Stephan's Former Home
The home of the Kettenrad killed many years ago has certainly seen better days. The outside boards are warped and curling slightly, exposing some of the subframe to the weather. The windows are glass, but cracks spiderweb across the old panes. At night … this place would be positively scary; it looks like the sort of place ghosts hang out at.

The trip back from Doctor Pike's is fortunately very uneventful (except for the bit where Rey went streaking by the room … but that's another story). On the Lapi front, Clover is sleeping quietly thanks to the various drugs. So, the two decide to head back to town. Amelia has certain errands yet to do and the day is fading. On the way, the two Kadies discuss the next plan of action, which mainly involves the mages. But that conversation ends when the Wingnut territory comes into view. The two part ways. Zahn goes back to his workshop to clean it up, put away the items taken from the underground, and catalog the diagrams. Amelia makes her way back up into the trees and across the dry rot infested walkway towards Stephan's former home. This time, though there doesn't seem to be any movement inside. Given it's early afternoon Elsa might have gone elsewhere. Hard to say at the moment.

Poking her head through the dilapidated doorway, Amelia calls out quietly, "Hello? Elsa?"

Amelia is in luck; Elsa is still here. She is, however, asleep on the dusty bed. It looks like she tipped over while inventorying things and decided to nap. Well, that explains where Zahn gets the ability to tip over and sleep whenever, at least.

Easing into the room and trying not to disturb anything, Amelia attempts to nudge the older woman on the shoulder. Waking up Kettenrads is always risky.

"Quick, tighten the bolts and adjust the belt tension!" Elsa blurts as she jerks upright. She grabs Amelia's shirt (presumably to tighten it or something), then blinks repeatedly. "Oh, Amelia. I guess I was dreaming," she says as she lets go. "Sorry."

Shaking a bit, Amelia says, "I think my shirt is tight enough already."

"Then it is poorly fitted," Elsa says as she looks to the window. "It is, afternoon now, yes? I did not realize the dam would have taken you this long. I hope it wasn't due to Gunther causing a problem."

"Oh… uh… I had to run another errand… " Amelia mutters. "I found something in the tunnels. Or… well, something was given to me… sort of," she notes.

"There is a lot of junk in the maintenance tunnels," Elsa says with a small nod. "Nothing that is required anymore, though. If you wish to keep it, you may. Was it anything useful?"

"I don't know," Amy says, and produces the pendant for Elsa to see. "I, uh… I think it was Stephan's. A key or something."

Elsa takes the onyx gear-disc carefully. She takes out some thin glasses and rests them on the tip of her nose as she peers closely at it. Her jaw rolls slowly as she examines it. "It is possible it was his; it bears the hallmark of his style," she comments in a rather unusual monotone for her. "Interesting."

"It was set out… well, where he… you know," Amelia says. "Have you found anything it might fit into?"

Elsa doesn't answer immediately. She reaches into a pocket on her dress and pulls out a small pick of some sort and starts to carefully prod at some of the 'designs' in the center of the disc. "No, I haven't. I've never seen this before; but Stephan had his own secret projects – all Wingnuts do, you know," she notes. As she pokes, there's a soft 'click'.

"Yeah, I know… what was that?" Amy asks, leaning in closer.

The disc lurches a bit in Elsa's hand, then splits apart into three sections guided under the power of intricate little gears. It expands to roughly twice its normal size, forming an almost triangular shape if lines were drawn from each of the three spread sections. In the now exposed center rests a complex series of holes and slats; perhaps it fits over something.

"That is… how could he make things so tiny!?" Amelia wonders. To her, this is a lot more impressive than a room full of machined parts.

Elsa's brow goes up a bit. "Well, that was unexpected," she admits as she peers over the even odder looking device now. "This must be the key to his hidden lab. Every one of my sons have those, you know. It's where they keep things that are very special to themselves," she says. Finally adjusting her attention back to Amelia, she looks up. "That small? Oh, patience, some very fine tipped tools, and magnifying glasses. It's more tedious to do than hard," she explains.

"I'm still impressed," Amelia says, then blinks. "Secret lab? Zahn hasn't told me about any secret lab of his. Maybe he doesn't have one? I don't suppose there's a map on the key?"

"Oh, Zahn has one," Elsa notes. "Where do you think he keeps all the designs that don't work?"

"Don't those blow up?" Amelia asks, quite seriously.

"Not all of them," Elsa answers.

