Upper branches – Wingnut compound: Kettenrad quarter.
The elevator has let off in a section of the Wingnut clan's treetop compound. A sign near the elevator reads
'Kettenrad. Let not your hands wander, lest an evil fate befall you.'
and a beneath that in really small letters 'And we mean it, too!'. Several walkways branch out to various sections of the Kettenrad quarter. Most appear to be walkways to the family members' private quarters. However, a few stand out as different; one leads up to a large, multi-roomed building that appears to be some sort of group dining hall. It's currently brightly lit and quite cheerful … in spite of the odd piping and various belts that stick out of it at various angles. Another, path leads off into a center section of the compound. In the distance of that path, a jungle of roping and nets can be seen. And lastly, a more ominous path branches off. It looks like one to a private residence, but it's overgrown and tangled.

Whether it's nervousness about the upcoming dinner, or Amelia is feeling guilty about not checking in with her 'mentor' Elsa recently, she arrives at the Kettenrad compound. Something seems to be missing lately when she visits … and then it dawns on her, she hasn't been jumped by Gunther in a long time. In any event, Amelia finds herself in the main area of the Wingnut compound. A female Kadie is most certainly in sight, but it's not Elsa. Deirdre is hanging upside down from a branch and working on one of the belts. It's currently stopped and she has some odd device clamped to it that she's slowly ratcheting.

Amelia clears her throat before calling to Deirdre. "Hello there! I don't suppose you know where Elsa is at the moment?"

Deirdre stops her work and cranes her head around. "Mmm?" she mutters, finally noticing Amelia. "Oh, Amelia," she says and rubs above her eye a bit … which has some smudges of soot. In fact, the Kadie seems to have a lot of soot on her lately. She releases her feet and flips, landing upright. "She's up there," she says, pointing up the tangled and overgrown walkway leading off somewhere.

"On the walkway?" Amy asks, peering into the tangled mess for any signs of movement.

"The cabin," Deirdre corrects. "It's hard to see from here. Stephan's old home."

The smaller Kadie jerks upright at the information. "Okay, thank you Deirdre," Amelia says, before asking, "Still seeing Roy?"

"I … understand the attractiveness of a Blacktail man," Deirdra says as her answer to the question. "Why do you ask? Have you been hearing otherwise?"

Amy just blinks, and shrugs. "I haven't heard anything at all, that's why I asked. It lets me know to keep watch for Gunther trying to sneak in and spy on you."

Deirdre laughs at that. "Tell him I'll break his tail if he tries. He's too young to be spying on such things," she notes. "I also owe you some thanks."

"Too young… you're working on a new forge, right?" Amy asks, trying not to smirk. "And you're welcome."

"We've worked on a few high temperature things, you might say," the Kadie notes and arches her brow at Amelia. "Roy is quite intelligent, if a bit soft spoken. He's assisting with plans for a windmill to help power a blower to keep his furnace at a more even temperature. I've shown him how he can make his own charcoal as well, which is cleaner burning than regular coal."

"So that's why you have all that soot on you?" Amelia asks, trying not to picture the other ways Deirdre could end up covered in soot.

"Perhaps. What did you think it was from?" Deirdre asks and walks over to Amelia. "A roll in the coal?" She smirks.

"Ummm," Amy waffles, then says, "We used powdered charcoal for the artillery pieces. So, maybe Roy took you to see them… "

Smirking, Deirdre asks, "And nothing else? You seem a little … embarrassed. Do not worry, I haven't had any time yet to visit the witches for assistance. I know they've given you things before."

"I just like to be prepared," Amelia says, and looks to the overgrown walkway again. "Did Elsa seem preoccupied or wanting to be alone?"

"Unless you can keep him from fainting, you won't need it," Deirdre points out. She glances towards the walkway, then says, "Not particularly. She's finally been going through his old things. She seems happier, really."

Amy relaxes a little, without even realizing she was tensing up. "That's good to hear. Is there another way to the cabin or should I just brave the walkway?"

"You climb decently. You can manage the walkway well enough. Just keep in mind the boards have dry rot," Deirdre says with a shrug and a flick of her bushy tail. "Besides, you're part of the clan, you know. You're expected to do something crazy and dangerous."

"Like introducing Zahn to my dad," Amelia mutters under her breath, then heads for the walkway. With the warning about the dry rot, she sticks to actual branches as much as possible.

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.

Traversing the walkway wasn't so bad. The boards certainly were a bit worn and some would crack when stepped on, but Amelia makes it across with relative ease. There's definitely someone inside. A lamp is lit and shadows move around within.

Amelia pauses at the doorway, wary of booby traps – although Stephan never struck her as the sort to use them. So instead of knocking, she quietly calls out; "Elsa?"

The shadows pause inside. "Yes? Who is it?" comes the familiar voice in reply.

"It's me, Amelia," Amy answers. "I'm not disturbing you, am I?"

"Of course not. You're supposed to spend time with me, afterall … for several reasons. The door's open," Elsa replies.

