A few weeks have passed since Kia first wound up the Azul. Unfortunately, despite her desire to speak to Enos' father – a knight with special training in fighting spirits – he has been unavailable to meet with her during this time. Apparently he and his Lance have been busy elsewhere at some place called 'New Golgotha' that's rumored to be on the Island of Fetiss.

Still, there's been plenty of work to do. There was a great deal of broken furniture to repair at the Black Rock Hostelry, and then when a surprise rainstorm hit Rephidim, the mouse was kept frantically busy repairing water damage. Azul has been a fair helper during this time, although he's shown himself to be something of a lightweight in regards to carrying objects. His best skill seems to be in fine detail work, handling accounts and paperwork, and general cleaning.

Evening has fallen rather abruptly upon Kia's shop, or perhaps it just seems that way. There has been plenty of work to keep the mouse distracted after all. Outside, there is the usual clamor of last minute purchases and various shops closing up. Binter can be heard neighing loudly as the scent of a grease fire (one of the many he has during the day) reaches the mouse's nostrils, and Shingle's cart rattles its wares as the Kavi lumbers on the final stretch of his rounds towards his own home.

The bell on the door of the shop chimes as a golden furred and spotted leopard Khatta boy peeks in, grinning. Enos' violet eyes have a particularly happy sparkle to them today and the bits of metal and glass he has tied around his tail jingles more than usual. "Hi, Miss Kia!" he purrs.

The mouse at the counter smiles, but doesn't look up from her intent gaze on her work with a tiny screwdriver and a small wooden puppet. "Good evening, Enos," she says, turning the screwdriver slowly against one of the puppet's arms. "How are you?"

The cub squints at the puppet, perhaps momentarilydistracted in the 'shiny-trance' that Vartans tend to fall into when they see a particularly glittery object. He blinks as it sinks in that he was asked a question and grins widely at the mouse again. "I'm great! I got a break from lessons today 'cause Papa came home! Pouncer is showing him the new plants in the garden right now, but he said it was okay for you to come and see him."

Kia finishes with the elbow joint on the puppet and sets her tool down to turn her smile towards Enos. "That's great news, Enos. Did his trip go all right?"

"Well, there wasn't any trouble from the Nagai from what he said … although they made a little bit of noise about it being their property. Papa said they were just making noise, though." He steps completely into the store, giggling as the bell chimes again. "How has Mister Azul been?"

"I'm glad he didn't have problems there." She drops her gaze to test the newly-repaired joint on the marionette, nodding in satisfaction as it swings easily, and the mouse takes a string from its controlling crossbar and starts to thread it through a hole in the wrist. "Why don't you ask him?" she answers Enos with another smile, and nods her head in the direction of the stairs. "I think he's still wound."

The cub looks ready to eagerly bound upstairs to check on the automaton, but then freezes in his tracks, his ears flattening down just a little bit. "I … I prolly shouldn't until Papa says it's okay." He coughs and then lights his eyes on the stringed puppet. "What's that?"

"A marionette." She measures the length of the string precisely before tying it off and snipping the loose thread. "This one's an Aeonian," the mouse adds, lifting the two sections of crossbars, with a myriad of strings descending from them to the doll, well above the table, and with a little maneuvering causes the wooden unicorn to 'stand' on its two feet. The shopkeeper looks at the strings for a few moments thoughtfully, then tugs on the right end of one bar. The puppet makes a big gaping wave to Enos, its head bobbing.

Enos covers his mouth as he giggles loudly. "Wow! What was wrong with it?"

"One of her arms was broken, so I carved a new one and replaced it. She'll go back to her puppeteer tomorrow." The doll nods its head again, as if enthusiastic, and waves its arms around in big arcs, while Kia shakes her head at her own rather inept maneuverings with the puppet.

The cub doesn't seem to notice. "She looks happy to be all better. Maybe I could make a puppet someday. Pouncer and I used to make paper cutouts of animals and make little shadow puppets by putting them on strings and sticks, but now Pouncer's too grown up for that, so Uncle Testament plays it with me now." A tiny bit of bitterness creeps into the latter part of the cub's talking, but it sounds like simple growing pains more than anything.

