Tallie had forgotten to put on the tea, so once Gwen was done she launched herself from the cushions toward the pot. I wonder if she's got more of those? Tallie was, obviously, a connoisseur of stories: but like anybody else she had her preferences.
The Clockwork Book had finished inscribing the tale into its pages. "I hope to verify some of these events over time," it told Gwen, "since the index of reliability is lower than I would like." It waved its hand at her. "No, no fault of yours," it explained. "The events are possibly significant, you see, so the story will be held to a higher standard than usual."
The Book paused. "It seems strange that no one saw how the Myrmidon escaped," it said.
"Yes," Gwen answered. "That does seem strange, doesn't it?"
The Book turned back a page: the rolling thunder of the steel echoed through the chamber. "I would like to add a footnote about.... yes, here it is. The Chemical Communication Analyzer. I am not familiar with this device."
So Gwen told the Book that the CCA was manufactured by Volto-Vac especially for the Civilian Conservation Corps. "I doubt that anyone else wants one," she concluded. "It's a pretty specialized machine. You don't often need to translate chemical vapors into words."
"Just so," the Book agreed. Tallie brought Gwen a fresh cup of tea and beamed at her.
"Didn't you... " Gwen started, but then she thought better of it. She thanked Tallie for the tea and turned back to the Book. "Was there anything else?" she asked. "If not, I'd like to hear the story you promised me."
"Naturally," said the Clockwork Book. ""It begins.... " The pages turned again. "...here.
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August 15th, 2011 at 8:53 pm
I read this episode the first time… and then I read the title and reread it again… evasions?
And then I reread it again today… aha! guess I’m just a little slow, with all the sunshine outside. Now to ponder what Gwen thought better about asking. 😉
(and I *love* Tallie’s hat!)
August 16th, 2011 at 10:52 am
I just modeled a bowler for another character and I thought “Tallie’s got to have that hat!”… but it would be a sort of plot point if she’d gotten her hands on it, so I haven’t decided.
August 16th, 2011 at 9:46 pm
There is more that one bowler in the world. Wait until your plot dust has settled, style Tallie’s bowler slightly different and color it dark blue or purple…
Hmmm… my cane fencing master tells us you can tell who the bad guys are because they’re the ones wearing the bowlers… probably just a Steampunk thing. 😉
August 17th, 2011 at 10:08 am
I’m pretty sure mine’s based on a Good Guy bowler, although that may not mean anything – but the one I was thinking of isn’t quite any other bowler I’ve ever seen. It has a brim that curves back over the ears, and I’ve always remembered it even though it’s decades since I saw it on Doctor Watson’s head, in the old Jeremy Brett Sherlock Holmes.
