Kneeling down on the near bank, a young Lapi woman hums happily while picking wildflowers, which she places into her whicker basket. While she shares the same white fur and long blonde hair of her more popular twin, her demeanor makes it easy to tell who she is. Very few in Stonebarrow would confuse Parsley Chalk with the more domineering Clover.

"Hey, Parsley," Zahnrad calls out from where he's walking down the road. He's got his pack slung over his shoulder and a bucket hanging from one hand. "Isn't it a bit early for you to be out here?"

The Lapi girl turns and waves to Zahn, then stands up and smoothes out her blue spring dress and apron. "Oh, hello Zahnrad!" she says, walking over to the road with her basket. "I came with father and some of the others. They have a big meeting, but I stayed back. I just needed to get away from Clover for a bit. What are you doing out so early?" she asks, looking pointedly at the bucket of sappy goo the Kadie is carrying.

"Oh, returning from an overnight expedition with Amy. She was helping me get some rubber for projects I've got going," Zahnrad explains. He kneels briefly to set down his pack and bucket. "Your father must've gone to the Market day breakfast planning, or something. I just left from there."

"You left?" the girl asks, looking confused. "Does that mean the meeting is over already?"

"Not last I saw. I was just there briefly. It was rather dull, really. All talking about stuff I don't do or deal with," Zahnrad explains and shrugs. His tail flicks about and he adds, "Plus, I don't like large groups. Makes me nervous."

With her eyebrows raised up, Parsley asks, "But you spent the night there with Amelia? I thought you'd look a bit more cheerful after that… "

Zahnrad scratches his cheek. "Huh? We spent most of the time getting stuff and trying to track down some odd sounds out in the woods," he says, trying to figure out what she means. He blinks, then adds, "Oh! No, we didn't do anything like that."

The Lapi's ears go from straight up to spread out side-to-side, then straight back up again. "Oh, so you really were on an expedition then. Find what you were looking for? And what sort of strange noises?"

"Yes. I've got some rubber for use with a lot of ideas I have. The noises, some weird low pitched rhythmic thumping. Made both of us feel sick and seemed to come from the ground," Zahnrad says and walks over to Parsley, leaving his pack and such at the side of the road. "Ever hear or feel anything like that before?"

Parsley's ears turn and lay back for a moment, before she asks, "Thumping? Not… uh… something else?"

"Well, er," Zahnrad says, looking embarrassed. "I rather don't think it sounds like that. But I wouldn't know." He coughs.

The Lapi blinks at Zahn, the covers her mouth and giggles. "Oh no, I didn't mean… heh! No, it's just that… well, sound travels differently through chalk, so you can't really tell what it might have originally been. I mean, I hear… things… all the time."

"Oh? Like what?" Zahnrad asks, thankful for the change of topic.

Suddenly nervous, Parsley looks up and down the road, then kneels down in the grass and gestures for Zahn to do the same.

Zahn glances up and down the road as well, then kneels down with the Lapi.

"Can you keep a secret?" Parsley asks in a very quiet voice, leaning forward until she's practically nose-to-nose with the Kadie.

"Uh, yeah, sure," Zahnrad says, watching the Lapi curiously. His nose twitches.

"Singing," Parsley whispers. "Sometimes laughing, or crying. Mostly singing though. Once I heard such awful cursing that I couldn't sleep. All of it came from deep down, where nobody is allowed to go."

Zahnrad blinks. "How … odd. We didn't hear anything like that," he says and leans back, rubbing at his neck. "Ever consider sneaking down and seeing what it was?"

The girl's ears go back, her eyes go wide, and she balls her fists up against her muzzle. "Oh no… not even when Clover tried to make me go with her… "

"She went down there? Heh, figures," Zahnrad comments with a shrug. He shakes his head, then adds, "You know, you really aren't anything like her. You're a lot nicer. Pity you didn't go, though. I'd love to know what that was."

"I don't want to know what it is!" Parsley blurts. "It has to be something bad, otherwise why would those tunnels be off limits? And Clover sneaks past me to go down there, I'm sure, because she can barely wake up the next morning and is listless and acts strangely!"

"Not necessarily bad. It could be something valuable, or powerful," Zahnrad points out. "Something that helps someone keep control over others, or who knows what. Besides, mysteries are made to be solved, just like any other engineering problem."

"Not everything is an ignowhat-sit problem though," Parsley says.

