The events of the 21st of Opal, 1067
"There, there... and how do you feel now?"
Gingerly, Akroma helped extend Boarddresses left leg. The human tensed up on the stone slab, gritting his teeth so tight he saw sparks of red over his eyes, but said nothing. Slowly, Akroma extended the left leg until the knee locked. There was a loud squeak of steel hinges from the full-leg brace that Dojango had constructed.
Bertrand shuffled over, using the back of his hand to wipe specks of dust away from the corner of an eye. He lifted a can of grease from his workbench and bent over Boarddresses leg, applying tiny amounts to the hinge. Akroma shifted back to stand beside Dojango, leaning over to say sarcastically, "Good job with the braces. They both squeak."
"They don't do it much."
"Yeah they do. He's all squeaky, like a cricket."
The pair paused, and erupted into a fit of snickering.
"Like a real rickety cricket, with those shoddy splints you rigged up..."
"Would you two PLEASE show an ounce of bedside manners?" Bertrand snapped, turning his gaze on him.
Akroma and Dojango went stone faced and still, but when Bertrand turned his head back to the gears the covered their mouths, fighting to keep the laughter from bubbling out. Bertrand poked and prodded and oiled the hinges. Eventually he set the can down, and straightened himself back up.
"Very good. Now, as The Giggle Twins so rudely pointed out, yes, you'll be squeaking some when you walk. That's only until you break them in."
Boarddresses nodded slowly. "Thank you... thank you very much for helping me, I just... no, thank you."
Bertrand noticed the glance the merchant guard made towards the stump at his shoulder, and gingerly he reached over to clasp his shoulder. "There was just nothing we could do, and for that, I'm sorry. Even if we had another arm, well... I doubt we could have done anything. But you have the use of your other arm, and leg, and that's a blessing in itself."
"If you had another arm, could you have done something?"
"Well..." Bertrand trailed off. He stroked his beard idly, and gave a shrug. "Perhaps. Probably not. It's an interesting theory, but one you should put out of your head. Instead, you should get used to your new braces, and regain your strength. Come, both of you, let's leave our charge to reacquaint himself with walking, in privacy."
Akroma and Dojango slipped from the room, breaking into laughter once they vanished into the hallway. Bertrand gave a pleasant smile and squeezed the humans shoulder once more, before shuffling out. The door closed quietly behind him. Tal sighed, and tentatively slid off the table, his legs shaking under him as he fought to keep his balance.