After the Khatta seeress drops her bomb, Amy looks stunned for a moment. Then she grabs Olivia's shoulder and says, "Can you come and meet me at Zahn's workshop after you see Natasha off?"

Olivia comes out of her own daze long enough to say, "Uh, yeah, that'll be fine. Just let me point them back in the direction of the camp and talk to Djivan for a moment."

Amelia nods to the Skeek and excuses herself to the gypsies, then bounds off down the dam towards the workshop.

Djivan has moved off after Natasha, watching her a little worriedly. He's not saying anything, though.

Olivia catches up to the two but hangs back to speak to Djivan. "Will you two be able to get back to your camp from here? Or do you need me as a guide for a while?"

Djivan glances back. "Oh, ve can get bac'. Dat no problem. You gonna be okay?" he asks. Natasha doesn't stop. The Khatta quietly moves on down the path.

"I don't know," the Skeek says honestly, worried eyes staring into the gypsy's own. "I had a suspicion it might be… but I hoped I was wrong and… I'm not quite sure what to do yet." She trails off, distracted.

Djivan watches after Natasha for a bit, then looks back to Olivia. "Van me to stay aroun'? Natasha can fin' her vay back, an she don' need any guards," he notes.

Olivia looks a bit brighter at this. "You don't think she'd mind?" she asks hopefully. "I could do with some friendly support. Although Amelia asked me to meet her in Zahnrad's workshop, so I don't know what we'll do from there."

The Skreek turns and starts to call out. "Madame, min' if I stay vith… " The Khatta cuts him off with a wave of her hand. "Go ahead, Djivan. I vill be fin'" she replies.

"Thank you, Madame Natasha!" Olivia offers with a wavering smile.

Djivan pats Olivia's shoulder. "Vell, shouldn't ve find vour friend?" he asks. "I be righ' behind vou, watchin' for de butt pinchin' gnomes."

A portion of the Kettenrad workshop lays smoldering where the stray bolt of magic struck and shattered the interconnect of the drive shaft to the shop. Zahnrad is pacing around it slowly, taking notes. Periodically, he calls out some measurement and Gunther calls back a moment later. Zahn does not look pleased at all. He kicks the broken gears, repeatedly.

Olivia enters the shop with one of Djivan's hands again firmly in her own, to at least ward off a few of those gnomes. She gives a low whistle as she surveys the damage. "Seems like Natasha's a bit more powerful than I thought… " she mutters.

Djivan shrugs. "Don' know how powerful she is, really. She sorta secretiv 'bout her powers," he notes as he glances down at his poor, trapped, hand. "I jus' seen a few t'ings she can do."

Amelia waits by the entrance, and smiles when Olivia arrives. "Oh, hello again, Djivan," she says, before whispering to Olivia, "I want to get Zahn's mind off the repairs if possible. Think we can get him to bring that stuff he fixed over to the castle instead of working here?"
Zahnrad grumbles a bit, then starts wailing away on the broken section with a hand axe. Bits of wood fly about as he slowly cuts away the damaged sections.

Olivia replies in a low voice to Amy, "Well, he already brought me the repaired sound horn for that cylinder-playing contraption we found. He asked me to paint it in something Dr. Pike might like, so I did. It's still over at the Weavers', though. I could go and get it, then perhaps we could all go over there?"

"Ey, no to be nosy, but… Vho dis Dr. Pike person?" Djivan inquires, looking from Amelia to Olivia.

Amelia nods. "Olivia will explain. I'll go bring it up," she says, and then cautiously approaches Zahnrad. "Um, Zahn? How long do you figure it will take to repair all of this?"

"Of course… " Zahnrad grouses and walks away from the gearing. "That would be broken too … eh?" he says, attention suddenly swapping to Amelia. "This? Gah, twelve hours or more, if I'm lucky. I have to recut at least three gears and then splice the shaft back together."

Olivia ohs! and explains, "Dr. Pike is an Eee who lives over in Dontgointhe Castle. She's something of a scientist, conducting experiments and the like. Some of it involves monster tomatoes, I think. But for all that, she's pretty nice. Strange, but nice."

"Oh? Dere be other Eee 'round here? Heh, bet Liliana vould like dat. Does she like de sappy romance novels? Lili likes to trade fer new ones when she can," Djivan notes.

"And recutting the gears will be hard without the shaft turning, right?" Amelia guesses.

Olivia grins and says, "Well, she owns a lot of frilly underthings, so perhaps that means she likes romances novels, too. We could ask!"

"Terribly. But, that is where Gunther comes in. The little goon will have to turn it for me by running around it in a circle," Zahnrad notes and dusts his hands off.

"Ooo, frilly under'tings. Mebbe ve can get vou some," Djivan says, leaning into Olivia and waggling his eyebrows.

"Hmm, maybe you should take care of some other things first then, before devoting lots of time to the repairs," Amy suggests. "We could go bring the sound horn and the… thingy… you made to Dr. Pike."

"Eh? I don't know. I need to get this done before it rains again. Otherwise the wood swells and it's a pain to cut right," Zahnrad remarks as he looks back at the damage.

Olivia gives the Skreek a mischievous, sideways glance. "Maybe I already own some and I'm just not telling you," she whispers.

"Hmm, I haven' felt any on vou," Djivan notes and rubs his chin. "Not dat dat's a problem, either… "

"If you continue to be good, maybe I'll show you sometime," Olivia says. "Or, hmm, as good as a butt-pinching gypsy can be, I guess!"