"Sure it is. Problem, logical deductions and analysis, implement solution," Zahnrad counters.

"I don't know how that would work with people problems though," Parsley says, sounding skeptical. "How do you analogically reduce your sister acting weird?"

"With proper application of a sturdy stick," Zahnrad deadpans. "Have you met my brother?"

"The one who wears war paint?" Parsley asks. Casually, she takes one of the flowers from her basket and starts chewing on it.

"Well, I only have one brother, but yeah, him," Zahnrad says. He taps his chin, brain apparently switching gears again. "Say, you and I both don't seem to have anything pressing to do … so, want to help me with something?"

"I suppose I could, if it isn't too complicated," Parsley answers. "What do you need my help with?"

"Two things. Company. Second, I was wondering if you could help me get a bag of chalk. I have some equipment to repair for Doctor Pike, and I just realized I could use that to make a sealing paste. It'll help to have more than two hands while applying it, anyway," Zahnrad says and stands. "Amy's busy, and Gunther would get twitchy and probably break it more than it already is."

"That sounds easy enough," the Lapi says, smiling. "How big of a bag do you need?"

Zahnrad makes the shape of a small flour bag with his hands. "Maybe about this big. I'd guess it would weigh a pound or so," he says, considering the density of chalk. "Well, that is if you don't mind being around me, anyway. Apparently I'm known to the warren as the guy who blows himself up."

"Well, there aren't too many people who blow themselves up around here," Parsley notes. "Okay, I'll go get that and bring it to your workshop right away then!"

"Right. Thanks," Zahn says and heads back towards his pack. "I've been meaning to get this done. There's some interesting stuff at the castle we can hopefully learn from, once it's fixed."

Picking up her basket, Parsley pauses to ask, "Have you worked with chalk before, Zahn?"

"It's messy," Zahnrad replies with a shrug, "Or so I've heard. But, it should make a good paste base for what I'm intending to do. It's white, and can be soft and powdered."

"Okay, then," the Lapi says, then waves and runs in the opposite direction, towards the nearest bridge.

Zahnrad watches the Lapi go, then shrugs and heads on towards his shop. "It's really hard to believe those two are related. Nice girl," he comments to himself as he goes.

Zahnrad has cleared off one of the worktables. To the side sits a large block of what is probably a mock-up for something. Large holes go through it at equal spacing, and one side is covered by an array of gearing. Today, though, his attention is more focused on a partially assembled sound horn. It seems he's been piecing back together the fragments carefully and using glue coated fabric to seal them back together. The end result isn't pretty, but it's sturdy. Zahn's now dressed in working clothes, including a heavy apron, gloves for handling hot things, and his goggles which are on the top of his head. He hums to himself as he's fitting in the next segment of the horn.

A light knocking comes at the door… followed immediately by a louder knocking when the person outside realizes they need to overcome the noise of the workshop itself.

Zahnrad looks up, then sets the piece aside. He walks over to the door and pushes it aside with a grunt. "I really need to grease this," he mutters to himself.

"You'll probably need to replace all of your grease after this anyway," the Lapi outside says. Parsley is carrying a large and a small leather sack, the latter of which she hands to Zahn. "I was only able to get a single big chunk," she says apologetically. At least the weight feels right.

"It's all right. I can probably grind it in here anyway," Zahnrad says and motions for the Lapi to come inside. "Be … oh, yeah, you don't have a long tail. Nevermind," he says and grins sheepishly. He goes over to another table and sets the bag down. "What's in the larger sack?" he asks.

"My chalk-working clothes," Parsley answers, turning her head back and forth to look around the shop. "Where can I change?"

Zahnrad motions towards a door in the back. "You can change in there. It's a small storeroom. Doubles as my nap room when I work late. Kind of small and crowded, but it works," he comments. He pulls out what looks like a large pestle and sets it on the desk.

"Okay, I'll be right back," the Lapi promises, and vanishes into the tiny room.

Zahnrad opens the small sack so he can examine the chalk block.

It looks freshly mined, and is roughly rectangular, showing rough marks where it was hacked out of a larger piece.

Zahnrad comments, "Right, chisel it is." And lo, he goes to get a chisel and hammer as well. He quirks a grin, and grabs some scrap cloth as well that he was using for the patch glue strips. "And, a dust cover to help keep the shop clean."

