"I thought you were going to make your bicycle thing first." Amelia says when I take out some linen.

"I am." I start going through the same process I used to make my bowstring. "But, I don't have any bicycle chain, and doubt I'll find one lying on the side of the road. Which means I need to make a strong belt." I point out the chain on the joker card.

"Ah. I've seen mills that use ropes, but never heard of one using a chain." Her eyes go out of focus like she's trying to imagine it.

"It's a special roller chain." I build a wooden model. "I'm not very mechanically minded, but I knew my bike inside and out growing up. See, the inner links have rollers over bushings that the pins on the outer links go through. These rollers reduce wear on the cogs, making the whole set up more efficient and longer-lasting."

"I don't even know how you'd make that without strong earth magics." Amelia peered at the over-sized wooden links.

"I think they used hydraulic stamps for most of it, similar to how coins are minted." I roll a silver over my knuckles. "Your look tells me they do things differently here."

"Earth mages make all the coins." She nods. "I'm not sure how water pipes and stamps can cut metal though, but you seem sure of it. So, I'll just have to believe you."

"Oh, that's easy." I make wooden 'U' shaped pipe. "Fill this with water for me." She does and I fashion a plunger for one side. "See, liquids can't be compressed -well, not at the pressures we can generate- So, if I push down on this end with one kilo of pressure, then that one-kilo pressure is pushed out the other end. But, if the other end is larger or smaller, then the force changes proportionally."

"It's like a pulley or lever, but with water." I can feel something on the edges of my senses when she says that, likely her magic as she examines the water in the pipe.

"Exactly." I nod, glad that she caught on so quickly. "A small force over a longer distance creates a great force over a short distance, and vice-versa."

"I wonder if I can use this with my magic." She pulls the water from the pipe forming it into a sphere. "If I press on it equally, but leave a small opening." A stream of water arcs into the woods, but soon slows to a trickle. "Hmm, I'll need to keep the pressure up as it shrinks, but still that was amazing, that's easily the farthest I've ever been able to shoot water."

"Good job." I congratulate the water mage. "It won't be long until you can make a water-knife. Then I can use you to make a proper bicycle chain."

"Come again?" She looks confused.

"Water can cut right through centimeters of hardened steel if the pressure is high enough." I say with a smirk. "Though I think they use a fine grit as an added abrasive, but you could probably do the same with hardened ice shards."

"I could cut steel?" Her eyes light up at the idea.

"Hahahah." Apricot bursts out laughing. "I think you made a monster Sorrel."

"It's just basic physics." I shrug. "I'm sure a proper water mage would tell you much the same."

"Not really." Amelia counters. "I've read some magic books before, and they basically just say use more mana if you want more force."

"Well, that's just stupid." I scoff. "You should always use the least amount of force necessary. What if you need that mana you just wasted overcharging a spell?"

"Says the guy who turned some tiny cotton plants into trees." She smirks at me.

"That was the most efficient way to get all the cotton we'd need for the foreseeable future." I counter. "Or, would you rather we didn't have a nice cushy mattress and sound-proof tent? Or, the clothes I'm going to make you later?"

"He's got you there." Apricot laughs at the blonde.

"Fine, but I still think you were showing off."

"Oh, definitely." I steal a kiss before going back to the belt for my bike. "That's been a bad habit of mine since puberty hit. Especially around pretty girls." This gets a blush out of her and a laugh from Apricot.

"Nnh. So, tell me more about these bicycles of yours." She oh-so-deftly changes the subject.

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"Oh, they're almost as common as dirt." I go along with her, but make sure she sees my amused smile. "Almost every kid has one growing up, though most adults prefer enchanted carriages for transport. But, a lot still have one for exercise or sport, or just to ride around the neighborhood when the weather is nice."

"There are several different designs." I continue. "But, fully wooden ones are not common. Most are made from steel, though lighter materials are common if more expensive."

"You say that like steel isn't expensive." She looks intrigued.

"It's not." I shrug. "I don't know much about metalworking, but I know they use the economy of scale. Just one of the big smelteries likely produces more steel in a day than all of Larendath does in a year."

"That... that... I don't even know what to say to that."

"Then don't say anything, we were talking about bikes anyways." I've got the belt done, and get started on the frame. "There's only so much I can do with wooden parts, so I'm using a basic fixed-gear design. -Fixed-belt, whatever.- Normally, there are several gears stacked together, and the chain is moved between them by a device that also keeps it tensioned. Most bikes also have a ratchet mechanism called a free-wheel that keeps you from having to pedal as you coast along."

