The workshop is more of a mess than usual … and seems to getting worse. Items go flying through the air, over piles of wooden gearing and broken belts. Could it be a ghost has invaded? Alas, no, as Zahnrad comes out from behind the gears, carrying an assortment of things overflowing from his arms. "I have too much crap," he grumbles as he heads over to a bench. He sets down the pile and starts going through it. "Long feed measuring line, check. Lanterns with oil, check. Bedroll, check. Assorted tools, including heavy ones to whack things with, check," he rattles off as he fills up a backpack with stuff, and slots tools into his belt.

"I must be forgetting something," Zahn muses. He slaps the side of his head and pulls out several writing pens and carbon pencils, then tucks them into the braid in his hair. He's found it's quite utilitarian for holding writing things and has kept his hair braided more often. He hefts the pack up onto his back, then heads out the doorway, muttering, "I don't know why I have to go to Amy instead of her coming here."

"Because she's evil," comes a comment from above Zahnrad. Gunther swings down into view, hanging from his hind feet. "Soooo … just what are you up to, today? Is this the camping trip, for the rubber?"

"Yes," Zahnrad answers flatly. "I'll only be gone a day."

"Right, I'm coming with you," Gunther replies almost immediately after Zahn speaks.

"No, you're not," Zahnrad says and sighs. His eyes level on Gunther and he says, "You won't have any fun."

"Would too! I can pitch a better tent than you!" Gunther insists and pokes Zahn square in the nose.

Zahnrad steps back and rubs his nose tip. "No, you wouldn't, because I'd tie you up and cover you in rubber for being irritating," Zahnrad grouses.

"I've been covered in worse," Gunther insists.

"Not really, because we'd have to shave you bald to get it off," Zahnrad points out, then grins. "You'd look like a Skeek."

Gunther makes a face. "Ew, yuck, ew," he complains, then rocks back and forth from where he hangs.

"Besides, you've got to help work on the rake orders from the Rootrunners while I'm out," Zahnrad says, "Over at Dieter's place, since he's got the tine press used for the wooden teeth at the moment."

"Oh, yeah," Gunther replies, looking for all the world like he had to swallow a slug. "I hate working over there. You know how Dieter gets all … upset just because I get sawdust on the floor, or track in some mud. He's so … picky!"

"It's good for you, builds character," Zahnrad says, looking triumphant.

"Adultsalways say that about unpleasant things," Gunther complains. "I happen to remember you complaining about the same thing!"

"Yes, well, I was younger then," Zahnrad says defensively.

"It was last week!" Gunther cackles.

"Er, shut up. I have to be going. You … go help Mom or something," Zahnrad says and walks around the hanging Gunther.

"I expect all the juicy bits about the trip, Zahn!" Gunther calls out after him, then pulls himself back up into the trees.

"Yeah, yeah," Zahnrad grumbles, not looking back. "I was never like that. I couldn't have been, people would have killed me."

Zahnrad makes his way along the well-worn wagon paths that lead into and out of the Wingnut territory. He walks along, not paying a whole lot of attention, he seems to be lost in thought. Probably working out a design in his head.

It's a pleasant morning for a walk along the river, with very little traffic to distract the Kadie from his thoughts. Before long he comes to the edge of the Blacktail orchards, and finds his way to the oak tree and small shack that he'd previously found Amelia staying at.

Zahnrad calls up towards the tree, "Hey, Amelia, you up there?" He shifts his weight to his left leg, and re-adjusts how he's carrying his pack.

"No, she isn't," comes a soft masculine voice from somewhere behind Zahn.

Zahnrad nearly jumps and screams. He collects himself and turns around to the voice. "No, where is she, then?" he asks.

Leaning against the dark bark of one of the plum trees is an adult Kadie, a full head taller than Zahn. Aside from having cream-colored body fur, his features are quite similar to Amelia's. "In her cabin, last I saw," the man says, casually tapping a pole equipped with a nasty-looking stone hook against his shoulder. "I take it you're trying to find her?" he asks.

Zahnrad nods. "I am. I would appreciate it if you could direct me to her, sir? If not, I'd understand. I don't want to be presumed to be encroaching on Blacktail territory," he says.

The other Kadie raises up his eyebrows, and asks, "And who are you, then? Didn't think anyone outside the family knew where Amy comes to cool off after having a snit-fit."

"Ah, sorry. I'm Zahnrad Kettenrad-Wingnut. I'm a friend of hers," Zahnrad explains.

"Ah, that explains things," the man says, and offers a hand to Zahnrad. "I'm her brother, Duncan. Glad to see little sister has some friends that aren't witches."

Zahnrad checks to make sure he doesn't have grease or anything sticky on his hand, then shakes the offered hand. "Pleasure to meet you, Duncan," he says, "Is she normally only visited by Morgan, then?"

Duncan starts to lead Zahn down one of the paths that crisscross the orchard, saying, "Nobody visits Amelia, except her bunny friend every so often. I always figured her first guests would be carrying torches and pitchforks though, not a big backpack."