Just in case, Amy opens the door very carefully before stepping inside the old cabin. "Are there any reasons I'm not aware of yet?" she asks, grinning a little.

Nothing explodes or punches Amelia off the platform. The inside … is actually in a lot better shape than the outside. Elsa is currently packing away some odd (and very intricate devices) into a crate. "Only two come to mind and I believe you know them," Elsa says absently, "One, you're supposed to be learning from me. Two, I'm the nosy mother of an impressionable young man you're dating. I have to see just what you're teaching him."

"I'm not sure that I've taught him anything, besides sleeping in a bed that doesn't sway," Amy says. "Err, what am I supposed to be teaching him?"

"Well, how to be a better potential husband, of course," Elsa notes and grins slightly towards Amelia, "Or more specifically, how to do what you want him to do without him knowing it."

"That means I have to know what I want him to do, right?" Amelia asks, just to be certain. "I'm not always sure of what he's thinking," she adds, coming closer to the crate. "Was his father the same way?"

"Well, yes, you have to know what you want him to do," Elsa agrees. She quits packing away things and sits down on a nearby box. "Andre? Oh, he was worse to be honest. There were times when he would just sit there and look 'vacant'. It took a while for me to understand he was trying to put something together in his mind. He really didn't notice that anyone was there."

"Uh, how did you introduce him to your parents?" Amy asks, with clear interest.

Elsa laughs and slips her thin glasses from her nose so she can rub the bridge of her muzzle. "Is that what's worrying you? I know you have been deliberately keeping Zahn away from your family," she says. "Well, I still remember it well. It's never easy to introduce someone to family. Especially since I'm from a farming family and Andre, bless his heart, doesn't know the correct end of a hoe to hold."

"Did he freeze up or… I don't know… " Amelia flounders, waving her hands. "I don't know how Zahn will react OR how my dad will react. I know how I'm going to try to act though, at least."

"Keep in mind, Amelia, of the town's opinion of this clan, particularly twenty years ago. Marrying into it back then would be like … marrying that Igor person today. Unheard of," Elsa says with a shrug. "My father did not react kindly to my involvement with Andre. As far as he was concerned, Andre was some megalomaniac plotting to take over the town."

"Was Andre even aware there was a town though?" Amy asks.

"Yes, at some level he was. But only in the sense of the work to do," Elsa says, "A lot of the Wingnuts sort of … distanced themselves mentally from the town after the rift so that the isolation wouldn't bother them. I asked Andre about how they tried to think of the town and well … he said they thought of it like Splotch, a place to trade with, but not very nearby. The town was just an abstract customer, he said. I threw a wrench into that for him, though."

"Oh, how?" Amy asks. "Did you take him dancing?"

"You've heard this story," Elsa chides, "But I suppose that's to be expected. It caused quite the uproar. A Rootrunner associated with … them."

"I don't think I've heard it," Amy says. "I was only guessing… "

"Oh, well, I invited him to one of the Winter dances," Elsa says with a wistful smile. "To be honest, it was a pity date. He worked on things near my farm and always seemed so lonely. I didn't have a date … so I asked him to be friendly. I swear Andre looked at me like I had grown a second head."

"Okay… does that mean he showed more interest in you, or was just confused?" Amelia asks. "I mean, if I saw someone with two heads… err, never mind. I guess you mean confused… "

"Yes, confused," Elsa notes with a chuckle. "He later admitted to me he thought I was trying to play a trick on him and was trying to figure out what the joke was."

"Oh, yeah, I guess it might seem like a prank to him," Amy realizes.

"He came fully expecting to be the butt of some joke. When he realized it wasn't a joke, well, I think it was the first time he really saw me and saw the town," Elsa comments as she looks towards the window. "Even with everyone else staring at us, he was actually smiling and trying to dance, bless his heart. Afterward, we just sat and talked. Boy, did he talk, about a lot of things I didn't have a clue about at the time. First time I ever realized that … they were passionate and chanced their dreams. Even if their dreams were … crazy, they followed them with all their hearts. That's more than I can say for a lot of the farmer boys who are just happy to plod along."

"Yeah, it's what I like about Zahn, too," Amelia says. "Although I'm not so sure about Gunther."

"Gunther is smarter than he lets on, you know," Elsa says and glances towards Amelia, "And that's not just a mother saying that. He just needs to find his focus is all, instead of barreling about wildly."

"So, you don't try to steer him towards anything in particular?" Amy asks, wondering if that will be up to Gunther's eventual girlfriend – if he ever gets around to realizing girls are different from boys.

"Because he needs to find his own dreams," Elsa says, "Same reason I don't forbid Zahn from his experiments, even though they're dangerous."

"Gunther resents me spending time with Zahn," Amy admits, looking down. "Not sure what to do about it… "

"Well … you could try to act like his sister, perhaps. Or invite him along now and then," Elsa suggests. "If he sees you as family instead of an intruder, that would probably change."

