A Newcomer :Morning: (Callie)

A white coat flapped in the midnight breeze, light glinting off the lens of a white gas mask, its wearer taking in his surroundings and letting every new sight and sound fill his mind to the brim. He only let himself become over whelmed with the sensory overload for a moment before quickly going to the small computer attached to his wrist. The screen lit up with a white screen filled only with a small happy face emoticon in the center. The face shifted to a surprised one, then to confused. Ignoring this for the moment, the strange man paced the back street he found himself on and typed away at the screen.

"Phase shift, stable. Movement completed over four non-identical PUs. Feed back minimal. Duplicate rejection, avoided. Atmosphere, Pending,"The man removed his mask only for a moment before falling into a fit of coughs. Brought to his knees he quickly pulled the mask back on and sighed heavily "Toxic"

He stayed there for a moment, crouched... He had done it.




The next day the strange man found himself wondering what looked like the courtyard to a research facility... hmmm Perhaps he could find a job here... Though that had to come later, right now he needed to simply mingle.

While a man in a lab-coat would probably be seen as normal right now... something about this man was... off. If anything he smelled different... Perhaps someone would approach him? After all... He seems lonely just wondering about by himself.

"I'm Sorry..." Callie sniffled as she buried her head deeper into her teddies fur. "I never should of brought you here..." The girl looked around herself for a moment to make sure no one was watching before looking back at the bear and fondling a rather large hole it had acquired on its right arm. "I thought it would be a fun day out you know?... Like doing something different for a change..." Taking a moment to wipe away a tear from her eye, Callie stared at the bear before nodding. "I know... You're right Lulu, but I still feel so horrible about this. I shouldn't of let myself be so careless." Again, nodding at the bear, Callie let out a weak smile and lifted Lulu up to hug them. "You're the best friend ever Lulu..." Callie then lowered the bear back down and stared around again, something had caught her attention... But she wasn't sure what.

"Do you smell that?" Taking a deep breath Callie scanned her surroundings. "That man over there smells funny..." She tilted her head in confusion, she was pretty sure she hadn't smelt anything like that before. It intrigued her... Whilst also disgusting her. Callie suddenly gasped as an idea appeared in her head. "Lulu! These people are meant to be smart people right? M-maybe one of them could help me fix you?" Y-yeah! He may be able to help Lulu out, it totally wasn't an excuse to go see what his weird aura was all about ya know? W-well maybe a little... But that's hitting two ducks with one brick, right?... Was that how that went...? Eh something like that.

Pulling her hood further over her head, Callie approached the man rather timidly. The smell was still kind of putting her off, but what was weirder was what he was wearing over his face. Maybe he was hiding something too? Eventually curiosity got the better of her. "Ehm... Excuse me...?" She almost whispered, pulling at the mans lab coat gently to get his attention. "D-do you think you could help me out... Please?"

[center]"Hm?" The odd man seemed confused for a moment before turning his head to the young girl behind him. For only a moment he utterly baffled by her, as if her mere existence threw everything he knew to be true into question [center]"T-The Fanged One?" His words would sound wrong, completely and utterly wrong. They weren't words... not like Callie would understand what words were at least. Seemingly impossible sounds that could only be described with colors that do not exist.

He would shake his head for a moment before holding up a finger to the young one. He would then reach up and twist a nob on his mask before continuing. "Ar M'i ohyiyeis ytuyi, Ok-yofa..." He sighed again twisting the nob another click "Ah... Better. Now then, I am terribly sorry for that, you see I am from... uh... some... where... else and ammmm Here on vacation!" Yeah that sounded plausible..."I don't normally speak your language so I had to calibrate my translator, sorry.

The odd man would turn and crouch to be eye level with the young girl and hold out his rather large and lanky hand to her. "My name is Professor J, what might yours be Little one? And I would be overjoyed to help if you would just answer a few small questions for me,"

A perplexed look rose on Callie's face as she tilted her head to one side confused. Um... So this guy smells real funny, looks kinda alien with that thingy on his face and now... I'm pretty sure those aren't words? She was pretty sure she couldn't even repeated what she just heard if she tried. She pulled Lulu up to her chest and hugged her for comfort. This was starting to freak her out a little...