Zahnrad chuckles lightly. "No, while I'm carrying a lot of things … I don't have a pitchfork or a torch," Zahnrad comments and glances around at the orchard. "I guess people find her abrasive sometimes, but eh. I find her fun to be around. We all have our quirks."

"Her cabin's on the far side," Duncan explains, as the two reach the main compound. The large building on the ground is the source of various thumping and cracking sounds.

Zahnrad eyes the main cabin and the cracking sounds coming from it. "You're certain it's all right for me to be here? I know some clans do get extremely territorial," he asks absently.

"Well, that's true," Duncan says. "If Amy says you shouldn't be here, we'll make sure you don't come back again though."

"All you have to do is say not to. I respect boundaries," Zahnrad comments and glances towards Duncan. "Ah, thanks for the guide here. I won't take up any more of your time."

Duncan leads Zahn to an outlying chestnut tree. The base is surrounded by work tables and drying racks filled with various herbs and plants, with one table set with various bowls and jars, along with a stone mortar and pestle. A simple stair-ladder leads up to a small porch attached to the cabin above. "She should be up there. I'll be nearby if you need an escort out," Duncan says, and heads back towards the orchard.

Zahnrad glances upward. He almost climbs the ladder, but then decides that might be a bit of an invasion. He wasn't invited up, after all. "Amelia?" he calls out tentatively.

"That you, Zahn?" comes a slightly muted reply from somewhere in the cabin.

"Uh, yeah. Your brother, Duncan, showed me the way here. You asked me to fetch you about getting the rubber, remember?" Zahnrad calls back. "I went to the tree on the edge of your family territory, but you weren't there."

"All my stuff is in here," Amy calls back. "C'mon in, I'm in the storeroom."

"Er, all right," Zahnrad replies. He checks his pack to make sure it's stable, then heads up and towards the direction of Amelia's voice.

Amelia isn't in the room itself, but can be heard moving around behind the small door. A bedroll lies ready atop her bed, along with some other supplies waiting to be packed.

"A lot different from my place," Zahnrad comments and looks around. "More … organized."

"I have a friend come and clean it, remember?" Amy says, finally coming through the door and brushing it closed with her tail. Her arms are full of various leather items.

"Ah, right. Well, I can't let people touch my room. I have a lot of secret designs in there," Zahnrad comments absently. He glances over at the rack of deadly things and says, "Ah, that's where you keep it. Is the staff holding up okay?"

"Yup!" Amelia says, taking down the staff and slipping it into a leather holster. "Although I haven't actually tried to hit anything with it yet," she admits. Another mass of leather turns out to be a backpack, and into this go some items of clothing and quite a bit of wrapped up food.

Zahnrad tilts his head and glances at what she's packing. "Er, aren't we going for just a day?" he asks. "Seems like a awful lot of supplies for a day."

"Special supplies," Amy says, holding up one of the bags that looks like it contains food. "Anti-spirit warding powder, made from ground up Creen bones. And a few other items, just in case," she explains, then packs the bag and takes down the nasty looking halberd pole-arm. Apparently, an iron joint in the middle of the pole allows it to be unscrewed into two smaller halves.

Zahnrad arches his eyebrows. "Are you sure we'll need all that? The place didn't seem that dangerous, except for some structural instability," he says. "But then, it's not like I've ever really camped. Gunther has, though."

"Gunther's been in the Gnarly Wood overnight?" Amy asks in surprise, while fitting a padded leather hood over the bladed end of the halberd.

"Pretty sure he has. He's a bit strange," Zahnrad replies. "I know he sure got in trouble over it."

"Back when he disappeared for a couple days," Zahnrad adds to that. "He never would say where he went."

"I wouldn't be surprised if his mother never let him leave the compound again until he was eighteen!" Amelia says, and finishes packing the weapon into its own leather holder. Then, the bedroll is tied to the back, and everything is strapped to her shoulders, although she takes care not to let it get snagged in her loose clothes (she is once again wearing hand-me-downs more or less tied with knots to conform to her shape). "I think I'm ready now," she announces.

"Well, mother is weird about that. She lets us make mistakes, but also makes us deal with the results. Only way to learn, or so she claims," Zahnrad says with a shrug. "He was stuck on slime removal duty at the dam for a few weeks, but that was about it. He wasn't grounded or anything." He then goes and opens the door, saying, "After you."

Past the hidden entrance in the woods, at the bottom of the thirty-foot tunnel, Amelia waits. "What will you learn by measuring the stairs?" she asks Zahn.

"Well, how big the occupants were by the step spacing and depth. How deep this goes initially. And from the floor sloping, I should be able to estimate how far underground parts go," Zahnrad explains as he writes down some numbers on a sheet of paper. He then tucks the pencil back into his hair braid. "I want to draw out a three-dimensional model of this place."

"Three dementias?" Amy asks, poking her lantern ahead. A tunnel stretches off, the floor made of thick, if nearly collapsed pipes.

"Dimensions, a model that replicates how you see it," Zahnrad replies and folds up his notes. He gathers his pack and lantern, then joins Amelia. Thinking of something, he kneels down briefly to check the pipes and compare to his memory of the piping under the castle.

