The dinner proceeds onward without much incident. Every now and then, Mr. Kettenrad starts in on a new design project idea, which Zahnrad quickly joins in on. Oddly, though, they seem to end abruptly, often with Mr. Kettenrad twitching slightly, then muttering 'ow'. Mrs. Kettenrad just smiles sweetly each time. At last, most of the food has been consumed and the group is left to chat idly and digest.

"So, what is the rest of your family up to these days, Miss Blacktail?" Mr. Kettenrad asks her.

"Oh, um, growing plums, mostly," Amy says, a bit self-consciously. "Dad is supposed to meet with Mr. Chalk and the Mayor about something too. The poodle will be there as well. But otherwise everything has been quiet."

"Mmm, probably some sort of town security issue. I keep telling them we would have fewer problems if they would just let me install a perimeter guard system. The last prototype only launched a few people it shouldn't, after all," Mr. Kettenrad says and sets down his glass. He then shrugs and looks to Olivia. "How about your family?"

Olivia takes a sip of water and puts down her glass to say, "Doing well. The start of spring always brings in a great demand for cloth to make new outfits from so we're pretty busy. It helps that we can now produce more broadcloth from Loom #4 for the tourists that are sure to show up soon." She gives Zahn a sideways glance as she makes this last comment.

Both Mr. Kettenrad and Zahnrad shift uncomfortably at the mention of loom #4. "I really wish the weavers would just commission a new loom," Mr. Kettenrad says. "That one is too dangerous."

"Are you going to let the 'tourists' see the dam, sir?" Amelia asks, making a sidelong glance at Gunther.

Gunther puffs up, which in his current state isn't that hard. "Not without a strip-search, and a divining by the witch to make sure they're not dangerous," Gunther insists.

"Well, I can't argue with that observation," Olivia agrees grimly, "but we just don't have enough profits to cover such a large expense. I mean, those looms are huge! Time-consuming and costly to make. Perhaps after the summer is over we'll have enough… you could always talk to my aunt about it. She holds the Weavers' purse-strings."

Mrs. Kettenrad smiles and looks over at Amelia. "Say, dearie, should we invite your father and brothers over sometime as well? It would seem the polite thing to do," she says.

She then looks to Gunther and says, "Gunther, behave. You are not strip-searching tourists. I know the otters probably suggested that, so forget it." Gunther sulks.

Mr. Kettenrad shakes his head and sighs. "I've asked her every year about that. She won't. Something about tradition," he says and frowns.

Olivia looks down at her empty plate and mutters, "Figures. I'll bet it's just a way to keep the new apprentices in line! 'Don't shirk your chores or we'll assign you to Loom #4… ' Ugh!"

Mr. Kettenrad laughs. "It may be that. It just may be," he agrees.

Zahnrad sits quietly, poking at his plate. At the moment, he's quite happy to not be the center of attention.

Amy gets a frozen-in-the-headlights look at the mention of inviting her family over. "Dad is very fond of tradition, Mrs. K. I don't know how he'd take to all your labor-saving gizmos."

Mrs. Kettenrad smiles. "Dearie, our labor saving devices allow us to labor in other areas. It just removes the monotonous things that machines can do better," she says.

"Ah," Amelia says. "Dad has daughters-in-law to do that stuff."

"And you, I suppose," Mrs. Kettenrad concedes. She taps her fingers on the table, then looks over at Mr. Kettenrad and asks, "Andre, didn't you and her father fight when you were younger?"

Mr. Kettenrad coughs and mutters, "More like he flattened me and I took it."

Amelia winces at that. "I'm sorry, sir. Dad isn't a bully anymore, honest."

Zahnrad coughs and stands. "Excuse me. I'll load the table for clearing so we can have desert," he says quickly and starts gathering up dishes.

Olivia appears interested in this unexpected information but decides to keep her interest to herself. No point in causing any further embarrassment.

"So," Amelia says to change the subject, "what sorts of projects are you working on now, Mr. Kettenrad?"

Mrs. Kettenrad nudges Andre. "Oh, they were children at the time. Kids do that. He's just never quite gotten over it. When I first mentioned you were spending time with Zahnrad, he was worried you were beating him up," she tells Amelia. Mr. Kettenrad glares at Mrs. Kettenrad over his glasses, "Elsa, you don't have to mention everything I comment on… " and he's suddenly interrupted by Zahnrad, who starts grabbing dishes in front of him. "Yes, need to clear the dishes quickly," Zahnrad blurts.

Mr. Kettenrad, distracted on two fronts, relaxes and smiles to Amelia. "I'm working on a new water pressure delivery system for feeding inside piping to give houses running water. The prototypes power the artificial spring I'm working on. We had a bit of an accident earlier, but I think I have it sorted out."

Gunther whispers across Olivia to Amelia, "Dad is easily distracted… "

"Like a hand pump?" Amy asks, that being the closest thing she associates between 'running water' and 'house'.

Andre shakes his head. "Nothing so crude. Turn a knob and water comes out. It's common in other parts of the world, so I've heard. Given our ah, unique, landscape, I've been trying to work out designs that fit well here and won't get clogged by the fish storms," he says.

Zahnrad starts loading up the center of the table with the dishes, careful to anchor them down so movement won't spill them.

"How would you get the knob back in if water is gushing out though?" Amelia asks, still not quite grasping the concept.

Gunther looks at Olivia … and gets this grin that would worry just about anyone.

Andre laughs. "Nothing that simple, Miss Blacktail. The knob turns a valve, which opens the flow point. Water flows through the valve. To close the value, you turn the knob again," he says.

"Oh, that makes sense," Amelia says, nodding. "What's a valve though?"

"Ah. Think a broom handle, only shorter. Put a home through it and have that fit into a pipe that's the same diameter. When it's turned so that the hole in the handle lines up with the hole in the pipe, water can flow through. When you turn it so the hole is perpendicular, water can't flow. Very simple design. I just need to get some better sealant; I really wish I had some rubber on hand," Andre explains.

"Oh, the rubber!" Amy says, blinking out of the daze she was beginning to fall into during the explanation. "We need to pick that… up," she says, realizing near the end that she didn't mean to say it aloud at all.

Andre blinks. "You know where to find rubber, Miss Blacktail?" he asks. Zahnrad just cringes.