"I suggested something like that to Zahn," Amy says. "It's hard when you can't be sure what might set him off on a rampage though. He doesn't really grasp the idea of community politics or that other Clans have a right to their own secrets."

"Well, the town only has itself to blame for the latter. How do you think a group starts to feel if they've been isolated?" Elsa asks pointedly. "After a while, people feel like everyone is out to get them and any secret must be something against them."

"Well, I hope it doesn't take any longer to reverse," Amy says. "Your husband is on the Town Council now, and is invited to Erik's special dinner. And I know it won't be the whole Council there, just a few members. I have no idea why he wants Zahn there as well."

"Oh, that doesn't take too much thought to figure out," Elsa notes with an enigmatic smile. "Erik must be planning something a portion of the council will oppose. I would make a guess that Erik wants to improve trade and open an airship port here."

"Airships," Amelia says, and actually frowns a little. "I'm not sure I could compete with that for Zahn's attention. Erik's nice and all, but I think his head is still up on a Sky Island."

Elsa finally resumes packing now. She starts putting more complex devices away. Up this close, the level of intricacy and detail in the gearing is amazing. Some of them are so small and delicate, it's hard to imagine they're hand made. "Oh, I think you could," Elsa comments as she packs. "Think a bit, has Zahn ever done something completely contrary to his own nature because it was what you wanted? Walked away from anything?"

"Well… he didn't run ahead into stuff a few times, even though he wanted to," Amelia admits, watching the parade of intricate items. "But only because I said we'd do it when we were better prepared." After saying it, she realizes it might be interpreted to make Zahn seem eager for a more intimate relationship, rather than rushing down tunnels filled with monsters.

"Wingnuts do strange things sometimes to try and make someone they like happy. They're not very good at expressing feelings. For example, Andre broke his pocketwatch that night. Deliberately," Elsa comments, looking up. "Can you guess why?"

"Uh, so he'd have something to fix if he needed an excuse to sit in a corner?" Amy guesses. "Or else… umm… so he wouldn't be thinking about his schedule instead of you?"

"Not exactly. He didn't want to forget the time he felt like he belonged," Elsa says with a light shrug. "And that secretly he wished it would have stopped time so the night wouldn't have ended. What can I say? I found it endearing; nothing like what my father said to expect of them. I pursued him after that."

"That's another thing," Amy says, looking a bit nervous. Finally she whispers, "Did you get him to chase you, or… I mean, how did you get him to… make the first move?"

"Which my father vehemently disapproved of, I might add," Elsa says and waggles some odd tool at Amelia. "But, I didn't care. Most guys like to strut or show how impressive they are … like that Emmett who seems so fond of you. Andre really appreciated the attention and would try to return it in kind, bless his heart. Though, the automatic weed puller he gave me didn't work out so well. My brother got quite the wedgie from that thing." Elsa then blinks at that question, saying, "Dear me, what a thing to ask."

"Well… you did say I have to learn how to get them to do what I want while making them think it was their own idea," Amy points out.

"Well, you were asking about introducing him to my father … that was sort of part of that," Elsa admits with a wistful smile. "When my father finally met him, he yelled and screamed at him about how no daughter of his would be paired with a Wingnut. I think that was the first time I've ever seen Andre actually get mad. He stood his ground against my father and yelled right back about how he wouldn't let some, how did he put it, 'pig headed and opinionated old Rughrat' take away the woman he loved. I ran out of there … and well, Andre followed. Chased me all night; he would not let me get away. The fear of losing me made him finally take the first major step and make a move."

Elsa shrugs a bit, adding, "Not the most romantic way to go about it … but it actually impressed my father. He didn't expect Andre to be so … forceful, or so determined. In the end, they came to an agreement, friends even. Except Andre is forbidden from giving any machines as presents. One of our uncles had an unfortunate accident with an automated nutcracker."

"I don't think Zahn and my father will get into a shouting match," Amy says. "I don't think I've ever heard dad raise his voice."

"Your father doesn't have to," Elsa points out. "With Achilles, it's all in his eyes."

"Zahn might shout though," Amy says, twitching her tail. "Or pout. I'll have to keep them both a little distracted, I think."

"Do you expect your father to disapprove of him, then?" Elsa asks.

"I don't really know," Amy says, starting to look frustrated. "I'm is only daughter, but it's like sometimes he treats me like a son and other times like he doesn't want to look at me because I remind him of mom or else like a little girl."

"Honestly, I think you remind him of your mother somewhat. He might feel a little guilty because she died having his children," Elsa says, "But that is a guess. The only thing I think you can do is just go with what happens, Amelia. You may be worrying over nothing." She then pauses for a moment to think. "You want my son to chase you, correct? You want for things to get … serious?"

"I think he wants to," Amelia says. "I'm not sure. I got some special lacy things… "

Elsa's brow raises a bit at that. "Well, I have a small suggestion that might get it started… " she says.

The girl perks her ears forward in rapt attention.