Ohhh, he's from a far away land? She had heard some people before speak in ways she didn't understand, if she recalled she over heard someone call them 'foreigners' or something like that. Yet he still sounds a little odd, but the sound of him being a little nervous about the conversation too put her at ease a little. "I've never heard of somewhere else before? Is that your home?" And what's a translator? Sounds like some sort of toy, yet it let him speak to me... Does that mean he could use it to talk to anything? That would be so awesome! I'd go and talk to all the birdies and learn what they do for fun, then afterwards ask why cats do that thing with their tongue. That had always confused her.

Lost in thought Callie hadn't realized that the man had bent down to her. "P-professor J?" She asked, making sure she didn't mishear whilst listing the possibilities that a translator would let her learn. "My name is Callie." Proceeding to then hold out her trembling hand to the man. "You'll help me!? That's great news! Did ya hear that Lulu? We found you a savior in white robes!" Wow! Who knew asking for help could be that easy, Lulu was right all along. I don't know why I ever bothered doubting her.

"Huh?" He wants to know something... From me? "S-sure, although... I don't really know a lot about all this smarty stuff that's going on around here." She'd remark giving a hesitant smile.

"Yes Yes! Somewhere else is a very far away place, it is my home and I have come quite a distance to be here." He smiled at the young girl and chuckled slightly. Though... this line of questions did bring his thoughts to home, what and who he left behind in order to be here. It was not the best choice, nor was the noblest or kindest choice to come here. In fact coming here was truly the cowered's path, yet desperation and curiosity pushed his hand.

"Callie, my that is a lovely name little one, it is a pleasure to meet you! Now I only have a few questions then I'll be able to help your... Little Friend..." Professor J stood to his full imposing height, pulled a small notepad from his coat and flipping through the pages "If you set the a continuity that is located four realities over from this one as the a zero point, where dose this continuity lay on a four axial grid where the standard unit of measure is one PU?... Also what is this city called?"

"Oh, okay then. It sounds like it must be a nice place. Although I'd get someone to work on the name for it." She'd joke passively, laughing to herself, she wanted to know if this Professor guy liked jokes or not. It was always more fun when they played along~. "But why have you can all this way to be here? Is there something special here you're looking for mister?"

Callie blushed lightly. "Thanks, it's nice to meet cha too!" Smiling politely, she nodded to his request. A few questions for Lulu's safety seems like more than a fair deal, as long as he doesn't ask anything too weird.

... If I do a what in the where with a whozie gadget? Callie scrunched up her face, damn it! How is she going to get Lulu fixed if she doesn't understand a word of his first question! Although... "Uhm..." She began scratching her head. "I'm sorry... I dunno what a thingy with the other stuff at a certain thing does the other thing for a whatever else you said..." She searched in her pocket and pulled out a small discarded piece of paper and a small stub of a blue crayon. "B-but I think I saw the name of the city a few times, there are signs up with the name of it. Although, I don't really get how to pronounce it..." She scratched at the paper with the crayon for a moment what she thought she remembered, she had no idea if she was spelling it right or how the word should sound since... Reading and writing weren't exactly a strong point for her. But simply copying one word from memory shouldn't be too hard right?

"Done!" Callie lifted up the small sheet of paper presenting a very poorly and hardly readable set of letters that in one way or another spell out the word 'Endymion'. "I uhm, hope this helps?"

Professor J cocked is head slightly as Callie tested her wordplay on him. In his opinion it was a poor attempt at comedy, however, the small screen attached to his wrist begged to differ as  it's display lit up and began to vibrate rather violently, as if the small machine was laughing."Hm? My my little one, it seems my companion enjoyed your quip very much! See?" The professor bent down again to show the young girl the screen of his device which displayed a simple message.


"You see, his name is J-Series Project ASSW-P Serial Number 8D. He loves jokes, and I suppose he found yours to be quite funny. Say hello J-Series Project ASSW-P Serial Number 8D" The professor smiled underneath his mask at the some what familiar feeling the young girl gave to him... While it pained him to see another, it warmed his heart to know that in some vein of existence his old friend lived on.

Once he had gotten his answer from Callie Professor J would scratch his chin and think on it. He guessed that she would have no idea what he was talking about, but perhaps it was for the best. This only meant he could enjoy the challenge of finding it on his own!"Endymion... I see... Interesting to say the least. Well it is as they say, best to start at the End! Though who says that I will never know... Anyway, you have held up your end of the deal so it is now my turn to hold up mine, how may I be of assistance to you young miss?"

