A Dark and Stormy Night [Lori]

The brief message had intrigued her. It had been a good long while since anything had. She had once been a learned woman of note within the town, and even well beyond it. People traveled great distances to learn from her, to purchase the things she had come up with...but that had been a long time in the past, and her name had slipped from most people's notice once she had as well. She stopped seeing people, stopped taking on students...and slowly time passed and people forgot. She was just the strange old woman who lived outside of town and kept to herself. She had not been left with much reason to want to live after everything that had happened.

But...the message had still intrigued her. It sparked some part of her that had been quiet for too long, and she'd taken one of the postings from the wall and come into town on the appointed night. It took a bit of effort to find the place in question, it seemed the sort of place many people went to not be found...but she did, only showing up a little later than the requested midnight meeting time. She found the booth in the back, and the mysterious stranger seated with their back to the wall. She sat down, wordlessly sliding the posted notice across to them, peering at the stranger from under her own hood.

It was getting late.

He sighed as he peered out at the few stragglers still in the tavern, a few drunks face down against the bar and their tables, but otherwise no one of note. He supposed he shouldn't have been surprised that no one seemed keen on showing up. It was a stretch, a desperate reach made by a desperate man, he needed more hands, another brain to knock against his own. He needed another scientist.

He looked up fro the table when he heard the door open, another hooded figure stepping into the dingy tavern. There was a swelling of hope inside of him at the sight, and it became downright giddiness when the figure steated themselves and slid his own notice to him. A wide grin split his face and he reached to take one of their hands in both of his, giving it an enthusiastic shake before getting to his feet and putting a finger to his lips to indicate silence until they left the tavern.

Once they were outside he pulled his hood down and danced the stranger in a giddy circle, "Aha! I didn't think anyone was going to show up! This is excellent!" He stopped when he realized what he was doing, pulling back and clearing his throat, "ahem, anyway, you have answered my call, which means you have interest in my research, we should make haste to my home, I can tell you everything on the way!" Or mostly everything, he would leave some details vague. It was better that way.

She silently followed him outside pausing as he lowered his hood and...was he dancing around her? This was...strange. And in the dim light, she couldn't quite tell...but he looked a bit like the madman scientist who kept to himself more or less even further out of town than she did.

Then he stopped dancing and suddenly looked like he was trying to be quite serious. A corner of her mouth twitched upwards slightly. "I suppose I have been lacking a project for too long." She answered.

Normally she would not follow such a person off to who knew where, to do who knew what...but it wasn't as if she had a great many things to go back to, should this go poorly.

"Please. Tell me what this is all about, I am quite interested." She encouraged, stepping to walk with him as he lead the way.

Jamison was beyond ecstatic, but he had an image to keep, he had to try and remain at least some semblance of professional, he supposed. The quirk of her mouth didn't go unnoticed and he pointed at her with a laugh, "Ha! Well then I have the project for you!" A wild venture indeed, he only hoped that she would remain his ally should she figure out his real intent, but for now he could play innocent. He was good at that.

He had a rather energetic bounce to his step as he led her into the woods, practically skip-hopping beside her in his eagerness to finally have a confidante. /he waited until they were an agreeable distance in before turning to face her as he walked, putting a hand to his chest with a rather proud expression, "you happen to be looking at Jamison Junkenstein, the most brilliant inventor and builder of all things science!" He grinned and gave her a wink, "I intend to build a whole array of robot servants!"

He grinned wide and spread his arms, "programmed to serve people!" He gave a huff, "a joke, if you ask our noble and wise king." The words were said in a childishly mocking tone, "but I believe I can make the kingdom GREAT!" He gave a giddy giggle, "why they may eve--umph!" He let out a startled gasp as he tripped where the grass met stony paths, getting to his feet and brushing off, "Mmhm. Anyway...I am only a single man. I need help." He gestured to his head, "I need another brilliant brain, so what do you say?" They were at the gate of his citadel, and he was eagerly waiting for the stranger's response.

Jamison Junkenstein...she had heard the name. Sometimes spoken of in anxious whispers...sometimes with mocking laughter. She didn't know that she'd expected a man who presented himself in quite such a...giddy...fashion. He seemed strange, certainly. But there was an odd charm to it at the same time.

It seemed only fair that she put aside her own hood to show her face, although she doubted she would be recognized. She had been out of the public eye for quite some time. "I have heard of you." She answered. "There are a great many interesting stories about you that circle around...I am intrigued to meet you in person."

She considered his story, it seemed strange and far-fetched. But she still found herself interested. At the mention of their king she made a dismissive sound, frowning into the mostly darkness. His opinions on a great many things mattered little to her. He was a reckless fool who should not be in charge of a kitchen cleaning rotation, never mind a kingdom, as far as she was concerned. But she did not voice such treasonous thoughts aloud.

