Inside the Kettenrad Workshop
The inside isn't any more normal by any stretch of the means. Gearing and axles crank and groan throughout the workshop. All are powered by a large central gear linkage connected to a feeder axle on one of the waterwheels. Aside from just the general din of the gears, odd puffs and hisses can be heard as seemingly random intervals as one of Zahn's latest grand inventions is probably finding its way to a grand parts pile as it rattles itself into oblivion. Belts also crisscross throughout the rafters, transferring power from one side of the shop to the other. Still, all things given, the workshop is in relatively decent order. No unruly piles of paper stacked in corners or puddles of goo to step in. In the corner sits a desk and drafting table, which currently has a small stack of detailed plans for some sort of new flying machine.

After a brisk and uneventful walk, Amelia finds herself deep in the Wingnut territory and inside Zahn's workshop. The usual din of machinery fills the air as the gears, belts and driveshafts overhead whirr along. Zahnrad, though, isn't readily visible. He must be close, though, since everything is running. On one of the worktables is a large box with the side off. Inside in an incredibly complex array of normal gears and tubes with gear teeth on the inside.

Curious, the Kadie looks more closely into the box. Using her own special logic, she deduces the parts form some sort of juicing machine. "Zahn! You in here? Gunther?" she calls out, in case her quarry is asleep under a pile of junk again.

No response at first. After a minute or so, though, a door in the back flies open and out comes running Zahnrad and he's carrying a pile of tools and spare parts. He zips by Amelia and drops them on another table. In fact, he doesn't seem to have even noticed Amelia.

"Zahn?" Amy asks, while carefully stepping further away from the hurried Kadie, lest she be run over.

Zahnrad stops and looks at Amelia. He blinks as if now just seeing her. And without one bit of warning, Zahnrad zips over and pulls Amelia into a tight hug, then kisses her full on the lips! "You won't believe it!" he says excitedly.

Amy blinks a few times as well. "Okay… what won't I believe?"

"They finally agreed to let me redo one of the gearing systems on the dam! It's about time, too. It'll make it a lot safer," Zahn babbles on. He then lets Amelia go suddenly and smiles sheepishly, "Ah, sorry about all that. I get sorta … excited."

"Nothing wrong with that!" Amelia says, grinning. "Safer? Just how dangerous are the current ones then?"

"Well, don't you remember during the storm when the shafts had to be manually disconnected? Well, with the new system it should auto-adjust to the speed of the wheel and not overly stress the drives. So, no more having to be out during the storms. Well, at least for one of the shafts. If it proves solid, the others will be replaced," Zahnrad says quickly, tail flicking excitedly.

Amelia hugs Zahn herself, saying, "Hey, that really IS something to celebrate!"

Zahnrad kisses Amelia again. "Yes, yes it is. It took them long enough to finally agree. I guess the damage made them decide that we may as well try it," he says. "So, what brings you here this afternoon?"

"I wanted to check in on you and Gunther, and you had mentioned that Deirdre wanted to talk to me about something," Amy says, still grinning. She hasn't seen Zahn this perky since… well… she hasn't seen him this perky before.

"Oh, Gunther? I cornered the little goon a while ago and he promised not to cause any more trouble. Well, not that I believe him. He went off to work on dam security. Haven't seen him since," Zahn explains and starts pacing, probably to burn off nervous energy. "As for Deirdre … well, she's probably in her shop a little ways from here."

"Okay, just point me to her door and I'll let you get back to working on your gears for now," Amelia says, then adds, "Is there anything special you want to do to celebrate later?"

Zahnrad taps his chin, thinking. "Oh! Yes. Actually, I do. I owe you a fun evening for, well, putting up with me. I managed to get some strawberries the other day. How would you like spend some time with me grooming you and feeding you strawberries? We could discuss other things to explore in connection to that underground stuff. I want to go to the Barrow and see if it might relate to the underground," he says.

Amelia's eyes light up. "Strawberries and grooming? Sure! But we'll need a boat to get to the Barrow. Oh, and I dropped off the little princess with Miranda Chalk, so… if Gunther vanishes again he'll probably be with her."

"Well, not grooming on the boat. Tonight, my … well, our place since you're still staying with me," Zahn says, grinning. "I assume going to the barrow is better in the daytime, yes?"

"Yeah, the swamp at night is dangerous," Amelia says, grinning.

"I would suggest grooming at the hot springs, but … that's not very private. I don't want those Lapi twins showing up again," Zahn says as he mulls something over.

"Clover and Parsley haven't been hanging out together much, I've heard," Amelia reports. "And I'm sure any spot you pick will be fine, though!"

