Gears Turning - origin

Click clank

Tiny green hands wound a spring back into place, closing the small decorative doors on the top of a tall grandfather clock.

“Wesper!!”

Urk- The goblin wobbles almost falling from the stack of books placed on a chair to get him within reach. Head swiveling to see his angry elven mother standing in the doorway.

“Yes?” He looked back sheepishly.

“We have an important client coming soon and you have oil stains all over the front of you. That looks like it soaked through to your petticoat.”

Wesper is plucked off the stack of books and held at a distance as to not transfer any of the oil. Mother yelling down the hall to her oldest. “Fior, come put away all these books Wesper dragged out. I have to get him cleaned up.”

“I wouldn’t have oil on me if you let me have my work smock! But you took it along with my tool belt!” He whines as he is paraded down the hall past his two siblings, the eldest brother shooting him a look for giving him more work to do.

“That work is too dirty for our standards. I can’t have you making a mess of the place. Learn a more respectable magic.” She sets him down in front of a vanity and opens up a wardrobe.

“But the little door that the man comes out of when the clock chimes always gets stuck!” Wesper grumpily changes into the new clothes his mother tosses at him.

Wesper’s face is cupped by his mother's hands as she inspects him and wipes away any smudges. “Your sideburns are coming back in let me clean those up while we are here.”

“Why?!”

“...we have to look presentable in front of the client. Elves… especially 12 year old elves shouldn’t be this fuzzy.”

“I’m not an elf!”

“Of course you're an elf.” She kneels by the vanity and quickly works to trim back the soft sideburns in spite of Wesper’s discomfort. “You're my son… you are also a member of this family and I expect you to act the part.” Wesper looks at his now smooth face in the mirror, frowning heavily.

His mom rubs his cheek with her thumb. “I am just looking out for you and your future.