The trio knew they were close to the castle when they spotted the top half of a tower. It was upside down and impaled on a tree, but still fairly intact.

"There's something you don't see every day," Amelia comments.

"Depends on if you're upside down or not when looking at buildings," Zahnrad replies and grins. "Think there's anything in it?"

Olivia tries to twist herself around to see the tower as if it was right side up, and fails miserably. She shrugs. "If there is, it's all collected on the ceiling by now!"

Poking Zahn, Amelia suggests, "Go and look." Such a venture would involve climbing ten feet up the tree and hoping the large branches that were supported the weight of the structure didn't give out.

Zahnrad takes off his shoulder bag and offers it to Amy. "All right, I will," he says, glancing at the tower. "It looks kind of like the flying arrow ship design I tried once. It flopped too."

Amelia takes the bag and tries not to think about giant crossbows. "Be careful," she says.

Olivia whispers to Amelia, "You know, I didn't think he'd take your suggestion seriously… "

Zahnrad grins proudly. "Hey, this is me. I'll be fiiiine," he says. The Kadie bounds toward the tree, examines it a moment, then starts to scale, careful to examine each branch for any rot or appearance of too much strain.

"I'm learning to watch what I say around him," Amelia admits to Olivia.

Olivia looks dubiously after Zahn as he climbs the tree. "I think I'll do the same."

The tree appears healthy and not very distressed for having sixteen or so feet of stone cylinder draped over it. The trunk juts up through a large, ragged hole in the otherwise flat roof of the tower.

Zahn continues up slowly, careful to keep his position as much as possible under the hole in the roof … just in case it falls. "Kind of dark and shaded in there," he calls back to the others. "Good thing I can see in the dark!"

With the sun still low on the horizon, there isn't much light inside the structure, but the glow from the sky is enough to make out… nonsense. Everything seems distorted, until Zahn finally realizes the inner wall of the hollowed out tower is acting as a single curved mirror.

The mystery of how the tree can be holding it up also becomes apparent: the wall and ceiling can't be much more than a quarter of an inch thick.

"Whoa!" Zahnrad shouts. His voice sounds oddly muffled. Probably because he currently looks like a Kadie who's having his head eaten by some strange tower beast.

Olivia's concerned voice calls back, "What is it, Zahn?"

"Maybe we should pull him out?" Amelia says, taking a few steps towards the tree.

"This is awesome!" Zahnrad declares. "It's like stuffing your head in a kaleidoscope! It's one huge mirror in here. I don't think this tower must weigh much; walls are really thin."

"Better not try to stand on anything then," Amelia warns. "So… can you see the back of your head?" she asks.

Zahnrad actually tries to see if he can see the back of his head. With one of his arms outside the tower, he reaches up and lightly taps on the surface with a clawtip, wondering if it's really stone.

"And is there anything else in there?" Olivia adds.

The smooth, polished walls are seamless, and the tap causes the whole thing to ring like a glass bell, only much lower in pitch.

"This is weird," Zahnrad replies, still looking around. "I don't see anything else in here. It's completely seamless. It might be some sort of glass or ceramic. I wonder if I can get a group of people together and move this thing back to town."

"You'd have to cut down the tree and… uh, carry it in pieces I suppose," Amy suggests. "Why would you want it though? What good is a big curved mirror?"

Olivia edges a little closer to the tree so she can speak to Zahn without shouting. "What for? Do you want to analyze the material or something?"

"Your … ah, er, treasure, Amy," Zahnrad calls out, then pulls his head out of the hole. "Think about that for a moment. What we could do with directed light! Whoo!"

"Oh… " Amelia says, then drops the subject. "Well, the castle must be close, I'm sure. How far can you throw something like that, after all?"

Olivia looks confused by all the talk that is obviously over her head, but doesn't question it.

Zahnrad starts climbing down the tree. "Depends on the size of the trebuchet or catapult," he says. "Distance thrown depends on amount of force exerted, which would depend on the counterweight, the arc … the Kadie will be shutting up now," he says. When he's about six feet from the ground, he pushes off from the tree and gracefully lands with a soft thud on the ground. "Sorry, I tend to ramble."

"Hadn't noticed," Amy says, handing Zahn's bag back to him.

"Not that any of that makes any sense to me, anyway," the Skeek girl adds.

Zahnrad pulls the bag back onto his shoulder. "You can tell me to shut up, you know," he comments. "I also think you can use large mirrors to make telescopes and the like. A mirror that large, whoa. Wouldn't know how to build that, though."

Another hundred yards brings them to the remains of the curtain wall. The large blocks of stone that make up the wall are covered in creepers and lichens, with a few sections still standing a dozen feet high. Past the jumble of stone, the rising sun illuminates the top half of the squat, square body of the castle, and also glints off of a structure made of green-tinted glass about the size and shape of a cottage.

Zahnrad, however, isn't paying much attention to the castle. He's mainly looking skyward, looking for a glimpse of the castle's current resident on her morning flight. He's also grown quite a bit quieter.

For her part, Olivia eyes the cottage-like structure with interest. "Looks like something else made of glass, Zahn, perhaps like the tower? The sun catches it nicely, I must admit."

Amelia goes up to the glass structure to read something posted on one of the panels. "It says; WARNING – DANGEROUS VEGETABLES," she reports, then scratches at her head. "Dangerous vegetables?"

"Huh?" Zahnrad says and looks over at Olivia. He pauses, then follows her gaze to the glass structure. "No … I think that's made of something else than the tower. It doesn't look like it's designed to reflect light."

