Noble Solutions

by Schinhofen, Daniel

  More laughter came at his words, then everyone looked at Sean.

  “What?” Sean asked.

  “Well? When are you going to?” Knox asked.

  Laughter rang out again and Sean just shook his head. “I know I can do more, but—”

  “Did you hear that, Italice?” Ryan cut Sean off. “He’s about to downplay what he can do compared to the rest of us.”

  “Sean,” Saret smiled, “you can do as much alone as any six of us, possibly more. Amedee?”

  “More or as much as most of us, if not all,” Mageeyes said seriously. “And that is not to downplay our power, either.”

  The others nodded to what she’d said, and Sean frowned as he thought about her flat estimation. When Tabitha came back and dropped off their drinks, small talk started up around the table.

  “Winston,” Sean said after a few minutes of thinking, “I’m going to be working on my car tomorrow. Did you want to bring yours over and see about upgrading it?”

  “Oh, I would love to.”

  “Clara is invited to come speak with my wives, too. Fiona was looking forward to it.”

  “I’m sure she’ll be thrilled,” Giralt grinned. “She was very happy last time to speak with them all. She was also quite happy with the car.”

  “Sean, about those…?” Fredrick asked. “Some of us would like to get one, as well.”

  “Yeah, sorry,” Sean said, looking down. “I don’t mean to exclude you all. It’d be easiest to modify a truck, honestly. If you can just bring me one here or there, I can convert it to a base car in short order. I’ll be patenting mine tomorrow before and after I upgrade it.”

  “What else are you doing to it?” Giralt asked.

  “A few minor tweaks to things, mostly. Nothing too crazy. The only major addition will be the plating to the compartment and extending it so my entire family can ride in it.”

  “Mine won’t need to be extended,” Giralt said. “I wouldn’t mind the plating, though, to make sure Clara is safer. I can bring the adamantine with me.”

  “Perfect,” Sean grinned.

  “Can we see what you have now?” Joseph asked eagerly. “I had no idea you’d done yours already.”

  Sean chuckled, then looked around, noting a few people looking over with hopeful eyes. “Looks like show and tell. Amedee, we’ll need a few lanterns.”

  “Pura, arrange it, please,” Mageeyes said as she rose gracefully to her feet. “Shall we?”

  Chapter Twenty-eight

  “How can we help you today?” Jenny asked with a smile.

  “I wanted to patent a few improvements and a whole different design,” Sean replied. “Is Agatha available to see us?”

  “Let me check, sir,” Jenny said.

  “Of course.”

  Sean stood with Helga at the desk as Jenny left. “She might be seeing someone, in which case, we’ll sit and wait.”

  “Excuse me, sir?”

  Sean turned to the speaker. “Yes?”

  “Are you MacDougal?”

  “I am,” Sean said a little warily.

  “I’m Basil Fallus. I work with copper almost exclusively as a Shaper.”

  “I see,” Sean said, having an idea of what might be coming.

  “I have a bit of a problem,” Basil said. “I’ve had numerous people come to me looking for hair clips, but your patent is exclusive. On top of that, the kettles are from you or Forged Bonds only.”

  “You want in, is what you’re saying?”

  Basil blinked at him, then nodded. “Blunt. Many say you are, but it’s a little jarring to be on the receiving end of it. Yes, broadly.”

  “Have you asked Fredrick Gertihs to get a piece of the association?”

  “I… hadn’t. It’s said he’s the head of your association, but everything seems to come from you.”

  “He’s the head. I’m just the inventor.”

  “Ah, I see. I guess I will go speak with him, but what of the copper hair clips?”

  “That wouldn’t leave me much that Forged Bonds doesn’t have, too,” Sean said slowly. “Stop by my shop and ask to speak with my wife, Fiona. She handles most of the business.”

  “Your wife does?” Basil asked, clearly lost.

  “I just make things,” Sean chuckled. “It’s your call, but honestly, we do a lot with copper. If you can Shape, well, it might be better overall.”

  Basil sighed. “I’m not that talented. I have a bit of power, but nothing like you’re purported to have.”

  “Again, your choice,” Sean said. “Ven, let Fiona and Fredrick know that Basil might stop by, please.”

  “It’s already done, sir,” Ven said, landing on his shoulder.

  Basil’s eyes went wide when he saw the mithril breastplate and crossbow Ven had. “Goodness...”

  “I care for mine,” Sean said.

  “MacDougal, Agatha will see you now,” Jenny said as she came back. “Fallus, how can I help you?”

  “Have a good day,” Sean told Basil and left the desk area.

  “You, as well,” Basil replied before turning to Jenny. “Nothing. I just wished to speak with him. He’s more personable than I thought he was going to be.”

  Sean grinned as he walked down the hall. “That was nice.”

