Hmm, reading back I seem to have used 'odds and ends' as a phrase rather than 'bits and pieces' but I think you can see the clear inspiration from the prompt nonetheless :)
Bits and pieces The Maestro took Fabian back to Assessment room 4, where Fabian was unsurprised to see that his Misulli figurines had disappeared. He was told to sit, rather like a dog he felt, and while he perched on the stool the Maestro had sat on earlier he looked at the control of the assessment table on this side. There were several digital readouts, plus an analogue one that he felt he hadn't seen the like of in years. There were the usual digital input panels and a few buttons, but mostly he didn't know what any of them did. "Here," said the Maestro, handing him a cardboard box identical to the ones the Museum kept all small stored artefacts in. "These are your figurines. Don't lose them." "Thanks," said Fabian, uncertain if they were being returned to him or if he was just supposed to be holding them. He opened his mouth to ask but the Maestro had already bustled over to a door and opened it, revealing the cavernous gloom of the Archives beyond. Fabian rarely went into the archives, partly because he had little business in there and partly because the researchers in there tended to be a quiet, watchful type who would stop what they were doing and follow you discreetly around until you left again. He did know it was where the Museum kept artefacts that were rotated off display and odds and ends that they weren't sure they had a use for but couldn't throw away -- exactly the kinds of things that the Assessors came in and scrutinised every four years. Which made him wonder for a moment, enough that he took his tablet out and set a reminder for himself. He couldn't remember seeing a report from the Assessors confirming that the Archives were all in order, and the absence of that was the kind of thing that caused you to fail a later Assessment. "Here," said the Maestro, coming back with a spring in his step and another cardboard box in his hands. Fabian got up and took his jacket off, then put his cardboard box under his jacket in the far corner of the room to make sure that nothing got mixed up. While he fussed over protocol, the Maestro opened the box and tipped a new collection of figurines out onto the Assessment table and then started setting them up.
"They're beautiful," said Fabian, coming back to the table. The figurines were dressed in armour coloured orange and grey which were pre-Imperial colours. He started to help the Maestro set them up, marvelling at how heavy and solid they felt for their size. There were fourteen in total and they split into two obvious companies of seven, each company wearing a slightly different type of armour and bearing a different animal (wolf, crow) as a crest. Fabian looked closely at one, slightly surprised to see that it looked like a female wisp elf, and then looked more closely at all of them. "A company of wisp elves and a company of spider elves," said the Maestro after Fabian had had time to look at them. "Quite unusual even for the time, and if Misulli hadn't been Misulli then they would likely have been destroyed by now." "I think there are people today who would prefer to see them destroyed," said Fabian. For no reason he could think of he suddenly thought of the ruined church near where he'd had his fainting spell and met Rystin. "Elves are not exactly the Emperor's favourite people." The Maestro snorted. "The Emperor doesn't have favourite people," he muttered. "That man prefers dogs to anything else." Fabian said nothing; the Emperor was well known to keep a lot of dogs, well beyond anything that would be considered normal from anyone else, but he knew better than to openly speculate. The Maestro pressed a button on his side of the Assessment table and the figurines stirred slightly, but they didn't jump to life as Fabian's had. "See? They should react like yours," said the Maestro. "But something happened. Something magical, I'm certain of that, because I've been over these with the best microscopes we have, but I have no idea what." "Did you ask the mages?" Fabian saw the look on the Maestro's face and waved his hands frantically, placatingly. "No, no, strike that! Obviously we wouldn't tell them that something magical got broken here. Obviously." "Quite." The Maestro's collection of glares was growing, thought Fabian as he received another. "What if I brought the artificer in?" he said, fishing for a way to change the subject. "As an outside expert. A consultant! Just to look them over and offer a second opinion?" The Maestro considered it.
3 comments:
Hmm, reading back I seem to have used 'odds and ends' as a phrase rather than 'bits and pieces' but I think you can see the clear inspiration from the prompt nonetheless :)
Bits and pieces
The Maestro took Fabian back to Assessment room 4, where Fabian was unsurprised to see that his Misulli figurines had disappeared. He was told to sit, rather like a dog he felt, and while he perched on the stool the Maestro had sat on earlier he looked at the control of the assessment table on this side. There were several digital readouts, plus an analogue one that he felt he hadn't seen the like of in years. There were the usual digital input panels and a few buttons, but mostly he didn't know what any of them did.
"Here," said the Maestro, handing him a cardboard box identical to the ones the Museum kept all small stored artefacts in. "These are your figurines. Don't lose them."
"Thanks," said Fabian, uncertain if they were being returned to him or if he was just supposed to be holding them. He opened his mouth to ask but the Maestro had already bustled over to a door and opened it, revealing the cavernous gloom of the Archives beyond.
Fabian rarely went into the archives, partly because he had little business in there and partly because the researchers in there tended to be a quiet, watchful type who would stop what they were doing and follow you discreetly around until you left again. He did know it was where the Museum kept artefacts that were rotated off display and odds and ends that they weren't sure they had a use for but couldn't throw away -- exactly the kinds of things that the Assessors came in and scrutinised every four years. Which made him wonder for a moment, enough that he took his tablet out and set a reminder for himself. He couldn't remember seeing a report from the Assessors confirming that the Archives were all in order, and the absence of that was the kind of thing that caused you to fail a later Assessment.
"Here," said the Maestro, coming back with a spring in his step and another cardboard box in his hands. Fabian got up and took his jacket off, then put his cardboard box under his jacket in the far corner of the room to make sure that nothing got mixed up. While he fussed over protocol, the Maestro opened the box and tipped a new collection of figurines out onto the Assessment table and then started setting them up.
"They're beautiful," said Fabian, coming back to the table. The figurines were dressed in armour coloured orange and grey which were pre-Imperial colours. He started to help the Maestro set them up, marvelling at how heavy and solid they felt for their size. There were fourteen in total and they split into two obvious companies of seven, each company wearing a slightly different type of armour and bearing a different animal (wolf, crow) as a crest. Fabian looked closely at one, slightly surprised to see that it looked like a female wisp elf, and then looked more closely at all of them.
"A company of wisp elves and a company of spider elves," said the Maestro after Fabian had had time to look at them. "Quite unusual even for the time, and if Misulli hadn't been Misulli then they would likely have been destroyed by now."
"I think there are people today who would prefer to see them destroyed," said Fabian. For no reason he could think of he suddenly thought of the ruined church near where he'd had his fainting spell and met Rystin. "Elves are not exactly the Emperor's favourite people."
The Maestro snorted. "The Emperor doesn't have favourite people," he muttered. "That man prefers dogs to anything else."
Fabian said nothing; the Emperor was well known to keep a lot of dogs, well beyond anything that would be considered normal from anyone else, but he knew better than to openly speculate.
The Maestro pressed a button on his side of the Assessment table and the figurines stirred slightly, but they didn't jump to life as Fabian's had.
"See? They should react like yours," said the Maestro. "But something happened. Something magical, I'm certain of that, because I've been over these with the best microscopes we have, but I have no idea what."
"Did you ask the mages?" Fabian saw the look on the Maestro's face and waved his hands frantically, placatingly. "No, no, strike that! Obviously we wouldn't tell them that something magical got broken here. Obviously."
"Quite." The Maestro's collection of glares was growing, thought Fabian as he received another.
"What if I brought the artificer in?" he said, fishing for a way to change the subject. "As an outside expert. A consultant! Just to look them over and offer a second opinion?"
The Maestro considered it.
Greg - always happy when things work out for the best in the end :)
Huh, it seems you've found an opening for Rystin to come in. Nicely done!
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