Note: This is not a representation of game play but a work of fiction which is made from game play from the game Tales of Hepian.
"So how did it go?" Jesay says with a grin on her face as Ezekeal and her ride up to the North Station in the cab.
"It went better than expected," Ezekeal says with a grin, which cannot be seen underneath the mask. "Everything is taken care of. We just need to get the northern chief on the same page."
"You're doing a very good job," She is a little impressed with him.
"Well, we couldn't have done much worse than what you were doing when I found you," He says with a few patronizing parts on her shoulder.
Jesay crosses her arm and looks out the window. He didn't want to slap the guy because he just pulled off something she could have never done, "Er... thanks. I guess."
The Northern office isn't as spectacular as the main station. The walls are plain and not decorated, it blends in with the other boxy buildings all around. It it wasn't for the shield of the Authority painted on the windows one could mistake it for any other shabby bar, shop, or warehouse. The lobby of this building is busier than the main station. The sound of people fill the room. There are sobbing mothers who are having to talk through translators to tell officers about their missing children. There are concerned tourists who have been conned or pick-pocketed right when they have gotten off the boat. There are the usual riffraff who hang around looking to pick up bounties. Also, there are lines of people asking directions. Ezekeal has to wait in line to even get to the desk despite what he does or how tough he looks.
Five old foreign women get through the line, most of then asking where a bistro is, and then Ezekeal gets to the desk. The clerk is agitated and is drumming his fingers impatiently against the desk. He doesn't even look up, "What do you want?"
"I am looking for Cleetus Scotler," Says Ezekeal.
The clerk looks up and straightens up at Ezekeal's imposing figure, "Oh, sorry sir. He is out of his office at the moment on some important duties. I can leave him a message."
"I just need him to receive this memo."
The clerk holds out his hand and waits. Ezekeal places the memo in his hand and the clerk snatches it out. The clerk gets up, opens a side panel full of pneumatic tubes and stuffs the memo into a cylinder. He puts the cylinder in the pipe marked for the station chief and it makes a satisfying sucking noise up the tube. Ezekeal can see it race off in the tubes above him in the ceiling whizzing off to its final destination.
"It is all taken care of now."
"Good, oh, and good luck with this crowd." Ezekeal makes hsi way outside through the crowd. Waiting there is Jesay in the cab. He gets into the cab and they start making plans with Jesay on where to hand them out. They formulate a plan where to hand out the pamphlets, and he gets the idea to use Authority officers to help.
"The plan will go like this," Ezekeal says with a smirk, "you are going to head back to the city center. I am going to go back into the Authority office and get some help from spare officers to sell the pamphlets which you will provide them. After selling the stack of pamphlets, the Authority will head back to you and hand you the revenue they get. Once you get the majority of them sold, contact me."
"Okay," Jesay says with a smile, "but how are you going to convince them?"
"Just tell them. It has been working so far." He laughs and then gets out of the car.
He goes back into the office and this time makes it through the line and talks to the clerk. He explains to the clerk that he needs spare officers from this station to help him. Though, the clerk shakes his head and calls the main station which gets him connected to Mr. Donner, the Authority's liaison to the Tourist Committee, again. Donner and the Clerk, Ezekeal and Donner, and The Clerk and Ezekeal all talk together. The main station has a few officers who have nothing to do on duty, but they can only sell the pamphlets for this day. Once the World's Fair starts, every available officer will be unavailable so Ezekeal and Jesay will be on their own after that. And with some apprehension Donner agrees to set up a post for Jesay near the town center so she can sell pamphlets herself and have the officers find them. The clerk finally gets off the phone and Ezekeal starts to leave, but before he can several women start to approach him, "You have pamphlets with information on this city?"
"Why yes," Ezekeal says, "they will be sold at the main tourist destinations. They will tell you all you need to know about Ranstoc!"
There's a commotion in the room as this message of hope and information gets translated into several different tongues. Ezekeal makes a quick exit and tells Jesay of what has transpired and collects his marmoset companion. Jesay then leaves in the can toward the Clock House Square. Ezekeal is left there outside alone. He leaves the scene quickly and ducks into a back alley where he changes back into his normal daily clothes.