"Huh?" Callie peered over at the device to witness little laughing and smiley faces being displayed across the screen. "Hehe, it looks like it's grinning!" She looked at the sides of the weird device, it looked kinda like an oversized watch. Or at least that was all she could think of to compare it too, yet it wasn't a watch with ears? How would it have heard what she said... Well if it had to be a watch with ears, at least it had a sense of humor?

Callie looked up at the man with a raised eyebrow. "That's... Quite a mouth full of a name for a little guy. But anyone who likes to joke around sounds like fun to me!" Callie smiled and had to try her hardest to stop her tail from wagging, she didn't want to ruin this now. It's rare she gets a friendly conversation to last this long. "Can I call him 8D for short? That would be easier." And totally not the only part of his name she remembered cause it was the last part or anything...

Taking a moment to try to make out the words that appeared next on his little monitor, Callie knew she could make out the first word as hello... But she didn't see her own name written there and couldn't tell what the rest of it said. "Um, sorry. But what did he say?" She said pulling her hood tighter over her head in shame. "I'm not very good at reading..."

"Oh!" Oh yeah she had almost completely forgot the reason she started this conversation to begin with! She lifted up her teddy towards the friendly giant and pointed out the cotton stain battle scar that it had acquired. "My best friend Lulu is hurt... A-and it's kinda my fault. I just need to make sure she'll be okay! D-do you think you could fix her up?"

As she was asking for this help however, curiosity got the best of her... Even if it was a little rude. "So, um... What's up with the face thingy?"

"Hm? Just call him 8D? Hm Hmhmhm Ahaha! Splendid Splendid! I'm sure he would like that." Professor J let out a hearty laugh. Such innocence and purity. Such a shame. Such innocence would be wasted in the things that were surely to come. The mere fact that he was here proved that something was about to happen... This conversation was proof that something was about to happen. For moment the Professor stood silent as he thought this. This girl would be eaten alive by such a calamity... Maybe...

"Hmmm You can not read girl? I see, that is quite unfortunate... J Seri-... 8D simply said hello." He thought for a moment before taking a seat in front of her and held up his pinky"Well my dear Callie, then I have a proposition for you, I am new to this town and believe I will be staying for a good while. During the time I am here I will be in need of an assistant. In exchange for your help in my work I will teach you all I can, how dose that sound?" Regardless of her answer he would tilt his head looking at the bear in question.

"Hmm, yes, I do believe I can fix your friend," He would reach out and inspect the hole, nothing to major, just a quick patch"As for the face, He is simply my friend and companion, very similar to your bear friend here only a bit more flashy."

She nodded shamefully. "Yeah... I never really had a true reason to learn how to... Or someone who would teach me how to I guess." Callie looked back at the devise again and pointed at the middle word. "That's not how you spell my name though! What does that word say?" As much as she didn't want to act as if she didn't trust him... There were definitely more words there that she didn't know, and was intrigued to find out.

Callie shuffled back a few steps at his request. "U-um, I... I dunno... I'm not really that useful with most things... Plus I still don't fully understand everything you've shown me so far. How could I possibly help you with all this smarty stuff?" She shivered slightly... It wasn't that she didn't trust the man, or that she didn't like him... I mean sure she was scared that she would be of literal no use to anything that required more intelligence than drawing a circle. B-but she couldn't be around him for that long... It would be impossible to keep everything from him, and that always just causes problems and she'll be thrown back out onto the street... No, she didn't want to give herself false hope... Not again.

Callie shook her head out of this trail of thought. "Good! Thank you!" She took a moment to think. "Either way I'd need to consult Lulu before making any drastic decisions!" Pausing for a moment she then added. "B-but ya gotta fix her up first!"

"Hmhmhm... He called you Fanged One, pure and simple," He felt a smile curl up under his gas mask. Mother of science this child was adorable... "And do not worry young one. Hehe I understand. It was a sudden request and I truthfully did not expect you to answer in the positive. Though ether way, my offer to teach you still stands if you wish to take me up on it." It was foolish to even ask. This child may have been... But in there was still time, who knows? Perhaps this child would become an asset in the future.

