[[PP-F11]] Not all solutions are equal

[Mari 1]

Mari placed two bars of what looked like melted brass into the box. Mari sighed, ignoring the little ping constantly going off. Theft was the least bad thing she had done lately. What did she care? Mari glanced out the window, pausing. Her beaked bill tilting to the side as she hyper focused on something small in the corner of the frame.

She watched the wasp struggling in the spiderweb for a moment. That’s when it hit her.

Something that would only affect monsters, not people. Pheromones were one thing; it was a stretch but it was one thing but there was something else. Something physical that wouldn’t affect people.

Mari set the box of stolen goods down on a nearby table, then hastily opened up one of the drawers. Good, she pulled out a pen and paper and started writing.  Horsehair worms. They can’t parasitize people - at least normally. Aincrad may change that if you ignore that then… wouldn’t that be a way to infect monsters? Literally reprogramming them on a chemical level to be lambs to the slaughter?

-Horsehair worm
-known to hijack hosts nervous system to alter behaviour - usually to water.
-is it possible to create other behavioural changes?
-Infection via swarming insects. Wasps, bees, hornets, etc .
-cause damage to limbic system? Non issue.

Shouldn't affect people

The last thing they needed was some kind of super parasite that would alter someone's mind without them realizing. But Mari was confident that wouldn’t be the case. Setting the pen down Mari rifled through the box, pulling out a pair of tweezers and a small vial. It was hard to distract her when she was focused like this. Mari reached out to the wasp; placed it carefully in the vial, and corked it up before carefully wrapping it up in some linen and placing that too in the box. Then, Mari grabbed her notes, folded them up, and placed them in the hands of the other man.

Then, her….companion? No. Partner? No. The enigmatic man dumped a crate on the floor - he passed it along to Mari who placed everything of value into it. Then - her eyes shifted to him as he tapped his mask.

What in the hell is he doing?

His eyes shone a bright yellow, as he pulled out a recording crystal? It looked to be a recording crystal.

Disguise.

It seemed to be something in line with the disguise skill. Mari made a mental note to grab that skill herself at some point.

"I think its getting a little late, Should we go?"

Mari nodded. It must be well into the late morning by now - which meant that their actions would begin to garner attention if they continued. “Yeh. Let’s go.” Mari said, a little distracted by how well the disguise worked.

“Alcohol next, right?”

[Vitreous 1]

Wandering down the street as the woman helping herself to conversations with the guards as they'd pass, just to keep their gaze from Mari who would be slinking behind any form of cover to remain out of sight. Evidently they end up at a pub that at this time of night seemed rather empty, a single barkeeper manning the counter through the window. Sampling his own stock, he would wipe the counter down with a white rag in wide strokes. The disguised man leans down and sets the crate just inside the entrance. "Lock the door." The woman offers Mari as she'd wander up with a smile. Taking a seat, even taking the time to fold the fictitious skirt beneath her rear as she'd sit on the barstool. "What will it be?" The keeper would offer, finding himself stricken stupid by his blessing with two women so late at night. A smile worn on her face as she waits for him to take another drink of that green glass bottle of his, before Vitreous stands up right out of his disguise the moment he grabs the man's collar with his left hand. The disguise broken by direct contact, as he pushes hard on the butt of that bottle with his right. A grunt and the sound of gagging as good portion slides in. Using his collar as a handle, the crow rips him forward and slams his head against the counter. Driving that bottle down the bartenders throat in one fell motion. Another quick kill, proving his experience in doing such things.

The man starts to peruse the shelf behind the bar, looking at each carefully. Even having to take a wider step to climb over the newly made carcass. A creek from above causes him to pause his hurried movements. He'd look to Mari in that silent stare, pointing toward the ceiling.

[Mari 1]

Mari locked the door behind her with a near silent click. It had been difficult to navigate the area- but for the most part it was uneventful. This town didn’t care if you had an orange, or green cursor - and her companion made good distractions, a hand on the shoulder here - a giggle there. It was…almost comical to see such a stoic and emotionless person play the part of a sweet woman.

The barkeep, a old miser of an NPC asked them what they wanted and Mari kept her back to the scene. She knew what the man was about to do. The barkeep being an NPC didn’t make the act any less…gruesome. Mari didn’t understand why he didn’t just knife the guy quietly and be done with it. A glance over her shoulder and Mari caught the end of his action - a bottle in the mans throat - quick - definitely not painless. But quick. Just how used to these sort of things was this guy?  It made Mari feel a little uneasy.