Olivia raises an eyebrow at Gunther. "What are you thinking in that odd little head of yours?" she whispers to him, grinning. "You look like you're plotting something."

Mrs. Kettenrad gets up and pulls the lever to activate the table. It grinds and the dinner remains retract back into the table … without incident.

"Maybe?" Amy half-answers, looking uncertain. "It depends on whether it's any good, I guess."

Gunther looks mighty pleased with himself. "Your dress. It's a map to your secret lair and the hordes. So, I expect you to leave it here tonight. That way I can plan a raid," he says matter-of-factly to Olivia.

Mr. Kettenrad looks disappointed. "Ah, well, if you do, I could use some," he says.

Olivia looks highly indignant. "I am NOT giving you my dress!" she whispers feverishly to Gunther. "Honestly, what would people think when they heard that I stripped the clothes off my back and gave them to you? Yeesh."

Gunther looks at Olivia oddly. "That I defeated one of the horde," he says in all honesty.

Mr. Kettenrad then looks over at Zahnrad. "Hm. Zahnrad could probably recognize if it's any good. I could loan him to you for a few days to do whatever you need as payment, if you like," he offers Amelia.

Zahnrad … looks horrified.

"Of course, sir," Amy agrees quickly. "It shouldn't take that long though. Right Zahn?"

Olivia rolls her eyes heavenward. "Noooo … they would think that I'm robbing the cradle. You know, older girl, younger guy… ?" She pauses to let that thought sink in.

Gunther still looks at Olivia oddly. "What are you talking about?" he finally asks.

"Ah, right, I guess. How long were you thinking, Amelia?" Zahnrad says unsteadily.

A swinging door creaks, and Elsa Kettenrad has left the room, leaving the others to talk for a bit while she gathers dessert.

Olivia gets a devilish look on her face, then leans over to whisper directly into Gunther's ear. Whatever she's trying to explain takes a bit of time… but the horrified look on Gunther's face after she's finished tells her that he's finally gotten the point.

Gunther follows that up with an 'ewwwwwwwwwwwwwww!'. He looks like he's just eaten a rotten plum.

"You did ask," Olivia points out to Gunther, giving him a victorious sort of grin.

"That proves it!" Gunther declares. "Only someone truly evil would think of something like that!"

"Overnight I suppose," Amy says, looking thoughtful. "But it could be done in a day if you want."

"Whatever you need, Miss Blacktail," Andre says and shrugs. "Zahnrad is all yours."

Zahnrad just stares at his father.

"Do you need to bring anything special, Zahn?" Amy asks. From the boy's nervousness though, she begins to wonder if he still wants to spend a night in the ruins…

Olivia gives the younger Kadie an exasperated look. "I'll remember that you said that… so I can throw it back at you when you're older and thinking the same evil things!"

Zahnrad blinks, then recovers. "Ah, no, I don't think so. Just something to sleep in and a change of clothes, I guess. A few jars, perhaps. Some lamps … " he starts ticking off.

"Me!" Gunther pipes up and adds in.

"No," Zahnrad counters.

"Just don't break him," Mr. Kettenrad tells Amelia.

"I won't!" Amy blurts. "I mean… he's stronger than I am. And it's not going to be dangerous or anything."

Gunther puffs up again at Olivia. Maybe it's supposed to look intimidating … but it kind of makes him look like a plush toy.

Olivia chuckles. "Trust me, when you're seventeen, you'll begin to see girls in a whole new light."

Gunther just makes a face. "Ew."

"Never met a weak Blacktail, though," Mr. Kettenrad points out, then shrugs. "Anyway, thank you."

"I hope you're all behaving," Mrs. Kettenrad says and walks back into the room. She's carrying some sort of pastry/cake with her. "I didn't have time to bake much for dessert, but I hope this will do. It's made from nut flour and sugar, mainly."

"You're welcome sir," Amy replies, a bit confused at what she's being thanked for: potential rubber, or getting Zahn out of the house for a night.

Olivia, glad for the opportunity to focus on something other than Zahn's little brother, smiles to Mrs. Kettenrad. "It looks good to me, ma'am," she says brightly.

Gunther, meanwhile, is looking between Zahnrad and Amelia. "Ew, ew, ew, ew," he keeps saying.

"You don't like cake, Gunther?" Amy asks. "I figured you lived on sugar… "

Zahnrad finally returns to his seat, looking defeated. Mrs. Kettenrad busies herself with cutting up the 'cake' and handing out slices.

Still unsure of what's eating Zahn, Amy pats him on the shoulder and whispers, "Don't worry, I'll bring plenty of weapons."

"It's not monsters I'm afraid of," Zahnrad mutters.

Zahnrad snaps out of it long enough to look at Gunther. His eyebrows go up and he deadpans to Olivia, "You broke my brother."

Amelia isn't sure how to interpret that, so focuses on the cake. "It looks delicious, ma'am."

Olivia shrugs. "He just needed a few things explained to him, is all," she replies cryptically.

"Fix him. He's annoying like that," Zahnrad counters.

Olivia grins and digs into her slice of cake. "Too late now, I'm afraid you'll just have to live with it."

Zahnrad glances briefly back to Amelia. "I, er, it's not, guh," he stammers quietly. "Sorry, the dinner is making me nervous."

"Little brothers are supposed to be annoying though, aren't they?" Amelia asks Zahn. "Didn't you annoy your own older brother?"

Gunther gives up on his 'ew' fest once he's got a piece of cake. He gobbles it … at the same moment Mr. Kettenrad asks, "Elsa, dear, are you sure Gunther needs more sugar tonight?"

"Er, not exactly, I don't think, anyway. He was only Gunther's age when he was ki… " Zahnrad explains to Amelia, then stops when he realizes his mother is looking right at him.

"Please don't talk about that here, dear," she says quietly, expression sad. "Excuse me," she then adds and slips out of the room quietly.

Olivia pauses, her fork halfway to her mouth with her next bite of cake, and looks after Mrs. Kettenrad quizzically. Then she raises an eyebrow at Zahn.

Gunther and Mr. Kettenrad sit quietly, looking uncomfortable.

"I'm sure that deep down, Gunther is really glad to have you as an older brother, Zahn," Amelia says into the silence. "He just acts like a pest because he likes you. Isn't that right, Gunther?"

