been too scared to touch the mystic symbols. She'd have to get in there later and clean the floor up. She moved past the room, letting out a shuddering breath. Her fingers trailed along the wall, her eyes on the floor as she took slow steps. She heard distant voices, but their words didn't sink in. Not until she entered the common room and was nearly tackled by a small body. "Puppet lady!" She looked down with a weak smile. One of the little'uns that had been in here far too long was clinging to her leg. She was glad to see he was walking again. "Oy, bugger," she said, tousling his hair. "No puppet show today..." There was a round of Awwww's from around the room, but the twerps would have to deal with it. She didn't have time to run home and get her puppets today. She still had an essay to write, and the other little twerp she'd brought in needed some attention. She lifted the little biter from her leg and carried him to the common room sofa, plopping him down. There were still about half a dozen kids here, some of which she knew didn't have parents. They'd soon be moving from the infirmary to the orphanage. "Oy, where's all the grown-ups?" she asked, looking around. There was only one nurse on duty, and she seemed to have her hands full with the kids. "Some are in classes," the nurse told her. "A few needed some time off, now that they actually have the chance for it. And with the worst of it behind us, some of the volunteers just stopped coming in..." Tock frowned, planting her hands on her hips and looking around. "Lazy bludgers..." she muttered. Just because there were less sick kids now, that was no reason for people to stop helping out. She stepped up to offer a hand, helping the nurse ready lunch for the kids. A few of them were too young to be expected to prepare their own meals. Tock wasn't much of a cook, but she had two good hands to lend to the task, and she was willing to offer them. She didn't notice 'Evan' watching as she started passing out sandwiches to the other kids, though she had made an extra one for him. She'd just have to take it down to his room in a few minutes.

[Matthaus]

He wasn’t sure whether to be surprised or not. Tock seemed to be…conflicting. One moment she said she didn’t do charity and the next he found her making lunch for a bunch of sick kids. Weird woman. But he felt awkward, as if he was intruding on something. Sighing to himself he moved up with the other kids listening to her talk to them and the way to seemed so attached. Well at the very least she couldn’t be completely crazy. They let her around children after all. Tapping the nearest child on the shoulder he gestured to Tock. “She comes here often?” The child looked at him confused for a few seconds, as if not understanding who or even what he was before nodding. Another once over and the child gave a winning smile and then ducked over to where sandwiches were being made. Well that had been fruitless. Either way he was hungry, scooting forward he pushed ahead of the other kids and spoke quietly to Tock. “I can help if you want,” already he slipped his hands out of the cloak and reached for the ingredients, giving the nurse a small upturn of the lips, “Do you come and do this often?” “The kids look like they like you.” For once he couldn’t anything of anything else to say. He couldn’t think of any lies he needed to tell or any real reason for staying besides fear the woman would keep good her threat. Then again he could just run off as a girl but he was already here now…why hadn’t he thought of that earlier? Silently he made the sandwiches and helped hand them out, they were simply made but they smelt good and he mentally sighed that he couldn’t eat them. He couldn’t eat them. He flicked a gaze at Tock and hoped she wouldn’t try and force food down his throat because that would not end well. A quiet cough and he placed the food down, stepping away. These kids were sick and he didn't want to make it worse. "You could...tell me about those classes now?"

[Minerva Agatha Zipporah]

