Lily remained wary of the golem as it approached, keeping her tails moving behind her should anything happen and she needed to unleash hell. 

Brucie seemed more intrigued than cautious, looking every time something sparked, glinted, or made a sound, and it was only with the utmost self-control, and—Lily suspected—the knowledge that she would be more than a little sour if he started picking things up, that he refrained from poking around at the nearest oddity. 

Luckily for her and her companions, the Golem shed its skin, as it were, leaving behind something that resembled a human. His arms were still stone, and he wore an odd eyepatch. She kept her expression carefully neutral, her only response to him was a small incline of her head, by way of greeting and answer to his question. In a way, she appreciated the way he discarded the usual niceties, instead going straight to business. 

She looked at Brucie expectantly, and the Shark stepped forward and extended his right arm, displaying the broken water cannon. “Would like to see if you could repair this,” he said. “Got broken yesterday, ain’t better than a kitchen tap now.”

On instinct Serval reached up toward the defunct weapon, but his stony chrome fingers stopped a few inches short. His one eye’s gaze turned inquiring as he hesitated. “Does it detach? If so, may I take it?”

The hammerhead gave a nod, and with the curled metal talons of his other hand reached over and began to tinker with the arm casing into which his cannon was slotted. In a few seconds he had opened part of the panel, and after unscrewing both the power cable and the hose Brucie handed the apparatus over.

Gingerly Serval took hold of the object, making sure to pluck it from Brucie’s grip rather than touch his mechanical hand. Once secure, the cannon was brought up before the smith’s eye, and for a couple moments he scrutinized it in great detail. Only the hum of magic and machinery keeping the scene from complete quiet as Serval pored over the weapon, but his face did not deviate from a mellow half-smile until he held his other hand over it and cast some spell, loosening the screws via some near-invisible force until he could see inside. It was then that Serval raised his eyebrows with a contemplative frown, looking over the cannon’s inner workings until he parted his lips with a [i]hooh.[/i] Lowering the device, he hung his head in unhappiness. “I am ashamed to admit before honored guests of the Great One that I am unfamiliar with the intricacies of this armament. As such, I would need some time to be able to repair it.” His demeanor now very serious, though tinged by melancholy, Serval raised his head and looked between Brucie and Lily. “I dare not ask you to settle for less, but if it would be at all helpful in the meantime, I can construct a facsimile that operates on magic, able to generate and expel water at high pressure. That would take only a few moments.” With furrowed brows Serval placed the broken cannon on a nearby table. “I can say with absolute certainty that any weapon made under the authority of Air Rave will serve you exceptionally well. So, may I oblige you in this regard?” He clasped his huge, stone fingers together in front of his bare chest, as though begging to be given the opportunity to make up for his shortcoming.

Lily opted for silence still, letting Brucie choose. She didn’t know if the original weapon had much, if any, sentimental value, or if there was some intricacy to his mechanical appendages, that required the cannon to remain attached to his arm. She arched an eyebrow at him, as if to say [i]”Well?”[/i]

Brucie met her eyes briefly and seemed uncertain, if she were to be a judge. Still, he wasn’t human, and his expressions were always difficult to read. He shrugged a few moments later and addressed Serval. “Sure,” he said. “If it works just as well as the last one, and doesn’t run dry, no complaints. Could you make it so it can also send water bombs, too? The other one could do that. It worked, like—” he mimed the firing of a bubble of water, that then exploded “—this, basically. Big ball of water goes boom when fired away from me.”

A grave nod came in reply, though when Serval came up, he was smiling. “Understood. You may wish to stand back, though of course I will be ensuring that nothing hits you, regardless. I hope that my workmanship satisfies.” He pulled apart his hands, and clenched his fingers. In an instant that amount of static electricity in the air shot through the roof, but before anything else could happen, Serval released the energy he stored.

A wave of electromagnetic power surged outward from Serval, filling the entire workshop in no time flat. As they were touched by the energy, compartments in the walls opened up, revealing racks of materials of all sorts. Unbidden, pieces of metal sprang from their resting places, lifting toward Serval like schools of fish homing in on some tasty prize. Parts reached their master and began to fit together or orbit his person. Eye blazing with the same hollow light seen in the golem before, Serval orchestrated the assembly of his project with a conductor’s precision and grace. The cloud of smaller components constructed a couple, larger parts, each analogous to the elements of Brucie’s cannon, which hovered loosely in the air between Serval’s hands. From a colorful rack of metal-housed crystals beside the magic chamber, a handful of pulsing blue gems darted over, taking up a spot in the center of the array. Once they clustered together into a diamond, its combined power stronger than any of the originals stones’, a pronged capsule formed around it that resembled a maw, which closed with a snap around the cluster. With that done, the other pieces converged on the newly-made core one after another, until the final few pieces slotted into place to finish the sleek contraption that made a slow descent into Serval’s outstretched mitt.

