Not Work, Anything But That!
Jareth has not been idle since Ali's last visit, nor were some of her plaints wiped from his mind. The crystals he conjured were insufficient to the task at hand, and he could not simply pluck larger from nothing. He would need to actually dirty his hands (or, more likely, the goblins' hands) in actual labor to make something larger.
He began by sectioning off part of the castle, shuttering it behind such chutes and baffles as ought to confound all but the most persistent and best-equipped of adventurers. As well it ought, for a glassworks is no place for his newest guests. It isn't even a proper place for most of the goblins, the cleverer of whom may be trusted to fill and prepare things, and to light only the necessary number of fires, but can't be trusted around hot glass without careful supervision.
Still, even needing to dirty his own hands won't deter him. The rewards of Ali's gratitude are worth the effort, and the challenge is one he has not faced in centuries. If his crystals are too small, then he shall scry through a larger crystal.
But not today. Vexed by another failed attempt, he seeks comfort in a moment's diversion and a promise kept. To that end, the crystal he gifted to Ali begins to chime.
He began by sectioning off part of the castle, shuttering it behind such chutes and baffles as ought to confound all but the most persistent and best-equipped of adventurers. As well it ought, for a glassworks is no place for his newest guests. It isn't even a proper place for most of the goblins, the cleverer of whom may be trusted to fill and prepare things, and to light only the necessary number of fires, but can't be trusted around hot glass without careful supervision.
Still, even needing to dirty his own hands won't deter him. The rewards of Ali's gratitude are worth the effort, and the challenge is one he has not faced in centuries. If his crystals are too small, then he shall scry through a larger crystal.
But not today. Vexed by another failed attempt, he seeks comfort in a moment's diversion and a promise kept. To that end, the crystal he gifted to Ali begins to chime.