"I have some ideas! I'll have to make sure they're okay, though," Zahnrad admits. He then blinks and asks, "What's up with those two? Is it something I should look into?"

"We think Clover has been seeing the vampire bunny," Amy says. "Or else is just going strange in the head."

"Hm? Who is we?" Zahnrad inquires and eyes Amelia thoughtfully.

"Err, us, collectively," Amy says. "And Parsley. You need to pay more attention when girls talk, Zahn," she chides mildly, wagging a finger. "If you want to look into it… uh… no going vampire hunting in the tunnels we found under the Chalk warren."

Zahnrad looks disappointed. "Why not? I can build some anti-vampire weapons. I would be fine," he insists.

"Because getting caught by the Chalks would be worse than finding a vampire," Amy points out.

"You really think they would catch me?" Zahn asks.

Closing her eyes, Amy notes, "It doesn't matter. It's trespassing."

"We don't even know if that tunnel connects to theirs," Zahnrad points out and sighs. "If they're harboring a vampire, shouldn't your family be looking into that, anyway?"

"We can't do that," Amelia notes, "unless the Chalks or the witches ask us."

"Think that Natasha woman could find out without going down there? She's supposed to be powerful right?" Zahnrad inquires and rubs his chin again.

"I hadn't thought of that," Amelia admits, twitching her tail. "It'll give me an excuse to talk to her though."

"Up to you on that. Who knows if she would even agree. She may not want to get involved," Zahnrad says and shrugs, still seeming rather perky in spite of it all. "And really, I think we need to do something, regardless. Do you want a vampire Clover around?"

"Sure, then I could kill her and nobody would complain," Amy points out, crossing her arms against her chest. "Win-win."

"What if she killed you instead," Zahnrad points out.

"Oh, that's just ridiculous," Amy says, laughing. "Clover? She's a pushover!"

"But undead aren't," Zahnrad points out again. "We aren't talking Liliana vampire here."

"Well… maybe it would improve her attitude, at least," Amelia says, chewing on her inner cheek for a moment. "And, you can hack off bits and the undead don't die, so… it could be pretty fun to have a vampire Clover to play with."

"Now that's just gross and disturbing, Amelia," Zahnrad says and sticks out his tongue.

"You say that whenever I even mention chopping off bits of things," Amelia says, rolling her eyes. "Anyway, if she were a vampire now I'm sure Parsley would mention it. Still, I won't suggest to Deirdre that Clover is falling under the influence of a vampire – she might do something rash."

"Well, it is gross. And a bad habit you have," Zahnrad claims and taps Amelia's nosetip. "Still, I can't hold it against you. And good point on Deirdre … and I wonder what she wants to see you for. I mean, she just yanked me over by my tail this morning and told me to 'get that Blacktail girl I've been living with to come see her'.

"Maybe she wants my advice," Amelia says. "Or to actually thank me for helping protect you from the necromancer."

"Or secretly kill you and blame it on Clover, and thus eliminating two things she doesn't like," Zahn suggests.

"Nah, if she wanted to kill me, she wouldn't have asked you to have me come see her," Amy says, waving it off. "Otherwise she'd have to kill you too! Anyway, which workshop is hers?"

"She does want to kill me," Zahnrad points out. He then waves his hand to follow him and heads out the doorway. "If you look that direction," he says while pointing, "And go past that grove of trees, turn left and go through a hollowed out fallen tree, you'll find it. It looks like a spiders nest … sort of. Lots of ropes, pulleys, and such."

"What IS it with her and rope," Amy mutters. "Talk about a weird fetish. I'll come by again later, I may go see Natasha after this."

"Right. If I'm not here, I'll be at the dam. I need to start fitting the drive shafts with the new gears for connecting into the control box," Zahnrad says. The Kadie then wraps his around Amelia from behind and noses her ear lightly, "Be careful and I'll see you later." After he releases her, he heads back towards his workshop.

"Careful?" Amy wonders, then shrugs and heads for Deirdre's workshop.

---

Several trees later, a walk through a hollowed out tree, and Amelia stands before a rather unusual sight. It's a suspended workshop. A building strung up between several trees and held completely motionless by a tangled network of rope. Zahnrad was right, it does look like a spider's nest. One thing looks familiar, though: one of those pulley-controlled elevators like at the main compound that apparently leads up to the door.

Once she's sure the whole thing isn't about fall down on her, Amy goes to the elevator platform and calls up, "Anybody there?"

"You're ten minutes and forty-three seconds later than I expected you to get here," comes the all too familiar voice of Deirdre. "Come up. I just got home and need to change."

