I spoke to Pig briefly and he said it was fine to assume that whatever magic I used broadly speaking worked, but that he would pick up how this changes/evolves in his post thereafter.
The Council Chamber of Etzos breathed hostility with every breath, or so it felt to the tiny Alchemist. Stern faces lined the walls, their eyes sharp as drawn daggers, watching the diminutive ferret with the kind of wary suspicion reserved for traveling salesmen and potential assassins. The air itself felt heavy with distrust, thick enough that even the torchlight seemed to struggle to pierce it fully. Guards stood at rigid attention, hands never far from their weapons.
These were not just any politicians, they were Etzori council members, hardened by years of betrayal and attempted manipulation. Their crossed arms and tight expressions spoke volumes: outsiders were tolerated, never trusted. Especially not magical ones.
Winston's tiny form (barely reaching the height of a human's knee) cut an almost comical figure against the grand columns and towering council seats. His rainbow-colored
seemed to deliberately challenge the somber colours favored by the Etzori, while his whiskers twitched with barely contained excitement. He'd opted to stand atop his fellow, Chest, though even with this boost he still had to crane his neck to meet the gazes of the seated council members. The contrast between his diminutive size and boundless confidence was striking, like watching a mouse prepare to conduct an orchestra.
As the diplomat concluded his introduction... "and provider to the common man." The ferret seamlessly interjected
"An woman!" With a bright and charismatic smile.
The Devil on My Shoulder
Curiosity: Wow, tough crowd. They look ready to throw us in a dungeon.
Winston: Den we jost gonna 'ave tuh show dem someting dey neva seen befar!
Curiosity: You mean... the FULL Winston experience?
Winston: Time tuh turn dis funeral intuh a party, mun!
Curiosity: I'll be kind at your eulogy...
Stepping forward he bowed to Manclin in gratitude for the introduction and then continued by offering a hand to his fellow Isonomians.
"Tank yuh far seeing me tutrial. Me come an behalf as a lat of peepal, but also a 'umble inventor... Right naw, me would like tuh focus as what me, Winstaan Millar af Winstaan's Works has tuh affar an nat as a memba af does dat come tuh seek new lives."
With that, so separating his approaching presentation from his position within Isonomia as a diplomatic representative, he reached to his neck and plucked a small, cadouri-size disk from a chain.
Taking in the room for a moment, the potential tension was obvious.
Holding up the disc, he activated it
.
"Lights please..." He said as if it were an inconsequential thing.
The tiny disc grew to the size of a full (still cadouri sized) shield of Masterwork quality and floated in the air, offering a radiant and colourful aura to the proceedings. Urging the shield to rise up into he air above him and shine a beam, such as a spotlight down upon him, he further continued to gradually produce small trinkets and magical wotsits from his
literal bag of magical tricks
.
"Me shar yuh have all sarts af queschuns an' tings yuh want tuh know, but befar yuh get started, please enjoy de show." He he raised a hand,
several trays began to rise up out of the bag
, each containing
, a
and a small selection of
delectables upon it. Gently floating around the ferret for a few revolutions, he picked one final scriby from his bag, with a bit of paper, which he placed to one side.
"While me get started an 'ang op me coat, let dis pen 'ere take a small note." He continued, willing the pen to come to life and move over to the paper, where it proceeded to jot down what the ferret was saying. His words and the things that he did were performed as one. There was no long pauses or awkward silences, he simply flowed from one thing to the next as intrigue hopefully took hold.
As he focused,
it became apparent that things were not quite as simple as they normally would be. He was not certain what it was,
but doubled down in his focus to cater for it while he could.
"Come see de tings me 'ave in here. Poshuns af flight an' magical bear. Wood so strang it could break a sward, bot me don't make weapans so don't say a word."
Hoping that people were more enthralled now then terrified, he injected with some joy a little more and began to have the tray gently approach the council.
"Me know me small an' ef et helps yuh at all,
please take a glance st dis eva so breezy, soh yuh might see me a littal mar easy.
Et's shiny an grand an' can be see fram acrass de land."
As he spoke, he took a small holo-com attached to his hip into his hand and (showing it to all) he pressed a button on the side that connected it to the devices found on the trays. Having done so, he projected his visage onto each of the trays with a grin and a flourish. Flickering slightly, the wells did their work as he continued his spectacular sales pitch as the tray floated a safe distance from the council members, waiting for permission to approach.
Winston watched for permission as he continued and sent any try offered consent to float harmlessly within arms reach of the people wanting them, where they placed themselves harmlessly upon the tables before their subjects.
Beneath the glittering and colourful spotlight, he beamed, both figuratively and literally at those that watched.
"Please take a pen an' give it a try, while me continue tuh show yuh all de reasons why.
Dis ferret's gat equipment yuh won't belief, tuh affa yuh solutions and relief."
Next to emerge from the pack was the shovel and the bucket (taken out by the fettet), which were simply instructed to hang in the air beside him.
"Wether et's a tool or a bucket, jost say... 'I'll take two' when yuh know where tuh tuck et." The pause (not to mention to casual smile) was delicately and expertly timed for impact and comedy,
but whether his charisma was sufficient to carry the humor to a chuckle rather than offence might only be something time would tell.
"With poshuns gallar dat heal, foat and mar, me gat all manna of tings tuh raise dat flar.
Ploughing de fields an' sawing de seeds ar talking tuh diplomats ova seas..." He began to conclude, gesturing to the devices that would do this for them as he referenced each of them.
"... an' even ef dere's something me lack, be shar Winstaan's Work's gat yuh back.
Me presentashun tutrial might be silly, but jost take de word af ol' Billy,
dese tings work as me 'ave told, even in the wake af some silliness, if me cun be so bold.
All af dese tings are up far sale, far de right price yuh cun bag a whale.
So ef dere's someting else yuh need tutrial, come on round an' talk a while."
With that, he paused,
doing his best to hid the effort going into the show... His next intention was to begin to put things back in his pack, one at a time,
given the bead of sweat running down the left side of his fury temple at the effort involved in the show amidst the difficulties the magical atmosphere was casugin him.
