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Anne Blakely     Anne's shop is currently in a small town, on the outskirts of a snow-covered road. It's not hard to find, and it seems pretty benign this time. And, in fact, coming into the shop shows that she's currently selling mostly small wooden puppets and wind-up toys. Christmas season at all. Though... Staren might recognize Penelope sitting on the counter, eyes glowering. Not quite so sinister when wearing a santa cap, though.

    Not that the little construct will hold up Staren should he head directly to the workshop. Blakely is pretty involved in her work right now, and it does involve magic... but it's largely magic because she's holding a small casing by levitating it, lining up the gears and springs through telekinetic force. Looks like the sign outside was only /part/ lying when it claimed handmade toys.
Staren     Staren flies along the road on his broom, landing outside the shop. His eyes widen a little as he sees Penelope, and he looks ready to fight... But when she doesn't challenge him, he walks on in. "I just realized, you're the proprietor of a little shop that wasn't there yesterday. Guess there's money in that business after all."

    Staren takes a deep breath, and pulls his hood down. "So... you wanted to explain to me... What you're really doing. And maybe I can get across... Why I've been trying to kill you. And why I'm not now."
Anne Blakely     The screws and springs tighten, and the little clockwork dog is set down. "More interested in the latter. You're hardly the first to claim what I do is immoral. And perhaps it is, but that doesn't really concern me right now." She steps around to the front of the work table, frowning slightly. "Plenty of money in running a normal shop... but neither of us are in the League for finance, are we?"

    She taps the dog, and it toddles in a circle. Doesn't look like that one is sentient at all. "Right now, my concern is professional. I want you to fit in smoothly with the League, as we could use your talents. I'm sure you have concerns about your allies that need addressed, as well."
Staren     Staren watches the dog as Anne speaks, then tilts his head. "And have you ever... understood? Why they claimed that?" He sighs, and begins to pace back and forth along one side of the room. "Once upon a time, I just did what felt right. I analyzed those feelings... I don't see why they couldn't be understood like anything else, and suspected they revolved around a series of values, although... it's difficult for me to see my own programming, so to speak, so I have to look at results, and thoughts, and see how I feel..."
    Staren shakes his head. "Sorry, I'm rambling. Anyway, I came to see what I did as... removing people who were of a negative value to the world. Or rather, to the future of the world."

    "And then I met someone who watched someone destroy her friendships, and her world, and was still willing to make friends with him. ...He didn't take her up on the offer. But that inspired me. If... if someone could be made into a friend..." He shakes his head. "Long story short. I don't hope for /friendship/ with you. But if my being here can help people like you in the league make things better for people, instead of worse... Well, it seemed an opportunity far greater than just... wandering around killing bad guys. I have to at least try."
Anne Blakely     Tsk. "Understood? I think I did at one time. But not now. I understand well enough to know that people dislike some of the things I do, enough that I don't do them lightly. I simply have different priorities." Anne steps aside, resting her hand on a support beam with a thoughtful look. "And that is important. Not priorities, but the lack of understanding. Every thing, eveyr organization has its weak spots. This beam has a flaw, running from... here to the top. A subtle flaw, not worthy of note normally, but for the stress it is under." She taps the beam.

    "Yet..." she continues. "That invisible flaw can be accounted for. The buttress above, and the join there. The flaw will never be important because, under most circumstances, no load will be placed upon it. The beam supports as a whole, and the flaw cannot be exploited. Just as we can shore up your flaws... and you ours, that we cannot see for ourselves. I think that earlier today was the best example of this."
Staren     Staren makes a scoffing sound as she mentions 'his flaws'. "Flaws..." He paces a circle around the room. "The world is what it is. Flaws are percieved in the eye of someone who has a plan in mind, a use for something, or someone, or a set of values. Even things that are magically cursed, imprinted with the very concept of flawedness... it manifests in one way or another. That beam is cracked, flawed for the purpose of holding this place up, and you've had to engineer around it... But were you to desire a piece of firewood, the crack would be no flaw at all. Simply an irrelevant fact about the shape of the wood."

    He takes a deep breath. "I've thought more than most about morals. I understood that some things were right and some things were wrong, from a young age. And I wanted to know why..." he shakes his head. "Rambling again. My point is, ultimately, I value people, and all the things about them, and the situations they're in, and the situations they create, according to that metric. Science is a tool. We shape the cruel and uncaring world to our desires... but to lose sight of that... There's no point in science if it can't help anyone."
Anne Blakely     Anne chuckles, "That's true, but remember that I said /hidden/ flaws. The architect of this place - which was not me, I acquired the shop well after it had been built - had no idea that the flaw was there, or how it would affect matters. The accounting for it was simply good engineering."