"Very well! Miss Lulu, please hold still. 8D, if you will," With pride and mirth in his voice Professor J held his hand out and allowed the terminal on his wrist to open and unfold. A jaunty tune played as thin tendrils flowed from the device. In the blink of an eye one reached back to Professor J and cut a small patch from his coat while the other pulled a loose strand from his sock. In a flash the tendrils began to work their magic patching the hole in the poor  toys side. Once they were done a small tuft of Confetti would spurt from the device as the arms retracted.

"Tada!" Professor J would sing taking a bow.

"Fanged One...?" Callie pulled at the strings of her hoodie nervously. W-why would he call me that? It doesn't make sense... B-but she didn't want to make it more awkward, if he even considered it awkward... He didn't try to keep it much a secret after she asked the second time. Either way she took onto the new conversation quickly. "U-uh, what kinda things would you teach me?... It wouldn't be boring stuff would it?"

Callie stared in awe of what she witnessed before her. How did that thing do all of that stuff! It wasn't even like he even told him exactly what to do, it just kind of did it all on its own. Her left ear perked up at the sound of a tune that accompanied this little performance, which by the end she couldn't help humming along to. By any normal days standards she would hate to see Lulu in the hands of someone else, but the little thingies that were sowing up her wound were being so careful about it she wasn't all too worried.

When it was over and the puff of confetti flew out, Callie couldn't help but clap excitedly. "That was amazing!" She proceeded to lift up the newly fixed teddy and snuggle it. "T-thank you, me and Lulu give both of you our greatest thank yous ever!"

"Yes! It means that you are very special. You see, I am looking for special people like you Fanged One... The Stoic One, The Trapped One, The Childish One... All integral to my work. You are one of these important people, the very fact that we are talking is proof of that..." The professor nodded solemnly before looking up into the morning sky, blue and filled with endless possibilities "I know what you must be thinking... How do I know this? Well... Let us just say I have met someone like you before... And he was a very near and dear friend of mine..." Surely the drop Professor J felt roll down his cheek was sweat...

"But enough about that sad business! Instead, let me tell you of the things I cold teach you... You see I could impart on you the secrets of mathematics , science, and most importantly, how to read! Do not worry about compensation dear child, for it would be the least I could do for the warm and friendly welcome you have given me," Professor J chuckled to himself as he felt his wrist device vibrate slightly, "Hm? Ah... It seems 8D would like to tell you somethi-... oh dear..." That... was not right... However... this could prove interesting... Very well... "Tell me dear child, can you read 8D's message?"

Callie knew that curiosity killed the cat... But it never killed a fox right? "S-special...?" Callie's fear of what the man could be talking about only logically dictated to one thing she could think of... B-but how did he know? Did he stalk her or something maybe...? "W-who are all of those people? A-a-and why do you keep calling me that! P-plus what are you talking about important... I-I'm not important to no one! I-if you did know anything about me, y-you would of known that too!" Her voice was notably higher pitched and had a hint of fear and confusion to it as she spoke. She didn't like this conversation anymore... It was starting to make her feel uneasy.

Callie stared at the ground blankly as the man listed what he would teach her if she gave him the chance... From the parts she did hear over the confusion her brain was trying to make out from the part before. It all sounded, kinda icky and boring... She sniffled and looked back up at the man, at least he was still being friendly... Or at least she hoped that was a good thing. Regardless she would lean over and try to interpret the message that appeared on 8D's monitor.

After examining the monitor for some time, and trying to trace the letters with her fingers, she finally shook her head. "No... I can't." She would then point at the exclamation mark at the end. "But that thingy means he's shouting it right? I-is he mad at me?"

"Oh my uh..." It appears that maybe all tbis at once was a tad... Much for the young girl... Thr good professor may be stepping over his bounds a bit here and frightening the poor thing... To be fair now that he thought about it, even he would be creeped out in this situation..."Please forgive my ramblings dear child. Just th inane thoughts of an old man. You mearly remind me of an old friend is all... I am deeply sorry for scaring you." Professor J would look away sheepishly and cough slightly...

"Hm hm, No Callie he is not mad." Professor J would point to the screen and put a smile in his voice."He said "you're welcome new friend" It appears he has taken a likeing to you." the screen shifted and static crossed it for a moment before another message appeared.