Anomaly

„This place must be new..."

After opening the door she started looking around the room. The front half of the big room, right behind the door consisted of a kind of ‚testing s.p.a.ce'. On the left side stood several tables and shelves, littered with all kind of strange objects. The few prototypes and experiments Allan had created in that last month. Some of these were new ideas fir weapons and ‚useful' tools, while others were his first try at recreating weapons from his old world.

On the right side of the room was mainly free s.p.a.ce, but some larger projects of his stood around, between some if the larger sized equipments, mainly for testing purposes. On that side was also the door that lead to the storage were he would store all the stuff in the future he wouldn't need anymore, abandoned or completed projects or those he just couldn't complete with his currents skills.

On the backside of the room was Allans workshop. It consisted of several smaller parts with workstations for the different crafts, and one main part in the middle were he could combine them.

That was were she saw Allan. He sat on a chair, feet on the front edge. His elbows on his knees and his palms on the opposite shoulder, his chin rested were his arms crossed in front of his chest. His typical thinking posture.

„Leave! I'm working. So stop distracting me!"

Ignoring him she stepped further into the room, being drawn to the tables on her left.

„Aren't you just sitting there doing nothing?"

„You know this thing were you have to use your brain? It's called thinking! So leave and stop distracting me!"

Picking up one of the many objects that had grabbed her attention the girl asked:

„What's this?"

„That's called a gun, but it's just a prototype that doesn't work properly. I wouldn't play around with it if i were you, there is around 20% chance that it will explode right in your face."

„What is it supposed to do? Besides exploding i mean?"

„Shooting out small b.a.l.l.s. Sounds stupid, right? So put it down again and leave now!"

Putting down

„Oh, please don't tell them i'm here! Thanks!"

Just like most of the things Allan had build until now, the gun didn't work. The gun was pretty rudimentary, actually only consisting of a barrel with a grip and a small enchantment to cause the necessary explosion. But as it was already hard to create a perfect barrel for a high level blacksmith, it was almost impossible for Allan who only learned for a short time. The barrel was neither smooth nor remotely as straight as ist would have to be. Like most of his current projects, it was more of a prove of concept, the only type of artifact his pride let him build until his abilities caught up with his ideas. Only then would he start creating things intended to be used.

Allan was sure he had seen her somewhere before but couldn't really recall where. While he still wondered what she meant, the door to his laboratory opened again. Two well clothed slaves, with the royal seal on their collars entered. At that time Allan remembered where he had seen her before.

„Sir, have you possibly seen the young lady? Has she come in here perhaps?"

„Yes, i have seen her. And yes she came in here. And im going to tell you the same i told her: Stop distracting me and leave! Im trying to think here!"

„Thank you for your help, sir. We will leave now.", the two slaves answered.

Some time after the slaves had left the girl came out of the storage.

„Well then, what is this country's princess doing in this remote corner of the castle, running away from her own servants?", Allan asked her, still sitting in his thinking posture.

When he saw the royal crest on the slave collars he knew that they were servants of the royal family. Even though they were slaves, no one would dare to treat them like one as they were working exclusively for the royal family and absolutely loyal.

When he realized that he also remembered where he had seen the girl before. She was actually the only daughter and eldest child of the king, princess Alice Loreley. They got briefly introduced to each other, two days after the heroes started their training.

„Oh? You recognized me? It's simple, they want me to learn the... one, two, three... seven, eight... eleventh type of dancing, and i don't."

„Is that so? But isn't that what a princess is supposed to do? Doing princess stuff? Well, doesn't matter much, now leave! And by the way, shouldn't a princess at least remember the faces of her country's heroes?"

She frowned.

„Even a princess is a human. I have my own interests and dancing is definitely not one of them. And how can you even treat me so rude if you know who i am?"

„Weren't you the first to be rude? I don't care if you are yourself, your father or Amaris herself, the one thing i hate the most is being distracted while working!"

„You know, i like your att.i.tude!"

Now it was Allan's turn to frown.

„What the heck do you mean with that now?"

„Everyone else would start licking my boots by now. Normally i would have been offered a tour of this place by now. It's actually a little annoying, you are the first to tread me like a normal person. Oh, thanks for the help by the way, you even lied for my sake, but why did you actually go that far for me?"

„Treating her like a normal person?", Allan thought. He was just treating her like an annoyance.

„Let's just say i was curious about you. Also, i never lied to them."

„You didn't? How did you get them to leave in that case? Well, still thanks."

„In that case, leave now. I still have work to do!"

„Say, what are you thinking about?"

Allan, who hated nothing more than being distracted by people when he was working, got slowly really annoyed by her questions, but even if he said all those things before, she was still this country's princess. As long as he didn't know more about her personality he couldn't treat her lightly. So even though he didn't like it he tried to put up with it.

„I'm trying to build a computer."