Chapter 13: The Love Hypothesis
Hey there everyone, welcome back to my Terrria story! Just a little reminder; reviews are what help keep me inspired to write this story. So the more reviews, the more likely a new Chapter will be made. Anyway, on with the story!
I do not own Terraria, that belongs to Microsoft and Re-Logic!
Nort the Goblin Tinkerer let out a tired sigh and rubbed at his eyes, as he stared at the invention in front of him. It still looked wrong, even after all the tinkering and shifting and changing. It either looked crooked, or the colours looked dull, or something. Something was always wrong with it, and it was driving Nort out of his mind.
As Nort stretched his arms above his bald head, he could feel the vertebrae in his spine snap and crack. A guttural groan escaped from his parched lips, as he could practically feel his spine grow from being stretched out. That's what he got for sitting still for so long, he thought to himself.
Turning his neck, groaning as he heard a few cracks from the turn, Nort looked over at the clock. His eyes snapped wide open, as he saw what time it was. He had been sitting here on this chair for an entire day; no wonder his spine felt so crunchy. Maybe taking a quick walk would help him out a bit. Hopefully it wasn't too dark out…
"Hey there Nort, how's it going there?" The Player inquired. "Been up to much?"
The Goblin Tinkerer's train of thought went screeching off the rails, crashing and burning into a mountain, at the sound of Wyatt's voice. Nort whipped around quickly, covering his latest invention with a cloth. Standing in the doorway to his house, was Wyatt, a concerned look evident on his face. Taking a deep breath, Nort offered a shaky smile on his face. Just need to play this cool Nort, no need to raise any more suspicion than necessary.
"Oh Wyatt, my friend, it is good to see you." The Goblin Tinkerer responded. "But…wasn't my door locked, though?"
"It was actually wide open, Nort." Wyatt answered. "That's why I came in; to see if you were ok?"
The Goblin Tinkerer cursed silently to himself, as he digested this piece of information. He was sure he had locked and closed his front door, practically positive about it. It was out of character for him to have not locked it. His latest creation must have taken up more of his mental capacity then he had first thought.
"I, uh, have been alright. Just been busy with my experiments, that is all."
"Hopefully nothing that has to do with the Demolitionist, I hope." Wyatt stated, a small smile on his face. "Last time you two worked together, you nearly blew up half the town."
Nort let out a small chuckle, trying to play it off as casual, as he wiped the back of his hand across his forehead. The young goblin could feel his shirt slowly starting to stick to his blue skin from sweat, as Wyatt got closer.
"You, uh, okay there Nort?" Wyatt asked, a frown forming on his face. "You're sweating pretty hard there."
"Totally fine, absolutely fine." Nort responded, shaking his head vigorously. "It's just…the heat, you know? Yeah, quite a hot day today, that's it."
Wyatt turned his head slightly, before looking over at the window, noticing the snow forming at the windowsill. Nort silently cursed to himself, as he saw the snow as well. Well damn, there went that excuse…
"Nort c'mon, I'm your friend. Clearly something is bothering you." Wyatt stated. "What has gotten you all worked up?"
The Goblin Tinkerer let out a tired sigh, as he weighed up his options in his head. Thinking quickly on his feet, he walked over to Wyatt, before patting him on the shoulder. Nort gave him a reassuring smile, before he started to speak.
"Wyatt, my dear friend. You are like a brother to me." Nort said, a firm tone to his voice. "And I appreciate your concern, I really do. But I am fine, I promise you. Just…leave me be for now, okay? I will come to you, if I need to talk."
Wyatt hesitated for a moment, before slowly nodding his head. "Well okay Nort, if you say so." Wyatt responded, frowning slightly. "But I am here for you, if you need me."
"I know, thank you." Nort said, as he watched Wyatt leave his home. A silence soon filled the air, as the front door shut behind Wyatt, leaving the Goblin Tinkerer alone with his thoughts once more.
Nort made his way over to the doorway as soon as it closed, checking and double checking that it was properly locked. He couldn't be too careful, after all. The Goblin Tinkerer let out a sigh, as he walked back over to his latest creation, the one that had taken over so much of his time. He slowly lifted the cloth, before he started to work once again.
Sitting there on the middle of the wooden table, was a monkey wrench, much like the one that the Mechanist liked to carry around with her. However, this was no ordinary monkey wrench, not by a long shot. The cobalt of the handle shined in the dull light produced from Nort's fireplace, causing the purple metal to sparkle brightly. It was clear, even from a casual glance, that a lot of care and effort had been put into crafting this fine specimen of a tool. At least, to everyone except for Nort.
"Still looks wrong." The Goblin Tinkerer muttered to himself, a frown forming on his face.
He slowly lifted the monkey wrench up, examining it closely. Gently placing the special monkey wrench back onto the table, Nort wondered whether it was time to go back to the drawing board. Start from scratch and create another monkey wrench, with a new base material; maybe gold or something? But gold would probably too garish; Merry preferred functionality to looks, after all.
Shaking his head slowly, Nort took off his glasses and rubbed the bridge of his nose. Maybe it was time to take a break; a good night's sleep might be what is needed, to see this project in a new light. After all, for Merry? Nothing but the perfect gift would be satisfactory.
And the latest chapter of Friendship is done and dusted! I hope all of you wonderful readers enjoyed this piece, and I hope to see you at the next Chapter!
Love,
The Desert Dancer
