Clock strikes one, foul deed's begun...

A gull flies over the bustling streets of Thysantia, taking its chances in stealing from one of the more food-filled market stalls. The festival of Thysa, the patron, founder and myth of Thysantia, is blowing full steam throughout the city - everyone who is anyone is involved and readying themselves for the festival of the century. The palace gates lay open, though guarded, passers by try their luck at getting in but are shooed away when they can't produce an invitation. They look glum for mere moments before getting wrapped up in the festival once again.

Empress Alissandrea waits, listening to the naivety, the obliviousness of the outside world...

"Excuse me! Pardon me! Coming through! Deliveries to make! People to see! Move over, please, madam!" The errand-girl shoved her way through the billowing crowd towards one of the smaller market stalls, "there you go, Mister Reigner. Can't stop, got places to be - already late." With that India dropped the package onto the stall before wrestling her way back through the multitude of tourists and city-folk alike. She glanced up at the clock tower in the middle of the square, cursing under her breath when she saw the time. I knew I shouldn't've gone on that errand, I knew it! she thought bitterly as she sprinted down the street.

Stuck in the chaos of the festival, a highly decorated coach sat wedged between three handsomes and an ox pulled vegetable cart. "We haven't moved in at least half an hour!" complained a blonde overly made-up woman within. "You can't honestly be suggesting we walk..." her husband drawled, propping open the door's window with his cane. "Well, Julian," the woman continued.

"It doesn't look like we have much of a choice." Julian crinkled his nose and let the window shut before he scowled at his wife like a stubborn child. "For something this important, we must arrive in style," he retorted. "I personally think it's more important that we simply arrive! Out children!" his wife ordered, pushing open a door and letting a little army or excited kids pour out. "Sweety!" Julian cried in protest as he stumbled out after her.

Myana growled as a large man with a squawking bird in a cage bumped into her. She turned on him and bored her eyes into his.
"Watch where you’re going you buffoon," she snarled "or the wrath of the god be upon you!"
The burly fellow looked thoroughly shamed, he tried to apologise but she cut him off with a vicious gesture.
"If I see your face again I’ll drag you to the nearest temple myself and force you to perform a scarring!"
With that Myana continued on her way, her staff propped over one shoulder. No-one else bumped into her and people seemed to give her an instinctively wide berth. Good, she thought, saves her having to punish anyone else.

A loud whistle rang through the air as the train left the station, startling Corinne out of her best goldfish impersonation. She blinked and shook her head to clear it of the cobwebs of sleep, then indulged in stretching her long limbs as best she could in the milling crowd, but soon abandoned the attempt in favour of gripping her bags just a little bit closer. She blinked again at her surroundings, in vain looking for a map, then fished out her watch from a pocket of her overalls and flipped the lid open. And did a double-take. "Oh damnation!" She was late. Utterly, completely late, and she had no clue which direction to take from here. Squaring her shoulders, the lanky girl resolved to ask the first person who looked even remotely un-busy. The decision made, she marched towards the station building, cheerfully shouting apologies over her shoulder whenever she happened to jostle someone by accident.

Sander paced slowly around the crowd, preferring to take the long route rather than attempt to make his way through. His eyes locked onto the front gates of the palace, he scanned the guards with interest before slowly marching towards them. The guards gave Sander an odd look as he came towards them, shoulders hunched over, searching in his pocket for something. The guards were on edge, ready to sort him out if he dared draw a weapon. Sander brought out his neat invitation, paper slightly curled at edges from the journey in his pocket.

Ray handed his invitation to the guard with a friendly smile on his face. When he was handed it back, he clapped the guard on the shoulder. "Thanks a lot guy!" He smiled toothily, but not unpleasantly. The guard eyed the six-shooter in its holster. "Don't worry, purely for decoration purposes!" He grinned and walked into the main hustle and bustle with a slight spring in his step, drawing a few raised eyebrows from some of the patrons and a couple of nervous glances when the more attentive ones noticed the revolver banging against him with each step.

Having set his pocket-watch to always be a quarter of an hour ahead of regular time, Edwin was already inside the palace. Upon entering he had been shown to a waiting room, the likes of which he had never seen before, and he was currently sitting on the edge of a straight-backed chair, studying what little he could see of the ornate brass pipes that ran along the walls, close to the ceiling, and was part of the resident water and heating system. They fit in neatly with the architecture, and were hardly noticeable if you didn't know what to look for. Absentmindedly, Edwin folded and re-opened the invitation in his hands, contemplating how you would isolate the pipes to make sure the water stayed hot, and how much time and resources it took to heat up water for such a large residence as the imperial palace.

