[PLOT] Wait...Why Don't You Just Fly? (Elyta and Cosworth)

[Teigra]

A rattling, clanking racket preceded the contraption's exit from the forest. Whatever it was, it was made primarily of wood, and the material was loudly objecting to the rapid pace it was covering the rough ground. And a brightly colored Fae was clinging tightly to the top of it.

The Fae emitted a squeak as a particularly sharp bounce sent her airborne, hovering above the crude device's seat for just a moment. Then she was down again, furiously working to keep the contraption on it's designated path. Important, considering there was a bridge coming up.

Through some miracle, or magic maybe, she managed to keep the device mostly in the center of the bridge, though it was a hair-raising experience at the speed she was traveling. From time to time, the pair of odd wings on her back quivered and buzzed quickly, stabilizing her ride, then going still again. Still, she didn't slow down, however. On the other side of the bridge now, the Great Tree, Laisidhiel, looming in the distance, she was heading straight into the forests surrounding. Right at a sizable oak at the moment, as a matter of fact. She seemed to hesitate, weighing her options before suddenly whirring her wings into a blur of motion and sailing up into the air, leaving the device to continue its mad course into the unfortunate tree.

The tree shook and a splintering crack echoed through the area. The Fae hovered in the air, cringing, before descending to inspect the damage. Well, it seemed that her contraption had weathered the worst damage, splintering apart on impact. Sad for her, but not bad for the defenseless tree. With a sigh, she crouched, looking over the remains of the vehicle, wings whirring softly from time to time.

"Hmm...maybe some way to slow it down next time..."
 

[Doof]

A single faun, looking both intrigued and more than a little concerned, could be seen leaning over a fallen tree, his green eyes staring intently at the unfolding mayhem. This was something rarely seen in this part of the isle- and NEVER seen without Cosworth himself having a hand in it. Wood- not Laisidhiel wood either- was the material of choice for this odd contraption and the inadequacy of it was apparent for all to see.

Especially the part where the strange machine shattered against the sturdy trunk of an old oak tree. Cosworth winced in sympathy. He knew that feeling all too well, and privately wondered how long that pae had worked on her creation only to have it smashed to pieces before her eyes.

Oh yes, it was a 'her'. He hadn't spent so long away from other pae to not be able to spot a member of the female persuasion from a few hundred yards away. Pretty little thing, but a little too well dressed and a little too... winged, for his interest. Still, he was intrigued by her contraption and wondered how she had come to the final design for her... wheeled thing.

Cosworth bit his lip. He was already straying outside his self-imposed hermitage already, yet he couldn't pass up the chance to meet someone with such an interest in technical design as he. Or so he presumed. "What the hell," He thought, "A simple hello to this stranger couldn't go astray, right?"

The faun wasn't as nimble or lightfooted as the rest of his people, but he nonetheless crossed the many yards between him and the bridge in just a couple of minutes, bounding between tree limbs and roots. By the time he arrived by the side of the... Fae? It was hard to tell with those mechanical looking wings- she was still looking over the wreckage of her machine and didn't seem to have noticed his arrival.

Cosworth watched silently for a moment, before clearing his throat. "Umm, hello, young Miss? Any way I can be of assistance?"  

[Teigra]

"Hmm...maybe brakes, yes...on the wheels...slow it down, but how to engage...?" she muttered on and on, making a mental checklist of ideas to try on her next design, her wings providing a constant source of white noise, whirring softly.

At the sound of a voice behind her, she paused her vocal notes with a quirk of her eyebrow. Turning, she casually slapped a piece of what looked like it used to be a handlebar into the Faun's hand, and nodded. "Sure, hold this." Then she turned back to the wreckage.

After a moment more of pawing through the damaged wreckage, she shrugged and sat back. "Eh, shame. I liked that design, but always more work to be done!" She turned back to the strange Faun with a grin. "Still, least I got some handles that work better with my height. Handles you can't reach certainly aren't very useful, right?" She blinked, as if seeing him for the first time, and tilted her head. "Oh, hello there. When'd you get here?"
 

[Doof]

He held the shattered contraption's steering handles with both hands, running his fingers over the splintered edge. Cosworth's eyes lazily followed the energetic fae as she paced around the wreckage, her mouth moving almost as fast as her wings were, while he stood in place, silent and occasionally blinking. His expression was vacant while the odd girl spoke rapidly of her design.

