La Bastille (ManxBoy)

Verse Quatre - Villainous Automatons

Verse Quatre – Villainous Automatons

Cid has lived a full life. But he doesn't know it yet.

—Cardinal Neumann, La Bastille 2089 AP

A short blade of blue light emits from the tip of the handle.

"Wow," Cid's mouth drops open, his entire face alight with fascination, "That is so cool!" he tips his head from side to side as Orem swivels the blade in his hand.

Orem has managed to get the thumb drive working again, with the addition of a safety handle for a better grip, making the device look like a knife handle with a retractable blade of blue light, "Can I have it?" Cid asks, "Pleeeeaase?" he adds almost desperately, with his blue and green eyes gleaming bright with unmistakable mischief.

Orem looks to Ulna who's portioning their daily ration of oats and wheat, "Ulna?" he says, as if soliciting her approval.

The mother smiles and jerks her chin up to say, "Okay, but promise us that you won't be using that for mischief," she takes the device from Orem with a much firmer grasp, and then retracts the blade of blue light so she can hand it over safely to her son.

Cid smiles wide, clasping the handle in his hand with the sliding switch between his thumb and index finger, "Is it sharp?" he inquires as he thumbs the switch to slide up, pushing the blade light to come out.

Orem grabs a piece of wood and dangles it in front of his son, "Why don't you try it? Give it a go and slice through this."

Cid crawls by the knees to near the wood dangling between Orem's legs, and with a flick of the thumb switch the blue light comes out. Tinkerton's googly eyes speculate, zooming in and out as if trying to watch the spectacle happening in their midst.

Cid slowly runs the blade through the wood and it splices through and through like a knife to butter, seamless and with no effort which goes to show how sharp the blue light is and how dangerous it can be.

"Oh my," Cid murmurs in silent wonder, "I don't think that's for me," he hesitates, "I can't think of any use for it."

Orem smiles, "Glad you realized that," Cid gives it back to his father but Orem says, "It's okay. Keep it. It might come in handy."

"Handy for what?" Cid questions, unable to place what the device can be used for. It appears like it's only good for bringing hazard.

"For self-defense," Ulna suggests, looking to Orem for something else to offer, "Or for when you need to cut your way out of a binding predicament."

'Or to slice up some bitches!'

"Tinky!" exclaims Cid, and it makes Ulna laugh.

'Sorry.'

The robot's binoculars shrink into its shoebox body, almost ashamed of itself for making the gratuitous suggestion.

Orem chuckles, he obviously has something to do with Tinkerton's debauched programming. The automaton almost has the uncanny ability to recognize the language people use in their conversations, analyzing the voice patterns in their delivery then uses its library of information to land a response without giving mind whether it's appropriate or otherwise.

Ulna smiles, "Tinkerton could be right you know. To slice up some...you know," she stirs her mortar and pestle in the air, "You have a job order today?" she asks Cid.

"No. I'm thinking of taking Tinkerton near the pond at La Darkleth."

Ulna almost believes her son, "Is that really what you want to spend your day of rest on?" she lifts an inquisitive eyebrow and Cid has the decency to blush, "Just don't go bringing trouble to yourself, young man. You're a very smart kid, and I know you've been sneaking off to take a peek of La Bastille since you first learned how to climb a ladder when you were fourteen."