Indie reached the gates, panting as she did so, flashed her invitation at the guards - receiving a stern nod from one of them - and dashed across the court-yard. If I get shot for lateness, I am definitely haunting every single person in that crowd... Stupid tourists. Her thoughts drifted from the mean, to the nervous and back again as she dithered before the grand stairs that led up to the entrance of the palace. She glanced around at the well-dressed, and certainly well-off, people that were walking in and out and couldn't help but feel out of place. Finally, she entered, swiftly being ushered into the waiting area. 

Two more guards stood within, in front of two large doors leading into the throne room, with strict orders not to let anyone in until all seven of the morning's guests had arrived. A musician sat in the corner, playing soft melodies on a harp-like instrument and dressed in the uniform of a palace entertainer. Noises came from within the throne room, the occasional loud voice, as the council waited impatiently. The Empress, however, was the epitome of patience. She knew their visitors would be there soon.

Sander walked into the waiting area, his mind was elsewhere as he wondered in, swaying to a hault. He looked up and around, he looked at Indie for a secound before reverting back to staring at the floor. It seemed it was only him and the young girl here at the moment. He walked over to the side and leant against the wall, waiting for something to happen.

"This is so embarrassing," Julian mumbled after looking up from his soiled shoes. "At least we made it, darling," his wife said with a fake smile as they walked up to the guards of the front gate. Julian reached into his jacket and pulled out the invitation. The guard took it and the fancy family strolled into the building, stopping in the waiting room and looking about. Julian couldn't help raise an eyebrow at the obviously lower class people who were scattered around, and he cast a questioning look at his wife who gave a subtle shrug before she straightened the bow of one of her little girls.

Having successfully found someone to point her the right way, Corinne had taken off on a rather clumsy run, using elbows and bags alike to better navigate through the busy streets. By the time she arrived at the palace gates, the girl was sweaty and out of breath, and her hair was even more messy than usual. With shaky arms, she lowered her bags on the ground at the feet of one of the guards, blithely ignoring the sceptical way he was eyeing her in favour of rummaging through her pockets. "A-ha!" A victorious grin on her face, she procured the invitation and handed it to the man, then saluted playfully, picked up her bags again and dashed inside. When Corinne finally got to the waiting room, it was more like she fell through the door rather than entered. Doubled up and panting, she squinted at the other people in the room, smiling a tad embarrassedly. "Hello everyone. Beautiful day, isn't it?"

Myana had stopped twice more to humble the arrogant and ungodly. Eventually she reached the guards at the gate and thrust her invitation at them. Not waiting to be invited into the grounds Myana simply kept walking, staring down anyone who met her gaze and sneering at anyone who actually smiled at her. They were all heretics and blasphemers to her. When she reached the waiting room Myana took in the group in one haughty gaze.
"The god see its children." She said as she entered, again not waiting for a reply before finding a wal to lean against.

Ray watched some woman with a staff rather rudely stride her way to the waiting room as he approached the gates. He handed the guard his invitation with another toothy smile and listened to the directions to the waiting room. It was, unfortunately, exactly where the staff woman had gone. "Thanks guy!" He slapped him on the arm in a playful manner and smiled once more before heading to the waiting room. Once inside, he took a look around at the other guests, noting that they were all from very different walks of life. Some guy was even here with his family, and didn't particularly care for the look he gave to some of the others. "You all get the invite too?" He asked, his tone cheerful. "Weird isn't it, neither of us have probably ever been near the Empress and yet here we are!" He smiled wide and took a seat.

"It's a lovely day, yes. If not for the tourists..." Indie paused as she heard a familiar voice, turning her eyes fell on Ray, "well, fancy seeing you here. I've not seen you since I last did some work for your father, how've you been?" She smiled, then glanced at the guards standing outside the throne room as they began to speak.

"Ladies and Gentlemen," spoke one of the guards, "In a moment we will be letting you move through to the throne room, before entering does anyone have any questions?"