When she finally seemed to notice she had company, Cosworth cleared his throat. "If you mean 'here' as in by your side, then just a few seconds ago. Although I have been watching you from a distance for some time. Name's Cosworth." He was slightly taller than most faun, although he was still only as tall as the female fae herself given the racial difference in height.

"Interesting, this strange machine." Cosworth turned the wooden handlebars over. "I wish I could give you some Laisidhiel wood to use, it's much stronger and lighter, without being more brittle. But even I couldn't get my hands on some unless there isn't a pressing need from the others of my race. Which there always is." Cosworth set the handlebar against a large rock and brushed a couple of wooden shards out of his palms.  

[Teigra]

As the Faun brushed his hands clean, the Fae grinned and grabbed one of his hands for a firm, enthusiastic handshake. "Elyta! Good to meetcha'!" She released his hand, turning and looking over the ruins of her contraption and scratching her head. "Not a lot of Pae follow my ramblings," she admitted. "Nice to meet someone who at least listens without glazing over." She laughed lightly.

"So...what's this about lighter, stronger wood? Not anything I'm familiar with," she admitted, puzzled, but intrigued. "I mean, the other stuff is fine for now, cause it's still in the testing phase, so I figure I'll go through a lot of material at first, but when I get the design figured out, some nicer material would be great for a final prototype." Man, if he actually managed to follow her without phasing out, she might have found a new friend.
 

[Doof]

"Elyta. What a charming name." Cosworth replied cordially, watching the curious, youthful female fae examine her creation. "I like to think I can follow most conversations, though you, at least, seem to speak my language. That of gears and wheels."

The faun backed up a bit and cast his eyes back towards the bridge that she had just come hurtling over on. "The wood you're using is fine for most things, like houses, and carts, but what you rode over on looked far quicker than a cart, and take it from me; use Laisidhiel wood for that and you'll notice the difference." He drew his work hammer from his belt, turning it over in his hands and taking note of the little dents it had accumulated over the years. Years of working wood, stone, and even occasionally metal. "Like I said, it's lighter and stronger, and even more importantly, it won't splinter or wear down easily once it's been shaped." He looked Elyta in the eyes and nodded in her direction, extending his arm and offering up his hammer for her to inspect.

"So lass," He said at length, "I've never seen wings anything like yours. They're quite remarkable." Cosworth canted his head, looking at the finely balanced construction, the high-quality bearings and the curiously frail beauty of Elyta's wings. "Did you build them yourself?"  

[Teigra]

"You...you get what I'm talking about?" she stammered in surprise. It was a rare enough occurrence that she found someone willing to listen to her ramblings. Almost never did she find someone who could actually talk with her on the subject of her crazy inventions. As the Faun continued talking, her shock turned into a wide smile, her wings starting to hum in a pleasant tone, and she reached out to accept the hammer. The tool was light...but deceptively strong, she could tell, just from holding it in her hands. Her fingertips trailed over the surface, noting the small nicks and imperfections, and wondering just what it had taken to create them. "It's remarkable, if it does all that you say. I'd like to do some experiments if I could get a test sample some time," she muttered, looking the tool over one last time before handing it back.

Her eagerness and enthusiasm at finding a kindred soul had been plain as day, but Cosworth's last question changed something subtle in the Fae's expression. It was a mild hesitation, a pause before she answered; normal for many Pae, but odd for the rapid-speaking engineer. Not that he'd realize that in only speaking to her for a few minutes likely. She kept her expression veiled otherwise, though her smile faded a bit. "Err...no, I didn't," she answered, her wings stilling again as well.

Then, she seemed to brush the question aside, hurrying forward to gather a few of the pieces of wreckage in one place. "I had some of this design I'd like to keep aside from the handlebars," she was back in busy-mode now, moving efficiently from one piece of debris to the next, collecting what she wanted to keep. "Not sure there's time to do much else today though. Probably have to put this prototype aside for a while, 'til I can get designs laid out for the next model build."  

[Doof]

"Of course I understand. Lass, you speak a language I'm quite familiar with. That of experimentation and design." The scruffy faun allowed himself a grin, and observed the pretty little thing examine his hammer IF YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN. Her eyes shone with a fascination and curiosity that he himself had been accused of showing whenever he found something that intrigued him. "Oh yes, the wood does all that I said, and with minimal treating too. Of course, it's still wood, and as such will still burn if left by a flame." He took back the tool and put on a thoughtful face at her suggestion of running tests on something like it. "Finding you some of this wood to actually use might be a tall order though. Only one Faun can shape the wood into anything useful, and even a small test sample would be hard to find. It doesn't exactly drop from the tree easily." Still, he resolved to try and find some, in case he ever saw this girl again afterwards. He might have had some buried in a junk pile with some of his failed experiments.