He starts heading west toward the lighthouse bar.
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The music seemed to seep through the walls in the building which Georgie jumped in to avoid his Solopian cannibal pursuers. It is definitely not coming from the current room, due to the fact the room is empty except for the window behind him, the door which looks like it could fall off its hinges ahead of him, and the lumps of dust which surrounded him. He gets closer to the door and listens intently to the music which is coming somewhere in the building. He can tell that the music is coming from the floor above him so he goes out of the room to look for some stairs. The hallway Georgie enters is dark and has a few bottles which long ago contained substance, but have been long since drunk. The doors which line the hall must be to more small rooms which is like the one he entered, but they are carved into with several different symbols. He starts to recognize them as symbols which Cizinec squatters use to mark where they were. Each symbol represents a person from a family and clan and the date which they were there. He sees that a lot of rooms are occupied by Casgi, a clan of Cizinec who are the most nomadic of the Ciziznec clans but also the friendliest. He suddenly realizes that he is in a Pruchag.
He sees a door way at the end of the door which lead to a stair case, one going up and the other going down. He goes up the stairs and each step groans as if it is a strain for them to bare any weight. They are loud enough that if any one above him could hear despite the loud music and his entrance would not be unnoticed, but the music did not stop and there were no shuffling noises of panicked people who are hiding so deduces that the musicians or the party above him are not worries about intruders.
At the top of the stairs Georgie can clearly see light coming through the cracks of the door. The door itself has a symbol for a community area. Without fear he opens the door and there are lots of people in the room. He can identify people hailing from the Cizinec clans of Casgi and Nostro. The band which is playing is mainly made up of Nostro, though they are not dressed up in their "professional" attire. There are also people who hail from the lower classes of the Negustor, which is common the further south in the Hepian Empire one travels. But then there are strange people who are dancing around in a fashion which some could mistake for traditional Cizinec folk dancing but there are movements, dips, and sways combined with rhythmic drumming of feet which make it look dramatically different the traditions which Georgie grew up with throughout his childhood. The leader of the troupe is dancing along playing a strange wind instrument. From what Georgie can see there isn't an elder in sight but Elder Casgi are always around watching over that things never get out of hand.
Georgie decides to sit down and watch the women dancing, hopefully after time passes his pursuers will forget about him.
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Bruno and Evelyn stand at the edge of the Clock House Square looking toward the North with Evelyn's wolf companion, Zora, by their side. They both mount the wolf and start to ride, Evelyn is in front and Bruno is sitting behind her awkwardly trying to hold on.
"Why in the name of the goddess do you want to buy livestock?" Evelyn asks as they make their way on the back of the wolf.
"I need to buy an animal to woo the most beautiful woman from Disobia!" He says as he thinks of his foreign-soon-to-be-lover.
"So livestock... woo women... from Disobia," Evelyn says as she raises and eyebrow in utter confusion. She tries to fathom what Disobia might be, other than a disease, but cannot recall anything by that name. So, she thinks it must be a ritzy manor or elite socialite club that she probably has never heard of. Evelyn always thought that rich people were peculiar.
They arrive at the building which from the looks of it is an abandoned building. Apparently it once was a warehouse with several offices above that. Though, the warehouse part is clearly closed by the large chain and pad lock which hangs on the front metal double doors. Several of the windows are boarded up and a condemned sign sits neatly above an old sign announcing the complex's name is.
"I am skeptical that there are people in there, let alone animals." Bruno says in a skeptical tone as he gets off the wolf.
"That's the point." Evelyn smirks snidely and starts to walk toward the building.
Bruno follows her and as they approach the building they can hear music coming from nearby. Evelyn starts to look around the building and Bruno proceeds to follow her.
"What are you looking for?" Bruno is bewildered.
Evelyn shakes her head and continues to walk around the building, "The entrance."
"But we clearly saw the front was locked shut!"
"You think they would make it that obvious?" Evelyn makes a sound of displeasure. "They mark the main entrance, while setting traps or alarms for unwelcome guests."
They circle the building for a second time looking. Bruno tries to look for whatever indication there is of an "entrance" but figures he obviously does not see what Evelyn sees.