Straightening from her position, Corinne ran a hand through her hair and scratched at her temple. "Well, uhm... I do, actually." She pointed at her bags. "I came here straight from the train, so I didn't really have time to stow these away anywhere, but I really wouldn't fancy dragging them around all the time, either. Is there a place I can safely leave them for now?"

Sander stood still, shoulders hunched as he watched the gaurds. He scanned everyone else in the room, taking in a quick mental picture of their faces. Seemed to be a variety of people here, he wondered how they had been picked and if their was meaning behind it.

Julian couldn't help a little sneer and he crossed his arms. He sure had some questions, but they were all about why he was surrounded with common filth. He decided to hold his tongue as his wife gave a little excited bounce at the guard's news.

Myana pursed her lips, keeping as Esp waiting in her home town was a punishable offense. The Empress was exempt, of course, but Myana wasn't used to being commanded and this showed her her expression.
"May the Gods endless patience wash over me, may the eternal mechanism calm my flesh-bound spirit." She chanted under her breath, the familiar words easing her frustration.

Edwin got to his feet and looked expectantly at the guards, waiting to be let in. He was very curious as to why he'd been summoned, at first he'd assumed it had to do with his inventions, that he'd finally been recognized for his talent, but looking around at the people who had been summoned together with him, he was beginning to doubt that assumption.

Ray nodded at India. "Keepin' busy, y'know" He smiled and turned to the guard. "Yeah, I got a question" He scratched the side of his head near the temple, mulling for a moment or two. "Why are we all invited here?"

The first guard looked to Corinne, clicked his fingers and waited for a few moments. Once those moments passed, a porter arrived, "you may give your luggage to this man, he will store it for you, we expect that you will be staying in the palace tonight."

The second guard waited for the first to finishe before regarding Ray and then speaking, "You will find out in due course." Both guards stepped forward and at exactly the same time, opened their door to the throne room, gesturing the group to pass.

Indie swallowed before moving forwards through the door. She looked around in wonder at the dazzling golds and reds of the throne room, her eyes bulged at its size. When her eyes finally met the form of the Empress and her council, she was astounded, it was really starting to sink in - she was really here.

Julian looked at his wife and gave an excited bounce of his eyebrows. His wife smiled and straightened her posture before she gently assembled her children and the family walked forwards. One of the guards stepped forward. "Which one of you received the invitation?" he asked. Julian glanced at his wife and said, "Well, I did." "Then you are the only one allowed to enter. The rest of your family must stay in the waiting room." Julian's wife's face grew red and her eyes wide. "Excuse me?" she said. "The empress wishes to only see the people she invited. Please wait outside," the guard explained. Looking a little panicked Julian scooted in front of his wife and closer to the guard. "We've been waiting for this moment for weeks. My misses spent the last two days doing nothing but looking for the perfect dress. And the kids... They've been talking about nothing but. And what with me being the owner of TAC and therefore an invaluable member of society-" "Invitation only," the guard repeated. Julian looked shocked and offended. "I can't believe this..." his wife huffed, turning on her heel and marching back into the room. The children followed. Julian gave the guard a sharp disapproving glare and then walked into the throne room.

Myana marched forwards, pushing anyone unfortunate enough to be in her path to the side. She entered the throne-room and immediately bowed to the Empress.
'May the Clockwork god see you always Empress, may you bask in its endless patience and revel in its awesome radiance.'
Myana's words were rhythmic and chanted as if part of a mantra, she tapped the butt of her staff to the ground in time with the words.

"Ah... thank you," Corinne blurted, blinking as the bags were whisked off the floor and the porter disappeared from the room again. She then edged forwards while casting a wide-eyed look around at the others still in the room. With a shrug, the girl took a deep breath and entered - whereupon she proceeded to shamelessly ogle her surroundings.

Working in such a high-end weapons factory as he did, Ray was used to seeing works of modern wonder; weapons of incredible power that utilised the latest in firing mechanisms, but nothing had prepared him for the grandness of the hall as it was. His mouth hung open and a small "Woah" escaped his lips. He dropped his eyes to the levels of the Empress and her High Council. He tucked one arm at the center of his body and bowed forward so that his face was parallel to the floor "My Empress" His voice was unusally serious and controlled compared to his usual high energy and friendly tone.

Sander followed the others keeping his head down so as to avoid making eye contact. He felt very out of place and in such a large palace he couldn't help but feel like he was drowning. He swallowed hard, it had been a long time since he had been stood next to living people for so long, their warmth annoyed him.