"Swipe one of the plans for the device he's working on and take off. He'll chase, guaranteed. After a bit of darting through trees and such, instincts always kick in; even for a Wingnut," Elsa says with a small smile. "He won't even remember why he was chasing you when he finally catches you. He'll just know he has you." She then waves the odd device at Amelia again, adding, "And I do hope you'll be prepared for that. You're old enough to now to be responsible."

"Don't worry, I'm always prepared!" Amelia claims. "Hopefully the dinner will go well, and I won't act like a little girl around my dad. I've even got Olivia making me a dinner gown."

"Out of curiosity, has your father ever said what he wants you to do?" Elsa inquires. She tosses the device in the crate and picks up another. This one is some multi-sided, multicolored thing. She laughs softly and turns it over in her hands. I forgot about this."

"What is that?" Amy asks, before answering, "Well, no, he never really did. After I stopped training with Isolde, I don't think he talked to me about the future at all. When I started militia training, he was only concerned that I was doing my best."

"Your first test," Elsa says and tosses it to Amelia, "Get all the colors the same on each side." Easier said than done. It has ten sides and they all interlock and slide around. smiling, she adds, "And try to think like a Wingnut."

"Your father may feel bad that you didn't get your dream of becoming a witch and doesn't know how to say it. Or doesn't want to sound like he's pitying you. Or, it may just be that he feels as a Blacktail, you should have the strength to decide your own future," Elsa suggests, "And doesn't want to push his opinions on you. What does he say to your brothers?"

"Like a Wingnut," Amy says, turning the oddly shaped thing in her hands. She tries turning and twisting it, and then looks to Elsa. "It's a trick question, isn't it? A Wingnut would take it apart to see how it works, right? Oh, he meddles with them all the time about how they are or aren't doing things right. Mostly their wives tell him their complaints and he tells the boys… "

"Smart woman," Elsa says with an approving nod. "A Wingnut wouldn't try to solve the puzzle; they would dismantle it and just reassemble it in the right order after they figured out how it works." Pausing, she then asks, "What about the unwed ones? He really only doesn't speak to you?"

"They talk too," Amelia says, still studying the toy. "But… maybe it's me. I don't go and ask him questions. It's like I turn into a six-year-old around him. And I can't take this apart, I'm afraid I'd break it."

"It doesn't matter if you did. It's all just stuff. Things left behind," Elsa says with a small sigh. "I couldn't come in here for a long time. When I'd look at anything in here all I'd ever see is Stephan. But … he's gone. Time to let go of the past." She pauses to wipe over her eyes and slip her 'reading' glasses back on.

"If Zahn and I have a son, could I name him Stephan?" Amy asks cautiously, before returning the twist-toy to the crate.

"Only if you really wanted to. I wouldn't want you to do that for me," Elsa notes with a small smile.

"I liked the Stephan that I met," Amelia says. "He deserves a second chance."

"Do you really think such things are possible? As a witch in training, was it ever said that someone could … " Elsa starts to say, but is interrupted by a light knocking on the door.

Amy nearly jumps at the tapping, especially given the topic. "Who is it?" she asks.

"Elsa? Is that you? That doesn't sound like you… " comes an older male voice. "Oh, Andre, is it time already?" Elsa answers this time, "Amelia and I were talking and lost track of time."

"Hello, Mr. Kettenrad," Amelia adds once she's sure it isn't a ghost.

The door opens to reveal that yes, indeed, it's not a ghost. Andre steps inside and slips his hands in his pockets. "So, what were you two talking about? Not about me, was it? My ears were itching a bit," he asks and looks between the two women.

"Itching ears?" Amy asks, and looks to Elsa.

"Amelia was just fretting a bit over the upcoming dinner, Andre. Nothing serious," Elsa says with a smile to her husband. To Amelia, she says, "Oh, Andre always claims his ears itch anytime someone is talking about him. It's silly, isn't it?" She gives Amelia a look.

"Oh, I thought maybe you had to rub in a special cream for him," Amelia stage-whispers back.

Elsa can't help but laugh. "Ah, anyway, I have dinner ready," Andre says as he looks between the two again with a bit of confusion. "Amelia is welcome to join us, of course. I don't know if Zahn or Gunther will be there, though. Gunther is off doing something about otters I think. Not sure what. Hopefully we won't have to apologize to anyone. Zahnrad feels he's close to a breakthrough on his project and doesn't want to stop working just yet."

"I could bring him something to eat," Amelia offers. "He shouldn't skip a meal if he's working hard."

"If you think you can get him to eat. He tends to forget," Andre notes. "As did you, Andre," Elsa reminds him, "if you remember. I had to bring you dinner often too."

"I can get him to eat," Amy promises, and winks at Elsa.

"Elsa would bite my tail if I didn't eat," Andre comments, "But please don't be afraid to eat with just us."

Elsa smiles a bit and shakes her head, saying, "Zahn is more interesting than we are, Andre. Think about it. Would you prefer to eat alone with me, or with my parents."

"Oh, right," Andre agrees.