Elyta's sudden dimming of mood at the mention of her wings was not unnoticed by Cosworth. A curious, outstretched hand that was growing near those mechanical wings was hastily and clumsily withdrawn, as he wondered what might have made that a sensitive subject. He considered prying, but thought better of it. 'You, of all pae, should know to leave touchy subjects alone.' He chided himself.

When Elyta had returned to her old self, busying around the remnants of her device, Cosworth looked at the scattered objects, at the delicate Fae attempting the salvage and the long bridge leading away from Faun territory. "If you hope to salvage much, you won't have a lot of luck hauling it away to... Wherever you call home." He thumbed over his shoulder in the direction of his own workshop. "I live a couple hours walk from here, and I know I've got a cart handy."  

[Teigra]

After pulling away from the Faun, both physically and socially, his offer seemed to lift her mood a bit. "I...really?" She looked down at the wreckage that had been her latest experiment, then back to the Faun. She supposed there weren't many who would disturb her things if she left them here. Or maybe she was supposed to stay and he'd go get the cart? Seemed like a boring trip to make by one's self though. Especially if there was someone else to discuss such things with. They seemed a rare breed, if her own experience was any guide.

"I...I'd really appreciate it," she said finally with a smile. "Could I come with you? I mean, if that's alright? Don't really wanna' just sit here for hours by myself. Not very interesting holding still that long with nothing to do. If I had something I could work on, but...I don't really have any tools here," she muttered, looking around. "Anyway, 's been a long time since I had somebody else who understands this stuff," she admitted, then in a quieter voice, "Okay, more like never, but that's beside the point. Maybe you could tell me more about this wood? Where's it come from? Why's it so rare? Is it hard to work with then, if only one Faun can shape it?" Her head cocked to the side, questions flowing hard and fast. And that was still only about half of what was running through her head.
 

[Doof]

Cosworth himself thought for a moment about this Fae's wreckage, left out in the open near the much-frequented bridge, and wondered if anyone might make off with some of it during the hours they would be away. They might be tempting as firewood, but he didn't see anyone wanting that during these hot months. "Indeed, there's not much you can work with here. I don't suppose there'd be any trouble bringing you along. My home's not far but it will still take a while to get there." He wasn't concerned about being bored on the lonely walk back; after all he made the trip more frequently than most, and he had more than enough company in his own thoughts most days of the year anyway. At the mention that she had no-one to discuss her passion with, it almost sounded like she was the same way too.

"We need to head north along the path." The faun bounded back towards the road, using some of his race's natural agility, although if this Fae was familiar with faun in any way she could probably see he was lanky and cumbersome by their standards. He turned, to see if she was keeping up, and to see if he could get another look of those marvelous wings in motion again. Calling out a little louder to account for the distance and their motion, he answered her question.

"The wood comes from our ancestral tree, Laisidhiel. That is its only source, and yes, as far as I know, only one Faun can shape it. It's impossible for the rest of us to work it." He looked further down the path and trotted along at a brisk pace. "So the needs of the Faun as a whole would come before any fanciful uses of the wood, such as what I've been trying to use it for." He stopped short of actually explaining what he used it for, but went on describing the properties of the material. "It's as dependable as metal or even more so for structural purposes, light and strong. If it is about to fail, you would see the first splinters long before it actually breaks. However like all woods, it will still burn, which is why I don't really try to get it as often as I used to. Besides, I've probably used up all my favours by now anyway. That also means there's only one faun who can reshape the wood once it's been put to use. So we don't really use it too often for cutting implements that will be used often, because once they dull they become very pretty decorations but that's about it. I have a hammer of course, and I think that's a common application for it."

Cosworth turned back to face Elyta, a thoughtful look on his face. "I think though, for what you're doing, Laisidhiel wood would be just fine. Ideal even, if only we could get our hands on some."  

