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Post by Copper on May 18, 2015 19:16:41 GMT
"Let me take you to your room," he murmured, pulling a coat over his simple, sleeveless shirt and guiding her to the lab, which was open. At the side of it was another door, leading into a small room that was once a storage room. Judas had emptied it and cleaned it out, moving in the bed and an old quilt. At the other side of the lab, the place where the bed had been was simply an old mattress and pillow on the floor. "You get your own room. Lady's got to have her privacy. Make yourself comfortable."
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Post by Silaluk on May 18, 2015 19:37:46 GMT
"Thank you for the room, but I can't take your bed. Listen, I've spent enough time sleeping on the streets. A simple mattress is luxury to me," she says, watching his tired eyes, heavy-lidded with sleep. In the relative quiet of the lab, Victoria can feel herself growing sleepy too, but she combats it with a low shake of her head.
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Post by Copper on May 18, 2015 19:48:49 GMT
"Not negotiable," he replied, crossing his arms. "Get some sleep. You'll be up at dawn so that we can get you ready for your first day. You'll have to learn to start listening to me if you want to stay here long."
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Post by Silaluk on May 18, 2015 20:26:34 GMT
Victoria purses her lips at his refusal to take back the bed, but nods in compliance. "Alright then. Goodnight." She turns at the threshold of the storage room. "And... Thank you again. You don't know how much this gesture means."
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Post by Copper on May 18, 2015 20:49:24 GMT
Judas gave her a small, curt nod before exiting, closing the door behind him. He took off his shirt and sat down on the edge of the mattress, Jacob curling up by his side.
"Maybe this won't be so bad," Jacob mumbled , raising his head. "She seems okay to me. It'll be a nice change for you to actually have a friend other than me for once."
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Post by Silaluk on May 18, 2015 21:42:16 GMT
Victoria sits at the end of the bed and kicks off her shoes. What a day. And what a curious guy. Confusing was a better word. But she didn't have the energy to overanalyze his personality. Victoria lays down on the bed, which smells of Judas, a peculiar concoction of metal and various potions that she couldn't identify. There's also the distinct odor of dog, but Victoria doesn't mind that. In fact, it's kind of comforting. Eventually, she can feel herself drifting into a world of blankness. She pulls the quilt up to her chin and finally succumbs to sleep.
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Post by Copper on May 18, 2015 21:50:55 GMT
It was just before dawn when Judas woke. He lifted his head, wincing at the pain in his neck. He had somehow managed to fall asleep at his worktable-- he didn't even remember sitting down. At any rate, Jacob woke with him as usual, yawning and licking at his chops. "Morning, boss. You going to wake up the girl, or should I?"
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Post by Silaluk on May 18, 2015 22:20:27 GMT
Victoria was already awake and staring at her coat hanging from a bolt in the wall. She's staring into space numbly, unsure of what she should be thinking right now. She figures she should make an appearance. Judas is probably up and quite angry. Working up the motivation to stand, she does so and moves towards the door, still barefooted, and makes her way to the main part of the shop.
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Post by Copper on May 18, 2015 22:25:31 GMT
Judas stood with his back to her, already having pulled on a fresh shirt and beginning to poke around the exposed wires of one of his automata. There was a gravelly sort of humming coming from the back of his throat, and he wore green-tinted goggles over his eyes.
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Post by Silaluk on May 18, 2015 22:35:27 GMT
Victoria opens her mouth, but her lips don't form the greeting she had intended. Instead, her eyes watch Judas work, fascinated by the intricacy of the inner workings. The gears and wires and screws that make up the machine's organs, and the magic that serves as its blood. When finally the silence is too much for Victoria to bear, she clears her throat, as if the undignified noise suffices for a "good morning".
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Post by Copper on May 18, 2015 22:41:08 GMT
Judas stopped humming and whirled around, lifting the goggles from his eyes. "Hm? Good morning. You're here right on time to start. Just... let me finish up here and I'll be right with you. Kitchen's the door in the very back, find something in the cupboard and feed yourself."
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Post by Silaluk on May 18, 2015 22:49:58 GMT
Victoria nods and pads away to the kitchen, returning a minute later with some bread and cheese. "Have you eaten yet?" she asks, almost sounding confrontational as she places herself in front of the workbench.
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Post by Copper on May 18, 2015 22:54:04 GMT
"No," he answered, taking apart complete panels of metal from the mechanical body and inspecting the gears underneath. There were gears of many sizes, some so small and delicate that they could be bent between two fingers, some large and thick. "Pass me that notebook with the green cover."
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Post by Silaluk on May 18, 2015 23:02:34 GMT
She does as she was told and places the small book into his hand. Quietly, she steals away to the kitchen, fetching a plate, bread, butter, more cheese, and an apple. Upon her return, Victoria slips Judas the plate of food and sits down on a stool to eat her own breakfast.
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Post by Copper on May 18, 2015 23:08:19 GMT
Judas stuck his head back into the machine to hide the small smile on his face, occasionally picking up a bit of apple or cheese and asking for a wrench. He was done in about in hour, face and hair having small smears of machine oil. The machine was that of a person, now petting Jacob and clapping it's hands.
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Post by Silaluk on May 18, 2015 23:20:23 GMT
Victoria had known what the automaton would be a while ago, but that didn't take away from the splendor of the finished product. "It's almost like a real human." She watches the machine walk stiffly around the room with a fascination akin to jealousy. Her whole life, she's wanted to create fantastic things, and now, she was in the presence of someone who did just that. Someone who created life out of metal. Someone who'd probably never teach her any of it. Someone who'd most likely keep her as a simple maid to fetch whatever things he needed. That was alright though. Victoria would just have to teach herself.
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Post by Copper on May 18, 2015 23:27:03 GMT
"Not close enough yet," he responded as he finished the breakfast. "Anyway, if I'm going to take you as an apprentice and assistant, we're going to need to lay down some ground rules."
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Post by Silaluk on May 18, 2015 23:29:48 GMT
She returns her attention to Judas and fold her hands in her lap. "As expected," she says shortly, waiting for the long list that was bound to ensue.
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Post by Copper on May 18, 2015 23:37:55 GMT
"You will follow my orders around this lab," he said, looking her in the eye. "You will not touch anything unless I have allowed you to. You will not touch my notebooks ever. You will listen to me during your lessons and listen to me quietly. You will not hurt my familiar in any way, shape, or form. You will not complain when I give you small jobs to do or keep you on storefront duty. And, lastly..." He looked away for a moment, directing his attention to the quietly clapping automaton. "If we run into any trouble with the police, and I tell you to leave right away and forget about me, you will not hesitate to follow that order. These rules are also subject to change by me. If you don't want to comply, you know where the door is. Am I understood?"
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Post by Silaluk on May 18, 2015 23:45:02 GMT
"You are understood," Victoria confirms briskly. "Though, I assure you, I wouldn't dream of hurting Jacob." She doesn't bring it up, but Victoria can't help but think that the last rule was at least a little odd. You would think someone would want backup in a scenario like that. "Do you have anything for me to do at the moment?" she asks instead a moment later, wordlessly handing Judas a rag for him to clean his face and hands with.
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