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How To Deliver Justice (with KiraMusani

Aurora nodded. "My theory is our bodies attract the lightning, because the impulses sending messages to our nerves and/or brains are electric in nature. Arden thinks I've imbibed too much wine, but a few scientists and the Monterissan doctors think I might be onto something. With the Amazons so far advanced in medicine, I'd like to talk to a few of their doctors too. They might already be exploring that. Clair, if you ever seen anyone hit by lightning, you probably have seen them having convulsions. That's their nerve messages getting too much of something. Has to be."

Ruby said nothing, but tried to remember what happened to the ducks on that pond.

Calla walked into the room, throwing her hat on the bed, and sat in the chair on the a opposite side of the room. "I let you three have at it. I'll just watch from over here...."
 
"So lighting is electric, and we also have electric in us? And maybe also this potato has it, or can generate the same kind of energy." She rubbed her chin.
"The other day when me and Ruby connected there was this painful jolt between us, perhaps that was this energy transferring between us in a small amount, and electric shock of some sort" she explained.
"This gives me a few more ideas outside the potatoes."
 
Aurora nodded, "That's the working theory. I need to conduct some more tests." She raised an eyebrow and uttered "Interesting..." when Clair mentioned what happened between her and Ruby.

Ruby also raised an eyebrow. "That happened a few hours ago, Clair. Just before we went to test Avenger's smoke pellets and grappling hook."

Avenger shook her head. "Well, in Clair's defense, that did feel like yesterday."
 
"Heh, oh right, sorry, I have a hard time tracking when things happen, it's one of the reasons why I write things down, in my head days kinda just bleed together" Clair admitted.

"But yeah I have a few ideas of things we can try to see if we can harness it energy and from things that aren't potatoes as well." She added.
 
Aurora frowned. Harness our bio magnetic field or bio electric impulses? Cordonia has been trying that for a decade .. Well, some Cordonian medical members are, anyway."

She walked over, looking over the three potatoes and picking up the near fully dry one and waved it at Clair. "Should have left one with normal moisture. This dry one is not likely to do much if anything. Regular moisture would make a better control."

As they would find out, Aurora wouldn't be far off the mark, as normal moisture on their hands, as well as Ruby rubbing around on the wool blanket, would be what helped the static shock they both already received. Something Clair would have been sure to note.
 
As they went back to the workbench, they would not only figure out the Potatoes but also as Clair explored more how the shock came to happen, figured out the friction was to blame. From there they would continue to test new ideas and strategies and accidentally stumbled upon how the energy they discovered in some metals would cause them to attract other metals or repel others of the same ilk.

After some time of work Clair spoke up.
"What if we managed to create a device that uses water or air or something to spin, and that spin uses the attracting metal to change that force into energy, and we store that into some sort of sodium mix concoction, I'll have to do some test to see what might be able to hold that energy the best."
 
Aurora wiped the brow of her head with a handkerchief. One of the princesses would immediately recognize as the kind to drop in front of a male suitor, of which Calla had been seriously spurned by, causing her to turn off of them altogether.

Ruby asked first, right after Aurora got her statement out to Clair. "Cordonia has already established a working compass, which is where I got the idea of our bodies having their own magnetic field. It actually does use water, we just haven't figured out how to make a portable compass that doesn't slosh all over the place. Let me show you. Do what we've learned magnetizes this sewing needle." She handed the needle over to Clair, took one of her bowls she'd normally use to separate blood or skin cells, or what she used to separate pulp from skin on the berry. She then added just a tiny bit of sodium to act like sea water and set it on the table. "Don't jostle this, I'll put some light cork like wood center. Remember how a lot of compasses never seem to settle on one direction? Carefully put the magnetized needle on the corkwood, it'll point true magnetic north." She sighed. "Now to get that idea into an actual WORKING compass, and sailors will still be able to tell where they're going even when clouds cover the stars at night."

"Doctor Aurora? Where did you get that handkerchief?" Ruby asked.

Aurora looked at it. "This thing? I've had it a few years, now. I picked it up in 1375, at a bazaar market in Dunwyn. I recognized the monogram initials, and knew it belonged to a proper lady once upon a time, noble or regal one, and since a doctor is nobility..." She shrugged. "I still haven't figured out who 'C.D.' is, perhaps I never will."

Calla turned red as a beet. The good doctor's handkerchief was the same one she dropped in front of Cavin all those years ago (almost five) when she still liked boys. "I'll tell you who it originally belonged to. Princess Calla Dunwyn in an attempt to court Cavin Pendragon. He stomped on it, smirked and walked off. In front of the whole court. He was kicked out on his arrogant arse, and she went into self exile, embarrassed and ashamed. C. D. Guess you're my knight in shining armour, doc. Keep it. Like you said... You're nobility."
 