Parsley reemerges from the back room, dressed similarly to Zahn now. A cloth mask protects her nose and mouth from dust, and a pair of goggles rests on her forehead. Her apron is made of easy-to-clean leather, as are her gloves. Aside from the apron though, she isn't wearing any actual clothing. "You'll want to cover your nose and mouth too," the girl advises.

Zahnrad blinks, then comments, "You're uh, naked. Sort of." He shakes his head, then goes back to the block. He drapes the cloth over it, then measures out a strip to cover his face. With a knife, he cuts off the strip.

"I've got a leather shirt and shorts, but they're too tight now and chafe me," the Lapi explains. "Once chalk dust gets into woven fabrics, it's a real mess to wash out."

"Why are they too tight?" Zahnrad asks, the affixes his makeshift mask onto his muzzle. "Now, where did I put my goggles," he mutters, apparently forgetting they're sitting on the top of his head.

"I've just grown since they were made," Parsley says, looking right at the goggles on Zahn's head. "I don't work with chalk enough to have bothered getting new ones made. Does it bother you? You seem kind of distracted."

"I can't remember where I put my goggles," Zahnrad grumbles, and reaches up to scratch the top of his head. "Does it bother me? No, not like I can see … " he then snorts as he touches the goggles with his fingers. He pulls them down over his eyes.

Parsley moves closer to look over the equipment. "You've got nice tools," she comments, pointing to the chisel.

"Thanks. We need to, or it gets hard to keep everything up. It's really hard to repair the dam gearing with worn tools or get the Weavers' loom repairs exact enough," Zahnrad replies. He adjusts the strip of cloth over the block to try and stop a burst of powder. Fairly satisfied, he picks up the chisel and hammer. "Well, time to break this down to smaller chunks that can be crushed."

The Lapi steps back, just in case anything goes flying from the blow.

Zahnrad sets the chisel tip right at the center of the block. He purses his lips under the mask and taps it once with the hammer gently, hoping to crack it.

It sounds like it cracked, and the cloth shifts slightly along a possible split.

Zahnrad sets the chisel aside and eases the cloth off. "So, you don't work with chalk much? I, er, I figured that's all the Lapi did," he admits sheepishly. "So, what do you normally work on?"

Once the cloth is removed, a purplish lizard hisses at Zahn from the split block. A spherical chamber shows where the creature was likely trapped.

"Public relations," Parsley says, leaning over to grab the lizard by its tail.

Zahnrad jumps backward. "Ack! What the heck is that?!" he shouts, wielding the chisel like a weapon.

Dangling the squirming reptile, Parsley says, "It's just a chalk lizard. We're always finding toads, lizards and bugs that have been trapped in the chalk for who knows how long."

"Er, public relations?" Zahnrad asks, eying the lizard. "What do you mean?"

"And you're afraid to go deeper into the caves, but not at lizards popping up?" Zahn asks a moment later.

"Lizards are just lizards," the bunny girl says, and tosses the exhumed reptile onto the floor, where it scurries away. "Public relations is… uh… making people comfortable, sort of. Like a therapist."

"Oh. That explains why you came over here that time, then. Trying to prevent problems," Zahnrad comments. He sets one half of the block aside and then lays the other on its side and drapes the cloth over it again, obviously intending to slit it smaller still.

"Yeah," the girl says, nodding. "That too."

"Yeah. You really wouldn't have another reason to come here," Zahn says and nods. Another gentle tap on the chisel. "I don't think we do much work for the warren."

"We try to be self-sufficient," Parsley says, as the block splits under the chisel. "The elders don't want outsiders coming around."

Zahn continues on, breaking down the block into sugar cube sized chunks. "Yeah, us Kadie are always plotting evil invasion plans," Zahnrad remarks with a laugh. "I think your sister is the public un-relations person, huh?"

"Clover doesn't have the temperament for the work, although technically she does the same thing," Parsley explains. "Really though, she's too caught up in popularity politics and… other things. I like making sure nobody is too lonely or feels like an outsider, but Clover is just too self-centered."

"I could always send Gunther after her," Zahnrad offers jokingly. He sets some of the blocks near Parsley and says, "Want to start grinding these up? There should be a mortar under the workbench.

Parsley bends over to search for the mortar, proving that her birthmark really is shaped like a sprig of parsley. "Found it," she announces as she straightens up, and dumps one of the chunks of chalk into it before reaching for the pestle.

Zahnrad does his best to not look. "Nice birthmark," he comments, though, unable to help himself. He goes back to breaking down the other block.