Still - it had only been NPCs and PKers that he had shown aggression to. Even herself, whilst he had shown mild annoyance, and aggression - he had changed his tune. 

A creak caused Mari’s attention to go skyward. The man pointed up - signalling for her to check on the source of the noise. Mari sighed as she followed suit. Pausing - to grab a set of keys that hung on the now deceased bartenders belt. WIth any luck, no one would have left their rooms yet.

Then, up the stairs she went. When Mari was met with an empty hallway she exhaled. Relieved. Mari wasn’t sure what the man would do if they were caught right now. With a small jingle of keys - Mari started to check each door, any that were unlocked. She’d lock from the outside. It was late, and she doubted anyone would venture out at this time of night, but it was best to be safe, than sorry.

Mari paused as she had locked the last door.

…

Just what would happen…if anyone had ventured out?

No…lets not thing about what ifs.

Mari quietly descended the stairs - and when she caught the line of sight of her companion, she pointed to the keys - then with thumb and forefinger, mimicked a lock. They were all locked away. Any attempt to disarm the locks - would take time. Time enough for the two to slink away undetected.

[Vitreous 1]

He remained perched as he could hear the woman moving around just above, the floorboards made ceiling conveying nearly every step. It was almost drawing her entire path, apparently this place was falling apart. While she was handling that, he'd push open the backroom door with a slow squeal. A tilt to his right as he'd peer around the corner with his blade pressed against his chest, edge down in a reverse grip. Sliding over to his other foot, he'd pivot slightly to curve around the right corner. Not a soul, but plenty of large casks under iron bands filled with presumably booze. Not even taps in them, and he even weighs if he should steal a whole damn barrel. But given they probably weighed 3 whole Mari's and he was already packing around a crate full of metal that seemed very stupid.

The knife finds its sheathe, as the stairs start to creek. The orange haired beak finds its way down, conveying a turn of a pair of fingers produce a lock made of skin before gesturing to the keys. That was simple, at least whoever was up there was likely to no longer be an issue. The crow offers her a raised hand with his index and thumbs pressed together, his other three fingers straight up. The universal 'ok'. Helping himself to a handful of cotton rags from the storeroom, he'd grab a handful before he'd start to glance at the bottles looking for whatever was the highest proof among them. Settling on a couple of bottles of hard liquor the man pushes the corks in with a turn of his fingers. Adding all these supplies to their respective little nest egg, He'd point to his wrist then shake the box with a tap of his foot. Then for the final act of his charade, he'd hold up his hands and put up 10 digits.

[Mari 1]

The man seemed to slip something away in his coat - Mari couldn’t exactly tell what - nor what he had been doing. She silently made her way down the stairs. The less noise, the less talking, the better. They didn’t need anyone above to wake. They didn’t need to roustle the curious eyes and ears of passerby.

Mari placed the keys back on the bar as she sidestepped the dead barkeeper. Hi proof alcohol. Mari knew he wanted it for antibacterial purposes, but be damned - she could really really use a drink. The woman was tempted to take a swig for the road. She licked her lips, but decided against it. Instead Mari pocketed a couple bottles, two 110% proof. Virtually rocket fuel.

Mari shifted to the box that the man tapped with his foot - it held another 6 bottles of the stuff. Mari tilted her head as she watched him hold up 10 fingers. Huh? 10….oh?

“You want to take all to floor 10? That floor has a negative effect on cognitive abilities…my shop is there and its where I had been working - where I got that vial but…” Mari shifted her beaked gaze to a nearby window. Her voice lowered. “I think it best if we set this up elsewhere. I thought we were taking it back to your place - but failing that. I have a cabin on the 4th floor.” Mari shrugged.

“I’m here to follow you, solnyshko.”

Edited 9 hours ago by Mari

[Vitreous 1]

Listening with that intense gaze of his, with the occasional whir of the eyes of his mask thinning or growing wider. He'd turn to the side, allowing the long beak of that mask to protrude over his shoulder. He'd begin to run a pinched grasp of his fingers down the length, lost in thought as he weighed the options given. So floor 10 is bad for your mental acuity. He clearly wasn't on the floor for long enough to experience any after effects. If her store was there then it would be likely that she was more exposed to whatever negative effect it would provide. Accepting her experience on the matter, he knew that wherever her future 'station' would exist it couldn't be somewhere that others would begin to sniffing around. A store would be a terrible choice, although her personal home didn't sound like an ideal place either. However something close to where she would frequent would provide an easy alibi, should someone start to plug with difficult questions. Provides her with an easy out.