"Besides, how often do you two get to eat alone together?" Amy notes.

Andre actually laughs at that and holds up his hands. "Okay, you win, I won't pressure. I'm sure we can talk at the more formal dinner, anyway. I'm sure I'll need to speak with your father a bit as well," he says.

"About trade stuff?" Amy asks.

"And other things. I want to be sure our issues in the past won't affect you two," Andre notes.

"Oh," Amelia says, having forgotten about that. "Well, don't hurt him, okay?"

"Hurt him?" Andre laughs, "I just want to be sure that well, childhood battles are over and forgotten. And I might point out here that it is highly unlikely I could hurt him."

"What did you two fight over anyway?" Amelia asks, not knowing too much about her dad's youth.

"A lot of stupid things, but in general just because of clan distrust. He would try to get me to tell him of of any 'rumors' I heard around my clan and if the adults were up to anything. Hopefully that is over. Time will tell," Andre says with a small shrug.

"I don't think he's like that now," Amelia says, although she doesn't sound too certain.

"Like I said, time will tell. All kids do things that baffle explanation. My own son is proof enough of that," Andre says.

"Which son?" Amy asks for clarification.

"Gunther," Andre clarifies. "He was brushing an otter earlier."

Elsa stands up and dusts off her dress. "Well, I should be going down to dinner, Amelia. Thank you for coming by. You should come by more often," she says.

"Oh, I will!" Amelia asks, getting up to follow. "Maybe Gunther was just checking for hidden stuff in the fur?" she suggests.

"On Midge?" Andre asks and pushes his glasses up a bit. "She is a nice girl … but forgive me she is dimmer than a half-shekel candle. What would she have hidden he would be worried about?"

Amelia just has to shrug at that. "Maybe he's working on a new disguise. Should I find out for you?"

"It would probably be a good idea to find out what he's up to. He's been a bit secretive of late," Andre says with a nod. "Anyway, Elsa and I should eat. Tell Zahn hello for us?"

Elsa smiles again to Amelia and exits the beaten cabin.

"Of course, sir," Amelia promises, and follows out. Okay, now I have to spy on Gunther? And act like an adult at dinner. And… maybe I should learn to just walk on my hands while I'm at it. I hope Zahn is hungry at least…

As the group heads back down the walkway carefully, silence falls again on the decaying cabin. A pale blue glow creeps out of the crate that Elsa was backing. Slowly, the odd puzzle floats up into the air. The blue extends back tracing out the form of a young Kadie. His fingers dance lightly over the toy, which separates into dozens of parts and then reassembles into the completed form. The ghost smiles lightly and sets the toy back into the box. It 'stands' and slips its hands into pockets at its sides. "I liked you too, Amelia," Stephan says, then fades once more to nothingness as the final rays of sunlight fade into night.

---

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

Amelia fallows the elder Kettenrads into the main dining area. There she prepares Zahnrad a small plate of mixed vegetables and nuts, as well as something for herself. The walk to Zahnrad's shop is rather uneventful … Gunther is still nowhere to be found. But in any event, the lights are all lit in his workshop when Amelia arrives. The door is open too and probably to the Kadie's relief, it's somewhat quiet. Zahn doesn't seem to have his larger tools running right now. Amelia can just make out the bushy tail of Zahn sticking up over the top of some rather strange looking machine. Parts she may recognize as the engine he's been working on … but it's changed significantly since the last time. Ceramic tubes curl and bend all over it now. It looks like sort of twisted body organ, really.

"Knock knock," Amy calls as she approaches. "Are you changing your motor into a pump or something?" she asks upon seeing all the tubing.

"Nope, improving the exhaust a bit and trying to get better fuel flow. The injection rate was too erratic. I added multiple vaporization chambers to try to get better consistency!" Zahn calls out from where he's working. His tail then disappears, followed by a painful thud. "Ow," he grumbles as he comes up, rubbing the back of his head. "Stupid table."

"Oh… well I brought you some supper," Amelia comments. "You need to eat and keep up your strength."

"Supper? Isn't it too early for supper? It's only early afternoon, right?" Zahnrad asks, looking confused. It's about then he notices the sun has gone down. "Or … uh, lost track of time." He grins sheepishly a bit then walks over to Amelia. Rubbing the back of his neck, he says, "Thanks. You're … I don't know what I would do without you, Amelia."

"You'd miss dinner is what," Amy says, and gives Zahn a hug after setting down the food. "Let's eat."

Zahnrad gladly accepts the hug and nuzzles her neck lightly before he lets go. He steps back and looks around for a moment. "Aha," he says, then goes and quickly clears off one of the worktables and pulls over a couple crates to sit on. He grins briefly, then switches to a frown. "You know, you deserve better than eating dinner on a crate," he says with a sigh. "I need to sign out the dining room sometime for a real dinner with you."

"Sure, after I learn how to cook better," Amelia says, taking the other crate. "And we've got the fancy dinner tomorrow night too. Have your clothes picked out?"