Olivia ahs to Zahnrad, then goes over to inspect the structure with Amelia. "I don't know why vegetables would be dangerous, but if that's what are inside, it must be a greenhouse!"

"Stick your head in and look?" Zahnrad suggests with a shrug.

"Of course it's a green house," Amelia says, gesturing to the thing. "But it's all made out of windows you can't see through. What's the point?" She turns the corner to look for the door, saying, "Must be a door over… oh my!" The Kadie freezes at the corner, her tail puffing out in surprise.

Olivia goes over to Amelia, saying, "What in the world… ?"

Zahnrad runs over and peers over Amy's shoulder. "What? What is it?" he asks quickly.

Around the corner, something is hanging up laundry to dry. It's mercifully dressed in shapeless brown clothing, but still looks… uneven. A half-naked, half-furred tail swishes back and forth, and the back of its head has a fur pattern that resembles a quilt made by someone who is both colorblind and has a poor sense of shapes.

The items going up on the line are mostly flimsy, pink, and overly lacy or frilly.

"Uh … hello? Do you need a doctor?" Zahnrad calls out to the thing, stepping out from behind Amelia. "Or maybe a witch? You don't look too well."

"What?" the creature says, and turns around. The voice is familiar, at least. "Oh, you're here! Jutht in time for breakfatht too," Igor replies, waving a bit of lacy underwear distractedly. In the light, without a hood, Igor looks… patchworked. One eye is slightly larger and at a different level from the other. His ears don't match. One hand is clearly Skreek, while the other is more Skeek-like. And then he smiles…

It takes all of Olivia's concentration to not put both hands up to her mouth in a gasp of surprise. "Oh… ah, good morning, sir. Didn't mean to, uh, startle you!"

Zahnrad takes a step back, momentarily horrified. "Ah, er, oh, it's you," he says as recognition dawns on him. "Are you certain you don't need help? Er, you didn't get hit by anything I built, did you?"

It takes a moment to notice, but Igor's also wearing an apron that says KISS THE COOK in bright orange stitching. "Oh, nothing much thtartleth me anymore, mith!" he says cheerfully, then blinks at Zahn (each eye doing so at its own pace). "Well, I did get thtruck by lightning again the other day," he tells the Kadie, and self-consciously starts patting down the matted and mismatched fur on the top of his head.

"Did it hurt?" Amelia manages to ask.

Zahnrad blinks. "You … hit … oh, nevermind," he says and waves a hand. "Where's Dr. Pike? I want to observe her in flight. Food can wait!"

"Not much, but it did ruin my hat," Igor says, then hangs up the last bit of laundry and rubs his hands together. "The Doctor ith thtill waking up, I believe. Thee's a bit thore thtill from the other day. Hehnhehnhehn."

Stomach rumbling, Amelia pokes Zahn in the shoulder. "Maybe you aren't hungry," she says.

"A bit sore?" Olivia asks, quite in spite of herself. "She didn't get struck by lightning, too, did she?"

"Sore? What happened to her? Is she all right?" Zahnrad asks, looking extremely disappointed that he won't get to observe her fly. His shoulders even slump. He looks over at Amelia grumpily when she pokes him.

"Oh no, nothing like that," Igor says, picking up his laundry basket. "But I imagine the oddth of it happening are very thimilar. Thee's alright, though. Jutht a bit of… overexerthion," he explains, and heads for the open doorway in the castle wall. "Come along. I'll thow you were to thpy on her flying from, if you want."

Olivia makes a little 'after you!' gesture to Zahn, since he was the one who so wanted to see the doctor in flight.

Zahnrad glances at the laundry, elbows Amelia lightly, then comments, "You need clothes like that." He then walks after the strange creature, saying, "That would be great, thanks. I brought some papers and diagrams, do you have a free table I can put them on?"

"Yeth, you can put them in the kitchen," Igor says, and enters the castle. Amelia pauses to examine some of the hanging garments, but can't quite figure out what they're for. She eventually shrugs and follows along.

Olivia trails along behind the others, shaking her head at Zahn's comment.

"If the Doctor is too tired or sore and doesn't want guests, we could come back later," Zahnrad offers as he follows into the castle. "And that was some nasty storm, wasn't it? I took a blow to the head, myself. From a rod, not lightning."

After a brief walk through a dark, stone corridor, the group arrives in the castle kitchen. It's big. It's smoky. Things hang in the darkness of the high ceiling. There is an impressive collection of iron knives and cookware spread around carelessly, several heavy wooden tables, a massive chopping block, and a hearth that's big enough to roast a whole Rughrat in (it even has an iron spit). Dried things on ropes hang on the walls near the stove. "Blowth to the head can be nathty," Igor says, as he tosses some wood into the firebox under the stove. "Need any thtitcheth? I'm very good with thtitcheth."

Zahnrad ers. "No, I don't need any stitches. But, if you need a new hat, I bet Olivia can make you one," he says and motions toward her. "She's very good with hats, as you can see." He sets his bag on a clear, nearby table and starts to pull out and neatly arrange a stack of papers, and a bunch of very odd looking tools and measuring gear.

Olivia looks as if Igor's information doesn't surprise her, but when Zahn replies she fingers one of the roses in her hand-made cap and blushes a bit. "Well, I'm good with caps, anyway. I've never made the sorts of hats you see real milliners make, out of stiffened felt and all."

Igor shuffles over to an outer wall, and throws open several wooden shutters to let more light in. The dining table is close enough to benefit from it, although an evil-looking black Creen on a perch near it gives a complaining squawk. Its one eye glares at the servant, the other being covered by a tiny leather patch. "Oh, you'd really make me a new cap?" Igor asks of Olivia, looking down and shuffling his feet. Or at least, shuffling the feet that are attached to the bottom of his legs, whomever they may have originally belonged to.