There isn't a lot of variation in the pipes. Their ceramic walls are about an inch thick, with about eight inches of interior diameter. From further down the tunnel, a warm, slightly moist breeze can be felt.

"I wonder if these stretch all the way to the castle," Zahnrad comments and stands. "Anyway, sorry."

Amelia hmms, looking at the pipes as if for the first time. "I dunno, maybe they do? That's an awful long way for a pipe to run though," she says, and heads to the end of the tunnel, where a simple plank bridge spans the five-foot gap of a deep vertical shaft.

"Not impossible, though," Zahnrad replies and follows along. He tilts his head to try and look at the bridge. "Oh, I want to measure the depth here, if I can."

After crossing the bridge quickly, Amy asks, "From the center of the bridge? While wearing that heavy pack?"

"Well, no. After we drop off the packs in another room," Zahnrad replies and crosses over the plank. "I don't want to fall in the pit."

"Okay then," Amy says, and leads the way down the next tunnel to the little side room where Zahn can remove his pack safely.

Zahnrad follows along quietly. Once in the side room, he slips the pack off, then pulls out an oblong box with a handle sticking out of it and a weight hanging from a rope. "Where were you wanting to set up camp, anyway?" Zahn asks.

"The sunken theater," Amy says. "There's fresh water there."

"And a hole to run through if needed, if I remember right," Zahnrad comments and turns the handle on his box. Through a hole in the top, a mark can be seen to pass by at intervals until the weight is pulled against the box.

"How long is your measuring cord?" Amelia asks from the tunnel mouth, not wanting to add more weight by joining Zahn on the bridge.

"Pretty long – a thousand feet or so. It's got a large spool inside. Each time a tick passes the window, a foot has passed by. Rather annoying to sit and count, when it's really long, tho," Zahnrad explains. He heads out onto the bridge carefully and squats down. Holding the box steady, he lets go of the weight and lets it pull the cord down slowly. Zahn's focused on the slot in the box, apparently counting.

"Maybe you should have special marks every ten feet or so then," Amelia suggests. After about seventy ticks, the line begins to descend more slowly.

Zahnrad stops the line, then holds it, trying to judge the tension in it. "Harder to do, as the mechanism is just a wheel with a foot circumference the rope goes around. One rotation, one foot. Though, with the right gearing… " he mutters absently.

The line is still taught at seventy feet, although it still feels like something is dragging on the motion of the weight.

"Hmmm, I think I hit water," Zahnrad comments and starts winding the cord back up.

Sure enough, the last few feet of cord and the rock itself are soaking wet.

"Yep, water. It's about seventy feet deep," Zahnrad comments. "I wonder if the same underground river runs through here, or the lower passages are just flooded." Zahnrad stands back up and makes his way back over to Amelia.

"The big underground road is flooded at one end," Amy says. Back in the little antechamber, the two take up their packs again before ascending the next set of stairs to 'street level'.

The road is at least twenty feet wide and high, with two levels of cubbyholes along each side that are large enough to house small shops or rooms. The rotted remains of wooden walls and walkways litter the sides as well. There is some dim light coming from a quartz panel high in the ceiling, and this seems to get stronger further along the road in one direction, the other being lost to darkness.

"Mmm, my guess is it's a lower passage and not a river, then," Zahnrad says and nods. "Interesting. Maybe they evacuated when the water levels rose." He glances back up at the crystal and taps his forehead. "Gah, I forgot. Crud."

Amy points with her lamp in the darker direction. "It slopes down a little bit that way, but doesn't go as deep as that shaft did. But it's still flooded by swamp water. You can tell by the smell. That water at the bottom of the shaft is warm, like at the hot springs."

"Ah, they must've tapped a boiling water source for steam power, then," Zahnrad says, "Efficient." He then gestures to the crystals in the ceiling. "We need to salvage some of that tower-mirror we found and build some reflectors to send more light down this tunnel."

"You have something to cut it with?" Amy asks, and leads the way towards the base of the sun-tower. Not that it's hard to find, since the ceiling lights get brighter the closer they get, and sunlight spills out of the towers base to illuminate part of the opposite wall – which is flat and featureless, not having the little cubbies or rotting bits of wood.

"I'm sure I can come up with something," Zahnrad comments, absently. He's more focused on counting his paces as they walk, tallying up a guess of the length.

Inside the tower base, Amy pauses to run her fingers over the Skeek lettering carved into the glowing golden walls: HELIOSTAT 53. "I still wonder if Skeeks built all of this, in ancient times. Back before the swamp rose up, anyway. Maybe they built the Barrow too."

"Could have been those strange metal clawed things we found the picture of," Zahnrad suggests as he walks around the tower, measuring it out. "And I've never been to the barrow, so I can't say if the construction is similar, or not."

"I know that it's all overgrown," Amelia says, watching Zahn perform his odd (to her) rituals.

Zahnrad walks backwards now and then, then forward, then spins and eyes across the room. "Hmm," he mutters. He shrugs, then says, "I'll have to go out there sometime and see the construction. I'll rig up some sort of plant cutter to deal with the growth."