Zahnrad stops halfway through sitting down. His tail then sticks straight back and puffs out. "Tomorrow is the dinner?" he says, looking completely shocked. Near panic, really.

Amy looks at Zahn in silence for a moment. "Yes, tomorrow," she finally says. "Is that a problem?"

"I'm not ready! I don't have any idea what I'm going to wear! I have no idea what I'm going to say to your father!" Zahn chitters. "What if he asks when I'm going to propose? What if he tells me to quit seeing you!? What if he punches me through a wall?!?"

With a sigh, Amy answers, "When the time is right, you're going to see me anyway, and the walls are too thick to be punched through. And just wear your good non-work clothes. But something with a bit of green would go well with my gown… "

"Just keep calm and everything will be fine," Amy promises, smiling now. "And if Erik talks about airships, don't go crazy."

Zahnrad sits down on the crate with a thud. He takes a few deep breaths and calms himself down. "Sorry. I just … I hope your family likes me. Mine adores you, Mom was asking about … " His ears perk straight up. "What's this about airships?"

Amelia closes her eyes and counts backwards under her breath, then opens and says, "That's what your mom thinks. Erik invited you specifically, so it seems like a good guess."

"Really? Do you think he'll help pay for some decent materials? Maybe build a dock where prototypes can be worked on?" Zahn asks, looking more excited and less nervous. "It will have to be a different than normal dock to accommodate my prototypes, of course."

"Zahn, you're getting sidetracked again," Amy warns, and reaches over to tap him on the nose. "We don't know for sure what Erik wants. It could be about the attack at the dam too, or something entirely different."

Zahn blinks and rubs his nose. "Oh, sorry," he says sheepishly. "I don't have a lot of self control when it comes to the topic."

"Well, try to fake some then," Amelia says. "I'll sit next to you at dinner, so if you feel my claws dig into your leg, that will be a signal to draw back a bit, okay?"

Zahn's head tilts a bit. "Do you think Erik will try to take advantage of me, then?" he asks, "Or that I'll do something embarrassing?"

"I don't know, I just don't want you going all super-focused," Amy says. "Erik has lots of ideas but hardly ever any good plans for carrying them out. If you ask a bunch of questions, you might scare him."

"Okay," Zahnrad says with a nod. "There is something else we both need to worry about."

"And it won't look good if you're too eager to pursue something that you want if it isn't in the best interests of the town," the girl notes. "Oh, what else?"

"Gunther," Zahnrad says flatly.

"You don't think an airship dock is in the best interests of the town? It would help un-isolate this town," Zahnrad points out.

"The Chalks like isolation," Amy says. "And there may be other uses. Just having a dock won't bring in airships – the weather is too rough on them. The dinner is to talk about trade, so the focus will be on goods rather than transport."

"You can't have goods without a way to transport them," Zahnrad argues, then sighs. "And if it's mainly about goods, then this clan has little to offer. We don't produce anything. Well, nothing widely salable, anyway."

"I don't know that anyone makes things we could sell abroad," Amelia says. "Maybe the Silverfoots' wine would sell. Who knows? We'll find out tomorrow."

"Or! Maybe the dock would be for bringing in more tourists. I know Erik likes tourists," Zahnrad babbles. he then blinks and smacks his own forehead, muttering, "Okay, I'm doing it again."

"Right! You have to control yourself, otherwise my dad and the others will think they need to 'protect' the Wingnuts from jumping into things," Amelia says, waving a fork.

"Protect? Protect us how?" Zahnrad says and arches his brow.

"By not having you on the Council, maybe, so you aren't exposed to these things," Amelia suggests. "Remember, your dad is on it now because Gunther showed that Wingnuts can think about the welfare of others before their own."

"That's … insulting. Getting excited about something isn't the same as doing something completely stupid," Zahnrad says. "Nice to know we're thought of less than even the otters."

"Zahn, when you get excited about something – like your engine fixes - you completely ignore everything else," Amy points out. "All the Wingnuts are like that. It's what makes you Wingnuts!"

"If I completely ignored everything else, I would have closed that door in the underground and stayed in that room," Zahnrad counters. He then just closes his eyes and rubs his fingers over his eyelids. "I really don't want to argue about this. I don't think I could explain how I feel."

"But this time it could be about something really important to you," Amelia says.

"You don't think what was down there was important to me? That stuff has the answers to every question and problem I'm dealing with right now. I … we shouldn't argue. I'll do my best to remain calm tomorrow night," Zahnrad relents. "I know you just don't want the town to think me insane."

Amy stays quiet for a bit, and just eats. "I was also hoping my father would see that I'm important to you too," she says quietly.

Zahnrad reaches over. His fingers curl lightly over Amelia's hand, stopping her from eating for a moment. "Amelia," he says quietly, looking down at his plate, "You're more important to me. I can build an airship; I can build machines. But what I can't do … is replace you. Out of everything that could happen tomorrow, my biggest fear is your family won't accept me."

