After a while, Clara, Tsukuyomi, Lisa, and Joanna went back inside the lodge and into the women's dorm. Having secretly listened to Alistair and Lenoria's earlier conversation, Clara decided to lie on the bed closest to the door while Joanna and Lisa started reading a book together.

Then, a knock on the main door.

Clara rose from her bed after letting the banging on the main door go on for a minute. She could hear the footsteps approach the windows, but the curtains blocked all but the visitor's shadow. When the visitor realized they couldn't peer inside, they returned to the door and knocked on it again.

It had only been half an hour since Lenoria and Alistair snuck away to the men's dorm, and Clara wasn't about to interrupt them with something so menial. Taking a deep breath, she opened the door to meet the visitor who came over to see them.

"Suuup," Solveig greeted.

"You..." Clara didn't know the full details, but Lenoria did explain the short version of her encounter with Solveig when they had a short moment of privacy earlier during dinner. While she did listen in on Alistair's story earlier, as far as she was concerned, the wielder of Ophiuchus was still dangerous. "What brings you here?"

"You might want to hold the attitude, girl. Just because I promised to help Lenoria doesn't mean I have to be nice to her little friends."

"Is that how you perceived it?" Clara crossed her arms. "My apologies. I was under the impression that you were a dangerous criminal. I have to be on high alert for people like you, you know?"

"Right back at ya, hun. Or have you forgotten how all of those people back at the Guild died?"

The sharp words stunned Clara long enough for Solveig to shove her aside and let herself in. Peeking her head outside before closing the door, Clara lowered her voice so only Solveig could hear. "How did you know about that?"

"Reapers report to King Yeomra, and he's the one who grants me my power. Whenever your spirits have a kill count, I end up hearing about it one way or another." Solveig leaned against a nearby wall, the one bordering between the dining area and the women's dorm. "Don't think you can hide your bird friend, either. For all I know, the two of you are the most dangerous people in Goodsprings now."

"Guess I should come out." Apus manifested himself in the form of a tiny finch that perched on Clara's head. "How ya doing?"

"You don't owe her anything, Apus." Taking a moment to scratch Apus under the beak, Clara shot a glare back at Solveig. "Why don't you start making sense. What do you want with me?"

"You're not my top concern right now. I'm just here for Lenoria," Solveig responded. "As luck would have it, Gabrielle ain't here yet, so I'm stuck as the welcoming committee. I'm supposed to show Lenoria where her workstation is going to be so she can get started first thing tomorrow." Glancing around the empty room, Solveig addressed the obvious. "So, where is she? She can't be napping, still."

SLAM

The door to the men's dorm burst open, banging the wall as hard as Lenoria was able to. "Life is goooood~..."

The young scientist seemed to be blissfully and euphorically unaware that under dim light or total darkness, she'd look normal. But under the lights of the dining room, everything was visible to the naked eye. Including the bite marks and red marks on her neck, cheeks, shoulders, and inner thighs.

Clara blushed at the sight and obvious implications while Solveig guffawed. "Look at you, girl! What happened to you?"

"O-oh, I was attacked by mosquitoes."

"What kind of mosquito leaves bite marks? With teeth? You got them all over your neck and shoulders." Solveig leaned closer. "Hold on a sec. Do I spy one on your leg as well? What manner of beast attacked you?"

"Very large mosquitoes," Lenoria lied.

"Whatever. That's not why I'm here for. Why don't you get dressed and meet me outside?"

Lenoria nodded and closed the door behind Solveig once she was back outside. She readjusted her yukata to conceal her shoulder and opened the door to the women's dorm. The door closed behind them, prompting Clara to speak her thoughts.

"Did...did you and Alistair, um...?"

"He was surprisingly restrained, so no." Lenoria giggled. She glanced in the direction of the men's dorm for a moment. "But you know, I think I can hold out as long as it's him."

"I see." Refusing to inquire further, there was something else Clara needed to address. "Are you sure you should be going alone with her," Clara asked.

"Solveig? We kinda had a heart to heart earlier, so for now I think she's trustworthy. She's nicer than she lets on."

"She's just as bad as Anne. She can get under your skin if you let her."

"No, Anne with a Soulstone is a scary thought. Can you imagine what she'd do to us if she gained super strength or ice powers or something?"

Goosebumps spread all over Clara's body. All she could picture in her mind was Lenoria trapped in a giant ice cube while Anne broke Clara's spine with a knee to the back.

"I don't even want to think about that gorilla." Clara shivered while Joanna giggled, amused at the sight.