Amy taps her knuckles on the slender central pole, which supports a large prism that directs the incoming sunlight into an opening above the doorway. "Do you think that reflector thingy can be turned?" she asks Zahn. Since it's twenty feet up from the floor, and at least ten feet from the walls, it's hard to tell if it's on a moveable mounting or not.

"Hmm. Let me try and get a better look," Zahnrad says. He heads up the odd wall-stairs until he's more level with the reflector so he can get a better look at the mounting. Ten feet is better than twenty, after all. "If this one isn't, they may have had a second one that was."

The prism appears fixed in place. In fact, there doesn't even appear to be a seam between it and the supporting pillar.

"Doesn't look movable from this position," Zahnrad says, then heads up higher, to see if the upper point swivels at all.

"There should be another one to light up the rest of the roadway," Amelia agrees. "But it would be closer to the edge of the woods then, and there aren't any really tall trees to hide it," she speculates as she follows Zahn to the top of the tower.

The stairs open onto a platform, with an arch going overhead to support a faceted crystal that catches the light and beams it down to the mirror-prism below. On close inspection, it also appears to be seamlessly connecting to the arches that grow up from the tower material.

"Perhaps that one collapsed," Zahnrad suggests. "Have you gone up and looked for fallen trees?" Zahnrad doesn't stop to look at the crystal at the top, instead he goes up into the branches to see if he can see out along where the road goes underneath, looking for where the other end may be.

There's the curious million-tiny-fingers effect when passing through the invisible barrier around the top of the tower to the limbs of the giant tree beyond. "I can't imagine what could knock over one of these things," Amy says, joining Zahn to search. "If it fell long enough ago, it'd be completely buried by now though."

"Ah, but given how hard the wall material is, though, I would suspect plants would have a harder time growing in it. You'd have less large trees around where it fell, I'd suspect," Zahnrad says and he settles down on a high branch to peer out over the woods. "Though, I could be wrong. It's all speculation."

A bit of searching locates the fallen tree that marks the entrance, several hundred yards away now. Any other surface features are hidden by the tops of the large (but not gigantic) trees of the Gnarly Wood, until they're replaced by the more normal giants used by the Kadies. Following the imaginary path of the underground road, however, shows that it might pass beneath Witch's Rock, although that mound of stone is hardly high enough to hide one of the heliostat towers, unless they came in different sizes.

Zahnrad points toward the Witches rock. "If you follow the line, it runs under that," he says and points. "Heh, since it is some sort of weird magic to it too, that would make sense. I wonder if that's part of their power source? Maybe it attracts witches." He glances at Amelia appraisingly.

Blushing under the sudden scrutiny, Amelia says, "I've only been up there once, for… a special ritual. And I was blindfolded at the time too."

"Heh, I see. I won't inquire as to what that ritual was. But, hm, I wonder. You found this place yourself," Zahnrad comments and taps his clawtips against the branch.

"I'm not a real witch though," Amy points out. "The Spirit didn't accept me."

"Perhaps you're just a different kind," Zahnrad suggests, then shrugs. "I'd be rejected right out, I would think. Probably thrown out and beaten with rotten vegetables to boot, too."

"What you do is closer to organized magic, I think," Amelia says. "It's complicated, has strange rules and words and confusing diagrams after all."

"There's no magic to it. It's all just simple logic and math," Zahnrad comments, then shrugs slightly. "Hm, maybe a bit of an artistic touch, perhaps. One error can sure be painful. I've broken my arm a few times."

"Sounds like College magic to me," Amy says. "But I hear when they mess up, it's usually more colorful than a broken arm."

"Language can get pretty colorful when you break your arm, if you ask me," Zahn comments with a grin. He hmms and looks back at the crystal. "Ever stick anything in the beam?"

Amelia shakes her head. "It never occurred to me to try. You'd have to lean out over the shaft with a long stick or climb up the arches to the crystal, wouldn't you?"

"Long stick. What about your big spear thing?" Zahnrad asks. "We could find something to tie to it and make it longer, like your staff."

"No way!" Amelia balks, looking at Zahn as if he'd asked her to stick her head into an oven. "I won't risk my weapons! Who knows what it would do to them, even if I didn't manage to drop them."

Zahnrad raises his hand. "Woah, it was a suggestion. Personally, I doubt it would do anything," Zahn says. "We could always just cut a long stick."

"That's silly too," Amy says, looking at Zahn. "You really are used to doing everything alone, aren't you? There's a much simpler and safer way to pass something through the center, using two people."

Zahnrad looks at Amelia oddly. "I always work alone, Amy," he replies flatly, then shrugs. "I suppose two people could do it by using the wrapping stairwell and rope, too."

"Don't need the stairs either," Amy says, and gets up to head back towards the top of the tower. "And really, I suppose one person could do it by tying one end of the rope to one of the arches, but it'll be faster with two people."

"All right," Zahnrad replies and gets up. He heads back toward the central structure as well.

