He came out a few minutes later. He had always had dark circles under his eyes, but if she looked closely, she would notice that they were twitching with nerves. He came to her side, raising one eyebrow. "What have you come up with?"
She folded her hands, putting down the pencil. "Well.. I was thinking. Maybe I could make a automaton that looks like me. Maybe I could try to make a replica that has habits and expressions and movements exactly like mine. Maybe it could introduce itself to the judges but then I reveal to them that it's a robot..?"
He squinted at her for a moment, but it was more thoughtful than anything else. "Do you think you could make it that realistic?"
She was tapping her paper as she spoke, growing excited. "Some of the materials might be hard to find, but I think I'd be able to do it.."
"Hm. I'm interested," he said, looking down at her with what might have been pride. "When can you get a prototype going?"
She tapped her finger. "I'm not sure. I think I'll start with just a skeleton so I can focus more on making it act real."
"I'm not a master," she decided, looking thoughtful. "But I will figure it out with trial and error."
He nodded, seeming satisfied. "With the Journeyman's Creation, you must recognize that I cannot help you. You may use my workshop, but I cannot answer questions for you."
A bell tolled inside the back room and he frowned, glancing over his shoulder. "Excuse me," he said as he stood up.
She said nothing, surprised by his sudden reaction. Her brows furrowed and she nodded slowly. "Okay."
