#scarsdale

He sighs. "Kid, look around. Where are you?"

"A workshop with furniture. I knnow.I'm not dum. I just...you said to see you if I had a work that was ever this amazing or the like...so I took you up on your word sir."

(Pause)

"You're in my workshop. -My- workshop. A -Master's- workshop. So yeah, I know how to reset it or finish it or whatever. Open your friggin' eyes. -YOUR- problem is that -you- don't know how."

"But yes, I'll help."

BRIGHT red, "Yes sir. I'm sorry, Master Hirim."

The old man nods once, and then carefully (and with some discomfort, gets down on the floor to examine the glass cat. "Hm." A thorough exam.

There really is such smooth work that one would think it was crafted all of one piece.

"Ok, so you screwed up the animus. What did you use?"

"Well, as symbology I used puma marks ala the Indians, sir. And got myself a hair from a zoo cage from them. I also mixed in a cat's collar for added domestication but there may have been some cat hairs there.... once I began the glamour influx, I tried to keep it from an eastern quadrant but tempered it with the numbers 7 and 9."

The older nocker sighs. "7 and 9? That's all? Oy."

"What, I thought one was lucky and the other meant completion?"

"Yeah, but 40?"

"Or anything in between?"

"Oy vey..." He mutters and nods, edging away. He'll leave the boy under the cat if the boy can't get out.

Squirming, "Could you offer a furkin hand so I can pull out..." A frown, "You're saying an even number might have stablized?"

"Ya think?" He scowls, moving around the room, pick up bits.

"Fine, I flubbed on basic numerglamouratical pattern," Embarrassed, "but you got to admit the rest is amazing."

"I gotta admit nothing." Firmly. "But you might not be a total waste of time." He finishes his collection. "Beat it."

"Well, you're going to have to wait until I get the furk out from under this cat..." Grumble, "You sending me away sir?"

"What, you can't even do that? Get out from under your invention?" The nocker stands there, waiting, a fuse burning. "You got any motivation, maybe?"

"Yeah, I do!" A scramble "It's just heavy is all...."

"Yeah, heavy. Ok." Most of his attention on the glass cat.

He's getting out, "It maybe easy for you, sir... you furking old enough to seen everything..." Kicking the floor to scoot, "But I ain't proved myself yet...and I don't furking know why I care...but I do. I want folks to say Bertrand LeRoy is a wiz with glass. I want some treasure to out live my next five lives, one I made. I want to matter! That so..furking.." Shove " Hard to understand?"

The older nocker slides his eyes and his attention to the little one. "You want to matter?"

"I want to build, and I want to make something great...and I want to do it for me, and I want to do it for family..." A frown, "But you probably don't remember what's ilike to want to leave your mark and do some good at the same time. Maybe I'm becoming a wilder, maybe I'm a selfish brat.But one thing I ain't is a liar. Yes, I want to matter." Finally he manages to use his leverage and pressure to get out.

"Yeah, on top of all the skills I got, I got memory loss. I can't remember anything past last week. So."

The boy gets up, "Then why did you furkin tell me to come to you once I got something great made?"

Glare

"You want me to fix it on my own, you leave. You want to fix it yourself.... you can stay. We can get a litter box, some toys....."

Hirim looks at the kid. "You ever meet a Master didn't say that?"

"I'll stay" arms crossed, "I want to learn how to fish, not ask for a free meal."

"And maybe Masters shouldn't say that if they dont mean it."

The boy looks tired, and cranky, and cranky and tired. He did just wrestle a big glass cat

"Masters want to know real creators from ... dabblers. You, maybe...." He shrugs. "Ok, well, kitty can't stay here while you learn, nu? And you might need some rest, so. What now?"

"Well, I'm tired yes...where do you want me to.. take the cat?"

"Your house, but maybe that's too far?" He sighs. "Look, kid, it's asleep. What wakes it up?"

"My home is in Kansas City... " He admits, "I had to drag it all the way on the trods and.." He rubs at his eyes, "Furk it. It will probably try to protect folks. You know, don't swing a cane at it, that sort of thing."

"But I might be able to keep it sleep with device..."

"Never a house cat born that was predictable. Look, all I'm saying is how long do we have? When will it wake up?"

"Sleeps about 4 to 6 hours pretty hard," He admits, "It's a guardian so I didn't want it snoozing all the time. Now after that four hours it still might snooze but it'll really be more like feather light to wake up."

He sighs, " should have made a dog." grumble admission

"Oy. Look, we're in a crafter hold. There are lots of noises."

"All the time."

The grump watches him. "You, maybe.... you should rest, too?"

"Well, you said I can't leave it here... and a crafter should put things away safe..." A blink and yawn, "I'll find your cane. Wait, did you already do that?"

"I did, yes." The grump limps over, stands near the boy. "Sleep. I'll take care of the cat, for now. You narish."

"Uhm is there a cot here or...oh, that sofa looks soft ..." And he moves to a sofa and just seems to help himself, though at least he kicks his shoes off

The nocker watches the boy seek comfort and rest, and huffs. "Slacker." But not in anger or upset. More.... accepting.

the exhausted boy sleeps deeply almost immediately.