"Miss, I think we have the wrong building." Bruno says with a sigh, he could feel himself getting further away from his goal and his prospective-lover.
Evelyn suddenly stops in her tracks, which makes Bruno come to a dead stop too. Evelyn points three stories up the building toward a window. Bruno twitches his mustache and squints but still cannot make out what Evelyn sees.
They jump and climb up a fire escape ladder, go up two flights of fire escapes, and come to the window. Evelyn cautiously opens the window and peers into the room. The room is empty, except for a door which seems to be coming off its hinges. There are several sets of footprints int he room, but all toward the door. Evelyn climbs inside, goes through the door, and goes into the hallway. Evelyn looks at the doors as they pass down them and can tell which families from which clans have been through this Pruchag. She looks at both ends of the hallways and sees at one end it has the symbol for the community area and heads toward the stairs.
"We're going up," Bruno says with some apprehension, "shouldn't we go down? I doubt they would keep livestock up there... or on the roof."
"Foolish man," Evelyn says with a slightly irradiated laugh. "We have to ask someone first."
They go to the community area and step in. Not a man notices the fiery haired Evelyn as she steps over the threshold, but the party stops as soon as Bruno comes in. Despite his enthusiasm from early that day for training, he never took the extra time to dress for training. So after several falls to the ground, running, and fighting his once finely tailored casual clothes have become warn, sweat stained, bloodstained, and frayed. His appearance is unkempt except for his perfectly waxed mustache which he is known for keeping curled no matter what the situation. After a moment of strained silence, everyone goes back to what they are doing.
Evelyn surveys the room for Bruno, trying to find a person who sells livestock. She first sees a rather charming looking man with an angelic, trusting face, and a puffy shirt. His sleeve is up just enough that she can make out the starting of a brand which indicates an exile mark of the Nem. She then sees a man with a thin mustache smoking a pipe, on his clothing he has the symbol for a goat farmer. She then sees the foreign man amongst the women dancing with the Nostro band. The man is wearing odd clothing but is obvious the leader of the pack of women who are dancing, Evelyn makes a note of this. She then sees a general livestock seller; an old man with a long goatee. Not to far off but still looming in the background is the elder who runs the Pruchag and bordering him on either side of him are his two large, muscular sons.
As the music plays, the dance troupe dances and people are having private conversations under the music. As soon as either Bruno or Evelyn get near they stop talking but only glance their way as if they were intruding in on a private party. There are also people playing board games, card games, and other activities one would do while wasting time or catching up with an old friend. Children also dance to to the music as their mothers carefully watch from the background, if their mothers aren't distracted with idle gossip or taking care of the younger children.
Evelyn starts surveying the room, like anyone good mercenary would do. She notices the room itself is fairly large, it is fitting at least 40 people comfortable. There are still doorways, one to her left leads to a room which looks like a make-shift kitchen. Women and men huddle in there next to a poorly boarded window, which probably isn't boarded so tightly to let out any smoke. There seems to be a make shift fire place and they are cooking something which mixes in the air with the smell of living human bodies, incense, pipe smoke, and alcohol. Another doorway to her right is boarded up and has a caution sign on the boards. Most likely it leads to a solid drop, it looks like it could have been a freight-elevator once. The other door which has a door to it is one which the elder and his sons are standing in front of.
"What type of livestock were you thinking of?" Evelyn says as they make their way through the crowd.
"I was thinking a cow," Bruno says in thought. He hadn't given much though of what to give his soon-to-be Disobian lover. "Maybe something with horns."
Evelyn points out the man who has the markings of a general livestock farmer, "That's the gentleman you want to talk to. That man does general live stock." Then Evelyn points out the other man who does only goat farming, "And that man only goes goat farming."
"Thank you for tell me the difference," Bruno heads toward the man who Evelyn says does general livestock, because he not interested in goats. He was thinking that something large and robust would impress a woman more than a goat. Plus, his mother always had dislikes about goats. She never liked how they stared at her.
Evelyn decides to follow Bruno close by and listen in just in case he makes a fool of himself. She leans against the wall and tries to look disinterested with Bruno but can't help worry about him for some reason.