"Didn't you say you weren't mechanically minded?" She asks while examining the diagrams I just used magic to paint.

"Oh, this is the limit of my knowledge in that area." I chuckle. "I took a summer job as a junior mechanic at a bike shop when I was younger. It only lasted a few months, but I like puzzles of all kinds, so I learned as much as I could."

"Do you think if I introduced you to a blacksmith you could recreate one of these for real?" Her inner merchant comes to the forefront.

"Probably." I shrug again. "The only difficulty would probably be finding a really hard steel for the ball bearings. Well, that and the rubber for the tires... Speaking of." I set the half-finished bike frame aside and hop off the wagon to root up a small yellow flower that most people consider to be a weed.

"Dandelions? I thought you needed a tree."

"It would be a lot easier to get what I need from a rubber tree, but..." I snap the root open and a milky-white substance flows from it. "This will work. Even if it isn't as efficient." I add with a smirk.

"..." She just purses her lips.

"I'll just need to grow..." I do some quick guesstimating. "I don't know, a few thousand of these, then get my hands on some sulfur and lamp-black. Oh, and I'll need acid too, vinegar should work. At least, I think it's in the same group of acids as what they normally use. I kinda wish I hadn't slept through so many chemistry classes."

"Are you some kind of alchemist?" This question comes from the pixie.

"Not really." I shake my head. "Like I just said, I tended to sleep through that class. But, I know plants and all sorts of uses for them. Including the way to turn this milky sap into rubber, a substance that's more versatile and useful than leather."

"Now, this I want to see." Amelia's eyes look like they have coins rolling around in them.

"Hahaha. Alright, it's not as strong without the sulfur, but I can still make some with what I have on hand. Just let me grow a few more dandelions, and maybe scoop up some dirt so I don't have to hop off the wagon every time I want to grow something."

"There's a big patch of them over there." Apricot points to a break in the trees up ahead, where I can just see a hint of yellow.

"Good catch." I bob my head to her before sprinting forward.

By the time they catch me up, I've harvested more than enough for a demonstration. And, I am just filling a large wooden pot with the above-ground parts, that I then decompose into healthy black soil.

"You are fast." Apricot says in a slightly accusing tone.

"Not when it counts, I'm not." I waggle my eyebrows at her, earning a *Ding* from Temmie.

"Oh, shut up, and get back up here." Amelia rolls her eyes at me.

I shove the pot into storage and grab the box of magically cleaned roots before jumping onto the wagon. "The trees are so much easier because you can just slice the bark and stick a cup underneath to collect the sap. These I'm going to have to grind up and then leach the sap out with some of your conjured water. I should have you teach me that one, but it's more fun to make you do it for me."

"Heheheh." Apricot chuckles at the indignant look that crosses Amelia's face. "Oh, you'd better watch what you say, or you really will be doing all the work yourself." She makes a shaking motion with her cupped hand, getting another ding from the goddess, and a blush from Amelia.

"I'll let her watch me jerk off later." The blonde's blush turns deep red and starts flowing down her neck. "Right now, I have science that needs doing."

"Aww." Apricot pouts. "But you've got four arms. Surely you don't need to use all of them."

"Normally, I'd say you have a good point, but I was just about to make a sausage grinder..." Amelia goes from flushed to pale in an instant. "So, that's a big fat nope. Or, at least a 'wait a few minutes'." The blush starts creeping back.

"Hahahah." The pixie lets out a deep belly laugh. "Oh, she is so fun to watch."

"I know, right. Just wait until she learns that my people use this same stuff to make condoms, you probably call them something like sheepskins." Amelia gets a confused look on her face. "Magic wasn't common there, after all, and even here, I doubt everyone can cast the contraceptive spell."

Apricot has caught on, but Amelia still seems confused. By now I've got a small bowl of ground-up roots. So, I dip a vine in, making sure to get it coated in sap. I then use magic to draw the moisture from the latex, leaving me with a very crude condom.

"..." Her blush comes back in full force, and then some.

""Hahahahah."" We just lose it until she gets mad and starts swatting me on the chest.

"You guys are mean." She huffs.

"I'm sorry Amelia." Apricot apologizes before I can. "But, you are just so cute."

"You really are." I agree. "I'm sorry we're always teasing you, and I'll try to ease up a bit in the future. But, I really do like watching you get flustered." I lick my lips and move the science experiment from my lap into storage so she can see just how much I like it. "Now, I think I promised to put on a show for you."

My little show didn't stay a solo-act for very long, and it was a good hour before I could get back to experimenting with latex.

***