It's right before sunset on the day after the storm. The town has quieted down extensively from the events of the festival but a few days prior. The only evidence that remains of the festival is the occasional tossing of a frog out of an open window, or the accidental stepping on a random swamp popper that was left in the streets. People mill about, visiting friends and relatives, or just running errands.

Zahnrad Kettenrad can be seen negotiating something with the local dry goods shopkeeper. More than once Zahn can be seen rubbing his neck in frustration as presumably he's getting the usual starving child excuse for why prices are so high. At last, he seems to reach an agreement with the Skeek, they shake hands, and Zahn walks back into the town square. He sits down heavily on the rim of the fountain and wipes his brow.

Olivia Weaver winds her way among some of the fresh fruit and vegetable stalls, consulting a list as she picks through the produce and loads some into a basket. As usual, the outfit Olivia wears today is very brightly colored: atop a pair of baggy, black pants she sports a short-sleeved shirt of sunflower yellow, trimmed at the collar and cuffs with turquoise cloth. The sash she wears as a belt is also made from the same turquoise material, as are the rather large cuffs of her pants. For once, though, the Skeek girl's head is not bedecked with roses; she has left her hat at home and instead wears her hair in a short braid.

Thump-tha-thump-thump! An odd sound can be heard down the main path leading into the village square, one that most people wouldn't be able to place right away, but one that the villagers are used to. The source is, of course, a barrel of wine being rolled down the path by Aiken Silverfoot. It must be delivery day.

Zahnrad looks up from his spot and sees Olivia. She's rather easy to spot, really. He hops up and winds his way through the crowd, stopping to apologize now and then for bumping into folks. "Hey, Olivia!" he calls out and waves to the Skeek. "Got a moment?"

After paying for her purchases, Olivia looks up to hear who is calling for her. She taps her forehead lightly in a 'oh, I remember now!' gesture and hurries over to him. "Hello, Zahnrad. I certainly do. I just remembered that I have to give you those cloth prices!"

Steering the almost runaway barrel towards the town tavern, Aiken greets various townsfolk as he passes them by. A familiar laughter can be heard behind the Kadie, as his daughter Kiona clings to his tail, bobbing up and down with the rhythmic run.

Zahnrad waves a hand. "No rush on those. I figure I won't be needing it quite yet, anyway. Plus, I, er, had something else to ask of you," he replies and looks around. He motions to a quieter place on the side of the square, near the inn, and says, "Mind moving away from the crowd?"

Olivia looks a bit concerned at Zahn's tone, but not overly so. "No, no, that's fine." She follows him over to where he indicates. "What do you want to know?"

Aiken stops the barrel just before it plows into the side of the tavern, then rights it. Pulling a small piece of paper from his pocket, he writes something on it, then pins it to the container as an invoice. With a nod of satisfaction, he sits on another barrel – this one empty – and jots some further items down on his notepad.

Zahn looks sort of off into the distance as he rubs at his neck nervously. "It's nothing bad, just … a request I'd like to keep private," he says, as his voice drops lower. He leans in says, "Amelia is probably going to ask you to make her some new clothing. I took measurements that should help make more comfortable and lasting clothing for her. Uhm, would you say you'll do it for free? And ah, don't tell her I asked you to do so. I'll cover the costs through either money or doing some work for you. Do you need an easel or any frames? Any loom need repairs?" He looks around, trying to make sure no one is listening.

The little Kadie girl awws when her father stops jogging along. Releasing his tail, she says, "Roll barrels s'more, Daddy! Go zoom!"

Olivia considers this request. "Well, I could do that, sure. But what should I say if Amelia asks me why I'll do it for free? You know, just so we can keep our stories straight?"

"And why this sudden burst of generosity, anyway?" the Skeek adds suspiciously.

Aiken replaces the notepad to his pocket, and laughs as he picks Kiona up. "That was the only one, Kio. But maybe we'll take one of the empty ones back when we leave. We have to get some stuff for your Mamma first." He places the little girl on his shoulders, and stands up, scanning the crowd.

Zahnrad considers that a moment. "Tell her it's a reward for her achievements as this year's Frog Princess," Zahn offers and glances toward the bouncing little Kadie. He just shrugs and says, "Because I want to. Do I really need a reason other than that?"

Kiona hurrahs from her perch! "More barrels go zoom! Fly'n!"

Aiken notices Zahn's glance as the Kadie looks at Kiona, and seems to recall something. "Let's go talk to Zahnrad over there, Kio. I need to ask him somthin'." The reddish-brown squirrel makes his way over to the others, waving and giving a big grin.

Olivia looks as if she's sizing up Zahn's story. "Maybe you do, maybe you don't. It just seems to me that you've never been so friendly with Amelia before. Not that she isn't a nice girl, mind you. It's just… a sudden interest." Then she suddenly grins. "But I'll take your word for it. Sooo, what kind of colors do you think she'd like in her clothes? Not the ones I like, since you keep teasing me about that!"

"I really don't know, other than she wants pockets," Zahn replies absently and notices Aiken heading his way and apparently trying to dismiss the comment on Amelia. "She'll tell you what she wants, I'm sure, since she has the measurements and such anyway. Okay, so, mums the word on this, then. Aiken's heading this way, so … no mentioning it. Right? Right." He waves to Aiken and Kiona.

"Howdy Zahn," Aiken says, steadying Kiona. "I was hoping I'd run into you today. Oh, hello to you too, Olivia. Curiel thanks you again for th' flowers, so does Kiona! Dontcha, kiddo?"

Olivia glances towards the approaching Kadie and winks at Zahn. "Mum's the word!" Then she waves to Aiken. "Hello there! Nice to see the two of you again." At this, she peers up at Kiona and grins.

The little Kadie girl nods repeatedly. "Pretty flowers! T'anks, Livia."

"Hey you little tornado," Zahn says with a grin and playfully waves to Kiona. He glances over at Aiken and asks, "Oh? Having a problem with the presses on the farm? Shop is closed today and tomorrow, but should be open the day after that… "

Aiken shakes his head at the fellow Kadie. "No, no, nothin' like that, although you'd be the first I'd call if that were the problem," the squirrel chuckles. "Curiel just wanted me to ask you what kinda food your folks like, since she felt bad havin' them do all the cookin' tomorrow night."