"Thanks," the Lapi says, and starts grinding down the chalk, swaying her hips back and forth to make it seem like some sort of strange dance. But she's obviously experienced with the task, as she grinds out a fine powder in a very short time. "Some people are put off by the fur being green though."

Zahnrad just shrugs. "It's distinctive. Doesn't bother me. And, er, do you all sway like that?" Zahnrad asks as he finishes with the other block chunk. "I don't have any distinctive marks, m'self." He slides the remains over towards Parsley and goes back over to the horn.

The Lapi starts working on the next chunk, and says, "Oh, I like to imagine music while I do this. Makes it less of a chore. I used to feel better about the mark when I was little, since it made me different from Clover… but the older I get the more I resent it, really."

"Really, why?" Zahnrad asks and glances over his shoulder. "There's nothing wrong with being a little different."

"It means I'll probably never have children of my own," Parsley says, without missing a beat. "My clan won't breed mutations, just like the Skeeks."

"Then find another clan that would. If you're not happy here, I'm sure you could find another place," Zahnrad remarks as he goes back to re-assembling the horn. "The Kadie don't care about such things, really. That's why all of the Kettenrad have feet we can work with too."

"Oh? I always thought your clan was the most obsessed about breeding pure because of that," Parsley comments, passing over the bowl of powder.

"Nah, not really. We more have a problem in that we're not farmers. We're considered the freaks of the Kadie community because of that, so we're not a very big clan," Zahnrad remarks and shrugs as he takes the bowl. "Not that it bothers me. I do what I want to do. I work on my dreams." He dips a finger into the bowl and checks the texture.

Wiping her hands on her apron, Parsley nods. "Yeah, I guess that's why you were on my list. But I suppose Amelia will take care of you now," she comments. "And I always get the hardest cases, too."

Zahnrad pauses at that. "On your list? What list? Huh?" he asks.

"My public relations list," Parsley says, looking confused. "I'm the best at making the ones who are really outside of things feel more accepted. So they don't go crazy and cause trouble."

"Oh. So your assignment was to probably get me to quit building my machines, then?" Zahnrad asks as he turns back to the horn, which is now patch worked together with glue cloth. It's rather … ugly. He pours the powder into a bowl, then looks under the table for something.

"No," Parsley says. "Just to keep you from feeling isolated."

Zahnrad waves his hand around, then comes up with a bottle. "Eh, I didn't, you know. Hard to feel that way if you stay busy," Zahnrad comments with a shrug. He pours a bit of the contents into the powder and stirs it with a bit of wood. "Amy is nice to hang out with, though. It is … different to do things other than work all the time. She's … hard to explain. But, it also doesn't mean you aren't welcome to come by, too. It's not like I can only have one friend or so in the entire town."

"I should hope you have more than just one friend," Parsley says. "Which reminds, me, I should drop in on Blue Miller while I'm here. And probably find some time to go check on that Igor person at the castle."

"Igor has a thing for Olivia," Zahnrad remarks absently. "And Blue feels isolated? I would never have thought that, but … I guess I really don't pay attention, do I?"

"Well, I make sure he doesn't feel isolated," Parsley notes, waggling her ears. "It's not like he or Ducky or some of the other 'odd' Skeeks will get much female companionship from other Skeeks. I make sure they're happy."

Zahnrad can't help but laugh quietly. "Well, that also explains the other offer you made to me," he comments, then checks on the consistency of the mix. He takes a flat bit of wood and smears a test bit onto the horn's interior, leveling out a small section.

"So what is that thing you're fixing?" Parsley asks, standing behind Zahn and looking around his shoulder.

"It's a horn that attaches to a machine that can replay recordings of a voice and such stored on a cylinder of wax," Zahnrad explains. "We found a bunch of recordings at the castle, but we couldn't listen to much because the horn broke on us."

"Isn't it easier to write things down though?" Parsley asks.

"Not if you're working on something at the time, or recording sounds something is making," Zahnrad remarks, reminding himself to not mention too much about what they heard. "Plus, some people like to hear themselves talk. Look at Emmett."

Again the Lapi waggles her ears. "Could something like this record singing then? Or sing back?"

"Oh, yeah, easily," Zahnrad says. "The quality is less than is the person was there singing it, but heh, you could hear it whenever you wanted."

Resting a hand on Zahn's shoulder now, Parsley asks, "Is this the only one? Could there be others?"

