Mina was quiet. She had changed back before getting to town so no one suspected her. Aiden's dragon vine simply slipped back into his arm. It was strange. To both of them. What all just happened. They brought back the plant Aiden's employer requested in a basket like pot and carried on with work. After the apothecary store was closed for the day Aiden and Mina returned to their room. Aiden sat on his bed and took his boots off while Mina shut the door behind her. " So. When did you learn how to do all that?" Mina asked changing into her human form. Aiden looked in her general direction. " I kinda didn't." Aiden said. " Most of what I did I was told how... I mean. I could always feel the green light being their but only recently did I see and know it was mana. And only after that did I start seeing blue mana... And knowing what the darkness was that was the black mana... It is complicated..."
Mina pulled his blindfold off. His eyes were still a dull pale green. She stared at them and then sighed. " Okay." She said.
['Would you like me to explain it to her?'] The dragon said to both of them. Mina pulled Aiden's sleeve back to look at the 'tattoo' of the vine dragon. "Yes, please do!" She said. Aiden blinked when he realized that Mina heard the dragon too. And he spoke human!
The dragon chuckled. [' Mostly learned from you. But I'll explain that later.'] The dragon said. ['Your abilities mostly come from me. I give you the ability to sense things you generally are unable to. You are able to see plants even blind because you are a Leaf Whistler. Don't misunderstand me. But seeing and manipulating mana as you have, comes from me. Mostly. Think of me like a container for the green mana. Normal creatures like you can't sense the green mana. But manipulating it is far easier. And it is far more abundant than the blue. Green is also weaker than the blue. About half as strong... But it can be condensed ten times as much. So green mana users how ever weak are usually formidable.']
Aiden looked down at his arm. It seemed so... Odd that this was.. Was? Is? Aiden sighed, not being able to think. The dragon seemed to be mulling things over in its mind. ['I think you should be made aware of our relationship. I want it to be clear that I do not feed off of you or take from you. But I am not able to function and now live without you... You are my roots. My means of feeding on the green mana when I must. You also act as my home when I need to rest.'] The dragon said calmly.
Aiden looked over towards Mina. Or where she had been. Because she had quietly moved to his other side and sat down. He did well not to jump or be startled. "So you are kinda like a leech but instead of feeding on a host's blood you kinda just hang on... No that isn't a good comparison..." She said and thought it over. Aiden could feel the dragon sigh. [' I think the word you are looking for is symbiote. Parasites feed off of a host or another creature. Symbiotes live with a host or another creature and both parties benefit from the other. For instance, I don't need to use my eyes while I sleep, and I tend to sleep until I am needed. So you can use mine until yours are repaired.'] The dragon said.
Aiden blinked. He continued blinking because his world had suddenly changed. He could see more defined colors and shapes and light. His world wasn't plunged in complete twilight of darkness. He... could see.
Mina opened her mouth in awe and soon was tilting her head to get a better look at him. Aiden looked at her not understanding what he was seeing at first. " Mina?" Aiden asked. The young woman before her nodded and smiled. " Yup!" She chirped happily. Aiden looked around at the room he was in and felt... Nervous. These things... He was seeing things for the first time. What were they all? Mina grabbed his hand. " Hee hee! You can see now!" She said happily. Aiden looked at her then started to blush. There was one thing he remembered from long ago while he was living in his human village that he remembered in vivid detail. He had wandered into the women's bath when he was still a boy. "Mina... Put some clothes on!" Aiden yelped turning away and shielding himself.
Despite being blind he remembered the incident all too clearly because it was a rather painful one. A woman's wrath was not something he wanted to experience again. And he remembered that wrath being brought on to him due to them being naked and him being there. The dragon simply laughed and slowly dozed off.
Mina simply looked at him puzzled. She looked at herself and then at him. " But I always run around with no clothes on. Well... Almost always. I guess I wore clothes around town but not while we were alone." Mina said looking as if she didn't understand. " You don't think I'm ugly do you!?" Aiden shook his head. "N-no! Please just don't slap me." He said.