"I think he likes you," Amy whispers to Olivia, in a tone more suitable for saying, "I'm afraid we'll have to amputate."

Zahn, unfazed by his surroundings, organizes his stuff. One of the odd tools makes a strange 'squeeping' noise when he bumps it. Satisfied with his organization, he turns and clasps his hands together. "So, where can I usually observe the Doctor? Think she'll go flying anyway today?" he asks.

Olivia looks briefly at Igor's feet and gulps. Recovering as best she can, she tells the Skreek, "I- I could do that, yes, if you give me your correct hat measurement? Perhaps Zahn could do the measuring for you," she says in a telling way, giving the Kadie boy a glare.

"Oh dear, that could be complicated," Igor replies, then goes to open a large double-door that leads to an outside courtyard. "If you'll come thith way, young marthter, I'll thow you a good thpot to thee the doctor."

Olivia then nods glumly to Amelia, indicating that she just noticed the same thing. "I'm not sure what to do about this… " she whispers back.

Zahnrad shrugs, saying, "I think someone so versed in hat making would better know the measurements she would need. Why don't you use my tape?" He grins widely at Olivia, then follows after Igor.

Olivia treads on Zahn's foot as he passes her. "Why, thanks," she says menacingly.

"Well, he seems… sweet?" Amelia offers, then sits at the table, giving the black Creen a wary glance. "I don't think he gets out much."

Zahnrad makes a muffled 'ow' as his foot is stepped on. He does remain grinning, however, as he grabs a few sheets of paper and one of the sets of measuring tape on the way out.

Olivia sighs. "Well, he's been polite and I appreciate that, but I'm not, um, attracted to him." Her face turns very red as she says this. Obviously, this is not the sort of conversation she's used to having.

Whispering again, Amelia asks, "How old do you think he is?"

Olivia moves closer to Amy so she can speak in a lower tone. "I'm not really sure. His varying parts make it rather hard to tell. Older than me by a few years, I'd guess. What do you think?"

"I'm afraid to guess," Amelia admits, chewing on her lower lip. "There's no telling what he might have under those clothes, either," she adds.

Olivia glances down at her own clothes – a bright blue and red pantsuit that has been patched and mended a quite few times, this being her normal set of work clothes – and says reflectively, "Indeed. I'm beginning to see why he might feel like we have something in common!"

---

Igor shows Zahn to a little stone bench, and then points up towards the castles sole surviving tower. "Jutht keep your eye on that window," he advises. "Doctor Pike alwayth utheth that one when thee wanth to fly."

Zahnrad slips himself onto the bench and nods to the strange creature. "Thank you again. She actually sleeps up in that tower? She's brave," he comments.

"It'th more romantic that way," Igor says. "The doctor ith very fond of drama."

"Hard to have romance living alone in a castle, isn't it?" Zahnrad inquires and starts flipping through his notes. "Not that I know anything about romance." He sets one set aside. It has several detailed drawings of an Eeee on it, complete with measurements and notations, 'Resiender, Alptraum.'.

Igor just arches his eyebrows, which make them look like they're about to take flight themselves. "Yeth. Well… I'll be in the kitchen if you need anything, then," he says, and shuffles back towards the door.

"Ah, all right. I'll join all of you in a bit," Zahnrad says distractedly. His attention if fixated on the tower. Nervously, he taps his claws against the bench.

---

Igor comes back inside, and shuffles over to the stove. Holding up an impressively large iron frying pan, he turns the girls and asks, "Would you like fried bread or hotcaketh with your thauthages, ladieth?"

Olivia jumps a bit at Igor's reappearance, but says quickly, "Hotcakes for me. Amy?"

"Sausages?" Amy asks. "Haven't you got an muesli?"

"Ith that thome kind of thauthage?" Igor asks suspiciously.

"It's nuts and grains," Amelia explains. "You can add water or milk to them… "

"Any fat in it?" the cook asks.

After a glance towards Olivia, Amy says, "No, I don't think so."

"How're you thuppothed to fry it then?" Igor demands.

"You don't fry it," Amelia says, sharply.

"You call that breakfast?" Igor says, looking disgusted.

"It doesn't have to be fried to be breakfast," Amy asserts, crossing her arms over her chest. "Look, have you got porridge?"

"Oh yeth, we've got porridge," Igor says. "The doctor liketh it with her breakfatht."

Olivia does her best to smile at the Skreek. She pats Amy's arm to placate her. "I think we'll both have porridge, then. Would that be all right, with the hotcakes?"

"Yes," Amy agrees, calming down. "I mean… you don't fry porridge… "

"Who thayth you don't fry porridge?" Igor challenges, but relents. "All right, I'll… boil thome then," he says, then starts to mix up some batter for the hotcakes.

Leaning over to Amy, Olivia whispers, "I think he's a bit too attached to his frying pan. Sorry I didn't chip in sooner, Amelia."

"I've never been over to someone else's for breakfast before," Amelia admits to Olivia. "I've got to go over to the Kettenrad's later for dinner, too. Got any tips on… manners and such?"

Olivia grins. "Well, I don't think you'll have to worry about being offered sausages over at the Kettenrad's. So as long as you don't slurp your watercress soup you should be fine. Although, I don't know if they're noisy eaters or not, so perhaps that wouldn't matter!"

Amelia nods, and says, "I'll just take my lead from Mrs. Briar then, since she'll be there too."