"Another machine? I don't remember seeing another machine at the castle. But really, it wouldn't be that hard to copy the design if I borrowed the whole thing for a while and did detailed diagrams. Once I had plans, I could build them myself," Zahnrad says and glances over his shoulder at Parsley.

The Lapi is staring at the sound horn, her brow furrowed above the goggles. "But there could already be another one, right? That's what I could be hearing at night?"

"Eeeh, maaaybe," Zahnrad replies. "They aren't that loud, usually. Not sure it would travel that far through rock. But, maybe. Does it sound, well, crackly? Like someone talking near a fire?"

Parsley shakes her head, and says, "It isn't loud or clear enough for me to really make out details. And I can hear things that you probably wouldn't even notice."

"I was thinking you were wanting me to make you one," Zahnrad remarks as he glances at the hand on his shoulder. "But heh, yeah. Maybe someone lives down there and likes to listen to music on one."

"Nobody could live down there," Parsley says with certainty. She removes her hand for Zahn's shoulder and seems oddly tense. "I thought maybe Clover found a hidden library or something that had one of these machines. But that doesn't make sense I guess. A machine still needs someone to operate it."

"Things can live far underground," Zahnrad remarks, "Trust me on that one." He then coughs and pats Parsley's shoulder, saying, "Remember, she's come back safely, at least. So it can't be too dangerous down there."

"What sorts of things live deep underground, besides Lapis?" Parsley asks, lifting her goggles up to look at Zahn's face closely.

Zahnrad looks decidedly uncomfortable at that question. "I don't know for certain, but one of Doctor Pike's ancestors found some sort of subterranean creature during his research," he says, fumbling. "There, was, er, a recording of it on one of the cylinders."

"A dangerous creature?" Parsley presses.

"I can't answer that. Not enough evidence," Zahnrad insists.

"Plus, it was years upon years ago," Zahnrad adds quickly.

"What evidence do you have then, besides a recording of a noise?" the girl asks, nearly nose-to-nose now with Zahn.

"Well, Doctor Pike has what's left of its arm bones," Zahnrad squeaks uncomfortably.

"Is that everything?" Parsley asks. "You seem really nervous."

"And you're naked, and really close," Zahnrad says defensively.

The Lapi blinks, then backs away. "Oh, sorry… I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable!" she apologizes, and goes behind Zahn to massage his shoulders. "I'm sure if it were anything dangerous, you'd tell people."

And good at making me feel guilty, Zahnrad thinks, but leans back into the massage anyway. "Look, we're still trying to figure it all out ourselves. If we were to go around saying there were dangerous monsters around without proof they're dangerous … we'd cause panic," Zahn says with a sigh. "Look at it this way … Dr. Pike's ancestor found it all years ago. If it was a serious threat, it would have surfaced by now, right?"

"Like a lizard popping out of the chalk?" Parsley asks, and works on Zahn's neck. "I suppose so. But everyone figured the Frog King was gone for good too, but it just turned out his children needed time to grow up."

"Yeah, and they turned out to not be bad," Zahnrad points out, then rolls his head forward. "You can't judge something just by how it looks. Or how it was born."

"I know that, better than most," Parsley says. "Still, I wouldn't cuddle up to the Frog Prince for anything."

"Why? Too froggy?" Zahnrad asks, glancing back at Parsley. "Remember, he came here because he was lonely." The Kadie shrugs and says, "All we know is that there i-… was some sort of burrowing species around at one point."

"He may be lonely, but… well, none of the girls the old King took for brides ever came back, and all of those offspring had to come from somewhere… "

"Yes, that is true. Doesn't mean his son is like that, though," Zahn points out. "But, yeah, point taken." Zahnrad pauses, considering. "Hm, is that why you never really visited me before, but I was on your list? Afraid of the stories about me?"

"Well, more like I hadn't thought about it since your last flight attempt," Parsley admits, leaning forward to rest her chin on Zahn's shoulder and give him a hug from behind. "But if you ever need help with Amy, just ask."

"Amy confuses me," Zahnrad admits. "I'm never quite sure of what she's going to do. I hope I eventually figure it out. I also hope I don't really upset her."

"Not the sort of problem you can engineer your way through?" Parsley asks, with a giggle.

"No, the problem is living long enough to engineer through," Zahnrad comments and reaches back to swat Parsley lightly. "Plus, she's just hard to figure out. Sometimes she acts funny. Like, she's been steering me clear of her father."