"Him? He's a dork," Gunther says finally.

"See, he loves you," Amy says to Zahn, smiling.

Olivia snorts and resumes eating, now that it looks like the tense moment is over.

"Mom doesn't like to talk about my older brother, Olivia," Zahnrad tells Olivia quietly. "He was killed a long time ago when a massive storm hit the dam. He was too young to be out there alone, but he wanted to prove he could help. A huge wash it and broke one of the axles free. It caught him and held him under water. It hurt mom pretty hard and that's when she decided she wouldn't have any more children after Gunther. She's worried she'll have to bury another; know she's afraid she'll have to bury me some day."

"Do not!" Gunther retorts to Amelia. "He's a dork. And he's even more of a dork since he likes you."

"Well, that isn't going to happen," Amy says to Zahn, and then glares at Gunther.

Olivia puts her fork down and doesn't look inclined to eat any more at present. "I… see. That's a pretty awful way to lose a family member. I'm sorry to hear it."

"You are the one the Frog King rejected after all," Gunther insists.

"It was like thirteen years ago, Olivia," Zahnrad says and pats Olivia's shoulder. "Mom still doesn't like to discuss it and she won't let anyone near his old cabin either. She'll be all right, though. Just give her a few minutes."

"Would you like me to demonstrate why the Frog King rejected me," Amelia growls at Gunther.

Zahnrad then proceeds to carefully eat his own cake and glances at his father.

His father just shrugs.

"You already are," Gunther says and grins at her.

Olivia nods to Zahn and says, "Okay. Thanks for explaining it, though." Still, she doesn't start eating again right away; she looks more like she's mulling over all the information.

Taking a different approach, Amy says to Gunther, "You should be nicer to me. I can show you how to really make a good spear, and how to use it too."

Gunther ooooos! "Zahn, you have to keep her," he tells Zahnrad.

Zahnrad … rubs his temples.

"As long as he doesn't come after me with it," Olivia mutters into her cake.

"You could send him after Igor," Zahnrad suggests to Olivia. "Before he starts to try and … serenade you."

Mr. Kettenrad's ears perk. "Ah, so Olivia has a suitor?" he asks.

"I think what Gunther really needs is a modified halberd," Amy notes, before eating a bit of cake.

Olivia arrrghs! and rests her forehead in her free hand. "I had almost forgotten about him until you brought him up. Thanks so much, Zahn." Then she gives Mr. Kettenrad a weary glance. "Do you know Igor? He's that creepy Skreek who lives in Dontgointhe Castle with Dr. Pike. He's not exactly my type of match."

"What's a halberd?" Zahnrad asks Amelia.

Mr. Kettenrad's eyes narrow. "You're going near that place?" he asks warily.

"It's sort of a pike crossed with a sword… " Amy begins to explain, then pauses at Mr. K's question. "Not for rubber sir, no."

"That place is nothing but a magnet for vampires and people up to no good," Mr. Kettenrad says and takes a bite of his cake. "I can't stop you from going. But, be careful there. I don't understand why that strange Doctor wants to stay there. Which reminds me, I've seen her visit your shop recently, Zahn."

Zahnrad asks Amelia, "It's a sword crossed with a fish?"

Olivia says lightly, trying to ease some of Mr. Kettenrad's concerns, "Oh, I don't know. The castle isn't so bad. It even has a set-up for steam pipes to heat water with. At least that's what it looks like. I've been in there once to help Dr. Pike clean out all the rubbish."

"Dr. Pike came here?" Amelia asks, rather than explain further about halberds. She can always just show Zahn later…

"Ah yeah. I'm working on something for her," Zahnrad admits and fidgets.

"She was just dropping off some measurements I forgot to take while I was there. I'm not sure why she stopped by instead of just Igor, though. I had asked Igor to fetch them for me when he was in town," Zahnrad then adds as an afterthought.

"What are you building for her?" Mr. Kettenrad asks Zahnrad flatly and looks over his glasses at him.

"I'm building a variable-speed transmission device to repair one of her gizmos," Zahnrad replies and looks directly at his father. "She's paying me with some specialized stones that I can use for part of my drive system for my new airship."

"Ah. Be careful. I don't trust her, or her servant," Mr. Kettenrad says, arching his eyebrows a bit.

"She has lots of broken stuff, Mr. Kettenrad," Amelia explains. "And Igor isn't so bad, he just eats lots of fried food."

"Never trust a man who fries food," Mr. Kettenrad intones.

The kitchen door swings open again and Elsa returns to the room. She looks much more composed and smiles to the others, saying, "Sorry about that, dearies."

"Although for Amy, he'll make an exception," Olivia says with a mischievous twinkle in her eyes. "She knows how to convince him not to do it."

"I understand, Mrs. K," Amelia says, sounding apologetic herself.

Zahnrad, relieved to be out of the spotlight, finishes off his cake.

Gunther, meanwhile, has retrieved another piece of cake … and is building a miniature fort out of it.

Mrs. Kettenrad waves her hand dismissively. "Oh, think nothing of it, Amelia," he says. Then to Gunther, she says, "Quit playing with your food."

Gunther complains, "Aw, mom… "

"I used to build forts when I was Gunther's age," Amelia admits.

"Out of food?" Mrs. Kettenrad asks Amelia.

Zahnrad looks at Olivia and whispers, "Save me… "

Olivia grins at Zahn and whispers back, "Well, is there somewhere else we can go while your mom and Gunther battle it out?"

"Well, no," Amy says. "Wood and stone and mud mostly, then we had to show it was defendable from aerial attack as well as by ground… "

Zahnrad considers, then whispers back to Olivia, "I could show you the ropes we have out back for climbing practice."

Elsa blinks at that information. "You must've had a very strange childhood," she comments.

Olivia looks interested but replies, "Well, we could do that but I'd just have to watch you and Amy climb around. There's not much I can do in this dress. The skirt isn't wide enough for climbing. Plus, I don't want anyone looking up my skirt from below!"

Amelia scratches at her cheek. "Well… I never got the hang of playing with dolls… "

Zahnrad nudges Amy and tells her, "They made us learn complex math and we had to learn to build all sorts of furniture. One time they made me build an automated laundry squeezer. Personally, I'd rather have built a fort." He grins.