"Hey, dat's no me. It de gnomes I tell vou," Djivan says.

"It's not going to rain tonight though, is it?" Amy asks. "And I was hoping Dr. Pike could help me replace my old nightshirt with some of that 'linger-eye' stuff she has… "

"Uh-huh. I didn't fall off the turnip-wagon yesterday, mister," Olivia shoots back, raising her eyebrows.

"Not that I know of, but you never really know with weather," Zahnrad notes and spins around to face Amy. "Er, aren't you a little big to be weari… Er, heh. Uhm."

"No, vou got farted on by de wagon pulling t'ing," Djivan notes and just grins. "People talk."

Olivia arghs and smacks her forehead! "Hey, I washed all the smell out, yeesh," she grumbles.

"T'ankfully, ves," Djivan nods sagely.

"Besides, you need Gunther's help, and he's had a bit of a shock today," Amy notes to Zahn. "He'd be more helpful tomorrow after he's recovered a bit."

Olivia gives the Skreek a playful shove, then turns her attention to Zahn and Amy. "So, are we taking a trip to Dr. Pike's? What's the good word?"

"Pfft. Why should I give him any rest? He caused this mess," Zahnrad remarks, almost growling. He shakes his head, then says, "But all right, I get the idea. You want to go today. Not sure why, but okay."

Amelia grins. "Thanks Zahn. I promise you'll be in a better mood to tackle this stuff afterwards."

Olivia adds, "If we're going, then we'll have to stop by the Weavers' first. I need to pick up the sound-horn I painted for Dr. Pike. I just hope she likes it!"

Zahn gives Amelia a questioning look. "Er, all right, I guess," he notes, then shrugs.

Djivan looks at Olivia and looks like he's going to pop. "Mus' not mention being ho… ahem!" he says and covers his muzzle.

Olivia looks over at Djivan and asks, "Would you like to see the castle? You could also help protect me from Igor, now that I think about it… " Then she glares at him for his awful joke and pokes him.

The Skreek ows. "Who Igor?" Djivan asks, rubbing his side. "An sure. Might fin' somet'ing interesting."

"Okay, I guess we can meet you at the castle then, Olivia?" Amy asks. "We have to carry the gear-thing of Zahn's, so will probably be slower."

The Skeek sighs. "Igor is Dr. Pike's assistant. He's pretty weird and kinda creepy. And he likes me." Turning to Amelia, she says, "Okay, Djivan and I will pick up the sound-horn and see you there."

"It's not that heavy, but yeah," Zahnrad notes then walks away and into his shop. Djivan rocks on his feet and says, "I suppos' I be goin' wit' Olivia. To protect her, o'course."

"Of course," Amelia says, and winks at the Skreek.

Olivia grimaces. "When you actually see Igor, you'll know why I need the protection. Shall we go?"

Djivan nods. "Sur' I be righ' behind you… " he says.

---

Sometime later, the two couples meet up again on the road to the old castle, bringing their various items. Entering from the front gate this time, they note that the curtain wall is in slightly better shape than it is to the rear, and manages to hide some of the more dilapidated portions of the keep from view. The courtyard shows signs of half-hearted tending, with many overgrown patches and missing flagstones. The front door looks fairly new, the wooden knocker carved into a cartoonish-looking Eeee with an oversize smiling head, hanging upside down.

"Ah, dirty, yet broken down. I love vhat de've done wit de place," Djivan quips, grinning. "And man, vhat a knocker!"

Zahnrad rolls his eyes. "Pike is silly. How can someone that smart be so silly?" he asks nobody in particular.

Amelia decides wisely not to comment.

Olivia gives the gypsy a lop-sided smile and says, "I told you, Dr. Pike is nice but still a bit weird. This doorknocker does look like something she'd commission. Or maybe she had Igor make it for her, who knows?"

"Liliana vould fall over laughin' if she saw de knocker," Djivan notes with a grin towards Olivia.

"I don't see what's so funny about it," Amy says, shrugging. "May Dr. Pike just likes big knockers."

"Well, shall we see if the design lives up to its purpose?" Olivia asks, reaching for the head of the wooden Eee.

"No one will take her seriously with a door like that," Zahnrad points out as he eyes the door.

"Won' find many Eeee wit big knockers. Dis should be interestin'," Djivan mutters.

Olivia hides another smile at the latest round of commentary, then lifts up the doorknocker and lets it fall.

The knocker drops against the oak door with a decent THUMP sound. It isn't particularly loud as knocks go… but Eeee have good hearing.

The hunched-over form of Igor answers the door, the bulk of his body hidden behind a large and stained leather apron this time. "Ah, young marthterth, you have returned!" he declares, with a minimum of sprayed spit. His mismatched eyes fall on Djivan (although not both at the same time), and he sticks his tongue out of the side of his muzzle in thought as he tries to place the Skreek. "And… a friend?" he finally asks.

"Das righ, I be Olivia's frien'," Djivan notes and puts his arm around her shoulders. "Figured I'd keep her company today."

"How thweet," Igor notes, and shuffles aside to let people in. "I'll let her introduthe you then."

"Hey, Igor. I finished the gearing for Pike's machine. And, Olivia should have the repaired soundhorn. Sorry to have taken so long. It's been a busy day," Zahnrad notes then moves to enter.

"Hullo again!" Olivia says brightly, then follows Igor's gaze to the other Skreek. "Yes, this is Djivan. I hope you don't mind that I asked him to come along? I thought he could lend a hand with the cleanup, too, while having a look at the castle."