"Very well." She agreed. "Show me what it is that you have done so far, and what sort of assistance you would require from me."

He looked half pleased, half bothered that she seemed to know of him, for he knew both of the stories people liked to tell, he only gave a fiendish giggle in response, tapping his chin, "can't imagine you heard anything good!" He scoffed and waved a hand dismissively as he pushed open the heavy doors to allow her inside, "the kingdom either sees me as a joke, or a madman." A wide grin split his face and he laughed, "I quite like the madman part myself!" another string of amused giggled as he shut the doors behind her.

He spun on his peg leg back in her direction, snickering as she pulled off her hood, "what's your name? and what do you specialize in?" He was curious, he assumed she was of the scientific mind, but he wasn't sure what sort of science she did.

However, when she agreed to his request, he took her hands and pulled her into an impromptu dance, grinning wide with a burst of wild laughter, "EXCELLENT! Most excellent!" He grinned wide and let go of her to turn and skip-hop towards a staircase, "Come come! I will show you my work and we will see how you can assist me!" He gave her an excited grin as he led her down the stairs.

"Sometimes...what makes you a madman or not is merely in other's perspectives." She answered, following him inside.

She allowed herself to be pulled into his giddy dance, not joining in with his level of enthusiasm, but at the same time it seemed to amuse her...a bit of her was going along with this simply to see where it lead next.

"Many I've met who study the sciences take themselves so seriously. Nothing about it is fun or exciting to them...I can see that you are different in that regard." She tilted her head to one side, watching him as she walked with him.

"I am Ana. I have spent most of my time studying alchemy, concoctions, chemical mixtures...less mechanics, but I am sure there are still means and ways through which I can be useful. I am intrigued to see the work you've done so far."

Jamison grinned wide at those word and nodded, "Aha see! You understand!" His face became perturbed as he looked over his hands, leading her down the seemingly endless stairs, "They all laughed at me! They called me mad because of my vision!" He dropped his hands and looked hurt, "it was humiliating...But!" He was suddenly all pep again, giggling fiendishly, "I'll show them all! We'll show them all!" He turned back to pay attention as they descended, not wanting to end up tumbling down the stairs again.

He glanced her way and laughed, waving a hand at the statement, "science is no fun if you take yourself so seriously!" He chuckled, turning momentarily to give her a flourishing bow, "Well then it is a pleasure to meet you, Ana. I look forward to seeing what you can bring into my research!" An alchemist then, interesting, perhaps he could use her skills for his other project. The possibilities were truly endless.

He produced a key from his pocket when they reached an iron door, unlocking it and pushing it open, "and this is my workshop!" He looked excited as he ushered her inside, "Where I give all my beautiful robotic creations life!" He hop-skipped over to an inactive bot and rested his cheek against the cold metal with a loving expression, giggling giddily, "they are beautiful, are they not?" He sighed, "but they are lacking...something..." A drive to kill, for one, but he wouldn't tell her that, "I just cannot put my finger on it...That is why I need an extra brain, and extra set of eyes!"

"People often laugh at things they don't understand." She answered, although...she hadn't heard all of his ideas. Maybe he really did have hairbrained, crazy ideas that people laughed at. Or maybe they just watched how he acted and were put off by that without even taking the time to hear him out. It was really hard to tell, until he actually told her more of what his plans were.

She followed him into his workshop, looking around curiously and taking in as many of her surroundings as she could. It seemed no effort had been spared on putting this place together, it was quite impressive from the parts she could see. She came over to look over the bot he leaned against, head tilted to one side as she looked it over.

"These look very well done." She nodded. "You said that you wished for them to be helpful to people?" She asked, looking from the bot to him. "Is there something you wish they would do that they are not? Or...is there any way to narrow down what you feel they are lacking?" It would be easier to offer input if she had a little better idea what sort of input from her he was looking for.

Jamison lifted himself from where he was fawning over the inactive robot to get huge, almost watery eyes at her words, skip-stepping back to her side to take her hands, beaming down at her with wide eyes, "you understand me! You get it!" He looked genuinely touched by this, then pulled away with a confident grin when she complimented his work, "Ah yes! They are beautiful, aren't they?" He ran a hand over the metal with a fond expression, "they are nearly perfect, but you see they lack...Something..." He tapped his chin and frowned, pondering over the question.

They do as I say...But alas, they do not posses loyalty to anyone else." Which wasn't a bad thing, considering the plans he had, "I just cannot figure out the programming for the function..." He shook his head and tsked, running a hand over his chin thoughtfully.