The mouse smiles again. "Maybe someday Pouncer will be grown up enough to play with puppets again, like me and Onagel, this little Aeonian's owner," she tells Enos. The puppet collapses to its waist in a clumsy sitting motion, then delicately folds one hand into its lap, bobbing its head again. The other hand hangs out to one side like a forgotten toy.

Enos mimics the head nod of the puppet. "That's what Auntie Star says too." He flicks an ear thoughtfully. "Oh! I should probably tell you how to talk to Papa when you visit him… "

The puppet awkwardly folds its hand on top of the other, and tilts its head to look at Enos. Kia twitches her whiskers as she watches her positioning of the marionette, then looks to Enos and tilts her own head. "How is that?"

"Well, he'll probably be wearing his robes. It's considered rude to try and look at his face since he's not allowed to show it in public. And don't ask him too many questions about the other knights, because he can't say anything that might reveal their identities." The kitten's tail flicks thoughtfully. "Some people think Papa's mean because he doesn't make eye contact when he talks to people or because he doesn't come out of the shop as much as he used to before."

The mouse nods, taking note of the cub's words. She lifts her hands to straighten the puppet's strings out, thenhangs the doll up using two pegs of a coat-rack. "When would you like us to go see him, Enos?" she asks.

"Papa said he can see you as soon as your store closes. Pouncer and I have been with him all day." The jaguar grins, the glitter returning to his eyes once more.

With another nod, Kia gets up from her stool, glancing to the door and the fading sunlight. "It's about closing time now. Azul, are you still wound?" she calls up the stairs.

"I believe so, Madame Kia," comes the reply from upstairs. "And I'm almost finished polishing up that dinnerware as you requested of me."

"Thank you, Azul. Come down and help me lock up, please," she requests, then moves to begin shuttering the windows. "Would you like to sweep up, Enos?"

"I'd be happy to!" Enos grins and dances off towards the broom closet.

From upstairs, an unsteady thumping follows after the footsteps of the automaton as it hobbles down the stairs. It's learned to manage fairly well with the help of the prosthetic leg supplied to it, although it's still a bit on the slow side. Thankfully, its tail cane has come to good use as it has learned to manage its way around.

"I'll see to the higher windows, Madame," Azul whirrs as it reaches up to close one of the higher shutters in the shop.

Enos whistles to himself as he sweeps the broom along, gently coaxing the accumulated dust into a pile near the front door.

"Thank you, Azul," Kia repeats, finishing with the lower windows, then turning to lock the cashbox and pocket her keys again.

After several minutes of cleaning (and enough effort to cause Azul to wind himself down) a mouse and a jaguar boy make their way through the Scholars' Quarter towards the Shiny Shoppe. Vartans squawking to each other herald the end of the trip.

A Vartan with red feathers and withered looking wings sweeps the front steps of the shop, scooting several feathers and bits of fluff into the gutter. As he spies the pair, he waves and scrawks, prompting a similar squawk from Enos.

Enos leads the mouse up to the Vartan. "Miss Kia, this is Uncle Red. He's Papa's partner."

"Is pleasure meetings you, Miss Mouse," Red scrawks. He puts his broom aside and offers a callused hand, twice the size of the mouse's, to shake.

The white and brown mouse drops a polite curtsey before the Vartan, then reaches out with her tiny hand for his. "Good evening, Mr. Red. I'm pleased to meet you, too."

Red's talons carefully enfold the mouse's hand and gently wiggle it up and down before releasing it again. "Enos talk lots about you. Say you fixup things good. Thinks Enos wants to be a fixup now." He winks, prompting a blush from the cub.

Kia grins in response to the wink, then sobers her expression to say, "I would be honored to have inspired a career choice in such a fine young man." She delivers the words seriously, and with conviction.

The feathers on the Vartan's crest puff out comically. "Master want to talks to you abouts that, but I let him speak. My Standard still no so goods." Red rustles his withered wings and takes his broom up again. "He in meeting room rights now. Enos show you way theres."