Glancing at Olivia, Amy asks her, "What sort of things did you do as a child?"

Olivia shifts uncomfortably in her seat but replies, "Well, I did put together some canvases like the ones you saw in my room at the Weavers'. I also taught myself how to sketch a little. My parents weren't, uh, too keen on how I spent my free time, though. They didn't think I was being practical. Even now, with my wearable art… " She traces one finger over the tabletop. "My aunt might approve of it, but they don't."

Zahnrad puts his arms around both Amelia and Olivia. "I'm going to go show them the ropes we have out back, if that's all right. I don't want us to impose any further on your time," he says and smiles to his parents. "I'll help straighten up later. Gunther can help you now."

"Ropes?" Amy asks suspiciously.

"For climbing practice, Zahn told me," Olivia says to Amy. "Sounds like fun! At least, for those of us not wearing a skirt."

"I'm wearing a skirt," Amy notes. "Do they get caught in the ropes or something?"

Zahnrad nods and says, "Ropes. For climbing practice and exercise."

His parents both nod and Mrs. Kettenrad says, "Oh, that would be fine, dearie. I know you kids would prefer to go have fun, anyway." She then smiles and looks at Zahnrad, saying, "I expect you to open the door for Amelia, at least. And walk her home tonight, and… "

Zahnrad glances at his father, who says, "Sorry, Zahnrad. You might as well learn now … they're in charge."

Zahnrad … rubs his temples.

Olivia gestures down at the more narrow skirt of her dress. "Well, I can't exactly move around too easily on ropes in this! I can watch you and Zahn up there, though!"

"Okay!" Amy says, agreeably. "I've got my cut-offs on underneath anyway, so I can ditch the skirt if it'll get ruined."

"Sounds like a plan to me," Olivia says and gestures to the other two. "Shall we?"

Zahnrad looks happy to be getting out of the dining room. He gets up and heads quickly to the door. He almost runs out, then stops and holds the door for the two. "Er, after you," he says.

Amelia follows along, and asks, "There aren't any traps are there?"

"No, as long as Deirdre isn't there," Zahnrad says and shrugs. He heads out the door after the girls leave.

Zahnrad leads the two girls through some of the walkways in the treetops. He points out some of the piping his father installed, as well as some of the gearing designs he made that are used to power various bits of the compound. They turn the corner, and enter the net area. It's nighttime, but the area is lit up by dozens of lanterns hanging throughout the trees. They flicker like starts as the limbs sway in the breeze. The whole area looks surreal, like a web amongst fading stars. "Well, here we are," he says.

Olivia's eyes light up as she examines the climbing area – and especially the net. "So this is how that gigantic net is being used! We always wondered about it. I didn't work on the project myself but plenty of other apprentices did. This thing was the talk of the shop for about three weeks, do you know that?"

"I heard rumors. The one I thought was funny was that we were having it made to trap Kevin," Zahnrad comments to Olivia. "That one was particularly silly. Everyone knows Kevin doesn't exist."

Olivia shakes her head. "Must've been one of the younger apprentices who came up with that one. Some are as young as twelve when they come to us and don't know much about the outside world. They'll believe almost anything you tell them."

"You didn't abuse that, did you?" Zahnrad asks Olivia.

"Only when they're being annoying," Olivia says and winks. "I was able to stop a food fight in the dining hall one evening with a good, scary tale."

"Ah, so you did a show and tell on some of your clothing?" Zahnrad replies with a big grin. He also scoots a short distance away from her.

Olivia heys! and swats after the swiftly retreating Kadie. "Trust me, they're only scared by that for a week or two. Then they get used to it."

"So, do you have games you play on these things?" Amelia asks, looking over the lines.

"Oh, several. Most involve a ball of some sort. Some involve clubs. Some are just catch and tag sorts," Zahnrad replies to Amelia. He sticks his tongue out at Olivia, then winks.

"Who usually wins?" Amy asks.

Olivia does her best 'I'm-ignoring-you' routine in Zahn's direction and instead examines the lines tied above.

"I do," comes a feminine voice above the group. A figure slinks slowly into the light, crossing over the lines with spider like movement. The girls recognize her quickly, it's Deirdre. She's wearing her rope-based outfit again, except these are painted all black. She leaps off the lines and does a graceful flip in the air, then lands a few feet from the group. "None of the others come even close," she says, looking back over her shoulder at the others.

Zahnrad scoots to the side a bit, trying to hide behind Amelia.

Olivia murmurs, "Well, this just got interesting." She eyes the other Kadie girl and notes Zahn's reaction to her.

"Wow!" Amy says. "That was really graceful!" She smiles at Deirdre.

Deirdre reaches upward and brushes her hair backward. She rocks forward onto her toe tips, then spins to face the group. "The Wingnuts try to stress grace of movement, for when dealing with large equipment," she says as she walks closer to them, body swaying like a dancer. "Even that," she says and gestures to the hiding Zahnrad, "Is more graceful than he looks."

Noticing Zahn behind her tail, Amy half-turns towards him. "I suppose he'd have to be! I probably seem pretty clumsy myself."

"Maybe this is where he learned how to hang upside down from one of the rafters in his shop," Olivia comments softly. "Practicing up here on the lines?"

"You're a farmer, I believe. The infamous Amelia Blacktail," Deirdre replies calmly. "You lack the grace even a rhugrhat has. Zahnrad shouldn't waste his time with you." He pauses to run her claw tips through her hair.

Amy bristles at that. "Hey, I'm plenty flexible! Just because I have Rootrunners in my ancestry… " she starts to say, then forces herself to calm down. "Ah, is this another test?"

"Test? Ah, dear girl. I know a lot about you from Clover and Parsley," Deirdre says, practically cooing. "After I met you in the shop, I thought I would ask around… " She walks in a slow circle around the group, tail flicking. She waves dismissively at Olivia, "And you, you're just the freak Skeek, or so I've been told."

Olivia stands very still and looks at Deirdre coldly. "Perhaps, but I have much better manners than you will ever have." Then she mutters in a low voice to Amy, "Careful. Don't let her anger you into doing something rash… "

"Clover is a… is biased," Amy grumbles, watching how Deirdre moves.

