[attr="class","aurelie"]

[attr="class","aurelie_body"]It'd been months since Aurelie last ventured out herself to actually hand-deliver a completed order of knives. Business at the shop was going well enough that she could actually afford to hire couriers now to make deliveries, which meant even more business as she didn't have to leave the shop or slow down her work. As cycles went, this one was eminently satisfying.

Every now and then, though, the smith received an order so sensitive that it necessitated her personal attention and physical presence. And the order of combat knives commissioned by Rocket's leadership to equip their grunts in whatever upcoming conflict loomed on the horizon definitely counted.

The delivery was successful, though, and the knives rested safe in Rocket's armory. Now, on the way back to Lilycove City, Aurelie decided to take a last-minute detour into Lavaridge Town. She'd always heard about how wonderful the hot springs were there, and now seemed like a fine time to treat herself to some relaxation and indulgence.

Especially considering that if war breaks out, those hot springs will be nothing but ruins afterward, she thought with a foreboding chill.

But as she walked through the outskirts of Lavaridge, she knew no luxuriant soak would be forthcoming. The sky overhead was as black and ominous as if the apocalypse had just descended, and a blustering wind blew hard enough that she was struggling just to stay upright. Even worse, each ferocious gale of wind whipped at her with smoky splinters of volcanic ash, soot, and sand as hard and sharp as broken glass.

Aurelie cried out in disbelief as the storm intensified. She immediately regretted it as bits of ash flew into her open mouth and she coughed violently. Throwing up her forearm to shield her remaining eye, she wondered what in Arceus' name had caused such a violent soot storm.

Forget that, even! she thought as another squall nearly knocked her off her feet. Where can I find some shelter out here? Where even is there someplace that's not being lacerated by the wind?

Her searching eye located a stunted tree about ten feet away, its trunk just wide enough to provide a windbreak for one, maybe two people huddling next to it. Already bleeding from a few minor cuts and nicks, Aurelie didn't hesitate. She started sprinting straight for the tree, keeping her head down and eye squinted as tightly closed as she dared.

[attr="class","cred"]VEL OF PIXEL PERFECT

[attr="class","aurelie"]

[attr="class","aurelie_body"]Suddenly, the mists of silence and impassivity that lay between Aurelie and her cellmate parted, as the latter unexpectedly showed subtle signs of life. She stirred, raised her head, and even turned it slightly to look in Aurelie's general direction. When she asked her question, the redhead gasped aloud, startled by the unaccustomed sound of Freya's voice.

What kind of question is that? was Aurelie's first thought, tinged with indignation that her cellmate hadn't recognized her. Why else would I be locked in this dreary cell alone with her, if I weren't stuck here?

As her breath came hot and muggy within the confines of her mask, though, she realized that maybe it wasn't so clear who she was, after all. All the prisoners looked identically ghoulish in their sinister masks and uniforms. Aurelie hadn't recognized jack wainwright, after all, and she knew him intimately well compared to Freya.

"Yes," she replied aloud, clearing her throat when she heard how thick and hoarse her voice sounded. "I'm your cellmate. Are you... How are..."

She stopped, because asking Are you okay? and How are you? felt so inadequate and foolish in a place like this. No one here was okay; everyone here was suffering. Finally, Aurelie asked instead, "How are you holding up? Do you...need anything...?"

Even that felt ridiculous. "Aside from freedom, of course," she sighed, her lips twisting behind her mask into a humorless smile. "And some painkillers, considering how much they're running us into the ground here. And..."

There was a familiar commotion outside as their Megalopolan and Pokemon wardens left the chamber, signaling it was bedtime. Aurelie snorted scornfully. "And I guess an actual good night's sleep too, right? We all need that. But..."

She nodded at the cot. "We probably should sleep. Or at least try to." Rising to her feet, she held out a hand to Freya. "Come on."

[attr="class","cred"]VEL OF PIXEL PERFECT

[attr="class","aurelie"]

[attr="class","aurelie_body"]At Jack's wink, Aurelie burst out laughing as she recognized his question for the double entendre it was. She couldn't help smirking as she belatedly realized he was responding in kind to her own question. An anticipatory twinkle lit her single eye as she leaned closer to Jack.

"I would love to taste your noodle, Jack," she all but purred at him, reaching forward to stroke his cheek and slide over his mouth, lingering slyly on his bottom lip.

