Robyn smiled when Kazan asked about the door. It had been the single most amazing piece of technology she'd ever seen, and she'd learned a lot just going through all of the parts. There were certain parts that she could even still feel magic lingering, and she recognized it as O'Brien's magic. The door itself was in great condition, and only needed to be cleaned and calibrated, which was easy enough for her to do. It took her a while simply because the door was massive and there were a lot of parts that needed attention. She'd come back out of it covered in grease and dust.

"It was amazing," she replied. "I was neck-deep in the most complex piece of machinery I've ever seen, and I learned a lot from it." There had even been little notes and instructions etched on the inside of the metal panels of the door, which had been extremely helpful. They were little things, like whether or not a particular gear liked to stick or whether a certain switch was finicky, but they helped out a lot when Robyn had been working, and she knew they had been left there by O'Brien. She would never admit it, but when she noticed the first one and realized who had left them there, a few tears came to her eyes. "They asked me to come back in about six months or so and take another look at it to make sure everything is running smoothly."

"That's good.." Kazan smiled to himself as she spoke of the door, there was an odd sense of wonder coming from her, she'd obviously enjoyed herself a great deal. He had seen how magnificent those things were, but he couldn't imagine ever creating something that complex. It was good to know she'd enjoyed it. It certainly gave her a break to do something different, Kazna had been doing so many different things that he didn't know what job would be next. Though the real breadwinner around here was Robyn, the pay up had been quite substantial. Add that to the funds they were receiving to work on the cannon and they really didn't have troubles in that department.

He had, however, noticed Robyn was hiding some kind of side project from him, his suspicions from before being correct, but he didn't want to pry, she'd often covered something up in that workshop, put it out of sight discretely, or at least so she thought.
In other matters, Ridley had come to idolize Kazan, heaving heard that he'd protected him, though the more gruesome details of Kazan's rage filled outburst had been held back, Ridley had officially bonded with the man. He'd become strangely less reclusive too, even sneaking away from Bear just so he could go to the park. It had stayed relatively undamaged except for certain areas. He and that young girl he'd met seemed to be having a great deal of fun.

"Robyn..?" Kazan started suddenly, running his hand along the turret's barrel, feeling the scores and nicks in between the plated hide, each subtle change that showed where it all connected, he turned, walking towards her and stopped, looking down at her, smiling,
"Do you like me..?"

The question startled Robyn, and she didn't know how to respond.

"I--I think we've had this conversation before," she managed to squeak. She prayed that he couldn't see her face turning red in the dark, and she knew she was turning red. Her face felt hot enough for it, at least. She remembered asking him nearly the same question before all of this started, before the invasion of the town. She didn't remember if she got an answer or not. "You're--a very dear friend--" (probably more, her mind supplied traitorously,) "--and an invaluable partner." She worked hard to crush the little whispers in her mind that told her that she could easily picture herself settling down with Kazan. He probably didn't want her like that, anyways.

Her physical reactions made Kazan want to smile a little.. She seemed flustered, which was actually rather cute, but he couldn't just act on this.. He lowered his head a little as she referred to him as a friend, a partner.. Truthfully, they weren't the words he was looking for, but perhaps it was just him.. Still.. Did he really want it to stay that way forever? No.. Not really.. He chuckled softly, looking up at Robyn, calm eyes relaxed as he focused on her,
"I see.. And, I guess.. That's fine.." He replied, leaning back a little, "For now.." He added, perhaps trying to keep it vague. He didn't intend to just say friends.. But he wouldn't force himself on her, instead he could wait it out, see if something more developed before he had no choice but to take yet another step forward.

He turned away, figuring he'd leave her to stew it over, as the daze of being asleep was clearing from his head, it was getting easier to move. He went about the room, putting on the lights so the turret could be seen more clearly, he examined it, circling it, looking up close at the finer details but otherwise was simply planning where he would continue. It really looked far more amazing now that it was nearly done.
A partner.. Well, they certainly made good partners, especially when it came to such things as this.. Not to mention the two of them worked rather well together. Perhaps it was something on Kazan's part, he was so used to working in teams that it came natural to work with and around some-one else. And he'd spent so much time in Robyn's presence that they really did just seem to work in sync.