Amelia starts pulling on the pulleys, and wonders how she could be late if Deirdre just got there herself.

The elevator goes up relatively easily. The door is open and there is movement inside. And then, Deirdre steps outside … only she's not dressed quite like Amelia is used to seeing her. She's wearing dirt and grease covered overalls and a basic flannel shirt under them. Her hair is pulled back into a ponytail and she has several grease smears on her face. "I'm surprised you're not armed," she says flatly.

"I am," Amy notes. "I just left the big stuff with my pack for now. You look nice with your hair up, by the way," she says, hoping a compliment will keep Deirdre civil. Or maybe it's the grease that does that.

"I look awful. No purpose in stating otherwise," Deirdre says and waves her hand. She curls her finger and says, "Inside. This conversation needs to be private."

Amelia looks around, in case there are otters spying, then following Deirdre into the workshop. "What's wrong with looking like you actually work?" she asks.

Deirdre closes the door behind Amelia. Inside the workshop is kept incredibly neat. Everything is help up by intricate weaving and nets. Even the 'chairs' are basically nets hanging from the ceiling. "Grease and dirt is hardly 'womanly', but I imagine you've heard the same tripe from Clover's group," she replies as she settles herself into one of the net-chairs. "Sit."

It takes a moment for Amy to get comfortable in one of the chairs, since she doesn't want her tail to get tangled up. "So, what did you want to talk to me about? Is there a threat to the dam? Emmett peeping at you? Monster in the reservoir?"

"No, no, and no," the other Kadie replies, her gaze cool and fixed on Amelia. "I am aware that the Blacktails have often had it in for the Wingnut clan, out of fear, or jealousy, or a myriad of other reasons," she begins, "And it is no secret that I have not liked you, Blacktail."

"Uh, we don't have it in for the Wingnuts," Amy says. "Honest." She squirms a bit in the chair.

"History would state otherwise," Deirdre says and curls her fingers together, interlocking her knuckles. "As much as I dislike Zahnrad and his family, the attack on the dam and clan by that … creature … was inexcusable. An attack on a single clan member is an attack on the entire clan."

"And an attack on the township, too," Amelia points out.

"It's not like the town cares about the state of this clan. At least, not in that respect," Deirdre says flatly, "The town doesn't trust us; I know that the Millers were put near us to watch us, Amelia. Look around, we're dying out. What is our future? Gunther, the youngest of the clan? He's insane."

"Well, so was the clan founder, technically," Amelia notes. "But it's not that bad! I mean, you're getting a seat on the town council again."

"So I heard," Deirdre says, "And that is part of why I asked you to come here Blacktail. I do not understand you. I do not understand why you risked your life for the clan."

"Huh?" Amy asks. "Because there was a threat, of course! We can't have outsiders thinking they can attack us and get away with it," she chatters. "I think you've let yourself be too… isolated, Deirdre. I mean, Gunther helping out Parsley Chalk is the reason the Council is ready to trust the Wingnuts again."

"That is … funny in a way. You are here because the Wingnut clan heads asked me to speak with you. They believed that you would not believe the truth of the matter if Zahnrad had told you because of your … association with him. Better to have one who has … expressed dislike for you to talk about it. The clan wants to offer you honorary membership for lack of a better way to explain it; by that I mean you would have full access to everything. Library, lands, plans, secret workshops, everything."

"Honorary membership?" Amy asks, sounding and looking stunned. "I thought only Miller apprentices could be given that. I mean… that's a lot of trust, even if I never need to see anything secret. I wouldn't understand it anyway."

"You risked your life for one of us. That … earned a lot of trust with a lot of people," Deirdre says. And after a pause, she even admits, "Myself included. I … was the one who suggested it."

Amelia blinks again at this. "Even though you personally don't like me? That must have taken a lot of… thought."

"Liking someone is not part of trusting them. One is emotion, one is not," Deirdre notes with a shrug. "I do not hate you Black … Amelia. You are not the brainless tart I took you for."

Amelia's whiskers twitch a bit at the tart comment. "Thanks, Deirdre, and you're not… like my first impression of you either."

"Though, I must question your tastes since you like my cousin Zahnrad," Deirdre adds as an afterthought. "He lives too much in his fantasies of flight."

"He's got passion and drive!" Amy notes. "That's… well, it's not the sort of attitude encouraged in my clan. Nobody wants an ambitious Blacktail."

"His side of the clan has always been like that. None of them ever believes anything is impossible," Deirdre notes and shakes her head. "Got his brother Stephen killed. I presume you've heard about that?"