With an extravagant bow the smith held it forward. An oblong shape with a clear barrel at the front, it resembled a polished river pebble with a gargoyle face on the front. A lengthwise divide separated its outer shell into an upper and lower half. “Here you are,” Serval said. “It requires no outside attachment, and should socket into your vambrace nicely. Its jet should have no trouble carving through rock at close range. To fire normally, clench your fist. The sensory system was originally made for a living being’s arm muscles, but I attuned it to Mechanica instead, so it will pick up. To fire a bomb, place your opposite hand on top and push down. The bomb will build for as long as the top is compressed, becoming larger but slower. The crystal core will generate water for a long time, but when it does eventually run out, simply find a water source and place the barrel inside. The extractor doubles as an injector, you see. It will infuse and store water just as I believe the original did with electricity.” Serval held his hands behind his back. “My apologies for such a boring explanation. Even if it is a trinket that is unworthy of the Great Ones, I hope you’ll forgive me for excess of pride in my work. Even that artifice is leagues beyond anything a human artificer could dream of, after all. Please utilize it to the utmost, and let me know if I can provide any other help.” Around the three, the infused atmosphere faded, and under the burden of their own weight the various compartment doors throughout the shop fell shut, their troves hidden once again.

Lily hummed and looked over the contraption, clicking her tongue at it. She might not have cared about fashion once, but she had picked up a few opinions of her own over the last decade; just enough that she thought the gargoyle-like mouth of the cannon was tasteless. Or perhaps just needlessly intricate. However much she wanted to, even she couldn’t deny that the work had been accomplished far quicker than she had anticipated. She had expected at least an hour, not a mere minute, if not less. In truth, she was glad that Brucie now had another weapon, as it would make him that much more powerful. 

She had witnessed firsthand how powerful that thing could be—and if this Serval’s claims were to be trusted—it now had the power to cut through rock. She did not want to experience what it would do to flesh. The blatant show of power was as exasperating as when Carreau had done it, but she could not argue with results. At least, not until she had a chance to witness it with her own eyes.

She cast a glance at Brucie, one eyebrow raised. “Well? What do you think?” She asked. 

“It’s good, I think,” he said, and stopped himself halfway from clenching his fist. He let his metallic fingers relax and instead poked and prodded it with his other hand. Then, in a remarkable display of forethought and intelligence, asked, “You said that the water supply can run out. Any clue how long that’ll take? Say, how many seconds or minutes would it last, if I fired it non-stop?” 

Holding one hand up to his mouth, Serval tapped his chin with the knuckle. “Hmm...those were medium-grade crystals, so only about an hour, I’m afraid. Perhaps an hour ten? Medium is the highest grade I’m permitted to use casually, considering all the different types.” His eye widened a touch as he seemed to infer what his guests might be meaning. “I can request access to higher grade if you find the duration, power, or so forth are insufficient. It will only take more time, which I had assumed was of the essence since you decided against repairs.”

Lily looked up from the new weapon, a slight look of perplexion visible on her way. “‘Decided against repairs’? I was under the impression that this new cannon would be a temporary solution until the original had been repaired.” She pressed her lips together into a thin line, and looked at Brucie. “Or was I mistaken?” She asked hesitantly. 

Brucie looked away from his arm and down at her. “Now that you mention it… Ya think that’d be possible, Serval? I don’t, and I don’t think Boss-Lady here does so either, mean to take advantage of the… generosity you’ve shown us.” 

Lily quietly thanked Brucie, and agreed with him. She didn’t trust the people in Air Rave, and so staying on their good side was imperative. Being thankful, and mindful to not be greedy when offered a gift, was more important than ever before. She nodded along to his words. 