"Well.. First order of business.." He finally spoke again, turning to the kitchen, "Coffee." Kazan proceeded to it. Te recent wounds had healed as much as they could, but no doubt there would be further scarring, at least there wasn't as much risk of them all opening up again. He didn't mind it so much, it all served as a lesson of sorts, or perhaps just a reminder that he wasn't invincible, that he could make mistakes or take what the world had to dish out.

Meanwhile in the mage's guild some-one else was stirring, it was Naraya.. The exhausting pace at which she had been working and researching had finally caught up to her, she had ended up face down on an old report so, naturally, the ink had stuck the page to her face as she lifted her head, limply peeling it away with her closest hand, unaware of the writing that now etched itself across her cheek.
She stared across several open books in the dim light, but then froze. Patterns were beginning to form, the boundaries of the books blurred and she could finally see what she'd been seeking all this time. If anyhting could be said for Naraya, it was that she had the endless tenacity to keep looking until she found what she wanted.
And here it all was, staring her in the face..

Yet it also became a frightening realization.. This had to be addressed.. She pushed herself up from her chair, almost stumbling, turned, took three, perhaps four steps and watched the world turn upside down as the weight of her body felt suddenly too much strain to put upon her knees, thus forcing her to collapse into the circle of magic and lay there.
Another thing could be said for her at this point in time; she didn't know how to eat properly while obsessed with her research..

Robyn watched Kazan go into the kitchen to start the coffee, and then fled back into the workshop. Her face still felt hot, and her hands were shaking a bit. She didn't want to admit that the question had surprised her more than a little. She couldn't count how many times she caught herself daydreaming about him, and she didn't think he could possibly think the same thing about her. She had herself so convinced that nobody would want her that way that she wouldn't let herself believe otherwise. But... There had been something about the way he asked the question, and about the way he had responded to her reply... Robyn shook her head, trying to get rid of those thoughts. No need to get her hopes up. They would most likely just be crushed later. Once she was sure she had herself under control, she went into the kitchen to see if the coffee was ready.

Grant was up early. He wasn't sure exactly why, but he decided not to waste the extra time, and was out in his garden. There were some herbs that needed picking, and a few other plants that needed tending to, so it wasn't like he didn't have anything to do. He worked in the garden for a little while, and then got up and brushed himself off. He knew his mother liked tea in the mornings, sometimes, so he figured he would get the one he knew she liked and bring it to her.

When he got to her chamber, he knocked on the door. After a moment, he knocked again, a bit more insistently. When he still got no answer, he cautiously opened the door.

"Mother...?" His heart skipped a beat when he saw her collapsed on the floor. "Mother!" Going over to her, he checked to see if she was alright. Once he was sure she was still breathing, he sighed. She must have overworked herself again... He knew how she got with a project; forgetting to eat and sleep in favor of working at all hours. Carefully, he lifted her up from the floor and laid her on her bed. He would keep and eye on her until she woke up and he was sure she was alright. In the meantime, he'd have that tea ready for her, and he'd send for some food to be brought to the room so it would be waiting.

Kazan had gotten into quite the habit with coffee, especially lately when one of the more kind elder mage's had accompanied Grant to see how the weapon was turning out. He'd suggested to Kazan to try a spot of honey with the coffee. It was the theory of some mages that specific foods and consumables could aid in the recovery of magical energy, bolster ones stability. Kazan did like superstitious things, especially if it meant something pleasant to do in the face of those superstitions. There had never been viable proof for such things, but it made a nice supplemental, and it was rather tasty to boot.

Honey here was more of a commodity, back home it was an infrequent delicacy, high priced chefs and the like would use it, as well as middle class or higher folks. Heck, the people in Lastdvell had honey mead. Life here was definitely so much more pleasant.
Kazan turned his head when Robyn entered the kitchen, which brought his smile back to his face as he handed her cup to her, holding his own in the other hand. He could see himself doing this for many more mornings to come.. Heck he didn't know if he could start a morning without knowing Robyn was nearby,
"We just have the last pieces to put in, you can leave it to me, it's all just securing the attachments and tightening the nuts. You can take the time to relax or finish whatever you've been doing on the side."


