"If there's parts."

Items beyond the bare essentials are rare indeed in the Birdcage. Unless, of course, one is the Fairy Queen.

"My Refuse Collector will provide trinkets for your work so long as it does not disrupt the peace of my realm."

"...what would disturb the peace of your realm?"

"If the wrong person acquires the trinkets for themselves, or if your device disrupts or provokes to violence my living subjects."

"Living subjects?"

"Those in my domain who have not yet joined my mock court of the dead." She gestures at the silverware stacker as an example.

"What are you... mock...ing?"

"My own small court is but a shadow of the great courts all of us are from and to which all of us shall return."

"What great courts would these be?"

"That of the Thinker and the Fighter... and I suppose in your case a Lonely Court, adopted only in part."

"What does that mean?"

"Which portion?"

"Who are the Thinker and the Fighter, what is the Lonely Court?"

"The Thinker and the Fighter are the two courts whose play we take part in - the Lonely court merely their distant acquaintance."

"That did not answer my question."

"I am not sure what answer you were looking for then."

"When you say 'court' what are you referring to? What does it mean to take part in it?"

"A collection of fairies performing together. What that means depends very much on the fairy, and on the act of the play."

"And 'fairy' here means...?"

"The things I collect and that so-called capes are gifted with."

"...also known as powers?"

"I suppose."

"And by 'performing together' do you mean... the heroes and villains thing, or... something else...?"

"That is but a small part of the greater performance."

"What's the greater performance, then?"