Deirdre continues to circle, making no sound as she walks. "I save my manners for those who deserve them," Deirdre says, canting her head to glance at Olivia. "Both of you are far ben… "

Zahnrad steps out and says, "Deirdre, that's enough."

She just at smiles at Zahnrad, commenting, "Oh, you found your backbone."

"I can take her," Amelia whispers to Olivia. "She's no uglier than the Frog Prince was, and he went down fast enough… "

Olivia carefully schools her temper and instead of seeming angered by this display, she merely looks bored. "Besides, you shouldn't believe everything you hear. You really ought to get to know a person first before you subject them to your kind of 'manners.'" Then she pointedly turns away from Deirdre and faces only Amelia. "That may be, but I don't trust her. Who knows what she's trying to goad you into?" she whispers back to Amy.

"A duel maybe?" Amy suggests quietly, if hopefully.

"Aww, how cute. The Skeek has been taking lessons on how to be a poodle," Deirdre comments and waves her hand. "Zahn, you and I have unfinished business. You … told that … otter how to spy on me."

"You needed it. I can't believe I'm saying this, but Emmett would help you lighten up," Zahnrad retorts.

Olivia yawns at Deirdre's rudeness. To Amy she replies, "Could be. And up on the lines, if I'm not missing the mark here. Think you could do that?"

"I don't have grabby toes like the Wingnuts," Amy whispers to Olivia. "But if she comes in reach I can throw her. I practice on my brothers, and they're huge."

The ghost of a smirk twitches Olivia's lips. "If you can throw one of your brothers, then you should have no problems with her."

"Lighten up? Bah, I need no such thing," Deirdre replies and comes to a stop. "Really, I don't see what Clover sees in him. He's stupid. Of course, I wonder the same thing about you and Amelia, Zahn. I've been hearing rumors about that, too. Is she your charity case?"

Zahnrad's eyes narrow. "Now look here. You can insult me all you like, but you leave her out of it," he growls.

"Like you've just got men dripping off of you, Deirdre?" Amelia mutters.

"I have standards," Deirdre calmly replies. "You, I hear, kidnap people."

"Deirdre," Zahnrad growls.

"You can Clover must be such close friends," Amy growls. "You have so much in common."

"I wouldn't call her a friend. A rival, perhaps. That's why I keep close to her," Deirdre says and winks. "As soon as she slips, I'm taking her down. Tell her that, if you like. She won't believe you."

"Fine, I've got no problem with you replacing Clover," Amy says, then narrows her eyes and adds, "So long as you stay out of my way."

"You know," Olivia comments idly, examining the backs of her nails in the lantern-light, "this sweet-talk of yours is all very well, Deirdre, but I wonder if there's actually a purpose to it? I mean, is there a real reason for, ah, 'gracing' us with your presence? Unless you're here simply to bore us all night?"

Deirdre laughs. "Oh … you're far too much fun to just ignore, Blunttail," she coos.

Zahnrad takes a step toward her and says, "Deirdre. They're my guests here, enough."

She's about to reply to Zahnrad, then looks over to Olivia and says calmly, "You invaded my sanctuary, Skeek. Neither of you have proved you deserve to be out here." Her lips curl into a smile and she says, "Of course … if you're willing to try and get … that." She points to a flag far up and across the lines, "I may reconsider my opinion of you two."

"Didn't see you out working during the storm… " Amy mutters again, and eyes the flag. "What? How is getting a flag proving we're 'worthy'? Because it's what you want us to do?"

"Because a real Kadie could do it," Deirdre replies and waves her hands dismissively. "Or are you just a mutant rhugrhat?"

"I don't see Olivia would need to prove herself a Kadie," Amy snaps, and eyes the flag again, judging distance. "What's the catch?"

"I'm not asking Olivia, I'm asking you," Deirdre says, looking a bit bored. "No catch. Your boyfriend can even demonstrate and give you advice, if you like. Any Wingnut can do it by the time they're five."

"Why?" Amy asks. "I don't see how grabbing a flag has a lot of useful applications as a life skill."

Olivia whispers to Amy in between Deirdre's comments, "I don't think she's asking me because I'm not enough of a challenge. I might have the strength to climb those ropes but not the agility to swing between them."

"It's not the objective, it's the effort," Deirdre says as if she's talking to a small child. "It proves you can control your body effectively, think, and move. Or are you really as useless as Clover says you are, hmm?"

"Oh, is that all?" Amy asks. "Okay, I'll do that, if you'll take on a challenge that any Blacktail can do at age five."

Deirdre smirks. "What, make a mud pie?" she comments, amused.

"No, just move that flag," Amy says, pointing to the same flag, "more than a body length without leaving this spot."

"Hah, hit it with a rock? Your training for dealing with a Creen, I suppose," Deirdre replies. She looks at Amelia appraisingly and then nods, "Done. Although you are in my sanctuary, I suppose it is only fair."

Zahnrad blinks at that, looking … surprised. "She's never agreed to something like that before," Zahnrad whispers to Amy. "Be wary."

Amy just grins. "So, your challenge first or mine?"

"My sanctuary, my challenge," Deirdre says calmly. "Do you just want to go, or would you like your Zahnrad to demonstrate once so you see how it's done?" She uncurls her fingertips and gestures towards Zahnrad.

"That's alright," Amelia says, still grinning. "I have my own way of doing things."

Deirdre flicks her tail about slowly. She watches Amelia with a calculating eye, then says, "As you like, then." She looks upward into the roping and gestures toward the flag high up. "Whenever you're ready, then."

Olivia gives Amelia a sly thumbs-up, so Deirdre can't see the gesture. "You can do it," she whispers.

Flexing her tail for balance, Amelia hops out onto the ropes. She can't grasp well with her toes, so depends on her hands and tail as she makes her way towards one of the more vertical ropes.

"Be careful Amelia," Zahnrad calls out after her. "And don't worry about falling. The net will catch you so there's nothing to get nervous about." He also glances over at Deirdre and comments coldly, "And don't you think about interfering with her."

She just smiles sweetly in return to Zahnrad.

Grabbing one of the vertical ropes, Amy starts pulling herself up hand over hand. Because she doesn't want the rope rubbing against her new blouse and skirt though, she doesn't use her legs at all.

Olivia, seeing Amy's gestures, shouts up to her, "If something happens to your clothes, it's okay! You know I can fix them!"