Naraya stirred again after a while, finding herself on her bed.. How odd, she couldn't remember being on her bed before as she slowly sat up, holding her head, though as she looked around she spotted Grant and realized it must have been him, she smiled a little, brows upturned,
"I did it again, didn't I..?" She asked, sighing a little. She still felt quite dazed, but she couldn't falter just yet. She wanted to move, but she was almost certain Grant would stop her, "Grant.. We have to tell them.. We must tell Kazan.. He..-" She cut off, seeming to stare into space, almost as if lost, but this normally occurred when she was seeing something.. Most likely sensing something unpleasant, and those suspicions could be confirmed as she looked seriously towards Grant,
"No.. No time.. They're coming.. I can feel the.. The wave of darkness, the hostile hearts, fuelled by propaganda and hatred.. They are.. Indoctrinated.." She fell back against the bed, breathing quietly, and looking aside to Grant, "You have to warn them, my son.. Today.. The true enemy shows their mask but not their face.."
She reached over suddenly, to grasp at Grant's wrist,
"I have told you, every day, that I love you, have I not..?" She added softly, seeming worried, concerned.. "You've always made me proud, Grant."

Robyn took the coffee gratefully and took a sip. She sighed happily. She wasn't sure when Kazan had learned how she liked her coffee, but right now, she wasn't going to question what was clearly a gift from god.

"This is perfect," she said. She didn't want to admit she'd been awake all night, although it made the coffee seem even better. She'd pulled all-nighters before, after all. She went to sit down to enjoy the coffee for a few minutes, but she was interrupted when Kazan mentioned her side project. "I've been mostly working on the turret," she reminded him. "And that door." Hopefully, it would side-track him enough so that she could turn his attention elsewhere. She didn't want to bring up the other project until she finished and had a chance to show it to Bear for his opinion.

"You need to remember the little details such as sleeping and eating," Grant said when he turned around and saw his mother awake. She looked like she wanted to get up and get back to her work, but he doubted she even had the energy. He sat down on the edge of the bed, and was about to ask her if she wanted some tea when she started to speak again. His brows furrowed as he listened.

"Mother, you're not making any sense," he said when she said something about darkness and the true enemy. "I don't understand, what's going on? What did you see?"

Kazan smirked at Robyn, shaking his head,
"Now now Robyn, I may be silly or foolish at times but I'm not completely redundant.. I've seen you covering something up when I'm around.. Politeness requires I to leave it alone and I'll continue to do so.. But you shouldn't omit the truth," He waved a finger at her calmly, as though her were giving her a telling off, but he was merely being silly as he'd said. He drank some more of the coffee, walking with her to the main room,
"Perception is a key factor in using a gun, I can focus on my world and know when there is a difference, I know when to pull the trigger, I know when to pause, to take cover, when an enemy is trying to flank me or outsmart me." He pointed to the hand that held her mug of coffee, using the one that held his own, "I watched you make your favorite cup of coffee so many times when we were working day and night that I understood exactly how you made it, knowing you enjoy it is a favorable bonus. It was why I was favored as a squad leader, I can run into danger and walk out of it, much more dignified that way.. Although it certainly didn't help that one night.. I cant see everything the first time.." He looked aside to her with a slight chuckle,
"You have a deeper perception that lets you see how everything works.. Taking apart my gun and putting it together like you did isn't something any old person can do with the same ease.." He shrugged to himself then, he wanted to add one more thing, but was afraid to unsettle her.. What he really wanted to know was how could she be so smart and not have a good few guys lined up to ask for her hand in marriage..
And while he wanted to say more.. he supposed it was a bit of self-negativity that forced him to stop and think. Would she want some-one like him? A Lastdvell soldier..? While they seemed comfortable with each other, he wondered if maybe that would be all it ever was..
Sooner or later he would have to know.. He would have to ask, and be prepared for words he didn't want to hear.