"Could you explain to me once again, Mr. Chalk, why I'm supposed to be paying you to look after your own livestock?" says a weary-sounding black poodle, as Erik Richebeau and Jonas Chalk pass through the crowd, with a certain nosy Akwavi trailing along behind.

"Eminent Grease, like," Jonas explains. "You're the landlord, like, so's you own the livestock and such and pay us to keep 'em for you and protect them from poachers and whatnot."

"But I'm not charging you rent!" Erik pleads, as the pair passes by. Spotting Olivia and the others though, Emmett Oggton pauses in his pursuit of the gentlemen, deciding to see what's going on with the regular folks.

Olivia hmms at the second mention of machinery and says as an aside to Zahn, "Actually, if you could stop by the Weaver's sometime and have a look at one of the looms, that would be great. For some reason, the treadles on one of them aren't lifting the heddles all the way up and so the warp yarns aren't feeding out properly. Do you think you could fix that?"

"Howsa! If it ain't Kiona and the Kadie Konspiracy!" the otter barks as he slinks on over to eavesdrop. "Don't mind me, I just thought I heard someone mention food," he adds, winking to Aiken and wiggling his fingers at Kiona.

Zahnrad arches his eyebrow. "Cooking? What are you talking abo… Oh. I guess my mother invited you folks over tomorrow night. That's great!" he says, then realizes something and coughs. "Ah, well, food, hm. Just about anything, really. We don't usually do anything fancy. They'd probably appreciate it if you'd bring a bottle or two of wine, though." He then looks over to Olivia and nods, "Certainly. One of the rods is probably worn a bit too far and slipping. Should be a quick fix, if so. I'll bring along a few spares. I don't remember, are you using the model the my father designed last winter, or the ones older than that?"

Kiona waves back so enthusiastically that she almost slides off Aiken's shoulders. "Hi Emmett!"

"Lissen' to them two," Emmett asides to Kiona, holding up a paw to hide his mouth from the others. "Yakking about work on such a fine night! Tis' crimininimal."

Olivia thinks about this. "It's one of the older looms, I believe. This isn't the first problem we've had with it, only the latest."

"Howdy there, Emmett," Aiken says to the otter with a chuckle, curling his tail up to steady Kiona. "Well, the wine goes without sayin', of course! I guess Curiel could make one of her apple pies – my mom's recipe, of course, but she makes em the best. What kinda wine do you fancy, Zahnny?" He turns with a laugh to Emmett, saying, "It's always work, but it ain't so criminal!"

The Kadie girl crinkles up her nose, trying to figure this out. "What's crim- uh, criminnal?"

"All Work and No Play," Emmett recites, with one hand over his heart, "Just Ain't the Akwavi Way!"

"All right. I'll pull the plans from the Wingnut storeroom, then. I think I can guess the model it is. Probably the one that yanked half the fur off my hand last time," Zahn says with a grumble. He then sticks his tongue out at Emmett and says, "It's not work, it's fun. Some of us enjoy doing productive things, not lazing about."

"Oi, heard you had a bit of a bump-up at the dam t'other night," Emmett says, smiling at Zahnrad. "Kept it from 'sploding or whatever it is busted dams do."

"Me? Nothing too dry or strong," Zahn considers and answers Aiken. He snaps his fingers, thinking of something and suddenly blurts out enthusiastically, "Say! Do you have any wine that turned out bad? Say too strong? I'm looking for real potent alcohol. You see, I'm experimenting with an engine that runs off explosions!"

Zahn then waves a hand at Emmett and says, "Minor bump, really. Amelia was there and thankfully saved the last wheel from damage while I was out of it."

Olivia seems momentarily flustered by this information. "Explosions? Are you sure that would be, um, you know- safe?"

Aiken places Kiona on the ground, curling his tail around her to keep the girl steady. "It means bad, but work ain't bad. It's what gives ya food and stuff." He looks up at Zahn oddly. "Well, uh… we get the occasional bad batch, yup… but why you wanna make somethin' that explodes?"

"Bruiser was there wit' ya, eh?" Emmett asks, grinning wider. "So that's who was up in yer cabin then. She the one who bonked you?"

Kiona ohs quietly at her father's words and hugs his leg, just as an extra measure.

"What are you talking about?" Zahn says defensively. "One of the release levers snapped because a fish got stuck in the gearing. Nailed the back of my head." He looks over to Aiken and Olivia, saying, "Hey, if I build it, it'll be safe! Steam engines are just too big, so, I need something smaller and lighter. I think I can pull that off if the piston is driven by an explosion instead of steam! It's a wonderful idea!"

Aiken rubs the back of his head indecisively. "Well, I did have a bad batch I was just gonna throw out… but if you think you can use it, I suppose it's yours. What's your pa think about this, though?"

Olivia mutters something that sounds like, "Well, you claimed that flying machine that wound you up into the air and then down into the dam was 'safe,' too… "

"He doesn't need to know," Zahn replies quickly. "It's my shop, afterall. I can build what I like there as long as I keep up with the regular work."

Examining his claws now, Emmett asks, "Ah, so you and Bruiser were working on airships up in your room then?"

"Don't call her Bruiser," Zahn snaps, then rubs the back of his neck. "She helped me home because I was busy. We dried out and waited for the storm to pass, then she went home."

Shrugging, Aiken says, "In that case, it's all yours. Just make sure you don't go crashin' into the woods or the baths again. Although it was kinda nice without the divider wall for a bit." The Kadie chuckles.

"Hey yeah, that was a treat!" Emmett says, laughing already. "And you say wine can explode? I tried blowing down the wall with ginger beer last summer when it got really hot, but it just made a mess."

Zahn rubs his eyes and mutters, "I swear, break one bath and they never let you forget it."

Olivia laughs a bit at that, then coughs to cover the sound. She smiles innocently at Zahn.

"Hey, you're the one what wanted to be famous," Emmett points out, literally, by prodding Zahn in the shoulder with a finger.

Aiken pats the otter on the back. "That ain't exactly the same, Emmett."

"Yes, but not as the one who caused the great Stonebarrow streaking day!" Zahn retorts!

"Sounds a good legacy to me," Emmett says, looking towards the fountain as if considering what that memorial statue would look like.

Kiona looks up at her father. "Daddy, what's 'streaking?'"

"And before you insinuate any further, nothing happened between Amelia and I," Zahn tells the otter.

"Somthin' you're not gonna do," Aiken replies to his daughter, curling his tail more and nearly engulfing the child.