He'd point to Mari, lift up four fingers. Then he'd grab a glass on the bar counter, pointing to it. Pressing the tips of his hands together, he'd arc them into a triangle and position them over his head. The crow returns his finger toward the glass, then moves another closer to it as part of this demonstration. Repeating it another time for good measure. Basically laying out, something close to your home but not your home. He'd offer his arms with palms up, tap his head and offer her a thumbs up and a quick nod. Checking if she understood.

[Mari 1]

“Mmm….” Mari thought for a moment, her finger tapping the wooden casque of alcohol. Somewhere she could go that was close to home. “My home is on the outskirts of Frostbite Lake - a 10 minute walk from there is an abandoned cave system. It’d be a tight squeeze for you - but steam passes through one of the two larger rooms. That’d work.” She mused. Thinking about it - she had planned to move her shop there at some point but chose against it purely because half the players in Aincrad wouldn’t be able to get there easily. 

Mari shifted the weight of her Casque - til she was able to navigate to her inventory- Mari put it away. Freeing up her hands. Mari pulled out a teleportation crystal - and waited for her companion to follow suit. With a bit of difficulty, Mari showed him the coordinates listed on her Crystal. “I’ll wait here for you.”

“Floor 4: Frostbite - Home”

And she was whisked away.

–

Mari stood in front of a small cabin. It looked cozy enough - Mari hadn’t been there since she got out of prison. So it was in slight disrepair. The air was cold, and the ground crunched with freshly fallen snow.

Mari would wait for him to arrive; then - when he did. She’d lead him behind her house. The trail was hidden - and whilst Mari didn’t need to duck, her beaked companion did. They walked in silence for no longer than 10 minutes - till she came across a small gap in a cave system. “Here.” Mari squeezed through - then lead the man down a small corridor to a larger cavern. To the right; there was a smaller room, one you’d need to duck under to reach - that room was warmer - steam seemed to waft up from it.

“Its a little tight to start…” Mari said as she pulled off her mask. “But once you get in here - there is ample room. We’d need to work on lighting but if you look up there.” Mari pointed to the ceiling, where a thin vent was. “There’s ventilation already. I found this place a few years ago, but never did anything with it.”

[Vitreous 1]

The man would take a mental note of the coordinates when she shared them, quickly tapping them into his HUD as a waypoint. The little blue line drawn straight to the warp pad, as the navigation was pointing him right to it. As she'd vanish the man would maneuver behind the counter and drag the NPC into the storeroom and lock him inside. Holding the keys in his gloved hands, he'd pick up the box in his hands, slinking out the door shortly after adapting the barkeepers appearance. The city was starting to come to life with a slowly rising sun, and as he passes through the threshold, he turns around and flips around the 'open' sign to closed and locks the door using the barkeepers keys. Heading for the warp gate, he'd stand on it and quickly shift his appearance to that of the smaller black haired kid in Taft. A flash of light, and he'd descend.

***

landing into the village of Snowfrost, as it would start to go through its morning routine. They had been out for most the night, and the light was starting to find purchase. Even some early birds were milling about, unaware to who had just popped up in this relaxed settlement. Following the path for a short jaunt, through the heavier snow his appearance would shift back once out of the limits of the city and out of the sight range of its players and guards. Finally stumbling on a small cabin basically out in the middle of nowhere most likely her home, in the middle of a dense coverage of frozen trees that seemed to span forever. The location was ironically pretty ideal, despite the temperature. He'd acknowledge her with another 'ok'. The woman would start to lead as he'd adjust the crate to keep a grip on it. Behind her homestead, a crack in the terrain as a hump. Mari slips into with a beckoning, and he does his best attempts at following. For her it was so, so much easier. Meanwhile his stature made it damn near impossible and the box did not help. He get stuck half way, with his mask's beak rubbing and getting all twisted and off kilter. The crate pressed up against his torso as he has to turn and maneuver in the most awkward twisting and bending before he finally manages to get it pop in.