Then her hand dropped lower—and picked up the fork lying atop his open container of food. Glancing downward, Aurelie gathered up a small forkful of noodles, brought it to her mouth, and parted her lips just wide enough to admit one noodle. Meeting his eye, she began slowly, luxuriantly sucking the single slender noodle into her mouth, inch by inch.

It was meant to be a seductive little performance for his benefit, and perhaps it would've been. Except just as she'd gotten about a third of the noodle into her mouth, another couple rushed behind Aurelie and jostled her. The redhead went unceremoniously sprawling forward, nearly crashing into Jack.

"Ack! Crap!" she gasped, straightening up and narrowly missing bashing the back of her head into his chin. "Did I stain your shirt... No, thank Arceus. Ugh, I nearly spat out that noodle right on you!"

Somehow, she'd managed to keep the noodle in her mouth. Thankfully, the fork had fallen neatly on top of Jack's container, so only a few drops of curry sauce had fallen onto the grass. Aurelie embarrassedly began to pick up the end of the noodle with her fingers, before noticing her phone was starting to slide out of her pocket.

"Actually, maybe this is our opportunity for that photo you suggested," she exclaimed around the bit of noodle still in her mouth. "And the sun's even just right for it..."

Scooping up her phone, Aurelie carefully picked up the other end of the noodle and planted it in Jack's mouth. The sun had dipped about halfway below the horizon by now, sending slanting rays across the hilltop. Squinting her eye, she managed to position her phone so that the selfie function captured both of them.

Quickly, she snapped the photo.


I think it turned out rather well, she congratulated herself. Then she leaned in toward Jack again. Time to make the rest of this date go a little bit better...

[attr="class","cred"]VEL OF PIXEL PERFECT

[attr="class","aurelie"]

[attr="class","aurelie_body"]Aurelie let out an astonished gasp when Jack's Aegislash swiftly dispatched the attacking Kartana with a single decisive strike, cleaving through not only its arm but even its torso. Realizing where they were, she quickly clapped a hand over her mouth to stifle her reaction. Still, her eye twinkled with delight.

"That was incredible!" she whispered to Jack, her face and tone openly impressed. "After we get out of here, you need to tutor me sometime on using Aegislash! I never knew how many powerful things it can do.

"But right. First things first, let's keep exploring." She took Jack's outstretched hand in hers and squared her shoulders in readiness.

Trailed by his Aegislash, they quickly ducked inside the entrance to the towering bamboo fortress and looked around hurriedly. Instead of the magnificent great hall she was expecting, Aurelie and Jack found themselves inside what looked like a narrow antechamber with low ceilings. I guess this looks very defensible... she mused, when a sudden noise caught her attention.

It was a sound she recognized well: the rhythmic rasping of a whetstone along the edge of a blade. She froze and gaped as another Kartana strolled around the corner, absorbed in sharpening its sword. Then, her eye narrowed and she let out a disapproving grumble as she watched its technique.

The Kartana froze at the sound of her voice and whirled to stare at them with its enigmatic eyes. It did pause in its sharpening, though, and didn't immediately attack them. Aurelie stared back at it, glanced quickly at Jack, and then hurriedly explained herself.

"You're doing it wrong," she told the Kartana, feeling exceptionally odd that she was lecturing a Pokemon, of all things—even one that seemed to speak in a human tongue. "You want to hold the whetstone at a shallower angle to your blade. About 20 degrees or so. That'll give you a better edge to your blade."

To her amazement, the Kartana slowly nodded and adjusted the angle of the whetstone before it began sharpening itself again. Its face seemed to brighten at the change. Aurelie grinned despite herself.

"I know a lot of tricks to strengthen and sharpen metal, if you're interested in learning more," she offered. The Kartana took a step toward her. "I can..."

Her words were drowned out by a growing cacophony of metallic, cymbal-like footsteps. Drawn by the sound of a human voice, a squad of Kartanas raced around the corner and lunged forward to confront the intruders. Seeming just as startled as they were, the receptive Kartana dashed toward her and Jack.

"Crap, are they mad at you? Or us? Or both?" Aurelie exclaimed, her face going pale. "Either way, I'm not sure how much more exploring we can do! Jack, let's get out of here. And you..."

She fished a Pokeball out of her pocket and tossed it at the Kartana with the whetstone. To her fleeting satisfaction, it disappeared into the Pokeball. Pocketing it, Aurelie was already releasing her Golurk to help defend them as they made their escape.