Clair looked at Aurora's example of the compass.
"Oh yeah earth's magnetism, I see, well I don't know if we can harness the earth's magnetism for power, but as for a handheld version of this device, what about instead of using dense liquid you instead use a pivot? Oh, but that would wear, perhaps both? we design a pin that will turn to face north, with this outer layer that will dictate where North vs south, etc, you just turn so the pin is pointing at the north and you know the rest. It sits in a sealed case like this, about this size, with glass on top so you can see the pin. Perhaps even making most of the pin with a much lighter material, and just having the end used to guide it. That is if it's needed." She explained as she started to draw up some blueprints.
"Actually, We might be able to make a prototype here with what I have." She said looking around at the random things she had collected.

"Oh we could even put it in a dome shape, using liquid it should still find the right direction, but the dome shape may help by doing so even on the more shaking conditions of at sea" She added.

As the others started talking about the handkerchief Clair was officially sidetracked into making a handheld compass, or at least it seemed to be as she started to work with the materials she pointed out for the compass.
 
Although magnetism was a natural force, it wasn't exactly in Ruby's area of expertise, so she fiddled with salt content, to work with the way to either charge, or create the charge for the system for her parents to contact each other.

In the time Clair would make the prototype (let's say from 2pm-8pm) all poor Ruby would manage to have, was an open stand, with a flat bottom, to hold the twin communication devices and something, if it was small, to sit between them. She was also able to slightly farther the advance by causing a sound static to come out of one of the box like devices.

She'd be looking at hers and Clair's notes and muttered, "What did I do to create that sound?! We need to repeat it... At least I think we do..."

Calla couldn't decide which to watch, as even Aurora was playing with the potatoes, and ended up sparking something, and putting a burn mark on it's skin. "As I expected, too much spark and I actually burnt the skin on this potato, and all I was doing was touching these two copper wires together.

KKCHHTZZSSK!!{

Aurora and Calla both jumped. "What the hell, Ruby, gimme a heart attack whydoncha?!" Calla Avenger gasped

Ruby sighed. "And I don't even know HOW I did it! Scared me too!"

Clara came and checked the plates she brought in. Only Calla's was empty. "Aye, an' ye t'ree err gonna set doan right now an' EAT! This c'n wait til mornin'!"
 
Clair did indeed continue to work, managing to finish her dome Compass idea and place it down having the cardinal directions show on the bottom of the dome. She turned it to see it continue to show which direction it was facing.

the-old-compass.jpg

Clair had started to work on the power source next when she heard the sound and turned to see it's source with a jump.
"eep!"

Clair immediately started to examine what Ruby had done, looking at the notes and her device as Clara came in and barked at them to eat, at which Clair started to eat as she examined the device fiddling with things untill she got the same result.

KKCHHTZZSSK!!

"Mmmmm!" She mumbled before swallowing the food she had in her mouth.

"I think I got it!" She exclaimed making notes and taking another bite of food. She continued to mess around eventually moving them further apart and creating a beeping noise at first from one to the other.
 
Calla blinked. "What ARE you two brainiacs doing?" She asked looking at two, in her opinion, noise boxes.

Aurora picked up the compass. "Amazing." She walked over to the window, which she knew faced west, because the sun had already set, and they were finishing activities by candlelight. She looked again at the newly constructed instrument in her hand, before setting it down on the sill. "Too bad Jane Hook and Wendy left over a week ago, but imagine how much better the English, Cordonian and Scottish Royal Navies can get around with this thing."

She began eating her own room temperature dinner. "Clair, Laird Clara has the right idea. Pick that up in the morning when you have daylight, when you can see what your doing better."

Avenger grabbed her hat from where she had tossed it on the bed, when Ruby asked, "Clair? Can I sleep with you tonight? I want to get an early start on it tomorrow just like you. I think I already have the salt content right for the charge to keep them charged."

Aurora and Calla exchanged looks. It was unheard of in noble ranks to sleep in the same bed unless the two were married... Or at least until a princess had claimed another girl as her consort! That couldn't even happen until the girls painted the person, either there with them among the other girls, or a male non-relative they knew NOT at the court, since this was Calla's courtship to find a suitable mate, there were no male suitors. Both knew Clair wasn't THAT well versed, and turned to Clair and began shaking their heads.

If Clair didn't catch those two signalling no, she would become the Cordonian Princess's consort!
 
Clair excitedly responded to Calla.
"We just figured out a way to transmit sound from one device to the other, right now a beep, but maybe we can do spoken words as well!"