With a huff, he continues into a larger opening where steam bleeds in from a hole below. Even a gentle howl portraying a cross flow. Despite its rough appearance, it could easily function once adapted. Setting the crate down and looking at the vent in the floor, he kneels down with a fold of his legs. Running his hand over it, it was quite hot. He looks up to Mari with two thumbs up.

The crow would then remove his watch and point to it, then lift a hand with 5 fingers lifted up. He needed time if she wanted this thing transformed, and he wasn't entirely confident that she'd be able to assist. But the biggest issue was working in such heavy leathers would likely be impossible.

[Mari 1]

"Here."

Mari approached him - her hands reaching out to adjust his mask. She caught him still, the sound of the blade as he poised himself to attack. But Mari ignored it, simply finishing what she set out to do. "Your mask was coming off." She explained. "I saw bits of silver poking through. I don't even know your name. The last thing You'd want is to expose what you look like. I assume."  And with that she stepped back away from him. She wouldn't like, she was curious - but Mari was more curious about the tasks that he had given her. She was more wanting to dive straight into the work.

Looking into the pheromones. The horsehair worms. Outlandish things that probably didn't register on his radar. They certainly barely registered on her own, and it looked like she would be able to get that work done. He had given her two thumbs up. Not just one, but two. Mari couldn't help but offer him a wry grin. "glad its suitable. Not sure I knew of anything else close to home." 

Mari watched as he pointed to his watch, splaying out 5 fingers. Mari tilted her head to the side. What was he....Mari shifted her gaze to the vent he was leaning by, was the steam too hot? "Id offer to help but-" She paused. This was one of the few times she had struggled to immediately interpret what his intention was. "You'll need time." 

Mari shifted over to where he was, and took a minute to sit by his side. She first; opened up her inventory and pulled out the alcohol, and brass bars she had procured from their outing. She sat them on the ground beside him. 

"Did you want help, or would you prefer to work alone?" 

[Vitreous 1]

Vitreous waits for her to empty out all the stuff she'd helped steal, as he'd pop off the lid of the large crate of crap they'd pilfered. There was going to be a lot of work, but they'd really hit the pay dirt. Five hours should be more then enough to get at least the bare minimum up and running, and he didn't need to worry too much about cold storage. The man would beckon toward the mouth of the cavern in an attempt to relay that he had this, waiting for Mari to get out of eyesight before he started to strip off the thicker armor he'd been wearing for nearly all their time together. That dense coat is the first to fall, in a heavy thud as it folds up, showing an array of strapped gadgets up both arms including the devices where his knives were held. On his upper right shoulder, he pulls a buckle and releases this leather wrap that looked almost half of a shoulder pauldron. A smooth leather but as he'd unfurl it, an array of small tools sat tucked neatly in it. He'd start to remove the thicker leather covers that sat over his legs allowing a familiar set of chemically frayed black pants free. A thick belt filled with all manner of pockets, a bandolier strapped with all manner of vials and poisons. The man was strapped to the teeth, and once removed he was nearly 20 kg lighter. 

One more glance toward the mouth of the cave to ensure his secret was safe, he'd reach up and remove his hat. The three straps adhering the mask to his head, loosened and slowly slipped off. A pale white complexion almost impossibly white, ivory locks to boot. A raspy exhale, as the cold air stung his exposed lungs.

[Mari 1]

He made his preference known. He wanted to work alone. Mari sighed. She didn't like feeling useless. Still. She stood. "I'll stay by the entrance. C-" She paused. He couldn't exactly call out to her, now could he? "Mmm...." She pointed to two metal pipes. "I guess just bang them loudly together, or come get me when you're done. In the meantime. I'm going to eat, rest, and work on some notes." And with that Mari had left him alone - she was barely out of site before she could hear the heavy thud of material against the floor. And it took every ounce of willpower to not steal a glance at the stranger.

She had already managed a glance at his hair - thin silvery wisps had been protruding from his mask before she had fixed it. "Maybe I should get his name..." Mari mused to herself as she pushed further to the exit.

