Within a strange abandoned workshop, the automation.. a clockwork girl, had been given life at last. Sarah was her name, and until a few moments ago she was human from Earth. Once flesh and blood now in the form of a strange being of cogs, felt-like skin, glass eyes.. it was a lot to take in. Yet take it in she did, somehow every tick of her thoughts were heard as she slowly tuned herself to the new nature of this form.
But the surreal thing about the situation was not just turning into a clockwork girl.. it was turning into a clockwork girl version of 'herself'. Her face was there, as if someone had a photo of her for reference. How could this be? She just didn't know... it didn't seem possible.
She started to examine the clothing she was wearing. It was.. a strange piece, she guessed it would look like something out of the ninetieth century of her own world. It was mostly black, with some parts white.. pleated skirt... not really her taste, but actually quite fashionable in an old school kind of way.
"I better... look around." Her voice... that would take some getting used to.
Sarah wondered around the dusted area, circling the large table. Opening a cabinet she was only 'slightly' distressed to find a pair of bulky hands that were definitely a 'beta' version, with thumbs not quite fitting in the right way. Somewhat tamer to examine though, there were a set of glasses resting by the side of a counter amongst more tools. Evidence of the man that built this body...
her body.
She picked up the gold rimmed frame softly and examined them, running a felted finger across the cold metal. It was so... so emotional. If this was true... if... what could she say? "S-" No.. She didn't want to say sorry...she didn't want to apologise that she was here. It wasn't fair to even feel that! She had the right to exist- but- but- her clockworks ticked as the very nature of morality played itself in her mechanised head. Such thoughts being so layered and nuanced there was simply no way to process it except by her human heart.
Sarah had to let the thoughts go and get back to the task at hand.
The new clockwork-girl found a long coat hanging on a stand to what looked like the outside world. She slowly put on the jacket feeling the long black cotton hide some of her body. It had a hood which hid her fake looking hair too. The coat draped itself over her winding key and she felt a slight pang of distress like as if for a moment she couldn't breathe- even if she wasn't breathing.
She stared at the drawings for a long time, in the end deciding to take a few of those diagrams. What would she do if.. this body got hurt? She needed the diagrams so someone.. in theory.. could repair her.
Suddenly.. there was a noise. A click that was definitely not from her body. She wasn't too sure what to do as the other door opened to the outside world. Two figures came in. Sarah just froze, and so did her body. She might as well have been a mannequin, as she stood there in the corner still wearing the jacket. They didn't even note her presence.
"Shame he passed on eh," said one voice. "I heard he was a bit of a genius- well- until he went mad anyway on some crazy project." The man wore a top hat and monicle. He had decently broad shoulders and.. was human.
A human in this world? That was almost a relief to Sarah as she observed through her stony glass eyes.
The man paused and brought out a lamp, resting it on the table. Light flooded into the area... "Right let's see, we have a debt of Fifty thousand to collect.. I don't see anything here worth that much. You sure this is the last of his assets?"
Sarah glanced to the younger one. He seemed to be a human in his teenage years. Perhaps an apprentice? They seemed to be looking over the diagrams.. the young human was using an abacus to tally the value of all the assets in the room. Wait a minute- these were debt collectors?! Now she felt a little angry. If these people knew what she was, they might just consider her another 'asset'.
"Yes sir, It can only be here. Some kind of massive clock maybe? The last item bought on loan was a rather expensive gemstone."
The elder man started pushing away all the diagrams and notes. "Junk.. junk... hm, pieces of clock parts. I see nothing of value here. Very well boy, catalogue it all and we'll be off. I have a meeting to attend with the bank, we'll have to use the insurance to pay off the gem." He idly glanced outside.
Sarah's glassy eyes moved towards the man in the top-hat as he walked out of the abandoned workshop. With the door open she could hear sounds of a city. Numerous footsteps.. horses... and vaguely this hiss of steam. But of more immediate concern She was still just a mannequin to them... the younger boy was opening up the drawers now, and taking notes. He picked up the bulky hands and noted them down quite excited. Clearly they were worth something... It wasn't long before he was looking at Sarah.
"Mannequin... creepy. Might be worth a bob," he thought. He tried to lift her but she was too heavy. "Mph- no way I'm getting' this one on the horse.. fine you stay, I'll just take the rest."
Sarah could only watch as the workshop had items taken, piece by piece... should she try to talk to this young man or... stay motionless....