"Thanks, honestly I didn't do much of that one, I was given the main premise of using liquid and the earth's magnetism, or magnetic north" She admitted in response to Aurora.

"Aww, but we have such good momentum going" Clair pouted before taking another bite and pouting a little looking at their inventions.

Clair swallowed her bite in time to respond to Ruby.
"Oh! Yeah! That would save lots of time! plus the first one awake can wake the other so we can get to work earlier!" She declared before seeing the others shaking their heads.
"huh? No? what's wrong? Wait why don't we all stay asleep here tonight and get right back to it in the morning!" She suggested.
"Or at least whoever wants to return to working on these"
 
Aurora grimaced. Sounded like a girls night in, which at their ages was yet another noble rarity. "You wanna take this one, Avenger?" She asked glancing at Calla.

Calla was slightly confused. "What's wrong with the girls night in? I gotcha on the other..." She took a deep breath. "Clair... Ruby forgets exactly what it means for a couple, even two girls, over 16, to share a bed. Especially, when one is a princess."

"Well, yeah, I think of that, but not tonight!" Ruby complained, causing Calla to groan and facepalm.

"Ruby, we need to talk. In the hall. Now." Aurora used her 'big sister' voice on her, which being Cordonian also, even Queen Kenna wouldn't say anything about it.

After the two left, Calla took a deep breath and began. "Noble etiquette frowns on sharing a bed unless you're married, or a princess, whether it's me, Ruby, Sapphire or one of the Amazons, takes you for her consort. I'm not saying you can't choose to sleep in the same bed if that's what you want, but make sure it's EXACTLY what you want, as there's no going back. You, or whichever princess you choose, both would have to tell the king, tomorrow at breakfast, that you have chosen. If Ruby is truly serious about you, she can wait a fortnight for us to be back in Dunwyn and paint our intended love interest then." Calla sighed and rubbed her face. "Right now, you have your choice of all of us to be serious about, but it ends as soon as you get in bed with one of us... Even if it's just to sleep. It especially goes for a princess... Me included. It's your decision, ultimately, I'm just asking you to please wait, and be sure." She blushed. "Ruby's not the only princess that wants you in her bed..." She said quietly, telling on herself, as well.
 
Clair looked at those talking her face looking confused as they started to talk about what it means for a princess to share a bed.
"Hmm? I don't know, are there special rules for Princesses and sleepovers?"

Clair's face went a bit red as she heard the explanation.
"Oh, so it's like the same as purposing, I didn't realize that was a thing, I just figured it would be more convenient.. what if more then two share a bed, like if three or four of us shared a bed?" She asked.
 
Calla made a face. "Technically..." She said, finally with a shrug. "We're all 16 and over, now, nobles stop sharing beds, unless they're serious, a lot of times, even younger. Also, one can't host a girls' night in except in their own house, estate, manor or castle. Hosting one for all of us cannot happen out of country, which technically we are, even WITH the host's permission."

Finally, she laid a hand gently on Clair's shoulder. "As far as more than one other girl in the same bed? Well, let's just start with everyone being scandalized. Remember how, when the season first started, a lot of us were paired up because of too many girls supposed vying for my hand? There were separate beds in each room, were there not?" The question was rhetorical. "Same applies for the girls night in, Clair. We would have had to ask Laird Clara the beginning of the day, how many guests you were going to have, and she'd bring in another bed, and cots for each girl, because, well, Scotland, not England. If you want to have this, wait till we get to Dunwyn and ask me, and I'll put it past father. One, each castle bedchamber is huge. Number two, he might let you host it elsewhere in the castle. Same rules apply, when we go to bed. One per bed or mattress, unless you're certain about who you want to sleep with, then it's just you and her."

Finally Calla took a deep breath. "You never had one at all, have you? This is common knowledge even among the very least of the nobles, of which, again, you are. You're either Merchant or if your folks own land, a Baroness. Ask your father if he owns land. Even if it's just where you live in Dunwyn. Remember how we found out your friend, Cinnamon Baker, owns all of Dunwyn, making her a Baroness?" Actually Cinnamon's dad owns Dunwyn, she's the heiress.
 
Clair listened closely and nodded.
"Right, okay, so no sharing beds unless, it's like a marriage thing or whatever, okay, but the same room is fine as long as not on the same bed. Thanks, I think I will take your advice and wait, I am not sure what exactly I want for that stuff and umm, just want to focus on my inventions right now." She explained taking a breath herself.
"As for land, I am fairly certain we don't own the land, we pay to stay living there from our sales, and I don't usually involve myself with selling, just like, the making of the things sold."
 