"I'm sorry to do this to you, but Argile, I need you to buy time against the avenging angels over there," she told the looming Pokemon, who planted its feet solidly before the onrushing Kartanas. "Use Deathly Defender, please!"

The Golurk nodded solemnly, and she whirled away to run out the front door. Under its feet, the earth groaned and buckled, rising to cover its massive body in a suit of adamant armor. One stretch of earth expanded into an immense scythe that curved outward from its right hand, gleaming dully.

Just in time too, for the Kartanas struck its earthen armor with their blades and the Golurk staggered under their blows—but its armor held strong. The Kartanas couldn't get past it in the narrow chamber to reach Aurelie and Jack. With a cracking noise, the Golurk struck one Kartana and knocked it several feet back, sending it crashing into a bamboo wall.

Aurelie recalled the Golurk once they were out the door and fleeing the bamboo forest. Right now, the open field with the craters and geysers seemed a lot more inviting than a fortress full of angry Kartanas. At least, she had managed to persuade one of them to come with her, which felt like victory enough.

[attr="class","cred"]VEL OF PIXEL PERFECT

[attr="class","aurelie"]

[attr="class","aurelie_body"]As ever, where the League self-righteously spurned Aurelie, Rocket embraced and supported her. While jack wainwright avoided her, keeping a bitter distance between them, Cillian Quinn and BARNABY FINCH sought her out. The former's encouraging words, as well as the latter's news and theories, kept her going despite the misery of their day-to-day waking existence.

Especially when she received word of a planned prison break. She had heard the voice in her dreams urging her to reach the bottom of the prison. She could only hope something there would help them avert the desire she'd seen the last time she gazed into the Wellspring mask: a vision of a restored Ultra Megalopolis, shimmering with the dazzling incandescence of three completed, crystalline masks and strengthened with an unexpected Power Spot.

At the announcement that the Loyal Three would choose another best-performing ward, Aurelie felt her anger rise. Rather than releasing it in a burst of temper, though, she let it warm her with its energy and drive back her fear and pain. She gritted her teeth, quivering with suppressed rage, and forced herself to work as normal, cleaning and polishing the crystals.

Until the platform descended and the chamber erupted into chaos as the uprising began.

As the prisoners lashed out with fists, feet, improvised weapons, and even their Toxic Chains, Aurelie sprang to her feet with a vengeful snarl, inflamed with long-stoked ferocity. Her eye was fixed on the Megalopolan who still carried her machete around. If she could get her hands on that...

But a swift movement out of the corner of her eye caught her attention. The Megalopolan guards were fighting back, and one aimed a vicious attack directly at the back of freya morningstar's back. Without even thinking about it, Aurelie lunged protectively in front of her.

"Don't even think about it!" she hissed. The redhead swung her arm up to deflect the blow, her elbow brushing against her wildly swaying Toxic Chain.

Suddenly, the Toxic Chain split into two and began spiraling of its volition down along the length of her arms and around her hands. In less than a second, the noxious chain writhed and transmuted into "gauntlets" that were shaped like powerful lion's paws with wickedly sharp-looking unsheathed claws.

Aurelie stared in shock. Abruptly, she remembered how her Toxic Chain changed under Route 119 into a lion's paw protruding from her chest. Is this related? she thought. It has to be, right?

Now wasn't the time to wonder about metaphysics, though. The attacking Megalopolan seemed just as stunned as she felt. Aurelie slashed at them with her newfound claws and was rewarded with a spray of blood, the crack of bone, and a very satisfying scream.

Battle fury surged like a fire in her veins. She whirled to face another guard, teeth bared in challenge and strange Toxic Chain-formed clawed gauntlets raised. "Who's next?"

[attr="class","cred"]VEL OF PIXEL PERFECT

[attr="class","aurelie"]

[attr="class","aurelie_body"]Aurelie winced and caught her breath as she listened to Caleb confirming the truth of what Isaac had told her on the resurfaced island about their escape from Rocket's prison cells. Not that she thought for a moment that Isaac had been lying. Still, it hurt to hear Caleb echoing what she'd heard.

For an instant, her mind raced with panic as Caleb continued speaking in that melancholy, heartbreaking manner. How much did he remember from their time in dream-Galar? For that matter, how much did she remember? Had she ever let it slip back then that she was part of Rocket?