Trying to make conversation with the Skreek as he cooks, Olivia says a little more loudly, "So, how big is the cellar that we're going to be cleaning? Does it look like an all-day job, or a job that would fill more than one day?"

The sounds of sizzling food come from the stove, and Igor turns to answer, "Oh, it'th not too big, I think. Plenty of dutht, and thingth thpilled about when thome thelveth collapthed."

"What sorts of things have you found down there so far?" Olivia asks. "Besides the wines, of course. Just so I have an idea of what we might stumble across."

"Oh, old boxeth and knickknackth," Igor says, waving a hand. "Thome big… cabinet… thingy. I'd have cleared it all out mythelf, but the dutht maketh it all very dim and my eyeth aren't what they uthed to be."

"I wonder if he's being literal about his eyes," Amy whispers as quietly as she can to Olivia.

Olivia pokes Amelia discreetly for almost making her laugh in the middle of her next question. "A big cabinet? You mean, like a clothes wardrobe? Or perhaps a quilt chest?"

Igor turns to flip things in his pan, and says, "No… not thure what it ith. Figured your tinkerer friend would tell me. It'th got… little people in it, and… clockwork." After a moment, he adds, "But there are altho boxes of fabric in the pile of thtuff that thpilled off the thelveth."

Olivia exchanges glances with the Kadie girl. "Clockwork? Yes, that sounds like something Zahn would be interested in. I'll ask him to poke around in it for you. And the fabric definitely sounds like something I'd want to see!"

"How long has it been sealed up?" Amy asks.

Igor brings over two plates with two thick, slightly fried pancakes on each. "Oh, at leatht a thentury, I reckon," he says, then smiles and asks, "Would you like butter, honey or ketchup?"

Olivia wrinkles her nose a bit at the mention of ketchup on hotcakes, but replies, "Honey for me, please. So, a hundred-year-old cabinet with clockwork and figures in it? Sounds like Zahns' going to have fun with that!"

As the honey pot is passed over, Igor says, "There are thome other big boxeth on the thelveth that didn't fall over too." The black Creen hops along his perch until he can watch Olivia eat over her shoulder.

"I'm surprised it would be… well… lost for so long," Amelia says, before carefully stabbing a hotcake with her wooden fork.

"Well, the entranthe was in one of the ruined towerth," Igor explains, shuffling back to the stove, where he stirs the pot of porridge and tosses some bread and sausages onto the frying pan. "Took awhile to clear away the debris, what with one thing or another coming up."

Olivia drizzles a little honey over her pancakes and takes a careful bite. After finding it good, she swallows and nods her thanks. She looks over at the Creen eyeing her breakfast. "Do you have to stare at me like that?" she asks it.

"Aaaaugh! Aaaaaaugh!" the Creen screams at Olivia. "Gettitorf! Gettitorf! Gimme a taste!"

Amelia's chair tips over backwards as she leaps up onto the table and brandishes her broom. "What?! Where!?"

Olivia's fork nearly flies out of her hand at the Creen's yelling. Trying to calm herself and Amy at the same time, she asks Igor as steadily as she can, "Um, is it s-safe to give the bird a bit of pancake? Or will he take m-my fingers off with it?"

"Oh, Gathpode ith jutht a big thilly," Igor says, without even turning around. "Give him a bit with honey, and it'll gum up hith mouth for a bit."

Amelia stares at the Creen, which is bobbing its head up and down. "I think it's laughing at us," she mutters.

"The pain! The pain," Gaspode squawks, leering at Amelia with his one eye. "Show us yer knickers! Squawk!"

Olivia takes the pot and dumps extra honey from it onto one of her pancakes, then cuts off a piece and offers it warily to the Creen. "Here's your taste," she says to him. "No need to shout, you know. A gentle roar would have done nicely."

Out of the corner of her mouth, Olivia says to Amy, "This ought to keep him from any more comments about your underwear for a while. I hope!"

"Cheeky lizard," Amelia mutters as she rights her chair and returns to her own breakfast. But she keeps the broom close to hand.

---

After a few minutes of waiting, the shutters on the tower window are thrown back, and thick pole is pushed out to serve as a perch.

"Wow, I didn't know they used perches much," Zahnrad comments and hurriedly picks up his charcoal pencil and a clean sheet of paper. He starts scribbling down a note.

A skinny figure walks out onto the perch, stretches her arms and wings, and then hangs upside down. "Oh… hello there," she calls down when she notices Zahn looking up. The Eeee is wearing a scarf and some sort of woolen vest with matching cotton shorts.

Zahnrad blinks, the thought of him apparently being seen hadn't occurred to him. "Ah … hello," he calls back and waves shyly. "I'm Zahnrad Kettenrad of the Wingnut clan, from Stonebarrow. I'm working on airship designs and wanted to make some observations on Eeee. I've only had one subject so far – not a great data sampling. I hope you don't mind?"

Pike looks at Zahn for a bit, or tries to. "Oh, an artificer? Well, I suppose it's alright," she says, then spreads her wings once more and drops from the perch as she launches into a glide. With a few powerful beats, she's leveled out and starts to climb into the air.

Zahn immediately starts making notes: how many beats she made and how far she seemed to have climbed, how far she can seemingly glide and an estimate on how much altitude she loses while gliding. He even tries to make guesstimates on how long her wing-beats are, in terms of upward to downward movements.

The Eeee circles the tower a few times, and generally keeps close to the castle. She doesn't do any acrobatics during her flight, and eventually comes to a landing in the courtyard, where she takes her thick glasses out of a pocket so she can finally get a good look at the Kadie.

