"Inventing the Future"

"Chapter 3: New In Town"

Veniccio was quite a nice place to live, and settling in wasn't as difficult as Dr. Jaming had anticipated. In addition to the new buildings that had appeared seemingly overnight, there were several abandoned tree houses further inland, and he simply selected the one that was furthest away from the little seaside town. Indeed, no one even knew he had moved in until he started work on a garage almost directly below his new home.

Construction would be a long process, but he didn't mind. As long as he was busy he felt productive, and 'productive' meant 'not useless'.

The townsfolk knew nothing of his nefarious past, and while they certainly seemed to notice his physical deformities, he was not made to feel unwelcome. Or, rather, they did not do it deliberately. He was, of course, a curiosity, and he was quite sensitive to the whispered speculations he inevitably overheard. His responses to their friendly overtures were rather stilted and defensive, much like his first meeting with Meredith.

Strangely enough, after their first rocky interaction, Meredith was the only person there who didn't put him on the defensive, and he often found himself seeking out her company. She tended to call him on it when he was being especially crabby, but she didn't treat him any differently than she treated the other people there, and he liked that. Ridicule got under his skin, but pity was even worse, and he supposed the main reason he had come to like her was the fact that she didn't treat him like he needed to be pitied. He had long since had his fill of that kind of thing.

Dr. Jaming also noticed that she was a bit of a loner herself, and he simply could not fathom why she would occasionally seek out his company. As curious as he was, he couldn't bring himself to ask her.

Before he knew it, he had been living there for a month and a half. The townsfolk accepted him willingly enough, and while he had very little money with which to buy things, he was able to barter for food and materials by fixing things. All in all, he was surprised by how well everything seemed to be working out.

His research, on the other hand, was going nowhere.

One day, when he was feeling particularly discouraged, Meredith seemed to notice this and decided that it was high time he learned how to fish.

"I don't really see the point," he complained as he reluctantly tied a lure onto her spare fishing rod. "We live right on the ocean. I could easily buy it from someone else."

Meredith replied in a 'no nonsense' tone of voice, "The point is, you can't always rely on that. They might have had a bad day's fishing, and they might need all of what they catch for themselves. Or, you might not have the Gilda, and they might not need you to repair anything. Meaning no fish, whether they have it or not. Unless they're feeling generous, which is no guarantee."

"You quite like hearing the sound of your own voice, don't you?" he needled her, but he wore an amused smirk.

"Smartass. Now, let me see what you've got there," she took the line to inspect the knot he had tied, and nodded her approval.

"Oh, now that's language befitting a lady..." he rolled his eyes and took the fishing line back from her.

"I'm no lady; I'm just a woman. Now, pay attention, and I'll show you how to cast."

It didn't take Jaming long to get the hang of it, and ten minutes later the two of them had their lines in the water.

"So...how is your research going?" she inquired, already seeming to know the answer, but leaving the door open in case he wanted to discuss it.

Jaming heaved a sigh that seemed to come right up from his toes, and shook his head. "It isn't. I've been working non-stop since daybreak. I'm not really surprised, though...I haven't had a real breakthrough in quite some time..."

"Mm...Sorry to hear that."

"I should really be working. I'm not getting anything done, standing here with a pole in my hand..." Too late, he realized how perverted that sounded, and his hollow cheeks darkened from powder-blue to lavender. He hoped she wouldn't notice!

Meredith turned her head away, seeming to look at something in the distance, but he thought he saw her shoulders give a jiggle as if she were suppressing a laugh.

'Great...she did pick up on that...'

"You know what I like best about fishing?" she asked, as if he hadn't just made that little gaffe.

"I do not."

"You can do two things at once," She recovered her empty lure and cast it out once again. "You can catch your dinner, sure. But your mind can go just about anywhere. I've solved a lot of my own problems this way. Sometimes all you need to do is take a step back, and some detail you've missed just leaps out at you."

"Hm..." he grunted noncommitally, then gasped as the fishing rod was nearly tugged out of his hands. "I think I've got one!"

"I'll say!" she grinned, "Reel it in before it gets away!"

Eventually, Dr. Jaming brought in a Kaji that was so large he could barely lift it clear of the beach once he got it out of the water. "I don't suppose you know how to clean these things?"

"I do," she replied, helping him lug it further up the beach. "Talk about beginner's luck! This one'll keep you fed for a week."

"You'll take some home, won't you?" he offered, feeling quite pleased with himself. "After all, you taught me."

Neither of them took notice of the nearby cave, which would prove to be unfortunate. A red pair of eyes appeared deep within, watching the two friends cleaning the giant Kaji and listening to their chatter.

"So, I've been meaning to ask you..." Meredith left the question hanging as she did most of the work while Jaming mostly just watched and made the occasional 'yuck' face.

"Yes?"

"Why do you wear a monocle? I don't mean to pry, but I've seen you without it, and your vision seems to be fine."

Jaming was used to her blunt, matter-of-fact way of speaking by now, and it didn't bother him like it had before. "Well...it serves the same purpose as a telescope while allowing me the use of both hands."

"What, were you a spy?" she teased.

He stood over her as she worked, smiling wickedly and twirling an imaginary mustache. "Well, I could tell you, but then I'd have to kill you."

Meredith chuckled, but Jaming immediately grew somber as if he just realized that he had said something wrong. She noticed this, but before she could ask, he gave her the real answer.

"No. I was...and I suppose I still am...an inventor. I mostly wear my monocle out of habit now."

"What are you doing here?" demanded a voice from the cave behind them, and Meredith was so startled that she nearly cut herself and ended up dropping her knife.

"Pau?" she blinked as she recognized the young Moon Person who had just emerged from the cave and was stalking over to them like he meant to attack. She had only met him a few times, but this behavior seemed rather out of character for him. "What's wrong with you?"

Jaming froze and stared at Pau without recognition. What could this little fellow possibly have against him? He had seen the little creature from his hiding place in the ferns, but it wasn't as if they had ever met before, and Jaming had lived there for close to two months without even encountering him.

"He's dangerous! Max and Monica told me all about him! He's the one who put that thing on Shingala, and attacked Shigura Village!" Pau jabbed Dr. Jaming in the chest with his index finger, and ground out, "You've got a lot of nerve showing your ugly face here!"

Dr. Jaming's blue face grew quite pale, and he took a slow step backwards. His secret wasn't a secret anymore.