The redhead rapidly scanned Caleb's face. To her relief, she didn't see any signs of distrust, paranoia, or wariness, as she'd feared. If anything, he seemed unguarded. Lost in thought.

Lost in his memories, most likely, she thought ruefully, especially if they're anything as terrible as I imagine.

With an effort, Aurelie remembered to raise her eyebrows in mild surprise when Caleb shared that he was a Rocket defector. She let her mouth drop open as if in shock when he mentioned Zev. Neither of them looked up as the waitress, whose name tag gave her name as Bertha, discreetly left Caleb's coffee by his elbow and hurried away.

"So, is that why they took you?" Aurelie asked, her voice as quiet and hushed as if they were at a funeral. "Because you had defected? But if that was years ago..."

She broke off and shook her head thoughtfully. "And it's not like you're the only one who's defected in all that time, either! Surely, that can't be why they kidnapped you." She gulped then, genuinely uncertain and curious.

"Or...is it? Were they going to put you on trial or something? Or just execute you for the crime of quitting?" She knew very well that the punishment would've been the latter, but she also knew Rocket wouldn't have waited a month to carry it out, if that was their intent.

What that intention was, though, Isaac hadn't told her, nor could she begin to guess. So, taking a deep breath and watching Caleb with exquisitely honed awareness of his expression and reactions, she dared ask. "What did Rocket want with you? Did they ever tell you? Or...or were you just brought there and left to rot in the darkest, deepest hole they could find?"

[attr="class","cred"]VEL OF PIXEL PERFECT

[attr="class","aurelie"]

[attr="class","aurelie_body"]Aurelie was glumly, amusedly unsurprised when the underboss echoed what she was beginning to think was the commonly accepted knowledge about Calyrex: namely, that there wasn't much knowledge out there. "Well, it was worth a try! Sadly, you're not the first to tell me that most of what we know about Calyrex comes from legends and stories.

"It really does seem like Calyrex is one of the more mysterious Legendaries out there, which is saying something when it's about Legendaries." Glancing at the hovering figure of Calyrex behind them out of the corner of her eye, she sighed and shrugged matter-of-factly.

"But I guess this is Rocket's opportunity to learn something more substantive and useful about Calyrex, if it's going to be allied with us," the red-haired smith concluded, turning her attention back to reassembling the saddle molds.

Still, though, I wish I knew more, she thought wistfully. I wish I had some way of knowing what it was thinking. She was used to being able to ask questions and receive answers from the customers that came to the Iron Lady Forge, including Cillian himself. This lack of responsiveness unsettled her.

Feeling they'd already discussed the enigmatic Calyrex enough, though, Aurelie cleared her throat and changed the subject. "What do you mean about the 'fossil abominations'? Who brought them to wh..."

Suddenly, her voice trailed off as Calyrex unexpectedly approached her side. Her mouth dropping open in surprise, she watched in silence as the kingly hare visibly leaned forward to inspect the sand molds. Then, it moved toward Cillian and tilted its head back to observe the melting aluminum.

From her vantage point, Aurelie gaped as its mouth subtly, gradually curled upward in a smile. It nodded deeply once, the large green bud on its head bobbing up and down. This was already more reaction than she'd ever gotten from it before.

Then, to her utter shock, it raised one hand—paw? Appendage?—into the air as if holding an invisible cup out, first to Cillian and then to Aurelie. "Is it...toasting us now?" she breathed. "Does that mean it...likes what you and I are making?"

[attr="class","cred"]VEL OF PIXEL PERFECT

[attr="class","aurelie"]

[attr="class","aurelie_body"]Listening to Noel's reasoning behind his choice to give armor to his Shaymin, Aurelie found herself not only nodding in comprehension but also marveling at his superior knowledge of Pokemon. She certainly hadn't memorized the strengths and weaknesses of her own Pokemon. She couldn't have said which of them had natural armor or ways to mitigate damage, let alone as naturally as Noel did.

"That makes so much sense," the red-haired smith replied respectfully. Her smile widened as she stole another glance at the Shaymin. "And I can see it's very precious to you, so of course you want to protect it and keep it from getting hurt."

When he volunteered to help in any way he could with her efforts, Aurelie was all too happy to oblige him almost at once. "All right, then let's get started with some first steps and tests right now! The most important thing is..."

