A break from class [Darkra]

Man, school was such a drag at times. Frankly, Ace would even prefer not having to attend it at all. On one hand though, he kind of enjoyed learning when it came to some subjects. Still, sitting on his butt for class was just so not his thing, and he was certainly glad whenever a break came up during school days. Time to go chill outside!

...or more like the air outside of the school. Because why not, right? The seemingly restless raven-winged demon could be spotted easily, doing random flips and whatnot through the sky above the yard, making for quite the entertainment of some passing students, some of which stopped to watch him as well. Well, definitely a better show than lectures during class, right?

I took a deep breath of the fresh(?) air as I walked out of the school into the yard. A wide grin spread across my face as I took a stroll around. As always there were so many sights to see around here! The classes taught me so much about Junction and made me even more anxious to see some of the things we read about in textbooks with my own eyes. Sadly down time was rare and I don't even know how to get to most of those places.

Even with that being the case school was an adventure all in itself! Classes were one thing but it's the students that really make this place shine. People of different races, species, and backgrounds all congregated here. Everywhere my eyes looked there was always something to surprise me. Truly the Junction was home to limitless possibilities and an unimaginable variety of people. Just as that thought crossed my mind I looked up to see a silhouette soaring in the distance. My eyes widened as I realized what it was, it was a person... with wings! I ran over to get a closer look, almost tripping on my way there. As I neared I could spot them more prominently, the wings were black and raven like and he seemed to be doing tricks. I smiled as I begun to wave, "Hey! Having fun up there!?"

For a while Ace was simply enjoying the whistle of the air around him, as no one really thought to engage him in a conversation while he was up there. At least until a new face came around, doing exactly that. It took the demon a couple moments to register that he was the one being addressed, at which point he would stop moving around momentarily to focus on the person the voice came from. ''Sure am. Some exercise is wonderful after sitting down in classes.'', he would grin faintly, his messy purple bangs swaying with the breeze produced by his wings slightly. ''Say, have we met before mate?'' Not that he was that bad at remembering faces, but his job did make him come in contact with loads and loads of people nearly daily, so sometimes he kind of needed to double-check whether he had already met a person before or not.

I tilted my right ear upwards to hear him as he spoke from the air, "No I only started going here recently! My name's Nagami! Nagami Kay!" As I was being addressed I walked forward some more until he was almost directly overhead. My eyes glittered at the sight before me, he was flying... really flying! I was almost envious as I watched him glide in the air, what was it like? Being able to soar into the sky whenever you liked? However, I was still satisfied, being given the opportunity to even witness this was a blessing in itself. "What's your name!" I asked, my neck getting sore from looking up.

''Ah, riiiight. Lots of new people come to this place, eh? Well, nice to meet ya then pal.'' Sure was a busy place, with all the newcomers popping around here and there. It almost made him wonder whether it was possible for Junction to get overpopulated one day. It does take it a bunch of people at times, right? Then again, this place was such an oddity that maybe it wasn't really an issue. Hmm. Puzzling. Ah well. He would blink down at the guy. ''You can call me Ace...ah, shoot, the height.'', he would answer, followed by a late realization comment as he noticed the guy had to look upwards at him. Oops. Well, not wanting to give someone neck pains, he would float down to the ground for now.

As Ace descended to the floor I fumbled around in my bag and pulled out a pair of goggles, although it didn't have a lens in the frame there were different arms that could swing into the line of sight. In those arms were a myriad of magnifying lenses of different levels of magnitude. Although I usually used these for work at the shop I also carried them around for situations like this. I put them around my head and begun zooming in with different magnifications, inspecting the wings. This allowed me to observe without getting extremely close. Meanwhile, I couldn't help but start asking questions, "What gave you those wings? Are you a splicer, a different race, or did you get them some other way?" As I looked I couldn't see any points where the splicing might have occurred but the technology was really developed at this point. However, it was just as likely it had something to do with his race. Either way Ace had piqued my curiosity and all I could think about was learning more.

Woo, question bombshell incoming. Then again, Ace didn't mind it that much. This kinda stuff happens when you've got so many races and oddities walking around the same 'world' at a time. No one can be familiar with every species that exists in the entire universe. Unless they're a total genius of course. It's still interesting to learn though. He'd give it that. He would chuckle slightly. ''I'm just a demon. All of my kind are part birds.'' Too bad he was the only one around here. Albeit, with the diversity, there probably were similar beings living somewhere too. Can't know everyone. ''I do wonder how's it feel to be one of those splicers though....sounds like a tough deal...'' Actually becoming part something that is foreign to you? Wouldn't that be hard to get truly used to? ''You a human I guess?'' It seemed so... ''Also, fancy glasses you got there.'' Were those some sort of special edition?