Zahnrad shuffles his papers nervously, setting his notes aside as he stands. Giving short bow to the Eeee he says, "Thank you, Dr. Pike." He shifts nervously, then asks, "And, ah, I was wondering if you'd let me take a measurement of your wingspan? I'm trying to determine wingspan to mass ratios and such. I have one set from a Mr. Reisender, who came through town a few days ago. I'd like to see if a ratio holds true."

"Alptraum?" Pike blurts, then covers her mouth with a hand. "Oh! Well, that sounds harmless enough," she quickly says, and spreads out her wings. "I've got books on anatomy if you need more… ah… mechanical details of Eeee wings."

"Alptraum? Ah, I see you met him. Scary looking fellow, and huge! But, he seemed pretty nice once I talked to him," Zahnrad says and picks up his tape. On one end, he ties a loop and walks cautiously over to the Eeee. He slips the end over the longest wing 'finger' and starts walking the span. "I would like to see the books. But really, I prefer to do my own measurements and estimates. Nothing teaches better than experience. A picture, and actually examining the real thing are quite different," he says, eyes trailing along the wing structure.

"They do make it clearer how the bones and muscles connect though, I find," claims the doctor. "I've just gotten a very rare copy of a book made by a friend of mine on Caroban, and I was comparing his sketches to the ones in my standard anatomy texts, you see. May I ask why you want these measurements for an airship, though? You can't mean for it to be pulled along by Eeees, as if they were Rahkhors… "

"No," Zahnrad replies quickly and flicks the tape to dislodge it from her wingtip. He coils it up, then writes the measurement on the paper. "I'm trying to design a ship that doesn't require an air bag or anything of that nature. Eeee can fly without them, therefore their structure allows for it. If I mimic the wing structure at the right scale for the mass needing lift, I may be able to build such a machine. Of course, I have to power it, but I'm working on something to handle that." He looks over the measurements, apparently doing a quick comparison.

"Oh, like that clever Spirit of Titania device that was flown on Rephidim?" Pike asks, watching over her shoulder. "It had rigid wings, and a noisy spinny bit in the front. But it also needed a Chaos Mage I think."

"The what?!" Zahnrad says and perks up. His expression shifts to one of intensity and he asks, "What was that? Any pictures? Diagrams?"

Pike jumps slightly at the excitement in the Kadie's voice. "Oh… well, there was a drawing of it, from before it exploded," she says. "I have an acquaintance there that sends me news of interesting events, and he included some sketches this time."

"Ah, could I borrow them sometime?" Zahnrad asks, trying to calm down. "Most of my airships have blown up too, I must admit. Still, I'm going to do it. If I wasn't stuck in this stupid swamp, I bet I would have by now, too."

"Oh, well, you can certainly look at them here," Pike offers. "And… make copies, I imagine. I'm sure I've got them someplace relatively handy," she says, looking thoughtful.

"All right. If you'd like to see any notes I've been making, you're welcome to look over them," Zahnrad says. "You know, your wingspan is a lot smaller than Mr. Reisender's. And I know I shouldn't ask a lady this, but … what do you weigh?"

Pike leans over to examine the sketches in Zahn's notebook. "Mmmm… nicely drawn… oh? Me?" she asks. "Why… I don't actually know how much I weigh, now that you ask."

Zahn shows Pike some of the detailed ones of Alptraum's back structure. "Well, if you get a chance to weigh yourself, I'd like the information," he says, thinking. "Oh, should we go inside? Igor said you had a rough night recently. With that scarf, I guess you must've had a rough time during the storm, maybe caught a cold."

A hand goes up to touch the scarf, and then just as quickly is tucked behind Pike's back. "Oh, yes… the storm. It did have a bit of a bite to it, I'll admit. I smell Igor cooking too, so yes, let's go inside… "

---

An Eeee woman comes in, wearing bottle-bottom thick glasses and cotton exercise clothes. "Ah, I thought I heard Gaspode. Good morning, everyone," she says. Zahn is right behind her.

"Yeah, the thunder was pretty intense. It was really hard to sleep that night," Zahnrad replies as he follows in behind the doctor. "And oh, if you don't mind me looking over some of your books and the like, I'm willing to do odd jobs for you. I'm a fair carpenter and a good engineer. I could probably help shore this place up."

Olivia bobs her head to the Eeee woman over her plate. "Good morning, Dr. Pike!"

Igor pauses in filling bowls of porridge, and makes a short bow to the Eeee. "Good morning, mithtreth Pike. Thethe are Mith Olivia and Mith Amy, here to help clean out the old thellar," he says.

Amelia stands up, unsure of how to greet a doctor… and then just sits back down again after Igor introduces her.

"I've tried thomething different with the porridge," Igor says, sounding unhappy as he sets the bowls on the table. "It'th boiled."

Zahnrad heads over to where his stuff is laid out. He starts putting his notes back in one pile. "So, Olivia, did you get measurements for a new hat for Igor?" he asks absently.

Pike says to Zahn, "I may take you up on those offers." Sitting down she looks at the porridge and a wobbly smile forms on her muzzle. "Oh, my… no crunchy black bits or lumps of fat… it's been so long… "

Olivia quirks an eyebrow at Amelia as Igor says this and grins at her. To Dr. Pike, she says, "I'm sorry if it's too different than what you're used to, ma'am. I'm afraid Amy and I talked him into cooking it that way."

"How?" Pike asks quietly, before Igor noisily clatters a plate next to her bowl, with a slice of fried bread on it and a hot, slightly blackened sausage.