Calla shook her head as she rolled her eyes and chuckled, patting Clair on the shoulder. "Clair. You're at the very least a Merchant, you make some the goods sold in the General Store. You think a seamstress personally sells EVERY outfit she makes? Or, like you, allows someone else to advertise her work by selling her goods?"

Aurora came back in checking how Calla fared. "I told Ruby to get a good night's sleep and just come back here around dawn. Meanwhile, Avenger.... Bed. You also need your rest. You're still recovering, and Clair, you too, as I remember giving you doctor's orders to start ceasing for the night and getting more sleep."

Calla nodded. "I think we're done here, I need that rest if I want to see you guys complete these sound boxes. Get some rest Clair, I don't think you want Aurora on your case, spouting medical stuff, especially when she isn't much older than you or me."
 
"Oh I suppose that makes sense, I didn't think about it like that" She replied rubbing her neck.

"Oh, that is still going? Okay, I promise to go right to bed once everyone leaves" She nodded.

"Heh right, though I do find that medical stuff interesting, so maybe I do want her spouting that stuff at me, I could learn lots!" She smiled.

Once everyone had left and Clair was alone she took a deep breath, she was certainly not used to all this socializing, let alone all the added stress of having to pick someone to marry! She didn't expect this, she wasn't ready for that stuff yet! She just wanted to work on her inventions! Though she kept her word and after changing into something more comfortable she went to sleep, though she had slept in her work clothes plenty of times, if another one of the girls caught her she figured they would give her an earfull.

--------------------------------------------------------------

The Next morning Clair awoke bright and early and if no one came would rush to change into her work clothes and start working until someone arrived. It seems she may have forgotten they are to meet for breakfast.
 
The next morning Aurora was up, just after dawn, and with no patients to check, or rounds to make, found herself checking Clair. She also forgot, that with the weekend off on the court games, about breakfast. "Good morning Clair, I figured you'd be up already," she picked up the potato from her experiment, and looked at it. After setting it down, she laid the paper down from her experiment notes. "Thought you might want to see what I learned when two wires spark against the skin of the potato. Looks like I left a pretty good burn mark on it a few times." She patted her notes. "I thought Ruby was gung-ho to see you, she's not in her room..."

Fifteen minutes later, both Calla Avenger and Ruby came in the room after knocking. "Aren't either of you coming for breakfast?" They asked together.

"Father wants EVERYONE there. Even those of us that didn't hunt, for the announcement of the points." Calla stated.

"Seating got switched around again by Laird Clara's father. Don't you want to know where you sit the rest of our stay?"
 
"Hmm?" Clair looked up from her new device and smiled at Aurora.
"Oh, hey Aurora! Yeah, I am surprised Ruby hasn't come by yet come to think of it, but yeah! I have an idea why that happened too, I made a more powerful microscope! and thought of some names for things even" She boasted.

Clair started to explain how she was making a chart of elements, and each one had a different amount of electrons, sodium had 11, and she thought they had positive and negative ones that attract the opposite, and repel their similarities. Then went on about how was using that to keep a charge of energy in what she coined as a sodium-ion (derived from Greek, meaning to go)

Clair was still going on about how the burn on the potato was likely these electrons moving from one wire to the other via the potato when the others arrived.

"Breakfast? I jeez are we supposed to go to that today? Sorry" She apologized.
"Let's go"
 
Aurora chuckled. "Sodium ion, huh? Sounds like you're speaking Jewel Kingdom language!" Clair sort of was, since the Jewel Kingdom was part of the Greek Empire, and therefore the Greek language, or at least a derivative of it.

Ruby raised her eyebrows in surprise. "Whoa, Clair, can you actually talk to Princess Sapphire in her tongue?"

Aurora shrugged, "Back on track, maybe you can tell Dr. Arden and myself more about these elements. It could help us farther our own medical research."

When they got to the dining table to sit for breakfast, Gregor looked a little perturbed that their Scottish hosts had separated everyone by region and country, and Clara looked downright redder than her complexion, but seemed less angry, even pulling out Clair's chair, next to her, for her. Ruby sighed exasperated, and went to the other side of the table, sitting with the two Cordonian doctors, and her nearest neighbor on the map: Ramsford.

After everyone sat and began to be served a breakfast containing oat pottage, fish and eggs as the first two courses, Gregor tapped his fork to his goblet. "Now that we're all here, I would like to announce the top five ladies in the race, along with their points. If you do not hear your name, and wish to know, the leader will give points only, but not your rank."

"That bites the wolf's ear." Olivia huffed.