Mina looked at him confused. " Why would I slap you?" She asked. And so Aiden explained what happened to him so many years ago. Mina laughed. " You really walked in..." She began but trailed off and started laughing. She laughed and laughed until she started crying. Aiden watched her still blushing before looking away. He remembered being kicked, stomped on and stuff being thrown at him. And he didn't know where to go because every which way was angry screaming hitting kicking women. Eventually he just curled up in a corner and cried. Then again, they didn't know he was blind and he had the habit of putting his hand out so he didn't run into anything. It was a bit of a traumatic experience for him.
Mina gasped for breath and hugged him which made him turn even redder. " I wouldn't hit you for that! I really like you!" She said happily. " Besides, I'm use to doing this around you anyways. Well, before I learned how to become human. Wow, so this is what a female human looks like without fur. So weird! I guess clothes are more comfortable when you don't have fur." Aiden didn't say anything. He just blushed until he saw her shirt on the floor and threw it at her. She pouted but put it on. " If it makes you feel better, fine..." She groaned and slipped the shirt on.
Aiden sighed. " You know, this is kinda strange. I mean. I have always been naked." Mina said and watched Aiden blush even deeper. " Well I couldn't see you and... Stuff.." Aiden replied looking away. Mina giggled. " Oh I know. You thought we wore fur clothes for a long while." Mina said and started laughing. She had been the reason as to why he learned so.
Aiden simply put his sleeping clothes on and went to bed without another word.
Gleann sighed. The harvest had gone well. The grass was still green and the end of summer was upon them. It was still warm though. There was a few wealthy farmers who wanted to commission one of his mowers for themselves. It was good news. Things were working out. Gleann was being kept busy. However and to his delight, a certain little girl wanted to visit him. Gleann smiled as Maeve sat on a crate just so she could watch him work. She didn't say anything and she didn't try to interrupt him. She just watched. He was sure her mother would prefer that Maeve inherited her tavern so Gleann wasn't about to ask if the young girl wanted to become his apprentice. It was a shame though. She seemed truly interested in his craft.
Gleann continued to work for hours, sanding down the wood frame he had asked for from a more cooperative carpenter and was drilling the holes the bolts would go through. " Slow day at the tavern?" Gleann finally asked the little girl. Maeve nodded. " Mhmm!" She said happily. Gleann nodded. "Does she know you are here?" Gleann asked. Maeve simply hid her face mostly behind her tail. "Oh dear." Gleann said knowing they were both going to get an ear full. But he wasn't about to chase his audience off.
After a while someone walked in. "Adira I... Oh. How can I help you?" Glean said at first expecting the tavern lady but then realizing who was standing before him. A Templar. Gleann set his tools down and smiled with good nature. " We have parts we would like to commission you and schematics to their design The deadline for all of them will be in a month and a half. You will receive your materials weekly and your advance pay now. Do you accept this commission?" The templar asked and glared at Maeve who was hiding behind Gleann. Glean held out his hand towards the schematics. " Depends on what I am working with." Gleann said and opened the schismatics once the Templar handed them to him. " This is to once of your towers isn't it?"
The Templar shook his head. " For once no. We are well aware of your disposition with 'magic instruments'... Although the machine wont work without magic powering it." The Templar said. Gleann laughed. "BAH! This is a clock tower isn't it? No, you don't need magic to power it. It just needs a large enough spring." Gleann said.
The templar looked at him mystified. " I'm sorry, I don't understand." He said. Gleann smiled. " Come along Maeve. Looks like I need your help after all. I need a stick and a few of those clips. I'll get the board and parchment myself." Glean said. The next few minutes Glean spent putting together a board and drawing out the inner workings of a clock tower in vivid detail. And the next hour he began to explain how the spring would work via winding up tension as well as how certain cogs determined how much the hour hands would turn. Both the Templar and Maeve stood there looking completely lost. " I-I'll take your word for it!" The man said and handed Glean his pay. " I'm going to need the size to estimate how large the gears and spring will be! I'm not building a watch you know!" Gleann said watched the Templar leave.