"Are you a picky eater too?" Igor asks of Zahn, setting a plate of fried bread in front of him as well.

Olivia looks like she's choking back a laugh, but manages to reply, "It was more Amelia's idea than mine, really. She can be very persuasive about breakfast. Perhaps she could give you pointers on that?"

Zahnrad, having finished putting away his things, sits down at the table. He looks at the bread, then the bowl. "Well, I don't particularly like fried food," he admits. "Roasted food, or honey glaze, maybe. The porridge will be fine, though, thanks." He smiles weakly.

"I out-stubborned him is all," Amelia says quietly, trying not to look embarrassed.

"And boy, am I glad you did!" Olivia teases Amelia in a whisper, cutting away some of the more over-toasted portions of her pancakes to feed to Gaspode.

"Doethn't like fried food," Igor mutters as he shuffles back to the stove. "Only way to prop'ly kill the germth, but doeth anyone care about hygiene anymore? No, not like in the old dayth… " he trails off.

The black Creen trills happily as it gobbles down the treats and eyes Zahn's bread greedily.

Zahnrad glances at Amelia oddly, then just shrugs. He tastes the porridge, then says, "Well, boiling gets it just as hot, right? Should have the same effect, without the sliminess."

Igor loudly clatters some cutlery in reply.

While Igor's back is turned, the Skeek girl also whispers to Zahnrad, "By the way, I'm going to get you for the whole cap idea. I'm not sure how yet, but… "

"Igor can be a bit set in his ways," Pike explains, smiling. "It's charming, once you get used to it." She daintily slices into her sausage, eyeing it critically for any unusual bits.

Zahn looks at Olivia innocently. "Me? What did I do? I got you some business; you should be happy," he replies as he shakes his head slightly. He then looks over to Amelia and asks, "See anything of the other two? I know they were coming later, but still."

"Oh, Silas and Aiken?" Amelia asks, spoon stopped halfway to her mouth. "It's still a bit early. I wouldn't expect them anytime soon."

"And sometime, I will show you my appreciation for that," Olivia mutters darkly, taking another bite of hotcake.

"Maybe they've gone Lapi hunting. We did see those two running, afterall," Zahnrad comments to Amelia. He looks at Olivia again and just shakes his head, saying, "Ungrateful. And even when I agreed to go fix that demonic number four loom, too."

"Awk! Awk! Get a room! Get a room!" Gaspode the Creen squawks at Zahn, followed by, "Yougunna eatthat? Yougunna eatthat?" He dances from foot to foot on his perch, and stares at Zahn's bread.

Zahn hooks the bread with a claw and holds it up. "What would I need a room for?" he asks the Creen, then dangles the bread at it.

Olivia pushes the honey pot towards Zahn. "Here. Bread with honey should shut him up for a while!"

The Creen leaps and flaps its wings, landing on Zahn's hand and digging in with his claws before dipping down to bite a chunk out of the bread dangling below.

"Oh dear," Pike says, sighing. "I should have mentioned not to hold anything out to Gaspode… "

"Ow! Hey, that hurts!" Zahnrad says loudly and tosses the bread onto the nearby table, then shakes his hand wildly!

The Creen flaps and hangs on tightly for a moment, then hops down onto the table when it realizes the bread landed there. Chortling, it grabs hold of the fried slice in its claws and flies off out through an open window.

Amelia looks down into her porridge and shudders, trying not to laugh out loud.

Zahnrad holds his now bleeding hand and glares at the creature. "Gah, everyone's ungrateful today," he says, irritated. He casts a glance at Amy and says, "You too, eh?"

Olivia looks after the Creen and says to no one in particular, "Now that's poetic justice for you, I think." Then she dips into her own bowl of porridge.

"Oh no," Amelia manages. "I'm… very grateful… Zahn," she says, nodding her head and still trying not to laugh.

A moment later, the Creen flies back inside and lands on his perch, where he curls up into a ball and hides under his wings.

Zahnrad stands up and picks up his pack. "I think I'm going to get some fresh air and work on my notes," he says to no one in particular. "Igor, Dr. Pike, thank you for a great breakfast and letting me take measurements. We'll start on the cellar shortly."

"I'll bring you a bandage," Igor says to Zahn, shaking his head.

"Sorry about that," Pike apologizes to Zahn, then looks at the cowering Creen. "Silly bird. Keeps forgetting he's agoraphobic… "

Zahnrad shrugs and walks to the door. "I'll probably stop shortly even if you didn't," Zahn tells him, "But thanks." He slips out the door and back into the courtyard.

---

Zahnrad is back sitting on the stone bench. His pack is near his feet, and he's got a few sheets of paper out and sitting next to him. On them, he's writing with his left hand. His right, however, hangs to the side were a drop of blood drips from a fingertip now and then. It doesn't look like he's bleeding much at all, just that he doesn't want to get it on his notes.

A moment later, Igor comes out of the kitchen with a clean, steaming cloth. "Better let me clean thothe thcratcheth," he lisps. "Gathpode'th clawth can be filthy."

Zahnrad lifts up his hand and sets it on the stone bench. "All right," he says and looks at the strange creature. He looks at Igor for a moment, then asks, "Ah, may I ask you something odd? How old are you?"

Igor cleans out the scratches expertly, and rolls one eye to look at Zahn's face. "Oh, I've been around," he answers. "Uthed to work for the old lord, Thnapfith."

"Snapfish? The vampire? Ah, uhm … did he really get burned at the stake, or was he buried?" Zahnrad asks as he watches the wound get cleaned. "Ow," he mutters again.