OOC"Well at the very least she couldn’t be completely crazy. They let her around children after all." ^.^ I've had people call Tock crazy, strange, odd, weird, and psycho. I don't think she's threaded with a single person yet who didn't think she was at least a little bit crazy. But this is the BEST line I've seen someone use! You made my day! Tock hated kids. They should be taught to be more independent. When she was as young as these here, she'd already known how to feed herself. And she had had to cook dinner for her Da everyday. She had other things to do than being here acting like she was some sort of kind, generous charity worker. She wasn't... she was a Magus, a builder, and a murderer. She didn't even ever want kids of her own (except the kind she built with her own three hands). "C'mere, clean yer 'ands 'fore ya eat 'at," she said softly to one of the little monsters. She grabbed his hands and gently wiped them clean with a towel, taking care not to pinch his tiny little fingers in the process. That was another problem with the twerps... they were so damn fragile. "Go on, now," she said, handing him his lunch and tousling his hair, then giving him a nudge to send him on his way. When Evan came up and offered to help, she gave him a smile and thrust the towel into his hands so he could clean them before he touched the food. At least this one wasn't completely helpless. Once his hands were clean, she handed him the loaf of bread she'd been slicing up so he could take over that task. She hated slicing bread; it was a pain in the arse to do it without squishing the bread in the process. One day she'd have to build a Golem Baker. It'd be great to have bread that was already sliced for her as soon as she got it. "I been 'ere lots o' times," she told him. "Done were a lot o' kids in 'ere fer awhile... first wit' the big storm, 'en wit' the plague passin' through..." she shrugged, not thinking anything of it. She just had two good hands to offer, and didn't like it when people were too lazy to help out. But that wasn't charity. No, not at all. When lunch was ready she placed a sandwich on a plate and handed it to Evan, took one for herself as well, then nodded for him to follow her. "Ya gots 'ands, aye? We does somethin' wit' 'em while we talk." She couldn't stand sitting around just talking without something to do. The nurses were used to getting her help, so they thought nothing of it anymore when they gave her a list of repairs to do. She'd rather be doing that than working on her stupid essay, anyway. She led him down the hall to one of the rooms where the door frame was a bit loose. In between bites of her sandwich, she felt along the doorway, pressing her fingers against the wood to pick out the loose spots. Then she started a nail with a few taps to set it in place, before handing the hammer to Evan. "Classes cost money," she told him. "'Ere's 'is tight-arsed chap what stamps some papers 'fore ya can git in. I's show ya where 'e is, later. Ya said ya wanna does art? I ain't been much in the [url=http://www.mizahar.com/forums/post154872.html#p154872]art studio[/I], but I gots friends what is. 'Ey what can teach ya all kinds o' art..." She wasn't sure what specific questions he had about it, but she'd explain whatever he needed while they worked.

[Matthaus]

OOC : Haha, glad I could make your day!:) He nearly dropped the sandwich she gave him and made no move to follow her and stood in stunned silence before handing the sandwich to one of the other kids. “There was a plague? Here?” Well that was an interesting piece of information, he could probably use that later. For what he wasn’t sure but it had to come in handy at some point. Or it could mean he should leave before he ended up horribly sick or dead. Considering the last few days it was a distinct possibility. But Tock’s easy chatter had broken his sudden awkwardness and no matter what she said he doubted she would actually turn him in. She was interesting and probably a lot kinder than she cared to give herself credit for but that didn’t bother him, he just wouldn’t give her credit. Although when he felt the hammer in his hands he stared stupidly at it. He wasn’t a ‘hard labor’ kind of person, he preferred things that didn’t require a whole lot of physical effort. Mostly things that didn’t require a lot of work. Looking back and forth between her and the hammer he attempted to remember precisely what he had seen her do. It was just hitting a nail, it could be that hard. Moving forward beside her he placed his fingers on the nail to hold it in place, listening carefully to what she told him about the school. “How much money? Do we have to buy our own supplies? How long does school last? A season?” his lips tightened in concentration as he stared at the nail. Raising the hammer he swung it down, more than a little surprised when he missed the door entirely. Instead there was a hammer shaped indent in the wall. “Do I have to fix that?” Matthaus sounded entirely amazed that he had missed the door and tried again, this time his finger ended up read and he curled around his fingers with a hiss. “You do this often?” It was ground out and did not sound complimentary in the least. Even if he was paid to do this he wouldn’t want to. He hoped to any Gods that they had something else he could do besides this.

[Minerva Agatha Zipporah]