"This is a game, a sick, sadistic game with an even more cruel mind behind it.." Naraya replied to Grant's urging, "The soldiers.. The Varstradt Empire.. It is all a mask.. It reacts and changes to the wearer's needs.." She tried to explain but it all sounded like a jumble, even in her own head, "They don't know.. They really don't know how little choice they have even if they wanted it or not.." She smiled at Grant weakly,
"Kazan may yet be lucky.. While the rest of the mask was disposable, he broke away.. Whether he can dislodge himself completely.. Whether he can stay one of us..? That is the question I fear.. Do you remember your Uncle Bartlett? Living southwest of here near the village Pikshim?" She asked the next question almost suddenly, as if she were changing topic. Bartlett was not actually a relation, simply another family friend, one Naraya had insisted Grant could call Uncle.
The truth was, he had been a part of the Mages guild until the others insisted he was quite mad and his ideas were completely ludicrous. It was bad for his reputation and no-one wanted to work with an insane wizard. The only people who really believed in him were his closer friends and family. Naraya was included, sadly she also understood why they believed he was mad..
"We have proof now.. We have proof that he was right! When this is over you must take Kazan to him, for both their sakes, for Robyn and.. Perhaps even for Lastdvell.. There's a greatness in him and in young Robyn.. It is in you as well, and a few others.." Naraya knew Grant was too young to understand it all then, even what had driven the older mage away so long ago, but she had never proven to be mad, if she believed there was proof then there was proof,
"Bartlett will know.. He will understand.." She spoke once more before her eyes shut once again and she relaxed, breathing quietly, she'd forced as much as she could, but she knew if she tried to explain even she would sound absolutely mad, such a thing was inconceivable, no point wasting valuable energy.

"I didn't say I wasn't working on something else," Robyn pointing out teasingly. "I just said I was working on the turret and the doors more than anything." She took another sip of her coffee. "I can't let you see it until it's done, though. I need to run it by Bear first." She looked down at the coffee, and then at him. "This is really good coffee, though. Thanks." After a moment, she got up from where she was sitting. "I should go and see if I can finish... I'm almost done." She'd been up all night, but she wasn't even thinking about getting any sleep yet. She wanted to finish the handguns and then show them to Bear. After that, she'd see about getting some sleep.

Grant had no idea what his mother was talking about once she started talking about Uncle Bartlett. He remembered the man, of course, but he'd always been under the impression that Uncle Bartlett was crazy. He had always gone on about seeing the bigger picture, and seeing underneath the facade, but Grant had never understood any of it. And now here his mother was starting to say the same things... But he trusted his mother. And if she was saying that Uncle Bartlett was right, then he would trust her word.

"Mother, tell me what you know about Kazan," he coaxed gently. "I'll take him and Robyn to Uncle Bartlett, but I need to know what you know about him."

"True, but I didn't see you rushing to say otherwise," Kazan jabbed back at her gently, grinning a little as he drank a little more, walking around the turret and inspecting it. So his suspicions were correct at least, she was definitely hiding it from him, he didn't mind all that much, but at least she'd be aware that he'd taken notice..
He nodded to her when she complimented on the coffee once more, his smile widening, but he didn't say anything, he really was satisfied that she just liked it. Her, meanwhile, placed his own drink down for a moment and started to grab the last parts, making sure he'd gotten everything in order and began fastening them into place. It was mostly stabilizers to balance the weight distribution. While the weapon wouldn't crumple under its own weight, if it wasn't properly balanced it would become too heavy to move without exerting the user.

If they'd had more time they could have devised a proper seating, a way to turn the gun and aim it more smoothly, but even this was a lot more than Varstradt would ever expect. Perhaps the surprise of it all would keep them off balance long enough for it to do the damage.. It was for this brief moment Kazan wished he could hear some music.. Something to help relax the slight nerves.. The battle was coming, tension needed to be eased away..

"I cannot, son.. The words escape me.." She replied gently, "You are right.. I need rest.. I need to recover.. Please warn them, Grant.." She whispered, turning away from Grant. It wasn't like her to retreat like this, but she was still rather immovable. She couldn't say something like this out loud, even if she wanted to. If she said it in her current state it would quickly go from believable to delirium for being in poor health.
She needed to concentrate on what strength she could gather, the mage's guild would be needed before long and she herself would have to partake in the battle to come.. It was an odd feeling.. But it was one she accepted.. Nothing could change what was to come, but she could at least change what would happen afterwards.
Fate will attend to itself..

Once Kazan started to put the finishing touches on the turret, Robyn went back into the workshop. She wanted to finish the handguns, and she was almost done. Gently she moved the cloth aside and settled in to focus on putting the final prayers on the metal. One of the guns was already finished in terms of structure and etching, and it just needed the crystal to be put in. The crystals themselves were set aside in a cushioned box, waiting to be dealt with. Finally, she finished the etching in the metal and sat back to rest for a moment. It took a lot of concentration, and a lot of her magic had to run through her fingers and into the metal for it to work. She reached over to the jar of burn salve that she started keeping on the worktable and opened it, rubbing a little into her fingers. The insistent tingling started to fade from her fingertips.