[Teigra]

While this wasn't the first time she'd ever seen a Faun, she wasn't exactly all that personally familiar with their people. So, the sight of her new friend bounding away towards the road only brought forth a bubbly giggle, and the thought of 'Two can play that game!' With a whirr, the Fae was airborne, zipping along after the Faun. When he paused briefly to look back for her, she spun around to hover in front of him with a cheeky grin before setting off again. Soon, the pair had set a brisk pace, he on the ground, she hovering low in the air.

"Hmm, sounds tricky to work with," she answered after listening for a bit. "But something as strong as metal, but lighter...sounds like it'd be worth the effort and hassle. Metal's strength is fantastic; so much less worry about prototypes breaking so easily, but man, getting enough of it to do anything with," she grumbled. "Course, then you gotta' figure out HOW to do anything with it when you got some," she laughed, her tone seemed to fluctuate as much as her flight patterns. Giggling, she dangled one wrist up towards the sun, a thin band of gold shining. "This is most of what I got for right now, so not a lot I can do with it other than wear it and look pretty!"

She'd not been to this part of the Isle much, so even while her attention was on the conversation, her eyes were taking in all that zipped by her. Forests weren't rare on the Isle. She'd just not been to this forest before. Nevermind the great big tree in the distance. She'd made her home back on the main Isle in the Ithyl Forest, a simple place in the trees to keep the things she'd collected and gathered and built. She'd heard some rumors though, and the Avalon Fairies had been more active than usual as of late. Something was going on, so she'd been journeying out further and further in her travels.

"Hmm, reminds me," she mused aloud. "That Headquarters place...the fairies have been going on about it. Can't say I've ever been there, but guess I never will now, if it's flattened," she giggled. "Whole bunch of stuff though. And if it's broke, they wouldn't mind if I took some stuff if I found it, right?" She didn't really expect Cosworth to answer; it was more just her vocalizing her passing thoughts and making a note to check on it later.

She darted closer, zipping alongside the Faun and watching ahead for trees. "So, Cosworth, what sorts of things do you build? I've shown you mine. Gonna' show me yours?" she asked with an innocent grin.
 

[Doof]

Cosworth smirked discreetly as the excitable girl fluttered ahead of him, mechanical wings humming almost hypnotically just a few yards ahead. The leaping faun was not quite as spry as might have been in his younger days, but he managed to keep a brisk pace, although his heart pounded a little harder than he was used to. Perhaps they would reach his cottage before two hours after all.

Despite the strain, he still had enough breath left to answer most, if not all of this strange girl's incessant questions. "I'm interested in metals too, mostly because they don't burn like wood does. I've been hoarding whatever I can find or barter for, but I'm sure you know how rare it is." He did not mention that he had collected a fair bit more than she apparently had, but perhaps she'd see that when they arrived at his hovel. With the woodland rushing by, Cosworth took special care to note where they were on the road from the bridge to Laisidhiel. He knew the trail very well, but usually he wasn't bounding along, pretending at being young again.

At the mention of the Headquarters, Cosworth leapt forward a bit to catch up. "The Headquarters? I tried to journey there once. It seemed like too remarkable a place to pass up." He then turned his head aside ruefully. "I got lost for three days and found myself back at the bridge. I decided I wouldn't try it again until I got someone more familiar with the land to journey with me, but I'm very bad at asking for help. Might be too late now." He panted a little as he pulled alongside the fluttering Fae, to look her in the eye. "If you find anything interesting on your travels though, be sure to let me know."

The Faun hesitated at the playful final question from Elyta. Not for its slightly flirtatious wording, which had caught him off guard, but because of the skepticism his hobby brought from other Faun, although he hadn't experienced outright ridicule for some years now. Still, if there was anyone to share it with, this girl might be more appropriate than most. "I make engines. Not mills or siege engines, mind. I've found ways to make fire and heat turn into useful motion." He smiled to himself, recalling that less than a year ago all he was managing was a lot of smoke and singed fur. "So you can get technical with me, I'll understand what you're saying."

He jogged down a little, letting himself fall behind and hopefully letting the energetic young girl know that he was starting to get a little worn. "Maybe I can get one running when we arrive at mine, show you what it does. You, ah, don't live in that sky city do you?" Cosworth canted his head to the side. "If you do, I can't help you get those parts back home."  