"Just stand here next to this arch, outside of the barrier," Amy suggests. "Hand me the end of your measuring line, and I'll walk around to the other arch while you hold the spool. The line will pass through the center, and we'll both be safely outside the barrier when it happens!" She grins at her own cleverness.

"Except the line could burn, or it might make the crystal explode," Zahnrad points out and shrugs. He quirks a grin, then comments, "And you're more than ready to risk my stuff, I see." Still he takes the box, then hands her the weighted end of rope,

"You said you had like a thousand feet of this line," Amy notes. "You can afford to lose a little bit of it." She pulls the line along as she circles to the far arch. After passing the end across the inside of the arch and picking it up on the other side, about three inches of the cord are centered in the beam, glowing with bright white light.

"Hm, about as uninteresting as I suspected," Zahnrad replies and peers out over the line. He steps to the side and moves the cord out of the beam to see if the glow fades.

The glow vanishes as the cord leaves the beam, but the section that was exposed is darkened, and even smoking a little.

"Heh, hot," Zahnrad says and makes his way over to Amelia. "Like a magnifying glass."

"A what glass?" Amy asks, handing back the weighted end of the line.

"Magnifying lens. Makes small objects look larger. You can also use it and sunlight to burn things," Zahnrad says as he reels the line back in, pausing to check the scorched part of the line. "This is just a giant focus."

Amelia pantomimes holding up a tube to her face, and asks, "Like a spyglass? I didn't think that could burn you."

"It can if it's aimed at a bright light and held there for a while. And don't go doing that with the sun, it'll blind you," Zahn says and tucks his measuring box under his arm. He then thinks of something, and starts measuring the height of the tower.

The line catches on the spirals of the stairs every so often and needs to be swung away, but eventually the weight hits bottom after uncoiling nearly 300 feet of cord.

"Whoo, tall," Zahnrad comments and reels his line back up. "Good thing I'm not afraid of heights, eh?" He glances over at Amelia and asks, "Has the place stayed about the same since you found it, or has anything changed?"

"No changes that I've noticed," Amelia says, looking thoughtful. "I didn't really try to track the edge of the flooded area though, to see if it was changing."

"Ah we should mark the water level and you can check the mark next time," Zahnrad suggests. "And oh, is that spear thing of yours a halberd? It doesn't look much like a fish."

"Like a fish?" Amelia asks, then nods. "Yeah, that's what it's called."

"You said pike last time. A pike is a kind of fish," Zahnrad says.

"It's also a kind of weapon," the girl notes.

"Ah. I don't deal in weapons, so … new information for me," Zahnrad says and stands up. "We should check on the bucket of rubber, too. That is what we came for after all. I'm sorry if all my measuring is well, dull."

"We've got plenty of time, so I don't mind," Amy says, smiling, before starting down the long stairway.

"That's good. Most people get impatient with me," Zahnrad comments and follows down. He counts the stars on the way down as well. "And oh, sorry about the incident at the Wingnuts. Deirdre had no right to harass you there."

"It's inevivegetable… inever… it's only a matter of time before I have to confront any girl with ambition," Amelia says.

"Heh, I guess. I've never been quite sure what her ambition is though. But then I don't get women in the first place," Zahnrad says and grins. "You don't act like one, which is refreshing." He pauses to scribble down how many stairs and how tall the tower is.

Amelia blinks at the odd compliment. "Err, thanks, I think."

"You're not prissy," Zahnrad clarifies. As he follows along, he feels along the walls, trying to get an idea of structure again.

It's only a short walk from the base of the sun-tower to the amphitheater, which is a good thing since the long climb up and down can quickly wear one out.

"Not many girls are like that, really," Amelia says, happily setting down her pack on an exposed stone platform.

Zahnrad sets down his own pack and whews. After a moment of rest, he makes his way over to the pool of water. He dips his hand in, then sniffs the resulting palmful of water.

The water smells clean, thanks to the fresh stream that supplies it. The water must eventually drain out down one of the partially sunken passages.

Zahnrad takes a sip, thankful for a bit of clean water. "Have you ever seen any animal footprints in here?" Zahn asks as he makes his way towards the trees where they left the bucket.

"No, but there isn't much that they could leave an impression in," Amelia says. Most of the ground is either covered in thick moss, or else exposed stone. The only real soil can be found on the spill slope where the rubber trees grow. The bucket overflowed slightly before the sap stopped flowing, it appears, once Zahn reaches it.

"Heh, well, we have plenty of rubber," Zahnrad declares. He tries to grip a non-rubbered spot on the bucket so he can carry it over. "And oh, your brother Duncan seems a nice enough fellow, by the way. He's huge, too," Zahnrad comments. "He was amazed you had a visitor that wasn't carrying a pitchfork, though."

"Duncan seems to think I'm some sort of incorrigible hellion," Amelia comments, as she unpacks a few supplies. "As if I go out looking for trouble!"

"But, you do greet trouble head-on. And, I do have to point out, you tried out for Frog Princess," Zahnrad points out.

"That's not the same as looking for trouble," Amy grumbles. "Just because I deal with it when it happens isn't a bad thing, I think."

