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Trenniel narrowed her eyes at Devlin Quicksilver and asked coldly, "What do MY dreams have to do with YOUR life?"

The human man looked around his dusty workshop and considered a moment. He got a fixed look in his eyes and gazed back up at her, "I have seen the way your whole world works... everything... fits! I was hoping you might allow me to raise a daughter in your forest... that's why I built her!" he exclaimed, gesturing at the lifeless metal form.

Trennial silently turned and began walking out of the room again. As she reached the door she looked back at Devlin, "No. We do /not/ allow men of meat into Our Forest. Nor do we allow /artificial/ clockwork women!"

Devlin fell to the floor, unsure what more could be done in a situation such as this! He began to weep.

Trenniel smiled a bit, "However!" she said as she took a step closer to the fallen man, "Since you have become a host to our beautiful Singularity, we can allow your mind."

Devlin looked up, confused... but there was a gleam of hope in the corners of his eyes. "I- I don't know what you mean..."

The clockwork woman knelt down and whispered to him, "We have a special device that can allow a human mind to be input into the network of Our Forest... and since you cried out for help and because you had true and pure intentions, we will allow you to be one of us. Simply use all those parts in your workshop to build it. We will make sure you can find the information easily within the databanks of our Singularity."

Devlin sat stock straight up, eyes wide as coasters. "Oh thank you... thank you so much!"

Trenniel put a finger softly to his lips. "Do not thank me yet... man of meat."

"W-why?"

"Because you are going to have to take care of this workshop first! Sell off everything you are not using, and then contact us, we will help you find the secret location of Our Forest. We cannot leave this mansion of dust just sitting here unattended. This would draw untoward attention amongst the human population and you would have learned *absolutely* nothing from this whole situation!"

The clockwork woman stood up and stepped quietly away into the darkness.

Devlin Quicksilver ran to his workshop and began toiling away like never before...

This is the very key that would one day wind the coil springs of his new body!