Tortwig pulled out another dropper and let in a drop. The water evaporated, and the plants went dormant. “Don’t worry, it doesn’t hurt them. It just… Puts them to sleep.”
Edward watched when he was suddenly struck with inspiration.
“Could you imagine what one could do with machines that size? Limitless possibilities I’m sure.”
Tortwig thought for a moment. “Ooh, yeah!” She pulled out a notebook and wrote down the idea, labeling it, “Nano-robots.”
“We should develop the idea!” She said happily.
“Alpha, add Nano-Technology to my project list.”
Edward said. Alpha then beeped and affirmative response and gave a small salute.
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“We could develop several different designs, maybe some for groundwork and some for aerial?” Tortwig mused. “We could adapt Alpha and Beta’s design… Actually, that would work quite perfectly. Their simple outer shell would be easy to recreate at the small scale, and the limbs could be adapted for different purposes.”
“I like the way you think. Though I’m afraid this might have to go on the backlog for a while. I don’t like starting one project before I finish another.”
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“Right, that makes sense.” Tortwig nodded. She put the notebook away. She turned to Quadro and spoke in Kitmaj. Quadro nodded and walked over to Oliver. “Query: Would you like assistance in packing up the cart and preparing for departure?”
Tortwig turned to Duo and gave the small robot a command. Duo gave an affirmative beep and a whistle, and floated up in the air to look for a suitable path and any enemies or obstacles.
“Would you like to know what I’m working on now?”
Edward asked.
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Tortwig looked back at Edward and said something in Kitmaj, then spoke in common. “Sorry, my bad. I’m used to speaking in Kitmaj. As for your question, absolutely! I’m always eager to hear what fellow scientists are working on.” Her tail twitched eagerly and she rotated her ears towards Edward and listened with rapt attention.
“My current project is creating a robot with human shape. I know they’re fairly common with magic based technology, but with the limitations it isn’t as easy. I’ve been working on it for a few months now.”
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“Huh. So something kinda like Quadro, but… bigger and not as mis-proportioned?”
The Kitmaj nodded in interest. “If you want, I could help out. I’d love to explore the realm of electrical robotics.”
“I suppose. Though I wouldn’t want to keep you held up in my lab for long. I don’t really do much outside of work.”
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Tortwig shrugged. “I don’t mind, as long as there’s an easy way out for me to use if I need to get something from my home, or collect materials.”
She thought a moment, then asked, “Have you ever tried to build a robot using wood as a casing, instead of metal?”
“No. What use would there be in that? Its far less durable and reliable. It doesn’t seem practical.”
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“Just a thought. I tried it. Once. I made it to big and complex, and the wood broke and caught on fire, and it exploded.”
“That’s how I would expect that to go. Maybe something small like that could function, but I still don’t see the purpose behind it.”
Tortwig shrugged. “It was one of my first robots. I was young, and eager, and I wanted to try something different. I understand what you’re saying, though. It was too big and heavy.”
She thought for a moment. “Purpose? Well, I wanted a more… eco-friendly robot. Metal can be harmful at times, especially in it’s untapped ore form. Other than that, I see your point. Wood is pretty useless.”
She chuckled.
“Again, just a thought.”
She shook her right arm by her side, as if shaking off a bug or a leaf. If Edward was paying attention, he could see the fingers slightly shaking, as if she was scared. No other part of her arm or body showed any similar motion.
“Hey uh, everything alright?”
Edward asked.
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Tortwig lifted her right arm and rolled back the sleeve a bit. On the inside of the arm was a long scar. “When the robot exploded, a piece of the metal inside flew out and did this. It damaged my muscle, and my hand hasn’t been steady since.” She dropped the arm and the sleeve fell back to her wrist. “I’ve learned to cope.” She said cheerfully although there was a hint of pain in her voice as she recalled the event. “Come to think of it, I don’t think I would be an artificer or a chemist if it wasn’t for that accident. It led me to search for ways to make robots safer and friendlier, both in their personalities and in their actual bodies. Take Duo, for example. He is my most recent creation, and he’s one of the friendliest things you’ll meet. Besides Beta, of course.” She sighed. “So far, though, I haven’t found much in the ways of ‘safe.’ I’ve made metal more flammable, electrified, given it strong chemical coatings… But I haven’t found a way to make the metals safer to use. Not yet. I will, if the gods will it so.”
ooc: Text block, I know.
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“Well you think that’s bad, you should see what happened to me.”
Edward pulled up his sleeve, showing his robotic arm. He also drew attention to his robotic eye. He hoped that showing her how much greater his own misfortune was, it would cheer her up.
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