Deirdre watches with interest. "Are you sure you're not just a guy in a dress?" she calls out after Amelia. Zahnrad glares at her.

"I'd rather not ruin them in the first place," Amy replies, ignoring Deirdre's comment. Swinging her tail as a counterweight, she rocks back and forth to swing herself over to the next rope, and keeps climbing from there.

The ropes are a maze as Amelia gets higher up … and get more and more spaced apart. Thankfully, they're all pulled very tight and do not stretch or move much under her weight.

"If she gets hurt," Zahnrad whispers to Deirdre, "You are going to get it."

"Why aren't there swinging pendu… pend… weights and stuff?" Amy asks, as she negotiates her next rope transfer. "Spinning gears, flaming arrows… all the stuff you'd have to avoid in a workshop?"

Deirdre smiles evilly. "Oh, you want the obstacles to be active, then?" she asks Amelia. "All right," she replies and walks over towards a small building.

Zahnrad groans and looks at Olivia, asking, "Er, how long should I let this continue. I know I shouldn't interfere or Amy will pound me, but… "

"Yeah," Amelia says, pausing. "This isn't much of a challenge, it's just climbing. I learned while being shot at," she complains.

Olivia watches Deirdre walk into the building and calls up, "Careful, Amy! You may just get your wish on the flaming arrows… "

Olivia glances back to Zahn. "We may be surprised by what Amelia can do," she replies. "She told me that she used to practice throwing her brothers around and you know what they're like!"

Thud! Deirdre apparently pulled something. The area grows quiet … then the entire set of netting shudders and all the roping starts to go slack under Amelia's hands!

The section of rope Amelia is holding releases above her, sending the Kadie swigging hard and fast in a wide arc! Amazingly, Amelia seems to keep her grip on the rope as it reaches the apex in its arc. Another lines zip by her … as she heads for one really big tree.

Zahnrad covers his eyes.

Amy makes a grab for the passing rope, letting go of the arcing one.

Amelia just barely manages to grab onto the other rope. It jerks down one foot, then halts. Unfortunately for Amelia, she seems to chosen to grab the trigger for something. Four huge hollowed out logs swing into view, aimed right at her. With a rumbling whoosh they simultaneously fire large padded balls at her!

Holding onto the trigger rope with both hands, Amy tries to swing her body upwards, hoping to catch the rope higher up with her ankles.

Olivia's eyes widen as she watches the padded balls shoot towards Amy. "Well, at least they aren't giant slugs!" she mutters to Zahn. "If they were, I'd have to wonder if your brother had a hand in designing this course!"

The balls all skim by Amelia's head as she swings just out of the way in time. Of course, now she's hanging upside down on thee rope, hooked by her ankles.

Zahnrad peeks between his fingers. Slowly, his hands go down and he looks at Olivia. "Er, he did want a slug pit," Zahnrad admits. "People thought that was too gross.

Spying out the next rope, Amy swings her tail again to get her rocking, although this time she holds onto the rope with just her ankles while using her hands to grab for the next one.

Olivia ughs! "Thank goodness cooler heads prevailed on that idea!"

Catching the rope, the Kadie lets go with her feet and swings onto it, then resumes her hand over hand climb.

The rope she's hanging on also jerks downward after a minute. Deirdre is leaning against the building, looking very amused. A rushing sound fills the air. Sounds like … water.

Amy doesn't wait to find out the source of that sound, and immediately flings herself towards another rope!

A torrent of water rushes downward, drenching the rope Amy was just on … missing most of her by mere inches. Unfortunately, it does catch, and drench, her tail.

"My tail!" Amelia growls, clinging to the next rope and trying to shake the excess water from her pride and joy.

"Don't let that throw you!" Olivia calls up. "You look like you're doing great!"

This rope doesn't move, thankfully. For the moment, she seem safe. Zahnrad is fidgeting noticeably.

Deirdre is … well … just amused. "A little water never hurt anyone," she coos and grins.

Grumbling, Amelia continues her climb after adjusting her balance to compensate for the extra weight.

The flag is still probably thirty feet above her, and several ropes and crossovers away. It looks safe enough.

Amy eyes the distance, but doesn't want to do anything that Deirdre might consider cheating. So she swings across to the next rope, expecting the worst.

The next rope seems as stable as the last one she was on. No creaking or other odd sounds. "Feeling … nervous?" Deirdre calls out. Zahnrad glares at her again and says, "Will you be quiet, already?"

Snorting, Amelia climbs up to where she can get to the next rope. As a precaution, she keeps her tail and ankles gripping her current line until she can test the next one with a few tugs.

As Amelia is stretched between the two ropes, tugging them … they start moving apart, quickly! The Kadie needs to decide fast which one to remain hanging onto or likely lose both!

Amy lets go with her feet and tail, and swings her body towards the second line. She's also judging the distance to the next one, not intending to hang around for long.

Which is a good thing! Because … four rather large padded logs are now swinging right at her!

Not lingering, Amelia makes her jump for the next rope!

The rope touches the tips of Amelia's fingers. She can feel it, she almost has it! Unfortunately, her added tail weight slowed her down just enough that one of the logs catches her feet. It's padded, so it doesn't hurt, but it causes her to flip mid-air and spin end-over-end briefly. Nearby ropes circle and spin from her point of view.

Zahnrad heads towards the ropes, shouting, "Amelia!"

Amy throws out her arms and legs (and tail) in an attempt to grab onto anything!

"Don't interfere, Zahn," Deirdre says calmly.

Olivia gasps loudly and covers her mouth with her hands as Amelia spins through the air!

Amelia's hand grabs onto a line that feels sturdy enough. She finds herself hanging by one hand and after a moment, spinning slowly from the end of a rope. The flag is above her now, about fifteen feet up.

Taking a moment to catch her breath, Amelia no longer worries about getting a muscle cramp from so much exercise after dinner. Then she reaches up with her other hand to grasp the rope, and begins hauling herself up again towards the flag.

Olivia whews silently and mutters to herself, "I'm glad Kadies are used to this sort of thing because I'm sure not!"

Zahnrad stands at the edge of the platform, looking like he really wants to just jump out into the ropes. The flag comes closer and closer to Amelia as she heads upward.

Amy stops looking at the flag as she gets closer, and starts looking around the flag for more traps.