Jon was given what provisions the farmers could provide- which was honestly as much as Jon could carry. Her bird like body was a bit tricky though in how she might carry things. In the end a backpack just about worked, and she had to spend an hour practising to open and close it with just her talons. The centaurs had been very kind to her and she owed them big time. She honestly hoped she could repay them somehow.
Athena gave a sad smile. "You know, you could always stay. We could use a harpy to scare the crows away," she said with a little giggle. "You sure you don't want to farm with us? It's not really such a bad life..."
Jon gulped at that. If this was a game, she had a weird feeling that if she said yes it would be game over and this would indeed be her life. The life of a farmer-harpy, scaring crows with her wings. Sure it wouldn't be a bad life in the terms of this world but it wasn't -her- life. She had a life back home, she had to get back to it and the body she once had.
"No- I- I couldn't Athena," said Jon with a sigh. "I have to get answers... I need to know why this happened to me. If I stayed here, I would never know."
"Well, just be careful with humans. Some of them are nice, but others are quite nasty. I know you were once human I just.. don't want you to get disappointed."
Jon was rather confident she knew how to deal with humans having been one herself. Would it honestly be that difficult? It should be fine.. right?
Athena's mother gave a smile. "Just go to the port, and go to the pub called The Rooster," she explained. "You'll find a friend there, she'll set you up with all you might need."
"Thanks," Jon nodded. "I hope I come back... I really must head off." With that Jon started to spread her wings. The extra weight required a running start. Soon with a fan of her tail, she was aloft in the air.
maybe being a harpy was not so bad after all.
Karyn huddled closer to her hostess. Kinship was a strange feeling, especially between two predators of the desert. Well.. predators from the waist down. She wasn't even sure how she felt being part scorpion but seeing an older woman showed that one could live like this quite comfortably.
The younger scorpion girl took in the strange surroundings to get a clue of what 'scorpion culture' might pass as. Maybe.. that was unfair. They were both human too right? Half.. human... still, she seemed to act as if they were not quite human- which- well- was also quite true. "You said this sorcery is not uncommon... it's happened before?" Maybe she could learn a bit more history.
Her hostess glanced at the strange shrine for a moment, then took out a necklace. "Wear this.. for your protection dear, before we speak of things as magic," she said as she placed the necklace around her neck rather swiftly.
Karyn looked at the odd beads. Strange pearls of blue and gold, and cold to the touch. They didn't feel magical but her new friend seemed to insist upon it.
The elder lady made a pincer gesture into the air. "Sorcery is not always welcomed when it touches someone... and yes, there are always rumours or stories. You might think you are from another world, but in time you might think that other world was just a dream."
Karyn frowned at that. "I know I wasn't dreaming, I haven't always been like this." she raised one of her legs for good measure, and nearly fell to her side in the process. With a quick flick of her new tail though she was back up, the gesture being rather subtle- though clearly it was noticed easily enough by the hostess who gave a chuckle.
"No? Quite sure are we? I suppose that is a good sign, maybe magic doesn't have as much a hold on you... but do beware the pull it can have. Symbols of protection as that necklace sometimes help by focusing the mind to the dangers. That is often all you need, to make it a choice."
Karyn touched the necklace again. "Well.. thanks um... can you.. tell me more of the Lady? Oh- What's your name..."
The elder scorpion shrugged. "My name is Fazalune little one," she said with a smile. "I know quite a bit about the Lady, though only met her once myself... she is very wise, and knows the secrets of the desert sands. She can whisk you anywhere the sun rises on the world.. such is her gift- though you will have to prove yourself worthy of such a favour. She will not give them just like that."
Karyn bulked slightly at that. This was a game after all. She had to prove herself.. but there was some hope. That meant she could find Jon if she convinced the Lady of her need. "Do you.. live here alone Faza?"
Fazaluna idly scratched her neck, and rested her scorpion body, somehow making it take up less space in her tent. "I'm never alone dear. I have the moon as my guide, and travel under her light always." she took out a diagram of the moon.
Karyn looked at the picture and raised an eyebrow. "That... looks an awful lot like the moon of my world," she exclaimed. Well- maybe that was to be expected. Someone might have just drawn their own moon in the game and .. yeah... that was still a bit strange.
"I'm not too surprised, you might find many things here are the same.. but different. Much like if I visited your world," she snickered slightly. "Well, the sun draws near and I must sleep... feel free to rest here dear."
"Thank you..."