She cut herself off as she hurried back to her desk and began rummaging around in first a drawer, then a cabinet, and then another cabinet. Finally, the red-haired smith found what she was looking for, a sheet of fine chainmail about the size of a piece of paper, and came back to Noel's side.

"...is whether your Shaymin will accept armor at all," she finished, flourishing the chainmail with a metallic jingle. "If it doesn't, after all, then all this seems like it'd be a moot point!"

Narrowing her eye in calculation, Aurelie cautiously approached the small floral Pokemon and began to fan the sheet of chainmail wide, before thinking twice. "Perhaps you ought to do this instead of me," she said instead, turning to Noel.

"Can you please see if you can wrap your Pokemon in this, sir? And see if it looks unhappy or doesn't seem like it wants to wear it? It's a leftover bit from a mail coif I made for a historical reenactor a few years back." She offered the chainmail to the young man and nodded toward the Shaymin expectantly.

Taking a deep breath, Aurelie went on, "And then after that, assuming that it goes well and your Shaymin doesn't mind the chainmail... Would you mind summoning it back into its ball and then releasing it again? I'd like to see if the armor stays on it when you let it out."

If it did, then she wouldn't have to worry about designing and creating armor that Noel could put on the Shaymin in a hurry. He could outfit the Shaymin at his leisure beforehand and then release it into battle fully armored. If it didn't persist, though, that was a whole other kettle of Wishiwashi, and she'd have to take that into account when thinking about the armor style, weight, and complexity.

[attr="class","cred"]VEL OF PIXEL PERFECT

[attr="class","aurelie"]

[attr="class","aurelie_body"]Her cellmate was scratching and rattling at the bars of their cell again, her eyes fixed wide open yet vacant and trickling with more of those jewel-like tears that Aurelie herself had wept. Even from here, Aurelie could see how white her knuckles were—as white as her mass of tangled, unkempt hair—on the bars. The tension and wildness in the woman's movements made Aurelie hurry over to her side again.

"No, no, shh, shh, don't, it won't help," she murmured, focusing her attention on her cellmate. A distant part of her was grateful for the distraction, for something, anything that took her mind off her own wounds and anguish.

As before, she put her arms around her cellmate, who had frozen rigid, and whispered soft, soothing words. "Shh, shh, we'll get out of here, I promise. But it won't be by tearing at these bars right now.

"Or bashing your head against them like a maddened Bagon smashing its head into rocks. You don't have the head for it." Aurelie ventured a tremulous smile, brushing stray strands of hair off her cellmate's brow. Was there a flicker of interest in those empty eyes at the mention of the Dragon-type? Or was it just a trick of the light, always treacherous in this dimly lit prison?

She sat like that beside her cellmate for what seemed like hours, until the mochi was served. Gently, she picked up one and held it to the woman's mouth, nudging her bottom lip until it opened slightly. "You need to eat. Keep up your strength. Just one bite...yes, there. Okay."

Satisfied by the minimal movements of her cellmate's mouth, Aurelie ate her own. Out of the corner of her eye, she watched their captors shuffle away. For a moment, she too was seized by the impulse to bang on the bars and scream obscenities at the Megalopolans and Fezandipiti.

But as before, the unmoving presence of her cellmate beside her stopped her. It won't help, it won't do anything, she'd said to her, and it was true. With a harsh force of will, Aurelie turned back to Freya and stroked her hair again.

I'll help you, even if it's not much, even if it barely helps you hold onto the last shreds of your sanity. Because it's the only thing right now letting me hold onto mine.

[attr="class","cred"]VEL OF PIXEL PERFECT

[attr="class","aurelie"]

[attr="class","aurelie_body"]Aurelie gratefully relinquished her container of noodles and curry into Jack's more capable hands, letting him balance it neatly atop his own without faltering. Instead, she hurried a few steps ahead of him and assumed the role of guarding and guiding them all safely up the hill. Any tourists who pressed too close courted a sharp elbow or shoulder jostle.

Pocketing her phone, she laughingly remarked, "Clearly, blogging isn't for the faint of heart! Who knew you need nerves of steel to take a good food photo?"

At his suggestion of taking a cute noodle-slurping photo, Aurelie clapped her hands with delight. "Yes! Absolutely! I love that. It'll be so cute."