"So when're you going to light up your exploding airship?" Emmett asks. "Cuz it takes time to organize proper betting pool you know… oh, nothing was between you then? I hadn't been too sure about that part."

Zahnrad also pokes Olivia lightly in the side. "And you! They were perfectly safe. No one got hurt, right? Therefore, safe!" he says.

Kiona yeeks! merrily and giggles. "Tickles, Daddy! Stoppit!" Then she sneezes, muffledly, for emphasis.

"Right, nothing. Think about it, what could she possibly see in me, anyway?" Zahn says to Emmett. He then shrugs and says, "Don't know. This one will take longer. I need more information, need to build some wings for it, perfect the engine, that sort of thing. Can't rush it, unless you want to bet how far my innards can spread over the town." He huffs.

Aiken flattens his ears at the innards comment. "Are you sure you need to be doin' this, Zahn? I mean, they already got airships… " He looks at the younger Kadie with concern.

Olivia just shakes her head at Zahn. "If you don't count getting so waterlogged on that particular pass that you had a cold for two weeks – yeah, it was safe!"

"They could be better. They don't have a Wingnut airship now do they? Noooooo!" Zahn replies.

"They blow up pretty good already too," the otter notes, nodding at Aiken. "And I hear the Titanians got a whole city devoted just to making their big bugger of a ship fly again, after it crashed into a mountain."

"To each his own," Aiken says, shaking his head. He bends down to wipe off Kiona's nose – as well as his tail. "Just promise us you'll be careful, and I'll keep quiet about it tomorrow."

"Besides, I'll be trial running it on the river, anyway. It's going to be able to land in water, or act as a faster boat, too," Zahn says oddly. He then nods to Aiken, "Of course I'll be careful, I'm not crazy."

"Course you ain't crazy," Emmett says, smiling. "You'd be daft to be crazy."

"And ah, Aiken, Amelia will also be at the dinner. Mother invited her, just so you know," Zahn says, then looks at Olivia. "Say, is any of your cloth waterproof?"

Olivia says, "We can make it that way, if you like, but it costs extra. It's one of the special Weaver processes. One of their secret recipes."

"All right, please include that price as well," Zahn says. He blinks, realizing something. "Emmett! How did you know someone was in my room, anyway?"

Aiken arches his brow at this. "Will she now? I guess Mrs. Kettenrad's heard about her being around you so much, eh?" He picks Kiona up, and puts her back on his shoulder. "Know any particular sweets she likes?"

"Oh, I didn't know 'til just now, really," Emmett says. "I'm just trying out pussikology on ya." The otter grins and combs his whiskers.

Zahn scratches at one of his ears, "Well, I know she likes chestnuts, but sweets? Hm, I don't know." He then glares at Emmett.

"Canny!" the Kadie girl crows, latching onto the word 'sweets.' "Choconuts!"

"Ah, you heard somethin', Briar?" Emmett asks, looking sidelong at Aiken. "Maybe from our Zahn's mom or other reputabable source?"

"There's nothing to hear!" Zahn says, looking exasperated.

"Just admit it, Zany!" Emmett laughs. "Bruiser up at the dam with you, doing stuff in your room… you're building her some sort of super weapon, aren't you?"

"Maybe some candied chestnuts then." Aiken tickles his daughter, "and no sweets for you until tomorrow, li'l miss." The Kadie smirks at Emmett, "I know that she and Zahn are friends, and only friends. Really Emmett, you got two girls of your own to worry 'bout, why give Zahn so much grief?" He chuckles, "If Zahn says they're just friends, then that's all there is to it."

Zahnrad looks at Emmett and grins, "No. But I did make her a new staff, a good one. You'd better watch it."

Olivia gets an interesting gleam in her eyes at all this information, but merely raises a paw to cover her smile.

"See, I knew they'd be conspiring," Emmett says, straightening up to look properly vindicated. "I know that gel's got secrets. She's half witch!"

Zahnrad lightly elbows Olivia. "Half-witch?" Zahn asks Emmett. "What are you talking about?"

Olivia ows softly at the thrown elbow, but merely looks interested in what Emmett's reply will be.

"You don't know?" Emmett asks Zahn, then blinks and says, "'Course you wouldn't, you'd never ask. Brui… Amelia was brought up by old Isolde Nightshade, Morgan's mom. She just couldn't do the magic bit, so Morgan became the witch. For awhile there, you couldn't stand between her and Morgan without your fur catching fire, she was so angry."

Zahnrad blinks. "No, I didn't really know a lot about that. I've been rather busy with other things to really pay much attention to what goes on around town," he admits.

"'Cept for you when you crash into bits of it, eh?" Emmett teases.

"I've rarely hit the town," Zahn says and snorts.

"True, true, but your aim could improve with practice," the otter suggests. "Which reminds me… let me know when you're gonna do your river test, right? I wanna make sure we get our boats moved out to a safe distance."

"Your faith in me is underwhelming," Zahn says and sighs. "It won't be for a time. I've got a lot of work to do and not a whole lot of free time, really. Things keep popping up that keep me from it.

Olivia chuckles at this exchange, but says, "Well, this has all been very interesting, but I promised to be back to the shop ten minutes ago. I'd better get going or I'll have extra work thrown on me!" She waves to the assembled group. "See everyone around!"

"Popping up, eh?" Emmett says, and nudges Aiken with his elbow while winking. "Well, you're the man in high demand, Zany."

"Like tomorrow," Aiken suggests to Zahn. "Seeya Olivia! I'll be sure to send Curiel your way soon, Kio's gettin' too big for her britches!"

Zahnrad smiles at Olivia. "Thanks for helping me out. I'll be by the shop in a couple days to look at the loom. I'll have it right as rain," he says and pats the mouse's shoulder.

Zahn nods to Aiken and says, "Yep, tomorrow. That's why the shop is closed tomorrow."

"Seeya 'round, Liv!" Emmett says, then snaps his fingers and adds, "I wanna see ya later about fishing lures!"

Olivia thanks Zahn and says to Aiken, "Just bring her by the Weaver's sometime and I'll have her fitted! Goodbye!" Then the Skeek girl scurries off.

"'Bye, Emmett!" Olivia calls as she goes.

Zahn scratches at his cheek, considering, "Say, Emmett, you're dating the Chalk sisters, right? Or have they finally married off? I haven't seen them around lately."

