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How To Deliver Justice (with KiraMusani

"Sorry I- hey Avenger! I have those for you, one second" she went over to the side and pulled out what looked almost like her hand canon, and another bag.
"We can't test the grappling hook in her but maybe we can the pellets" she got up and offered both to her.
 
Ruby struggled, rubbing against the wool spread trying to get up, flailing her legs. "Oh crap! Someone gimme a hand..."

If Clair helped her, she'd get a shock of static electricity, as Calla shook her head. "I think it'd be advisable if we tried everything outside, erm, once Princess Ruby is back on her feet? I need to show how these work for my father, anyway, he should be on his way back from the hunt."
 
"Oh! I got you" she had taken her glove off to greet Calla as she entered and reached for her hand with her own bare hand. Getting a shock.
"Ow!" She jumped a little at it before helping her up then pondering her own hand.

She then heard Calla.
"Right, let's go out and I can show you, Ruby you can come as well" she smiled making a quick note about that interaction as she spoke.
 
Ruby hissed as she was also shocked. "Hooowww??!" She asked shaking it, showing she had a lower tolerance for pain than most others.

They followed Calla outside, just as the gang of ladies came back from the hunt. Gregor was just finishing his talk. "... Six less foxes would be good for the Scottish farmers, I'm sure, but next year, spread the love around some. It's obvious you'll have the 500 points this game, Ethel, so well done with that. Those who didn't catch anything, fear not, you'll still get a minimum of 250 points for coming out and trying your luck. Ah, Avenger. Clair. Laird Clara and Princess Ruby...." He headed towards them, as the hunting ladies headed in to get warm. "What brings you out in this nip?"

"To show you my advantages when I return to my rounds." Calla answered bowing. She was followed by Laird Clara, who had to poke a gawking at Clair, Ruby, who sheepishly curtsied.

"After you're knighted, young lady." Gregor warned.

"Of course, sire, after I've paid my due diligence." Calla blushed, eyes lowered so she wasn't making eye contact with her father.
 
"My thoughts exactly..." Clair mumbled hearing Ruby's response to the shock.

Ethel nodded to the King, excellent, and I didn't want to overdo it this time around, overhunting can be bad too, lest you remove all foxes from the land.

Clair looked and waved to the others with a smile, her inventions in hand as she was excited to demonstrate, how they worked.
"Okay, oh umm, hello Sire" Clair gave a bow, suddenly remembering how she was supposed to act.

"Okay so advantages, right, first the pellets!" She pulled a small black ball out of her bag.
"Take this and chuck it at the ground and Boom!" As she said this she threw it down, causing it to pop loudly and for smoke to suddenly cover the area, blocking her vision of Clair as she moved back and around.
 
Gregor raised his eyebrow as he watched Ruby, whose mind seemed to be on Clair, get poked by Clara with a sharp elbow. He then nodded to Clair as she began the first of the three distractions.

"Ah. I see. Bet your mother would have loved to have this to make good an escape during Cordonia's war for independence, and getting the Great Houses to join her patching the country back together. So, what do you call this?" He addressed Ruby to get her refocussed on what was happening here and now.

Avenger cleared her throat. "Best I could come up with, was Smoke Pellet. There's a reason that the marbles are blue in colour for that one."

Clara waved the smoke away. "Very ingenious for a tactical retreat, dinnae let th' enemy know ye left... May e'en cause them t' fight themselves tryin' t' find where ye're hidin'. Want a few o' them meself. Betteh name fer 'em though, Avenger, is Smoke Screens."

"Well done, Clair, what's next?" Gregor asked intrigued, especially since the Scottish Laird wanted some.
 
Clair looked between the others, happy they enjoyed the first kind of pellet.
"Well that first is my personal favorite, but I have another, that is just the noise" She explained throwing one for it to pop loudly but no smoke.
"And last of the pellets, just the smoke" She threw it down and smoke started to come out, slower this time but much more smoke.
"That's it pellet wise" She confirmed.

"But there is also the grappler" She explained, preparing to show it off.
 
When the second pellet made the louder pop, Ruby let out a squeak, and jumped. All Laird Clara did was start just a bit, while Gregor and Calla did nothing but watch. The noise startled some pheasants and ducks to take flight.

"That's MY favorite." Calla declared. "A sort of 'Quick! Look over there!' if the bad guys decide to threaten the villagers, or if you need to distract them while you escape them. Last thing I need is an intruding villain if I'm talking to the villagers... Especially the village elders."

Gregor tutted. "I can see the reasoning, but unless I have you on a covert mission, Avenger, keep those at home. Look how that scared Princess Ruby. You'll scare your own village. No. Unless you're on a covert mission for me. Absolutely not." He turned to Clair next. "I suggest you talk to the Montiressan envoy, Millicent, about those. That's more for a spy to use, not a knight. Good attempt, though.'