"Ain't know what it was," Tock said about the plague. "Jus' lots o' people sick all summer..." She shrugged, passing it off as nothing. But her eyes grew distant. She forgot the kid was there for a moment, until he smashed the wall. She sighed, pulling out a scraping plane and setting the tool over the dent. A few scrapes took most of it out, which she followed up with some sanding to smooth out the whole area. "I think it were 60," she told him while she sanded out his mistake. "Goes season ta season. 'Ey gives ya books, an' when yer in class'n'stuff 'ey gots paper an' ink an' all 'at shyke. I figger the art room's what got paints an' stuff too," she shrugged. She wasn't quite sure, but she assumed the school provided paints and brushes for students to use in class. They just likely couldn't take any of it home with them. "'Ere," she told him, moving around behind him and wrapping her arms around him to grip the hammer. Holding it together, and guiding him, she aimed him at the nail and said, "Smooth, easy swing, aye? Keep yer eye right on the nail..." She guided him through the swing, using her aim to make sure he got it right this time, and trying to show him how much speed and force to use. With the first nail in, she set another one, and stepped back, gesturing for him to try again. "I's 'ere... few times a week," she replied to his question. "'Ey needs a lot o' 'elp. But ain't got much money, aye? So I figger, 'long as 'ey git 'eir own supplies, I can fix stuff up for 'em. Saves 'em from 'irin' somebody, more money fer the sick kids' medicine..." Her voice drifted off, her eyes losing focus and drifting to the side. Sometimes it wasn't about medicine. Sometimes no amount of money was enough...

[Matthaus]

Perfect. An unknown sickness that could spread again. Well, at least he could store that tid-bit away for later, might come in handy at some point. “Sixty? Those must be some fine lessons.” Matthaus would have said more but he felt her arms around him and nearly bolted in pure shock, if she hadn’t been guiding the hammer he likely would have dropped it on his foot. Did Tock not have any sense of person space? He let her guide him, only because he was afraid if he didn’t he might swing the hammer at her and run. When she released he barely heard any of what she said, the relief clear on his features. “Right, nice and easy.” It was mechanical and vague but he didn’t know what else to say. Rather than do anything else he tried again. Moving his hand back slower and pulling off his hood self-consciously to see the nail better. This time he was pleased to note that while his swing was crooked and most definitely not ‘nice and easy’, that the nail was back in place. Mostly. It was a bit—a lot—crooked. “I think I have it.” But when he turned to look at Tock he heard her words and seen her face. He knew that look. Knew his own face had worn it for a long time but he had the luck of being where no one could see. He almost felt the need to say something, to comfort her. But they weren’t friends they were…business partners? Yes. He could do that. He would help her with this stuff and in exchange she could help him sign up and not send him off to the orphanage. Hopefully. Swallowing thickly still felt the gnawing feeling to remove the look. Was that how people felt when they looked at him? Like he needed to be coddled? Must be. Instead he found himself snapping out a bit harshly, “People die. No use...” He trailed off. No use what? Feeling? He wrinkled his nose. He had things to do, he didn’t need to worry about a man who long dead. But would a hospital like this have saved him? “I’m sure the kids appreciate it. They lo—care for you.” he glanced at her, “And I think you care for them or you wouldn’t help.” He finished setting the last nail and leaned back, trying to shove all the strange feelings she made him think about. They were not helpful. “But can I go to classes? I can…work…for you.” he looked anywhere but at her, “For free and you could help me sign up for classes and things. Like a business deal. Mutual exchange. And I can do it today. Go and hammer more stuff.” He cut off sharply, now he was just babbling.

[Minerva Agatha Zipporah]

Tock really didn't have any sense of personal space. It just didn't seem like a big deal to her. So she remained completely unaware of the boy's discomfort, and simply guided him through the process without hesitation. She snapped out of her daze at his comment about 'no use.' Her gaze darkened, but she simply nodded. "Aye," she said, "no use." The kid was right. Though she had nothing to say about 'care.' She didn't care... she was just doing what had to be done. "Ain't need ta work fer me fer 'elp signin' ta classes," she said, gathering up the tools and heading down the hall, assuming he would simply follow. "Ain't like I's doin' somethin' special 'ere. Ya wanna work fer me, ya does it ta learn..." She didn't mean to learn in a classroom, but rather to learn hands-on, which she demonstrated when she handed him another tool. There were a couple of loose stairs that the nurses said one of the kids had tripped on. They needed to be fixed for safety. She knelt next to them and started wiggling the boards, checking their fit. One of the stairs seemed to be cracked badly enough to need replacing the whole piece. "Stick 'er 'ere," she said, tapping on the board at a point near the nail that held it in place. "'Is part," she tapped the claw on the back of the hammer. "Give 'er a good'un." If the kid wanted to learn building stuff, she could teach him. It was good to give a kid something to do with his hands. Might keep him out of trouble. Make him more useful. One of the reasons she hated kids was how they wandered around useless all day, playing games and running and chasing and generally being unproductive with their time. Though this one didn't quite seem useless.