"Oh yeah, they're still in my stable, so to speak," Emmett says, winking again. "They ran the kissing booth at the festival, guess you didn't get by there though. They're off around here somewhere, prolly scamming free drinks off someone, bless their hearts. Why ya ask?"

"Just hadn't seen them," Zahn replies and shrugs. "Why would I go to a kissing booth?"

Aiken shakes his head. "Those two drink too much for as young as they are. They really oughtta cut back some."

"Cut back? I ain't never seen em actually drunk," Emmett says, and looks at Zahn again. "Maybe you'd go to see what all the fuss was about, or time 'em or something. Didn't you stare at that jar full o' matches in the General Store for half an afternoon trying to count 'em all?"

"That's 'cause nobody ever gives em enough," Aiken replies to the otter. He then nudges Zahn playfully, "and you oughtta try one of them kissin' booths one of these days, then you'd know why you should go."

"Yeah, well, I'm not going to pay someone to kiss me. That's sorta sad. I'd prefer it be someone who likes me, y'know?" Zahn replies and shrugs. "And yes, I did. I estimated it was around five thousand, given the volume a single stick takes up, and the size of the jar."

"That many?" Emmett says. "That's a bunch for sure… hey, matches don't explode, do they?"

"No, they don't," Zahn replies. "Not unless you cut off all t… No, they don't."

"Eh, figgers," Emmett says. "But I don't know about this exploding engine of yours. Kiona on a treadmill, that I could see… "

Aiken laughs, "Kiona don't need no treadmill, she gets plenty of runnin' round the house." The Kadie pokes Kiona, who giggles in reply. "Tedmill!"

"Does she ever sleep?" Zahn asks.

"Only after she's ran out of steam," Aiken says, picking the girl from his shoulder and holding her to his chest. "Then she's out like a candle. Even a screamin' Creen couldn't wake her up!"

"Hey, Aiken, think I could borrow the Fireball for a few hours?" Emmett says, his eyes lighting up. "She's a powerful babe-magnet, like, and that's just wasted on a guy like you now… "

Zahnrad grins. "Probably never when you want her to though, right?" he says, then glances at Emmett, saying, "You don't need any more women."

Aiken eyes the otter with a grin. "If I let her spend an evenin' with you, she'll wind up singin' in a band and drinkin' too much beer. Besides, she'd make the Chalk twins jealous, what with gettin' you all to herself and such!"

"Need? Need?" Emmett says, striking a campily dramatic pose. "What is need? I ain't got one on my arm right now though. At least I could teach Kio some songs! Like… 'A Wizard's Staff Has A Knob On It' or, 'The Hedgehog Can Never Be Buggered'. That's stuff she can get some use out of, it is."

Zahnrad rubs his neck. "I think I'm too young to be hearing this," he mutters.

"She's like clockwork sometimes, and other times she's a night owl," Aiken replies to Zahn. "Then we just give her some warm milk and she's out cold."

Zahn pokes Emmett's chest and says, "And I don't have any, either, and I'm a fine, upstanding person of the community. You could learn from that!" He then nods to Aiken, saying, "Good to know. I wonder if that would work on my obnoxious brother."

Aiken eyes Emmett, "None of that, now! She's still on her nursery rhymes!" Kiona claps to this, "Hedgehog and butters!"

"Why be fine and upstanding when you could be laying down and feeling fine?" Emmett says, then laughs. "Alright, alright, you guys are starting to bring me down, and the night's young and eager still. I'm off to pick some Clover and a sprig of Parsley, if I can find any. Have fun at your get-together tomorrow!"

"Oh no you don't! Don't think I haven't seen you skulking around my shop. You're not swiping my door again. I'm keeping my eye on you tonight. You're stuck with me, otter-boy," Zahn says and grins evilly.

The red-brown squirrel laughs, "Doesn't work on teenagers, I'm afraid. Speaking of sleep though, someone has a nap-time soon, and I still need to do my chores." As if on cue, Kiona yawns. "I better be gettin' on. And you know we'll have fun, Emmett! Kadies are known for fun." He winks. "See you two, don't get into too much trouble." Kiona follows this up by waving both her hands wildly in a goodbye gesture as the two walk towards the shop stalls.

"Let me know if you need any help carrying those heavy bottles of wine, old man," Emmett teases Aiken.

Zahn waves and smiles to the departing pair, shouting, "See you, Aiken. Kiona, remember to keep your dad and mom out of trouble! They need your help!"

The otter watches the father and daughter pair leave, and casts a sidelong glance at Zahn. "I was gonna bring the door back, mind you. What're you down here in town for anyway?"

"Had to barter for some stuff our shops needed. Got the usual 'my family is starving' reason for the high cost for the goods, too," Zahnrad grouses. "But, what can you do? We needed the supplies. I was somewhat near town anyway, since I walked Amelia home."

"Since when did Blacktail need an escort?" Emmett laughs, and throws an arm around Zahn's shoulder to steer him towards the Frog and Peach.

"She didn't. But I wasn't doing anything and I enjoy talking with her," Zahnrad replies with a shrug and heads toward the inn.

Emmett pauses thoughtfully, and asks, "Just how many people do you enjoy talking to, anyway? You're usually pretty tight-lipped, ain'tcha?"

Zahnrad considers that. "Am I? I'm usually just busy, it's not that I don't like talking to people. As for her, I'm just comfortable talking with her usually," Zahnrad replies, brow furrowed.

"Well, maybe she can do magic then," Emmett chuckles. "Or more likely you just didn't notice she was a girl, as impossible as that might be." He leads Zahn into the tavern, which is fairly crowded tonight.

"Of course she's a girl. What does that have to do with anything?" Zahn asks, looking confused. Zahn unties his bandana, as the heat of the inn would make it a bit uncomfortable and shakes out his shaggy black headhair.

Halfway to an open table, the otter stops dead and turns Zahn around towards the bar. "Whoops, let's grab some stools," he says, and even pulls one out for the Kadie. "Wow, you need a girlfriend just to style your hair a bit, you know that?"

"What's wrong with my hair?" Zahn asks defensively. He curls his tail back to keep it out of the crowds and sits down on the stool. His toeclaws curl around the stool legs.

"I know something about wimmen, Zahn, and two outta three would probably be cringing and reaching for their hairbrushes at the sight of ya," Emmett says, and waves for the bar-bunny. "Two Rabid Mocha-Matehs with Shavings and a bowl of crisps, Mandy," he orders.

