Mina sank back into her reclining chair on the second floor of her workshop. A smile was embedded into her face so deeply that she felt it might never dissipate.
What a wonderful day. She sighed and nestled her face against the cushioning, covering herself partially with her new scarf. While this chair might not be as ornate or as ludicrously expensive as the bed she'd had in her quarters in the castle, it was a place she was unafraid to return to for rest.
She'd slept so well the night prior! Yes, sure, there had been the minor issue of being kept awake well past midnight by Ir'alith, but she'd returned entirely unharmed and with all the excitement that tinkering with an unknown machine brought. Naturally she also cared very much about rescuing Carl's wife, but the woman was apparently in no imminent danger and was being held in quite reasonable conditions, so there was no need to panic herself over it.
Mina was not Isemeine, and she would not worry and fret over things as she had in the past. She would spend the appropriate amount of time devising a solution—adjusting for speed if Annie's condition worsened—but she would most certainly rescue her. And then…
She wasn't quite certain what would happen then. She held some trepidation over meeting the woman despite the praise that Carl and Ir'alith piled upon her, and, after thinking on it, she felt that perhaps aiding in her rescue would be sufficient. She'd seldom gotten along with other women, and it seemed unlikely that Carl's wife would be any exception. For one reason or another, women seemed to dislike her on an almost instinctual level, or so she felt after living with her mother and sisters for so many years.
But what a day it had been! Mina's thoughts turned back to it, as they always did while she awaited sleep; there was still some time before Ir'alith would come to fetch her.
She'd awoken at nearly eleven, which was an impossibly late time. Were she in the castle, her mother or sisters would have long woken her by that point in the day.
Or worse, the Hero.
That was long behind her now, however. After a brief period of terror, during which she fretted that Carl had indeed left her while she slept, she reassured herself with the knowledge that he'd left behind two of his recliners, which he'd seemed quite attached to. She spent some time performing her morning ablutions and stretches, and then she'd had the idea to speak with Phonia.
How strange the thing seemed. It craved only to fornicate with its master, and it acted and spoke only when such things would lead to that result. Carl had apparently requested that it guard the workshop, something which confirmed her belief that he'd not left her as she'd had the nagging fear upon waking. His obvious concern for her had given her the sort of pleasant waking-up experience that she couldn't ever recall having previously.
Phonia had remained taciturn regarding her capabilities, but the casual manner in which she assaulted Carl with fire upon his return suggested that she was quite formidable.
It had given Mina the spark of an idea.
An idea that had been dashed from her head when Carl delivered to her a soft scarf, the spontaneous gift and show of caring nearly bringing her to tears. Then his antics with Phonia had brought her laughter, and she'd truly been thankful she was alive again.
Their shopping trip had been successful, though Mina was ambivalent about his association with the Church of Light, which had apparently found some small following here. No religion which produced a disgusting thing like the man she'd been betrothed to should be suffered lightly. It did seem to have its uses, however, allowing her considerable discount on the cloth she'd needed to purchase for the safety harnesses that she'd designed.
Carl had been gone for a considerable amount of time that morning, according to Phonia, and Mina suspected there was much that he hadn't told her. He seemed to have gained a solid understanding of the city's layout in that time, and one of the gladiators acting in the capacity of a city guard had chased after him, referring to him as "coffee-seeker". There was surely something more at play there, and she'd keep a careful watch.
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Shopping for clothing had been equal parts delightful and nightmarish. The shop was run, it seemed, by Light-worshipers, and they'd behaved in a manner that was even more exaggerated than the tailors who'd made her apparel in the castle. Where one of the royal tailors might have praised her "full figure" or various other parts in oblique ways, these ladies were not so reserved.
As she'd walked in, a woman named Rusonia Zoila had immediately rushed over and introduced herself, stating that it would be an honor to size any manner of clothing for a girl blessed with such magnificent breasts and hips as she was.
Mina shied back, but the older woman was insistent, and there was a certain need for more appropriate and less eye-catching attire. No, she did not want something with a deep neckline and a high hem as the women all pushed her to try. She was not seeking a lover, and no, she did not wish to meet any of their sons or grandsons.
She only wished to purchase a couple sets of trousers and blouses along with some…
No, she did not wish to purchase undergarments which would tease and tantalize like those, nor did she hold even the slightest interest in those… Those scraps of cloth!
Simple, sensible clothing was all she'd come for.
They'd taken several items of ready-made clothing aside to be adjusted as per her measurements, and she'd sat waiting on a chair in the meantime.
A time in which a number of other women had entered and remarked upon the nice man who was using some manner of skill to help them park their cars just outside.
She'd pinched the bridge of her nose, knowing that Carl was yet again engaging in some action or another which was bound to give her a headache as she attempted to puzzle it out.
At last her clothing was prepared, and she'd bundled it into the sheet of treated cotton and paid. Then all the seamstresses had gathered around, commenting again at how her voluptuous figure could only be the result of their deity's favor, and she'd managed to offer hasty farewells and flee before they could more forcefully begin to urge her to come with them to their church to give thanks.
Driving her steamcar with its new upgrades was a revelation for Mina. How incredibly fast the vehicle's full potential must have become to travel with such speed at only the slightest of taps on the go pedal! She completely agreed with Carl at this point: it was far too unsafe to drive in its current state without safety harnesses and a more thorough enclosure. But when they'd returned to the workshop, matters had once again changed for the worse.
Or so she'd believed at first when she'd considered, perhaps irrationally, that her notes might be stolen.
Carl had handled the thugs with ease no matter how they attempted to assault him, finishing by hurling an entire steamcar so far away that Mina imagined it must have flown to another nation entirely prior to landing. Perhaps she'd been incorrect when she'd determined he wasn't that sort of outworlder. Perhaps he was simply much more skilled at controlling his strength.
Their work on the safety harnesses had been nothing short of remarkable, and Mina believed she'd cherish the experience for the rest of her life. Having not only someone to speak with and assist her while she worked but someone who didn't complain even when she took extended breaks to sketch and scribble down new ideas as they came to her?
It had been a dream of hers ever since she'd begun tinkering with mechanics.
Carl seemed to endure her breaks without fuss, amusing himself by playing with his magic again or simply sitting in his recliner and thinking. His progress with magic—at least basic use of the elements—was terrifying; it had taken her months to be able to manifest an element as he did when he poured water into his mug, yet he'd become capable of it in barely a day. Perhaps she, too, should inquire about magical tutoring from Ir'alith.
She'd spent quite some time considering new ideas for developing her steamcar after. Some ideas were useful, others idle fancy. She'd felt the need to take some time collecting her thoughts and gone up to the rooftop where she'd found Carl half-asleep in the sun. Not wishing him to be pained when he woke, she set her scarf over him and left a cup of water in the shade where it might last a while without drying up. The act brought with it that same warm feeling that she'd felt on occasion recently.
It was a feeling she treasured more than any other.
Then she'd again spoken with Phonia. The idea she'd come upon earlier in the day had grown, and she believed she only needed one more piece to enact it. After some discussion about how the thing could truly be of service to Carl—and Mina had not so much lied to it as she had implied various things—they'd reached a sort of understanding.
One which Mina expected would prove most useful in a short while.