After a moment of letting herself relax, she reached over and opened the box that held the two crystals. They shimmered a little in the light. They were perfectly clear, although the facets were naturally imperfect, but they had their own kind of beauty. Gently, Robyn took them out of the box one at a time and put them into the special chambers she'd built into the handguns. They slid in neatly, and she secured them in place. The finished guns glinted in the light. Now she just needed to show them to Bear.

She wrapped the guns up carefully in cloth and set them aside. Then she went and poked her head into the main room.

"I'm going to run this project over to Bear's place," she said to Kazan. "I shouldn't take too long. Do you know if Grant is coming out here today?"

Grant was, in fact, going to make a trip into town that day. Once he was sure his mother was resting, he assigned one of the apprentices in the guild to check in on her every so often. Then he went and got his travel mage-kit, and started towards town. He needed to check on the status of the turret, and somehow, he got the feeling that being near town would be a good thing today.

Kazan glanced towards Robyn as she made her presence known again. He wasn't actually very far off finishing the last touches, but he liked to be thorough. He wasn't looking for mistakes really, just trying to put his mind at ease. He nodded to her with a smile,
"Bear should be awake at this time.." Kazan replied, though raised a brow at her question, he certainly didn't know if Grant was coming in, "I'm not sure actually, I dont think so..?" He replied, he could have been wrong but he supposed they'd just have to wait and see.

Kazan returned to securing the last of the screws and tightening the nuts. The cannon was a thing of beauty and as the last pieces fell into place, followed by a quick check and tightening of each piece, the man finally stood back to admire the completed creation. the crystals were set deep within the hull, connected to the barrels, the ammo drums were full and the balance was perfect.
He stood at the handles, triggers behind his fingers, but he didn't squeeze them, that would be stupid even for him. Moving the cannon took a fair bit of upper body strength, which he feared a lot of mage's didn't actually share with him.
If he was going to have other mages running this he really would have to come up with a whole new class.. But could he really go that far..? What use was a weapon for mages if they couldn't even use it? This first battle, sure, he'd be the one manning the weapon, but he knew that he wouldn't always be there. He couldn't.

At Bears the light tink-tink-tink of metal on metal could be heard as the burly man carefully engraved something into metal, he didn't have hte magic means that Robyn used, his method was a lot more primitive, but when correctly done it was just as beautiful, however as he finished he admired it for a moment before he covered the item he'd been working on with a heavy cloth, it wouldn't stand out among the other armours. Only if some-one had seen it would they have distinguished it as far, far different.
He'd had to commission some-one from the mage's guild help to enchant the metals, it would definitely be one of the finest pieces he'd ever crafted though he questioned the effectiveness.. Still.. Once Robyn was here again he could ask her opinion.

Robyn nodded and went back into the workshop to put the handguns into a small box to take them over to Bear's place. Once she was sure they weren't going to be bumped around or anything, she grabbed her tool belt and put it on. Then she took the box, and left the house. It wasn't a very long walk to the forge, and she could hear Bear working inside before she'd even opened the door. She knocked during a lull in the noise, and then opened the door.

"Bear?" she asked. "Do you have a minute?" She didn't want to interrupt his work, god knew she hated it when SHE was interrupted, but she really wanted his opinion on the handguns before she presented them to Kazan.

Grant made it into town a little while after Robyn left the workshop. He briefly debated between going to the forge and going to the workshop, and decided to go to the workshop. He was more likely to find Kazan there, now that the turret was so close to being finished. He'd noticed that as the gun got closer and closer to being complete, Kazan spent less time at the forge in favor of working more closely with Robyn.

When he got there, he knocked on the door. Frequent visitor or not, he wasn't just going to walk in without being invited.

"Why, 'ello there lass," Bear smiled, turning about to the young lady with his hands on his hips and tools still firmly gripped. This was definitely most fortuitous, though when she asked if he had time he only chuckled,
"Fer you lass? All th'time in th'world." He replied, setting his tools aside. The forge was a bit warm right now, so he ushered her gently into the house, grabbing himself a cloth to wipe off his face and hands, quite satisfied with having done a great deal of work,
"So, whaddya need, lass? What'cha got there, eh?"