"At least Solveig hasn't tried to chokeslam me through a wall. That already makes her better in my book." Removing her yukata as they spoke, Lenoria switched back to her green top and shorts. She strapped a toolbelt around her waist and took a moment to take inventory of her tools. "Looks like I have everything," she said after a minute. "Don't you worry about Solveig. I won't let anyone pick on my friends. Even if she gets out of line, we have Alistair to help us put her back in her place. But she's agreed to join us on the Soulstone hunt, so in the meantime I expect everyone to be on their best behavior."

"Well, alright." Clara sat on the bed next to Lenoria's. "I'll put up with it for now. Just scream as loud as you can if there's trouble. We'll come running."

"One of you, anyway." Lenoria's eye pointed in Lisa's direction. The young girl was glued to a book she had borrowed from Lenoria. She had returned to the dorm not long after Lenoria and Alistair had snuck away, and it was thanks to Clara that the young girl didn't bother ask any questions. "The other should stay here and watch over Lisa."

"Hmm?" Lisa raised her head when her name was spoken. "Did you call me, Lenoria?"

Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

"I'm just telling Clara how great your new chair is going to be."

Lisa gasped and stared at the girls in disbelief. "Really? Do you really mean it, Lenoria?"

"Yup! But you have to be a little patient, alright? Can you handle getting carried around by Clara and Joanna for just a few more days?"

There was an obvious display of discomfort coming from Lisa as she hesitated to give an answer. "Um..."

"I know it sucks, kiddo, but the only ones I see that are available are those they use in the hospitals. Those usually need someone else to push them, but you still look healthy and strong. You could use a chair that is easy to use and help you get some exercise at the same time."

Lenoria's words seemed to have eased the little girl's anxiety just a tiny bit. This young girl was now alone in the world, and if she were to find a family to adopt her, Lenoria wanted to make their lives easier while helping Lisa stay healthy. It was not easy for parents to raise children who were crippled from birth or were crippled some years after they were born; parents looking to adopt, or even foster parents for that matter, would find a handicapped girl needing to be pushed around to move to be troublesome and inconvenient. Lenoria reminded herself to ask Solveig later if she could be healed, but she knew something like this would be complicated if it was even possible.

"Hey." Lenoria knelt next to Lisa's bed. "I promise it'll be the best chair in the whole world. At least think about it, okay?"

"O-okay." Still looking unsure, Lisa waited until Lenoria stood back up to ask something else. "You said earlier that we're friends, right? Do you plan on leaving me?"

"What? No!" Taken aback by such a question, Lenoria realized this girl may be a little more perceptive than she let on. "I don't ever leave my friends. I go out a lot, but my friends always know I'll never abandon them no matter how long we go without seeing each other."

"But if you leave for several days, how would I know you haven't left me forever?"

"Wow, Al was right. Kids can be demanding." After giving her next choice words some thought, the young scientist finally remembered something she hadn't thought about since her time in Hammer's Reach. "Of course! Al! Al has the answer!"

"Everything okay, Lenoria?" Clara shook Lenoria out of her pensive daze.

"Yes, sorry! I just remembered some other projects I wanted to work on! But I need you both to hang on until after I've seen this workshop." Feeling more confident, Lenoria had some final thoughts for Lisa. "Can you do that for me? I promise I will never leave you, and I promise you it'll be worth the wait."

Hearing those words of reassurance seemed to have calmed Lisa down completely. "Okay. I-I believe you, Lenoria."

There was some impatient banging coming from the front door. Clara rolled her eyes and asked Lenoria to wrap it up with a non-verbal gesture towards the main door.

"I'll see you two later. I'll be right back!" With her tools ready to go, Lenoria made her way out of the front door and waved the girls goodbye. "That's one heck of a promise, but maybe it won't hurt being that girl's caretaker for now."

Just as Lenoria exited the building and closed the door behind her, Alistair emerged from the men's dorm. There was discomfort coming from his feet as he limped his way to the counter, and before Clara could assume anything, she noticed the boy had mistakenly worn Lenoria's wooden sandals instead of his own shoes. She hid her smile with her hand at the sight of more red marks around his neck and right shoulder.

"Is something wrong, Miss Clara," Alistair asked calmly.

"Nothing, just," she interrupted herself to hold back her laughter, "I was just thinking that red is a good color on you."

***

"If you ever make me wait that long again, I will fry you where you stand."

