Hephaestus
Part X - Realignment
12/2/2022 - Words:14438 Chapters:10/10 Comments:4 Kudos:8 Hits:160
Layton waited another two days before he and Melanie went to the forge to see Hephaestus.
At first he had directly opposed her coming along, stating that Hes was not likely to be in a good mood and the next step in the negotiations with the metallurgist could get, in his words, dicey.
"He's not a raving lunatic, Layton." Melanie protested. "You pointed that out yourself. He may present himself as a little..." She paused as she carefully chose how to continue.
"'Unhinged' I believe is the word you are looking for." Layton offered with a small smile.
"I was looking for 'slow witted'." She replied. "But you yourself said the man simply wants everyone to think that. It's all part of his game."
"More of a survival technique." Layton corrected her. "All Hes ever wanted in the Tail was to be left alone. If you haven't noticed, he isn't much of a 'people person'."
Melanie gave him a mock shocked expression, which Layton rewarded with a soft chuckle.
"But as you said," Layton fell back to their original discussion, "Hes isn't what he portrays himself as by a long shot. I've told you, he's as crafty and cleaver as they come. I would personally love to see him go up against the great Mr. Wilford and see who wins that contest."
"And I hate that you keep underestimating Wilford, Layton." Melanie answered carefully. "One day I'm afraid it's going to cost you. And simply by the fact that I did spend so much time around Wilford should tell you that I am more than capable of handling someone like Hephaestus."
Layton eventually backed down on the matter, but he still laid out certain rules to her if she insisted on going with him. All in all, the rules were fairly simple as that there was really only one. Supporting every other instruction he gave her, they all came down to one simple rule.
Do nothing.
"That's it?" Melanie asked.
Layton nodded. "If you want to come along, you absolutely have to agree to that one stipulation. You let me handle the negotiations. Don't try to add to them. Don't try to manipulate them. Don't agree to anything he offers, no matter how good it sounds."
Melanie paused as she thought over the rule. It seriously rubbed her the wrong way that Layton clearly had a plan in mind and was not sharing the specifics with her. She had kept to her part of this and had kept him apprised of everything that went on between herself the Hephaestus as the forge was being built. He was part of every talk, every planning session, every renegotiation. But suddenly he seemed to feel she wasn't capable of handling the situation anymore. The whole situation irritated her. But she fell back to what Layton had told her the first night they had started discussing the matter of what to do about the train's enigmatic metallurgist.
'Trust me'.
And so she stiffly agreed to his rules.
Entering the room that served as the entry way to the forge room, Melanie half expected to see the train's metallurgist all but pounding out flat metal disks out of the sheer boredom Layton indicated the man would be suffering from by now.
But when they entered the room that sat in front of the forge, rather than an agitated, frustrated blacksmith, they found the man instead laying in a hammock that was slung in one of the corners of the room. It was one of Hes smaller 'concessions' he had battered for in return for his work.
While the room was not as large as the forge room, it was where most of the finishing work was done on the parts Hes made. Work that was usually done by the apprentices working under his guidance.
Usually there was a cacophony of peals of tools striking metal and the whirling noise of various machines used to smooth and shape Hes' creations.
But today the room was empty and silent.
Walking into the room, Melanie looked around as Layton stopped her a few feet from where the man lay comfortably in his hammock.
He certainly did not strike Melanie as someone 'itching for something to do'.
As they stepped closer, Melanie continued to carefully look around as Layton walked over to the man, but kept a careful distance.
"Bit quiet today." Layton commented.
Hes gave a heavy sigh. "Nothing for workers to do. Sent back to cabins."
"There's plenty for them to do, Hes. You're the one stopping the work."
"Incorrect." The metallurgist replied, casually opening one eye as he pointed to Layton. "You are one who has stopped work by trying to cheat Hes."
Layton shook his head as Melanie joined him. "We are not trying to cheat you, Hes. We just want this to be a fair trade."
"Is fair." Hes answered curtly. "Train for train."
"No, it's not." Layton answered back. "It took you perhaps several months to build your train. It took Melanie years of design and work to build Snowpiercer."
Hes pulled himself up so he was now seated in the hammock facing them. "Not asked for 'train'." He replied. "Asked for 'control'. So it is fair trade. But...," he added, pausing as though he were thinking his options over for a moment, "...Hes is willing to make...'concessions'."
Layton kept his gaze fixed on the man as he watched a small smile creep across his lips. It was exactly the kind of smile someone would give you when they thought they had a winning card to play in the game. "What concessions?"
"You say Hes asks for too much. Trade is unfair. Easy solution is to make debts equal."
Layton eyed the man carefully. "Make the debts equal 'how'?"
The small smile never left the man's face. "Will cancel debt for all on train...," Hes answered, giving a slight nod to Melanie, "if pretty little engineer takes over responsibility for that debt. Then debt will be even trade."
Melanie half expected Layton to bulk at the demand. To offer some new negotiation. But instead he simply stood in front of the metallurgist and appeared to consider the offer.
"All others on the train are included in this offer." Layton clarified.
Hes nodded. "Agreed to, then no one on train will owe Hes anything. Only pretty little engineer."
"And you will no longer try to claim anything from anyone else on the train. ALL debts are canceled."
Hes sighed, then turned his stare back to Layton. "ALL debts canceled." He answered.
Layton held his stance before the man, saying nothing more as he appeared to think over the offer once more.
"Well?" The metallurgist asked.
Layton turned to Melanie for a second, then back to the man. "Cancel the debt." He finally stated to Hephaestus.
The man consider the request for a second more, then gave a sharp nod. "Debt is cancelled."
Melanie stood for a moment, to see what came next. She half expected one of the two men to pull out a stack of papers and the signing of documents would commence. When no one spoke further, she turned back to Hephaestus.
"Now what?" She asked.
"Now are responsible for the debt of others." He replied.
"All of them?" Melanie asked in a slightly nervous tone.
The man nodded again to her.
Melanie turned to Layton, but he kept his eyes on the man in front of them.
Keeping his tone level, Layton addressed the blacksmith once more. "You want control of the train, Hes?" He asked.
The man pointed to Melanie. "Pretty little engineer owes a greater debt now. Took on all others debts. Now debt is equal between us. Now has no ability to refuse. Is only thing she has to give that Hes wants that would equal in value her debt anymore."
Layton paused as he turned to the floor for a moment, unable to keep his own small smile from coming to his lips.
"I suppose that's true, Hes." He finally replied as he slowly moved to make sure his position put him directly in front of Melanie as he faced the metallurgist. "But you have made one very problematic error in your assumptions in these negotiations."
Hes stared up at the man as Layton came to a stop in front of him. "What error?"
Layton gave him the smallest of smiles. "What you've asked for isn't her's to give."
Hes fell silent for a good minute as he met Layton's stare, trying to figure out what the game was now.
"Pretty little engineer made train. Built it for Wilford. Is her train."
"But you didn't asked for the train, Hes." Layton reminded him. "You asked for 'control of the train'. That isn't Melanie's to give. She doesn't run this train anymore." He added, his smile widening ever so slightly. "I do."