"You haven't paid your tab from last time, Emmett," the Lapi barmaid chides in a soft voice, sounding apologetic for even mentioning it.

Zahnrad winces at the order, commenting, "That sounds a little harsh to drink." Zahnrad runs his claws through his hair to untangle it some. He looks over at the barmaid and asks, "Hey, does my hair look bad?"

The barmaid looks at Zahn's hair, and twitches her whiskers for a moment, before asking, "That depends sir… are you trying to sell it?"

"No, I'm not trying to sell it," Zahn says, looking confused.

"This here is Zahnrad Kettenrad, Mandy luv," Emmett says, leaning across the bar. "He just saved the whole town, at risk of life and limb mind you, when the storm was about to burst the dam! All this coulda been washed away in a trice. So, it's only right that you start him a tab on credit."

"Is that true?" Mandy asks Zahn, looking unsure.

"Er, hey! Yes, I work at the dam and maintain the gearing, but that's beside the point," Zahnrad says quickly. He digs in his pocket pulls out a few shekels, saying, "No tabs. Look, I'll buy you a drink, Emmett." He looks to Mandy and asks, "What's it cost?"

"Shekel apiece then," Mandy says. "And I'll throw in the crisps for free, because you're honest. You shouldn't have to sell your hair to pay for drinks, goodness no… "

Zahn hands over two shekels. "But, I wasn't going to. He said women would say my hair needed help. You're a woman, so I wanted to know if it was true and asked," Zahn says as if asking such isn't an odd thing to do.

"Oh," Mandy says, and actually blushes. "In that case… well, it could do with a bit of combing, Mr. Kettenrad. I mean… a man who works on important machines and such should look well-groomed."

"Important, greasy, dirty, machines," Zahnrad says and grins. "It would just get messed up in any case. Anyway, thanks for the answer." He leans back against the bar and shakes his head, "You know, I feel like a stranger, and I grew up here."

There, across the room, Zahn can see Amelia sitting at a table in the corner. She isn't alone, but it takes a moment to realize the person in the black dress and pointy hat isn't Morgan, but an older Kadie who resembles him.

"Huh, Amelia is here," Zahn says and nods over towards her. "I think she's with Morgan's mom."

"I know, s'why I brought you to the bar so she wouldn't see ya right off," Emmett says. "Also, my girls are over by the stage lookin' bored, and I didn't want to leave you on your own just yet."

"Er, why would you not want her to see me?" Zahn asks and looks at Emmett oddly.

"So she didn't think you were following her," Emmett says. "'Sides, I didn't want Clover and Parsley to see you talking if you went over to say hello or something."

Zahn looks confused again. "But, I'm not following her. And why would it matter if I was talking to her to Clover and Parsley?" he asks and shakes his head. "I really don't understand people."

Mandy returns with two large ceramic mugs full of Mateh mixed liberally with cream, including dollops of whipped cream on top with little flakes of chocolate. She also sets out a bowl of puffy, colorful veggie chips.

Zahn eyes the drink. "Wow, that's one … fluffy … drink," he says.

"You may understand the gears and wheels of your clockwork dam, Zany, but let me tell you… that's just a toy compared to the wheels and schemes that spin around in women's heads," Emmett explains, taking a deep gulp from his drink and getting a cream mustache. "They's always looking for some way to get up on one another, some weakness to exploit. And they ain't often nice about it. So you gotta be careful or you could be used as a weapon against your friend."

Zahnrad takes a sip from the glass then coughs and makes an interesting face. "Whoo," he mutters and sets the glass back down. "I don't see how I could be used as a weapon against anybody. I'm just an engineer, one of many, from the Wingnut clan." He shrugs, then grabs a chip and munches.

"Heh, you don't know much about your own reputation, do you?" Emmett says, chuckling. "Some folks think yer dangerous, and not because you crash into things, but because you want to do things differently – and might succeed."

Zahnrad gives Emmett an odd look. "I know about my machine reputation. What are you walking about beside that?" he asks.

"You think you're the only one that dreams of getting away from all this?" Emmett asks, pointedly. "Now, what do you figger will happen if you actually do, and do it well?"

Zahnrad shrugs. "Other people might leave. That's their choice. This isn't a prison, Emmett," he replies.

"That's right, but it's wrong too," Emmett points out. "The ones that'd leave are the young ones, like us, right? But we're the ones the rest need to stay, cause we do the hard work and such. It ain't no accident that statchoo in the square is of a young girl who fought for the town. You don't see memorials for anyone what left. The elders who run stuff, they don't mind you failing, because they figure you'll eventually give up, get married, and become… a fine, upstanding citizen."

"And Blacktail, she riles up folks too," the otter adds. "Girls like Clover and Parsley hate her, because she does what she wants and gets away with it. They want to see her fall, and give in, and not be looked up to by the other girls who think they've got a bum deal."

Zahn pfffts and waves his hand. "I'm not giving up. And quite frankly I don't think Amelia will either. She's better and stronger than that. I like my family, but I want to go beyond what they do. Tradition can rot. You know how many silly things are done because of tradition, with the real reason forgotten? Traditions will stagnate all of us into the grave if we don't strive to go beyond them and carve an ever brighter future," Zahnrad replies and takes a drink from his glass, a long one.

"Yeah, and they're why those in power 'ave got their power," Emmett warns. "Remember, they put up a stachoo to Yewberry… but the also stoned her to death for breaking tradition first."

"Emmett!" calls a gravelly voice. A near-black otter sidles up, and leans his harpoon up against the bar. Silas tilts his head slightly to peer at the other Akwavi with one beady eye shaded by a wide straw hat. "What're you fillin' this poor boy's head with this time?" The clay pipe jutting from one corner of his mouth switches to the other side, filling his hat with smoke.

"If it takes my death to wake people up, so be it. That's why I keep trying, even though it is dangerous," Zahnrad says dismissively. "I'll show them what a no-name Kadie in a backwater town can do. I'm going to make a mark. It will matter someday. That's what I want."

Across the room, the woman in the pointy hat gets up. A portly merchant Skeek nearly falls over himself rushing to hold the tavern door open for her, as the Kadie walks out.

"Just be sure that mark isn't a stain on the cobblestones," Emmett says, then grins to his cousin, and says, "Ah Silas, just trying impart a bit of wisdom on a lad who hasn't gotten out much."

Zahnrad looks noticeably agitated now, his clawtips tapping against his mug.

