The Forgotten Ships

Esperanza

A/N: We are terrible people who haven't updated in a while, and we are aware of that. Our apology is that we are lazy, yet busy people, whom's life is filled with writing, fandoms, and the unavoidable homework/school.

And yeah, we are going to save the Christmas Special to next year. This time we will start already in September or something. 

(Esperanza)

Sometimes Esperanza wished she had been born a man. If she had been a man she would be in the middle of doing repairs or other challenging mechanic assignments right then, she would also have some better equipment, and her dream would actually come true.

But she was a woman, a woman who had staked her whole life that people would see past her outer shell, and not judge her because of her gender.

Unluckily, people did judge her by such a pathic thing as her looks. So that was why she was right now sitting, with no repairs, old materials, with no money, in a rotten warehouse she dared to call a mechanic shop.

Well, she thought, since I don't have anything to do, then let me try to make something new.

She began to find her pencils and some paper. Okay, where am I going to start? What do I want to make?

Something that doesn't require many materials, she decided. Maybe a tool she could use.

Slowly an idea started to form, she sat the pen on the paper and was on her way to formulate her thoughts when a booming voice cut in. "Is there someone in here?"

Customer! She hurried up, her previous idea totally forgotten. As she stood on the edge to the shop, she took a deep breath and tried to look as welcoming out as she could. The sight that meet her was a huge and ugly lump of a man. His head was misinformed, and his shoulders were in different heights. He had a a brown bushy beard there would have done Merlin himself envious. On his face was a scowl. But there was one thing that craved for her attention: two legs made out of steel.

Esperanza didn't felt disgusted by the sight of the man, just as other people would have done. She knew too well how it was to be judged by her outer shell. "Yes, sorry for the waiting. So what can I do for you?"

The man pulled out a small metal bird from his coat. "Could you fix this?"

She accepted the bird, and inspected it quickly. It was a complex piece of art, it's wings were made of lots of tiny bronze pipes coupled together in a complex network. It's body was a lots of small bronze plates welded together, making it look like feathers. And it's feets was a lot of bronze rings welded together, the eyes were plain bronze bolts and it's beak was two bended bronze plates. "Who made this?"

"I did." the man grumbled.

She stared at the man with deep respect. "So why can't you fix it?"

"My hands are too big, and the bird's too fragile."

"So why is the bird not functioning?"

"It can't use it's right wing."

She inspected it's right wing nearer, and quickly found out what was wrong. A small twig was sitting in it's way, making the wing unmovable. "I will be back in five minutes." she told the man, and run out in the back of the warehouse to find a screwdriver. She ran back in the shop, where the man was now staring weirdly at her. She careful used the screwdriver to remove the twig. "It should be able to move it's wing now," she told the man.

In same moment the bird moved it's wings, and started to fly around the warehouse.

"What that all? After I used all that time I used on it"-he shook his head-"you fixed it in five minutes with a screwdriver!"

She send the man a smile, and held up the screwdriver. "The problem always looks worse than it is. You just need to look at it in a simple way."

"What's the payment?" he asked amused.

"Well, maybe you could teach me how to create such a bird?" she asked.

The man looked like he was considering it. "Fine. We are going to start tomorrow."

Then he humped out of the workshop, with a metal bird flying around him, leaving Esperanza alone with renewed hopes and swirling thoughts.