She had many questions of her own, but she wasn't really strong enough to ask them, right now. And she wanted to argue, given his response, because debts weren't things she took at all lightly. But later, yes. Then he mentioned something strange, a Focus, and her curiosity perked its ears again. She'd never heard of such a thing.
"A...Focus?" Dark brows lowered over glass-green eyes. "What sort of weapon is that?"
Although questions about that particular trinket definitely would not have been her first, if she'd seen his left arm, still covered by a forgemaster's vestment.
"It's not a weapon exactly. It helps me scan the area for things, picks up things I wouldn't be able to see with just my eyes. It picked up your trail. I don't know where they come from. I've only ever heard of them before I found and repaired this one," James says.
"They're certainly not as common as other machines. It's a damn shame because they're actually useful and not dangerous. I would much rather have more Foci than Thunderjaws. I got on the bad side of one of those about a year ago. I damn near died from it."
"Where did you find it?" She was instantly intrigued. She would have gotten up to look over his shoulder, intently, but her wounds kept her firmly on the cot. "In a ruin? One from the Old Ones?" She'd explored a few here and there, but hadn't really found anything useful or interesting.
Then he mentioned a Thunderjaw, and Talia's ears immediately perked. "I can believe it," she agreed. "Those machines aren't anything to tangle with, if you can possibly avoid it." The powerful monsters were scary as hell, and even she made a habit of giving them a wide, wide berth.
"A ruin," James confirms. "I damn near crushed it with my boot because I didn't see it at first but it's a good thing I didn't. I had to repair it still, it wasn't in good shape, but now it can do things I couldn't dream of doing without it."
As far as the Thunderjaw, though, he nods a bit. "Took my arm clean off. Something was in me to manage to get it down even though I was bleeding and by the time I passed out, I'd at least managed to tourniquet it so I didn't die. I managed to drag the scrap here and work on building myself an arm. I would have done a better job with my shoulder if I had someone to help me but...I'm part machine. Not a lot of people trust that."
"Let me see it." Not really a demand, more of a curious request. "Your arm." She managed to sit up again, though sweat dotted her forehead and her cheeks were flushed, eyes bright with a little fever. The idea that he'd built his own arm from machine parts was...amazing, and that it worked even more so.
"Please."
Ironically, she wasn't afraid of his proclamation; he'd saved her life, after all. He could have killed her a hundred times over before she'd come out of unconsciousness, but hadn't. And a melding of flesh and machine...that was worth something.
James draws closer so she can take a look at it. It's the best thing he's ever built and he's proud of it, truly, so he's eager to show her the marvel he'd made out of the machine that tried to kill him. The plates whirr a little with a soft noise and he draws close so she can touch it and look at it.
"I've been adding things over time. I can override machines with just the palm of it now - a tool comes out to do it. It's more convenient than the traditional way. I've been working on another weapon to put in it too but I'm not quite finished with it yet."
Her wounds, her quarry, everything else faded away as she gazed with wonder at the offered prosthetic. Green eyes went wide as she watched it move, flexing just like his own muscle would. A quiet whine and whirr came from beneath the overlapping plates, and Talia imagined that there must be small gears beneath it, providing such extraordinary movement and such fine motor control.
She watched him rotate his hand, palm up, and her breath unconsciously caught. "...James," the redhead dimly heard herself say, fascination playing over her delicate features. She lifted a hand, but caught herself just in time.
James has never shown it to anyone else. People are wary of machines, as they should be, and while his people tend to salvage and sell off what they're able to strip none of them have anything like this. He nods his head.
"Please, go ahead. I've never really gotten to show it to anyone yet so it's good for me to be able to actually get to talk about it. I spent a long time building it."
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"A...Focus?" Dark brows lowered over glass-green eyes. "What sort of weapon is that?"
Although questions about that particular trinket definitely would not have been her first, if she'd seen his left arm, still covered by a forgemaster's vestment.
no subject
"They're certainly not as common as other machines. It's a damn shame because they're actually useful and not dangerous. I would much rather have more Foci than Thunderjaws. I got on the bad side of one of those about a year ago. I damn near died from it."
no subject
Then he mentioned a Thunderjaw, and Talia's ears immediately perked. "I can believe it," she agreed. "Those machines aren't anything to tangle with, if you can possibly avoid it." The powerful monsters were scary as hell, and even she made a habit of giving them a wide, wide berth.
"...is that what happened to your arm?"
no subject
As far as the Thunderjaw, though, he nods a bit. "Took my arm clean off. Something was in me to manage to get it down even though I was bleeding and by the time I passed out, I'd at least managed to tourniquet it so I didn't die. I managed to drag the scrap here and work on building myself an arm. I would have done a better job with my shoulder if I had someone to help me but...I'm part machine. Not a lot of people trust that."
no subject
"Please."
Ironically, she wasn't afraid of his proclamation; he'd saved her life, after all. He could have killed her a hundred times over before she'd come out of unconsciousness, but hadn't. And a melding of flesh and machine...that was worth something.
no subject
"I've been adding things over time. I can override machines with just the palm of it now - a tool comes out to do it. It's more convenient than the traditional way. I've been working on another weapon to put in it too but I'm not quite finished with it yet."
no subject
She watched him rotate his hand, palm up, and her breath unconsciously caught. "...James," the redhead dimly heard herself say, fascination playing over her delicate features. She lifted a hand, but caught herself just in time.
"...may I?"
no subject
"Please, go ahead. I've never really gotten to show it to anyone yet so it's good for me to be able to actually get to talk about it. I spent a long time building it."