The main hall of the castle is a bit gloomy without a fire going in the huge hearth, and only half of the standing candelabras are lit. The crowding doesn't help either, as racks and shelves cover the walls, stacked full of books and bottles filled with strange floating things. Stuffed animals (and not a few monsters) stand, crouch and hang mid-pounce in various areas, apparently placed at random, while live animals chitter, squeal and hiss in stacks of sturdy cages. What furniture there is is mismatched, overstuffed and draped in acres of pink taffeta.

"Well, I'm alwayth happy to meet thomeone willing to lend a hand," Igor notes, although he places some odd emphasis on 'lend'.

"Where is Dr. Pike?" Amy asks.

Djivan promptly starts to snoop around the room. He picks up this and that, then peers under the drapes and such. When he reaches the bookcase, he stops and laughs. "Hey! Lili has some of dese books," he notes, then pulls one off the shelf and starts looking through it.

Igor eyes the gypsy suspiciously, then says, "The Doctor ith in her laboratory right now, looking over thome thampleth thee took thith morning. I'll go let her know you've all arrived."

Djivan tilts his head, seemingly staring at some sort of illustration. He scratches his cheek, then turns the book upside down. He goes, "Ooooooooh, heheheheh." The book is closed and he returns it to the shelf. He then grins at Igor and says, "T'anks."

"Thanks very much! I'll unpack the sound horn I have here, see if it meets with Dr. Pike's approval." Olivia gestures with the cloth-wrapped bundle in her hands.

Zahnrad, meanwhile is just watching Djivan. He shrugs, then rolls his eyes. "Weirdo," he mutters.

Olivia hears this and quirks an eyebrow at Zahn. "That's funny, coming from you," she teases with a grin.

"What? I'm normal," Zahnrad asserts.

Igor shuffles out through one of the side halls, leaving the visitors on their own for the moment. Amelia whispers to Olivia, "How much have you told Djivan about the castle?"
Olivia sidles back to talk to Amy in low tones. "Actually, not much. I let him know a little about Dr. Pike and Igor, but not a lot about the castle itself."

Djivan, quickly getting bored, starts building a miniature fortress out of some of the books.

Amelia nods to Olivia, and watches Djivan, as does the one-eyed, black Creen from a nearby perch.

Shrugging, Djivan then returns the books back to their places. "I shoul' tell Lili about dis. she migh' wanna trade some books wit dis Pike person," he notes.

Olivia goes over to a small, taffeta-draped end table and starts unwrapping the cloth from around the sound horn. As she does, she glances over at Gaspode, then Djivan. "Careful of the bird, there. He likes to nip on body parts if he gets too close. Among other things!"

It doesn't take long for Igor to return, announcing, "Dr. Pike will thee you in the lab, if you'll jutht follow me and bring your devitheth."

Zahnrad rubs his temples. "I should have stayed home and worked on the damaged gearing," he mutters. Upon hearing the bird's name, Zahnrad simply glares at it. "Uh, yeah, right," he says absently to Igor.

Olivia quickly pulls away the rest of the cloth the reveal the horn painted in a pink color just a shade darker than the taffeta in the room, with a twine of painted flowers winding around the outside edge. She picks it up and follows along into the laboratory.

The lighting for the laboratory comes from a single narrow window and several lanterns hung from the ceiling, although some areas seem to be left intentionally dark, filled with odd, cloth-covered shapes. What is visible is strange enough, full of bubbling tanks full of indistinct shapes in odd liquids, shelves full of cryptically labeled jars, huge barrels wreaking of chemicals and plenty of odd machinery. Quite a few expensive glass and metal components are on display as well. The air is filled with a constant bubbling and hissing.

Dr. Pike is seated at one of the tables, still wearing her morning exercise clothes and peering into a Chronotopian microscope. The cylinder-playing box is also on the table, with the same cylinder still installed as when they first tried it.

Zahnrad nudges Amelia, and they move the gearbox along with them into the lab. "Good afternoon, Dr. Pike," he says. Djivan, meanwhile elbows Olivia and whispers, "Dat Dr. Pike, huh? She thin, even for an Eeee.

"Yes, that's her," Olivia whispers back to the gypsy. "I think she's so thin because she spends most of her time experimenting and a lot of time forgetting meals."

"Afternoon?" Pike asks, looking up from her work. She takes off her glasses for a moment to rub her eyes, then puts them back on. "Goodness, but it's easy to lose track of the time." She gets up and brushes down her clothes, then smiles to the group. "And you've brought the new gearing for my spark-wheel too it appears, just in time!"

"Ah! I though' Lili was thin, but vov. She vay thinner," Djivan whispers. "Maybe cause Lili is a vampire too. Don t'ink dis Dr. Pike is."

"Not that I'm aware of," Olivia replies.

"Well, I think it's afternoon. It's certainly been exciting enough this morning. I lost half the functioning of my workshop," Zahnrad grumbles.

Pike blinks at the Skreek. "Ah, don't think I've met you before sir? And no, I'm not a vampire… " It's hard to whisper low enough for an Eeee not to overhear.
Olivia rubs one of her temples in embarrassment. "You'd think that after being caught by another Eee on that score lately, I'd learn," she says to Dr. Pike, while glancing at Djivan. "This is Djivan, a friend of mine who is staying close to town for a while. I hope you don't mind that I asked him along?"

Djivan bows deeply and with a flourish. "I be Djivan, of the Shadowsvalk gypsy tribe. We be stayin' near Stonebarrow for now," he explains, grinning. "One of my best friends is a vampire Eee. Her name is Liliana. She my only real reference for Eeee, I guess. Expected vou to be bigger."