The farmer looks up and raises an eyebrow. He is not concerned that a regular citizen of the Hepian Empire is standing before him, because many citizens make their way into Pruchags especially when they need something which is not easily accessible in polite society. He figures from his unkempt clothes and bloodied knuckles that Bruno is either running from the law or he is a bruiser who found some trouble. Either way, the farmer judges that it is in his best decision to be a courteous and as polite as he can. "Hello... sir. How can I help you?"
"Do you sell cows?" Bruno says with hope.
"No, sir," the man shakes his head.
"Damn," Bruno shakes his head and feels like the no was a bullet to his heart. Though, he would not get discouraged and try to get the best and biggest animal he could afford, "What is the next largest animal besides a cow that you have?"
"Let's see," The old man strokes his goatee and closes his eyes, "I have goats, I have pigs, I have very large chickens. So large that midgets can ride them, I swear!" The man thinks for another moment and then says, "I had some ostriches, but I cannot sell them to you."
"Why?" Bruno says as he feels a little offended.
"They're sold!"
"They're sold?" Bruno repeats back.
"Yes."
"But I thought you said you have some," Bruno says as he tightens his fist a tad out of aggravation.
"No I HAD some..."
"Oh, had," Bruno shakes his head in compliance.
"And I've got produce," The old man finishes his list of things he sells.
"Produce," Bruno says with a snort. "Well, I don't want that because that isn't livestock. Do you happen to know about anything about the country of Disobia?"
"No, sorry." The old man says with a shrug.
"Do you know anything about impressing women with livestock?"
Evelyn tries to contain her laughter, but joins the old man and a few other people listening in. Bruno feels slightly embarrassed and starts to softly blush on his chiseled face. Evelyn shakes her head and relaxes a little seeing that no one is offended.
"Sorry, sir, yes," says the old man with a toothless grin, "I know lots about that."
"What would you recommend for wooing a young lady?" Bruno says as he regains his composure.
As it happens, Georgie is near by and hears this. He can feel the weight of the Solop beads in his pocket and feels that he has a chance to get rid of them. He slowly inches closer toward Bruno making sure he doesn't get too close.
"I would recommend something she can eat, milk, or both." The old man nods his head, "Something useful."
Bruno thinks about it for a moment and nodes. "Let me see how big your chickens are. I really want to see if you can have midgets ride them."
"Okay," he says as he gets up from the crate he was sitting on, "but they are not in this building."
"Then where do you keep your livestock?"
"Oh, I keep them in a different building so they don't get stolen." He says as he motions Bruno to follow him. "I keep them hidden so no one will steal them! Follow me and I will show you."
Bruno starts to follow the old man. Evelyn follows both of them. She is not sure about this old man or his claims. She knows the Cizinec and she knows that some claims are too good to be true. Then again, if they are true, she would not mind seeing some monstrous chickens. Goergie on the other hand follows all three of them out, he can hear each time the beads shuffle around in his pocket. He feels like he has been cursed ever since he has gotten his cannibal beads.
They all leave the building as they arrived. Down the dingy hallway, out the window and down the fire escape. Evelyn who is greeted by her wolf, Bruno, and the farmer start heading down the alley. Georgie is close behind them and then approaches the group. Evelyn eyes him, Georgie's smile may be charming but something deep down inside tells her he isn't to be trusted. Bruno on the other hand reacts differently to the clean shaven baby face of Georgie; memories are triggered back to his childhood when he use to go and sneak out to the circus against his father's wishes. Bruno was always approached by the circus folk, who his father claimed were Cizinec, and their faces were always friendly and trust worthy. It was a place where Bruno could forget about the weight of the Von Feif name and enjoy himself.
"I couldn't help over hearing that you were going to go purchase something for a lady friend." Georgie says as he passes the ever-sneering Evelyn and slides toward Bruno.
"I was interested in purchasing some livestock..." Bruno is bewildered by this charming man.
"Livestock?" Georgie is puzzled by this, apparently it is a trend he is missing. "What sort of lady friend would this be?"
"She is from Disobia," Bruno says beaming as he thinks of his future-love-interest.