"With 2875 points, first place is Diana of Amazonia. She will have the list and you will ask her after breakfast for your points for the games. Tied in second place with 2850 points apiece, Aurora Service of Cordonia and Clair Handler of Dunwyn. Fourth place with 2825 points, Amanda Butcher, also of Dunwyn, with 2750 points, and in fifth place, Ariel Mendez of Portavira. I will mention that one of you has won three straight games in a row of which she participated, which hasn't been accomplished amongst the female suitors since Princess Calla's mother did in courtship games for my hand 20 years ago. Ethel, congratulations."
 
Clair shook her head at the question if she could speak Greek.
"I don't know it fluently, I have just studied the language a bit is all, they had some great inventions"

"Of course, maybe we can talk about it over breakfast, or after if we aren't near each other, though if you end up by him, maybe you can ask if he is interested." She suggested.

Clair thanked her for the chair and was a little embarrassed as they rushed over and she was still in her inventors clothes.
"Thanks, sorry, I completely got distracted and dragged Aurora down with me" She whispered as she sat.

Clair gave a wave to the others as they left for their seats, and gestured to Aurora to speak with the doctor.

Diana waved as she was announced to be in the lead, nothing boisterous, just a modest, I am here wave.
Clair was shocked to hear her placement and looked to Aurora as they were tied.

Ethel gave a nod at the Kings congratulatory call out.
"Happy to make things a little more interesting"
 
Clara raised her eyebrow. "Mmm nae concerned aboot yer clothing, lassie. Mmm upset wi' me parents, especially me father an' his blasted seatin' arrangements. I'd hae allowed more countries to sit wi' each other. Example, Lythikos an' whatever nation Ethel represents, Dunwyn, Cordonia, Grovershire an' Monterisso. We're all grouped via our nation err realm. Lookit Princess Sapphire. Hae t' sit up by th' Amazons, cuz they're both th' Greek realm, when Diana and Cassandra err both Brittania Amazona. Me father isn't using 'is bloody 'ead." She took a deep breath. "'Ow hae th' expermentin' goin'? Remin' Ruby ye bot' err still cookin' dinner fer us, on th' morrow."

Clara's rant also explained why Gregor was so upset, also, but wouldn't talk about it.

As breakfast continued, Clair would notice the two Cordonian doctors conversing, Millicent and Bernice looking upset about their seating arrangements, as well, with Millicent stealing glances towards Clair, and both Callas. Sapphire not making eye contact with anyone, and looking lost. In fact the only ones who seemed okay with where they were sitting, were Calla "Avenger", sitting next to her father, Calla Grovershire, Kings Army, sitting next to Amethyst and Sir Handler and Cinnamon, who was sitting next to Clair, with Clara sitting on Clair's other side, Clara the farthest from her own parents!

Diana of Amazona 2875
Clair Handler 2850
Aurora Service 2850
Amanda Butcher 2825
Ariel Mendez 2750
Millicent Umberto 2725
Clara Princeton 2700
Ruby Rose Rhys 2675
Cinnamon Baker 2625
Cassandra of Amazona 2575
Calla Dunwyn, Crimson Avenger 2550
Olivia Nevrakis 2550
Calla Lily Grovershire 2300
Beatrice Beaumont 2175
Ethel 1500+500 bonus for 6 fox pelts
Princess Sapphire 1250
 
Clair looked at Clara.
"Oh that's good, I think.. but the experiment is going great, we are making a ton of breakthroughs that may very well change how we do nearly everything in time" She declared happily, though she didn't fully understand Clara all the time she felt like she got the jist of what she was saying.

Clair looked around and noticed Millicent glancing her way and at first confused just decided to give a friendly wave before continuing her conversation with Clara as she realized something else.
"Though Clara, I am surprised that you are so far away from your own folks, did they put you here to so you make sure we behave?" She joked.
"Also, do you know how many games are left?"
 
Clara sighed. "Yer nae far off, lass, innit me t' keep an eye on ye lot, but for him nae t' be fieldin' me questions aboot this bloody seatin'... An' t' embarrass me in front of ye lot altho' I'm Laird o' this land sure as he is. Laird as well as heiress t' th' land."

She took a bite of her fish as Clair asked her question. "I c'n name 'em sooner than take time t' count 'em. Wine tastin' back in Berkshire where we made our wines, and then we git t' take the rest wi' us back to Dunwyn, where we finish th' games wi' a march an' wave t' th' villagers, followed by paintin' who hae taken our hearts if any, designin' our gowns fer th' ball, tree hunt, trimmin', dessert makin', present makin' then th' yuletide ball... Which is actually called the Snowflake Ball, wearin' our made gowns. Ends wi' us presentin' arr gifts and find out who won."
 
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