Kazan meanwhile had been just admiring the turret, drinking his coffee peacefully, but a knock on the workshop door had alerted him. It wouldn't be Robyn, she had a key if it was even locked, who could it be this early in the morning? Grant certainly wasn't one to pressure them, but maybe it was a random visit. If it was some stranger then he needed ot make sure the cannon was covered, couldn't have prying eyes seeing it before its completion.
He grabbed a large cloth they'd reserved for just such an occasion and hung it over the weapon, making sure it was all secure before he made his way to the workshop door and pulled it open to see Grant there,
"Oh.. Hey you're up early?" Kazan stated first, it was a bit obvious but he was obviously a little confused as he pulled the door open a little further, "Come in, what's up?"

Robyn let herself be ushered into the house. It was early, yet, and she was sure Ridley was still asleep, but that was alright. Maybe she would offer to make breakfast or something. Going over to the table, she got up on one of the chairs and set the box down carefully.

"I wanted to get your opinion on these," she said, opening the box. Carefully, she unwrapped one of the handguns and showed it to Bear. "The other one looks just the same, and now they're actually finished." She grinned a bit. "I was up all night, I wanted to get them done. Elsewise, I would never be awake this early." And it was only the coffee that Kazan had made for her that was keeping her awake, and even that would fail soon enough. "And as far as I know, Kazan is finishing up the last of the little bits of the turret. Elsewise, it's done and working."

"I didn't mean to show up so early," Grant apologized as Kazan let him in. "I just didn't think this should wait." He paused. "I mean, I wanted to check on things, but I heard something troubling, too, that I wanted to speak with you about." And it was actually a good thing that it was Kazan here instead of Robyn. Grant felt that the soldier would be the better person to speak to.

Bear looked at the gleaming silver steel of the weapon as it came out, approval gleamed in his eyes as he picked it up gently, examining it closely, she'd done a fine job as far as aesthetics were concerned. Robyn had an artists touch which made her work more than mere mechanical marvels, however after a moment he set it down again, placing his hand son his belt with a chuckle,
"Looks good, lass, s'like holdin' a fine saber in yer hand, couldn't tell yer if its effective or not, the prayers're perfect," He stated, "Di'Y'know if they're any good though? Had'm tested? Gun's no use if it ain't got some punch to it,"

Kazan shook his head a little when Grant apologized,
"We were already up.." He responded, "I just finished the weapon, in fact." He announced, rather half-proudly as he lead Grant into the main room where the turret stood, gleaming in the dim lights. It reflected what luminescence there was with an almost living spark, the metal was perfect, as though a sheet of ice or diamond had been perfectly cut across it,
"You dont have to wait any longer, that's for certain, it's ready to stop their advance.." He looked at Grant though, the mention of something troubling made him raise his brow slightly,
"What is it? You seem a little troubled."

Robyn shook her head a bit. She hadn't tested them yet, mostly because she didn't trust herself to.

"I wanted Kazan to be the one to test them for me," she said. "He would know best about how they should work for him, right?" It seemed to be sound enough logic, but her mind was also a bit fatigue-fuzzed, even with the caffeine helping out. She definitely needed to get some sleep, but she wanted to really have this project finished. She hated to leave it undone. "There's nothing else I can do for it until he tests it out, and I don't trust myself to do the testing." She hadn't meant to say it aloud, but the coffee she had earlier could only do so much.

Grant nodded, although he was still slightly hesitant. He remembered what his mother told him earlier, though, and that spurred him on.

"My mother said something a bit... disturbing earlier," he said. He thought for a moment, and then did his best to explain what he had heard, and although most of it still didn't make any sense to him, he hoped some of it would make sense to Kazan. He left out what his mother said about Kazan himself, though. He thought it was best not to bring it up until he had more information.

"Earlier? She was awake at this hour too? Doesn't anyone sleep normal hours around here..?" Kazan wondered out loud, though chuckled, answering his own question with an "Apparently not, it seems.." He looked at Grant calmly and folded his arms, it was clearly evident he wasn't just stating this as some random fact. He calmed his features a little and tilted his head slightly,
"Well, go on, you've got my attention, though I dont find it entirely unusual that she'd say something strange, not to offend, but that does seem to be in her nature.. It's a refreshing change from my country, at the least."