The Skeek's nose twitches at Red's words, but she doesn't inquire further. Instead, she nods, then looks to the cub. "Ready, Enos?" she asks.

In response, the cub takes the mouse's hand and tugs her into the shop. His ears are blushing bright crimson. "Papa's meeting room is kinda spooky. He keeps the windows shuttered and it's a little dark." Inside, a cheetah wearing a headband and busily mopping the floor nods to the new arrivals but keeps herself busy with her work. Another cheetah in what looks to be an elaborate Abaddonian mask looks up from a book in his lap and waves.

Letting herself be pulled along, Kia nods first to the cub's words, then to the Savanites with in the shop, smiling to them as well. "Why does he do that?" she asks the cub. "Does he dislike bright light?"

Enos slows his pace up the stairs as he ponders this. "I thinks it's that he just likes the dark more than not liking the light. Papa could probably explain it better." He helps the mouse up the last step to the second floor. The decorations here are still rather ornate but nowhere near as impressive as downstairs. A painting of a large black Vartan with a nameplate that reads Shokar hangs on a wall, as well as paintings of sky islands, landscapes of various countries, and a few trinkets and souvenirs here and there just for variety.

The cub points to a closed door painted black. Above it, a large red Creen feather and a long braid of black hair hang almost like a magical ward, although who knows what they're supposed to ward.

She takes a few moments to look around, tilting her head as she looks at the painting of Shokar, then glancing over the landscapes before following the cub's gesture towards the door. She walks to it with easy steps, but pauses before it, turning to look at Enos as she asks, "Shall I just knock?"

"Yes. Papa said he wanted to talk to you privately." Enos grins. "And I need to go get my goliath ready to show you!"

"All right." She faces the door again, draws in a breath and pulls her shoulders back, then reaches to rap her knuckles against the black surface.

The floor vibrates slightly as Kia hears the sound of someone shuffling up from the floor. "It's open. Please come in," a voice scrawks from inside.

The mouse pushes the door in and pokes her head through, looking around before stepping inside. "Hello," she says softly.

The room is dimly lit and currently smells of incense. A desk with chairs placed in front of it is the central furnishing of the large room, and black iron candlestands sit in each corner. There are several bookshelves and evena small tea set that keep the chamber from looking too intimidating. In one corner a large Vartan carefully rolls up a small embroidered rug and places an ivory statuette back in its place above what looks to be a small shrine, although no deity or statue of one sits within it – only a carving of a similar symbol embroidered in violet and gold stitching on the folds of the Vartan's robes.

He nods to the mouse and takes up the tea set, fluidly moving to seat himself behind the desk. His face is largely hidden by the cowl of his robe, although the tip of a yellow beak peeks out. "You must be the owner of the Restoration. Please, have a seat."

Once her eyes adjust to the lighting, Kia takes a few steps into it, and closes the door behind her. "Yes, I'm Kia. And you're Enos's father? I'm glad to finally meet you, sir." She walks to the offered chair and hops a little to get into it, her feet dangling like a child's as she sits within it, setting her hands lightly on the armrests.

"Likewise, Madam. My children's education is starting to reach a point where both of them are starting to excel beyond what we can teach – so when my son told me that he had found a new inspiration, I was quite glad for him." The Vartan carefully pours himself a cup of tea. "Would you like a cup? Be mindful that it's a Vartan favorite and will most assuredly clear your sinuses if you're not expecting it." He chuckles, tilting his robed head down.

The mouse shifts in the chair, watching the Vartan's hands and smiling at his last comment. "Enos did note that my tea was quite different from what he was accustomed to at home. I would be happy to try some of yours, sir." She takes her hands from the arms of the chair to fold them in her lap, waiting.

"He's told me why you're here … but before we begin that, I would like to ask you something a bit unrelated." The Templar carefully pours a cup for the mouse and places itand a sugar bowl out for her. "This is a bit sudden, but I've heard many good things about you from the other merchants. But would you be willing to take my son on as an apprentice? I cannot seek training with the Technopriesthood, and he's much too young to travel to Chronotopia. I would be willing to pay you for your time."