Now away from him Mari glanced at the time. She'd give him a few hours, then check in on him. 
The woman pulled out a meager meal from her inventory - leftover field rations that Raidou had given her. She made short work of those; and now had a cup of hot tea to her side. She was going over her notes; including the ones she had given him earlier. Mari liked science, she liked experiments...but there was a very clear divide in their skills. He was far more practiced, understood the nuances of things better... The woman wondered what exactly she could even offer. Still... he must have seen something in her results. Enough so that he was helping her with her own workshop, away from his. 

It...was a lot of effort to go through, with someone he barely knew.

Mari opened up her menu; using this time alone to send Freyd a message.

Quote

To: Freyd
From: Mari
Subject NONE
I'm resting at home today. I'll be about the lake, then I need to clean up my cabin. I hadn't been there since returning from jail. I won't be spending much time on the 10th floor since the other day.

 

And with that she sent off the message. Hoping that was enough to alleviate any concerns the man might have for now. Mari couldn't be too specific. Not with a paper trail at least. So she kept it brief. Enough for him to be put at ease, enough to let him know what floor she was on.

Then, she went back to writing notes in a small journal. It wasn't when she realized just how cold she was, and the time of day...that she realized how much time had passed. Almost five hours. "Huh?" It had been that long? She hadn't heard anything from her companion.

Standing, Mari made her way back into the cavern. Concerned. She made it a few steps in before clearing her throat and calling out to him.

"solnyshko?" Mari called out, without going further. "You good in there?"

[Vitreous 1]

The man would pause for a moment as one of the small rods of metal would cease sparking, as he was using some of alcohol as a form of makeshift welding fuel. The small stars he was seeing given the complete lack of protective gear made it much harder. "You good in there?" That chunk of speech echoes rather clearly down the cavern and isn't drowned out like the prior. Halfway under the table he'd just finished attaching the final leg to, the mans eyes dart toward his pile of clothing. In a quick scramble he starts to clamber up from out beneath it, slamming his head into its bottom and causing one of the jars to start to roll as a metal pipe left over from some of the tabletop tools construction would clatter to the ground.

*pling, pling, pling*

It bounces and starts to list slowly across the floor, aiming for a corner of the room. Vitreous in his haste catches the glassware before it has the chance to smash into the floor, turning it upright and setting it back in its stand. His attention and finesse goes straight back to his clothing, mainly his mask. Quickened footsteps as he'd almost dive for it, catching that pipe and doing a fair job of grabbing the mask and losing his footing. The thing gets flung some 10 or so feet, nailing the new contraption built upon the steam vent. It powers up as the dial is turned, causing the place to spring to life as it begins to sound like a locomotive, releasing a hiss of steam that jumps down the length of brass piping and making some of the rudimentary gears to turn. A table opens up and allows a set of shelves almost like a tackle box to escape, a spyglass repurposed lengthens as the different magnifications start to pivot. A bite of his tongue, as he has to choose. Let this place explode and save his identity, or choose to save it.

"Blyat!" he hisses as he moves for the kill switch on the far wall, trying to regulate the steam intake before it starts blowing pipes.

[Mari 1]

Mari paused, waiting for anything - then she heard it - a distinct pling, pling, pling almost rhythmatic . That was what Mari had asked him to do, when he was ready for her to come through, right?

"Aight." Mari said as she continued forward. He did ask for five hours, and he did bang that pipe. So in Mari's eyes, everything seemed to be fine. Mari ducked as she came into the cavern. The first thing she noticed was the lighting was brighter - gas lanterns hung up evenly across the walls. There were various contraptions affixed to the wall itself. Various pipes, wires, and gears churned slowly as if given their own life. "Whoa..." Mari paused, looking at one of them - her eyes following it along the wall. The pipe seemed to go up and out of a small gap in the ceiling. This...was nothing short of amazing. and it was hers.

Mari went to take a further step in, but paused. Half sitting on the floor was her companion.  The man wore generic ass black pants, and a grey turtle-neck. His attire looked utterly ordinary, and if Mari didn't know better - she'd almost say he looked like one of her professors back in college. - Mari could very clearly see part of his face pale features wide. He looked like he was in the middle of standing up"Oh - but the pipe...." Mari trailed off as her eyes shifted away from him to land on the table behind him.

Mari moved past the man - she had a feeling she probably shouldn't have seen his face, but, what was done, was done. Instead her focus was on the table. Mari ran her hands over it in excitement. Atop the table was a series of shelves, almost like a tackle box. Then there was a burner - no...two burners!? Oh...Mari was going to have fun with this. Mari peered beneath the table, eyes following the various springs and contraptions. So the table had different spring loaded mechanisms?

