Ivan/Karis bonding for sw087!
Ivan sits and mulls in his workshop. He has hit an impasse with his work. Surrounding him are many, many, half-finished or failed inventions. The main factor behind their state being either his lack of motivation or the flood of ideas that he is constantly getting and trying to complete. He would be half way through something when another idea comes to him and he would have to leave it to write it down, and just never return to what he had been working on. Or he would realise it was a stupid idea, or impossible, but has just not bothered to take them apart.
His wife and friends have often questioned him about it, telling him he should clean up, but he feels a strange attachment to what he could not accomplish and just cannot get rid of them, no matter how much their presence sometimes annoys or mocks him.
He tries to think of a good idea properly. Not something that just pops into his head, something he put serious thought into and could actually help people. He mulls over various challenges, existing designs which could be improved, inconveniences, and other things. He sighs, balling up yet another list of pointless ideas and throws it onto the building pile.
The workshop bell jingles as the door is opened, and in rushes five year old Karis, who quickly leaps into her father's arms.
"Hey, how's Daddy's favourite little girl?" He asks jubilantly, lifting the growing girl into the air.
Karis giggles several times as she is lifted in the air, "I cast my very first whirlwind, Daddy!" She exclaims, shutting her eyes tight in concentration and producing a small spark of Psynergy, which results in a tiny hurricane materialising b his pile of balled up papers, disturbing them.
Ivan beams enthusiastically, "Wow! That was great! If I didn't know better I would have bet it was aunt Sheba who did that!"
Karis laughs and smiles happily, grateful for her father's approval. Her attention is quickly distracted by various blueprints on Ivan's desk though, "What'cha doin', Papa?"
"Your daddy's trying to think of a new invention to help people. Remember, like the Soarwing I made for Uncle Isaac?" He says, bouncing the young girl in his lap, "Wanna help me?"
Karis nods excitedly before settling down and putting on her 'serious thinking face'. The two sit silently for several minutes, a few expressions of almost ideas being formed happening before falling back.
"Papa, you know that guard? Mr. Jason? The one who lost his legs?" She asks, looking up at her father, who nods back, curious, "Well… what if he had like… a chair? But with wheels so he could move around?"
Ivan became still as he thought over the idea. The only word for it really was genius. It was so simple but it would help plenty of people, not just Mr. Jason. Anyone who had legs injured in battle, even if they would heal, it would allow easy movement while they recovered, or whose legs just started to give out in their old age.
The frame of the chair would probably need additional support for both comfort and to handle the extra weight of the wheels. Perhaps a built in footrest. Basic design would probably require manual labour, but with a little extra tinkering he might be able to work something automated into the device.
"That's brilliant, Karis!" He exclaimed, "Where did Daddy get such a clever girl?"
Karis giggled again, and the two quickly set about drawing up plans for the chair and building it. Karis proved to be very intuitive when she suggested handle on the back, in case the person pushing in the chair got tired.
He had never been so proud of his little girl.
When they finally finished the basic design, they hurried to bring it to Mr. Jason, eager for him to test it. The smile on his face, and the tears in his eyes, as he was finally able to move around after a year stuck in his home, made Ivan so happy to have such a smart daughter.
Someday, he knew, she would go on to do even greater things.
But right now, he just hugged her, and told her over and over how proud of her she was, letting all of Kalay know it was her idea.
There you go! Maybe a wheelchair wasn't the most imaginative thing, sure, but I couldn't think of inventions.
Anyhoo, hope you like it!