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There was a peculiar spark in his heart when he locked eyes with the man - or at least, whatever the equivalent of a heart was for a robot like himself. It felt as if he momentarily short-circuited.
Long silver locks that fell just at his shoulders, a small gold hoop adorning his left ear, and cocky grin that accentuated his smile lines and the wrinkles around his eyes.
Something.
Something about him seemed familiar.
Something he couldn't quite put his finger on no matter how hard he tried. By now he had come to terms with the fact that some of his memories before a certain point were lost to time, but that didn't make it feel any less frustrating.
The man got up from his desk, which was scattered with blueprints and research notes. He cleared his throat and spoke.
"Judging by the cape and giant horns," the man looked him up and down, "You must be this 'Great Demon King' I've heard all about?"
He nodded.
"I suppose that's the moniker people have given me." He paused for a moment, tapping his chin, "But please, call me Ziggy."
The man chuckled, "Fine by me. Less of a mouthful."
"Anyways," Ziggy's eyes wandered across the room full of bookshelves stacked to the brim with textbooks and shelves littered with gadgets and miscellaneous parts. "I'm here because I was told you're the finest robotics engineer in the cosmos."
He smiled, this time a bit softer, "I suppose that's what some people may call me, but the name's Weisz. Professor Weisz Steiner."
Weisz Steiner, eh?
In the foggy recesses of his mind, a wire sparked. A jolt, suggesting it was a name he'd somehow heard before.
He shook his head. It wasn't the time to set his mind adrift.
"Professor, I'd like to ask for your help if I may," he started, as the other man casually leaned against his desk while scratching his chin. "I consider myself fairly decent at mechanics, to a degree anyways. But I've hit a wall."
"What seems to be the issue?"
"You see, I've all but completed construction of this little bot," Ziggy motioned to the small dormant android he held in his arms. She was barely bigger than his hand, adorned with bunny ears. The professor raised an eyebrow.
"A cute little bot like this is part of a demon's crew?"
"Indeed. And for the most part everything is in order, but something just isn't right. I need to repair her as soon as possible," his voice trailed off as he stared down at the little one in his arms. "She's special. I know she's going to be very important for me and my crew one day."
The silver haired man took a step towards the two, his eyes narrowed as he briefly inspected the android. He then looked up at Ziggy, gesturing towards her, "May I?"
Ziggy nodded, and the professor placed his left hand on the tiny bot's head. Suddenly, yellow ether lines appeared on his arm and began to glow.
His eyes widened as something within him jolted again. Ziggy had never met the professor before, and yet he had seen this use of ether gear before - he was all but certain. How else could it be so familiar?
"You use ether gear as well, Professor?" He pressed, hoping to glean more information on the matter.
"That I do. It helps a great deal with my studies."
"Is that why you learned it?"
"Not really. It was something I happened to pick up when I was young." The look in the professor's eyes shifted, now slightly more melancholic, "it's proved to be a very beneficial skill, but it also got me into my fair share of trouble."
"I see."
The professor removed his hand from the bot and scrunched his face, taking a moment to process the information and decide which course of action to take. He hummed.
"I think I know just what it is she needs. Do you mind leaving her with me for a little while?"
"Not at all, Professor," Ziggy agreed, gently placing the small bot in the professor's arms. "Your assistance is greatly appreciated."
"Of course."
"How much do I owe you for your services?"
"Don't worry about anything like that," the old man waved his free hand back and forth. "This lass is obviously special to you, so I'll do what I can and that's the end of it."
Ziggy felt something within him increase in warmth. It wasn't any sort of overheating or functionality issue - running a system check he found that everything was in working order - so he wondered what it could be.
Either way, as soon as he saw the professor's soft smile he was at a brief loss of words.
"Then please allow me to buy you a drink sometime," Ziggy insisted, a hint of desperation in his voice. "To…to thank you for your kindness."
The professor chuckled, "Now that, I'll take you up on Mr. Demon King."
Truly, he looked forward to it. He wanted to know more about the professor, and what caused him to react in such a way.
For some reason, something was pulling him in.
And despite having achieved a complete mastery over gravity, this time he found himself absolutely powerless in controlling it.