Evander had sent Evelyn out to trade for a specialized machine part that, apparently, only one person in the city could make.

Evelyn didn’t care about the machine part, or who Evander was going to sell it to. She cared about the nervous look that the mechanician couldn’t quite hide as she dug through half-assembled metal things to find the part. She cared that she now knew the name, face and location of someone who could make things no one else could. She cared that when she looked at the mechanician she could see a skill for invention clicking along in her mind.

Once Evelyn had seen everything interesting she could, she looked around the room. Pieces of metal crowded every surface, ranging from twisted scraps to sleek devices with buttons that Evelyn wanted to push just to see what would happen.

There was a collection of metal arachnids and insects crowded in the corner of a table. Evelyn traced a finger along the front legs of a mantis. She could sharpen them to a cutting edge- not to use, just because something that looked so sharp and cutting should be so sharp and cutting.

“I make those in my spare time,” the mechanician said, holding onto her contraption tightly. “You have the batrachite powder?”

“Of course,” Evelyn said, taking a few small pouches from her purse. Powder and machine traded hands. “I like praying mantids. How much for one of them?”

The mechanician named a price. Evelyn handed over another pouch of batrachite powder instead, and walked out of the shop with the metal mantis tucked into her purse.

(Source: unnaturalist)