What Do You Get For a Woman Who Makes Wonders?

[Glenn]

Messenger's Guild - Thad

"Ohhhhhh, c'mon you, shut up, will ya!" The poorly dressed, yet at least mostly clean boy was shouting loudly at a medium sized box he was carrying. He liked the mapmaker more BEFORE he had become a government employee and BEFORE he had the money to convince the guild to take on such jobs. No amount of money could convince them, and Thad especially, to take on a job if either they didn't want to or if the job was morally deranged, in which case, of course, they wouldn't want to anyway.

This one wasn't even nearly as dangerous as the last one the scamp had done for Burnie. Hell, it even fit their job description, what being the delivery of a package. They sure didn't usually deliver packages which had.. such lively contents however. It was all he could do to keep the damn thing in the box.

And the place he was delivering the package too! There were already rumors about her, witchcraft and all that, even a TREE in the middle of her home. One that wasn't there before. He wasn't AFRAID (Thad didn't get afraid, no sir) but still... it had cost Burnie a few extra coins, yes it had.

So there he was, warned that the door might open on its own when he arrived, fighting that instinct to throw the box, with its little holes cut into it, and the noisy thing inside in the door and run. That was a real shabby instinct, and there was no way he was going to fall to it, no way, no how, no sir.

Upon seeing the door in front of him, he shouted out, to no one in particular, but as instructed. "Package for Elspeth Von Drakken from Glenn Burnie and Rhaena Olwak, mapmaker and... blanket-wearing woman, them. Hello?" He kept moving towards the door, step by step, warily, but not scared, not him.

[Euphemia]

Package? Curious. Gloved fingers push quartz-lensed goggles onto her brow, rich blue eyes turned to give her door some critical regard. It won't open automatically for the poor messenger boy, and it's some moments before she arrives to open it herself.

Finding herself face to top-of-the-head with the boy on the other side, she frowns just a bit. He can see that the stories were true, from where he is. He can see that rumored tree (though how those rumors got started, she'll never know). He can see busy insects at work, shells reflecting light with a metallic sheen, each as long as the boy himself is tall. He can see many other things as well, though his attention might be diverted by the sudden crouch of Artificer that she might look him in the face.

"A package, you say? From Glenn and Rhaena? For me?" She'd heard him well enough the first time. But this is a surprising, unexpected delivery and she's not quite ready to accept that all these things are true.

[Glenn]

Messenger's Guild - Thad

The boy was cool. He was confident. He was collected. He was, most of all professional. The damn box was making more noise now. Aw heck, he was allowed a lapse here and there. So, without warning, he had shot his head past her crotch and was staring inside. "Are those bugs? Why the heck are they shiny? Why do you just let them run around? Is that tree even real?" Wait, a fake tree? That didn't make any sense either. "And what's that? And that? And that over there? The thing making the noise? You are the weirdest witch I've ever seen, lady. You don't even look like one." And then his gaze got a bit more serious, for he realized that he had just made quite a slip. "Aw, Crud. I just blew my tip, didn't I?" There went his streak. Damn.

He really did blow his tip, because as he leaned over to look past her, the top of the box fell off, and now, climbing with her front paws to peer at the woman, was a little, orange, mewing kitten.

[Euphemia]

She looks briefly amused by his behavior; it seems children are even more susceptible to the draw of curious wonders within her home. She might have paid him more attention, but she's been drawn to his package and what it contains. A kitten? She had put that on.. ah. Understanding blossoms in her mind. So that is what he meant to do? Perhaps she ought to have warned him. She and animals never got along so well, but perhaps exposure to her at an early age with somewhat mitigate the effects.

She reaches for the tiny beast, which reacts with a surprised hiss and a swipe of tiny claws. This does not bother her -- she's already wearing padded gloves to protect damaged hands, and if it could chew through those then the pain would be inconsequential. Despite the kitten's protests, she lifts it from the box to cradle against her chest, finally turning her head to give the boy a quick scrutiny. "Those are constructs shaped in the form of insects in order to raise their efficiency. They help me with my work and also serve as storage containers for useful tools. They are shiny because they are made of metal. They are allowed to run free because they are busy doing the things I tasked of them."

"That is a real tree, yes. It is the.. product of an experiment dealing with plant growth on unconventional surfaces, to increase farming production. That thing over there that glows is an arcanodynamic accumulator battery. It collects and stores arcane energy to be used for a variety of purposes. That one right there is for my experiments with manned flight. This one is for studying the nature of alchemical substances. I'm also not a witch, I'm an artificer. I don't do curses and things; I deal solely with devices of a unique and often magikal nature. A tip?" Ah, right. She digs around in a pocket, pulling free a small leather bag which is offered to him gently. "I can't remember how many I put in here. Ninety-something? I hope it will suffice. Any other questions?"

[Glenn]

Messenger's Guild - Thad

Thad's mind flashed through a number of possibilities as he stared still into the lab before him. He had half heard her words and understood almost none of them, at least until she mentioned that monetary amount right at the end.

Light dawned upon him. And NORMALLY, he wouldn't let himself be bought off like this, but the gift HAD just been a kitten. And she didn't look like she was going to eat it. And even if she did... well, all of this was real scary and he didn't want to be on her bad side.

"Questions?" He snatched at the pouch, weighing it in his hand warily. "No. No questions. And I won't speak of word of any of this to anyone." That's what she was buying, right? Silence. Why else would anyone offer so much money. "Don't you worry, Miss. Not a word, not even a hint of one. Silent. Quiet. That's me. Yesiree." He brought a finger up to his lip, before deciding it was a good time to turn and run off back towards the main part of town. A tree. And Bugs. And hey, that WAS a lot of money! What the heck were they going to do with it all anyway?