"No. But it is fun to tease you about," Zahnrad comments with a grin. He sets down the bucket and looks over his hands for any goo.

The rubber is still a bit sticky, and some of it has gotten onto Zahn's palms. "Why do you boys always have to tease girls about things?" Amelia complains, although half-heartedly at best.

"Because we stink at much else. A playful insult from a guy means you're all right, usually. You should hear how the otters greet each other sometime," Zahnrad says. He frowns and looks at his palm. He tries to rub it off on the wall, muttering, "Yuck."

"Ah, so it doesn't really mean that the boys just want the girls' attention without looking like they want it?" Amelia asks, and spreads out a blanket and a simple lunch of chestnut bread and apples.

"Oh, it can mean that too," Zahnrad says and grins. "It's hard to explain. It's like there's this block that prevents you saying you like someone. Maybe it's a macho thing." Dis-satisfied with the goo-removal attempt, he goes back to the water.

"But I think it all boils down to guys are bad at admitting to any emotion, really," Zahnrad says. "Must look strong, or some such nonsense."

"Need some soap powder?" Amelia asks, holding up a small canvas bag, and dangling it from her fingers.

"You really packed," Zahnrad says with a nod. "It would probably help. This stuff is stubborn. Come pour some on my hands? I don't want to goo up your bag."

Amelia brings the bag over and pour some of the powder onto Zahn's hands. "Gunther would probably want a pit of rubber to dump invaders into," she comments.

"Thanks." Zahn rubs the powder into his wet hands, focusing on the goo'ed spots. "Boiling sap, actually," Zahnrad replies. "We had to order him to not try and build that. That boy is not right. He wanted to come today, but I threatened to coat him in rubber."

Suddenly looking worried, Amelia asks, "And you're sure he didn't follow you, right?"

"Not likely. I came into Blacktail territory, afterall. He does respect territory boundaries. Plus, he had work to do with Dieter today," Zahnrad explains, looking pleased the goo is coming off. He rinses his hands, then asks, "How much food did you pack? I had figured we'd each just pack for ourselves, but looks like you brought more."

"I assumed you'd forget to bring any," Amelia says, as she puts the soap sack away. "But I have enough for lunch, dinner, breakfast and another lunch, just in case."

"I, er, just brought some bread and such," Zahnrad admits and hangs his head. "And here you go bringing real meals!"

"Our meals should be interesting, since there isn't much to do here until night falls," Amelia points out. "Unless you have a lamp that will work underwater?" she suddenly asks, looking hopeful.

"A lamp that works under water? No, but … hmm," Zahnrad says, then glances at the rubber. "I could fashion one with that as a sealent. The trick would be air supply, but … have an idea. And what gets interesting at night?"

"Well, it'll be night," Amelia says, shrugging her shoulders. "I've never been here at night, so it'll be different. I'll probably be too on edge to sleep though."

"Well, if you don't sleep, I won't. Only fair," Zahnrad says. He goes back to his pack and fishes out a lantern. He peers at it, looking like he's thinking through several ideas.

"We should take naps after lunch then," Amelia suggests, breaking off piece of bread. "Unless you want to go set up markers in the flooded area?"

"Markers will only take a few minutes. Then naps after that, I suppose," Zahnrad agrees and settles down on the blanket to eat near Amelia. He seems to have lost interest in the lamp for the moment and gets himself a piece of bread. "Why do you want light underwater?"

Her mouth full of bread, Amy points towards the tunnels at the far end of the pool. About a foot of airspace exists between their tops and the water level, and the sunlight filtering in through the forest above doesn't penetrate far into them.

"Well, if I can borrow your staff for a bit, I have an idea. I won't damage it, I need it to act as a mold of sorts for something," Zahnrad says. He then eats for a bit, realizing he was hungry.

After swallowing, Amelia unsheathes her staff and hands it over, then takes a few moments to reassemble her halberd.

Zahnrad grabs his box he uses for measuring, then cuts the weight off it. He starts spinning the cord around her staff, making it very tightly spaced. He stops now and then to munch, and explain, "You see, I can waterproof the lamp, but it'll go out when it runs out of air. Using the rope around your staff, then coating the rope with rubber and running it over an open flame quickly to solidify it some … I can make a makeshift flexible pipe that we can use to get air to a lamp. I shouldn't get any goo on your staff, I just needed something round that would be fairly easy to slide rope off."

"Do we need to start a fire going then?" Amelia asks, holding an apple in her hand.

"A small one, yeah. We could probably use a lamp to do this part and save a bigger fire for tonight. Whichever is easier for you," Zahnrad replies, eying the rope critically as he winds. He can't help but bite his tongue now and then.

"Let's use the lamp then," Amy agrees, watching closely as Zahn works, with the occasional pause to take a bite of her apple. "I'm afraid to even go into the pool without being able to see down those tunnels," she admits.

"I would be too. I envy Eees, which can see in total darkness. I can see in low light, at least. I still remember seeing you, sorta, at the baths," Zahnrad comments, glancing over at Amelia briefly. "Have any rags on hand?"