Trying to push out how annoying his wife would be once this little shindig was all over, Julian puffed up his chest and deeply bowed before the empress. "It is truly an honor to be in your presence, my empress." He straightened back up dramatically with a flashy smile.

The Empress inclined her head, to each of them, with a smile as she waited for them to sit. It was then that her face turned grave. "Welcome, friends, travellers, it is with regret that we meet like this. I would much prefer to meet in lighter days but it seems that fate has other ideas. You must all be wondering what you are doing here, why such a diverse group has been summoned to my council. You each possess qualities needed for the task ahead of you, should you accept. We have no interest in forcing you to do anything you do not wish to, but we do humbly ask you to listen, to think and if all goes to plan, accept," she paused for a moment, glancing at the expressions on her visitors faces, "it has come to our attention that an epidemic, a plague of sorts, has been spreading throughout our country - we do not know what is causing it but we do know that it threatens the lives of all of our people. We have assembled this group, you, in the hopes that you will be able to bring us answers. We believe you are capable of finding out what is behind this ailment and how to stop it. We do not, however, expect you to go unprepared. We will provide everything you may need and you will be paid for your efforts. It may be dangerous, you may get hurt. So please, before you decide to join the cause, think about your decision. My advisors are coming round to give you the information we have, we will remain in this throne room to answer any questions. You have until nightfall to make your decision."

Advisors walked towards the group, passing out booklets written in neat handwriting, detailing the effects of the epidemic - which vary greatly from case to case - and fruitless ideas that had already been explored by the council. It was clear that the situation was dire; it was painted on the faces of the entire council.

Indie blinked, taking in all of the information she had heard before preparing to look within the booklet. She had never been involved in anything of any importance in her entire life. She found herself wondering which skills she had, as she was almost certain that the Empress was not going to tell them. She glanced towards the door, hearing a small ticking, she noticed a small tick-tock creature but, almost as soon as she saw it, it was gone. She shook her head, Come on, India, you've seen one before. Why would the palace not have one? She let out a small, frustrated sigh at her own thoughts before slowly opening the booklet.

Julian was flabbergasted at all of this. He barely skimmed the packet when he slightly lifted his hand and said, "Excuse me, Empress, but... may this be a better task for doctors? I mean no disrespect."

It would have been a gross understatement to say that Corinne was baffled. She stared at the booklet, reading the words without really understanding them, and then glanced back up at the council. When their faces remained perfectly serious, she mentally slapped herself. 'Why would they go to the trouble of arranging such an elaborate prank? Silly girl, that's your specialty.' She then looked at the other invitees and felt even more lost. 'So, it's not a prank... so what in the name of gears am I doing here?'

Edwin, having entered with the others, looked just as baffled as the rest. Hearing Julian's question, he looked to the empress for her answer, curious as to how in the world she espected him, not to mention the rest of this motley crew, to stop an epidemic.

Myana's face blanched a little as she listened to the Empress. She knew of a disease which had been affecting Barradis and the villages which surrounded the small town and judging by her booklet it was the same one. Myana shuddered, she'd no idea that it was a matter of such urgency. Long gone were the days when the Esps claimed to have any mystical powers of healing, no one expected the God of metal and patient perseverance to fix their flesh. But recently there had been a desperation in Barradis, especially among the most faithful in her congregation.
"Empress... I must agree with this fellow," She gestured at Julian "While I would be most honored to tend to the souls of the dead and usher them to the Re-Making, I can do little but sponge the foreheads of those afflicted..."
Myana showed a great deal of respect to the empress but no awe or amazement, very little on the corporeal world amazed her anymore.

Ray read over his leaflet twice, careful to not miss a beat. His mind wondered and wandered with both ideas of grand heroism and a deep fear. What if he were to contract the virus? What if he were to save the world? So many questions of a similar nature rushed through his head. He listened to Julian's question and thought it foolish. He had taken a rare instant dislike to the man, but he wasn't about to say anything to effect. He then considered the Empress' offer of whatever supplies they needed, and his fingers lightly brushed the butt of his revolver as he thought about how he could have all the ammunition he would ever need. He folded the leaflet and shoved it roughly into his pocket, awaiting some sort of answer.