Maeve looked at the pictures Gleann drew. " You have these where you are from Mr. Gleann?" She asked. Gleann nodded. " Each city has one. And they are all made by the clockwork guilds that the Wolf, Bear, and Fox Clans of my lands. It is one of the older alliances that has survived because we are well known for being fellow craftmen. So somehow, despite our differences in personalities and temperaments, we get along. Because of that, we have held the same lands we have had for centuries. Other clans have been displaced or faded away all together some of 'em." Maeve hugged him. " Please don't go away..." She said. Gleann simply bent down and hugged her only looking up to see her mother standing in the doorway looking at them both disapprovingly.
They both got an earful after they had their little 'moment.'
The next few weeks Gleann was working hard. Each piece had to be made into smaller separate pieces that would all fit together into one unit, expand as one unit, and contract as one unit. Pieces that once set together would not easily come apart. But Gleann also built in fail safes. Gleann didn't trust the templars. One fail safe Gleann designed was that components would all need different size bolts, some that were reverse threaded. The pieces wouldn't hold together properly without them. Another was that Gleann wrote the instructions of how to put together the components in his language but also in a code he himself designed on the off chance another clock smith was working on the project. Gleann wasn't going to send them the bolts until after he was done making the cogs, springs, and shafts.
It was probably convenient though. Each component could fit on a horse drawn cart comfortably and make transportation easier. Because they were all a certain size, they could be made in a small forge like the local blacksmith he was partnered with. Gleann had made a few orders so he could 'modernize' the smith's forge so they could rest while the metal the receive was melted down, or the ore they had was smelted. The smith now had a blast forge. One that used much less coal than was expected. One that was not such a pain to pump air into because it practically did it itself. The smith was astounded. He now had a clocksmith's forge. The next few things was the magnifier glasses that Gleann made. And so many other tools. Different hammers, tongs, clasps, clamps, taps, dies, files, rasps, and so forth.
Needless to say the smith was not the only one who was impressed. It was no small task to build a clock tower. And Gleann was not about to risk his honor and dignity on any small mistake... Like the Templar trying to use his parts for a weapon of mass destruction. It turned out that the go between man was getting flack because Gleann had taken the precautions he did. It was obvious now that they were trying to use his parts for something other than a clock tower. But they couldn't. He was sure they hated him right now. But they were paying him, so his work wasn't free. He could stay busy.
And if they wanted to complain that they couldn't build their contraption he could justly point out that he agreed to build the parts to a clock tower. Now anything else.
Aiden was having trouble with Mina. She was now in heat. And dealing with that wasn't fun. Aiden wasn't ready to father kittens. He wasn't ready in general. So he made Mina stay home and in their room where he brought food for her. She must have been frustrated and very uncomfortable. He felt so sorry for her. But he needed to work so they could live. Unfortunately it was raining. And he didn't exactly have a cloak or anything. He wondered in the rain not knowing where he was really going.
{'You can use your own eyes now you know.'} The dragon said to Aiden through their connection. He was speaking plant though. Aiden stopped and thought about it. He pulled his blindfold off and looked around. The world was blurry, dark with lights here and there. It was like being underwater almost. Was he under water?! Aiden waved his arms around only feeling the air and the rain as it fell down. He could breath. {'It appears I could only do so much. Sorry.'} The dragon said and went back to sleep.
"Aiden?" Adira's voice came from the gloom. " Aiden is that you? Come, get out of the rain you!" He heard Adira's voice say and was pulled by clawed hands somewhere. He was lead under neath the eave of some building. "Oh my goodness, you are already soak and wet!" She said. Aiden looked up to see a white and black figure with brown and beige. He got closer and squinted his eyes. He could make out her face more clearly. She looked like Mina in ways, but her fur patterns and hair was very different as well as certain facial features. " Wh-what are you doing?" She asked. Aiden realized he was almost in her face before he backed away. He put his hands in front of his face and could see them more clearly. He judged the distance before they started becoming entirely blury. About arms length and he could no longer make them out as hands. He could see clearly about a forearm's length away.
"Oh, I'm sorry. I couldn't make you out. I didn't know you looked similar to Mina... Well... I... Sorry, I don't mean to be rude..." He said knowing that being told that two people looked the same could be taken as rude. Aidira simply looked at him in amazement. " Quick, how many finger's am I holding up?" She suddenly asked. Aiden saw a sudden blurry movement. His eyes focused on that, but he had to get closer to make out what it was. It didn't help that it was dark out either.