It takes a moment for Amy to register the request. "I've got some I brought to use as bandages," she says, and produces a small roll from her pack.

"Can you get me a piece about a foot long? I need something to apply the goo with," Zahnrad says.

Amy unrolls the desired length, and tears it off with her teeth. "Here you go."

Zahnrad takes it from her and says, "Thanks. You must think I'm really weird that I just look at stuff and come up with unusual uses like this." He carries the now roped staff over to the bucket. He wraps the bandage around his fingertips, then dips it into the bucket. Carefully, he starts coating the rope.

"I think it's very clever," Amelia says. "You approach problems head on too."

"Yeah, there's always a solution," Zahnrad replies and glances up briefly. "I think it's better to try and solve it, than just walk away." His head tilts, then he grins, adding, "Feels good to beat any challenge you come up against, doesn't it?"

"Oh yeah, it's good exercise too!" Amelia agrees, and starts relighting one of Zahn's lamps.

"Except when things go bad. I should let you feel the points in my arms I've broken before, makes the bones feel funny. Mistakes can hurt," Zahn comments, still carefully putting the goo on (and getting some on his hands again, anyway). "I've read on using heat to congeal rubber, but I've never done it. This'll be a new experience. Your staff should be safe, though. It's for the rope layer over it."

"I don't think the flame from a lantern could hurt the staff anyway," Amelia says, and pulls the picnic blanket clear of the likely spatter area. Getting rubber on it would be bad enough, but flaming rubber would be much worse.

"Yeah, shouldn't," Zahnrad agrees. He seems satisfied enough with the coating and goes to sit near the exposed flame lamp. Before he puts the staff over, he realizes something. "Er, if we're going into water, er. I brought the clothes I'm wearing. Gah."

"Let's see if the lamp will work first before worrying about that stuff," Amelia points out.

"All right," Zahnrad says. He lifts the edge of the staff up and holds it over the open flame, but not in it. Slowly, he turns it, letting the flame heat the rubber.

"I still don't have a swimming outfit either," Amelia says. "I'll have to see Olivia about it sometime, I suppose. Will we need a little boat for one end of the rubber pipe to connect to?"

"Ah well, I won't mention it to anyone if you don't regarding having to swim, probably, well. Oh, a boat, either that or we have to hold it out of the water ourselves," Zahnrad says and eases the staff away to let it cool briefly. "Any good at carving?"

"A little," Amelia says. "But not anything fancy."

"Should be good enough. We don't need fancy," Zahnrad replies and srugs lightly. He reaches up to touch the part he heated. "Small flat square to hook the hose to, a few sticks to stick off the side to act as pontoons to keep it from flipping. Want to work on that? Hey, it hardened some."

Nodding, Amelia gets up and takes her halberd, with it's handy axe and pick, and starts searching the edges of the amphitheater for good sized pieces of bark or wood.

Zahnrad goes silent and works on heating the length of the staff slowly and as evenly as he can. He's not even sure how much time passes as he focuses on his task at hand. Once he seems satisfied it's hardened enough, he finds it more difficult to work it off the staff than he expected. After some more time, he manages that too and whews. "There, I think I've gotten this done," he says, then with one hand closes one end, and he blows in the other. All that happens is that his cheeks inflate. "Yep, got it!"

With a few hours left until sunset, the two Kadies examine the results of their labors.

It took an hour or so more to assemble the device and the outcome is truly … bizarre. The lamp, now also coated in rubber except for glass, has two three-foot rubber hoses sticking out of it. One apparently is for air intake, the other for smoke to exit. They're both connected to a rough-cut square of wood so they float out of water. To stabilize it from flipping, some makeshift pontoon-branches have been tied to it. Underwater, it probably will end up looking like some misshapen tentacle monster from the bog with one glowing eye. "Well, it's not pretty, but I think it should work. I guess we try it, eh?" Zahnrad tells Amelia, then pats her back. "Good work."

"Go ahead and light it," Amy says. "Then we can put it into the water."

Zahnrad nods. He releases the clamp that holds the glass down and it separates from the makeshift rubber seal he put under it to keep it from leaking. Taking a stick and lighting it from the other lamp, he lights this one then closes the glass back down. He watches it critically as the light flickers inside, but seems to stay lit. He holds his hand over the 'smoke' hose and says, "Hey, warm air. I think this works so far." So, he picks it up and walks over to the water, then lowers the lamp slowly in, holding his breath when it starts to sink into the water…

The rubber seals hold, and the lamp stays lit. So far, so good.

Zahnrad lets out his held breath. "Well, hey, it worked," he says, sounding totally surprised. He sets the boat bit on the water, and tests the stability of it keeping the air hoses out of the water. "Seems fairly stable as long as we don't jerk hard."

"Great!" Amelia says, as she dips her feet into the water to see how cold it is. "A little chilly, but not too bad, if we have a fire to come back to."

"Well, would we want to leave one lit, or just have it ready to light when we get back. I would vote for leaving it unlit till we get back, so we don't have a beacon for things to find us," Zahnrad offers.