"And I just wanted to say that maybe some folks would be really happy to see a fine young man like Zahn here taking an interest in someone like Amelia over there," Emmett adds, still smiling. "Or at least, putting on the appearance of the thing."

Zahnrad downs the remainder from his mug and sets it calmly on the bar. He leans back against the bar and closes his eyes, breathing slowly. His hands are clenched tight, however.

Silas gives Emmett an appraising look, then glances at the Kadie next to him. "Ain't never heard your name in the same sentence with "wise" 'fore… I hope yer not s'posed to be gatherin' nets in right now." He drags a stool up with a foot, and sits himself on it, taking his pipe from his mouth and breathing a small gust of aromatic smoke, studying Zahn thoughtfully. He gestures at the Kadie with the bowl of his pipe, a curl of a gray wafting up from it. "Y'don't look too chipper for someone enjoying a drink at a bar, fella. What's eatin' ya?"

"Nothing," Zahnrad snaps. He digs in his pocket and produces another shekel and drops it on the counter. "Buy yourself another drink, Emmett," he says, "I think it's time for me to be going, anyway. Silas can keep an eye on you."

"No fear, Silas," Emmett says. "I got spying duty tonight, following ol' man Chalk and the Poodle around," he says, then frowns when he realizes that he let his quarry escape already.

"WHAT DID YOU SAY?" bellows a familiar voice from across the room. There is an immediate shuffling of chairs and tables as people clear a path between Amelia and Clover Chalk.

Zahnrad's eyes and attention snap toward Amelia.

The swamp hunter's eyebrows rise at Zahnrad's reply, but he doesn't say anything in return, simply nodding quietly. He gives Emmett a somewhat stern look, but his attention is immediately drawn by the commotion across the tavern, his whiskers bristling.

"She didn't mean it," Parsley, always the shyer of the twins, whispers into the silence, only to be waved away by Clover. "I said," Clover begins, folding her arms defiantly across her chest, "That Gilly tried to hide a nasty bruise, and he wouldn't say how he got it. But I think it's obvious!"

Zahnrad rubs the bridge of his muzzle. "Don't get involved. This doesn't concern you," he mutters to himself.

Every hair on Amelia's black tail is standing out rigid with anger. "I never would hurt him! It was his beast of a sister and you know it, you long eared… oooooo!" she snaps, clenching her fists and visibly trying to control herself.

"Don't get involved, don't get involved," Zahn keeps repeating to himself as if a mantra.

"Ladies!" Emmett says, spreading his arms out and moving to stand between the angry females. "I heard for a fact that Gilly got stung trying to poach some of Grandpa Fignut's honey," the otter claims, mugging for the crowd, a few of whom chuckle.

Zahnrad glances over at Emmett and raises his eyebrow. He then also realizes he'll likely be seen now and mutters under his breath.

Silas gets up from his stool, and reaches toward the bar for a drink that isn't there. He closes his hand and settles for wandering over in the general direction of the angry bunch in a casual mosey.

Zahnrad shrugs, and follows after Silas at this point.

Clover Chalk glares daggers at Emmett, while Parsley fidgets behind her. "Besides," Emmett continues, talking mostly to Clover now, "Amelia's been occupied the last few days." He then spots Zahn and says, "Ain't that right, Zahn?"

The heads of Clover and Amelia both swivel to pin Zahnrad in their gaze.

"Yes. Amelia volunteered to help out at the dam the other day as payment for a new staff to replace the old one that was broken during the festival. If it wasn't for her, we'd have lost a millwheel and I might've ended up drowning because a lever snapped and nailed me," Zahnrad says, sounding oddly calm all of a sudden. "So, I can safely say she's not been near Gilly the past few days."

Silas' brow knits as he listens in, causing his hat to ride up on his smooth head. He undoes a fishhook from the nets wrapping his upper body, and drops it into a small pouch hanging from his suspenders, but does little else other than to stand near Zahn.

Emmett scoots over and throws an arm around Amelia, raising the other and saying, "Hear that! Nearly as good as whacking the Frog King, eh?" The crowd gives out a cheer, some raising their glasses (and one unfortunate enough to be too close to Emmett losing his, as the otter procures it to raise up himself). "We need more heroes that look this good in shorts, right?" Emmett claims. Amelia looks shocked, until one of the otter's hands strays southward a bit, and then she really looks shocked and smacks him on the cheek, causing a roar of laughter from the crowd.

The struck otter wobbles around comically, until he falls backward against Clover Chalk, who was starting to march towards Amelia. The two go down in a pile, yet Emmett manages not to spill any of his drink.

"Now, could everyone please return to their seats? I really don't want to see a fight in here," Zahn says and looks between the two girls. "Because, the Wingnuts will probably have to fix anything broken. If that happens, I will personally deliver a bill to your father, Clover, and explain you caused an unnecessary fight. Understand?" Zahnrad says in a calm and forceful tone. He turns, and walks back to the bar and plops back onto his stool.

"You can just… " Clover starts to say to Zahn's back, until Emmett reaches up and tugs Parsley into the pile, who conveniently falls onto her sister's face.

Amelia picks her way through the crowd to stand behind Zahn at the bar. She smiles to Silas, and says to Zahn, "Thanks for not bolting."

Zahn picks up his mug, forgetting it's empty. When he realizes it, he just sighs and sets it back down on the counter. "I wouldn't run out on you, Amelia," he says quietly to her and gives her a weak smile.

"Well, can I buy you a drink then?" She asks, and flicks her eyes to include Silas in the offer. "I suppose I owe one to Emmett too, but he probably wouldn't mind if you collected it for him, Silas."

"No, it's all right, Amelia," Zahn says and taps on his glass. "One is probably more than enough. As for Emmett, I already bought him two, so I don't think he needs another one right now, either," he says with a grin.

The swamp hunter returns the smile, despite some head scratching, and looks satisfied that Zahn has things under control. "Oh, I sure wouldn't say no, miss… thank y'kindly. I figger Emmett's got himself pretty well occupied, and it looks like he's got a drink as it is." He casts a backward glance at his cousin in his self-made Chalk pile.

Sitting down, Amelia calls over the wildly grinning Mandy. "Anything Mr. Oggton here wants, and a beet-juice with pepper for me please," she orders.

