R. A. T. H

Twenty-Two

A stove spewed mana then lit ablaze into flames. Rose gingerly placed a metal pot on top of it, poured in some water, and looked at the item in her hand. It was a small thing she had taken from a larger box of 20, it was clear and filled with red leaves—which looked like small petals—it was what Elsa had called 'Rose Tea.' She poured it into the pot and watched as the heat melted the leaves, dissolving them into the liquid and turning it blood red.

The aroma wafted into the air and Rose felt as if her mind had calmed with just a whiff of it. She took the creation and poured it into a metal cup before receding back into the workshop.

She took a sip of the thing, the liquid entered into her and she felt her figure lighten. Fatigue drained away, fatigue she didn't realize an homunculus could have. It was more psychological than mental or physical, she concluded.

She sat down, dressed in only a dark blue sweater that reached her pale thighs as her small feet dangled, and tapped a few times on her pad, watching it ring before a voice quickly picked up as a face blinked into the air.

"Ooh, you called faster than I expected!" Elsa exclaimed.

Rose smiled. "I'm drinking the tea right now."

"So so? How is it?" The grinning face beyond the screen asked, it was covered in dirt at the moment, and she could hear the smacking of metal passing through as well.

Rose held the cup and shook it, "It's great."

The girl laughed.

"See? I knew you'd like it! Nobody ever hates Rose Tea. Nobody."

"I can imagine why, it's certainly an. . .interesting feeling. Although, that's 200 lixels down."

"I say it's worth it! Isn't it? You look like you're enjoying it a lot."

Rose pondered that statement and couldn't help but agree. The tea was just the slightest bit sweet, perfect for her particular taste, and the feeling of ease it brought to her was commendable.

"Yes I am," She said, "Thanks for the recommendation."

"No problem at all," An elated reply came through right away, followed by some clanking.

"That's quite a bit of noise." The homunculus raised a brow. "What are you doing right now?"

"Trying to get this—darn, mecha in order. I still need some more parts but drats, if I don't finish its core build today, I'm not Elsa Mont!"

Rose chuckled at that statement. "I'll wish you luck then, should I leave you alone?"

"No no—stay a bit, I could use some chatter. It'll keep me from smashing this thing in anger," The girl on the other side quickly replied, dried a bit of sweat from her forehead with a hand, and continued tinkering with a box of silver. There were mana lines running through her fingers and it seemed as if she were drawing on it.

Rose leaned back in her chair and dragged the screen to float in front of her as she sipped from her cup. The technology of this world was simple, efficient, and easy to use once one became used to it.

"Can you show me? I'd like to see," She asked.

"Sure!"

She watched as the scene moved. The place looked like a junk yard with scraps of metal littering the ground. There were a lot of things that looked like they were in various stages of being built but, the most prominent of all, was a humanoid behemoth. It was composed of discolored metals and looked like a hunk of a suit—it had a head, it had limbs, it had legs, there was even a small turret strapped to its back. It wasn't complete, however, but it looked decently shaped.