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"Screwdriver."
Kieran diligently passed the tool, placing it in Elio's hand as the other male held open the stiff hatch of the construct they were in the process of deconstructing. Elio, tongue between teeth began to twist, sighing with relief when the panel loosened and came free. Kieran caught it, lifting it up and out of the way before Elio dropped it on his head; there had already been two instances of this happening that day alone.
"Thanks." He muttered, as he pulled out his magnifying goggles to inspect the innards.
"Extraordinary." He gasped in awe, Kieran hunched over to take a look, shoulder brushing against him briefly, fascinated equally with the ancient elvhen technology.
"I've never seen anything like this." Kieran grinned, excited by the fact they were finally able after weeks to pry open the inside. Elio blushed faintly, looking away from Kieran and back to the machine. It had been no small feat, their tools not fitting anything or being useful at all. Kieran had spent time sifting through Urthemiel's knowledge until he found the concepts they needed. Together with Elio they had drafted plans, and with the help of some warden smithies forged the tools they needed to work.
"Look at the craftsmanship on this." Elio pointed, tracing a line up the spine. "Its almost built like a human body."
"Here's hoping it's not built from one."
Elio gave Kieran a look, unamused to which Kieran shrugged. It was hardly a joke worse than any Elio parted with himself
"Its most definitely metal," he continued. "But these crystals here…" He pointed lower down, "Those are magic."
"Let me take a look."
Kieran peered in, following Elio's hand as he pointed to the crystals in question. They were beautifully sculpted, instantly Urthemiel supplied him with far too much knowledge pertaining to their creation and use. Something he would have to come back to later. A mistake he would later come to find. For had he looked a little closer he might have seen the warning his internal companion had given him.
Instead, the two men continued to observe and prise apart the plating of the construct, until they were left with the skeleton. Their efforts only resulted in three scrapes and poor Elio jamming his finger in the joint at the shoulder when the arm did not come free. Carefully, Kieran meticulously leaned and tended each wound, refusing to let Elio continue until he was properly taken care of.
Pulling out a sketch book Elio quietly began to make notes. Without needing to fill the air with idle chatter Kieran pulled out his own stack, beginning to illustrate the insides alongside the current depiction he had made of the construct in full. They spent most of the afternoon like this, while Davrin and Assan disappeared to hunt. Between quiet muttering, exchanging of notes and further breaking down the construct until they had nothing left but the core, they remained in companionable silence.
Kieran rubbed charcoal from his fingers, using the unfortunate fabric of his trousers as a rag. Beside him Elio stretched, limbs cracking satisfyingly as he shook himself out.
"All that's left is the core." Kieran lifted the remainder of the machine onto the log which served as a chair for their camp.
"Crystals first?" Elio looked at him, a small but eager smile on his face.
"Be my guest." Kieran handed him a small box in which to collect them. Sitting on the other side of the log to not get in his way.
Carefully, Elio inserted a flat blade into the compartment, testing along the seams to see where it was attached. Finding no discernible catch, Elio began to prise the crystals out as carefully as he could. Kieran loved watching him work, the sharp concentration in his brow as it furrowed ever so slightly and the little twitch at the corner of his mouth. He had to resist swooping over to drop a kiss, knowing full well he would get an earful for breaking his concentration. So he resisted watching as Elio carefully popped the crystal from its holder.
Several things happened at once:
Firstly, the remaining crystals began to glow, radiating heat from within the core.
Secondly, the gears in the heart began to turn, emanating a loud threatening tick tick tick in the otherwise quiet camp.
Thirdly, the voice in the back of Kieran's head began to roar. It's warning, now clear as day.
Kieran had a moment. Diving across the log he grabbed Elio, hurling him as fast as he could away from the remainder of the construct.
Not fast enough as the explosion caught them, flinging them to the other side of the camp. Kieran held onto Elio, wings sprouting from his back as they rolled to the ground. Ensuring Elio didn't look harmed, Kieran sprang to his feet, wings retreating to see the damage.
Mercifully there was no fire, the explosion magical in its execution. But all that remained of the construct and their notes were gone. With a sigh, he helped Elio to his feet, the other man dusting himself off as Kieran nudged the wreckage with his foot.
"Well that was an entirely wasted afternoon." Kieran grimaced. Several of their tools were damaged and would need reforging. "We lost it all."
"Not all of it." Elio tapped his shoulder, showing him the removed crystal, still intact.
"You beautiful man!" Kieran grabbed his face and kissed him bringing Elio's cheeks to a deep shade of red, his smile breaking across his handsome face. "We will have to be careful with this one!"
"Yes." Elio nodded, holding the crystal to him, a smile still lingering. "Best you take it so I don't trip and smash it."
Kieran chuckled, taking the crystal, fingers lingering on Elio's before they parted.
"Come on," Kieran put an arm around his shoulder guiding him back to the mess. "We had best clean up before the others return."
"Then can we find another?"
"Anything for you."