Pike's eyebrows perk up at the mention of Gypsies, but sink back with the realization that there is only one Eeee among them. "I see, and this Lili of yours is a female Eeee, I take it?"

"Ves, she is. Lead dancer. Her parents are vith us too, of course. All vampires," Djivan notes, still grinning. "Saw vour book collection out dere. Lili would probably love to trade wit vou. Vou two seem to share some common interests."

"Well, please extend my invitation for her and her family to visit, should you see her again," Pike offers, smiling, then quickly shifts her attention to the repaired sound horn. "Oh, you've fixed that as well! I've been curious about the cylinder recordings ever since… ah… well, you know… " she says, waving a hand.

"Oh, sure. I'll let her know," Djivan says with a nod.

Olivia holds out the horn for the Eee to take. "I hope the decoration meets with your approval," she says. "I took a guess on the pink. But it looks as if you like that color well enough!"

"The horn was the easier of the two to fix," Zahnrad notes and glances at the horn. "Aside from the moment when I glued my hand to the desk, anyway."

"It does make it look a little more friendly," Pike says about the color. To Zahn she notes, "That's why I try to wear gloves when working with chemicals now, although sometimes I forget." She wiggles some her stained fingers in emphasis. "Shall we reconnect the horn and listen to the rest of the cylinder then?"

"Gunther glued my gloves to one of the dam wheels when he was trying to make a ride," Zahnrad grumbles to himself. He then nods and says, "Yes, please. I'd like to hear what other things were recorded."

"You are the handy-man," Pike says to Zahn, pushing the horn to him. Amelia eyes the cylinder player with her usual suspicion, perhaps still not convinced that it is just a machine and not some sort of magical apparatus.

Zahnrad takes the rather pink and girly horn. "Er, right," he says, then looks at it. His head just shakes. The Kadie then goes to the device and sets the horn back in place. He has to mark a small hole on the horn when he lines up the anchor to it again. Then, with a dig in his side bag, he pulls out some tools and bores a small hole into the horn. After a few more minutes of fiddling, he has the horn attached again.

While all this is going on, Olivia pulls Djivan to one side and offers a brief description of their previous visit to the castle and what they found there. She also gives him an idea of why they're so interested in listening to what's recorded on the wax cylinders, just so he won't be totally lost.

With the horn back in place, Pike resets the needle to the start of the cylinder, and takes hold of the hand-crank. "Is everyone ready?" she asks, somewhat nervously.

Djivan makes a ridiculous 'oooooooh!' expression as Olivia explains the current situation. He then whispers to Olivia, asking, "She seemed a bit interested when she heard gypsies were in de area. Does she like gypsies or somet'ing?"

Amelia tenses slightly, and stares at the sound horn as if daring it to spit out a monster, then nods sharply to indicate her readiness.

Zahnrad gives Amelia an odd look. "It's just a machine," he assures her.

"That doesn't make it any less dangerous," Amy replies to Zahn, still watching the horn.

"As ready as I'll ever be," Olivia offers, then whispers quickly back to Djivan, "Well, we did have another gypsy Eee come by for the Frog Festival earlier. I think they met each other… "
Djivan gets a huge grin on his face. "Ohhh, say no more. I kin imagine vhat may have happened," he whispers to Olivia. He then coughs and says, "Ready."

Pike begins to turn the crank, and the tinny voice begins its recitation. "Twelfth entry. I have manpoped to capture one of the hissites. It is secured in the old dungeon now, but I don't snarlpop how long before the others will come for it. So far, it has scratchpop docile enough… "

Zahnrad glances over to Amelia, brow raised.

Olivia gets an unfocused look on her face as she tries to catch as many of the words as possible.

"I have revised my first impresspop that the troglites where separated into two different races," the voice continues. "Nor do the larger ones appear to be the result of scratchual dimorphism. My initial examination seems to indicate massive artificial enhancepop of the base creature."

Pike suddenly stops the recording, a surprised look on her face.

Zahnrad winces at that, as if he remembers something unpleasant. His tail flicks slightly in agitation. Djivan, meanwhile, seems unphased.

Zahnrad asks quickly, "Why'd you stop?"

"What?" Pike asks, snapping out of her daze. "Oh… ah… just taking a moment to gather my thoughts," she explains, then starts the cranking again. Amelia, if anything, looks even more ready to pounce should something crawl out of the horn.

Zahnrad grabs Amelia's hand into his. Just in case she decides to try and break the machine.

Olivia looks as if something may have just occurred to her, but she remains silent for now to listen to the rest of the recording.

"hisssss attempts at communication have been futile so far," the voice continues. "I have to wonder if the creature can even hear at all. It just keeps… staring at me… with those glowing eyes. I see them in my dreams now, and sometimes I swear I can smell sulfur when I know there isn't any source nearby… "

"Lovely," Zahnrad mutters.

Here Pike pauses again. "Oh my," she mutters. "And I had just had Igor prepare that small boat for use, too."

"We'll use it anyway," Zahnrad remarks.

"Huh, vhat? No one said dere vould be a cruise on dis trip," Djivan interjects.

"Yeah, and just after that weirdness in the swamp the other night, here we have another boat trip. Great," Olivia grumbles to herself.

