Passing Time

Mizuki makes sure to glare when she runs into the Scammer Child, the little girl who's seen bothering yet another unsuspecting patron. Muffling a disapproving grunt, Mizuki strolls towards Ether's home, trying to pinpoint the exact building amongst many others of the same architecture.

Just a short distance away, Mizuki spots Ether with her legs spread out against the steps in front of her home. She has an apple on a plaid handkerchief next to her, a few anticipated seconds from being kicked off. Ether has all her attention on the clock in her hand, tinkering with it, nothing but a wrench in her hand.

While distracted, she ends up shoving the apple away with her leg. Mizuki takes it as her opportunity to approach the girl, stopping the apple with her foot. Picking it up in her hand, she hands it to Ether who doesn't seem to care much that her breakfast rolled off. "Are you done fixing the clock?" Mizuki raises her eyebrow.

"You're just in time," Ether jokes and the creaking of gears is heard. Ether sets her tools against the ground, adjusting the hour hand of the clock to match the current timing. Mizuki takes it from her hand.

"Do you want me to pass it to George?"

"I'll be right behind you!" Ether encourages. Mizuki nods, turning on her heel. Across the plaza, through the clear glass of George's store, she notices him bustling around with customers, busy keeping the armour in place while attending to his patrons.

Mizuki watches from the corner of her eye as Ether slowly skips behind her, stopping outside the door of George's armoury once Mizuki steps a foot in. When Mizuki turns quizzically, Ether only raises a thumb and mouths an 'I'll be watching from out here.'

Upon entering the store, Mizuki raises her hand to catch George's attention. "Morning, it's me again," she greets. George turns his head to the front, muttering incomprehensibly to a customer before scrambling forward to Mizuki's attendance.

"Did you get my clock back?" he asks, not concerned about anything else. Mizuki lifts the clock to his eye-level. George breaks out into a toothy grin, though it doesn't fit his usual stoic, uninterested impression.

"Ah, you got it back! And it's all fixed-up too," he squeals, admiring his new clock. It has a freshly-coated exterior, repainted and touched up with metal varnish. George feels it shake slowly in his hands with each time the minute hand moves.

"Do you forgive her?" Mizuki asks on her behalf, feeling Ether's ominous presence behind her. George hugs the clock against his chest.

"I do," he smiles contentedly. From behind her, Mizuki hears a squeak and Ether comes hurling forward, pushing past Mizuki and towards George. Ether grapples onto George's shoulders. She smiles brightly and expectantly. George's expression immediately falls at the sight of the girl, not liking the mischievous lilt in her expression.

"Whatever you're going to ask, it's a no," he grunts cynically.

"Come onnnn!" Ether pleads. "I didn't mess up this time, did I?!"

"Still, I've seen all the houses you burnt down," George's undereye twitches in disapproval. Ether shakes him harder, raising her voice with each plea. George groans, tightly wrapping his fingers around her arm to get her to stop. "Whatever. You know where the scrap metal is so do whatever you want with it."

[Commission Completed: Steampunk Girl Sets Things On Fire]

Mizuki pokes Ether. "You owe me a fixed-set of armour. I remember your promise," she pokes even harder when Ether doesn't turn. Ether nods enthusiastically, raising her thumb yet again. Mizuki guesses it might be her signature move.

"Please. Take her away from me," George requests, pushing Ether towards Mizuki's chest. Ether frowns back at George, eager to grab herself spare metal while she could've. George ignores his reaction, instead scrambling back to his customers before they're agitated. Ether shrugs, diverting her attention back to Mizuki.

"Let's go back to my workshop," she flashes a cheeky grin.

Mizuki hums in acknowledgement. "By the way, when did you start working with fire? Don't you need to be a Mage to work with any of the elements?"

"I'm older than I look," Ether laughs. "I levelled up when I was twenty and it's been a whole year but I'm still not very good with fire. I've heard from my seniors that it takes forever to master magic. That's fine, I have forever."

"I've tried magic once," Mizuki admits. "Ended decently but I got hurt pretty badly," she laughs. Ether nods expectantly.

"Aren't you only a Ranger, though?"

"Is it obvious?" Mizuki jokes.

"Some of us can tell," Ether smiles and by this point, they're at her house. The door is left open for some reason and by the front, there's a bulky old man. He shares many similarities with Ether, the only difference being the stern frown that's on his face. "Father!" Ether greets warmly, waving at the stoic man.

"Ah, my daughter," he smiles widely. Mizuki stands back, hands cupped over each other. Of all the reactions she expected to see from him, a wide grin wasn't one of them. Ether jumps into her father's arms, nuzzling into him warmly. Her father ruffles her hair affectionately, looking up at Mizuki upon noticing her presence in the room. "And who might you be?" he questions warmly. Mizuki stares awkwardly.

"Don't worry, I'm not intimidating."

Mizuki still feels tiny in his presence. If he stood right in front of her, she might only have her nose at his chest. Ether breaks the silence, "Do you mind fixing up her armour for me? I gave her my word but there's something else I have to work on this afternoon!"

"Ah, it's really not necessary if—" Mizuki cuts off.

"It's fine, a friend of my daughter's is a friend of mine. Come, my work station is outside, I'm sure you must've done something well for my daughter to have taken a liking to you," he jests. Mizuki stands aside as he passes, intimidated by his presence. Ether waves in farewell to Mizuki, ignoring Mizuki's gesture to call her out. Mizuki sulks, trudging out of the house, this time properly closing the front door behind her.

"Is Ether in her workshop again?!" Mizuki hears an agitated woman's voice not far away.

"Yes but I allowed her to go. She told me she had a project to work on, darling," Ether's father consoles the much shorter woman.

"Don't 'darling' me! Have you checked whether or not she's eaten? Come on, there's an apple in front of our home, I don't think she has had breakfast yet!" she scolds, storming past her husband and towards the house. She flashes a struggled smile towards Mizuki, roughly opening the door.

With its speed, it knocks Mizuki in the back harshly. Mizuki lurches forward, letting out a grimace. How unlucky.