The Kadie girl just sits there for a moment. "Thank you," she says. "I needed to hear that. It's the only thing that should matter to my father, I hope."

"I've been thinking about if it would be worthwhile to spend time with your family. Perhaps your brothers or even your father," Zahnrad continues. "You spend time with mine; they know you now. I want yours to know me. Not just … the stories and my past attempts with stuff." His tail shifts a bit so it drapes, then curls around Amelia's tail. "And that I am not letting go of you without a fight."

Amy smiles again, and rustles her tail a bit. "My brothers, sure. I think they already like you. We don't do much of interest though. Farming, and training. It would give a different perspective on things though, I think."

"Interest is relative," Zahnrad quips. "It would be different, which by that nature, would make it interesting. Have any of your brothers actually said anything to you about me?"

"They ask when the next airship is going to be ready," Amy says.

Zahnrad frowns. "That may just mean they want to wager again with Emmett, or are hoping I kill myself," he points out.

"I dunno," Amelia says. "We have a lot of stuff that was Wingnut made. They even have a funny little saying."

"Dare I ask?" Zahn asks.

"Give a Wingnut a spoon and he'll dig you a tunnel," Amy recites. "Give him a sword and he'll plow your field."

"I think they expect you to build a working airship eventually," she notes.

Zahn has to think about that for a bit. "That's silly. A spoon is a terribly inefficient way to dig a tunnel," he notes. The Kadie then blinks and adds, "Someone actually believes it will work?"

"Well, yeah," Amy says. "I suppose they'd try to discourage you otherwise. I think that's what the saying is about: it doesn't matter if the tool you give them isn't right for the job, they'll still get it done somehow."

"Well, the second part about the sword is more likely. If you reshape the blade a bit, it would make a passable plow," Zahnrad considers and taps his chin. "And you know, around here none of the tools are right for what I'm trying to do. I've had to modify the plans the Titanian left several times already to account for the … lack of decent materials."

"But you'll get it right eventually with what you have?" Amy asks.

"Probably. I'm doing work in stages and adjusting as I do. Like I was saying about the fuel system needing work," Zahnrad notes then finally takes a bite of food. "What I really need is metal for certain parts, though. The stress put on them is fairly extreme. The transfer shafts on the rotational core need to be able to handle a lot of force. I'm using some ceramic inlaid with strips of chitin for now. But it limits the amount of power I can try to get without shattering it."

"What kind of metal?" Amy asks.

"Well, iron or steel would be helpful. But honestly, I would love to find a way to melt down some of the stuff we found in that underground workshop. It looks like it's stronger than iron and certainly doesn't rust. That reminds me, I wanted to talk to Roy about that. I have some samples he could try," Zahn muses.

"If anyone can figure it out, he can," Amy says. "He and Deirdre are getting along, it seems. No idea when their new furnace thingy will be done though."

Zahnrad takes a few more bites, then asks, "Want to see how the prototype is working?"

"It isn't going to spin you around and fling you into the wall again, is it?" Amelia asks, eyeing the engine.

"No. It'll fling you this time," Zahnrad says with a grin. He holds it all of five seconds before adding, "I've improved the mounts, it's more stable now."

"Will it stink?" Amy asks next, just in case.

"Well … it doesn't smell great. It runs off otter moonshine … so make of that what you will," Zahn admits.

"Okay, so long as it doesn't get us drunk," Amelia says.

"What, afraid that if I'm drunk I'll act like a wild Kadie and chase you down?" Zahn says with a waggle of his brow towards her. He pushes himself off his crate and goes to set up. The setup involves two long cords, apparently, and a winding of something on the engine. Once the various bits are set, he pours a mug of clear liquid into a pot attached to the device.

Amelia holds her nose, just in case.

Zahnrad takes both of the cords and steps away from the machine. He ends up a good ten feet from it, actually. He gives the first cord a pull, which releases the spring he was apparently winding. There's an odd thumping, then whirring sound as the device starts to shake. This goes on for about fifteen seconds before there's a series of muffled booms and the whole thing jerks to life. Zahnrad starts pulling the second cord … and the machine grows louder. Notably, though, the muffled bangs are not always perfectly in sequence. That's not the bad part, though, because whenever there isn't a bang … a second later a burst of blue flame shoots out one of the pipes attached to it!

"Is it supposed to do that?" Amy shouts over the noise.

"No! I'm having issues with the ignition sequence. It misses now and then and then the hot pipe ignites the fuel when it's coming out!" Zahnrad calls back. He tugs the first cord hard again and the machine sputters and grows silent. Well, except for one final belch of fire out the pipes which sets a nearby box on fire. Zahn dashes over and starts beating out the flames with a broom.

"Well. uh," Amy says, trying to come up with a suggestion. "Why not just use the hot pipe then instead?"

"Can't. The pipe gets hot because of the exhaust in the first place," Zahn says after he gets the fire under control. Tossing the broom aside, he goes back over and sits down beside Amelia again. He's about to say something when the box that was on fire pops open and a smoldering head pops out. Gunther's head. "Gah! Try and burn me alive already!" he growls.