After a deep breath, Pike starts cranking again. "Snap assures me it is just my nerves. Nothing ever seems to phase him though. I have tried to get the captive to eat, but it shows no interest in popetables or roots, nor in insects. Raw meat did not entice it, nor cooked. It was only when hisspop brought in an old carcass that had been on the side of the road for some days did the creature show interest. I fear I could not observe it actually eat though, for my stomach would not allow it."

"That explains the tombs being raided," Zahnrad remarks and shivers at the thought.

Olivia nods at Zahn's remark, her frown deepening.

Maybe Djivan found his happy place. He still doesn't seem bothered by anything coming out of the sound horn.

Olivia looks over at the gypsy and waves a hand in front of his face. "Still with us?" she asks, quirking an eyebrow.

There is a long pause in the recording, with nothing but a light background hum. Just as Pike is about to stop, the voice returns. "Entry thirteen. I am not going mad. The northeast tower must have been unstable. That would explain the scratching behind the stone walls that I heard. Popsnap claims to have heard nothing, but his ears are duller than mine. My decision to have the tower demolished was sound. I have not heard any scratchings since. At least… none that I could pinpoint precisely. The smell is back as well, I am certain. Even the food tastes of sulfur now."

Djivan smiles at Olivia. "Yeah, dis is a neat vay to learn a story," he notes, then goes back to listening.

"Or maybe the things were digging into the tower. Yeesh. Talk about ignoring clues," Zahnrad mutters.

"It may be ancient history, but I'm not sure that it's a story," Olivia notes to Djivan.

"Crackle old well has been sealed, at my insistence. Poppop says that I should take a break, get out of the castle for awhile. I don't trust him anymore. All of the samples I took from the captive have been tampered with. Blood does not turn to dust overnight! It is talking to me in my dreams, I am certain. It wants me to let it go. I'm so close to understanding it now. Tomorrow I will bring the recorder to the dungeon, and try once more to communicate. I have sent cracklehiss on an errand that will take several days, so that I will not be disturbed. I will know this creature's origins by tomorrow night, one way or another… "

The needle just produces a series of hisses now, and Pike stops, looking a bit flustered.

"And that is probably when he was killed," Zahnrad remarks, then glances at Amy and Pike. Zahn then looks for Igor.

Djivan hmphs. "I guess it broke again," he remarks, looking annoyed. "An just vhen it vas gettin' to de good part."

Igor is nowhere to be seen, having silently slipped out at some point… possibly even before the recording was played.

"The good part?" Amy asks, staring at Djivan in disbelief.

"Yeah, de action an adventure part," Djivan asserts.

"Anyone in here think the servant mentioned in the recording is Igor?" Zahnrad inquires.

"'Blood does not turn to dust overnight… '" Olivia repeats quietly, her brow furrowed in thought. "Unless the samples were tampered with, as he says or… if the creature was undead, too? Would that sort of reaction be possible? I've never seen the undead, so I don't know… "

Before Amy can reply, something dark falls onto Djivan's head. "AAAaaaaugh!" it yells. "The pain! The PAIN! Gimme a bug!"
"Argh! De enemy has invaded!" Djivan yells and starts running around the room, his hands waving wildly about. "Get de pitchforks. Get de witches!"

This running about amuses Gaspode immensely, so he digs his claws more firmly into Djivan's scalp and fans his wings. Pike jumps up and starts chasing the pair around as well. "Be careful! Don't break anything!"

"Wouldn't Igor need to be like, over a hundred years old then?" Amelia asks Zahn, trying to ignore the fracas. "Maybe it was an ancestor."

Olivia is jolted out of her musings to make a grab at Djivan as he passes by. "For heaven's sake, it's just the Creen! Stand still and maybe we can pry him off you!" she yells.

"No, I think it was Igor. I bet he keeps repairing his body," Zahnrad points out. Djivan is still running around the lab, with the Eee in hot pursuit. "Help, help! It be a zombie! It try to eat my brain!" he wails.

Gaspode protests, and tries to take a piece of Djivan's ear for a souvenir when Pike finally grabs hold of the Creen's tail, forcing him to let go of the Skreek's head. "Really, he isn't normally like this. I think he's just attracted to colorful things," Pike explains.

Djivan holds onto his head, grumbling. "I show dat t'ing de inside of a cooking pot," the Skreek growls. "Where did it come from, anyway? I doubt it could just fly in here." He looks up.

Olivia hurries over and takes a look at the gypsy's head. "Are you all right? You're not bleeding, are you?" She peers more closely, trying to discern any visible wounds.

Djivan grimaces. "Couple scratches," he comments, looking at the few spots of blood on his hand.

The Creen's claws don't seem to have broken the skin deeply on Djivan's scalp, but the scratches probably itch like crazy. "I'm really sorry," Pike apologizes, clutching the squirming Creen to her chest. I'll have Igor put Gaspode into a cage… Igor!" the Eeee calls.

"Oh, I could take care of it for you," Djivan says and reaches out toward the Creen, making strangling motions with his hands.

"Right here, mithtreth," Igor says from right behind Pike, causing the bat to jump again and complain, "I told you not to do that anymore!"

Olivia rummages around in the pocket of her purple overalls and hands the Skreek a bright blue handkerchief. "Here, use this until we can clean you up better," she says, then shakes her head. "Honestly, I can't take you anywhere!"

"Come on, Gathpode," Igor says, taking the Creen. "You thouldn't try to eat the guethts. You aren't a dragon any… after all."

The Creen still manages to flick its tongue out at Djivan over Igor's shoulder as he's being carried out.

Djivan takes the handkerchief and dabs at his scalp. "Feh. It attacked me," he mutters.