"You know what I don't get," Zahn says to no one in particular, "Is what people think is so great about Clover. She's a facade; all appearance. Any good engineer knows that is useless. If we just built things that were pretty, we'd sell one and never get any repeat business because it's inner workings were worthless. The true measure of a machine, or a person, is what is inside; what powers it. We have to look beyond the trappings and see what the quality of its make is. And I can say for certain there is at least one person in this town who has a worlds higher quality inside than … " he waves toward the pile, "her."

The barmaid listens to Zahn while waiting for Silas to order. "Oh, Clover is just popular because she's good at getting what she wants, Mr. Kettenrad," Mandy explains in a whisper. "There's a pecking order, and she's the one doing the pecking."

"Stump-Water Gin, Mandy," says Silas, reclaiming his stool by his harpoon. He draws on his pipe again, and listens thoughtfully to the Wingnut, and when he speaks again, it's through a smoke ring. "Is that what this is all 'bout, Zahn? How'd the Chalks get all worked up? If it's that rascal cousin of mine… he means well, but he likes to stir the silt up too."

"Won't last. When she loses her looks, she'll have nothing," Zahnrad comments. He then shakes his head at Silas, "No, it's just Clover trying to assert herself. It's good Emmett can keep her in line."

"You'll need to put out your pipe first, Mr. Oggton," Mandy notes. "No open heat sources allowed near Stump-Water Gin anymore," she says, wagging a finger at the otter. "I'm surprised your beard grew back at all."

"Emmett's nice when he isn't being a goof," Amelia says, then pulls out a comb from inside her blouse, and starts to comb Zahn's hair.

Zahn blinks, then ducks out of instinct when something touches his head. When he realizes what is going on he looks at Amelia and asks, "Ah, what are you doing?"

Freezing in place for a moment, Amelia says, "I just had a sudden urge to comb your hair." She looks confused, then tucks the comb away again. "Huh, weird, isn't it?"

Zahn sits back up and says, "Just warn me and I won't duck. I'm kinda used to ducking flying parts." He grins. "And, ah, I don't mind you doing that, by the way."

"Oh!" says Silas, jumping as if already singed. He quickly snuffs his pipe and taps the ashes out onto a tough pawpad, grinds them a bit, then wipes his paw off on his nets. "Bless me, I Dagh near forgot how much I missed my whiskers." He nods sagely at Zahn. "A brush now'n then's good for ya. Keeps ya waterproof."

"I can recommend a good conditioner," Mandy tells Amelia, as she brings her the beet-juice. She pauses to put on heavy gloves before pouring the gin for Silas.

Still looking a bit perplexed, Amelia finally shrugs and pulls out the comb. After a sip of her drink, she starts combing Zahn's long hair again. "This is strangely relaxing, you know. Or else it's just the adrenaline wearing off."

Mandy carefully places the reinforced glass of gin before the otter, making sure not to spill a single drop. "Here you go, Mr. Oggton."

Zahn chuckles, but remembers to not shake his head. "You know, you shouldn't let her get to you," he says to Amelia. "You're better than her."

"I know, I just wish she'd accept it," Amelia says, in perfect self-confidence. She fishes out a five-shekel coin for Mandy, then goes back to combing. It's amazing what she can carry without having any pockets.

"Heh, a moment ago even I wanted to flatten her. Amazing effect she can have on people," Zahn comments idly.

"Why would you be mad at her?" Amelia asks, and starts to braid Zahn's hair next.

Silas carefully raises the glass in a salute to the barmaid and the pair next to him. "Thank y'kindly, Mandy. And you, miss." He takes a swig, and his face immediately scrunches up into a grimace, tears at the edge of his eyes. When he speaks again, it's in a voice with twice the gravel and several octaves lower. "That's the stuff." He wipes his mouth with the back of one arm, causing some netting to slowly corrode, and he sets his glass carefully back down to continue listening thoughtfully.

Zahn doesn't seem to notice his hair is getting braided. "Because, er, she insulted you," he says in a low voice, trying to keep it so that only Amelia can hear.

"Oh," Amelia says, and smiles, glad that Zahn can't actually see her doing so. "Anything interesting happening out in the swamp, Silas?" she asks the otter.

"But, I also knew you could thump her to the next county, so it would have been pointless for me to step in anyway," Zahn adds to that quietly. "Still, it made me mad." He then looks over at Silas, still unaware his hair is being braided.

Silas takes up his glass, and gestures with it off-handedly, a drop slipping over the edge and landing on the bar. It bubbles a little, and Silas quickly covers it up with a leather coaster. "Oh, I doubt anythin' what'd get you kids all fired up," he says. "I been in town to fill th' boat up with some goods… me an' Aiken's gonna cut across the swamp for the castle."

Zahn's attention suddenly shifts to the drop and the sizzle. "Say, Mandy … how much is a bottle of that gin?" he asks.

"A bottle?" Mandy asks, wide-eyed. "A whole bottle?"

"A whole bottle," Zahn says, an eerie grin creeping across his face. "I bet it packs a punch when ignited… "

"Up the Milk Run River, Silas?" Amy asks, finishing up the thick triple-braid of Zahn's hair, and feeling she's somehow made his life a little less chaotic as a result.

"I don't know that it's allowable to sell a whole bottle," Mandy mutters. "And we've only got the one, and you need a special note from a witch to say you can drink it."

"I'm not going to drink it," Zahn asserts. "It's to try in my explosion based engine design." He then realizes his hair isn't flowing around and blinks. Looking at Amelia, he asks, "Er, what did you do?"

"I just braided it a bit," Amelia says, cup of beet-juice in hand. "If you tie a stone to the end, you could hammer things by whipping your head around."

The Akwavi belches loudly. "Packs a punch even when it ain't ignited." He looks at Zahn curiously. "It's one-a them… ak-wired tastes, y'know… wait, yer plannin' on puttin' flame to it?" Silas hazards a glance at Amelia, and nods at her question. "Should be a straight shot, an' it'll be faster'n walkin'. Never been t'that ol' castle… "

Zahn reaches back and feels the braid. "Er, does it make me look any better?" he asks

"Who do you want to look better for?" Amelia asks, suddenly suspicious.

Zahn gives Amelia an odd look. "Why do you ask that? Should I be looking better for someone? I'm asking in general," he says, watching Amelia critically.

"I hear the woman up at the castle is crazy," Mandy confides, while she polishes a glass. "Into strange breeding experiments. You should be careful, Mr. Oggton, or she might go after your virtue."

