“As rain began to fall, Aldric worried the old machines would not be able to survive the weather. "Hand me that oil can!" he shouted to Siomon.Magic machines need oil?" asked Simon.Of course they need oil. They're not perfect.”

“How inferior the human machine is, compared to man-made machines. They can be decoked, unscrewed, oiled and parts replaced. Decidedly, nature is not a very wonderful thing.”

“Their football team moved like some kind of machine, perfect and well-oiled. Their cheerleaders were like springs, bouncing and flipping and woo-wooing with their perfect bodies, perfect cheers, and perfect...pom-poms.”

“But the only thing to be considered here, is this - what kind of oil is used in coronations? Certainly it cannot be Olive Oil, or Maccasar Oil, nor Caster Oil, nor Bear's Oil, nor Train Oil, nor Cod-Liver Oil. What then can it possibly be but Sperm Oil in it's unmanufactured unpolluted state, the sweetest of all oils?”

“andcuffs, massage oil, some edible underwear-”Aidan held up his hand. “No need to explain anymore. You had me at handcuffs,”

“Running the house like a well-oiled machine even when she was not there. Running it so well that all anyone noticed was the rare screw-up.”