You keep inching towards Leona, hoping that you can grab her and make a break for it before the workshop's owner gets a fix on you. However, your divided attention becomes your downfall...literally. Unable to navigate the piles of random mechanisms in the dark, as you shuffle backwards, you catch your heel on a piece of metal, and down you go. Luckily, you happen to fall against something soft: Leona. Unluckily, the fall causes you to lose your grip on Cain, who seems to be becoming more nuisance than nice. Rather than doing something rational, like bolting for the door or hiding, Cain takes off directly for the workshop's owner, not in a necessarily aggressive manner, but you can't take the risk that the pup might get itself hurt, even if it was doing it on purpose.
"C'mon, we need to grab that guy!" you hiss under your breath into Leona's ear as you pull your wings in, leap to your feet, and race forward. By the movement you barely spot out of the corner of your eye, you know Leona is following your lead. As the flashlight happens to blink back on, you see Cain coming to a halt at the owner's feet and sitting back on his haunches, you realize the owner is bending down towards the pup. You make a dive for Cain, hoping to grab the pup first, which you barely manage. However, before you can get up or react, something goes flying over your head and crashes into the workshop's owner, sending random objects clanging and clattering in every direction.
"Hey now, no need to get personal!" you hear the strange voice huff amidst the sound of clanking metal, and you realize what has happened. Grabbing the flashlight from the floor, you turn it towards the noise to see a flailing Leona trying to get her feet under her, and beneath her, a strange moving object which you assume is the workshop's owner, although you can't get a good glimpse.
"I meant we needed to grab Cain, you know, not..." you begin to say exasperatedly, but trail off as Leona finally rolls to a side, giving you a clear view of your newest acquaintance. Trying to gather itself together was a collection of gears that would have been right at home in the workshop, except for the fact that it had a humanoid form, and even some clothes hanging from that form. The nearest you could figure, it was...
"It's like that thing from Doctor Who!" Leona squeaks in surprise, too freaked out to successfully get back on her paws. "What's it called..."
"A robot," you exhale in awe. "Although I'd say it's more like C-3PO..."
"What's a seethry-pio?" Leona manages to ask, which leads you to shake the cobwebs from your brain. Stepping closer, you notice that Leona's pounce seems to have completely broken off the mechanical arm which held the switchblade.
"Look, you didn't have to 'disarm' me," the robot said flatly, with an oddly human-esque voice. "I thought you were that damn giant squirrel; blasted critter likes to get in here and chew up my wires something awful." As it opined, the robot ignored his broken limb, pulling out the connection point at his shoulder, then reaching over for an arm-like attachment from another pile, which it easily inserted it like a plug in a socket. "There we are, that'll do for now," it stated, opening and shutting the prongs which served as fingers.
"What - who - are you?" you finally think to ask.
"Hardin's the name," the robot responded easily. "Professional horologer. Say, think you could hit that button over there? I don't have many batteries and they're devilish hard to charge." You blink for a second.
"A wha-?" Leona takes the question right out of your mouth.
"Pretentious name for a watchmaker," the robot replies, seemingly accustomed to such a reaction. "The button?" it asks again, looking at you. You hesitate out of wariness.
"What does it do?" you finally reply.
"Should shed some light on the subject," Hardin says comfortably. "Literally." Not sure if you trust Hardin, you debate following his instructions. However, you would like to get on the good side of someone who has electricity in this place, if only to find a way to call for help. You reach over, and upon pressing the button, all the machines come to a halt and a dim light pops on in a corner, giving you all enough light to see each other without the flashlight beam. "Looks like your little escapade wasted what charge I built up. No wonder the lights went out," Hardin says with what you assume is a frown.
"How...?" You begin to ask Hardin, but you are not sure what to ask about first. How did he make electricity? How did he get to the castle? How did he even exist? Thankfully, Hardin doesn't take much prodding as he leverages himself up so he can sit on one of the benches.
"This place is one helluva funhouse, as you've probably realized," Hardin responds, nodding at your wings. "I didn't always look like this, y'know. But like they said, curiousity killed the...well now!" Hardin finally took a look at Leona. "You must be the petrified little lady from the basement. Finally got out of that rocky situation, eh?"
"You know each other?" you ask Leona, who shakes her head negatively.
"Oh, I been wandering this place for dog's years," Hardin jumps in, eliciting a wag from Cain, who is still in your clutches. At this an avalanche of thoughts stampede through your head. Would Hardin know a way out, having been here a long time? If he did, why didn't he leave? If he had electricity, why didn't he call for help? Most importantly, could you trust him? You decide to at least try to get some information out of Hardin before you decide how to proceed.