Serval, meanwhile, looked appalled. “I must have misinterpreted your response!” he told Brucie, clapping a hand to his head in self-chastisement. “Please forgive me! I’ll study the weapon night and day until I understand how it works, and can fix it. Of course, new understanding is for the good of Air Rave, too. But my presumptuousness is inexcusable. Oh, I must be casting such a pall on our honor...” He shook his head, and gave a final bow before heading toward the table where he’d placed the broken cannon.

“On the contrary,” Lily said slowly, choosing her words carefully and recalling the tone and intonations so often used by Sylphide, who was known for both her kindness and regality, “your willingness to apologize and make amends, does you and Air Rave credit.” She drummed her fingers against Mouse’s head, causing his ears to flick in mild annoyance. Why was it so damnably hard to be diplomatic? Think. Think. Don’t insult. Accept his apology, but remain in power…? 

She caught Brucie’s eyes and he, whether noticing her silent struggle to be cordial, or simple luck, gave her a quick nod before he continued where she had left off. “Like what Lily said, I don’t think it’s bad. Just a misunderstand, is all. Fuzz-Boss—” Lily’s eye twitched “—and I didn’t make ourselves clear, and we also misent… misinterpreted what you said.” 

At this point, Lily took over again, old lessons resurfacing. She stood tall, ears forward and tails calm. “And we don’t want to look a gift-horse in the mouth, as it were, but if you would be willing to also repair the old weapon, we would be much obliged. We do not, however, require or demand that you sacrifice your own health to accomplish the task within an unreasonable time-frame… So we—I—apologize for any distress we caused you.” 

Throughout the joint effort at placation Serval had been attentive, having turned from his retreat to listen. His tense nerves grew relaxed toward the end, and by the time Lily finished his remarkable distress could scarcely be seen. He took a deep breath, and gave the pair a grateful smile. “Not at all! It is a relief to hear that I’ve not erred too greatly. I am interested in the weapon, so I will devote some time to studying it, but I’ll not go overboard.” He rested a gleaming hand on the nearby table, leaning a little. “And thank you. For your concern. But now, I’m certain I’ve wasted too much of your time. If there is any other way I may service you, please do not hesitate to tell.” He proceeded to seat himself, evidently offering his final statement as farewell if Lily and Brucie had any other business to attend to. 

Brucie gave him a grateful, if clumsy, bow, and Lily did her best to mimic it, albeit far more gracefully, pressing her palms together in front of her before doing so—or as well as she could with Mouse still in her arms. “I don’t think there’s anything else,” she said, righting herself. “Although… You don’t happen to have a leash, do you?” She asked, and hefted Mouse so as to emphasize who it was for. “I’d rather have one for him so he doesn’t run off in a place I am unfamiliar with.” 

For a brief moment Serval looked confused, though he put two and two together in short order. “A leash…? Ah, for your pet. I don’t have much leather, but I’m sure I have some.” He practically jumped to his feet, his metal legs creating a resounding [i]boom[/i] that he ignored, and he jogged over to a large cubbyhole near the entrance. When he opened it, this time by hand, he set to rummaging through the hides and fabrics that filled it until he turned up a harness. With speed and accuracy he pulled bits of it apart, until all that remained was an adjustable loop and a length of hide off it. “A task devoid of my usual flair, unfortunately,” he mourned as he returned to Lily and offered the leash to her. His eye lingered on the little dog’s furry face for a moment. “Delightful creature,” he murmured. The next moment he regained his composure, and hurried back to the cannon. “If I’ve done all I can, then I bid you goodbye.” 

Lily accepted the leash with a grateful smile, albeit a small one; only slightly more than the corners turned up. “Thank you,” she said and set Mouse down, fastening it around his neck until it was secure, but loose enough that he wouldn’t be choked. She might have been imagining things, but he gave her a look of what was almost betrayal, but otherwise cooperated. She’d need to bribe him with treats later.

“What now?” Brucie asked, looking up from his new arm-cannon for all of a moment, before returning to poking at it excitedly. 

“He offered a dinner earlier. I wonder if the offer is still valid,” she said while adjusting the length of the leash to give Mouse a little freedom, but still keeping him close to her side. “Speaking of Carreau, however,” she said a few moments later, almost as an afterthought. She turned to Serval. “He asked me to say ‘Hello’ on his behalf.” She inclined her head and turned to leave, Brucie at her heels and Mouse at her side. 

[i]Back the way we came. It was… This way. Should be able to find our way to Carreau from there.[/i]