Kia blinks several times. "Apprentice?" she squeaks in surprise. After a moment to gather her thoughts, she continues, "Sir, I'm not a master of anything. I'm just a tinker – it's not a proper trade skill. I … I'm sure you could find better prospects for your son," the mouse finishes, still sounding flustered. She reaches out to take the tea and holds the cup between both hands, not drinking yet.

Yellow hands, heavily scarred, emerge from the folds of the Vartan's sleeves and fold themselves across the top of the desk. "I have gotten several excellent recommendations of your work, and also of your character. You do have skills that my son can learn. You may not be a Technopriest, but the Kavi who brings in shinies every evening tells me that you can fix almost anything that's been broken." A taloned finger taps against the top of the desk. "But I need more than a smart teacher. I need one with morals. My children often fall to prejudices because of our belief in the Star and because of the resemblance they bear to Savanites. From what my son has told me, you do not have any such grudges."

The mouse starts to settle backwards in her chair, then stops herself, fingers turning the cup in her hand as she listens to the Vartan speak, remaining quiet for some moments after he finishes. At last, she says, "I've never taught anyone before, and a lot of what I do, no one taught me, either. It's just … a knack I have, for seeing the way things used to work. I'm not sure I could teach that to someone else." She pauses, leaning forward to ladle sugar generously into her tea.

"I understand. I was unsure if you had ever taken an apprentice before. I do not expect an answer today, but please think about it. I'm willing to pay you two coppers a week should you decide to take up the offer." The Vartan raises his cup and slips it under his hood as he sips from it. A tiny bit of steam curls out from his cowl. "But on to business now. About this spirit creature you've come into possession of. What can you tell me about it?"

The mouse drops the spoon back into the sugar bowl, blinking again at the fee the Champion of Shadows offered. She shakes her head, and re-focuses her thoughts. "Let me see. Some holidays ago, a Chaos Mage named Fenter brought a bag filled with what he said was 'junk' from the old College Esoterica campus here on Rephidim. This 'junk' was pieces of a device both mechanical and magical in origin … maybe electrical, too. I don't know much about electricity." She takes a cautious sip of her drink before continuing.

The tea has a sharp and very bitter taste, although the sugar has cut the bitterness down considerably. It does make the mouse's nose itch just a little though.

"What Mr. Fenter delivered didn't have all the pieces for the machine – just the torso and some innards." The mouse rubs at her nose, whiskers flicking. "I spoke with him later about it, and he and a guard told me that the machine had been in a box, in storage. If I recall correctly, some thieves broke in and were arguing when the guard overheard them and ran them off. But they got away with some of the parts. The Chaos Mage then made me a kind of magical compass that would help me find the rest of the missing pieces. I located most of it … all but one leg." She takes another slow sip, scooting backwards in the chair until she can rest against its back.

The Vartan nods quietly, sipping his own tea as well.

"Just before you left on your latest business trip, I finally discovered how to start the machine, with your son's help. We wound it up. It looks like a mechanical Khatta. When wound, it identified itself as 'Azul' and said that it had been constructed by a consortium of mages. It can do an assortment of tasks, mostly service work, cooking, cleaning, and repairs. It said the mages were originally making it as an experiment in… ," she pauses, rubbing at her whiskers as she tries to recall the right words, "making an artificial body which could hold a person's spirit while their real body was being fixed. But the mages decided that was too close to necromancy, so instead they infused it with its own, brand new spirit: Azul." She sips quietly, gathering her thoughts.

The champion nods again. "I can see how this might have been a concern. The mere mention of necromancy should make one nervous."

"The thing that seems oddest to me is that Azul was, well, thrown away. I don't understand why anyone – much less a veritable fleet of mages – would take so much time to build something so elaborate, and then just pack it up and forget about it. It's not like he stopped working … they just stopped using him." She gestures with one hand to emphasize her bewilderment. "Azul says that it might be because they didn't find him very useful. Or because they didn't like his music. But it doesn't make any sense to me. Surely they'd have a use for him, at least as a prototype? And if they stopped using him because he posed a danger – well, wouldn't they destroy him, or put him somewhere safe, at least? Not just drop him off at thenearest tinker's: 'Here you go, miss, some nice scrap from our latest doomsday efforts, do enjoy.'" She shakes her head.

