#odyssey

"So you got ONE good idea and you're all growed up?" A female nocker snarks "This kid is a piker who got lucky"

Judge Otto says "If I recall, Judge Olivia, your first presentation was a solo act too."

Another judge, a rather FAT female nocker but who grins with needle teeth more frienedly like goes "We all gotta start some where, but kid if you got any other you want to mention, now's the time"

"Pst!" Art holds his nose!

"No, I got one thing here, because of... some furkin' insane shenanigans."

"But I also developed a Spriggan Sniffer, and... and made art."

"I'm an artist."

A wheezing nocker voice, like he was on a resperator.. holy crap the guy is on a resperator up there, speaks up "an..." breath "frickin artist? What..." breath "Worth do you..." Huff "See in that?"

Gwen looks at her phone, and then shows Thistle . She DID take a picture of the sculpture Thistle made to save her sister!

"What worth, you knobhead?"

"We ain't furkin' machines, we're Dreams, ain't we?"

"PRACTICALITY! Engineering! Science!" The earlier female nocker pounds her fist with each word. "That's what Ingenuity is made of!"

"Art is giving form to ideas and feelings and moments that can't be captured any other way."

SNORT.

"Practicality means settling for good enough."

"You're sittin' here in a kinetic sculpture, and you're dissing art? A plain room would be practical. A grey box would be sufficient."

"Except your souls would starve."

Otto seems to consider

The Fat nocker laughs! "Hear hear!"

The last who hasn't spoken yet, an early grump, tugs at his pointy white beard. "Saltpetre?"

"After my Nan!"

Some muttering at that... impressed muttering , Otto whispers "The same Saltpetre who found the... "Whisper mutter to others

"So you got good lines! Lemme see that... Citrine you made." He holds out a hand and snaps his fingers. "Is it a remote, or...?"

"Citrine, go say hi."

Otto says "Seems to be a Never just augmented How the furk did that happen exactly?"

"Like I said, she got injured."

"She was gonna wink out."

The little Never flutters over, appreciating the chance to be admired. "Are those watch sprockets?"

"And bailing twine?"

"No, that's jeweler's glaze..."

They discuss animatedly, arguing!

"So you salvaged this furking thing... who was your mentor?"

"The heart's gotta get wound up daily, or she don't run."

"Reinforced wings! Who'd have thunk?"

Otto looks very impressed with the wings "ain't drek"

"Willy and Wudlig taught me the nocker basics."

A curious finger pokes at her keyhole, and Citrine spins around and SLAPS the finger.

"Well I Never!" Incredulous.

"Maintaining autonomous personality?" "Ain't a golem, that's for sure..."

Mutter mutter!

"No, ain't a golem. Cyborg, except... clockwork? I guess."

"Silver Wolf?" One of them consults a tome with pages that seem to fill in as they are turned. Art cranes as though he could see... alas, it's too far up.

"Wilhelmina Hostlerfrau - she's a leatherworker. Salt of the earth - tack and gear. This ain't HER teaching."

"I don't see a Wudlig under Silverwolf..." Mutter grumble, another page turned.

"No, but... a lot of it's not far off silversmithing. Jewelry work."

"Wudlig's Combecatte."

"Oh hold on, yeah, under Dougal" Books looked over "Mmm"

"Says here... eh...." A knobby finger points to the list of specialties.

The wheezing one takes his time then huffs at her "SO the artistry in the never was already there? It's her providing any ...aesthitic value?"

Otto snorts "He's a camo specaliist, hidden rooms and drek. Some carpentry, some engineering"

"Those gold wires on the wings - those could have been tin just as easily and maintain the same structural integrity. Why gold?" The fat Nocker suddenly demands of Thistle. "Drive up the price?"

"Citrine used to Citron, it needed t'be yellow gold."

"She's got an aesthetic to maintain, you can't just throw grey at her."

A wheeze "Ah, so the selection was merely to respect her theme... no real... artistic choices of your own?"