" Um.. Two?" He asked once he got close enough to her raised hand. Adira started luaghing. " I didn't know you could see... Well, you are still practically blind, but I think I know someone who can fix that. Come on!" Adira said and dragged Aiden off to the forge. The rain was starting to fall even harder and they were splashing muddy water everywhere. " Gleann! Gleann! Open up, I know you are in there! I need something from you real quick!" Adira called hearing the banging of hammers suddenly stop. Glean opened the door to the forge and looked at her and Aiden. " Come, get out of the rain you two!" He said and beckoned them in. " I hope you don't mind if I drag company in Ederous."
The smith shrugged and went back to smelting today's metal. "Gleann, Can you make a pair of classes for him?" Adira asked. Glean looked at Aiden. It took him a glance to realize Aiden could see. Partially. He nodded. " Here, Take my hand sir." Gleann said and held his hand out. Aiden missed his hand twice before grasping it and was lead over to a work bench. Gleann wrote something down on a piece of paper. " Now sit here." Glean said pulling a stool down and placing Aiden's hand on it. Aiden sat down wondering what was going on. What did he need glasses for? He wasn't thirsty.
"Now, tell me when you can see the picture clearly. Look here now." Gleann said and waved his hand in front of Aiden to get his attention. Glean put a magnification glass in front of Aiden and then a picture. The forge was well lit. Aiden squinted. He was wondering what the white square thing was. Glean tried another magnification glass. And then another. Glean started to chuckle. " Goodness Aiden, you are rather near sighted. How far can you make out your hand?" Glean asked.
Aiden scowled. " About The length of my forearm?" Aiden replied rather annoyed. " What exactly are we doing?" Glean held one more magnification glass in front of him. "Can you see the picture now?" Glean asked. Aiden looked at what was a sheet of paper. " Yes, it is a tree. What is this about?" Aiden asked. Glean held the magnification glass in front of Aiden and smiled. " I am helping you see." Glean said excitedly. " Here, just hold this for a moment.
Aiden wondered how exactly was a glass so large suppose to help him see. It seemed like it could, but it was rather big and he didn't want to hold something so big and heavy all the time just to see. Aiden could see sudden bright light, hear quick tapping of a hammer and other various sounds. He could guess that Glean was running around the forge excitedly. Aiden knew the clock smith was a bit of an eccentric person, but he didn't know he was this much. He came back and place something on his face that rested on his ears and his nose. It was directly in front of his eyes. But like magic, he could see. He could see, just as well as he had been able to while using the dragon's eyes.
Aiden took the things off his face to look at them. They were rather warm still. But not too uncomfortable. Something clear and round, two of them actually were being held in some metal wire frames. The frame was attached to two arms that hooked around his ears. "Be careful with those. They can break easily and glass can be very painful if it gets in your eyes. By the way, those are called, 'glasses' and you are very welcome. Three copper if you need repairs to the metal frame and arms and twenty for the glass lenses. For now, though I'll take it out my pocket."Glean said.
Aiden looked at the man who dressed in red white and black. He smiled. " Thank you very much sir." Aiden said and gave a polite bow. He could see now! He could really see! The smith sighed. " Gleann, you work on just about everything don't you?" Ederious asked with a scoff. Glean smiled sheepishly. "Well, I cover a wide area of things. Don't ask me to cook though." He said with a chuckle.
Adira laughed. " I wouldn't. The man is at my tavern every day for his meals!" She said bluntly crossing her arms. The smith simply shook his head. He looked over to Aiden. " You know, now that I get a good look at you I notice you have a shade of green I haven't seen before. Almost like mint." The blacksmith said before going and checking on the furnace. " You two take your time getting dry for now. I'm sure that tavern nor the bloody twit running the apothecary will be missing you two so soon." He said and went to get them all something to drink from his house. He seemed to have no qualms with entertaining a Keidran, an eccentric clock smith and a half blind apothecary.