Calla, remembering what the third pellet did, gasped, grabbed the pellet and tossed it slightly off to the side. "You told me, in front of Robin Locksley, or at least in his hearing, that one is a defense that burns the perps' eyes!"

As they watched the pellet eject the smoke, sure enough, several field mice escaped the area, squeaking as if in pain, which caused Ruby to shriek and jump in Clair's arms.

Laird Clara couldn't believe how stereotypical Ruby was. "D'ye do that nonsense in Cordonia, princess?! If so, no wonder Queen Kenna sent ye on this court t' find someone strong. Ye shul be ashamed o' yerself. They're jes mice! Yer bigger than they are!"

Calla shook her head. "Until I started adventuring more readily, and travelled during my self exile, Laird Clara, I, too, was afraid of mice. It's instilled into a princess. Something someone like Calla Grovershire and you can't understand. We have to face our fears, or continue to cower in them."

"How much ye willin' t' bet Diana and Cassandra aren't afraid o' mice?" Clara challenged.

"I stand by what I said. You forget. Cassandra and Diana are Amazons, you would have been better challenging me to prove the hypothesis with Sapphire." Calla stated, folding her arms below her breasts.

"We're getting off track." Gregor growled at the two, causing Ruby to bury her face in Clair. "Ruby, get ahold of yourself, get down, and allow Clair to show the grappler. Also, Avenger, those eye burning things only as a last resort."
 
Clair nodded to Gregor as he said the noisy pellet was not one for a Knight to use.
"As long as it can be helpful to someone"

"Oh, no that wasn't the one that hurts eyes, though I suppose it will still cause slight irritation, it won't be any worse than smoke from a fire." She clarified as Ruby clung to her.
"This one hurts eyes, it ended up a little different, I thought it through and with the amount of smoke the others cause it would be much too likely to hurt the user to nearby innocents." She pulled out what looked like a chicken egg.
"You throw it against the perp's face, though don't use it unless they are really bad, as I am unsure if its blindness will be permanent or not." She explained.

"Anyway, the Grappling hook."
She pulled out what Calla would recognize again as looking very similar to the weapon she suggested not be used, as it was much too deadly, though now it had a hook at the front.
"I am not sure how to safely display it, I tested on bags of flour for weight purposes but you just pull this little leveler here, it will shoot this hook out, which if you get attached to a secure location, then you can flip this here and it will pull you toward the desired location" She explained.
 
Laird Clara scowled. "There. Shoot it there yer so afraid o' hurtin' someun. Less see it in action." She pointed to a hanging ledge of the roof, a parapet, or rather between two of them.

Gregor nodded. "Good idea Laird Princeton. Before I okay it, let's see how it works. Avenger, it'll be YOUR toy, YOU fire it."
 
Clair nodded to the suggestions, thinking that Avenger would be the best one to test it.
"Okay, Avenger, just hold it like this, aim by aligning this metal piece here with this one, I recommend closing one eye. Then pull this part here, prepare your arm for some kickback as it launches the hook, and as soon as you think it might have a grasp on something, flick here, that should tighten the rope, if so you are ready to be pulled up, though be ready, it can be a bit jarring."
 
Calla listened to the instructions as well as the recommendation of closing one eye. "Doesn't sound much different than shooting an arrow with a rope tied to it. Or aiming a noose to lasso something I can swing from." She nodded, took the grappler, aimed and fired, like the expert archer she was...

Unfortunately, she and her unexpected passenger, Clara Princeton, were NOT ready for the ride... Here's how it went down:

Calla gave a gentle tug to test, and Clara grabbed her arm. "Dinnae be afraid to put some Scotch t' it, Avengeh! Lik THIS!" She showed Calla how to properly check if it's secure, and without letting go (she was using both hands, still holding on) Waddaya waitin' fer? Christmas? Flip the bloody switch!"

"Laird Clara, you're still holding the rope..."

"Are ye gonna flip th' bloody switch or am I gonna hafta belt ye?! Bloody coward!" Clara hissed, glaring.

Avenger gave a help me look to both Gregor and Clair, Gregor holding Clair's shoulders and shaking his head. The stubborn Scot was just going to have to learn the hard way.

When Calla Avenger flipped the switch, two voices echoed across the Scottish countryside. Calla's yelling, "Yoiks and awaaaaay!!!" Clara using every Scottish swear word known to man and woman, as both flew up to the parapet.

From the roof, Clara, red faced, was screaming in Scottish at Avenger, as a grinning Avenger herself waved, and called down, "What a rush! Can't wait to use this on the field!"
 
Clair took a step back and watched the events unfold, getting more and more anxious the longer it took for them to finish the test. She was certain it would work, but had not tested it with the weight distribution of two human forms. Worried it might cause something she didn't account for.

She returned the look and jumped a little when they finally shot off, letting out a sigh of relief when it was a success.

"Oh good, I'm glad that you like it! You can also use it to repel down!" She called out.
 
