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[commandertoolbelt]

[ Leo's been scarce for the last few days. He's shown up once or twice, but he's vanished just as quickly, with hardly a word to anyone except maybe his sister. Anyone observant may have noticed him sporting a new leather tool belt, but who really looks that hard? He's just a mechanic, after all.

So where's he been? That's a Cabin Nine secret. But when he reemerges, he's landing a giant dragon automaton made of Celestial bronze somewhere between the arena and the forges. Look, guys, he's got wings now! ]

Comments

[commandertoolbelt]

[ Leo sees her walking by and stands, still on the dragon, and waves cheerfully. ]

Hey, Natalie!

[ He smiles, glad she's the first person to happen by. He's been looking forward to showing the new friend to her. ]

[clearasil]

Dude.

[ An awestruck expression of both disbelief and admiration. She rests her hands on her hips and closes her mouth, grinning widely. ]

I was gonna be mad at you for disappearing, but I guess I can't because he's awesome.

[commandertoolbelt]

I know, right?

[ Leo's so glad you like him! After the Dragon Incident of Cabin Nine, he was worried you wouldn't. ]

And sorry about that; I had to fix him up before he could fly. Speaking of which...

[ His eyes light up. ]

If you thought Cabin Nine was cool, you need to see what this guy showed us.

[clearasil]

[ Well, to be fair, Natalie thinks there's a difference between live creatures and programmable automatons. Dragons, of any kind, are cool in her book.

She grins a funny little grin. ]

What? Baby automaton dragons? And what's his name?

[commandertoolbelt]

Even better.

[ Hard to believe, he knows. But you'll see! ]

This is Festus. He nearly stomped on me when Artemis turned us into animals, but Dany and I went back and found him later. He showed us the way to this huge amazing workshop with so much stuff in it and it's got old drawings and things and we don't think anyone's been in there for years, there was so much dust.

[ He beams. That's his new favorite place in camp. ]

They call it Bunker 9.

[clearasil]

[ Her eyes shine with glee and a touch of envy. Her cabin's new, so there's hardly any history - as far as she knows - of any Hecate child shenanigans.

But, of course she's pleased for her friend and takes a few large steps closer to get a good look at his new pal, resting her palm on the body of the dragon. ]

That's, like - that's beyond amazing. You've got another private place for yourself, huh?

[commandertoolbelt]

[ Gives her a playful nudge with his elbow. ]

You're invited, too, you know. I'll have to show you around later. Right now, I--

[ A loud grumble does the talking for him. He looks away, embarrassed. ]

Yeah. Food. You can only have tacos and sandwiches for so long, you know?

[clearasil]

[ Natalie suddenly has visions of herself riding on Festus like Harry Potter on that Hippogryff in that stupid last shot of the Prisoner of Azkaban movie. It's still a pretty thrilling thought.

She can't help but delight in the fact that Leo wants to share Bunker 9 with her, but that doesn't stop her from making a joke. ]

Let's get you some chow. You can explain to me your new fanny pack.

[commandertoolbelt]

[ His expression becomes offended. ]

It's a tool belt, not a fanny pack. Big difference.

[ He tells Festus to head back to Bunker 9, with specific instructions not to hurt anyone along the way before starting toward the dining pavilion. ]

It's magic. Gives me anything you could find in a workshop, as long as it can fit in the pockets.

[ So proud. ]

[clearasil]

Very cool.

[ With that kind of magic, of course she's impressed. She's currently working on a bottomless pouch, which takes up quite a bit of her evenings. So far, she can fit some granola bars and a pair of sunglasses.

So obviously, she's going to call it a magical fanny pack. ]

Who left a place like that with those kind of goodies anyway?

[commandertoolbelt]

[ He shrugs. ]

No idea. The place was covered in dust, like no one's visited in ages.

[ Then again... It does require the blessing of Hephaestus to enter, and legend is that there hasn't been one since the London bridge burned down. At least until Leo and Dany showed up. ]

[clearasil]

Aha, Mysterious.

[ Nearing the dining pavilion - it's about time for eating anyway - Natalie turns and looks over her shoulder. ]

Will Festus be okay?

[commandertoolbelt]

He'll be fine. I... er, mostly fixed his control disk, so he should behave. And he knows the way home; he's the one who took us there.

[clearasil]

[ A flying, metal dragon is an excellent asset to the camp. Here's to hoping he behaves. ]

Well, eat up because I definitely want to see this place. Or hang out with Festus, that's cool.

[commandertoolbelt]

[ Of course he'll behave! Don't insult Leo's skill. ]

I'll even give you a ride there!

[clearasil]

[ May as well throw some caution to the wind if she gets. ride ... ]

Really? You got seatbelts on the dragon for a few passengers?

[commandertoolbelt]

No seatbelts; you just have to hold on tight. [ To him or Festus, he doesn't clarify. ] But we don't have to fly if you don't want to.

[clearasil]

If you ever take him away from camp grounds, I think you should consider a few more safety precautions.

Anyway.

You should eat something.

[commandertoolbelt]

[ He just shrugs. It's a thought for a later date. Much, much later. Festus still needs some work first. ]

Yeah. After dinner good, or later?

[clearasil]

I'll meet you at your table after dinner.

[ With a small grin over her shoulder, Natalie hurries off the join the others at the Hecate table. ]

[commandertoolbelt]

You got it, Misty.

[ A quick wave, and he is off to tend to his stomach. A growing boy's gotta eat! ]

[clearasil]

[ This thing where Natalie eats on time is a rare occasion but she doesn't want to leave on an empty stomach. The meal passes by in a blue and Natalie hardly makes conversation because all she can think of it seeing this Bunker 9.

So off she goes to the Haephestus table, hands clasped behind her back. ]

Hey.

[commandertoolbelt]

[ Leo has been famished since deciding that he was done with tacos for a while, and unfortunately breath mints do not a good meal make. So he's been wolfing down some pizza since dinner started, and he's just polishing off his second plate when Natalie shows up again. Making quick work of the last few bites, he brushes any spare crumbs away without much thought and stands with a smile. ]

You ready for this?

[clearasil]

Ready as I'll ever be.

[ When he does stand, a smile pulls at her lips and she makes a brushing gesture against the right side of her face. ]

Uh, you missed a spot - there.

[commandertoolbelt]

[ Who needs napkins when you've got arms? As they leave the dining pavilion, he keeps an eye out for the dragon, expecting him to already be in the woods headed back home... but nope, he's ambled over to the forges, eying the security automatons. ]

Looks like he's made a friend. Bet he and Millard get along famously.

[ At least as long as Festus behaves. Leo leads the way over and tells him the plan, climbing up in moments and offering a hand to Natalie for assistance. ]

All aboard Automaton Airways!