London, April 1893

[this_isaturn]

David was quite surprised to see that the ticket to London he'd been given was first class - but he's certainly not about to complain. It was quite a refreshing experience.

After some fussing about, he finds the address he'd been given as well. He takes in the building's facade for a moment (Georgian, if he doesn't miss his guess) before knocking; a butler opens the door and shows him in.

"Josephine is busy, sir," the butler says. "She'll be up in a moment; in the meantime, there are refreshments in the sitting room."

"Thank you," David says, assuming Josephine is the woman who talked to him after the faff with the sword. He takes his hat off and steps into the sitting room.

Comments

[timelessinventor]

Already in the sitting room is a woman reading a book, De la terre à la lune. She's wearing trousers, a waistcoat, and has her shirtsleeves rolled up to just below her elbows. Her feet are in fairly prim boots, crossed at the ankles and propped up on a table, and she's lost in her own world.

[this_isaturn]

The trousers catch David's attention first; it's not as though he's in the habit of seeing women who wear them, after all. But before he can comment on that, he takes in the book's title, and smiles.
"Oh, that is a good one!"

[timelessinventor]

"Oh, quite, darling." Helena looks up from the book with a huge smile on her face. "I have not seen you here before. Are you Josephine's new recruit?"

[this_isaturn]

"I... suppose so?" It tallies with his other observations so far, at the very least, though he's still not at all on sure footing.
"Where are my manners? David Wolcott." He offers her a hand.

[timelessinventor]

She flings her legs off of the table and stands up, shaking his hand firmly, very unlike pretty much anyone he's met. "Helena Wells, darling. It's a pleasure. Where are you from, then?"

[this_isaturn]

"Birmingham. I've only just arrived - but I suppose that was obvious."
Good God, he sounds like an idiot.

[timelessinventor]

"Just a little, darling. It is rather adorable." She grins at him and reaches over, running a finger along his jaw. "Do not worry, you will fit in. I am certain of that."

[this_isaturn]

David manages not to flinch away from her hand, though he does freeze in place pretty spectacularly. He's not used to people being this... forward (to put it mildly).
"I should hope so. It would be a bit silly if I showed up and it didn't work out."

[timelessinventor]

She laughs and shakes her head. "Josephine knows what she is doing. She would never take a chance on someone who would not work out."

A smirk crosses her face as she leans back, just looking at him for a long moment. "You will need to lighten up a little, Wooley, darling."

[this_isaturn]

David's response is entirely on instinct; he rolls his eyes and says, "Woolly? I'll have you know I'm nowhere near furry enough to merit a name such as that."

[timelessinventor]

She beams at him for a moment, smirking wildly. "Perhaps not furry, darling. More like a sheep." She means well, Wooley. She promises.

[this_isaturn]

"Near enough." He's smiling, though, which has to be a step in the right direction.

[timelessinventor]

Helena grins, and then after a moment rolls her eyes. "Oh, that little minx. I will certainly give her a piece of my mind later."

[this_isaturn]

David frowns. "Who?"

[timelessinventor]

"Josephine. She told me to wait in here for a while, and disappeared about half an hour ago."

[this_isaturn]

"Ah. Would that make her the woman who handed me a train ticket and apparently disappeared without a trace when my back was turned?"
He might as well get that sorted while he has the opportunity.

[timelessinventor]

"Yes. That is our Josephine. She's in charge here. It is a complicated situation, and possibly one she is better to explain." She sits back down and crosses her ankles again. "I am assuming that you at least know the framework of what we do?"

[this_isaturn]

David shrugs. "A woman barged in on us waving a sword and shouting in... possibly Chinese, possibly not, I'm still not sure, but once I took it from her and she revived, she was speaking English again. Josephine said it would entail finding things of a similar nature."

[timelessinventor]

"Something like that. We collect curiosities, things that do not do what they ought. There are times that we must track them down in other places, however, many of them simply come to London. Downstairs is our Warehouse, where we store all of these things. We have Curiosities from as far back as the ancient world."

