Chapter Text
The outside of the factory had a rustic appeal. Literally. The Heisenberg Factory dates its origins back several decades and it certainly shows by their rusty gates. Gates that are evidently closed.
A woman has been standing in front of them for some time now. Behind the gate was a wheat field, several broken down tanks from one of the World Wars scattered about, and a shack which, she assumes, leads into the factory. Usually, there would be workers going in and out of this place but the woman has had no luck with anyone doing either to let her in. She’s even tried calling out hoping that someone would hear her, but she’s fairly certain that her voice was being drowned out by the noise of the factory in the works. Climbing was an option but the young woman wouldn’t take the risk of ripping one of the few dresses she owns.
She huffs in annoyance and takes another look at the gate, her eyes quickly finding what she was looking for. A power box attached to the side of the gate with a number pad. The young woman walks to the power box and takes a moment to rummage through her bag. With a brief, satisfied smile, she pulls out a tool and makes quick work with opening the box. Before her were a set of colored wires and some buttons that make a code lock. She ignores them completely and instead searches for the button separate from them, giving it a quick push. The desired buzz fills her ears and she perks up at the sight of the gated doors opening before her. The woman puts her tool away and clasps her hands flat together to her chest.
“Mother Miranda, forgive me for my transgression,” she prays.
The woman walks along the path to the shack and finds the entrance open already. Without a second thought, she enters the space. The shack was cluttered with metal parts and tools all carelessly laid about on the shelves, the floors, and whatever tables she can spot.
Is it always this messy here? , she mused.
Suddenly, a loud buzz was heard before a voice muddled by static echoed in the unkept room.
“Well, well. What do we have here? A brave little kitten stealing into a wolf’s den. You know you can get yourself into real trouble for trespassing like that, darling.”
Startled by the unexpected voice evidently directed at her, the young woman nearly jumps in her skin. When she hears no footsteps approaching and sees no figures approaching her from anywhere, she takes a deep breath and takes a better look at her surroundings. Along the ceiling, she noted wires, a speaker, and what looked like a camera focused in her direction hanging overhead. She straightens her posture and strides towards the camera.
She clears her throat, “Forgive me, there was no one at the gate. I’m looking for Lord Heisenberg, is he in?”
“You’re talking to him, buttercup.”
Her eyes lit up at this, her head giving a slight bow before the camera. “My lord, forgive me for coming like this, without permission and unannounced. But I need to speak with you. May I have a moment of your time, please?”
Several seconds pass. A minute. She believes that he won’t answer her plea, her shoulders slightly dropping but the sound of several clicks reaches her ears and her eyes catch the unmistakable blink of a red light buzz above the door to the wall nearest her. The static of a microphone fills the hall.
“Step into my office.”
The woman gulps the nerves down her throat and summons the courage to walk towards the door, through it, down a few short corridors before finally reaching another door. It felt like an eternity getting there, much of the feeling due to her growing anxiety and the lack of light in the narrow spaces, but she steeled herself to enter all the same.
If she thought the hallway was bad, the office was worse. There was only a single light from a bulb hanging low from the ceiling in what she thinks is the middle of the room. It hardly illuminated everything save for the dirty grated floor beneath it, everything else was pitch black. The sight left an ominous feeling in her stomach.
“Well? Come under the light, kitten. Want a better look at you.” Without the buzz of the intercoms to modulate the sound, the man’s voice was smoother with a slight, almost dramatic husk with each syllable.
She did as she was told, using her hands to navigate herself through the darkness and be careful not to bump into any objects along the way. Even under the overhead light, the woman had to squint at her surroundings warily. The room was so poorly lit, the only indication that there was another person in the same room as her was the bright burn of the end of a cigar being smoked heavily across from her. It was held by what she could make out to be a large figure that was now approaching her with heavy steps. The pace was slow and loud, making the woman’s heart beat louder in her chest, but she refused to move from her spot.
The shadowy figure circles around her like an animal sizing up their prey. Finally, they stopped before her and the woman nearly backed away from her spot. This is the first time the woman has ever seen the Lord of House Heisenberg in person. She’s seen his black-and-white portrait framed and hung at the church altar along with the photos of Miranda Miranda and the rest of the Four Lords, but his eyes were obscured by the shadow of his signature hat and his face was turned to the side. The photo paled in comparison to him in the flesh.
The man was a giant compared to her, broad shouldered and wide, towering over her with his head tilted down just to face her eye-to-eye. He was wearing a worn black hat atop a head of wavy, greasy-looking silver hair that barely ended at his chin. He also wore an old trench coat, a simple cream collared shirt and brown pants with a few utility belts attached, and steel-toed heavy-duty boots. Around his thick neck hung a low hanging necklace that held small trinkets that the woman couldn’t name off the top of her head, and resting on the bridge of his nose was a pair of dark round shades that did little to hide the brilliant color of his cold grey eyes beneath. He had an unkempt beard and scars across his face that seemed to only accentuate his rugged features. His appearance gave away that of a man of action and impressive brute strength, power and confidence evident in his posture.
