As Gerp and Rodle rode back to their castlelab with Padwyn in tow, they both had the same realization at almost exactly the same second: Padwyn was madly in love with them for saving her. Rodle felt she loved him more. Hadn't he been the one to drag her onto the grizzly bear by her ankles? Gerp felt the same way. He'd been the one piloting the Mecha, and he'd valiantly shot his best friend to the feet of the lady. Obviously, he was the man in charge.
Padwyn didn't think any of these things. Instead, she was wondering how to come out on top and looking cool in all this, as she felt main characters are wont to do. She could craft a sword out of rulers, or maybe create catchy insults by punning the word "foot" or using exact measurements: "Your mom is just over five feet tall!" She couldn't quite grasp inches, and the metric system didn't even register.
Other things that didn't register to Padwyn included anything that would've been important: Who were the men who had just taken her from her forever home? Would they be adopting again anytime soon? Where was she being taken? Why was she being taken there? Padwyn had a Grace for Feet, not common sense. Marcie had always been the sensible one in their relationship.
Just as Padwyn was on her third foot-based insult, ("These feet are made for walkin'… all over your FACE!") they made it back to Gerp and Rodle's secret laboratory. There was a guided tour going on at the moment, but the lady at the front desk promised they could come back at a later time and that tours ran until six. They took the back entrance and noiselessly slipped into the room with the parabola and all the science tables.
"Are you two Evil Kings?" Padwyn asked. "Because if this is a castle, it totally doesn't remind me of home. At all. I'm not measuring stuff for you anymore! I'm free! …Was free. Whatever."
Gerp made a disgusted face. "We're not one of them, Miss," he promised.
Padwyn smiled. "Okay. My name's Padwyn. It's spelled with a y." She flipped her hair. "This room is thirty five feet long and fifteen feet wide. I guess that's good for the long tables, right?"
"How did you know that?" Rodle cried. "These measurements were exact and secret! No one could ever find out… unless they were really good at estimating."
Padwyn shrugged. "I have the Grace of Feet. It comes out sometimes. Look." She pointed at her feet, which were clad in a pair of black Converse.
"Cool shoes," Gerp conceded. "This is an admirable Grace indeed. Mine is of Smart and my partner's is of Biology. I can carry black holes in my pocket. Want to see one?" He was totally trying to impress her.
"I don't know what those are," Padwyn giggled ignorantly. Gerp was crestfallen.