Zahnrad, meanwhile, just shakes his head. "Hey, Igor, I expect you to tell us what it was like to serve her ancestor," he calls out after the odd-looking Skreek.

"But you didn't have to run around and just make it even madder!" Olivia exclaims. "Pitchforks? I mean, really!"

"Really, marthter Zahnrad," Igor chuckles. "I've never therved any of Dr. Pike'th forebearerth."

"Well, dats what dey always shout when de drive us out of town," Djivan points out.

"Right," Zahnrad says, obviously not believing that.

After Igor leaves, Pike leans close to Zahn and says, "Well, technically he's correct. My great uncle didn't leave any descendants, so wouldn't be one of my ancestors."

"Relative, then," Zahnrad says and shrugs.

Amelia is still watching the sound horn, frowning in thought.

Olivia just shakes her head at the gypsy, then returns to the conversation the others are having. "So, it looks like your great uncle was the one responsible for, er, blowing that tower off and into the forest? All because he heard scratching noises there?"

"And, I should point out the sound horn mentioned artificial modifications. Haven't you looked at Igor? Maybe he had something to do with those things. Maybe he made them," Zahnrad points out, then glances back at the horn. "Remember how he just knew about the elevator?"

"Oh no," Pike says. "The northeast tower is a pile of rubble. It was the southwest tower that ended up in the woods."

Olivia ahs to Dr. Pike. "So that tower getting blown up is still a mystery."

Amelia puts her hand on Zahn's shoulder, and quietly says, "Don't bother Igor anymore, Zahn. If it was him back then… we don't know that the creature is the one that caused the mess in the dungeon, if you get my meaning."

Zahnrad's brow goes up. "Hmm, good point," he admits.

Djivan is now leaning against a nearby table, checking the handkerchief for any new blood spots as he dabs at his scalp.

"Goodness, you're all beginning to sound paranoid now," Pike says. "Igor is harmless, and an excellent surgeon. Not only would he not hurt a fly… he'd try to fix one that was hurt."

"I don' know 'bout dat. How did dat thing… Creen… whatever get in here, anyway? I bet Igor t'rew him on me," Djivan grumbles. "He kep' lookin' at me veird since I got here."

"Gaspode is always getting into places… he's a Creen, after all," Pike says. "And it's clear from the recording that poor old uncle Orifice was losing his mind, so his suspicions are… well… suspicious."

"Not if Igor was there laying sulfur around to bother him," Zahnrad points out.

"Uncle Orifice was dabbling in demonology and alchemy, remember," Pike points out. "The smells, dreams and sounds could have easily been the result of a brain tumor."

"Or the result of a meddling assistant," Zahnrad re-asserts. He then just shrugs. "Anyway, I still think Igor knows a lot more than he's saying."

"Is he always this suspicious of people?" Pike asks Amelia. Amy looks around the lab, noting the tarps covering most of the tables and bubbling vats of goo, then says, "Uh… you wouldn't think so if you'd met his little brother."

"I had wondered about the sulfur ever since it was mentioned," Olivia says. "I understand your family works a lot with chemicals as part of your researches, so it would be close to hand, I guess? But it's also pretty strong-smelling – could it have been used to mask other smells? And there was some mention about it possibly being in his food… that makes me think, well, of it being used as a poison. Or something to induce hallucinations?" Then she shakes her head. "I know this all probably sounds like rambling to you, but I'm just thinking out loud."

Zahnrad shrugs, changing the subject and asking, "Should I go work on installing the new gearbox while you folks talk?"

Pike ponders Olivia's supposition. "Well, this region does have readily available sulfur deposits, especially near the hot springs. I'm sure that in large doses, it would have negative health effects, but I'd have to look it up to be sure. Oh, yes, please do Zahnrad! I need to test some new samples with an electric current as soon as possible."

Zahnrad nods and grabs the large box of gearing. He drags it along the floor and over to the large cylindrical sparking device and settles it near the base. He digs into his side bag and pulls out various tools. He then pauses for a moment to motion for Amelia to come over.

Amy joins Zahn, and asks, "Do you need help?"

Zahnrad drops tools and moves a few things around, creating a general racket. "Not exactly, but I wanted to tell you something," he says while making noise, and hoping it's masking what he's saying from the Eee. "After the camping trip, and you fell asleep. I thought I saw a pair of red eyes looking in your cabin. And, there was the smell of sulfur," he says in a really low voice. "I didn't mention it until now because I thought I was imagining it. But now … er."

Amelia stares at Zahn in silence for a moment, then whispers to him, "Uh, I guess that's… good to know."

Olivia chews on her lower lip for a minute, thinking over what Dr. Pike has just told her. "If you found out any more on the effects of sulfur being ingested, that would help – I'm certainly not familiar with chemicals. I know more about plant and vegetable dyes, working with the Weavers, anyway. But maybe… the strong smell of it was around because the creatures lived in or near a place where there was a lot of sulfur? Then they would carry that stink with them wherever they went. And if there were large groups of them about, that would create quite a smell! Your great uncle did say that 'others' were coming for the creature he captured."

"Well, that is certainly possible," Pike says, looking thoughtful. "But then again… the creature live on carrion and… rotted flesh. The sulfur smell could simply be from their breath." She goes to a shelf and picks out a large ceramic jar. Lifting the lid releases a strong rotten-egg stench. "This is sulfur," the Eeee remarks, her eyes already watering. She reseals the lid and puts the jar away. "I use it in some of my experiments."
Zahnrad starts working on inserting the gearing unit between the crank and the device. "I wouldn't have thought any more of it, except for the description made by Orifice on the recording. I'm not so sure he was crazy. Well, at least not crazy as in imagining all that," he whispers.