"This is amazing." 

She clearly didn't care about his identity. "Look at all these spring loaded- oh...wait THREE burners? Oh...this one is incendiary -smart way to get rid of trash....oh..." Mari glanced over at him. Then her eyes shifted to his mask, on the opposite side of the room. Why on earth was it there?

He was still on the floor. Should...she offer help? There was a hesitation before the woman sighed and headed to his mask first. Picking it up and dusting it off, then to him, her gaze away from his as she extended her hand, holding the mask to him. Now that she had a closer look at him, the man was quite handsome - she wasn't sure why he fixed to have himself covered all the time, but Mari wouldn't question it. She'd give him time to recollect himself first.

"Thanks. I appreciate the work you put into this."

 

Edited 6 hours ago by Mari

[Vitreous 1]

Standing up and patting himself off he'd look down at the mask, then back to the woman. His eyes narrow as he weighs his options, his right hand still locked to the valve on the wall. Looking down at the display, the levels were regulating as he'd tap it and see the repurposed sewing needle spring into the green. He could just kill her, that would keep his identity safe. But almost glancing through her, he'd take in all of the work he'd put in to this workshop of hers. A growl almost like a gator, he was forced to accept that the cat was out of the bag. Adjusting the collar of his shirt, the brief glimpse of a nasty looking scar all over his throat and neck as he'd take the mask with his pale hand. "Pointless...Now." Without the mask on his voice would sound much more guttural and raw, "Mari." He'd point to her, then to himself. "Atan" then he'd point to the valve on the wall. "Control..." He'd turn the valve and the room would become silent and go dark, then he'd turn it again and everything sparks back up.

Toward the three manufactured tables, he'd start to introduce the various things that he'd cobbled together. A microscope manufactured out of spyglasses of different lengths, various burners. A chemical bath basin filled with distilled alcohol and heated through steam. Shelving pressed against one of the walls that would keep things fresh. The woman had already found the three temperature burners, and he'd show her the different vial tongs and stands. Start opening drawers to show her the translated sewing needles to syringes, cupboards in her workstation with gauze and cleaning rags. It should be more then sufficient. As she'd familiarize herself with the contents, he'd start to slide back on his treated armor.

[Mari 1]

Atan

So that was his name. He didn't look happy. His brow was furrowed and his gaze cold. He practically snatched the mask out of her hand, calling it pointless. "Atan..." Mari repeated thoughtfully. She followed him around the cavern. Making note of everything he had shown her. How the valve controlled the workshop itself, and as he had shown her - Mari immediately understood why he hadn't been fully dressed. The damn thing nearly exploded. Even as he had moved away Mari kept an eye on the pressure. It'd hold, but it would do her a wealth of good to turn the entire place off at night, or when she was not using it.

He somehow sounded worse for wear as he spoke without the mask - no doubt a side effect from his own experiments and gases literally exploding in his face. Then, there was also the scar- but Mari wouldn't question that. They weren't close enough for it. Mari paused at one of the tables; the one that housed the microscope - and it was here that she pulled out the vial with the wasp still inside it, buzzing about angrily. She also pulled out her journal with the notes she had written about the horsehair worm. The temptation to just sit down and get to work was strong. There was so much she wanted to do.

First, Mari went about wiping herself down with one of the clothes that had been sterilized. There was a distinct scent of alcohol permeating from the room now.  As Atan dressed himself Mari pulled up a chair, slowly going over her notes. 

"Atan..." Mari began, she was already distracted - she had taken the wasp from its vial and with a single pinprick - had stopped its movement. She was squeezing on hits abdomen with a pair of forceps - staring at it from the makeshift microscope. Ah There it was. a long threadlike parasite was worming its way from the wasps body. Mari began to gently tug on it, coaxing it into another vial. 

"You like experiments, right?" She didn't wait for him to answer. "You need me for em. You got me." She knew the weight of those words. She knew exactly what he was capable of. She'd seen it. Still. He'd given her something no one else on Aincrad could ever begin to even come close with. Mari didn't look up from her task till the worm was safely in its test tube. Then, she'd offer him a glance over her shoulder.

 

"Maybe try not to kill me in the process, though." She added with a wry half smile before shifting her gaze back to her work.