"Oh, I bet Amy is just as confused as you are," Parsley says, stepping around to look at the horn some more. "Maybe she just wants you to both be less confused before adding old Achilles into the mix?"

"Heh, maybe. I know my dad and hers had some rounds when they were younger," Zahnrad admits. "So, that might be part of it too. Or maybe she's just afraid her father will kill me."

Zahnrad blinks and looks down at the horn. He mixes the goo in the bowl again, and goes to work smoothing the horn down better. "I'll have to sand this down when it hardens," he remarks.

"Have you kissed her yet?" Parsley asks, out of the blue.

Zahnrad stops at that question. "Er. Briefly, once," he admits.

"If it was brief, then it wasn't a proper kiss," Parsley says, resting her elbows on the workbench as she leans over to peer into the mouth of the horn. "I figured you'd done at least that much, if you'd spent the night together. But Amy's been a tomboy all her life, so maybe doesn't know what to do. I should go talk to her, because one of you at least should have lessons."

Zahnrad erks. "But, if you talk to her, she'll know you talked to me!" Zahnrad says quickly and grabs his own tail protectively. "And anyway, I wasn't sure if she'd hit me for doing it. And it just sorta happened. I didn't plan it, er, ack."

"And what if I was really bad, and," Zahnrad goes on, babbling.

Parsley turns away for a moment and holds her hands up to her masked muzzle to keep from laughing. "I think you're worrying too much now," she finally says, looking over her shoulder at the Kadie. "It's not like Amy has been kissed much before, despite the efforts of some."

"Yeah, well, I," Zahnrad starts to say, then sighs. "Maybe next time."

The Lapi pats Zahn on the shoulder, and says, "Like I said, don't worry about it. Although you'll probably be a bit more popular once the word gets around."

Zahnrad once again looks confused. "Er, why?"

"Because nobody expected it," Parsley says. "Amy is cute, close to the witches and comes from an influential family. Most guys don't need to look beyond that to be attracted to her, but she's spurned everyone so far, even Emmett. But she chose you, and you weren't even trying. A lot of guys are going to be jealous, and a lot of girls will wonder what you've got that they've been overlooking."

"That's … silly," Zahnrad says flatly. "It's not like we're officially … I. Who cares what family she comes from? She's fun, nice to talk to, and knows what she wants. I just, well, I let her be her and accept her as that." He shrugs again and smoothes out the interior a bit more on the horn.

Parsley pulls down her facemask and grins. "Yeah, that's why she chose you, you know. You're so out of the social loop that you can't possibly think of her as a prize to be won. You're the only man who's ever been honest towards her, I bet."

"People aren't prizes," Zahnrad says into the horn, which makes him sound funny. "There's a lot more to her than a lot of people realize. She has her own dreams, and things she wants. I'm sure a lot of people are like that. You're more than just a family name." He glances back at Parsley, then adds, "Or a spot of green fur. Everyone works differently … it's … interesting."

"You're also the only one to ever turn down an offer from me, too," Parsley notes, and gives Zahn a wink.

Zahnrad shrugs sheepishly. "I … just … it would have felt wrong. Like you were pitying me," Zahn says. "And, well, I don't want to upset Amy either. I respect her."

"You really are sweet, Zahnrad Kettenrad-Wingnut," Parsley says, then stands up straight. "And I guess you don't really need my help with anything more right now, so I'll go change and visit Blue for a bit. But I do have a favor to ask, if you don't mind?"

Zahnrad blinks a few times. "Uh, sure. You can ask," he says slowly. "I'm a bit stretched on projects right now, but whatever I can fit… "

"It's nothing like that," Parsley says, taking her gloves off. "It's just that… well, I may not always get along with my sister, but I do worry about her. If you find out anything about what might be happening deep underground, will you let me know?"

"If I get any solid evidence of something that may be affecting her, yes," Zahnrad says and nods. He considers something, then adds, "If she ever comes back with some silvery metal like things from down there … let me know. That may link her to the remains we found at the castle."

"Alright," Parsley agrees, and walks towards the back room while untying her apron straps. "Maybe I should look through her things, then, just in case," she comments before closing the door.

"They would be spade shaped, and sharp," Zahnrad says as a word of caution as the door closes. He then shakes his head and goes back to the horn. He starts working on the exterior, deciding to get a layer on before the material hardens in the bowl. "Well, perhaps you'll tell us a bit more, eh, Orifice? Time to turn back the clock, and hear an echo from the past… "