I look up, forgetting that I had the magnifying lenses still in I was greeted with an enlarged version of Ace's face with his nose, in particular, taking center stage and bulged out at me. I jumped back and laughed before taking them off. "I think it's very brave that splicers take the risk and go through that transformation. Although I do agree with you and never have tried it myself. And yes I am 'human,'" I say as I do air quotes with my hands. Even in Junction there was still an abundance of human races, although somehow from different places across the multiverse. It was extremely confusing when I first arrived, finding people who looked like me but learning they were from somewhere completely different. "I run a store at the Mega Mall in the Market Lane. These goggles are part of the equipment I use." At that point the first part of his sentence finally registered with me, I had glazed over it as I listened to the other stuff he was saying. "Did you just say demon, as in the supernatural entity." My face lit up with excitement, even in a place like Junction demons were one of the rarest but also the most exciting things to come across. Their very existences can defy the laws of physics and science.

''Huh? You ok?'' Ace would blink a little confused by seeing the guy suddenly make a jump, though he would let that pass as it didn't seem to be a big problem, focusing on what was said instead. ''Must be a heavy decision. I don't think I'd want to be something I'm not.'' It's just a really strange notion. To each their own however, and he figured those who did it had their reasons for it. Or maybe they just wanted to be cool? Well, suppose that was a reason too. ''That so? They look quite peculiar. Whatcha use that for?'' Goggles, eh? Well, he could imagine a couple activities that might need that, albeit he hasn't seen a pair quite like those before. Maybe it was time to start visiting shops more frequently. Or pay better attention to stuff. When Nagami finally reacted to his earlier answer, he would tilt his head to the side slightly in curiosity. ''I guessss? I mean, what in Junction isn't considered supernatural? There's plenty random species to be found around here.'' What was the definition of 'supernatural' anyway?

"Don't say that! Demons are some of the most spectacular and interesting beings in the whole multiverse!" I say with an encouraging smile. I lift up the goggles and play around with the magnification. "These are custom and part of the tools of my trade. I'm a clock smith, these are used to zoom in to see the tiny mechanical gears and movements that keep a timepiece ticking. But I guess in order to truly understand you have to see an old fashioned clock yourself. Most of the stuff around Junction is digital now but you can't beat the reliability and sentimental value of traditional hardware." I say before taking off the watch on my wrist and showing it to Ace. It was silver plated with gold trim and operated purely by the turning of the gears fueled by the movement of the wearer.

''Yeah, until you meet Satan or something.'', he would snort lightly. ''I think any being can be interesting though.'' If they have something nice to offer. Or something along those lines. Besides, anything not fitting a typical box could easily be called a demon, whether it truly was or not. The lines were quite blurred when you've got such a huge diversity around you. ''Clocks, huh?'', he would blink, not having expected that one. ''Now that's a new one. You've got interesting taste.'' It sure was an odd hobby/job to focus on in a way. Then again, even watches were needed, of course, and someone did have to make them. ''You make these by yourself?''

"This one wasn't made by me it's an antique. The ones I usually make rely on some digital components like batteries to keep the clock running. They're also usually bigger, like the ones you keep on your desk or something and look like hot garbage compared to this. The one in my hand is a watch which relies purely on the perpetual motion of the wearer to keep running. It is purely made out of gears and cogs with not a single spec of electronics inside. Even the metals used to make it are rare and its construction is extremely complex. It's my dream to one day replicate a work such as this one. However, I have the skills right now to repair most clockwork contraptions not just watches. Drop by if you have time! The stand's called 'Mementos'" I say, winding my explanation to an end. "You wanna try these goggles on though? I warn you it's a bit trippy."

''Wait soooo, if it only moves when you move, wouldn't it stop working when you keep completely still?'' That part was a little confusing. If it required perpetual motion from the wearer, could the person even afford to stop moving? It would be no use to have a wristwatch which is always off due to random pauses in motion like that. He would chuckle faintly. ''Sure though, maybe I'll stop by if I happen to find the place.'' And not forget about it. He did keep track of time, but it couldn't be said he had a big focus on owning clocks. ''Nah, it's cool.'', he'd wave his hand at the offer. ''I was just curious, is all.''

I could tell that my explanation didn't really get the magic across so I sat down on the ground and put on the goggles. I took out a small screwdriver and got to work removing the face of the watch. I tried to explain in more detail while I worked, "You see, that's the beauty of clockwork. Even a small force like a flick of the wrist gets exponentially multiplied by the internal mechanism, allowing it to spin for hours or even days..." I pry the glass casing open gently and lift out the watch face revealing the inner components.

Spoiler:

Within the clock, each gear spun at a constant pace which in turn spun other cogs of different size. Arms moved and parts turned, each part had an integral role which kept the watch ticking.

''You know, I think I'd be more interested in magic that actually allows one to manipulate time itself.'' You can have clocks of any sort you want, but they will all do the same thing for you. Tell you what time it currently is, whether it'll be pointed at by tiny arms or flashed on screen with neon numbers. ''Looks cool and all, but in the end, all watches do the same thing, don't they? An ordinary person doesn't really need to care what their clock or watch is made out of.'' At least, he normally didn't. There just kind of wasn't the point in doing that.