"I… didn't know he kept them," Amy says. "Should I ask him about it? I mean… I've sort of shown him my treasure… "

"As for a map, I don't see one. And before you ask, no, I don't know where Stephan's secret place was. It was his and he showed it to people he wanted to. Not sure anyone knows where it was, really," Elsa admits. 

"Sure you can ask him. I'm sure he'd show you. It probably just figured you didn't care," Elsa says as she offers the pendant back. "I assume you want to keep this?"

"Me?" Amy asks, taking back the pendant and looking at the guide holes and slots. "I… don't know where to even use it. I mean… the lab could be anywhere, right?"

"Well, then perhaps you should figure that out," Elsa notes as she looks over the rims of her glasses. "You said it was given to you? Maybe he wants you to find it."

"I can ask him," Amelia says, still staring at the pendant and trying to figure out how to fold it all back to its original shape.

"Here," Elsa says and reaches over. With a claw, she lightly turns one of the small 'gears' that first looked like it was etched into the surface. With smooth precision, the disc fragments pull back together, making a soft click when the seams close and virtually disappear.

Elsa slips her glasses off and regards Amelia. "What do you mean you can ask him?" she asks.

"Well… the next time I'm… around him," Amy says, blushing a little. "Don't you ever just… talk to him?"

"Yes, but he never answers," Elsa says quietly.

"I'm sure he listens though," Amy says confidently.

"You could ask Deirdre. She might know where it was, she was his friend," Elsa suggests. "Though … I'm not sure I want it found. Or at least I don't know if I would want to see it."

"Why not?" Amy asks.

"Because it would be like walking through someone's memories. Those places are very personal; it has what they love, even if it is something simple," Elsa says quietly. "But I don't know. Maybe he wants to share those memories with you."

"Or with Deirdre," Amy notes. "I think I'll bring the key to her and see what she thinks about it."

"You found it, not Deirdre," Elsa points out. "Maybe he's trying to test you too."

"If it's a test, then… there should be a clue about where to start looking," Amelia reasons, looking around at the deteriorating cabin.

Lots of decay and boxed things sit in the cabin. If there's a clue here, it's packed away somewhere. All that really stands out are how easily some of the large trees in the Kettenrad section of the compound can be seen through the windows here. With the leaves cut back, this cabin probably had a great view once.

Amy goes to the window, and holds the key up so she can look through it at the trees, wondering if the slots might line up with specific tree trunks.

To check that would require opening up the device again.

"Hmm," Amy mutters, and pokes at the designs with her clawtips, trying to find the one that opens the pendant back up.

Either Amelia has learned more around Zahn than she realized or she just got amazingly lucky. The first of the gears in the center Amelia tries; the pendant clicks and splits back apart in her hands.

Amy makes a happy chitter at her success, and holds the 'key' up to peer through it.

This part proves to be a bit more of a challenge. The overgrowth around the cabin obscures enough of the trees that Amelia can't be quite sure if she has anything lined up or not.

"Is it okay if I do a little pruning?" Amy asks Elsa.

"If you want," Elsa says with a nod. "I'm not sure what else we will do with this cabin anyway."

"Rebuild it," Amelia suggests, as she folds the pendant back together and puts it away. "Oh… did you have any other chores for me today? I think the slugs won't be back for a while now."

"Rebuild it for what, though? I will not be having any more children," Elsa notes as she slowly resumes sorting through some stuff in the boxes. "As for a chore? No, not today. Not unless you wanted to cook dinner tonight, perhaps."

"Rebuilt as a symbol of optimism!" Amy says, smiling. "For grandchildren. And I'd love to cook dinner! Is anybody allergic to anything?"

"Nothing that I am specifically aware of. Would you want just the direct family, or cousins and such too there, then?" Elsa asks.

"I can cook big, if you show me how the stove and oven work," Amy notes. "And where the pots and pans are. And the pantry. And… uh… an apron."

"Well, if Dieter comes you may have problems. He is allergic to acorns on the third day of the month, unless there is rain that day. On every day evenly divisible by two and has three vowels in the name, he only eats noodles," Elsa comments as she pauses in her work. "He is a strange one. I can show you where the pantry and such are in a bit. You have time to do other things, then, if you like."

"Alright, I can take care of some of this overgrowth then," Amelia states, and unslings the bladed half of her halberd from it's holster on her back. "I know how to prune trees. I'm a farmer's daughter after all!"