So sorry! I have been super busy. Everyone can start now!

Avin-Brandr~

Wet grass and dirt stick to my bare ankles as I run away from the city, humming and bright with energy, to the few old trees looking down on the sprawling collection of buildings. A wet, miserable drizzle of rain covers the world in a dreary cloud. Stopping at the tallest oak tree, I fumble in my pockets for my Runge* and, upon finding it, quickly press it into a specific knothole in the tree. 

The runes designed on the end of the special stick press perfectly into the seemingly random designs in the bark. 

Click, click click…creeeaaaaak. 

A portion of the trunk slides away.

Smiling slightly, I descend into the warm underground glow of the small Secret Mechanics outpost, the location of my Boumester.*  

~

*Agalthathon definition: Rune Stick (used to open mechanically concealed areas)

*Agalthathon definition: Table of Craft (designated workplace).

Y'all can make up fantasy world words too!   

Everyone can start now! 

Reserving a spot! I wanna join!

Name: Chrissy Mena

Age: 16

Appearance:Long red hair in a braid, dark blue eyes, sly grin, and always holding a tablet

Personality:  hardworking, determined, pretty much the opposite of Lai. But she is nice once you know her.

Talents: expert hacker and loves to make useful robots

General backstory: Her family was killed by Shadow spreaders(specifically Lai's parents) and she'll do anything to get revenge on the Endonys. She has a lot of anger inside. 

Something they are hiding: Develp it later

Relationship to other characters? Idk? Does anyone want to?

Sure, she can be friends with Vin, and okay, haha, that would be funny.

Anna~

I finish working on the watch when Vin comes into the Labratory.

"Watcha working on, Anna?" he asks.

"Just something for a client," I smile back. "Fixing a digital watch with advanced statistics of weather, communication, and such on a screen."

Yeah, right. This watch really has explosives, a small machine gun, poison darts, a police squad on call, and other things within it that Vin knows about. But with all of the rumours about ears being everywhere lately, well… we've got to be careful in even the way that we talk.

"Interesting," he says, winking. "I've sketched out some designs for the Project. You want to come look at them?"

Ah, of course. The Project. Only a project in making advanced machinary and weapons for a corperation that pays a whole awful lot.

"Sure," I reply.

I walk over while he lays out the sketches that have a small stain of coffee at the bottom. The sketches are detailed, and almost perfect, but I spot the tiniest mistakes, point them out, and he fixes them. This is why we work so well together. He can sketch it out, I can make it, he can make it, and I can perfect the details.

"Ahladith wants to see the sketches too," he says.

I look up at him. "What?"

"He wants to see the sketches," he repeats.

When I give him a look, he laughs. "You don't have to be paranoid, Anna. You can trust him, he's my apprentice!" (or not, either way. Maybe they just know each other well.)

"I know, but…" I squirm. "Oh all right. But no one else can see the sketches, okay?"

Vin's expression turns serious and he nods. "Okay."

Now that we've become Secret Mechanics, we do deeper illegal work then one might have thought at first.

But there's something else that I have to hide deeper than that. 

Dakota~

Please label the map of the United States of America with the correct states and capitals.

I look at the map and instantly label a few – Alaska, Hawaii, California, Florida, Texas. Then I pause, staring at the rest. New York. Pennsylvania. Virginia – so that must be West Virginia. Massachusetts, I think. Georgia. North and South Carolina.

I move on, looking at the middle. Kansas, Ohio, Nebraska, Wyoming. And now – I know these are the Dakotas. North is – which way? I hesitate.

"Every time." The Master pulls the paper away from my nose. "Obviously, you need repair."

"I don't!" I protest, trying to take the paper back.

He tuts. "You mixed up Massachusetts and Maine. And you misspelled Hawaii. Go see one of the apprentices, they'll fix you up."

I stand, shaking my head, but move off. There's no use arguing with a Master. I decide to see if Vin is around, because he's usually efficient and I last much longer without repairs when he does the job.

I slink down to his hideout in time to hear him say "Okay." Worried I've intruded, I bang hesitantly on the side of the passageway, give him a moment, and then look in. Looks like he has a guest – Anna.

"Hey," I say. "One of the Masters sent me down here. Apparently I need yet another tune-up."

Anna~

"Why?" I ask.

"Well, um…" he says, hesitating. "I guess you could say I failed a test."

"Test?"

He sighs. "Had to label the states of America."

I scoff. "That's stupid. Maybe that's the only way he can get you tuned up."

He shrugs his shoulders. "Maybe."

While Vin does the tune up, I carefully put my maps away while also reminding Vin that he needs a haircut.

Once Dakota is finished, we dismiss him and he goes back to his Master.

"That was close," Vin sighs. "We can't have the plans that close to someone else again. I don't really like Dakota's Master, so he can't find out."

"Well I don't think Dakota would tell him," I reply. "He seemed…careful?"

Vin holds both of his hands up and laughs. "Just being cautious."