catch the rain - feuepine

Theodore was sitting on his workshop stool, examining the raincatcher he was making closely. His cosprout, a Fairytale Lapito, watched with great interest from his bed nearby, coat hanging on a small hook next to him. Both the raincatcher and the cosprout were on a large workshop desk that was cluttered with parts, spare gears, wires, springs, and other materials scattered across them. There was a semblance of order to it, but one only discernable by the clock-maker and his cosprout.

“So, I’ve arranged the cogs to spin with water, similarly to how water wheels work to power mills! I’m trying to set up a delaying effect to it so it functions properly as a watch, but that’s a bit trickier, and might require some additional parts… Auritus, can you check in the back for some more heavy cogs and some springs with extra resistace?”

The Lapito nodded, bouncing off of the desk and hopping into the open door behind Theodore. A series of sounds rang out, but Theodore hardly batted an eye. Metal clanging, cardboard being shoved against wood floors, a few squeaks from Auritus… A few drawers opening and closed shut, jar lids popping open and then closing again, a few small metal parts falling to the ground and bouncing, paper rustling, wood scraping against the floor, a rusty hinge squealing as it was pulled open…

The hinge caught his attention, and Theodore paused a moment, turning in his seat to look over at the door where his cosprout had gone. The only thing he could recall with a hinge that rusty was… Oh, dear.

A loud, cascading crash caught his attention and made him jump up, walking into the storage room. Theodore looked around, following the trail of dropped bolts and slightly out of place boxes to follow after Auritus, before finding the poor Lapito buried underneath a veritable mountain of cogs and gears. Theodore winced, before hurriedly rushing forward and beginning to dig him out.

“Um, so, I know it’s not very helpful to say this now, but, uh. I switched where I keep the heavy gears and the broken gears.”

Auritus, face now revealed, but body still trapped, snuffled at him in great indignation, ears pinned against his head. Theodore reaching in and pulled him out, smiling sheepishly.

“I’m really sorry, Auritus. We’ll go see Oros later, and he’ll give you some of those treats you like. How does that sound?”

Mollified, the Lapito let himself be held and carried from the storage room, placed gently back onto the bed.

“Well, don’t worry about those parts for right now. I’ll… clean it up later.”

Auritus snuffled again, looking disdainfully at his cossetling.

“I will! I can’t just leave broken gears lying around the place!”

A glance to the side of the worktable revealed a large pile of broken or defective gears, simply lying there. Theodore huffed.

“Those are organized. I know those are broken. I’m not going to use them on accident like I might if I don’t clean up the ones in storage.”

Auritus looked to a different part of the worktable, where another pile of gears sat, with one gear cracked completely in half sitting on top.

“That’s-! Listen, I don’t make the gears, it’s not my fault if they come out defective-!”

The Lapito nodded condescendingly, adjusting his vest. Theodore stuttered slightly, before glaring furiously at his cosprout. Auritus glared back. After a minute or so, Theodore looked away, clearly the loser of their impromptu staring contest.

“Well… fine. But for now, let’s get back to this raincatcher. I want to show it off to Oros when I’m done.”

The raincatcher was a beautifully designed clock, shining an iridescent glow as it caught the sun, the gears inside clearly visible through the glass, al motionless for the time being.

“This is going to be one of my greatest creations yet! Just wait and see, Auritus! Just wait and see.”