"Oh I once new the most charming young woman from Disobia," Georgie says as he lies through his teeth but Evelyn nor Bruno can see through the deception. Georgie has no idea what Disobia even is, but whatever is was it must be important. "What she liked the most was the livestock," and with a wave of his hands he takes out the beads, "with beads!"
"Oh," Bruno says as if he is a child looking in through a window of a candy store where they just set out a display of colorful skillfully molded suckers. "Those are very nice beads."
"And I happen to have this very fine necklace I have been trying to barter," Georgie says as he flashes his charming smile again. "And I am offering the low price of one thousand Pres for these very exotic and rare beads."
"I don't even have one thousand on me," Bruno says in a half disappointed way. He is torn between ignoring this charming man and going with the advice of his trainer who he trusts, or somehow buying the necklace and not have enough money for the vital livestock!
Evelyn finally interjects and comes up to Bruno and scowls at Georgie, "Listen, was your lady friend even wearing jewelry when you last saw her?"
"Oh, what was she wearing?" Bruno thinks back to early in the day to his triumph over the foreigner who called him "hog wash." Then he starts to remember the man's companion, Bruno's unaware-sweet-heart. He can remember her black long hair, her voluptuous body, the sultry voice, and the flawless olive skin. His mind then goes back to the fact of the matter, she was not wearing any jewelry, but the man he beat had all of it.
"Well, if you're lady friend wasn't wearing any jewelry," Georgie says as he steps between Bruno and Evelyn, "then that means any that you give her will be that much more precious..."
"BY THE GODDESS YOU ARE RIGHT!" Bruno slaps his forehead. But the fact still stands that he doesn't have any money. So he flexes his muscles and tries to get the toughest look on his face, "I think you're prices are too deep."
Georgie yawns and isn't impressed. He has been bullied by bigger more fearsome looking men. Georgie takes a good look at Bruno to size him up and to estimate if this man could even have 1,000 Pres ever. Georgie notices Bruno's clothing, even though they are torn, stained, and ruined at this point, they are still clearly hand tailors and most likely fitted to him specifically. This indicates he has had some money in the past. He looks at Bruno's hands and see that the knuckles are fairly rough, and slowly but surely Georgie puts it all together. He must be the "home-town" hero Bruno Von Fief, the man who made it all the way to the final round last year's Grand Exhibition and lost. And that meant he had to have money somewhere, but not on him.
"Well, let's consider this," Says Georgie with his grand smile. "I will lower it to 800, but you can first pay me 400 now and when we get to it, you can pay me 400 later."
"Agreed," Bruno says as he takes out his wallet, "You have a deal my good sir!"
Evelyn shakes her head and glares at Georgie. Georgie figures he can just stick around until the next payment, plus Bruno could provide some added protection from her cannibal pursuers. "I think I am interested in those giant chickens."
"Why don't you join us," Bruno says with a smile, "my good new-founded friend."
All this time the farmer has been waiting, not caring either which way how the interactions between everyone goes. The farmer really only cares that he gets money somewhere along the way. They all go back to following the farmer to where he keeps his stock.
Off in the distance, on his way to the Lighthouse Bar, Ezekeal spots the group parading down the street. He quickly see that three of them are obviously Cizinec and one of them as a normal citizen of the Hepian Empire, but with the best quaffed mustache he has seen in years. He can identify one, Evelyn, who he recognized from many reports within the past few years. She is a "person of interest," which means they suspect her but cannot pin any crimes on her, in several murders in North Crow, Brandy Alley, West Hall, and Gallvarg. And because of this the Authority have put a 300 Pres award if she can be brought in to any authority station. All the posters that he has ever seen say that she is armed, dangerous, and irritable. He decides to tail them and get close enough to hear what is going on, he knows that if can catch the read headed vixen in a crime that bounty could triple.
Georgie starts to notice that the group is being watched. More specifically, he thinks he is being watched since he just conned Bruno. He leans over to Bruno and points out Ezekeal, "You might want to keep an eye on that man. He seems to be following us."
Bruno looks around and shrugs, "Who?"
"The man with the monkey on his shoulders." Georgie points straight him, "The man in the suit!"