[this_isaturn]

"Downstairs? How on earth can you possibly have room downstairs?"
If this collection's as big as Helena suggests, and David has no reason to disbelieve her, he can't see how it would all fit.

[timelessinventor]

"It's a bit of a maze down there. Some of the areas go pretty deep, and they wind around the underground tunnels they are building."

[this_isaturn]

"Goodness. How do you keep it all organised?"

[timelessinventor]

"That is where Josephine comes in. When so many powerful objects are put in the same place, the building rather takes an interest in the matter. Josephine has a connection to the Warehouse, and she knows where everything is."

[this_isaturn]

"I see." He doesn't, really, and he's aware Helena probably knows that.
And then something occurs to him. "Is that how she got in and out so quickly?"

[timelessinventor]

"You do not actually see, but we will show you in time, dear Wooley." She smirks at him. "And yes. It is a perk of her position, you might say."

[this_isaturn]

"That must be a handy trick."
He's not surprised that she saw through that one, so: Moving on to other matters.

[timelessinventor]

"Quite handy. Unfortunately, the rest of us just have to think up inventions for such tricks." She grins at him. "So, my dear, what were you doing in Birmingham before we snapped you up?"

[this_isaturn]

"I was working for my parents - finance - and trying to keep my brother from sabotaging the whole operation."
They're painfully blind to how ill-suited he is to run things, but David can't say he isn't glad to be well shot of it.

[timelessinventor]

"Is it your family or the finance that you find so distasteful, darling?" She smiles at him. "Because you do seem quite relieved that you do not have to do that anymore."

[this_isaturn]

"My brother's going to run it into the ground, but my parents seem to think he can do no wrong - he is the firstborn and all that." David rolls his eyes. "Never mind that he spends more of his time getting drunk than being productive. The finance itself isn't so bad, but it was never a passion."
Not in the same way that this... could very well become one, if he has a chance.

[timelessinventor]

"Ah. It was simply something to do." That is something that Helena knows quite well. "And I do sympathize about brothers, darling. I have one who is rather a pain as well. He seems to think he knows everything that would be good for me. Not a drunkard, though."

[this_isaturn]

"In that case, he's got something going for him, at least." And while there is a line between caring about someone and thinking you know what's best for them, at least he does care, if that description's anything to go by.
"What do you do when you're not here? Are you married?"

[timelessinventor]

"Oh, a little bit of this, and a little bit of that. I've written a few short stories that have been published, and I research things." She shakes her head. "I have a great distaste for a man considering me his property, so I much prefer making my own way in the world."

[this_isaturn]

"Ah. Well, congratulations on being published."
David's really not surprised to hear she's unmarried, what with the trousers and all. But being published is an accomplishment, to be sure.

[timelessinventor]

"Thank you, darling. I am starting to work on a novel. I doubt they will let me publish it under my own name, but hope does spring eternal."

[this_isaturn]

"Why would they not?"
Women have been published under their own names, haven't they?

[timelessinventor]

"I wish to write scientific books, darling. Not romances or morality tales. Things that women should not write, let alone study." She rolls her eyes.

[this_isaturn]

"Oh, no, how simply terrible. As though men have ever had a monopoly on pondering the possibilities of science."
(If he were from a different time, he'd finish that off with 'film at eleven.')

[timelessinventor]

"Oh, do hush, you." She grins at him, a smirk crossing her face. "I believe we will get along quite swimmingly."

[this_isaturn]

"Well, without Mrs. Shelley, would anyone consider buying it at all?" Helena's current reading choice is in a different category, he feels.
David smiles. "I should hope so, since I suspect we'll be seeing a lot of each other."

[timelessinventor]

"Mrs. Shelley did not publish under her own name, and was in a different time. However, I do not believe that is your point, which is well taken."

[this_isaturn]

David shrugs. "Anonymously done or not, the groundwork wouldn't be there if she hadn't written it in the first place."

[k39zzz]

"An excellent point, Mr. Wolcott."

Josephine can't help giggling a little at David's reaction to her sudden appearance; she turns it into blowing Helena a kiss. "Thank you for getting started, Helena. Come along, David, it's time for you to have a proper tour."