Bear looked at the girl with a frown on his face when he realized just how tired she was, placing his hand son his hips and leaning forward, with a soft tutting springing forth from his lips,
"Honestly lass, y'look bushed." He sighed, standing straight and tall once more, "Y'should get some shut-eye before y'do anythin' else, eh?" He stated it more as a fact than a question and thus moved over to her, helping her up at the shoulder,
"How bout ye have a lil while t'lie down here eh? The couch's big enough and I ain' doin' any more metal work fer the day."

"No, this is unusual even for Mother," Grant replied after a moment of thought. "She was going on about masks and darkness, and it was very strange." He concentrated a moment, trying to remember exactly what his mother had said. He wasn't sure if it had been brought on by her exhaustion or not, but he knew his mother, and he suspected that it really was something important. He just didn't know how to explain it in a way that made sense. "She also mentioned you," he added after a moment. "None of that made sense, either, and I couldn't get her to say any more about it. And believe me, I tried."

Robyn blinked, and then shook her head.

"I couldn't do that," she protested. "I can't take up the couch like that, and besides, Ridley will be waking up soon... I can just go back to the workshop, I need to see if Kazan is done with the turret anyways." She could feel a yawn coming on and tried to fight it off, but failed and tried to hide it behind her hand. "I only pulled one all-nighter... I think..." She hadn't gotten much sleep the night before her all-night work session, she couldn't remember exactly why, but she DID get a little sleep, so it didn't count as a second all-nighter, right? "And I had a cup of coffee earlier."

Kazan shrugged a little when presented with a vague idea of what the woman had said, frankly he had absolutely no clue, so he shook his head,
"It means little to me, I don't know anything about any masks or anything, at least in the broader scale of the Varstradt empire.. Beyond its decorative or festive use, or the superstitions of the mystery behind the wearing of one, the unwillingness to reveal your true self.. But in that sense have no mask." He stopped for a moment, "At least.. Not entirely.." He added quietly, rubbing the back of his head, "I do hide certain.. Desires for Robyn.." He admitted, looking over at Grant,
"Though I sense this probably isn't related to the matter at hand.."

"No excuse lass, yer gonna run yerself ragged and get sick, what then? Ye'll be no help to anyone in that state." He waved a finger warningly at her, not one to have Robyn endangering her own health. He guided her tot he couch and near practcally forced her yo sit, though it was more gentle nudging than anything as he put his hands on his hips,
"Shut-eye now, there'll be food ready fer when ye wake up lass. Y'can be here fer Ridley while I go get some things done in town later, eh?" He chuckled, folding his arms then to take on a stubborn look, "Not takin' no fer an answer either, lass, git some snooze time. Or d'ya wanna worry yer fella back home, eh?"

"Anyone with eyes can see you care about her," Grant pointed out. "It's kind of obvious." He was able to see it himself just about every time Kazan and Robyn were in the same room. It was none of his business, but he still couldn't help but notice. "But no, I don't think that's what it meant." He went quiet again, thinking. Somehow, he got the feeling that there was something that he was missing, but he had no idea what it was or how he would figure out what it could be. After a moment, he set the thoughts aside and went over to the turret. "Anyways, how this coming along? Last time, you said it was just about done."

Robyn opened her mouth to protest again, but Bear had already maneuvered her to the couch and sat her down on it.

"Really," she tried, "I can go back home..." She didn't comment when he mentioned Kazan. She was fairly sure Kazan wouldn't notice she was still gone until he needed her opinion on something involving the turret. He got just as absorbed in that as she did in her own projects.

"Would ya stop dein' so difficult, eh?" Bear asked with a light chuckle, "Why I'd think that lad's havin' an' influence on you, whe'er it's good're bad remains to be seen, eh?" The burly man smirked softly, "Already told ya, not takin' a no fer an answer. Really need yer here fer Ridley so ah kin finish up around town. Been so busy helpin' you two, so do me a favour this time, aye? Two in fact, watchin' Ridley an' lookin' after yer health." He walked over to the side of the sofa, couch, pulling up a separate cover on the back of it that turned out to be a blanket. It normally acted as a cover, sure, but it was there in case some-one needed to sleep there.
O'brien had used the couch on occasion himself, and a few other friends of Bears', and he certainly wouldn't trust any old person to rest there while Ridley was the only other person in the home.