She started immediately looking for picturesque spots to take the photo as they neared the top of the hill. Unfortunately, it was still buzzing with tourists and Pokemon, especially as the sun slipped further below the horizon and the sky shimmered in pearlescent, pastel hues of mauve, apricot, and rose. It was a truly beautiful day, which was probably why half of Verdanturf seemed to be up here.

"So, where should we sit? What about there, near that group of ferns?" she started to say, only to groan when another couple settled right on top of it.

"Or that side over there...oh, come on, where did that Snorlax come from? It's blocking out the whole view!"

The redhead shaded her eye from the slanting rays of sunlight, before shaking her head and chuckling. "You know what, let's just settle right here. It seems quiet enou... Ow!" She glared at the passerby who'd just trodden heavily on her foot.

Then, she looked back at Jack's profile, clear-cut and handsome, silhouetted against the deepening blue of the evening sky. Aurelie's spirits rose almost despite herself. A smile stole over her face as she snuck in a kiss while picking up her container of curry.

"I'm worrying too much," she sighed, plumping herself down on the grass and sliding closer to him. Deftly, she opened the container and picked up a small clump of noodles with her chopsticks. "What matters most is just relaxing and enjoying ourselves, right?

"Want a taste of my curry?" Aurelie cheerfully offered him some of her food, blithely oblivious to any double entendres she might have just unthinkingly uttered.

[attr="class","cred"]VEL OF PIXEL PERFECT

[attr="class","aurelie"]

[attr="class","aurelie_body"]Watching Howard fiddle and pry loose the offending gears, Aurelie managed to hide her smile, though her eye twinkled a little with amusement. She always felt like she learned a lot about a person from watching someone work, especially with their hands. Were they fast or slow? Confident or hesitant? Meticulous or messy?

In Howard's case, he certainly seemed careless at first. Using a screwdriver instead of the Dremel tool and hook-shaped pry bar she'd expected, grumbling, and accidentally hitting himself in the forehead. I probably should've shown him which tools to use, Aurelie reflected a little guiltily. Oops.

Watching him closer, though, he was careful. Specifically, the admin was exceptionally, marvelously careful with the heavy Gigaton Ball itself. Aurelie could see him maneuvering as patiently and delicately as he could to not damage or affect its inner workings. No wonder he was breathing hard as he worked.

"Oh, you made the schematics of the ball?" she asked aloud, her eyebrows shooting upward in genuine surprise. "They're beautiful! I love them. So consistent and easy to read. Do you have an engineering background, Admin?"

As she used the Dremel tool to cut out teeth for the gears, according to the carefully traced shape on each disc, Aurelie laughingly added, "I was about to be shocked no one had ever made a schematic of the ball before, but then I remembered. The Gigaton Ball is the only one of its kind, right? So, of course no one's seen inside it but you."

Though there better be good schematics of Hisuian Pokeballs out there, she added mentally. And hopefully stored somewhere where I can study them myself. Who knew Pokeballs could be so fascinating?

Even after Howard was finished with his end, it took her about ten more minutes to finish carving and whittling out the gear teeth, especially the very finest, most minute teeth on a small pinion wheel. At last, she looked up in satisfaction and hurried over toward the Gigaton Ball. "Okay! Let's get this thing in gear!"

With a heroic effort, Aurelie resisted nudging the admin with an elbow and asking him if he got it. It was remarkable how much she'd relaxed around him, considering their different statuses. Maybe it was their similar ages; maybe it was the eyepatch. She only hoped he didn't mind.

Taking a deep breath, she began inserting the new gears into their proper places, consciously taking as much care with the task as Howard had shown with his. Every now and then, the red-haired smith asked him to hold something or help her with moving things or keeping them in place. Sweat stood out on her brow as well and several earthy Kalosian words were hissed out before they were done.

"I think...it works," she sighed at last, turning the enmeshed gears lightly and experimentally to ensure they all clicked smoothly. "Thank Arceus!"

Withdrawing from the worktable, Aurelie pushed up her safety goggles and rubbed her eye with an air of combined relief and exultation. "Well, I'd call that a good day's work. Do you and, uh, Doug want to come back tomorrow for the second half of the repair work?

"Or if you have someplace you need to be, I can send a message for you when I'm done." She flashed a warm smile at him as she flexed and stretched her cramped fingers unself-consciously back and forth to ease the tight ligaments.

[attr="class","cred"]VEL OF PIXEL PERFECT