Sanders fingers picked at the pages of the booklet, he read each page, engrossed in the words and loving every inch of it. He smiled a little, his eyes widening with each bit of information his mind ate up. This was really all to pleasing, not only was he given the chance to first hand deal with the virus but also he had no doubt he would be within reach of many chances to 'experiment' with everything around him. He tried to laugh, but it came out more like a low, choking, high-pitched noise.

"You would think that, wouldn't you? We did at first. We do not want you to heal the current sufferers, we have scientists and doctors working on that already... We believe that there is something more sinister behind this sudden outbreak. We think that you have what it takes to work out what that is and stop it before it is too late for all of us. I understand that I am putting a lot of weight on your shoulders... but there is really little else we can do," the Empress stared each of them in the eye before continuing, "Did that... answer your question?"

"Something sinister..." Indie spoke softly and stared at the intricate patterns on the marble floor, the information in the booklet was a bit too much for her to understand, being from the slums she had never been expected to know anything. Not anything of substance, anyway. She looked down the line at the rest of the group, trying to work out whether they would agree from their facial expressions. She knew one thing, even though she was scared, this was likely to be an adventure and she wasn't going to miss it.

Julian's face was a mix of confusion and panic. He made a slight sound as he was about to ask another question but then he slipped open his booklet, first seeing if his answer was in there.

Edwin looked intently down at his booklet, his expression a mixture of curiosity, contemplation and exitement; the exact same look he wore when he encountered a really interesting new contraption. This was a puzzle, one utterly different from anything he'd ever encountered before to be sure, but still a puzzle. And all puzzles had a solution, if only you searched in the right places, or pressed the right buttons! Turning his face back to the empress, Edwin straightened his back, his expression morphing into one of determination. "I accept the challenge," he said loudly, firmly decided to find the answer to this mystery.

Ray broke his unusual silence. "What kind of skills do you mean?" His usual good cheer was gone, as he recognised that in the company of the Empress, any sort of amiable behaviour towards her would perhaps be taken a different way than the Empress feeling a little uncomfortable.

Myana stood stoicly, forever glad these people had not met her before, forever thankful to the Twelve Stikes of the God that they did not know her. If they did they'd read her lack of movement as fear, Myana was scared. Not of this disease, or its supposed sinister implications, demons were demons whether flesh and metal they would all die in holy fire. No, it was the Empress that scaed her, she had never heard of her being without a real answer before. The head of the Clockwork Church had no answers and Myana knew she was a dman sight furhter into the favour of the Clockwork god than she would ever be.
"You have my full support your eminence." She said, iron in her tone and teeth gritted ever so slightly, "Esp Vazitz will serve until her dying breath."
She rapped the butt of her staff on the floor for emphasis.

Sander closed the booklet and slipped it into the pocket of his surgical smock, he looked up at the Empress and gave a weak grin. He then raised a needle sharp finger into the air, swirling it a little, making a circle with the point. It was his odd little way of saying 'count me in'.

Corinne made a rather futile attempt to stay quiet and wait until the Empress had had a chance to answer the question posed by the man with the weapon, but in the end she had to blurt her thoughts out loud. "This really sounds like it takes some really special skills... so whatever I'm supposed to do, wouldn't it have been better to summon one of my older brothers? Or better yet, my Pa?"

The Empress answered both questions at the same time, "the reasons for our choosings will make themselves known to you in time - think of this as an experience of growth, as well as a favour for your country. A paying favour, should you choose." She paused and smiled, "Thank you to those who have agreed thus far. You will have a guide with you on your journey, who will meet you in the entrance foyer tomorrow morning. For the rest of the evening you are free to explore the palace, get to know each other, eat and sleep. I thank you for your time. Are there any further questions or is that all?" A smile sat on her lips as she looked across at the group.

"I'm definitely in," Indie smiled, "this is going to be exciting, I can tell." At that moment in time, India Costass had decided to ignore anything that could be bad about this trip and focus on the excitement and adventure she was sure to have.

Ray looked at the floor, unsure for a moment and having a rare moment where he actually stopped and thought about what to do next. His impulsive nature took back the reins however, and before he knew it he himself was agreeing with a nod and a trademark grin. "So, as long as we have this period of rest" He paused for a second, kicking absent-mindedly at the floor. "You said we could have whatever we wanted to take with us on this little adventure, so, forgive me if I'm being forward, but I'd like as much ammo as I can carry for the pea-shooter here" He indicated his six-shooter, a cobalt blue manual revolver with faded sand-coloured grips.