The Vartan chuckles wryly. "That does sound a bit out of the ordinary, although I'm not very familiar with how the Collegia handles such matters. Most of my mage comrades were not trained within its boundaries." He taps at the table again. "What has been your opinion of its behavior?"

She wrinkles her nose after another taste of tea, and then covers her mouth as she gives a delicate, squeaky mouse-sneeze. "Excuse me," she says, inhaling again. "It's been helpful, actually. Very polite, does whatever I tell it to, answers questions when asked. Not very good at carrying or heavy lifting, but it writes neatly and does math well. I've been having it audit my store."

"There are signs of influences of malicious spirits." The Champion blows on his cup. "Have you had moments where you've felt an urge to do something but don't know why, or bouts of weakness? Perhaps sleeping more than usual?"

The mouse considers his question, then shakes her head. "No," she answers decisively. "Since I first wound him up, I've been busy with work and fixing things, which is what I do anyway, and because I've had lots to do, I haven't slept a lot." Kia sips at her tea, then adds, "I don't normally sleep much. I like to be doing things."

"I see." The Vartan sets his cup down and rubs his chin. "I would almost say this thing is some sort of golem, but they tend to have their strings pulled by another mage somewhere else, or if left on their own are practically mindless. Enos tells me that to awaken it you wind a key in it. Is this how it appears to feed?"

She responds with another nod. "That's what Azul said, that it feeds on the energy from being wound. It also can't wind itself," she adds in recollection. "I asked if it needed anything else, and it said no, just being wound up now and again."

"I have had my son checked for signs of spirit magic being used upon him and have found no such thing. He also wears a ward to protect himself from malicious spirits, part of why I asked him to keep his distance from the creature until I spoke with you." The champion shifts in his seat. "Has it been in contact with any other person or living creature besides yourself? If you have found any dead animals in your house, that might constitute as a sign, as spirits must drain them completely to gain any sustenance of worth."

Another shake of her head. "No, nothing like that. And I even have an animal in my house, a vermite I've got in a cage. Azul's been feeding it, and it's fine."

"An interesting pet," the champion remarks. "But this sounds like an odd situation. I have encountered neutral and sometimes even friendly spirits in my travels, although I am not quite comforted on the matter." He sips from his cup again. "One of my lancers, Shade, is a warding mage. Would it be alright if I had her visit your shop and examine the creature at some time?"

"I would be grateful to you both if she would, sir," the young shopkeeper replies sincerely. "I'm not exactly comforted on the matter, either. But I hate to see a perfectly good creation simply left to rust, if there's nothing wrong with it."

"Shade's abilities are limited, I should note. She has the capability to hold a spirit and question it, provide you with wards to protect yourself, or dispel it completely if it proves to be malicious. If it truly is the latter then she is duty bound to do just that." The Vartan folds his hands again. "Do you understand the silent handsign?"

The Skeek shakes her head. "I'm afraid I only speak Standard. I think I'd like to learn it." She twists her cup once in her hands, then adds, "If Azul is a malicious spirit, then I would want it dispelled, too."

The champion nods. "I am glad you understand this. I shall send a squire along for translation purposes to make things easier for you, although even with a translator, Shade prefers to speak with actions instead of with signs." He pushes back in his chair, looking as though he's preparing to stand up. "I appreciate you allowing my Lance to investigate this matter. If there is more we can do or more that might be useful to know, please send us word."

Kia leans forward to place her cup back in its saucer on the desk, then braces her arms to pull herself to the edge of the chair and slips her feet back onto the floor as she stands. "Thank you, sir. I'm glad you agreed to see me about this matter." She pauses, then adds, "I'd also like to say that I do like having Enos around my shop. You've raised a fine son, sir, and I'm honored to have met you." After a moment of uncertain hesitation, she shyly offers her hand to the much larger man.

The larger Vartan takes the mouse's hand with an amazingly delicate touch despite the scars that cross his fingers. "And my son has a fine taste in friends. You are welcome in my shop anytime you wish. I hope that we can help you find your answers."