#anywhere

"Not always a give-away." Willy cautions.

"True. Just... " She shrugs. "It'd be cool? I haven't seen her since all this started, but we've talked on the phone and it got me thinking..."

" 'Bout nockers in your family?"

"Yeah. I mean, Mom ain't. Love her, but she couldn't screw in a light bulb rightways."

"Ouch. You live with her?"

"Yeah. I take care of stuff.

" 'Course you do."

She finds some metal that she likes (on whatever criteria she's using) and sets it in the coals before moving it into the furnace with tongs.

"You do Thanksgiving here?"

A shrug, watching the metal heat "Guess. Ain't been here as long as that."

"Marigold's a good cook. Janice put curry on the turkey."

"Who's Janice?"

"My dad's wife." Scowl. Sand sand.

"Mm."

Using tongs, she removes both bars from the coals and examines each.

"She's Frankie's mom. Frankie's my brother."

Willy takes the first bar to the anvil, takes her hammer up and taps the anvil a few times. "Yeah?"

"Frankie's a great kid."

"I think I'm gonna try to modify one of those Beyblade toys so he could control it like a tiny battlebot... like, wire up a receiver and a little gyro?"

"I thought you were into that mud stuff?"

tap tap, tap tap.... metal on the anvil.... tap tap, tap tap....

"Clay."

"But, I mean, I like messing with lots of things. And.. I dunno... I tested out the kiln, but... I have ideas but..."

"But what?"

"It's... hard to get myself to do it. It's easier, doing stuff I didn't used to love."

CLANG! CLANG!!! No sense in letting the metal cool.....

"Take the easy way, huh?" CLANG! CLANG!!! CLANG! CLANG!!! CLANG! CLANG!!!

"That ain't..."

"There's LOTS of drek I can do!"

"I got all kinds of ideas!"

"Well?"

"Well, what?"

"Cause I liked one thing I can't do other stuff?'

"Seems like you ain't doin' much at all. Too scared to go back an' really get to your pots, won't MAKE any of your other ideas?" she's checking to see if she's got right right, CLANG-CLANG, CLANG-CLANG, CLANG-CLANG, CLANG-CLANG...

"I..." She doesn't have a retort.

Willy doesn't snort derisively or sneer; she just beats metal, changing the shape slowly.