Of course, this time, the residents of the river village were taking in a new sight of their own. The usual sort of crowd had gathered as the wagon had approached, along with the usual staring and gaping and murmurs. Dex quickly took control of the situation. “We’ll have plenty of time to chat,” Dex said to the crowd, “but we actually need some help. I’m looking for your printer.”
The crowd shuffled as a person made his way forward: a thirty-something man with floral tattoos and a tidy beard dyed turquoise blue. Dex recalled seeing him before. They couldn’t say whether they’d encountered him at tea service or just around town, but what was for certain was that he had a smile that made Dex’s knees go as wobbly as Mosscap’s.
“I’m the printer,” the gorgeous man said. “What can I do for you, Sibling?”
“Not for me.” Dex gestured at Mosscap, who was still perched atop the wagon. “My friend here busted something and needs a replacement part.”
“Oh, don’t you worry, he makes real good hardware,” an old woman in the crowd said. “He’s printed about half my boat engine by now.”
“Yeah, but I don’t have a template for robot parts,” the printer said, though he did not look discouraged by this. He craned his head over his shoulder. “Mr. Logan, if I can’t get you your new galoshes until tomorrow, that okay?”
“That’s fine,” someone replied.
The printer turned back toward the wagon. “Well, let’s get you to my shop and see what we can do. I’m Leroy, by the way.”
“Lovely to meet you, Leroy,” the robot said. “I’m Mosscap.”
Leroy grinned. “Yeah, I know.”
Dex helped Mosscap climb down from the wagon. As soon as it was on the ground, the robot leaned in to whisper to them. “Did you tell the people here we were coming?” It swayed dramatically as it tried to walk, and the sound of the crowd rippled at this.
“Nope,” Dex said. They looped an arm tightly around Mosscap’s midsection, supporting it against themself as it stumbled along.
“Then how does he know my name?” Mosscap asked.
Leroy, who was fully within earshot, answered cheerily. “You’re a pretty big deal,” he said. He waved for them both to follow him down the floating walkways. “Come on, let’s see what we can do for you.”
Mosscap’s head whirred loudly as it stumbled along. “Sibling Dex, are we famous?” it said in hushed wonder.
“We’re a known quantity, for sure,” Dex said. The fact that this extended to Dex as well wasn’t something they were overly keen on. They didn’t mind Mosscap being in the spotlight, but they’d seen their own face pop up on a news site or two, and while they didn’t hate it, they didn’t love it, either.
The print shop Dex had remembered seeing on previous visits was easy to spot—if not for the big ventilation duct sticking out the top, then for the freestanding letters on the edge of the solar roof. Each was made of a different material and color, and spelled out the words FAB SHACK. A waterwheel turned amicably alongside the small building, powering an unseen generator.
“Welcome, welcome,” Leroy said casually as he walked through the door.
“Oh, goodness!” Mosscap cried. It moved with animated excitement, momentarily forgetting its lack of balance and nearly bringing Dex down. “Look at all this!”
Dex had been in countless fab shacks, but they had to admit, Leroy’s was really nice. Workshops like these were often cluttered, but this one was about as close to pristine as such a place could get. One wall featured sample objects, hung from hooks so visitors could get a feel for the materials before placing an order. There was a shovel, a bicycle helmet, a pair of swimming goggles, a pocket computer frame, a full set of dishes, a single waterproof boot, an artificial hip, a toy boat, kitschy jewelry, and more besides. The opposite wall held built-in shelves, filled with storage boxes of the materials Leroy needed for his work. A service counter divided the single room, standing before a small army of print machines waiting at the ready. Upon the counter itself stood a computer terminal, a pint-sized shrine to Chal, and a plate holding a half-eaten sandwich and an untouched apple. The latter items looked hastily abandoned.
“Sorry to bug you in the middle of lunch,” Dex said.
Leroy breezily dismissed the comment. “Do not apologize about the coolest visitors I’ve ever had.” He looked at Mosscap. “Do you need to sit down?”