"Err, yeah, I met him the night Zahn got attacked, sort of," Amy notes. "Which is why I hope this new drive-thingy works out."

That gets a reaction out of Deirdre; she sits upright. "You … met him?" she inquires, eyes narrowed.

"Just his ghost," Amy replies, holding up her hands. "He's gone now though. He just hung around to protect Zahn, I think."

"He was my only real friend when I was young," Deirdre admits, then looks away and takes in a breath. "And no one from the town tried to protect him. He had a bright future, not like Gunther, or Zahnrad. He was a loss. I've … hated all of you because of that. What good is a town, a militia, anything, if the youngest cannot be protected?"

The visiting Kadie is really stunned by this revelation. "Wow," she finally says. "I never understood why you all risk your lives to protect the dam machinery. I mean… it can be rebuilt, but people can't." She thinks of Igor for a moment, then pushes the thought aside. "I'm sorry you didn't get to say goodbye to him. But he thought Zahn was worth saving."

"What would happen if the dam failed? The river would flood. Fields could be ruined. Famine could hit. The swamp could start to spread closer to town. It is a matter of survival now to keep it functional. One life, or a hundred. Which would you choose?" Deirdre asks flatly. "We all have our duties, not all involve fighting living foes. The land has to be held in check too."

"I admit that I don't know much about crops or flood control," Amelia says. "At least it can be safer though. And hopefully more slug-free too."

"Mmm, we shall see on that," Deirdre notes, considering. "And, I have another question for you."

"Yes?" Amy asks, unsure of what to expect next.

"Just what are you intentions towards my cousin? You moved in with him" Deirdre says and arches her eyebrows up. "Does he truly mean that much to you?"

Amelia nods. "Why shouldn't he? He's sweet, and smart, and… uh… pretty reckless at times. He needs someone to watch out for him."

"I won't try to persuade you otherwise, then. And you are right about one thing, he does need a strong woman looking after him," Deirdre agrees. "But then, so do most men when it comes down to it. Clueless, all of them."

"Well, yeah, that's a given," Amy agrees. "But at least they aren't boring."

"I presume you've learned how to make them believe things that were your ideas were theirs? They're so much more willing when they think it was their idea," Deirdre notes and rolls her eyes. "Otherwise, they just want to argue with you. Annoying."

"Yeah, I was raised by a witch before I did my militia training," Amelia says, and winks. "But men can still surprise you on their own! Why, Zahn's getting me strawberries tonight, even! How sweet is that?"

Deirdre's eyebrows raise. "You've trained him well, then. He's trying to please you," she notes with a shrug. "Emmet brings me … fish."

"Yeah, but has he stolen anything from you yet?" Amy asks, grinning.

"He tried. I left him hanging from a tree for two days," Deirdre says flatly. "He's lucky I didn't hang him head down over the water with too long of a rope."

"Ah, he thinks you're flirting with him then," Amelia says. "But don't you already have a real boyfriend?"

"Not one in particular," Deirdre comments. "I've spent some time with a few Lapis and some of the Rootrunners. But no one long term," she admits with a shrug. "One of your Lapi friends came by the other day, I should note. Very submissive fellow."

"He does housekeeping too," Amy points out. "Not that you'd need that… "

"I shall have to test that at some point. In any event, what is your response to the offer from the clan?" Deirdre asks, returning to the original point of the conversation.

"I couldn't possibly refuse something like this!" Amy chatters. "I mean, it's big! Is there some sort of test or initiation I have to take first though?"

"Normally a test, yes. But in this case you've proven yourself already to the clan, so it's a matter of the general initiation ceremony," the other Kadie answers. "One of the clan will stand with you during the ceremony as the traditional guide. Who is your choice. Or do you have a preference?"

"I suppose you could do it, unless I should pick Zahn, or maybe one of his parents," Amelia says. "What does the ceremony involve?"

"You will find that out when you attend it," Deirdre answers vaguely. "Traditionally, the one you choose is the one you would also apprentice with. But since this isn't exactly an apprentice situation, I don't see a reason to favor one person over another."

"It sounds secretive," Amy notes, rocking her legs back and forth. "Do I need to invite any of my family to witness it?"

Deirdre considers that. "Do you want to? It's not normal, but it's not unheard of, either. I will have to check on if it is permitted in this case. Who would you want to invite?" she asks.

Amelia scratches her head in thought. "Definitely not Daddy. Maybe my cousin Roy. He'd… fit in better," she suggests.

"What is wrong with your father? Well, aside from the obvious. And which is Roy? I am not sure if I've met him," Deirdre admits.