  “Him?” Helga asked.

  “The fact that he was cordial and didn’t get angry. I’ve likely caused him a lot of unintentional trouble.”

  Helga nodded, going quiet as they reached the correct office.

  Sean knocked, waited to be told to enter, then opened the door. “Agatha, how are you?”

  “I am well,” she replied. “What wonders do you have today?”

  “The personal transport equivalent of the truck,” Sean said. “The first iteration of it. After this is done, I’ll be upgrading things some more, then come back.”

  Agatha shook her head bemusedly. “Will you ever run out of new ideas?”

  “In time,” Sean nodded. “Here’s a small model of the car…”

  ~*~*~

  “Sorry for the delay,” Sean apologized when he walked into his workshop.

  “It’s quite alright,” Giralt said. “Your maids were very thoughtful.”

  “I see that,” Sean chuckled. “Did they leave a glass for me?”

  “They did. Did you want some?”

  “Pour it up. We’ll get to it as we work. I’m glad yours is in here already. Where’s the adamantine?”

  “In the passenger area. What else were we going to work on?”

  “Just minor adjustments to the existing systems. I think the suspension needs to be beefed up for the extra weight. I also had an idea for the windows. I’m not sure it’ll work right, but I want to try it.”

  “Sounds like an interesting day,” Giralt chuckled, taking a deep drag on his cigar before putting it on the ashtray. “Where do we begin?”

  “Suspension,” Sean said. “I know what I’m doing there. Yours will be easier, too, since it’s going to be a smaller car than mine.”

  Giralt got to his feet and followed Sean over to the mechanic creepers. Getting down onto one, he slid it over to the car. “Very well. Let’s make our wives happier.”

  ~*~*~

  Sean called Quinna and Quilla in to help when he went to plate Giralt’s car. He had them hold the sheets of thin adamantine in place while he Shaped them onto the existing frame, then had Quinna come back once he’d finished the new windows. With her maul, she cracked but didn’t shatter the window, and Sean thanked her before fixing it.

  “All done. Mind if we take it over to have the upgrades patented?” Sean asked him.

  “Hmm, not at all. I should thank you, Sean,” Giralt said. “Clara and the child will be as protected as the Queens when she is inside. The locks to keep the doors secure were a very smart idea.”

  “Doesn’t do you any good if someone can just open your door without you wanting it done,” Sean chuckled. “Keep that rune in a safe place, though. Having a way to get in regar
dless might still be required.”

  “Never thought Shaping could be runed,” Giralt said with a laugh. “I’ll just consider it your specialness again.”

  Sean shrugged. “Your driver or mine?”

  “Mine, if you don’t mind. I want him to get used to the way it moves now before Clara gets into it.”

  “Good idea. Let me tell Helga…” Sean trailed off, as Helga was standing in the doorway. “Or Ven will have done it already. Thanks, Ven.”

  “We do our best, Sean,” Ven said from the roof of the newly-armored car.

  “His driver is coming now,” Helga said, looking behind her. “He was having a snack.”

  “If we do this fast enough, I’ll be back in time for afternoon sparring.”

  “Good,” Helga nodded.

  ~*~*~

  Sean exhaled when he stepped back from the new vehicle. It looked more like an up-armored stretch Hummer than anything else. However, he didn’t have a lot of choices if he wanted to seat twenty or more people.

  “It’s like an armored troop transport... or hell, even an armored tour bus,” Sean muttered. “It’ll do the job, though it doesn’t look sexy at all.”

  “Goodness, husband, what did you do?” Fiona asked from the open doorway.

  “Made us a vehicle that we can all ride safely in,” Sean smiled. “Call the others. I want you all to experience this.”

  “On it,” Ven said from the roof of the new transport. “Thank you for the space for us, too, Sean.”

  “Is it enough?” Sean asked. “I mean, I’m not sure how many of you there are, exactly.”

  “It’ll work fine. We can easily rotate who flies and who watches with those inside,” Ven replied.

  “It barely fits in your shop,” Fiona said as she came closer. “Is that glass different?”

  “It’ll resist Quilla or Quinna’s strength, so it should stop most people from breaking in easily.”

  Sean opened one of the sliding doors on the side. “Climb on in.”

  Fiona stepped into the passenger compartment. “It’ll fit all of us?”

  “Everyone in the household, including the cuons,” Sean said.

  “Doors on both sides and in the back?”

  “Yes, to make sure we have many ways of getting out. Arliat is even inside with us, so we can all talk easily. Now, just wait for the others to stop sparring, please.”

  Fiona looked at all the seats and how easy it would be to move around in. “Comfortable.”

  “More than you know,” Sean chuckled. “Just wait.”

  “As you wish,” Fiona murmured as she hugged him.

