Serendipity: Jovana And The Duke

"My family is well known for its military glory, but since I was a child, math and the mysteries of nature have been much more fascinating to me than horses and swords." Falcon said, and Jovana smiled at him.

"I can relate. I was choosing books over laces and dolls." Jovana said, and Falcon laughed.

"I can only imagine how pleased your mother must have been," Falcon said.

"Actually, she never put any sort of pressure on me. She always told me I should do what I feel is best." Jovana said,

"Now I can see where your wisdom comes from." Falcon said with a nod, and his eyes became deep and serious. "On my side, my scientific inclination didn't sit very well with my father's ideology and principles."

"Did he try to change your mind?" Jovana asked.

"Of course, every single day, at least for a while. Then, even he had to surrender to my stubbornness. But he spent the rest of his life looking at me with contempt. He never changed his mind about science. And he never told me he was proud of me. In all consciousness I think he never was." Falcon revealed, his eyes clouded with sadness.

"Wait a minute. You are one of a kind genius. Your ideas are changing the world. And your father couldn't get over the fact that you weren't interested in becoming cannon fodder in the army?" Jovana said,

Falcon nodded with a sour smile as he answered, "That's how Dad was."

"I'm sorry, Falcon. That sounds extremely unfair on his part," Jovana said.

"Don't worry about it. In fact, I believe that my childhood memories have ruined enough of this lovely day." Falcon said, as he stood up from the couch. "It's time to lighten up the atmosphere." He went to a cabinet across the room and opened it, revealing hundreds of serendipity vials.

"Wow, that's quite a collection," Jovana exclaimed. Falcon examined the vial against the light, losing himself in the depth of the bluish liquid.

"What a charming substance this is. But I still need to understand a few things before cracking the secret that makes it so special." Falcon said, while Jovana mused silently to herself, 'I would sell my soul to find out what he has discovered so far. Did he manage to imitate or improve the formula? If anyone could help me to save Eli, it's Falcon Ridley.'

"Oh yes, those vials are as much fun as they're a mystery. It's very exciting that no one knows how it works." Jovana said, and Falcon brightened at the thought of sharing his knowledge with Jovana.

"I wouldn't say no one." Falcon said, and Jovana smirked as she thought, 'He took the bait.'

"Did you crack the mystery?" She asked.

"Well, I tried to recreate the recipe a lot of times, but it seems impossible to imitate the compound without the original formula." Falcon said, and Jovana smiled inwardly as she said in her mind, 'Thank God for that. No weapons for the King.

"But I have a theory about how it works." Falcon said, and Jovana's heart skipped a beat for the emotional drop of the revelation. 'He does? Even I have no idea about how serendipity interacts with the body. Is it possible that Falcon figured out the missing piece?' Jovana mused, and despite the growing tension inside her, on the outside all Jovana showed was a straight face and a curious smile.

"How fascinating. And what's your theory?" She asked.

"I believe there are many variations of the same recipe. And that each variation targets different areas of the brain. So, in theory, with a massive list of all the variations and the effects, it should be possible to associate each individual ingredient with a similar area of the brain." Falcon explained, and the revelation was like a lightning bolt in a clear sky for Jovana as she exclaimed in her head, 'Oh my God. He's right. I could start isolating the ingredients that cause a physical response and cut out those that have only mental effects. If it works, I could cut the time needed to find the healing effect for Eli in half.'

Falcon continued, "To be honest, I'm so glad this substance exists. It's been a long time since I had so much fun experimenting."

"Well, yes, it seems like something special," Jovana said, and Falcon grinned at her.

"Would you like to run some experiments with me?" He said, while Jovana looked at the vial as she said in her mind, 'Not really, but I'm afraid I have no choice. Refusing at this point would give the impression that I'm hiding something.'

Jovana took the vial with a grateful smile, and said, "Thank you, Falcon. It will be a pleasure." She closed her eyes and drank the vial. The liquid tingled down her throat, as she waited to feel some kind of effect, but nothing happened.

"What do you think about me and the Academy, Jovana?" Falcon asked, twirling his vial in his hands.

"The Academy is even more than I dreamed of. And your voice is so beautiful, it's so nice to talk to you." Jovana said, then covered her mouth with both hands as she looked at Falcon. "I believe I've just had a vial of honesty."

"Honesty, eh? Such a charming quality, bottoms up." Falcon said, and drank his vial as he waited for the effect to kick in. Then he went straight to his desk and started to write down something.

"Falcon, what are you doing?" Jovana asked, looking at him curiously. Falcon said nothing as he got up and went back to Jovana. He looked at her straight in the eye, smiled, and put a very gentle but sweet kiss on her lips. They looked at each other, completely stunned. "I guess this vial gives you the courage to do or get what you desire the most."

Jovana's heart raced, as her eyes widened in surprise, and she thought, 'So, am I what Falcon Ridley desires the most?' she stepped back, and took a deep breath. "I. I think I should go."

"But," Falcon trailed off when Jovana interrupted him.

"Don't get me wrong, the kiss was fine. But something doesn't feel right." Jovana said, as she looked at him, and he looked back at her, knowing that she was being honest because of the serendipity he had given her, but he couldn't help but feel dejected by her words.

Falcon sighed with a sad smile, and he said, "I see. And I wouldn't dare do anything to make you feel uncomfortable. I'll escort you outside." Jovana nodded, as Falcon opened the door to his office and they both stepped out, heading outside.