There was no sign of aggression coming from Solveig's body language, but Lenoria knew good and well she could make good on that threat if she wanted to. Electricity is something she's only witnessed from Starflower on the rare occasion he wanted to flaunt his powers, and until she could gauge the extent of Solveig's combat capabilities, she had to assume she was just dealing with another Starflower.

"I'm here now, aren't I?" Rarely one to be afraid from the threats of others, Lenoria smiled cheekily after closing the door behind her. "Besides, quality time with friends is always good. Especially if one of them's your sweetheart."

"I can assure you there are people who care more about your talents than your love life, myself included." Solveig scanned the area and pointed at another building not far from the lodge. "That's going to be your workstation. You choose your hours, but Gabrielle wants a written report at least once a month. If you're slacking too much, she'll know."

"Whoa." Even from a distance, the structure appeared to be at least as wide as the lodge and was tall enough to have a second floor. "Gabrielle reserved that for me?"

"Don't feel too flattered. The place is run down, and you might spend a whole day just cleaning it up." Dangling a key, Solveig waited until Lenoria opened her hand to drop it. "Don't let that stop you."

A task that didn't sound too daunting for Lenoria until both women got closer and closer to the next building. It was a short walk northeast across the dirt terrain - roughly about a block away - and as they walked to their destination, Lenoria began to notice how isolated the lodge and the workshop were from the rest of Goodsprings. They were at the edge of civilization, and the nearest building - a lumber mill - was over five hundred feet away to the south of the lodge. It seemed that Gabrielle didn't want Lenoria to be disturbed during her work; either that or keep her from getting distracted.

The workshop was a two-story building that seemed in a state of disrepair. All the signs that had been posted had their words faded away from the passage of time, yet the structure seemed durable in due part of its brick foundation and walls. The door was locked, so Lenoria used her new key to unlock the door to open it and closed it behind Solveig and herself.

Lenoria couldn't believe her eyes.

The workshop was split into several sections, each with its own purpose. The greater part of the workshop was taken over by a foundry-smithy hybrid, which included a smelter, a pedal-operated grinding wheel, an anvil on the ground, and a wooden table that included a wide assortment of hammers. Dusty ingots littered the floor beneath the table. The smelter was off, and steps would be needed to turn it back on. Knowing she would be working with a lot of metal, Lenoria's priority would be to get the foundry up and running.

The next area contained a spinning wheel, several balls of yarn, and a case of sewing needles. Next to the spinning wheel was a legless mannequin on a stand. Lenoria was no weaver, but maybe she could hire someone to weave clothes for her golems once she had gold to spare.

Not far from the spinning wheel was a table with a gaggle of small hand tools scattered on top of it, including files, hammers, and pliers. Lenoria guessed this was reserved for goldsmithing, but she was sure there wouldn't be a problem using it to make dolls and poppets as well.

The second to last section was a carpentry table with more hammers, and also included hand saws of different sizes, squares, chisels, and a large wooden mallet. Bows, arrows, and quarterstaves were examples of weapons made with carpentry, and wands were typically crafted with wood before they were enchanted with magic. And speaking of magic...

"An enchantment table!" Lenoria examined the long table at the center of the workshop. It had old, dusty stacks of paper, rusty tools from all the other stations, and a crystal ball at the center which didn't seem to have a purpose at a glance. But Lenoria knew better; this table was used to infuse any item with magic, and to make that happen, the crafter normally provided their own magic.

In summation, all magical items started out as mundane items, and the enchantment table was what gave wands their spells, bags of holding their extradimensional space, bracers an armorlike enchantment, and so on. To Lenoria, this table was the most important piece of this workshop-sized puzzle.

"All of the equipment has either rust or dust, but it's nothing I can't manage. This place has everything I need, and then some."

"Heh. I guess you liked it, after all. Gabrielle's a busy woman, but I'm sure she'll be happy to hear you like it. Still, to think you got about five months to finish this if you want to make it to Starflower's trial on time. Think you got what it takes to get the job done?"

There was no doubt working on her projects would exhaust Lenoria, but seeing the tools around her gave her the motivation she needed to work. Her talk with Lisa encouraged her to mentally come up with the schematics for a new chair, and her alone time with Alistair gave birth to not one, but two brand-new ideas for a project. There were now four projects in queue, and they all had to be finished within five months.

She wondered if she could get more time now that Starflower had broken out of jail; no prisoner meant no trial, and if there was no trial to prepare for, then there's no longer a point to have a deadline. For now, her goal was to have something for Gabrielle by the end of Svatur, the eighth month. "I got everything I need, Sol."