Something just doesn't look right about the flag. It's … shiny. At that moment, she catches the scent of … grease. Also, out of the corners of her eyes, she sees something that looks like fine threads all connecting to the flag, and all around it. One is, in fact, a few inches from her nose.

"Trip wires," Amy mutters, and searches for a path through them, and also what they may be connected to.

Amelia can't see where all the lines run … but a few of them look like they run to the rope anchors. Pull one … and a section of the netting probably collapses. There are spaces large enough for a Kadie to squeeze through, but it'll be tricky.

Taking her time, Amy starts to maneuver herself through the maze of threads, trying not to brush against any of them.

The Kadie slips through them slowly. She has a moment of horror when she feels one of the trip lines slide down her back, but she seems to have not triggered it. After several minutes, she's just below the flag.

Deirdre pushes herself off the wall she was leaning on and saunters over to the edge of the platform. She puts her hand on her hip and looks upward. She watches, expression not revealing what she may be thinking.

Inching up further, Amy sniffs to confirm her suspicion: the flag is greased. Grabbing it with her hands would make it difficult to climb down again. Instead, she tries climbing close enough to grab it in her teeth.

She gets a good grip on it, all right. It tastes absolutely awful, though. And … it appears someone with an evil sense of humor laced the grease with pepper. The ties holding it to the rope also seem pretty well tied; they're not going to release by tugging.

Deirdre laughs and glances at Zahnrad. "And you kiss that?" she asks him.

Zahnrad blinks, then looks over at Deirdre and comments, "Er, no, actually. I haven't kissed her."

Grimacing at the taste, Amy starts to reach for her hair ribbon… but stops. Again, she doesn't want to give Deirdre a reason to disqualify her. Instead she reaches up towards the rope that the flag is tied to.

As Amelia's hand closes around the rope … she feels fine threads beneath her palm. It appears several trip lines rung along the rope holding the flag…

Pulling her hand back, Amy examines the ties as best she can, looking for anything more suspicious than a knot.

Nope, just a knot.

With her free hand, Amelia starts to untie the first flag-tie.

She gets a tiny bit of grease on her fingertips, but it comes undone easily enough. One left.

Still holding the edge of the flag in her teeth, Amy starts working on the second knot, using the same hand to avoid getting both greasy.

The last knot also comes undone and the flag flaps free … and spluts over her muzzle, sticking to it.

Amelia snorts to clear the pepper scent from her nostrils, and starts to look for a path back down… but then, she could just dive for the net, too. Going down is always easier than going up.

The only climbing way down is the way she came up. And yes, the net is an option, too. The way down to her right is clear all the way to the net.

It's a bit of a drop, but Amy fights down her instincts and jumps to the right, trying to keep her muscles relaxed for the impact…

Olivia watches Amy fall back down towards them and suddenly prays that the net her fellow Weavers made stands up to its purpose…

The world spins and zips by her as she drops down towards the net! She hits it and it stretches out and down under her weight; painlessly. When it reaches maximum stretch … it pulls back up and tosses the Kadie gently back into the air about five foot. Down she goes again, then up, then down… It takes several bounces before the net stills.

Olivia hurrahs! and applauds for Amelia! "Well done!" she crows.

Amy spits out the flag and laughs! "The falling part is pretty fun!" she says, and works to get to her feet.

Zahnrad lets out a breath and relaxes. He apparently has been holding it since she made it to the flag. Getting to her feet on the net isn't that easy, though and Amelia finds her feet slipping through holes it more often than not. After a minute, though, Amy's made it to the edge of the net. A hand is extended down to help her up.

Amy takes the hand, eager to check that her clothes didn't get greasy or torn.

Amelia is pulled up and off the net … to find herself face to face with Deirdre; it was her hand. "You have grease on your face," she comments, then waves toward the building in the back. "We keep a cleaner in there for it."

"Thanks," Amy says, and heads for the building to wash up. She also wonders if Deirdre made it through on her first try for the flag, but decides not to ask.

"Satisfied?" Zahnrad asks Deirdre, looking annoyed.

"She's not nearly as stupid as people claim," comes Deirdre's reply.

Olivia looks over Deirdre's head to Zahn and quirks an eyebrow at this suddenly more docile behavior. Compared to her previous outbursts, that is.

Inside the building, Amelia finds some clean towels and a bottle of fluid that suspiciously smells like one of the more caustic otter brews.

Ignoring the smell, Amy pours some of the liquid onto her hands and scrubs at the grease on her face, keeping her eyes tightly closed.

"Look, I don't know what you're up to, Deirdre … " Zahnrad growls, glaring at her.

Deirdre just waves her hand dismissively and comments, "Watching out for my clan. The people you associate with reflects on us. I cannot have you hanging out with someone as stupid as people claimed she is."

Zahn's eyes narrow and he replies, "Who I associate with is none of your business."

The liquid burns and does smell worse than the grease did. But, it does seem to do a good job of removing it. After a few minutes, Amelia's face seems to be grease free.

Briefly, Amy considers brushing her teeth with the stuff, but decides to just use some water to wash out the pepper-grease film. No telling what the stuff would do to her mouth. She towels off, and returns outside to the others.

"You all right?" Zahnrad asks Amelia.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Amy says, smiling. "Unless that stuff is bleaching my fur or something?"

"No, no," Zahnrad says quickly. "Your tail looks awful, though, er." He winces.

Deirdre just rolls her eyes and comments, "You're just pathetic, Zahn."

Amelia sighs and looks at her tail. And after brushing it out all afternoon, too! "Not much I can do about it here," she says. "I'll brush it back out when it's dry."

Olivia busies about looking over Amelia's clothes. "You don't seem too much the worse for wear," she comments, running an eye over the fabric. "Perhaps a little rubbing of ropes in patches here and there, but nothing major."

"Thank goodness!" Amy says, relieved. She checks to make sure the fabric flower is still in place on her head, as well. "Hmm, with the flag down, I don't think we can do my challenge now. Anyway, it wouldn't have been fair."

Zahnrad sighs and heads into the building. He comes back out carrying some towels and a brush. "No, it was messed up here, we should help you correct it," he comments, then wraps a towel around her tail.

Deirdre just laughs, then comments, "Trained him well already, I see."