"Roy doesn't get out much, I think," Amy says. "He's our clan historian and armorer-mechanic."

"Ah. A mechanic, you say? He would be appropriate, then," Deirdre nods approvingly. "I will need his measurements so appropriate clothing can be provided."

"Ooookay," Amy says. "I'll ask him and get the measurements, but I'm sure he'll say 'yes'. Does it matter if he smells smoky?"

"We often smell like grease, sawdust, and dirt. I don't think anyone will notice," Deirdre notes and waves her hand dismissively.

"Anything I should do to prepare myself?" Amelia asks.

Deirdre considers that. "Well, in the past you would be asked to shave a patch on your arm where you would be branded with the clan mark. But … that stopped generations ago," she notes absently. "I would just suggest you be well rested and not eat much that day. There is usually a banquet afterwards in honor of the new member."

"Oooo, a banquet… " Amy mutters, her eyes getting a far-away look. "Should I bring some plum wine?"

"You would win more friends with it, but it is not required. So, your choice. This is to honor you. So, basically, expect to be pampered," Deirdre answers, ears flicking.

"And just to be sure… there's no boiling oil or explosives involved, right?" Amelia asks.

"Zahn told you about his? I still don't know quite how he managed to blow up the stew pot," Deirdre says and shakes her head sadly.

"Holy smokes, are you serious?" Amelia asks, clutching at her tail.

"He insisted he could automate the delivery of stew to bowls. He automated it all over the walls," Deirdre says in all seriousness.

"Oh," Amy says in a small voice. "Just so you know, my skills are delivering babies and killing monsters, mainly… "

"You won't likely have to do any of that at the ceremony. No one is pregnant and I would hope no monsters attack," the older Kadie girl notes. "Just … keep Zahn from trying to improve things and I'm sure it will be mostly enjoyable."

"Does he already know about this, or should I tell him?" Amy asks next, then tosses in, "Or keep quiet and surprise him?"

"He knows nothing about it. He'll be there, so he'll find out sooner or later. Especially if you choose him for your ceremony guide, as it were. Your choice on how long you wish to keep him in the dark about it," Deirdre answers.

"What does a guide actually do?" Amy asks.

"Officially, they vouch for you and for the first year take on the responsibility of your actions, and should you cause problems … answer for them," Deirdre explains.

"Wait… you mean there are apprentices that don't cause problems?" Amy asks, half-jokingly.

"Well, no. It's mainly if they are major problems, such as serious clan violations. Zahnrad's life was a nightmare when he was Gunther's guide. Admittedly, I gave my guide many problems, too," Deirdre notes.

"So… I should pick someone that doesn't have a short temper then?" Amy guesses.

"You pick someone you trust," Deirdre says and shrugs. "If you need to think on it, that's fine. When you decide is when the date will be set. If you want to talk to other clan members about it and ask them, do so."

"I think I should, yes," Amelia says, thinking of candidates already.

Deirdre nods. "As you need, then," she says simply. "That is all I had to tell you."

"We also have to deal with that Khatta woman first," Amy notes. "She wants to meet everyone that helped defeat the necromancer… here. At the dam. I don't know what to do about that yet."

"This is news to me," Deirdre notes and sits up. Her eyes narrow. "More strangers coming here, to the dam? That is not acceptable."

"Hopefully it won't come to that," Amelia says quickly. "I have someone to discuss it with yet, and their decision could change everything."

"Who?" Deirdre inquires.

"The gypsy's witch," Amy says. "It's… really really complicated."

"Mm. Well, then I suppose you should go speak with her and address the current problem," Deirdre says and climbs from her chair. "I must go change. And, in two hours deal with Emmett. He's sadly predicable. He comes at sundown and tries to serenade me. I've run out of things to throw at him."

"He doesn't bring the whole band along, does he?" Amelia asks as she extricates herself from the chair. "Try asking him to bring you a knot that you can't untie. That'll occupy him for awhile."

"Thankfully, no, not the whole band. If he did, I would be arrested for murder," Deirdre says in all seriousness.

"Don't assume death would stop Emmett Oggton from his Holy Quest to bed a girl from every Clan," Amelia warns.

"So, he would leave me alone if I slept with him?" Deirdre asks.

"Probably not," Amy admits. "I suspect he has some sort of rotation schedule… "

"Pity. If that would have solved it I would have bedded him tonight," Deirdre says flatly and actually starts undressing. "Have you slept with him?"

"Of course not," Amy says. "He keeps company with Clover… and sleeping with him just wouldn't upset her enough to be worthwhile. Besides, it gives us both something in common, Deirdre – we're the last holdouts!"