At Somersby-Taking Things Apart and Putting Them Back Together

[makesthings]

Somersby doesn't have that many good places to hide and most of the boys know them all by their last year.

After a few bribes and Nick using his charm, they convinced the groundskeeper to let them use a shed as long as nothing broke.

Over the few years that Nick and Sam have had access to it, its become a fairly serious workshop which at the moment is full of the sounds of metal as Sam waves something that was once a clock at Nick,

"It won't work if you do it like that."

Comments

[wordofa_sayre]

The bee he's stalking so intently doesn't have a chance. Nick swoops down on the daisy, the bee, and all the way into the grass below with the force of his pounce.

Of course, that means he's not even ready when the other disturbed bees come zipping toward his corner of the daisy clump.

"What the--"

He breaks off with a yelp as a bee dives at his ear and gets tangled in lock of blond hair.

[makesthings]

Sam laughs when Nick falls and then starts trying to get the bees off of him which means they start to cluster around him,

"Charter, get them off."

Since Nick is being on the ground and not helpful, Sam tugs at his arm,

"Come on, move!"

[wordofa_sayre]

"Wait, wait -- the cage!"

He snatches up the slightly-crumpled screen enclosure and takes off after Sam... and away from the bees, save for the lone confused captive buzzing wildly around the cage.

[makesthings]

They're both fast so they make it back to the shed soon and Sam searches for the burn balm that he keeps around since his mother makes him.

She grew far too tired of treating his burns and still doesn't believe he knows the proper spells when he just forgets,

"Here, put this on the stings."

[wordofa_sayre]

"In a second."

He scratches absently at one of the welts on his neck, then tries to balance the cage on the scale.

[makesthings]

"Don't scratch it, that will make it hurt more."

He sighs and puts some on his stings and watches Nick.

[wordofa_sayre]

"Can't possibly," Nick counters. "Seeing as it stings like bloody blue blazes as it is."

He gets the cage arranged to his satisfaction, straightens up, and reaches for the balm.

[makesthings]

"Trust me it can hurt worse, they're like burns if you ignore them, they always get worse. So will that work?"

[wordofa_sayre]

"You know what?"

He gives the apparatus a once-over, then turns and beams a grin at Sam.

"I think it will."

[makesthings]

"Good, this is why you should listen to me."

[wordofa_sayre]

"Sure," Nick says, cheerfully.

"And I will. When you're right."

[makesthings]

"I was right about this since I'm better at making things than you are and you know it. So now that you've weighed the bee, what do you do next?"

[wordofa_sayre]

"I measure its wingspan."

He turns and stares doubtfully at the cage.




"...Somehow."

[makesthings]

"It might help to make it stop. Could try smoking it like bee keepers do with hives."

[wordofa_sayre]

"Now that's the sort of idea that gives me hope that you might show real interest in science some day," Nick jibes.

"Don't suppose you have a bellows around anywhere, do you?"

[makesthings]

"Of course I do, I run as good a forge as I can with what's available."

[wordofa_sayre]

He grins at Sam.

"So... where is it?"

[makesthings]

Sam sighs and starts rummaging near the little forge he has built and then tosses the bellows which are small but still bellows at Nick.

[wordofa_sayre]

He makes a neat catch.

"Thanks."

Nick turns back toward the cage, muttering,

"Now all I need is something to make smoke..."


It looks as though he's on the verge of setting a corner of workbench on fire, if need be.

[makesthings]

"Nick, forge, grab some gloves and a piece of wood."

At times Sam really wonders how someone so smart can be so stupid.

[wordofa_sayre]

"You can't seriously mean you're going to let me rummage around your forge."

[makesthings]

"I'm going to let you near the fire with gloves to remove a piece of wood. If you start rummaging then I won't let you."

[wordofa_sayre]

His grin flashes, bright and delighted.

"You don't have to tell me twice."

It's not exactly rummaging. It just takes him a few moments to find all the pieces.

It's not like anything that Sameth's working on actually gets disturbed, or anything...

[makesthings]

Except for the spring that sets a small piles of gears going as Sam is by the forge is a quick stride,

"Charter, what did you do?"

[wordofa_sayre]

"Nothing! I didn't do anything!" Nick protests.