"He's just conscientious," Amy says, secretly proud of pronouncing the long word correctly. "Anyway, was really tempted to cheat when I got to the flag," she admits, while her tail is towel-fluffed.

Deirdre eyes Amelia, considering. "I agreed to the challenge and I keep to my agreements. When the flag is reset, we're resume it," she says flatly. Her eyebrow goes up and she asks, "Cheat, how, exactly?"

"By cutting it down instead of untying it," Amelia says, and reaches into her hair ribbon to produce four flat, slender metal throwing knives. "With one of these," she explains.

Zahnrad just busies himself with drying out Amelia's tail, brushing it lightly between fluffs with the towel to keep it from matting and tangling.

Deirdre quirks a small smile. "Amelia … that's called thinking, not cheating," she says and shakes her head slowly. "I never said a rule was you had to untie it, only climb up and get it. You should always use all the skills and items you have at hand. Honestly, you think too much like a farmer."

"I'm also trained as a soldier you know," Amy replies. "It's what my family does. We got a bunch of these knives from some Duke or prince or something umpty generations ago for winning some battle. I've had them since I was a kid."

Olivia starts a bit when Amelia produces the knives but comes forward to examine them. "Do you always carry these in your hair?" she asks curiously.

"We also haven't needed soldiers here in many generations," Deirdre points out. "No one wants to conquer a swamp."

"Of course not," Amy says. "Sometimes I have them up my sleeves or in my pants." To Deirdre, she just smiles and says, "There are always monsters."

"And you can deal with monsters without directly fighting them," Deirdre says and sniffs disdainfully.

"See, there are different kinds of thinking," Amy says. "Planning, strategic type thinking to solve a problem, and thinking that's faster than thinking. Sorta thinking without thinking. That's what your challenge will be, Deirdre."

Olivia ahs and takes a step back. "Just wondering," she comments, "because I have to carry sharp objects a lot of times, too. Needles and scissors and things. I have special pockets made for them. But it sounds like you have your own way of carrying sharps."

Deirdre snorts and shrugs. "Repetitive training to construct an automatic response to stimuli," she replies and goes over to pick up a bag off in the shadows. "Otherwise called reflex training," she comments when she returns.

"Dunno if that's what it is," Amy says, shrugging. "When I was six, I had to be able to use these to cut a plum's stem from the ground, then nail that plum to the tree trunk before it hit the dirt."

"And yes," the black Kadie says, grinning, "It does help cut down on the Creens as well."

"Yes, that's what it is called," Deirdre comments and rolls her eyes. She glances over at the quiet Zahnrad and says, "And do not think you are off the hook, Zahnrad. I still owe you for showing that … otter … how to spy on me. I am just not dragging out a clan disagreement in front of … guests."

"Can't he just wash your hair for you or something?" Amelia suggests, and glances to Olivia to see if that sounds reasonable to her.

Olivia hmms and says to herself, "Funny, we were intruders before… " Then she says in a louder voice to Amelia, "Yeah, or run an errand for you or some favor like that?"

"Not satisfying enough," Deirdre remarks and starts walking away. "I'd rather let him sweat and not know when the payback will come. That is more satisfying."

Zahnrad rubs his temples and mutters.

"Maybe get you some… rubber?" Amy offers. For some reason, she feels sure that Deirdre has a use or three for rubber.

"His screaming is the only payment I want," Deirdre comments, and glances over her shoulder that the group. She then hops into some of the roping in the trees, and with an eerie silence, slinks off into the darkness with spider like grace.

"I was gonna offer to show her a spot to spy on Emmett and Clover… but I guess she's made up her mind," Amelia says apologetically to Zahn.

Olivia turns to Zahnrad. "You have a seriously strange family… and considering the one I hail from, that's saying something!"

"And what's with that outfit of hers?" Amy asks, quietly. "She doesn't go into town wearing that, does she?"

"She's just … hardheaded," Zahnrad says with a shrug. "Plus, she generally won't accept someone else settling anything she feels is an inter-clan issue."

Amy hmphs. "She's not that smart if she doesn't think we've needed soldiers. What does she suppose keeps the clans from all out fighting?"

"That? No. She wears it only here. She dresses more like me when she's in town, sort of. Except with a dress with pockets instead of pants. That's only so people don't comment, though. She hates dresses," Zahn says.

"I don't blame her," Amy says.

Zahnrad shrugs, commenting, "She's smart in her way. But her views are narrow. She's like Dieter in that respect. It's no surprise he's her brother."

Olivia quirks a small smile at this information. "Figures!"

"He dresses better though," Amelia notes. "I think. At last, he seems to think he's dressed better… "

Zahnrad snorts and tries not to laugh. "That whole section of the clan is known for being extreme in their behaviors," he explains. "Dieter is a perfectionist. He can't stand anything out of place. Clothing is just one facet."

"He have the same opinions of 'farmers'?" Amelia asks. "I mean, ever Kadie clan but the Wingnuts are farmers!"

"It does make them remarkable designers, though," Zahnrad admits and sighs. "I wish I was as detail oriented. More of my designs might work the first time."

Olivia glances up into the trees again and says, "Well, we were just hoping to look at this place but we got a whole demonstration, instead!" She then smiles at Amy and says, "You really had to work for your supper on this one! You sure showed Deirdre, though!"

"No, I don't think he does. He just gets bored easily and thinks farmers are boring," Zahn says. He erks, then goes back to brushing out Amelia's tail, commenting, "Sorry."

"That's silly, Zahn," Amy says, looking over her shoulder. "If things worked perfectly the first time, how would you be able to find the flaws in them? Oh, thanks Olivia!"

"If things worked perfectly, there wouldn't be flaws," Zahnrad counters.

"Of course there would," Amelia explains. "Because then it couldn't be improved, and you'd get bored with it quicker. That's a flaw."

Olivia grins. "I think she's got you there, Zahn!"

Zahnrad twitches, but doesn't say anything.

"When do you want to go get the rubber, Zahn?" Amy suddenly asks.

"Oh, hmm. Whenever you want to go, I guess. My current projects can be put on hold for a day or so. I'm really surprised my parents didn't fight that," Zahnrad replies and stands up. He tucks the brush into his belt, then adds, "But then I guess that means they like you and trust you." He then blinks, and erks, "I don't have any camping gear."