Setting Up

Jp with Lorem, Omni, and Cindy

Elise bowed slightly to Elizabeth and said, "Very well, then. The rest of you can follow me." She led the rest of the team down a hallway to the right.

Elizabeth led Lorem, Sung and Dumont to a door on their left. There were no knobs or handles on the door. She then glanced to the receptionist, "Miss Vachon, if you please."

The receptionist nodded back and hit a button behind the desk, which made the door slide opened into a small pocket.

Elizabeth led them through the door which closed behind them and to another wooden door. Which had a combination lock on a flip lock. She put her hand on the lock concentrated for a few moments and the lock opened, allowing the door to be opened. It was then to an elevator with a metal door. Elizabeth pressed opened the door, made sure everyone was in the elevator and pressed two. However, on the elevator was a not only a 1 and 2 button but also a button marked O, that seemed to need a key.

Dumont followed Lady Elizabeth and the others. He was well awake now after the walk around the estate and the explosives still had his blood pumping faster than the coffee.

Lorem looked increasingly more excited as they ventured onward. She looked up at Dumont. “What’s she like in person?”

Restraining a titter, Dumont responded, “She suffers from a deplorable condition of charm. He could feel the gnome’s excitement to meet the fellow engineer. “She’s lovely.”

Lorem’s hands nervously went into the pockets she designed on her dress. Inside were a few trinkets that she fiddled with to help calm down. She just wanted to make a good impression.

“I’ve been following her exploits for the longest time, read all her publications and even reverse engineered all her inventions that I could get my hands on. She doesn’t know it yet, but she played an integral part in my education and direction.” She shared.

Elizabeth smiled at Dumont's description of Gemma. She had spoken to the woman a few times, but she would have to agree. Elizabeth found Gemma to be exceptionally nice and, of course, knew the gnome to be highly talented in her field

The elevator landed on the second floor and Elizabeth led them to the right down a hallway and to a door with 2-B marked on it.

The door was locked, but Elizabeth once again, held the lock for a few a moments which caused it to open.

Upon entering the room there was two long tables in the middle, some chairs and Lorem’s blueprints and other things off to one side. It looked like they had been handled carefully, Elizabeth hoped that proved to be true.

"Let us know of you need any help getting set up," Elizabeth commented to Lorem.

Lorem moved over to the crates with the sizable blueprints and research journals. “I could use a hand just setting these onto the table.” She pulled out a collection of name plates and put them along the table. “Just match the nameplate to the book cover title if you could be so kind. And then open it to the first page with the concept art.” The art was done in her own hand with watercolor and was as impressive as her skill with a technical drawing.

Elizabeth, possibly surprisingly, started to help. She really didn't mind. Opening up the to the first drawing and she stared at it for a moment. Once it was set up, she went to the second and did the same thing, noticing the details. "Miss Ipsum, may I just say these watercolors are quite impressive." She had seen the blueprints but not the concept art.

Lorem continued getting everything situated, it wouldn’t take long with the help from the others. “Thank you, you are very kind to say so. My mother taught me watercolors and made me practice my art everyday. It is useful in making rendering of the idea for others. Not everyone can see a technical layout and extrapolate what it will actually look like.”

As Dumont assisted the others with Lorem's designs, the door opened but stopped short quite abruptly with a sort of thud and the clank of something metallic falling to the floor.

"Oof!" cried a small feminine voice.

There was a short pause and a scrape of metal before the door opened a bit slower and Gemma Aberly entered with a grimace, sporting disheveled, rose blonde hair and clothing pocked in minor stains of soot and grease. She fumbled to return the wrench that had fallen from her belt to its rightful place.

"Well, goodness! I've done it, 'aven't I? Jus' a minor 'iccup with the... erm... the door there. Never mind. So sorry, I lost track of time." she said, rambling on a bit which was not conducive to catching her breath from the trek her little legs had to make to carry her there at the last minute.

"You never fail to make an entrance, Mon Petite," laughed Dumont in good humor.

With a hand on her hip, Gemma silently chided him with pursed lips and raised brows. "Oh, just a sprinkle of chaos is what keeps things interesting, don't ye think? Keeps me on MY toes, it does."

"Always an adventure." Dumont said, and he meant it.

"Lady 'liz'beth, please excuse me for the lack of formalit'y. The ball was rollin' and I was on it, if you take my meaning."