Julian was looking at everyone with a look of terror on his face. "Uh, eh, uhm... " he stammered. He looked back at the Empress, wincing his eyes. He tried to make up his mind, but then imagined what his wife would do to him if he declined. All the name calling... "I'll, uh, yes. I'll do the... thing we're about to do." he said, sounding defeated.

Myana waited patiently for the others to stop speaking before she made her slight request.
"Eminence, I too have a favour to ask of you... Or rather two." She said, sounding ever so slightly timid "I assume there's a chapel to the god in your palace somewhere? May I have access to it and its stores? I will need to bring certain reagents with me to observe the rituals of the God and for protection... The second is far less important to all but myself. Would you send an Esp to watch over Barradis while I am absent? It would be wrong of me just to leave them to fend for themselves with no spiritual guidance..."
Myana seemed to relax a little after asking ehr second favour, for all her outward gruffness she seemed to be genuinely concerned for her people.

Looking at the others and seeing their mixed reactions made Corinne pause just for a moment longer. Then she decided to throw all caution to the wind, shrugged her shoulders at the world in general, and grinned mischievously. "Eh, what the hey. Count me in. I was getting a little bit bored anyhow."

Sander listened to the questions in turn, he began to twiddle his thumbs and mull over what was being said. They were going on a trip it seemed, would it be dangerous? Did he need some form of defense? He wasn't used to leaving his house, heck this was the first time he'd been out in weeks. He gulped hard, his eyebrows tensing and furrowing. He gently raised a stick like hand to try and get the Empress's attention, a single finger pointing to the air, the others curled into his pasty palm.

"All favours are granted, an Esp will be sent in the morning. Mister Merk, your ammo will too be ready in the morning." The Empress smiled. She enjoyed giving people what they wanted.

Indie stood, "Well, this aughta be fun." She moved around the hall, looking at various things while working out what to do with herself until morning, she didn't feel the need to rest.

Myana nodded once, her smile washing away. She looked at Indie, who to her seemed to be at a loose end.
"You there, girl!" She said "I have some provisions to pick up, I'll need a second pair of hands, would you be so kind as to help me?"
Myana was trying her best to be polite, unfortunately this made her sound sarcastic. She wasn't used to having to be anything other than right after all.

Ray grinned. "Thanks alot, my Empress" He bowed so deep it was almost comical. He straightened up and took to having a look around the throne room. He exited through a door to the left, trying to sniff out some kind of technology so he could look at it. He didn't know what kinds of tech the palace had, but he wanted to find out.

"Sure." Indie smiled, "Where are we headed?" She looked over at Myana, who was right in her thinking, Indie was at a loose end. She wasn't entirely sure what to do with herself and that was never good. She had a habit of doing stupid things when not knowing what else there was for her to do- one such time resulted in a very sore arm and washing duty in a local restaurant for a month.

A small ticking sound could be heard, almost as soon as it appeared, it faded. A clock strikes in the distance.

Sander cracked the joints in his fingers one by one as he looked up at the sky from the balcony he had decided to perch on. He wasn't much of a sleep and a few hours had been enough, he sighed, it was still quite early in the morning yet he could hear people working away around him. He sniffed a little, thinking over what they had heard the past day, illness, a mission, how exciting. He tapped his fingers on the wood of the balcony fencing and screwed his eyes together. This plague was unlike anything he’d ever seen, could is possibly be a new breed, the thought along make Sander grin.

Ray, who had been facing the wall in his sleep, looked to the foot of his bed and was pleasantly greeted by the sight of several ammo caches and speed loaders. He checked the caches, and sure enough they were the caliber his gun chambered. He had no idea how they knew, but he wasn't about to question it. He loaded the speed loaders, numbering about ten of them, and tied them to the free belt nooses on his pants. He then fully loaded his gun and reholstered it. Grinning, he headed to the washroom to freshen up before he left.

Having wandered the palace for a long while after everyone had scattered, acquainting herself with every nook and corner she could find, Corinne found herself rather sleep-deprived the next morning. Bleary-eyed, rubbing at her face with one hand, she let out a huge yawn before checking her timepiece. Just early enough to indulge in a bath, she decided, and after a thorough soak felt ready to bounce to greet whatever the day would offer.


Back to Clockwork Chapters