  ~*~*~

  Andrea and Rumia were the last two to arrive. They’d been in a tight battle that Andrea won in the end.

  “It’s huge,” Andrea said with wide eyes.

  “Well, it is Sean’s,” Felora smirked.

  Rolling his eyes, Sean ignored Felora’s comment. “This will be able to hold all of us. Climb in and take a seat.”

  Sean followed them in last, staying standing as he looked over the seating. “Good. Arliat, thank you for sitting up front. Okay, if you look above your seats, you’ll see the heating and cooling runes. The vents above you can be tilted to give you better control over how much you want directed at you. The seats also have the same runes to make things even better.”

  “The seats?” Rosa asked.

  “Yes. They won’t heat or chill too far, just enough to help,” Sean said. “To help with longer trips, which we might take in the future, each seat has improved suspension to make the ride even more comfortable.”

  “Sir,” Arliat asked, raising her hand, “even mine?”

  “Yes. The bigger wheel is to help give you more control when we turn, as the turning radius is going to be wider. You’ll see what I mean when we take it out.”

  “What about the cuons?” Quinna asked, looking at the two crates.

  “Not as much. I still made them as comfortable as I could.”

  “They have enough room to stand up and lie down with ease,” Aria said.

  “The wood floor can be Shaped to create tables as we wish,” Sean said. “Each seat also has wooden armrests so you can do this.” He reached over and touched Fiona’s armrest. A cup holder formed a second later. “This way, we can have tea or other drinks while we move.”

  “Goodness, it’s almost like a manor on wheels,” Ryann smiled.

  “Is there more, Master?” Myna asked.

  “Yes, a few important things,” Sean said. “The glass is thick enough to resist Quinna and Quilla. These latches here lock the doors. They’re on both sides and the back so, if we’re inside, we’re as safe as I can make us currently.”

  “We might be more secure than even the Queens are while traveling,” Ida smiled.

  “There are two emergency exits that should only ever be used in the most dire of circumstances,” Sean went on. He tapped the ceiling in the middle of the bus, then tapped his foot. “It’ll take someone touched by my energy to open them. That’s also true of starting this beast. Arliat, I want you to at least show everyone the basics of how to drive, please, just in case it’s needed.”

  “Yes, sir,” Arliat nodded. “Fiona, can you work with me to make sure we do it smoothly?”

  “Of course.”

  “Sir, why something this big?” Tiska asked.

  Sean took a slow breath before he told them about what he’d been pondering over the last few days. “After Sharpeyes is dead, we still have another person to deal with— Truestrike. For that to happen, we’ll have to go to him. This vehicle is so we can go together, like the family we are.”

  “What about the association?” Felora asked.

  “I have an idea, but I need to talk it over with the core group,” Sean said slowly. “I think that some will stay and others will go with us.”

  “Do we even know where he is?” Andrea asked.

  “Amedee will know, or she can find out for us. I’m going to have her start looking for a home wherever that is, too.”

  “Sir, why did you need all of us here now? Why not just show us later?” Glorina asked.

  “Because I want you all to experience it now,” Sean grinned. “I was going to patent it, but we’ll do that later. Arliat, start it up and head out the back gate. I’ll lock up behind us and then join you in the alley.”

  ~*~*~

  Arliat had to drive slower in town and take wide turns, but she was already getting the feel for how the bus handled. Adding in the guards still being shown their patrol routes, and it was even slower. Sean grinned as they took the last slow turn toward the Oaken Glen.

  “Getting it into their yard might be problematic,” Sean said. “It’d work best to back it in. Make sure to use your mirrors and go slow.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  Sean followed Helga out of the bus, thinking of having to patent it tomorrow. The majority of the association wasn’t at the normal table, and Sean waved at Henry and Bloodheart as he headed for the hallway.

  “MacDougal, would you join us for a drink?” Angusson called out to him.

  “Sorry, Angus. Business talk,” Sean said. “Maybe on the way out?”

  “Fine,” Angusson said.

  Sean gave the table a nod and Heingerd a smile as he went by. A small bit of happiness touched him to see the brothers-in-law next to each other.

  The private room was full and Sean greeted everyone as he took his seat. Tabitha took their order before he had sat, so there was just idle chat while they waited for the drinks to be delivered.

  Once the drinks were dropped off, Sean took a deep breath as everyone turned to look at him. “Okay, sorry for keeping you waiting, Joseph.”

  Joseph exhaled. “Well, then don’t keep me waiting longer.”

  Once the laughter died down, Sean continued, “My vehicle is done. It’ll be called a bus, and it’s designed for moving a large number of people. I’ll be patenting it tomorrow and I’ll make sure the association can make t
hem. The reason I made it is so my whole family can go as a single unit.”

  “There’s obviously a reason for that?” Saret asked.