milliways_bar | (no subject)

Agatha waves to him from her seat by the fire. She's taking the evening off, not building anything but reading.

Ray looks up, waves back, and heads over her way instead. "Hi, Agatha," he says. "How's it going?"

"Hello, Ray. I'm doing well -- I tried some new ideas in my latest clank, and finished it earlier tonight. And then. . . well, Bar gave me this book, and it gave me a lot to think about."

The Glass Dirigible, the title says. Agatha sighs slightly.

"Regardless. How have you been?"

Ray looks curiously at the book. "Never heard of it- it's native to your world, right? I've been okay, I guess. I've had to do some more lightsaber work for my world, and there've been the usual hauntings and manifestations and stuff, and when I got up this morning I had this vague creepy feeling hanging over me that just wouldn't go away. Hence, this." He indicates the ice cream with his spoon. "Though I don't know that it's helping. Tell me about that book- that usually works."

"Perhaps if you get additional shielding, it might help. . ."

She returns her attention to the book.

"It's from the Trelwney Thorpe series. They're somewhat like the Heterodyne Boys books, but focused on a female spark from England. And it doesn't involve my relatives, so it doesn't leave me with the slightly disturbing feeling some of them give me now upon rereading them."

"I might try that if the feeling persists."

He nods. "I can see that making a difference. I'm not sure how well I'd take it if I found Grandpa Maxim in a book about legendary war heroes or something. Especially not if they'd made as much of a difference as the Heterodynes apparently did."

"They were heroes. By the time they were my age, they had been out in the world, saving lives and defeating monsters for years. The stories are incredibly popular, everyone has heard of the greatness they've done. The circus I've joined? It's a traveling Heterodyne Show. They go around and perform various stories as the main attraction, it's quite popular. And all very strange."

Agatha sticks a bookmark in her spot and sets the book to the side.

"That, and it's just creepy to read the romance bits when I know it's about my parents."

Ray starts to say something. Then a Look crosses his face.

"Ngaaaaaaaaaah. Okay, I totally didn't need to picture my parents as a pair of twentysomethings doing anything that could be described with the word 'torrid'. Yikes. I sympathize, but yikes."

Fortunately for what semblance of sanity she can still claim, Agatha has currently forgotten about the 'love triangle' aspect of the stories. Possibly she forgot it by force, but it works for her. Change of subject!

"Trelwney has absolutely nothing to do with any of my relatives, at least as far as this one indicates. The British propaganda gets a tad heavy-handed at times, but it is a good read."

"Kind of like the James Bond books back home," Ray says. "James Bond's the world's top secret agent, a British spy who can get into or out of any situation with his incredible gadgets and his wits. Only thing is, he's not the one who makes the gadgets, so it's not really the same- but still."

Agatha rolls her eyes at that.

"Please. That's just silly. What if he finds himself in a situation that he doesn't have a gadget to help him with?"

She smiles and picks the book up.

"Propaganda aside, it's good to read about other female Sparks. There aren't a lot of us around . . ."

A pause, and she flips the book open to an illustration of Trelawney and Jack Tarr in a heroic pose.

"That's likely why Gil lent it to me."

"Usually at that point he seduces the local pretty woman and it works out in his favor," Ray says with a shrug. "Or he gets into a fight with somebody. They're pretty simple books."

But he nods. "Always good to have a role model, huh?"

Agatha facepalms.

"He sounds more like Othar. Did he happen to die in any of the books?"

She looks altogether too hopeful at the thought.

"Yes. It was thoughtful of Gil. . . he caught on that I was a Spark even before I did. He gave me a job as his assistaint and helped me when I broke through. . . "

It's clear she's not giving a lot of thought to the actual content at this point. Or to what she's saying. Or singing (http://s59.yousendit.com/d.aspx?id=19PORMNTTZOQD2E7WBMTYU3IIU).

"It was the madness that held us together
When the lab came apart at the seams
He said 'Build a weapon with shine
While we've still got some time'
And I gave into my schemes

Now I don't have the chance
To thank him for the dance
So I'm all alone with the circus' stance
I will sleep safe and sound
with my clanks guarding 'round . . . "