    She steps away, shaking her head. "But that isn't really what I am talking about. You are a scientist more than engineer, while I am the opposite. I build things because the appreciation of how things are put together is one of the few things I can still... feel. At one time I understood more. It is my nature to understand... but I think you knew that. What we are here for now is to see how you can be who you are and contribute as you like."
Staren     Staren stops pacing. "Funny... I would have said the same of myself. Learning how things work is cool in itself, but secondary to enabling me to do new things with what I learn." He turns towards Anne and puts his hands in his coat pockets. "So... what do you think I can contribute, here, without going counter to my own values and goals?"
Anne Blakely     "Yes, what you can do," Anne agrees. "As you've noticed, many people... mmn. Well, I may not understand fully why, but I do know that people get upset and that allies are important. Some of us... do not, as you have seen. Here is my proposal, then. If you want us to approach something in a more ethical manner, don't simply say it's because we should. Make it so that the ethical path in your mind is of equal or greater efficiency... roughly. That is your task. You may fail... in fact you may fail more often than you succeed, with some of our members. But I believe it will help keep the less constrained of our number in a more controlled course, and it will help you reduce the amount of whatever you consider atrocities. I think this is a mutually beneficial relationship."
Staren     Staren nods. "That's about what I was planning. Why I've been arguing against stealing for PR reasons, for instance. But... it's reassuring to hear you think it might work, even a little."

    He looks at her for a moment. "Do you ever think about trying to find a way to feel again? Such things were important to you once. If we've put events together correctly, you sacrificed your feelings /because/ something mattered to you so much. Do you feel feelings and morals would just get in the way of what's important to you, now?"
Anne Blakely     Anne shakes her head, "I don't think that was QUITE the right approach. It was an argument to you, but these people care more about efficiency. So do I. Your insistence had me consider a more efficient way to do the same thing that was not a problem for you, and thus eventually lead to the dragon idea. It was a task we would need to do anyway, so why not try to solve two problems? Stealing diamonds on top of killing a dragon would be extra effort. Present a solution that is simpler... to them. This may require you doing work to make it easier on them."

    She smiles. "Me, restore it? I have considered it, but it isn't that simple. I don't miss what I lost... but I suspect that is because I lost it. A better question is would I refuse a restoration? Probably not. I would lose my long life, but I remember caring little about that, before."
Staren     Staren nods at her assesment of what he needs to do for others... As for her... he scratches his head. "Well... even if we weren't on the same... side... now, I'd consider restoring them better than killing you, knowing what I know now. Why would you lose your long life, though? Oh... because it's somehow connected to your heart?" He paces along one side of the room again. "Advancing technology is all about having your cake and eating it too. Domesticating horses, building vehicles, allows you to get somewhere without doing the work of walking. Dragons and elves and whatnot often live pretty long in the multiverse, and there are robots built with morals and feelings. So long life and those things are not fundamentally incompatible. There probably is a way to have both."

    He stops, and tilts his head, looking at her. "You really mean that? That you remember it being important enough, that you'd take morals and emotions back, if I could find a way to offer them?"
Anne Blakely     "You aren't the first to suggest it... nor would you be the first to try. Half a century ago, one of the Middletons tried... and failed." Anne smiles thinly. "Consider that a little start if you'd like to pursue this. But I promise you, it is not a process I would resist unless it would disadvantage me immediately. Provided the process is not crippling, having my full range of emotions back is not something I object to. Without them, I can focus clearly on matters, but..."

    She looks at the dog, considers what to say. "... I said this was the only thing that brought me something resembling pleasure. Even so, my work often lacks passion. I do not miss it, but it is obviously an element that can be important."
Staren     Staren nods. Smiling slightly as she's willing to go so far as to give him a lead! "I see... thank you." He starts pacing again. "Is there anything else...? I mean... I'm curious about your work, too, but I don't know if now's the time..."
Anne Blakely     Anne sighs, "Probably not. I have work to do... I was only building because it helps me think. Getting a new faction up and running is a lot of work, as it turns out, and though the Doctor is very, very good at what he does, I have the advantage of being a known quantity. We should save shop talk for another day. I would be willing to talk theories and show you what I do later."

    Suddenly, she pauses, then adds, "Since you take such affront to it, I should be clear in stating that the majority of my creations do not require a living being."
Staren     Staren nods. "I was beginning to gather such, since you seemed to insinuate so previously. Well... I don't know if it means anything to you right now beyond reassurance that I'll be able to help more in the League than I could otherwise, but thank you for talking with me. I'll... leave you to your thinking, then." He walks back out to the storefront, looks around it for a few minutes, then walks off into the night.