The man speculates the young woman before him from behind his glasses, his eyes locked onto hers as he lifts his cigar to his lips and takes a long, deep drag. The way he’s looking at her almost makes the woman shiver. He holds in the smoke for a moment before blowing it all in her face. The woman tilts her face away, coughing lightly to push the smoke and overpowering smell from her. She didn’t miss the amused chuckle rumbling from the man’s throat.
He tilts his head to the side, “You don’t seem like any of the usual girls that come here.”
What is that supposed to mean? She had an idea, but she dared not think about it let alone say it aloud and risk offending the older man. “No… No, I don’t believe I am?”
The lord hums. “That’s a shame. You’re pretty enough.”
The woman can only blink at his blunt statement. One of the feared rulers of the village just gave her a roundabout compliment. Lord Heisenberg was a rather handsome man in a rough sort of way, there was no doubt that he would have no difficulty in finding “intimate” company. The woman has heard the rumors revolving around him in that area from the blushing ladies that boasted about their time spent with him in the factory. The young woman standing before him at present only ever dismissed them as rumors out of respect until now, and even then, this sort of talk isn’t on her priority list. There were more important things on her mind, but she wasn’t sure how to proceed about them.
Thankfully, the older man steered the conversation for them before her cheeks could burn any hotter. “So, kitten… What do you want?”
“Lord Heisenberg-“
“Mmm, good start.”
The woman had to stop her heart from leaping at the way he said that and continued with clenched teeth. “You have many workers under your employ.”
“Indeed.”
“Many who work the mines and the power plant, there are also a lot of hands who see to the stability of our roads, bridges, and overall infrastructure of the village under your direction.”
“You here to thank me for doing such a great job at keeping this village intact, sweetheart?” He says with evident boredom in his voice, his eyes looking at an empty spot on one of the walls with faux interest.
“Uhh…well, yes, of course I am grateful for all you’ve done for the village and the people, but-“
“But?” This made the man turn his attention back to the woman quickly and in turn, she nearly squirmed under his bright gaze.
“But… ” she continues carefully, “it can be improved upon.”
He considers the woman with narrow eyes, looking down at her from his nose. With an unamused grunt, he steps back from her and snaps his fingers. Several lights in the room come on and now the woman can see Lord Heisenberg clearly, from every single bit of soot and dirt on his long coat and the rest of his clothes to the frown that sits on his handsome face.
The man crossed his arms, his teeth showing as he spoke, “Got one chance to explain.”
That’s not a good sign.
The woman was only so quick to respond, “What I mean is this village is… independent from the other regions. We as a people strive to be self-sufficient and it shows with all the time that the same people, who work for you, Lord Heisenberg, commit daily to make life here good.”
The more she spoke, the more confident she felt sharing her intentions with the man leering at her. “But as a man of science, “good” isn’t enough, right?”
“Keep going,” he encourages, his boot tapping against the floor in faux impatience. “Get to the point, girl.”
“Don’t you want those who work under you to do more than good? Is there no room for better ?”
The man waves off her question, “You’re dancing around. It takes workers to keep the factory and the village running good.”
She counters, “True, but engineers are the ones who can make both run better.”
“Oh?” The engineer smiles at her answer. “Touché.”
The woman steps out from her spot, one pace closer to the man. “I want to do better. I want to be an engineer. And I want you to teach me how to become one.”
“You? An engineer?” Heisenberg gives out a loud, amused huff. “That’s rich. Do you even have any experience? Any prior knowledge of the field?”
She felt this question coming and tackled it head on, “I’ve had my fair share of repairing some of the electrical appliances throughout the village. With success.”
The man nods, “Yeah, I saw the quick work you did with the gate. Anything else?”
“No,” she admitted, shaking her head.
“So if I’m correct, buttercup, you want me to teach you the trade of an engineer without any real experience or basic knowledge of the sort all just to improve life on this sink-hole of a village?”
“It won’t be a sink-hole if we can stabilize its foundation.”
“It would require intimate knowledge of the lay of the land as well as the technical know-how to build upon it and to build for it without disrupting the moutainscape’s ecosystem and integrity,” he countered with dramatic motions of his hands and arms for emphasis. He does this whilst moving about the space like he’s performing in one of the plays that the villagers would write and put together every now and then. “You would need to be able to construct that which could properly function and withstand the region’s harsh and changing weather conditions for years to come. Machines and foundations break down often and will break over time. Ours is not the kind of place that can use resources so generously when that happens.”
He steals a meaningful glance at the woman, she could feel his gaze roam over his face from behind his tinted glasses. “Don’t take this the wrong way, sweetheart. With a face like yours, you can spend that time doing better things than tinkering with machinery you’re unfamiliar with.”
He was underestimating her and she didn’t like it one bit. Instead of getting angry and letting her annoyance show, the woman presses on, determination in her face.