"Aaaah!" Amy yells at the sight of Gunther, and jumps up onto her crate.

"Gunther! What the heck are you doing?" Zahnrad growls at his brother!

"I was looking for parts! I need some stuff!" the young Kadie insists. "I wasn't spying on you two! I didn't hear anything about worries that Amy's father won't like you."

"GUNTHER!" Amelia growls. "WHY DON'T YOU JUST ASK YOUR BROTHER FOR THE PARTS!"

"He's supposed to!" Zahnrad adds.

"You were busy!" Gunther counters, "Plus, you would laugh at me."

"Is it for another booby-trap then?" Amelia asks, putting a hand to her chest as she sits back down.

"No. I'm, uh, building, heh," Gunther says as his voice grows quieter and quieter, "an otter suit."

Zahnrad just stares at Gunther, then starts to snicker. He has to clamp his hand over his muzzle to stop it.

"What, like that Gunther-suit you made?" Amelia asks.

"So I can swim better and keep an eye on the Akwavi," Gunther growls as he glares at his brother.

"Oh," Amelia says, and looks thoughtful. "That sounds pretty useful, actually. What do you need for it?"

"And has nothing to do with the rumor that you have your eyes on the twins and want to ask them out and keep up with them?" Zahn asks his brother.

Gunther twitches at Zahn's comment. "That is not true," he says, "I can keep up with them just fine now."

"Wait… you mean your suit would let you swim just like an otter?" Amelia asks, just to certain.

"That is the plan, yes," Gunther says.

"What do you need to make it work?" Amelia asks the younger Kadie, leaning forward in interest now.

"Rubber," Gunther says flatly, "To waterproof it. And more otter fur. I have the diagrams laid out on how to use it to adapt a Kadie body to be more Akwavi-like, I just need to deal with the water issues."

Zahnrad swivels his head around and looks at Amelia like she's grown another head. "What are you … " he starts to say, then realizes Amelia is probably thinking she can use this to keep Gunther occupied for a while and not near the dinner.

"How much rubber?" Amy asks.

"A couple gallons so I don't have to worry about running out," Gunther answers.

"Gallons?" Amy asks, looking surprised. "That will take a few days, I think. After you get the first one made, will you be able to make one fitted to a Lapi?"

"If I had a Lapi model, probably. Why?" Gunther asks.

"Yes, why?" Zahn echoes.

Amelia just blinks. "Why? What do you mean why? For the militia of course!"

"Why don't you just hire some Akwavi for the militia," Zahn asks Amelia.

"Because that would be work, duh," Gunther tells his brother. "Akwavi don't do work."

"Gunther is half-right," Amy notes. "Akwavi are only formidable in the water. On dry land they don't have the right build for fighting. But if we could have Kadies and Lapis able to swim like otters, then we can use the swamps for outflanking the enemy!"

Zahn rubs the bridge of his nose. "All right. If you really want to encourage Gunther on this, go for it," he says.

Gunther just grins. "Kadies have an advantage with our tails, of course. That will be the hard part with Lapis," he notes. "But if you can get me rubber, great! I'll uh, leave you two alone now do do whatever it is you two do together. I should ask Emmett sometime what it is you two do together."

"Why would Emmett know?" Amy asks, sounding suspicious.

"Because he's kept trying to be with you, right? So whatever he wants must be what you two are doing," Gunther reasons.

"That… doesn't make any sense," Amelia says.

"Anyway! I'll leave you two alone," Gunther says, grinning in his devious way. He takes a few steps to the side, then darts out the door.

Zahn … sets his head on the table. "I can't believe I'm related to him," he mutters.

"Why not?" Amy asks with a grin.

"Because he's crazy," Zahnrad says. He rolls his head a bit so he can look up at Amelia. "And if you marry me some day, you'll be related to him, too," he points out.

"I don't see a problem there," Amelia says, shrugging. "He's not too crazy, after all."

Zahnrad laughs and sits up. Grinning and waggling his brow, he slides his arms around the black Kadie and leans in, saying teasingly, "Then I should act quickly or you might just come to your senses and run screaming from this loony camp."

"Maaaaybe," Amelia semi-agrees, and leans back against Zahn. "But first you have dress nicely for dinner tomorrow. You do have clothes that aren't used for working in, right?"

Zahnrad pulls Amelia against him, then rests his chin atop her head. "I think I do, somewhere," he muses, thinking. "In fact, I know I do. For the ceremonies thing you went through. You said I should wear something with green, right?"

"I'll be wearing green, so it would be a nice match," Amy says. "My dress will knock your eyeballs out!"

"I hope no one steps on them," Zahnrad says, "Squished eyeballs hurt." Grinning, he adds, "I should point out the Kadie in the dress knocks my eyeballs out all the time. I must be the envy of the town."

"You think so?" Amy asks, smiling up at Zahn.

"I know so," Zahn asserts.