"Oh," Amelia says, smiling innocently again. "Well… it makes you look more orderly, I think. Less… you know… careless?"

Silas laughs, and slaps the bartop, making his glass rattle slightly. He freezes immediately after doing so, until his drink settles down. "Haw! Oggtons wit' virtue! I never get tired'a yer wit, Mandy." That said, he studies Zahn thoughtfully. "Yeah, looks pretty good. I figger it'll keep that mane outta the gears, too. I don't know much 'bout machines, mind, but you don't want nothin' gettin' sucked up."

"I mean, the only person I'd care the opinion of my looks would be you, you know," Zahn replies with a grin. "You'd be honest with me, either way, right? Most people wouldn't tell me flat if I looked like a dork."

Zahn glances towards Silas and says, "You bet. It's why I wear a bandana most of the time. Keeps it out of the way. I already had some fur stripped off my hand once. It hurt pretty bad."

After Mandy calms down from the slap on the bartop, she smiles nervously to Silas. "Ah, right you are sir… "

"There's nothing wrong with you looking like a dork," Amelia says, "if it has the desired effect." Her own hair is in pretty good shape, considering that her clothes look like they're about to fall apart at any moment.

Zahn looks at Amelia out of the corner of his eye. "You sounded a bit concerned what I was wondering about my looks. What's up?" he asks Amelia quietly.

"Fashion's for the Gallees," agrees Silas, after another swig from his glass. He spits after the word 'Gallee', into a small bottom-heavy pitcher on the floor near the foot of the bar.

"It was just… out of character for you," Amelia says. "But I think it looks nice. More masculine, sort of. And it won't blow around as much in the wind."

"I hadn't even thought about it, except Emmett said it looked awful the way I had it. The Barmaid did too, when I asked her," Zahn says. "I never really noticed."

"It made you a little more invisible, yes," Amelia says, and sips at her drink.

Zahn gives Amelia another odd look. "What d you mean by that? I don't understand, but then, I never do understand most people. The exterior isn't important. It's the inside that matters," he says and scratches his cheek.

Silas taps his broad nose. "Well, y'need ta take everythin' what Emmett says widda grain of salt. He's a good enough fella, but that boy's got a mouth on him I could use to catch Ol' Swampy."

"I thought you did catch Ol' Swampy once," Zahn asks and glances at Silas.

"Invisible like… uh," Amelia says, and screws up her face in thought. "Like, 'I don't think about my appearance because I really don't want anyone to pay attention to me,' sort of. I notice stuff like that. It gets my attention."

"Well, which do you prefer on me… ?" Zahn asks oddly, sounding as if it does matter to him.

Amelia looks at Zahn for a moment, then reaches out and undoes the braid with her fingers. "You're fine the way you were," she says.

Zahn reaches back and stops Amelia as she undoes the braid. "You're certain?" he asks, giving Amelia a rather mixed expression.

The girl blinks at this, and then nods. "Yeah, my hands just got carried away. You shouldn't change anything… "

The swamp-hunter gets a faraway look, laying his palms on the bar. "I sure did, one day… it was a three-day battle, but I had that monster gulping away on my boat… " he rolls off into a ramble, letting Zahn and Amelia safely continue their conversation.

Zahn looks at Amelia and rolls his jaw, choosing his words carefully. "Your opinion does matter to me. That's all," he says, then grins slightly. "You have to suffer my machines, you shouldn't have to bear an ugly inventor too."

Amelia giggles to break the tension, and says, "Oh, it's the way your mind works that is more interesting than what you look like. But I don't mind that you're cute either."

Zahn blinks at that. "That's the first time anyone has called me cute," he says quietly to her. He then grins and says, "And that explains why you keep trying to break my brain. You want to see what happens. I get it now."

"Oh, no, that's just… accidental!" Amy is quick to say. "I admire how your mind is like an axe."

Zahn's eyebrows go up. "Mmmmhmmm," he says, tone sounding a bit teasing.

Even Mandy pauses to listen to the explanation for this metaphor.

"You know," Amy says, trying not to gesture with her hands. "It's got a finely honed edge, and when you take aim at something, you… you put everything you are behind it. Every last little bit of passion."

"And one slip up and I can cause untold disaster?" Zahn says, adding to that and grinning.

"Well, I don't know about that," Amelia says, looking down and swirling a finger through the last bit of her drink. "I was thinking more along the lines of: what would it be like to be the target of all that?"

"Overwhelming, probably," Zahn replies and shrugs. "But, if it's worth doing, worth having, it's worth giving your all for it. But, being an engineer, we have to be somewhat careful, to examine what we pursue … to see if it's willing to accept the pursuer or its simply meant for someone else. But, once we decide … watch out." He grins.

Amy sucks the juice off her finger, rather noisily, and sets her empty glass on the bar. "Well, when the time is right, I'll be the first to find out," she says. "But you need to take care of your airship before that, and I'll be there to help you."

"I was hoping you would be. It'll be great to complete, but even better to share that with someone," Zahnrad replies and glances at the Kadie. "And who knows, maybe having help will allow me to complete it faster."

"No cutting corners though," Amelia says, and spins around once on the barstool before standing up. "You know, they say an artist's first hundred paintings are just for practice. I have no idea if that applies to you or not, but it seemed like a good line so I didn't want to waste it."

Zahn laughs. "I suppose breaking the bath was practice," he says with a grin. "Besides, I have to complete this project well, to be worthy of the next." He then stands and stretches, saying, "And, I really have to get back home before my parents' worry. Oh, The Briars have also been invited to dinner. My mother asked them. Thought you should know."

"Oh good!" Amelia says, brightening. "No matter how embarrassing we are, Kiona will be there to distract everyone!" she laughs, then leans forward to give Zahn a quick kiss on the lips, waves to Mandy, and pinches Silas' rear as she saunters past, tail held high, towards the door.

"Good luck, Zahn," Mandy says from behind the bar.

Zahn stands there a moment, blinking. Perhaps his brain is trying to parse what just happened. "I don't even understand myself," Zahn says to himself and scratches his cheek; the poor Kadie once again looks completely confused. "Ah, thanks, Mandy, I think," he says slowly, then heads toward the door.

From the floor, Emmett waves to Zahn, and winks, just before he's dogpiled by bunnies again.

Silas finally says, "… and that's when the boat capsized, putting Ol' Swampy back in the water." He looks startled to see he's alone at the bar now, and decides to simply finish off his gin.