“This village can and needs to improve. The way of life for the people can be better and your expertise can provide the means to make that happen. Will you teach me to do what you do so that I can make that into reality or not? It’ll put less weight on your shoulders if you had an apprentice under your wing. A fresh set of eyes to see your work on the same level as you do.”
This made the man’s brow raise in amusement. He can tell that this woman truly put a lot of thought into this, whatever this is, and gave her the damndest to appeal to his better nature. To have someone to talk to about his work and them not being an idiot, but an actual intellectual to share his thoughts on his projects with- it certainly is a tempting idea. But there was one thing he had in mind…
“You’re persistent, I’ll give you that much.” He crossed his arms. “What do you have to offer in exchange for my genius?”
The woman’s brows rose at the question. He didn't immediately reject her request and that was a good sign. Now they’re talking business. “I…I don’t have any money. But I’m certain that given time, I’ll earn enough in some way to repay your lessons.”
“Hm…” he takes another drag of his cigar, his eyes roaming over the woman’s form as he does it. “And what if I wanted payment now? Payment of a different kind.”
“I-I… I’m not sure what you mean, my lord.” The woman unconsciously adjusts the open cloak around her shoulders, Heisenberg didn’t fail to notice this.
“Sure you do. You look like you actually have a brain to match that body of yours,” he drawls, his eyes slowly roaming the young woman’s body appreciatively before rising up to meet hers. “Like I said- you’re pretty enough. Take a real good guess, sweetheart.”
He takes slow strides towards her again and the woman is reminded that the top of her head barely reaches the top of his shoulder. Evidently the lord has no sense of personal space. Just like before, the lord takes a deep hit from his cigar, a longer intake than before, before removing it from his mouth and hovering that same hand before the woman’s cheek. This motion and his bright eyes locking with hers dared her not to move and so she didn’t, her body tensing as the man lowered his head to hers. Their noses are nearly touching. The air around them was growing unbearingly hotter and the woman felt her lips parting slightly in an attempt to breathe easier and calm down her thrashing nerves. Heisenberg sees this, a satisfied glint in his eyes as he mimics her mouth and releases the smoke that he kept in, some of the wisps catching into her mouth.
He sees her body visibly shudder at the taste of the cloud and a pleased grin slowly forms on his face. She’s cute , he thought. “What do you say, buttercup?”
A moment of silence passes between them.
She coughs the smoke out of her mouth, “…No.”
The wolfish grin that donned his smug face dropped instantly. He didn’t expect that. “No?”
The young woman was shaking. It took great willpower for her to remember her purpose, anger boiling in her veins and under heated, seething breath, “No. I will not be coerced into any of your games. I don’t care if you are a lord of a noble house or one of Mother Miranda’s favored. I refuse to be played with like some toy to be broken for your sick amusement. If that’s your price, I’ll find another way to help the people. I don’t need you.”
With that, she turns from the lord in a huff and makes her way to the door she entered from. As soon as she pulls upon the metal handle, the steel door immediately slams shut with a loud bang! The woman jumps back in fright.
She hears the familiar sound of boots walking towards her. “No one walks away from me, kitten.” Heisenberg’s voice was riddled with what can only be described as anger. Anger at being challenged. Anger at being rejected. By someone lesser than him. That’s what the woman thought was running in his mind, believing it to be more and more true as he closed in on her again with slow, deliberate strides. She’s heard of the Four Lords possessing power beyond human capabilities but to witness it firsthand and possibly be at the receiving end of its mercy was a singularly terrifying feeling on its own.
On instinct, she places her hand on his chest and tries to push back. No luck. The man felt like a wall against her palm. He just kept going, kept moving closer to her until it was only her hands that separated his body from completely pressing against hers. Her back against the wall, his hands on either side of her head and effectively trapping her in place. She was at his mercy. His face was dangerously close to hers and as his lips seemingly dipped towards her open mouth, the woman twisted her head in a last-ditch effort of defiance. Heisenberg can feel the heat of her hands as she still tries to shove him away to no avail just as much as the woman can feel his breath burning against her neck.
Suddenly, the man starts laughing. Not like his previous husky or taunting chuckles, but actual heartfelt laughter booming deep from his belly. “Such spark! Never in all my years as a lord has anyone spoken to me like that! Where the hell have you been hiding in his cesspool of a village all this time?”
The young woman wasn’t sure if Lord Heisenberg was asking her or if he was still high on amusement and simply speaking aloud. Most likely the latter, she felt, as the large man was still laughing his guts out. Eventually, he comes down with a long, content sigh and moves away from the woman, keeping his body well at arm’s length from her. She relaxed, her arms now lowered to her sides, waiting for the man’s next move with wary eyes.
“I like you,” Heisenberg breathed, a huge, bright smile plastered on his rugged face. “What did you say your name was?”
She never said her name. But she gave it to him anyway.