"Oh that man..."
"Hush! He might do something if you make it too conspicuous that we know!" Georgie says.
Despite the distraction, Evelyn, Georgie, and Bruno follow the farmer to a small shop. As they enter, they notice it is a floral shop. The woman behind the counter of the shop looks at the farmer and nods, and the farmer nods back. They go through the back and out the back door. In the back lot are make shift fences which separate different animals; goats, pigs, small chickens, geese, and then large chickens. The chickens overshadow the geese and look just as oblivious. Strangely enough there are no roosters.
"How much are the large chickens?" Bruno asks.
The farmer grabs one of the large chickens, it starts flapping and making a ghastly chicken call which starts to make all the other animals make alarming noise. The chicken, despite fearsomely flapping its wings, does not get away from the farmer's iron grip. He smiles, "This one is 90!"
"Oh," Bruno says with some thought.
"They are special chickens," The farmer says as he tries to let Bruno have a better look at it.
Georgie seems skeptical, "How are they special?"
"They're big!" The man says excitedly.
"How?" Asks Georgie.
"They're big!" The man repeats.
"How much for the plumpest chicken?" Bruno asks.
The farmer tries to grab the plumpest chicken, but cannot. He grabs the chicken's feet but is too weak to lift this gargantuan chicken. Bruno gives it a try and lifts it up. Bruno can tell it is extremely heavy and Bruno has trouble trying to control his arm as the chicken flaps around.
"Perhaps I want the second plumpest chicken," Bruno says as he puts down the plumpest chicken. "If I am having troubles with this, then my lady friend will be unable to do anything with this."
Bruno spots the second plumpest chicken and tries to catch it, but it seems more spry than the plumpest chicken. They man smiles and nods, "That chicken is 120 Pres."
"How about 100?" Bruno suggests.
"No." The farmer says as he crosses his arm.
He looks toward Evelyn, who looks tougher then he is, and Georgie, who is more charming then he is. He could have either one of them talk it down, but it is HIS lady friend he is trying to woo, so by his own honor he will barter!
"Have some compassion," Bruno says, "100 Pres is enough for this chicken! This Chicken that will help me woo my curvy Disobian woman! Do you really want to stand between two destined lovers for a mere 20 Pres?!"
The farmer sighs and just want Bruno to stop talking, "Fine, 100 pres. Did you want me to kill it now?"
"NO!" Bruno shouts as he waves his arms. "I need the chicken alive!"
"Then you will have to have the chicken obey," The farmer says as he walks toward Bruno. "And for this task you will need a chicken flute! This will be another 50 Pres."
"Wait!" Georgie shouts. "A Chicken Flute?! Can we have a demonstration of this devise?"
"Thank the Goddess," Evelyn rolls her eyes, "at least you have some common sense."
"And I thought you didn't like me," Georgie says with a charming smile.
"I like you as much as I trust you, Nem." She hisses.
The farmer pulls out the flute, and the attention is drawn back on him. He gently holds it between two fingers and blows softly into it. Suddenly all the noise of the back lot stops and all the chickens, large and small, are looking right at him. The back lot for the first time, since they tread there, is still.
"Do they follow you?" Georgie is bewildered that such a simple thing would work.
The old man walks over and grabs one of the large chicken which seems pacified. He sets it down and blows into the flute again. He starts to walk forward and the hypnotized chicken starts to follow him.
"I am impressed," Georgie smirks.
"I want it for 25," Bruno says, and he is about to make another incredible speech when the farmer stops him and agrees.
"I will give you the best chicken flute I have." Says the farmer.
Bruno gives the farmer money and the farmer gets out the second plumpest chicken and the best chicken flute. Bruno reaches into his pocket and rubs his good lick charm and then blows into the flute. He finds the flute is awkward to play and the holes in the flute are oddly misshapen. The nose produced makes a strange noise which makes Zora, Evelyn's large wolf companion who is waiting in the front, howl.
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The long awaited assistant of Mr. Tarliser, Alfred Vance, finally comes through the doors. Mr. Vance is a short pudgy man with very large glasses which hug his face closely. He has no hair on his face, even his eyebrows seemed to be missing. More than likely his looks are only due to his job and not by any logical choice or illness. There's been a long history of assistants to inventors who have had no hair because of fires, explosions, and other occupational hazards.
