"Anything I can," she said, that starry look coming back into her eyes. "Stuff for the clan, mostly."
He grinned, watching her. "What about clocks? I saw a clock a long time ago and.. I was wondering how they worked?"
She grinned, looking over at him thoughtfully. "Clocks are fun," she admitted, sitting on the edge of the desk. "There's like... this spring inside that gets wound with a key. When the mainspring unwinds, that energy moves the gears. There's also this... what's the word..." She swung her hands to try to demonstrate before landing on the word. "Pendulum! A pendulum swings back and forth so those gears move at the right pace to turn the clock."
"It's not too bad when you look at it," she said, lying back on the desk thoughtfully. "It just takes a steady hand."
She pursed her lips, sitting up slightly. "I like to fix problems," she said, resting her head in her hands. "I like to make machines that fix very specific problems. So, it depends, I suppose."
"I know you were," she amended, tugging on her braids nervously. "But you've been feeling guilty for too long. You're too good to have to do those jobs."
He sighed, leaning against the wall. "I know you think that. I'm not upset with you. I really didn't mind doing the jobs and I actually know how to do them."
She frowned, folding her hands in her lap. "I'm sorry, I just... I hated the idea of you being out there and having to do the jobs that everyone doesn't like."