"Okay then," Amy agrees. There's already plenty of firewood, as a result of her early search. "You want to go first then?" she asks.

"I guess. I, er, what about clothing? Do we just leave it behind?" Zahnrad asks.

Amelia thinks on it. "We'd have to dry it out otherwise," she concludes. "I've got extras though. It's up to you."

"You could stay up here instead," the girl offers.

Zahnrad considers, then shrugs. "Oh well. I guess you get to learn more about me," he says, looking a bit embarrassed. He does turn away though, and strips himself down. He does, however, fold his tail down to preserve a bit of modesty. He glances over his shoulder, grins sheepishly, then eases himself into the water. "No, I'd rather we stick together in here for both our safety. It's nothing you haven't seen around your brothers, I'm sure."

"I suppose so!" Amelia says, but doesn't peek as she turns and sheds her own clothes before wading into the water. "Brrr! I can't wait to sit next to a fire now!" she says while treading water. "Which tunnel do you want to look at first?"

"Your place, you pick," Zahnrad tells her and looks over at her. He eases the lamp over and holds onto it while he treads water. "Which has most interested you?"

"They're identical," Amy replies, then just picks one. "Right one first then."

Zahn swims towards the right. "All right, sounds good. I'll go first since I'm holding the light and can see better in low light. Will more likely see anything coming." he says

"I'll be right behind you," Amelia says. "Well, almost right behind you."

The lamp works well, providing at least ten feet of visibility in the tunnel. The bobbing of the float causes the low ceiling to dance with water reflections though.

It doesn't take long to see that the tunnel has collapsed at about twenty-five feet from the entrance though, making it impassable.

"Well, that was short," Zahnrad comments and turns to face Amelia. "Other one?"

Amelia nods, and backstrokes to the pool.

Zahnrad follows her out. "You look different with light around," he comments and grins sheepishly.

"Are you peeking?" Amy says, sounding shocked! Or at least pretending to be shocked.

"No, but I'm looking where I'm swimming and you're in that direction. All I really see is water distortion, though," Zahnrad says. He sounds like he's telling the truth, at least.

"Everything looks bigger than it really is underwater anyway," Amy says, and makes for the tunnel on the left.

"Sorry, I couldn't resist teasing," Zahnrad tells her, "I'm nervous." He makes for the left tunnel as well, asking, "Want me to go first again?"

"Yes, I don't think I could push the float as well," Amelia admits.

"All right," Zahnrad agrees and swims by Amelia. He heads into the tunnel, lightly tugging/pushing the lantern along.

This tunnel is intact. It goes straight for almost fifty feet before the slope of the ceiling hits the water. Even so, a glimmer of light can be spotted further down the passage, well beyond the glow of their lamp.

"Light ahead, but no air to breathe," Zahnrad calls back and eases to the side so Amelia can see. "I'm not sure we could swim that far, though," he adds, trying to guess the distance.

"I'm no Akwavi," Amelia says. "I can't hold my breath very long at all."

"Neither can I," Zahnrad admits. "Well, maybe we can try to build a longer hose next time and use that to breathe and swim through. Sorry. I don't know of a fast fix for this one."

"Other than finding a trustworthy otter?" Amy teases, and swims back to the pond.

"Doesn't exist!" Zahnrad says and follows Amelia back out to the pond. "Unless I could bribe the one who snuck into my lab. She was a kid. But, eh, anyone related to Emmett would worry me."

At the edge of the pool, Amy quickly clambers out and wraps herself in one of her bedroll blankets, making chittery noises. "I'll get the fire going while you deal with the lamp," she says.

Zahnrad seems to ponder rushing out, then realizes dealing with the lamp will make that hard. So, he just shrugs and climbs out, dripping wet. He kneels down and carefully extracts the lamp. After checking it over, he releases the glass seal again, then extinguishes the flame. The then just goes and sits near where the fire will be lit. "I really should plan better," he comments.

Amelia gets the tinder lit, and blows on the fire until it catches the bits of deadwood stacked around it. "Do you want a blanket?" she asks Zahn.

Zahnrad considers. "Yes, I probably should. Toss me my bedroll from my pack. I'll dry out the blanket after I dry out," he says.

Scooting over next to Zahn, Amy throws part of her own blanket around him. "No sense getting another one wet," she says, and rests her head against his shoulder.

Zahnrad looks momentarily stunned, then settles in next to Amelia. He scratches her back idly with one of his hands and says, "Well, we know that goes somewhere now, and it's lit. Question is if it's sunlight or more of those crystals. On the way home tomorrow, we should walk that direction and see if it just comes out."

"Mmmm hmmm," Amy mutters, her eyes closing as she cuddles up next to Zahn… and promptly falls asleep.

"So much for being on edge," Zahnrad comments, amused. He makes sure the blanket is pulled around the both of them. He doesn't fall asleep at least, figuring one of them should at least keep alert. "Zahnrad, inventor, aviation designer, pillow," he says, looking oddly at ease with the situation. He decides it must be the weirdness of the place around them negating the weirdness of this situation.