Tarlister and Vance take out suitcases and start to put away the various components around the room. Erwin starts to help and does it in a more effective way so the job goes ten times as fast. Before they know it, they are racing to the elevator and then out the door of the Princess Madeline Hotel. The chauffeur drives and gets to Erwin's shop. They almost break down the door in excitement, clamor down the stairs where Erwin's fully functional machine shop is. He hurriedly clears off a space for the current project. Tarlister takes out the blueprints, Vance starts taking out the components, and Erwin starts up the machines. Tarlister and Vance look for something write on and Erwin offers them a napkin, they quickly take out pens and start to doodle all over of it. Making notations, scribbles, and other notes about what they will create. Erwin first looks at the blueprints and sees no flaws in it, then Tarlister looks and give his approval, but Vance looks it over and looks at the blueprint. He twists his mouth in several different directions as computations run through his head, and he changes the diameter of a gear.
Metal cutting, molding, melting, drilling, and lots of other activities start to happen. Tarlister, Vance, and Erwin work feverishly to finish this component. Soon, a rhythm starts to flow as the noise of bowling water, hissing metal, pounding hammers, drills boring holes, and the crazed but pleasurable humming of Tarlister.
After a bit they get the component done. All three of the men look it over using various instruments to check and double check that each specification is exact to the rough napkin blueprint. They then they start to assemble the machine together. Each of them working independently but together. Erwin has never worked with others in such a harmonious way with any other person. Tarlister and Vance seem to find Erwin interesting, understand his genius and madness. Erwin start to feel like his two new companions are like kindred spirits!
It takes little time to get the whole thing assembled and they last put the hose into place. The machine looks like a large canister with wheels attached for mobility and a long whose attached to the side. On the top is the switch, which only begs to be flipped on.
Tarlister keenly smiles and motions toward the machine, "My dear boy, I think that you should get the honor of turning on the machine."
Erwin nods and comes toward it. Ominously, Tarlister and Vance back further away from it. He meekly turns on the contraption and his two companions wince expecting something devastating to happen. But the only thing which happens is a little rattle and then a strange nose of a fan moving very fast. Erwin notices that dust on his floor is moving toward the hose. Soon small broken nuts, screws, and other objects start moving toward the hose too. A spanner starts moving toward the hose too. Erwin doesn't see it at first but then sees it moving ever so faster toward the hose.
"Oh wait, I'll need that!" Erwin shouts.
He jumps for it, but the spanner slips between his fingers and rattles in side the container. Out of panic he put his mechanical hand down into the tube. The horrid sound of suction against a smooth metal surface sounds. He can see his arm is getting further sucked in and the machine starts making a high pitched noise.
"Get your arm out of the hose quickly!" Tarlister tries to shout over the noise.
Erwin complies and tugs on the hose, and he dislocates the part from the machine. The high pitched whine of the contraption stops. Tarlister quickly moves toward the machine and turns it off.
"I think that's enough for today," He says with a sigh of relief. He looks at their machine and presses a button. The top of the canister flips open and he looks inside. Apparently one can get into the area where all the objects are sucked into. He reaches in and plucks out the spanner and flips the lid back down. Erwin slides the hose off and takes back his spanner.
"Well that went well." Tarlister says with a large grin. He turns to Vance, "Now that we know it works, let's get it to the fair!"
Tarlister and Vance check it one last time before Vance takes a large bag from one of his pockets. Tarlister looks toward Erwin, "Would you like to join us? Since we are main exhibitors, then we can bring others to the grounds even when it is closed."
Erwin looks excitedly. His heart pounds and his head starts to spin. "I know I felt like this early," he asks himself, "but by what? " The thought of Ethel, Joe's daughter, is pushed to the far reaches of his mind. The consumption of going to the fairground with his idol is first and foremost now in his mind.
"That would be great! I just found out about the World's Fair!" Erwin says with joy.
They pack and go to the car. The three ride toward the outskirts of town toward the fairgrounds.
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