"Well... okay", Maru admitted. "When you put it like that, I guess I _have_ to know how it feels."

"All right. Get yourself undressed, then."

"Why do I have to be naked again?" Maru asked.

"Because you're going to be a work of art, and it would be criminal to hide your beautiful body under stone clothes."

Maru blushed furiously, but smiled and couldn't refuse the compliment. She unsnapped her overalls and dropped them to the workshop floor; the rest of her clothes quickly followed. Once she was naked, the tinker climbed up on her workbench, taking a pose she hoped was both friendly and modest.

"Fantastic, Maru. Smile, you're going to be a wonderful statue." Despite her misgivings and embarrassment, Maru felt herself warmed by the flattery, and she looked up with a sincere smile. Then the device flashed, and Maru became stone...