After inspecting the scratches a final time, Igor wraps the cloth around Zahn's hand and lets it go. "Yeth, he wath burned at the thtake. There wathn't anything left to bury," he says, rocking back a bit. "Theriff Blacktail nearly had me lynched, too, but… well, okay, he did have me lynched. Had a thore throat for the longetht time, let me tell you… "

"Sheriff Blacktail, eh?" Zahnrad says, blinking, "Oddly, that fits them. I ask, because we kind of stumbled across a crypt that has a 'Snapfish' emblem on it." He pauses, considering, then asks, "Are you some sort of zombie?"

"Oh no, I'm not undead," Igor says, matter-of-factly. "The old crypt? Probably hith parenth then. They weren't undead, themthelveth."

Zahnrad looks at his hand again, then at Igor. "Then … what are you? You look like you were … made," he says, realizing there's not a very delicate way to ask that. He then peers at Igor's hands … namely the claws.

Igor's hands are surprisingly well manicured, for all that they don't match. "Well, it'th an old joke that we Wrathboneth are all thelf-made men, hehnhehnhehn," he says, the odd laugh rattling like a loose bearing. "I'm not a golem or anything like that. Jutht very good at thurgery and tranthplantth."

Zahnrad shudders. "That's … really creepy, you realize that?" he says slowly, shifting away from the creature. "Do you know what the other tomb in the woods would be from? Or what … " he says and pulls out the rubbing he made of the writing off the statue and shows it to the creature, "… this is?"

Closing his left eye, Igor peers closely at the rubbing with his other one. "Lookth Olympian. 'Blethed are thothe whom the Angelth thmile upon' I think it thays."

"Hm. It may have been an Eeee statue this was on. Hard to tell, though," Zahnrad admits. "Any ideas on the older crypt someone scraped the statues and writing off of? It was near the Snapfish one."

"I think the old Marthter jutht uthed the other tomb for… er… leftoverth," Igor says after leaning back. "He alwayth inthithted on taking care of that bit himthelf. Like he didn't trutht me with corptheth or thomething. Not thure who wath in it originally though. Probably the previouth landlordth."

"Probably worried you'd stick the bits on yourself," Zahnrad mutters and looks away. He taps on his notes, then asks, "Say, has Dr. Pike mentioned seeing any odd ruins in the forest? Or does she not fly far from the castle?"

"Thee doesn't go into the foretht that I know of," Igor remarks. "Uthually jutht putterth about in her greenhouthe, or goeth off to Juthtininople for thome function or other."

"Do you know of any, then? I need parts and such. Ruins are a good place to look for them," Zahnrad says, glancing back towards the kitchen.

"Err, what thortth of partth?" Igor asks, noting Zahn's glance.

"Any sort or metal, gears, springs, that sort of thing. Or maybe large, strange, crystals?" Zahnrad replies and looks back to Igor.

"Ah, the thing in the thellar has clockwork bitth in it," Igor says, nodding his head. "Can't make headth or tailth of it mythelf. Thought it might be a thekelodeon. The doctor hath thome funny crythtalth though."

"Hmm. Well, I'll find out what it is when I get down there," Zahnrad says and taps his chin, thinking. "Er, say, ah, is it possible to grow or graft wings onto someone without them?"

"Wingth are tricky," Igor says. "Lotth of bone work there, and metabolic ithueth ath well. But… hmmm," he pauses, and rubs his chin with his Skeek hand. "The doctor'th new book talkth about wingth that are thuppothedly artifithal."

"Artificial wings? Are you serious?" Zahnrad asks, looking interested for a moment. He then shudders and glances upward and says, "I shouldn't even think along those lines. People look at me as a freak enough now."

"Didn't look artifithal in the drawingth though, jutht… different," Igor says. "Golem wingth, or thomething. Ah, you want wingth for yourthelf?" the mostly-Skreek asks.

"Something like that. I want to fly. I've been trying to build a better airship for years. Wingnuts are known for being weird inventors … but, eh, even some of them think I'm strange," Zahnrad replies with a shrug. "I think I've broken a quarter of the bones in my body trying."

"Need any new oneth then?" Igor asks. "Why not jutht uthe… I don't know… a big kite or thomething?"

"Tried that, sort of. It was a glider, it broke, faceplanted in the swamp," Zahnrad admits. "And an air screw design, a huge crossbow, and a modified hot air balloon that took out the baths. The new design works off explosions," he adds, checking off designs on his fingertips. "As for new bones, ah … no. Mine work great, thanks."

"Well, explothionth you thay?" Igor asks, raising his eyebrows. "Thertainly thoundth… novel."

"Yes, explosions. Say, does the Doctor dabble in chemistry?" Zahnrad inquires.

"Yeth, thee experimenth in alchemy at leatht," Igor says. "I thuthpect the previouth owner of the cathtle did too.

Zahnrad hmms, thinking. "I'll need to talk to her about that, then," Zahnrad says. "And oh, ever see anything that can create a static spark on demand? Like, when you rub your socks too much, or the weather is just really dry."

"The doctor thayth one of her friendth hath a lizard that can give off sparkth," Igor comments. "And thee has a devithe that giveth off little lightning boltth."

Zahnrad perks up again. "Another thing I need to ask about, then. I could use something like that," he says, then starts getting a very disturbing grin on his face and starts to rub his hands together. "Ahh, so many ideas!"

"Hmmm," Igor says, watching Zahn. "Theen that look before. I thuppothe you'll be coming around often then?"