Djivan speaks up again. "So, what was dis boat thing mentioned earlier?" he asks.

Olivia wrinkles her nose at the smell rising from the jar. "Well, if I ever smell it again and don't know where it's coming from, I'll have to watch out," she quips weakly. Then she shudders. "And if the sulfur smell was just from the creatures' breath… they'd all have to be very, very close to your great uncle, wouldn't you think? And yet he didn't actually see them. Just the one he captured."

"Well, there's also the possibility that… that uncle Orifice was smelling his own breath," Pike says. "If he was so intent on talking to this creature of his, then perhaps he started to… well… eat like it too. But the boat… oh, yes, the boat. We found it in a storeroom, and I had Igor patch it up so we could take a trip along the underground canal… but now I think I will hold off until we're better equipped to deal with… uh… surprises."

"Have you seen or smelt anything like it since then?" Amy asks Zahn in a whisper, peeking around his shoulder to watch him work.

"Equipped vith vhat? Our tribe leader can use magic, an is quite powerful against de undead. I bet she coul' deal vith anything down dere," Djivan points out, satisfied when he finds no new blood spots on the cloth he was using.

"No," Zahnrad tells Amelia as he's bolting the axles together. He nods, happy once the linkage seems secure. He goes to the other side now and starts attaching the crank.

"Well, equipped with… someone like that, I suppose," Pike answers Djivan. "And a few defensive measures against living threats as well."

Olivia nods to Djivan. "This is true. I hadn't thought of that. Although I don't know if Madame Natasha would want to come. Or if Dr. Pike wants any more company," she adds, smiling a little to the Eee.

"She probably vouldn't," Djivan says and nods. "She's quite private, really. Doesn' like to socialize much. But, if she t'ought it might endanger de tribe, she'd go."

"Well, I can't say this is anything that could endanger anyone other than those doing the exploring," Pike says.

"Vell, I'll ask her anyvay. Vho knows with de ones dat practive magic. Dey all veird," Djivan notes and shrugs.

Olivia hms. "Then perhaps we should only ask for her help if we find out that there are a lot of, er, 'surprises' at the end of wherever we're going. And if they really are undead. I'm not exactly sure on that point right now. I mean, all things that eat carrion aren't undead. If we find any of these creatures, they may well be very much alive."

"I can provide some protection as well," Amelia offers, turning back towards the conversation. "Living or undead… a spear through the gut is pretty effective."

"And heh, I don know if I even velcome to go, either. Sorry," Djivan remarks.

BAM! "Ow, dangit, stupid slipping bolts!" Zahnrad grumbles as he apparently whacks his knuckles while working. "I've almost got it… "

"How many can fit in the boat?" Amy asks Pike.

"Well, I was going to test that later," the Eeee replies. "With bags of sand, you see, to gauge how much weight the boat can safely carry. After that, it just depends on how comfortably close people can sit… "

Olivia looks over at Djivan. "You're welcome to go as far as I'm concerned," she says. "Do you know how to use some sort of weapon? That might come in handy. Amy can't bash all the heads, of course!"

Djivan slinks close to Olivia. He wraps his arms around her, then leans over and nips her ear, then her neck. "She can sit in m' lap," he replies, grinning smugly. "Dat vill make some room, no?"

"Well, if people sit in each other's laps, we could probably fit five in the boat," Pike conjectures.

The insides of Olivia's ears turn a bright pink. "Behave, you," she tells Djivan in an undertone. "Save it for when we're alone… "

"Ves. But I don' know of anyone who's lap vou coul' sit in, Dr. Pike. Lili doesn' have any older brothers," Djivan says, then winks. He then grins at Olivia and says, "Vhat? I'm jus sveeet an innocen'."

Olivia grumbles, "Yeah, right. Sweet, perhaps. Innocent? Oh, no."

"Well, I don't need to be in someone's lap," Pike admits. "I hardly take any room as it is."

"There! Haha, made you work, didn't I, bolt? Who's the boss of you? Me! I'm the boss of you," Zahnrad apparently tells the machine he's working on. "I think it should work now."

"Vour wings do, though," Djivan points out.

"Well, my wings can wrap around to hide… oh, it's ready?" Pike says, interrupted by Zahn's announcement. She hurries over to the device, and asks the Kadie, "Is there anything special that needs to be done, or does the handle just need to be turned?"

The gypsy looks about to say more, but Olivia reaches over while Dr. Pike is distracted by Zahn and pinches his behind. When Djivan yelps, she says sweetly, "You can be quiet now. Again I say… I can't take you anywhere!"

"The handle just needs to be turned," Zahnrad says as he stands up and wipes off his hands. "It should all handle what it needs to internally. I went for simple since I figured you don't like to tinker with machines."

Djivan hmphs and tries to look hurt.

Excitedly, Pike tightens the pressure plate on the device, and then starts turning the handle. As the main cylinder turns, the embedded crystals on it are squeezed by the raised parts of the pressure plate, and then release sparks when they're allowed to expand into the dips. Tiny metal spheres absorb the sparks, transferring the energy to a pair of thin wires, where the spark jumps the gap between their ends. "Yes! It works much better now!" the Doctor chirps gleefully.

Zahnrad looks rather pleased. "Seems to, yes," he agrees. "What exactly do you use this for, anyway? You don't shock people or animals with it, do you?"

