Freeform: Permanence.

      Hidden beneath faded tattered robes, the lone observer stood upon the rocky shore, lost amidst the mist and crashing waves. From the darkness under its hood, two unblinking golden eyes peered out over the horizon, as though searching for something in the shapeless gray waters. Yet, with a hollow, tinny sigh, the seeker's watchful head lowered, as thin, metallic fingers wrapped tightly around a weathered staff.
      "Able," came a voice from behind, as the ever-vigilant eyes turned to face the newcomer. Clad in a traveler's cloak, she silently approached her companion, her footfalls barely seeming to touch the sodden ground. "Have your senses taken leave of you again, my old friend?" she continued, her voice barely above a whisper.
      "No, my young Tesslyn," came the hollow voice in reply, "not yet, at least." Ancient joints clicked and whirred back to life, as the watcher extended an arm to the young traveler, beckoning her to come near. "Come. There is something you must see through the mists."
      A soft smile upon her face, Tesslyn nodded, stumbling over the jagged stones to her mentor. Looking up at the featureless face beneath the cloak, the young traveler patiently waited for Able to speak, as its unblinking eyes flickered with thought. As the waves crashed into the rocks below, she casually brushed little droplets from her short locks, as another splash rang into the air. Without a word, she kept watching over the emaciated shade beside her, the young traveler's shimmering blue eyes made even brighter by all the endless gray.
      "There!" came Able's sudden declaration, as Tesslyn's eyes followed the now-outstretched finger to some hidden point in the sea. As the mists of morning began to part, the shadow of some great and terrible giant emerged, its body rising from the water like some armored warrior of a forgotten time. With a gasp, the young traveler reached inside a small pouch at her side, quickly retrieving a small spyglass without averting her excited gaze.
      "That's a machine, isn't it?" she asked her mentor, peering through the lens at the new discovery. "Like you and the others, only much bigger!"
      "From a time best forgotten," came Abel's sullen reply, as something much like a sigh rattled his metallic body beneath his robe. "There is a reason, my young Tesslyn, why my kind are still here, while the Giants are not. If you are to be one of the Masters of the Gear, you must learn why that is, and hold it ever dear to your heart."
      "And why is that, Able?" the young traveler asked, lowering her spyglass and turning to her mentor.
      "Why, my child, we are here to create," came a synthetic chuckle, as spindly fingers reached for Tesslyn's arm, pulling back the sleeve to reveal ornate patterns atop her mechanical prosthesis. Smiling at the gesture, she watched as Able again turned to the sea, holding her tiny hand in both its own.
      "And they," Able began, again rattling as though heaving some great sigh from within, "were meant to destroy."
      Touching her own mechanical arm, the young traveler's smile gave way to awe, as she retrieved her spyglass once more to gaze upon the giant.
      There, atop an outstretched claw of what once was a hand, a great nest of birds prepared themselves for the day ahead...

Scribble: Scene from a future project?

      A candle's fickle flame danced upon the wick, as she looked across the tiny attic once more. Having slipped away from her companions as they slept, the waif couldn't help but smile at her new-found privacy, suppressing an anxious giggle in an effort not to wake them. Trying to brush away long silver locks, her fingertips graced the ornate leather patch where her left eye once had been, and the tender care someone had taken to ease the loss with beauty.
      Another gift, thought the waif, her single eye welling-up with a tear. One you promised you'd take back someday, if only to give me another. But that's not why I'm here...
      With a wistful sigh, she quickly unfastened the fabric above her breast, just enough to reveal a small, metal chamber where her heart might've been. Cautiously, her slender fingers tapped a gentle rhythm, as the circular seal shifted away, revealing but an elaborate series of gears and springs, roughly in the shape of a heart.
      Gently reaching inside, her fingers found a small locket, fitting in place with its surroundings almost perfectly, despite its peculiar shape. Staring longingly at the little rabbit of brass, the waif released yet another sigh, before folding the trinket into her pale, soft hands.
      Thank you, she thought, the faint clicking of her inner mechanisms sounding almost like a song. May we meet again so very soon...

Scribble: A future project, perhaps?

      Perched atop the tallest branch, the young explorer surveyed the landscape, her azure eyes looking to the mountainous horizon. An unexpected gust of wind tugged at her fiery red locks, as the sprite instinctively reached for the great trunk of her perch, the zephyr slowly fading away. Within moments, the air grew still again, allowing her attention to return to the world around her.
      "It isn't safe for you up there," rumbled a deep voice beside her, as the glint of sunlight reflected from a rusty, silver dome. Poorly hidden amidst the foliage stood an ancient machine, its open hand hovering just beneath the tallest branch, nervous eyes never straying from the young girl. "Why do you insist on doing such things?"
      Looking at the giant beside her, the sprite simply laughed, raising a single triumphant finger. "Because," she said in a cheerful voice, adjusting the goggles atop her brow, "you won't let me ride on your shoulder anymore, remember?"
      Her companion started to protest, before turning its massive head to the sky as quickly as its size would allow. As azure eyes followed the giant's lead, the silhouette of a great winged beast passed in the distance, strangely graceful for its bulk. A mischievous smile crept onto the explorer's face, as two pairs of eyes followed the flying creature to the highest peak in the distance.
      "My word," bellowed the giant, its mechanical eyes blinking in awe. "Is that what you've been looking for all this time?"
      "But of course!" she proclaimed, turning to wink at her companion. With another laugh, the explorer swooped her arms in an emphatic gesture, only to lose her footing on the branch. Without a moment's hesitation, she soon found a familiar quartet of fingers raised around her, the same metallic monoliths that had rescued her time and time again.
     "And this is why I won't let you ride on my shoulder anymore," came the matter-of-fact rumble, as eyes as large as her body glared from above.

Scribble: Things I could not write down at the time.

      There came a pounding at the door, as those gathered within braced themselves for what was to come. As the door finally gave way, bursting from it hinges, the survivors huddled together behind the overturned tables. Only a brave few stood, some quivering, others still, their eyes locked on the shadow outside.
      He entered, a lumbering beast of a man, his pale skin wrought with ink and steel barbs. Prepared to lash out, his cold, grey eyes fell on the faces staring at him.
      A single pair of amber eyes awaited him. There, standing between broad-shouldered men, she stood, her youthful face grim and fierce, a small hare ready to strike at the falcon overhead.
      Staggering back, the beast could not look away from her defiant glare. Though all others possessed such strength to be a challenge, only this small creature forced the cudgel to fall from his hand, as a lone thought filled his mind:
      Is this . . . fear?