The look quickly vanishes. "What look?" Zahnrad asks innocently. "As for often … as much as I can spare, I guess. I have work to do in the town, various odd jobs, plus time I need to set aside for Ame… someone."

"Ah, a girl?" Igor asks, and nudges Zahn with his elbow.

Zahnrad oofs and rubs the nudged spot, even though it didn't hurt. "Sort of," he admits. "Hard to explain."

"Oh, you aren't thure?" Igor asks. "If it'th the young witch, I'm afraid you may be in for a bit of dithappointment… "

Zahnrad facepalms and groans. "No, it's not Morgan, and I know Morgan's a guy, sheesh," he says, sighing. "I'm sure she's a woman, it's … gah, hard to explain! And yes, she's a Kadie, before you get any other ideas! Anyway, hm, what are the proper times to stop by here? I don't want to be rude."

"Oh, doethn't really matter when," Igor says, and waves a hand dismissively. "The doctor keepth long hourth. But if you think you'll be around for thupper, better tell me what you don't like to eat."

"Meat, anything fried, uhm," Zahnrad ticks off his fingers. "But really, I doubt I'd stay that late. I don't want to walk home in the dark."

"We've got plenty of extra bedroomth," Igor comments.

"Er … I don't think I could sleep here," Zahnrad admits. "Too creepy."

"You really think tho?" Igor asks, perking up. "The doctor doethn't apprethiate all the work that goeth into keeping the proper ambienthe. Hardly ever notitheth the cobwebth, and it took forever to properly train the thpiders. And candleth don't get all dribbly by themthelveth, either… "

Zahnrad looks at Igor oddly. "I think the place needs some serious work. It's outright frightening in some corners," he comments. "I keep my shop free of webs and clean."

"Well, that'th all very well for an artifither," Igor huffs. "But a proper mad thientitht needth a proper atmothphere. It'th… tradithional."

"Dr. Pike doesn't seem mad to me. Quite a nice person, in fact," Zahnrad asserts.

Igor sighs and seems to deflate a little. "Yeth, it'th dithgratheful. And thee liketh lathe and doilieth and frilly undergarmenth ath well. And thee'th even got thtuffed animalth on her bed. Not properly thtuffed oneth, either, but fabric… "

Zahnrad laughs. "That Reisender fellow is creepier than her by appearance, at least," he says and shrugs. "Anyway, if you need work done, my shop is near the Mint Dam. Look for the building with a huge gear for a door."

The Skreek hardly seems to hear, sliding into a funk. "Oh, that guy… well, he wath a bit of fun at leatht, and the girl with him wath cute. They only thtayed the night of the thtorm though, and left in the morning."

"Er, a bit of fun… ?" Zahnrad inquires, looking at the Skreek. He blinks, then just shrugs, asking, "Did you ask them to stay longer?"

"I imagine the doctor made the offer," Igor says. "Or perhapth thee didn't. More dramatic for them to leave, I thuppoth. Thee'th funny like that. Readth too many bookth."

"I got the impression they were on some important journey. Maybe she saw them as a group of travelling heroes and all that, and was compelled to not ask them to stay," Zahnrad says and waves his hand. "Some people are strange like that. I've never understood what is considered romantic or not." He pauses, remembering something, then adds, "And oh … Olivia is single."

Igor grins for a moment, then covers by asking, "Ah, what thort of hobbieth doeth thee have, do you know?"

Zahnrad rubs his neck. "She collects strange things. Bits. Makes odd works of 'art' out of them, or so I've heard. I've not seen many of them. She made that hat she wears, for example," he says.

"An artitht then?" Igor asks, rubbing his chin thoughtfully… or schemingly.

Zahnrad nods emphatically. "Oh … yeah. She's a serious artist. Works as a weaver apprentice, but I don't think that's what she wants to do forever," he says. "I know that much since I've had to work at their shops, and well, I hear things now and then."

"Think thee'd like tapestrieth?" Igor asks.

Zahnrad thinks. "She might. Why?" he asks.

"I think I have thome I've been uthing to pack jarth," Igor says.

"You can always ask her," Zahnrad says and looks back toward the kitchen. "I should probably get back in there before they come looking for me," he says.

"Yeth, it ithn't thafe to let femaleth talk together too long while you're away," Igor says, as if imparting great wisdom.

"I mainly worry they're plotting my doom," Zahnrad says and stands. He picks up his pack again and starts back towards the kitchen. He tries to listen as he approaches, on the off chance he might sneak a 'peek' at what they're discussing.

"That would be probably be a betht cathe thenario," Igor says ominously. Before Zahn can get close enough to eavesdrop however, Gaspode spots him through the window and squawks an alarm.

"If you're done sulking out there, Zahn, come in so we can get to work," Amelia calls.

Zahnrad sighs and shakes his head. "I don't understand what I see in her," he mutters under his breath. "Yeah, yeah. I have more information on a few things, so I wasn't sulking, thank you!" he calls back.

"You're welcome?" Amelia says, poking her head out of the window. "How's your hand? I don't want you to get an infection from old dirt and stuff."

Zahnrad holds up his hand and waggles his fingers. "It's fine. I can use either hand equally well, so I'll just favor my left hand more while working," he replies. "Just a couple puncture wounds, anyway."

The Kadie girl purses her lips for a moment, then nods. "Okay, if you say so," she says, then vanishes back into the kitchen.

Zahnrad looks skyward and says quietly before entering, "Golem wings, my designs, and a ship from Rephidim. Close, yet still out of your reach, Zahn. How far are you willing to go, really?" He pauses, then adds in a whisper, "I don't know." Another shrug, then the Kadie slips back into the kitchen.