"Oh no, nothing so large," Pike replies. She stops cranking the device, and then hooks up the wires to little clamps on the microscope, and finally dips the exposed ends into opposite side of the glass dish mounted under the lens. "I use it to shock cell cultures."

Zahn's brows go up again. "You do what with it?" he asks, stepping back a bit in case it explodes or makes Pike sprout extra limbs, or something that's even weirder.

"The current acts as a stimulant to certain types of… ah, but I forget that bio-alchemy is not your field of interest," the Eeee says, smiling apologetically.

"Heh. More like it's just not done around here," Zahnrad notes, then just shrugs. "So, are you going to shock that glass thing?"

"Ah, yes, yes I am… " Pike begins to say, then pauses. "Well, not right away though, I suppose. Once I get into my work I have little attention to spare, especially for guests… "

Zahnrad looks actually disappointed at that. "Well, do you want to go through more cylinders, or would you prefer to get back to work? We have taken up a fair amount of your time," Zahnrad remarks, then glances at the others.

"Yes, perhaps we should come back later, after you've conducted those weight experiments with the boat?" Olivia asks.

"Oh, the cylinders," Pike says, as if she'd completely forgotten about them. "I'm not sure I'm ready to listen to more just yet… the last one was a bit disturbing. But I will see to preparing the boat and listen to a few more of them before we try going into the canal, I think. There must be useful information about it recorded on one of them."

"Going to invite us back when you intend to listen? Or, are you going to do so in private? They are yours, after all. And oh! When can I look at that game thing again. I want to get it running," Zahnrad babbles.

"I'd planned to take notes, but if you want to listen in as well… well, you'll probably be around to tinker with the game machine anyway!" Pike says, then takes a small box from a nearby storage shelf. "And of course, you'll want these," she says, offering the box.

Zahnrad accepts the box and cracks it open to look in side. "Oh, you have no idea how much I want these. Now, if I had a good source of strong ceramic, or that liquid metal stuff … I'd be set. I have access to … er, nothing. forget I said anything," he says quickly.

Amelia peeks in the box to see the same sorts of crystals used in the spark machine, and quickly loses interest in them. "Yes, you should come and work on that machine here, Zahn. You need to get away from the dam… more often," she comments.

"What is it with you and wanting me away from the dam?" Zahnrad asks Amelia as he closes the box. "I have a lot of things I need to work on here. And I doubt Dr. Pike would want me setting up a shop here."

Zahnrad suddenly stands up straight. "Dr. Pike, can I see your measuring equipment?" he asks suddenly.

"My… what do you need to measure?" Pike asks. "I have scales and beakers for measuring dry weights and fluid volumes… "

"Dimensions. I need to be able to measure to some extreme tolerances," Zahnrad answers and starts peering around the room. "More so than I've ever done before."

"How extreme?" Pike asks, going to a drawer. She opens it to expose a set of measuring calipers, some of them very small.

When Djivan looks quizzically at Olivia, she rolls her eyes heavenward. "More experiments for a flying machine that Zahn wants to build," she explains.

"Er, some were as far as five places or more after the decimal," Zahnrad remarks as he goes to check out the calipers. "I'm not sure how I'll manage what the pl … what, er… "

Pike takes out a cloth wrapped bundle, which unrolls across the table into another set of very small, metal measuring calipers. "I use these for measuring things under the microscope," she explains. "They might be accurate enough for what you want."

"I got them from a Chronotopian Egg crafter," the bat explains.

"Maybe," Zahnrad says as he leans in close to look. "Perhaps when I get to the point of checking the tolerances, I can bring the stuff by. I wouldn't dare ask to borrow something this expensive from you. And oh, if you have any leftover wire or such you want to get rid of, let me know. I need to rig up some spark gap pins."

"Oh my, I can't think of anyone who would have spare wire, I'm afraid," Pike says. "Electrical quality wire is extremely hard to come by."

"Then do you need anything more made? I'm more than willing to trade work for things," Zahnrad remarks.

Djivan looks at Olivia quizzically. "Er, why does he want to build a flying thingee?" he asks. "Don't those exist already?"

"I don't have anything that I need built at the moment," Pike says, tapping her chin. "But eventually I will, should my work progress to the proper point."

"Er, what would you need built then?" Zahnrad asks. "Just what are you trying to make?"

Olivia sighs. "It's been his goal for a long time to build a better flying machine than airships. He's had some pretty spectacular crashes while doing so, too. Like the one contraption that spun him into the ground… "

"That wasn't my fault!" Zahnrad calls over to Olivia and Djivan. "It was those blasted otters!"

"Uh … huh," Djivan remarks. "Olivia … vour friends are de … how do I say politely … off de deep end?"

"Oh, I couldn't tell just yet," Pike says, smiling. "I'm sure you can appreciate my desire for secrecy, Zahn?"

Olivia grins at this. "I guess that's why you fit in so nicely, Djivan," she says and winks.

Zahnrad … just sighs. "Right. I do," he admits and his shoulders slump. He starts muttering something about ' … so close, and still stopped by this pathetic town and lack of anything decent to use… '

"Pfah, I don' fit in with de loonies of dis place," Djivan remarks and turns away.

"Oh yeah, this coming from the person who believes in gnomes," Olivia calls after him.

"De butt-pinchin' gnomes exist," Djivan asserts.

"Gnomes!" Pike squeaks, and quickly covers her rear with her hands. "Igor!" she calls. "We need to put out the traps again!"