"It was that obvious, huh..?" Kazan sighed, lowering his head and shaking it, "Sometimes I dont think she realizes it.." He added a little more softly but then shrugged to himself, "Guess that's just my luck.." He looked over tot he turret when Grant regarded it and simply nodded,
"Yeah, like I said when you came in." he patted the large weapon calmly, "It's ready. A two barrels, three muzzles each rotating a thigh speed and spitting solid steel ammunition out like a thousand tiny spears, each with enough force to penetrate standard armour and tear any normal man apart.. Throw in magic and it's death to all who are unfortunate enough to be in its way." Kazan smiled, looking along the armoured chassis,
"I think me and Robyn outdid ourselves.. She's the mechanical genius behind it, but it was still my idea too.. The Rozan will be a fear implanted quite deeply in Varstradt's mind if and when it succeeds.."

Robyn blushed a bit when Bear said that Kazan was rubbing off on her.

"I still say you don't have to do this," she said as she took the blanket from him. She couldn't say no to watching Ridley, though, and he knew it. She didn't want to admit it, but she could probably use the day off from working on the turret and the handguns. She wanted to keep working on them, but even she could tell she was starting to burn herself out. She didn't want to admit that Bear was right, though, and she'd be stubborn about it. "I'm not sure if Kazan will come looking for me or not... We had a bizarre conversation this morning, so I'm not entirely sure if my company would be a good thing or not, yet."

Grant shrugged.

"Don't ask me, I don't understand women any better than you do," he said. "I don't know if she realizes it or not." He would pay attention next time he saw them in the same room, though. Maybe he'd be able to see if Robyn acted the same way that Kazan did. Going over, he went to look at the cannon.

"It looks sturdy and durable," he said. "It's not exactly the same as the original design, but that's alright. Does it need just the one specific type of ammunition, or will it work with anything you can cram down the barrels?" He looked over at Kazan. He vaguely remembered Robyn and Kazan discussing it as they were putting it together, during one of his visits, but he still wanted to know the specifics.

"If you tried anything that foolish you'd break it." Kazan chuckled rather humorously at the image of Grant randomly cramming random bits inside the cannon, "This is a precision engine, a machine of delicate that is capable of absolutely devastating force. But that precision requires it being treated with respect." Kazan reached over tot he side of the hand loader he'd been using to ready the shells,
"Bear made the mold for dozens of bullets to be made at once, they're ten millimetre, solid-steel rounds with enough propellant to fire them clear across the northern fields at speeds that would make your head turn so fast you'd get several severe cases of whiplash." Kazan joked, of course in some ways he knew it sounded like a sales pitch, but he was confident in its sheer power.
"The way its shaped will let it cut through the air and pierce a target with little complaint. Even steel battalion tanks will back away when hailed upon by these things. Throw in magic and they'll barely even get that chance. The Rozan is a devastator. It's a hard lesson to be learned and it will undoubtedly make Varstradt regret attacking this town. I know I'd regret coming face to face with this.."

"Oh if he does ah'm sure the lad'll be up fer lettin' ye snooze a lil while longer, eh?" Bear chortled calmly, "A weird conversation's hardly somethin' I'd expect t'be worryin', whas d'weirdest could happen eh?" He smirked, ruffling Robyn's hair,
"Kick off yer boots, set yer tools aside and snooze, aye?" He instructed calmly, kneeling down by the couch and looking over at Robyn, "Though, I've been wonderin' one thin'," Bear smirked as he leaned a little closer, "When're ya gonna tell the lad yer crazy bout'im?" He winked, chuckling a little, "S'obvious he digs you too, lass.."

Robyn could feel herself turning red at Bear's last comments.

"I..." She bit her lip for a moment, and then shook her head. "I can't. I'm nothing more than a friend to him, I'm sure of it." She looked down. "I can't imagine anyone wanting to be any more than my friend." It would probably take her a while to break that mentality. She had unintentionally taken her father's words very firmly to heart when he told her that she was giving up any hope of marriage, and it was probably going to be hard to get around that. At least she wasn't denying that she felt something for Kazan, so there was hope. "You must be seeing things," she finished lamely. "He can't possibly like me like that."

"It's an impressive bit of machinery," Grant said. "You and Robyn should be very proud of it." He glanced around. "Speaking of, where is Robyn? I would think she'd still be home this early." Grant wasn't too terribly worried about Robyn's absence. He had figured out that if she wasn't around the workshop, the next place to check would be the forge. For a mechanic, she spent a great deal of time there.