[Teigra]

Even if her question had only caused him to hesitate for a moment, Elyta counted that as a victory and allowed herself to grin widely. Still innocent, of course. Back to business. "Engines? Neat! What kinds? You have much luck? Oh man, I like motion too, but not so much the fire and heat part," she giggled. "I'm into kinetics. Amplifying a Pae's natural movement potential in combination with manufactured devices," she recited, still buzzing alongside her new friend, though she slowed to keep pace as he did. "Been working on land travel recently," she added, glancing back over her shoulder where they'd left her latest experiment. "Course, not as efficient as flying, but not everybody's got wings, you know?" she winked, gesturing towards Cosworth with a chuckle.

"Basically, I figure you put energy in, the device helps amplify it, which results in greater movement potential than would be capable of the Pae producing alone. Heck, could help in carrying and pulling stuff one day too. Gotta' be useful for somePae, right?"

At Cosworth's question, she halted her enthusiastic rant and shook her head. "Sky city? Nah. Too many stuffy types up there. All content to sit on their bums and have stuff handed to 'em. Nevermind inventing something new for themselves. Besides, not a lot of room up there for building," she quipped with a flippant wave of her hand. She didn't mention that many of the angels and demons up there looked at her wings funny, which made her uncomfortable. Was it just her wings or that she was a Fae, she was never certain, but it was just easier to avoid the situation altogether.

"Course, a visit now and again is alright...they got some neat stuff up there," she added with a shrug. "Nah, I like it better down here; more room to build and break things," she giggled. Hovering for a second, she pointed in a general north-north-west direction. "Ithyl Forest. Nothing fancy, and I suppose it's still a kinda' long trip," she admitted. "But, it's home."
 

[Doof]

Cosworth's face twitched imperceptibly. "No, I don't suppose we all have wings." He shuddered, but shook off his sudden unease. "You can keep the sky, winged one. Heights make me... uncomfortable. Your land devices on the other hand, they interest me." He was familiar with force and speed multiplication, but hadn't really explored it because, frankly, he spent all his time trying to make sure his engines wouldn't blow his facial fur off again. He kept extensive (if badly organized and untidy) notes and journals on his designs and observations. Perhaps this other inventor did something similar? In that case, an exchange of information and ideas could be immensely beneficial between the two of them.

He smiled with relief when Elyta said she did not live in the sky (as that would render this little journey irrelevant) and although he wasn't exactly sure where this 'Ithyl Forest' was, it couldn't have been too far if she had run that device of hers all the way here, without flying it down. Cosworth took the momentary pause in motion to quickly catch his breath, looking blankly in the direction she pointed, although all he saw was a wall of trees.

When they did resume moving, he made sure to keep a more sustainable pace, and watched the forests go by for a while, letting her do most of the talking. He wasn't sure how long they traveled that way, but they were getting fairly close to the turn-off. "Up ahead, you might see an old oak with some scratchings on the bark. We need to head into the woods there. I'll lead."

When they came to said tree, Cosworth found himself having to tug on Elyta's hand, since she completely missed the discreet trail marker leading the way to his hovel. "This way." He parted a couple of large leaves in the way and set off down the trail at a much more cautious pace.

"I take it then that you find that sort of thing- with the wreckage and the crashing- something of a common occurrence?"  

[Teigra]

Elyta squeaked when tugged towards the turn-off. She'd been saying something about a rack and pinion system when the Faun had to literally pull her out of her thoughts and down the correct path. Having altered her direction, she resumed grinning and followed Cosworth through the thickening foliage. At his question, she aimed a faux pout at the Faun. "Aww...you say that like it's a bad thing, Cosworth." Her grin wouldn't be contained for long though and broke free again. With a shrug, she added, "Eh, basically. But, what else ya' gonna' do? Just gotta' keep trying. You have some successes...maybe more failures, but some successes. You take what you learn and move ahead."

Despite his earlier protest against it, Elyta's brain was already churning with ideas inspired by her new friend. Wings. Artificial wings. Could she really do it? Could she invent something that would allow non-winged Pae to fly? Her thoughts turned to the buzzing appendages on her back. Sadly, even she didn't completely understand how they worked...but of course, it wasn't exactly the easiest problem to analyze from her point of view. But, their mere existence had to prove that it was possible...right? Shaking off the thoughts before they could weigh her down, she glanced at Cosworth once more. Hmm...the Faun seemed to be a heavy sort...like the solid, muscular, lean sort, not like big...but the weight might prove challenging for flight. Gliding maybe...something powered would have to be able to amplify effort many fold, else the flier would get too tired too quickly and have little air time...

She'd basically become lost in her own thoughts now, falling quiet while easily keeping up with the land-bound Faun ahead.