Archivist note: This post is from an older recovered archive.
The Chronicles of Scottie Melnik – Tonight I Met A Girl… – May 30
((Posted by Scottie Melnik on May 30, 2010))
Tonight I met a girl. How many times could I start a story like that? I’ve tried to count but I’m out of fingers and the more I think about it I would need more than my toes could add. There’s no doubt that I’ve always had a soft spot for the ladies and that’s gotten me in as much trouble as it has good conversations. I also recently wrote about how much I love dancing in general. Tonight I had a wonderful dance partner in Miss Ying and when she left I looked around and called on a blond girl I had never seen before. What followed was… interesting.
In all reality I’m getting ahead of myself here. For some reason, Babbage has had a bit of a walking dead problem. They just seem to crop up from time to time and the strangest thing is that these poor bodies have been raised via two different means: scientific pursuit and occult forces.
The occult has always gotten a bad shake as there are a few bad apples spoiling the bunch. It is really the study of a deeper meaning or truth to the world around us. Science is the same thing, only pursued by a different, and typically safer, means. This is, of course, except in Babbage where both seem to be practiced in reckless abandon. I know that the two are linked but it’s a matter of finding that link, that equation between the occult and the sciences that is missing. If nothing else, the fact that both have been used to bring about the same results (in varying degrees of success) proves it.
So tonight I met a girl on the dance floor of the Grand Ball and Tea Room during the Clockhaven Train Wreck. She seemed very direct right from the start, which isn’t unusual in and of itself, but when I introduced myself she replied merely that I may call her “Vee”. Yes, just “Vee”.
Right then a few alarms went off as I hadn’t encountered anything quite like this in Babbage, but that had never stopped me before I came here and I was determined to not let it stop me now. I proceeded to ask her what brought her to our fair city and she seemed to sidestep the question, replying that it was just business. We talked about the people in the city and she remarked that people in general vary slightly.
This struck a chord with me. I’ve always been a very social person, usually listening to anyone willing to talk and in my experience people vary greatly. Only someone who keeps personal contact to a minimum or sits and studies people from a distance would come to that conclusion. Again, more alarm bells. Again, I press on.
I asked her what kind of business she was on and she said she was doing research. Ah, and she said the “Scientific Academy pays well for such endeavors.” I’d heard of this Academy somewhere before but at the time I had to push it to the side as the conversation was coming quickly. It’s really a good thing I’m taking the time to write all of this down, and relatively sober to boot.
I asked her what field she was studying and she said that she was investigating rumors of the reanimation of the dead. She asked if I knew Mr. Underby. I said that I had heard of him and just as I was thinking about why an apparent scientist would be looking in on someone such as him she said that she may be here for some other reason. I asked her if she’d heard of Mr. Footman and she only knew of him in passing. I thought it strange that someone investigating the zombie problem didn’t seem all that interested in either of those two. More alarms…
I shared that I believed the sciences and the occult seemed to conspire to raise the dead in Babbage. She surprised me by saying that the two are tied closer than most believed. Right then I was hooked, and somewhat taken aback. The flow of the conversation had been in one direction so far and taking what I’d heard into account I wasn’t sure what to make of her. Again, her directness was almost startling. She was a woman on a mission, it seemed. I’m usually an open book when speaking with folks and I’ll not lie, but suddenly I felt a need to bend the truth a bit. It was just a feeling.
Now she started asking questions of me. She asked if I was a man of science and I said I dabbled. I neglected to mention I had dabbling was rather extensive in the fields of biology and physiology. She got quiet at the mention of me being a mere novice so I decided to push a bit. I told her that I had come into possession of vampire blood and I was hoping to study it.
She didn’t even react to this revelation, which I’d think would at least be something of a surprise to most. But she did start asking more questions. What kinds of tests? Studying the difference between vampire blood and human blood. Was I researching by myself? Yes, but I have other responsibilities including a book I was writing. Was the book on my studies? Not the one I’m working on but the next one will be. Would I keep the scientific method in mind as I study? To the best of my ability.
She said some of the most curious things after this rapid-fire exchange that made me glad I had held back as much information as I did. She said that the utmost care had to be used when studying and that not doing so could lead to scientific ruin, as it did with a gentleman who studying the skills of mediums. That was something else that sounded familiar at the time. She continued on to say I should be careful who I share my studies with and made mention that I could make a lot of money from my studies. While I wasn’t in it for money, that did intrigue me. I asked who would pay for such knowledge and I got the strangest answer. She said they were not really scientists, but fakes.
She concluded by outright suggesting that I merely stick to dancing. I attempted to compliment her and she said that she was in no need of flattery. She then excused herself in that same, direct manner she’d used all night.
Conclusion? I have no idea. At the time I started writing this the feeling that something was wrong here was rather strong and rather tainted my view of the exchange. However, having finished it on paper I find myself still cautious, but wondering. I realize where I’d heard of the Scientific Academy and the disgraced scientist studying mediums. They both seem to be in reference to Miss Bilavio’s father. Miss Vee hadn’t mentioned the man or Lia but it was clear she probably knew of him.
Just who was this girl? And was she warning me against my pursuits or offering a bit of advice? I needed to speak with Lia about this woman. Maybe it was nothing, maybe it was the key to these missing (or misplaced) books of her father’s. With all that’s been going on in Babbage and with the Bilavio family one thing was for certain: you can’t take anything for granted.