Gregor gave her a friendly pat on her shoulders. "You going to be okay, Lady Inventor?" He asked, genuinely concerned, glanced at a pouting Ruby and said, still to Clair, "Take care of our Cordonian Princess, okay? And tell Avenger her new toy is approved. And put me down for an order of ten, one each for the other good knights, save Tuxford. Dame Amethyst would definitely love one... I'll have to see if it'll be eleven. I'm not sure about Sir Tuxford."

After the tongue lashing and sharp finger pokes to her chest as Clara read her the Scottish equivalent to the riot act, Calla was back down and walked over to Clair, bringing the weapon with her. "Is there a sheath or something that you made for this? Oh. Wait. What did father say? Don't ask me, though, to repeat where Laird Clara wants me to shove it." She shivered dramatically. "Head in?"
 
"hmm? Yeah I'll be okay, and right, that's a pretty complicated device, I'll need to restock on materials and start work right away... Perhaps Ruby you can help?" She asked writing in her notebook they need to make 11 more grapples.
"I could also make some blueprints so others can make them"

"Oh, Avenger your- the King approved of the grappler, I don't have any holster for it yet, perhaps I could make one, but it needs to wait for after, the King wants 11 of the grapplers, and they aren't the fastest thing ti make." She admitted.
 
The king raised an eyebrow. "We don't need them right away. Give Avenger more time with her new toy, and you get ready to enjoy the holidays. We'll be travelling back down to Berkshire, home of the Darlings for the wine tasting and rating, before heading back to Dunwyn. " He said, wagging his finger, fatherly. "You are allowed to enjoy yourself, you know."

Ruby would latch herself to Clair, mostly because of the days trials. I mean, a whole herd of mice because of that smoke pellet! She was lucky things got sidetracked from that stick Allan-a-Dale called dynamite!
 
Clair looked to the King, letting out a sigh of relief. "Oh, that's good, it was going to be difficult to get that all set up" she replied.
"Right, I'll make sure to keep a proper balance, like Dr. Aurora said"

Clair would let Ruby latch, not wanting to push her away.
"Though I guess I am not sure what I am going to do now..." She admitted.
 
Avenger shrugged. "It's not an order, but you can just have fun, like the king said...? What would you like to do?"

"I just want to be anywhere but around here and those mice!" Ruby gulped looking quickly around, and on the ground.

Avenger made a face. "Like I said, Ruby, and I'm sure Diana and Cassandra would tell you the same thing, you're bigger than those mice, maybe Clair can help take your mind off that fear." She didn't tell Ruby that Cassandra would be a little sharper than Diana, still working on her tact, regarding her fear of mice.
 
"Umm, well I would like to start working on some of that stuff" Clair admitted.

"We can return to my workshop" she offered Ruby before hearing the others speak up.

"Well Ruby, do you want to ask some of the girls how to help with your fear of mice and I assume rats too?" She asked.
 
Avenger shook her head. "Clair... That's work. Fun things. Do you like, I don't know... Cooking, painting, knitting, archery..." She looked worriedly at her.

Ruby looked at Clair, then at Avenger. "Walking in nature, Calla, but it's too cold and snowy for that."

Avenger nodded, "Now, see, that can be fun... But we'd need something we can do inside. Like you said, Ruby, it's too cold and damp out here." Raw hadn't yet been coined to describe Scottish and English (or anywhere else, for that matter) winter weather.
 
"Well, I umm, I find that stuff fun.. but if I can't do work on my inventions, umm, I don't know honestly, heh, guess I don't really have a hobby that doesn't surround that" She admitted.
"We could do some cooking, maybe we could try and come up with a new food" She suggested, not realizing she basically wanted to do what she was doing but with food instead of with mechanics.
 
Ruby nodded. "Well, we do have Sunday dinner before we leave Monday morning, we can do something like that then. Maybe we should finish the experiment with copper and potatoes first? You know in the two types of water, and the dry potato. I don't know what you're looking for, but I'm definitely game with seeing it through." Ruby once again, was trying to steer Clair into doing one thing at a time.
 
"Oh right, sorry good idea, lets continue with that" She nodded.
"Avenger if you want to join us you can" She offered not wanting to make her feel excluded.
 
Calla raised both her eyebrows. "I'm sorry, you had something you were already doing?" She asked, before Aurora came out of her room and heard Ruby's remark.

"If Avenger won't join you, I will. I want a piece of that potato with the copper wire. I have several theories about our bodies containing either electricity, since people get struck by lightning, and a bio magnetic field, mostly for the same reason. Potato is a strong enough vegetable..." Aurora commented.

Avenger shook her head. "Okay. I'm more curious of the doctor's theory, than yours, Clair, unless you're trying to solve the same problem from two different angles."
 
Clair looked between the two
"Electricity? lightning, yeah I guess that is like what I am doing, I am looking for a source of energy to power a potentially long-range communication device." She explained.
 
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