Necromancer's Descent

55 - Chairs and Glee

Rosalin's Point of View

I look around the warehouse, and to the newly broken chair standing at the veeery edge, almost not fitting into the building. On it is a couple wooden pegs there to put into the holes where the earlier ones had been. There's also glue in a bottle and a rubbery mallet. I can't tell what went wrong with the earlier pegs, since they're not there, and the holes seem to have been sanded down already.

They must have started the moment we left, and finished up while I was setting up the room.

I look at a small blanket that's folded by the entrance, and look down at the pavement. It would be for the best. Thankfully the pavement is already very clean, but the blanket should prevent any scratches.

I spread the blanket out, and place the two parts of the chair on it, with the holes on the back of the chair facing up, and the rest of the chair facing down.

I don't really know the creation or reparation limit that the demons are under, so for the best test, I'll have to make Theodore do as much as possible... but...

While I haven't tested it recently, the orders I've been able to give him have been... simpler... I mean, he couldn't even strip down on his own back at the river.

"Come here."

Theodore, who's been standing at a respectful distance, comes close to my side.

"Kneel down."

I motion him down, and obediently, he kneels down.

So far so good.

Now how do I best do this?

"...hold this..."

I reach the glue bottle out to him, and he takes it. Technically I've made him drink stuff before, so this much should be painless.

"...pour a bit of the content in this hole."

I watch Theodore intensely, while pointing at one of the holes in the chair. Just waiting for one of those popups to tell me it's too complex... but he does it, and then holds the bottle up again so the rest doesn't pour out.

He's now turning his head towards me, as if waiting for the next order. I know it's just performance, but it's one of the things that makes him seem more lifelike.

I take the bottle, and instead hand him the peg.

"Put this in this hole."

He squishes in the peg, which makes the glue overflow a bit.

Next I hand him the rubbery mallet.

"Hit the peg in the hole gently with this."

Theodore takes the mallet, turns towards the chair. Lifts the mallet just barely, and gently taps the peg like it's glass and he's trying not to destroy it with a hammer.

Unsurprisingly... the peg doesn't move.

"A bit harder..."

This time it's at least hard enough that tapping the glass would have made a sound.

"Harder."

...the glass might have vibrated a bit.

I pout as Theodore looks back from the peg to me. I know I said gently, but this isn't what I meant!

"Harder."

Theodore whacks it again, and finally the peg gets hit hard enough to move, but it's not hard enough. Still.

"Hard-" I freeze

"What are you making a girl say?" I say somewhat sarcastically, knowing that Theodore isn't responsible, since he isn't sentient.