[ elias takes a moment to not throw the door open. he opens it calmly, is entirely calm.
there's no hiding from peter that he is much paler than usual-- that his nose has recently been broken, or that he's very tired. such are the pitfalls of a long acquaintanceship; people know your tells. but elias can hold his shoulders straight and act like he's fine, which is what's important. ]
[ peter's eyes will sweep thoughtfully over elias, and it's clear that he's taking it all in. the changes, the weaknesses that he can perceive, and he doesn't bother even pretending that he's not.
he hopes the faint, indulging smile he supplies elias with is infuriating. ]
[ but peter indicates the archivist's home behind him, as if telling elias come in, sit down, take a load off. what a generous and gracious host he is. ]
But it would be much appreciated. Not a... er, realm I'm overly familiar with, I'm afraid.
[ Elias makes very free and takes a seat, like he does this all the time. ]
This is, to put it bluntly, a prison ship in the guise of a rehabilitation facility. There's a-- person in charge who calls himself the Admiral. His role here is twofold: first, he invites those he deems in need of redemption here-- with the promise that when they have sufficiently atoned for their sins they can be returned home. Second, he also invites upstanding citizens to come here and facilitate that redemption; in return for which he promises to fulfill any request, no matter how great or small--
[ he pauses for dramatic effect, because this is Peter and of course he's going to pause for dramatic effect ]
My dear Archivist, for example, has requested that all trace the Powers be completely removed from the world in which we have come from.
[ basically this place is a ball, Peter, why didn't you get here sooner ]
[ to most, peter's affect would remain clearly disaffected, as if he's only half-listening to what's being said to him. of course, to his great pleasure and fury both, elias knows him better than maybe anyone else living; if he's looking, he'll be able to see that slight jump in the muscle of his jaw, the subtle twitch of his fingers that indicate he's bothered.
it would be easy to dismiss this admiral out of hand, but wasn't jonathan sims here? wasn't elias? ]
Sounds like your little pet project is getting a bit big for his britches, Elias.
Oh ho? Keeping secrets from me now. Has Martin been misbehaving, then?
[ peter is moving to the kitchenette as if this is an airbnb he's renting and not the very private home of someone else, rummaging through the cupboards to find a few mugs. he starts the kettle on the counter for them both. ]
"I don't know what you mean," Peter says dismissively, dropping the mug and teabag in front of Elias at the table. He might struggle with the communicator, but he can handle tea. "He's mostly been behaving. I'm proud of his progress."
"I have enough control," Peter scoffs, finally seating himself at an angle from Elias. "Really, I'm surprised he needed my intervention at all. He had one foot in the fog without my help."
"I'm doing what I can. Your employees have made quite the mess of things down there, haven't they? So untidy." He tsks slightly. "I'm not sure how one is supposed to find anything. And the rest of your employees! So unruly."
Peter's not dull; he knows something is going on, that there's some unspoken information between them, but he'll find it out eventually. Right now he's still simply settling in.
Elias grimaces a little-- "I believe that's the work of Gertrude. Towards the end there she rather went out into the deep end-- misfiling things and deliberately making important statements difficult to find." He sighs. It's a hard life, Peter.
"As for the others, well. No one's at their best when they're under stress."
"And what's to be stressed about?" Peter says, and the scoff in his voice seems to imply he really doesn't understand. "You're behind bars, the attacks have stopped - really, if they'd just stop meddling they'd lighten their own stressful load."
"Jon's too much of the Eye now to stop looking into what's in front of him." Elias should sound insufferably smug at that-- but he can't quite manage it. Bother. "And the others will follow where he goes."
Peter tilts his head just slightly, the tiniest indication of I expected you to be happier about that, but he doesn't remark on it just yet. Instead, he sips at his mug. "Martin is certainly adequately lovesick. I'm afraid I don't see it."
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corkscrewed) wrote2017-11-05 04:46 pm
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there's no hiding from peter that he is much paler than usual-- that his nose has recently been broken, or that he's very tired. such are the pitfalls of a long acquaintanceship; people know your tells. but elias can hold his shoulders straight and act like he's fine, which is what's important. ]
Peter. What a lovely surprise to find you here.
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[ peter's eyes will sweep thoughtfully over elias, and it's clear that he's taking it all in. the changes, the weaknesses that he can perceive, and he doesn't bother even pretending that he's not.
he hopes the faint, indulging smile he supplies elias with is infuriating. ]
Here to pay your Archivist a visit, then?
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[ he withstands the scrutiny. it's easier from someone he knows as well as Peter. ]
And speaking of here-- shall I fill you in?
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[ but peter indicates the archivist's home behind him, as if telling elias come in, sit down, take a load off. what a generous and gracious host he is. ]
But it would be much appreciated. Not a... er, realm I'm overly familiar with, I'm afraid.
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This is, to put it bluntly, a prison ship in the guise of a rehabilitation facility. There's a-- person in charge who calls himself the Admiral. His role here is twofold: first, he invites those he deems in need of redemption here-- with the promise that when they have sufficiently atoned for their sins they can be returned home. Second, he also invites upstanding citizens to come here and facilitate that redemption; in return for which he promises to fulfill any request, no matter how great or small--
[ he pauses for dramatic effect, because this is Peter and of course he's going to pause for dramatic effect ]
My dear Archivist, for example, has requested that all trace the Powers be completely removed from the world in which we have come from.
[ basically this place is a ball, Peter, why didn't you get here sooner ]
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it would be easy to dismiss this admiral out of hand, but wasn't jonathan sims here? wasn't elias? ]
Sounds like your little pet project is getting a bit big for his britches, Elias.
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and for a moment he pauses, a genuine pause, as he considers telling peter what's happened. peter might understand, perhaps.
but that would mean telling peter everything that's happened, and he still isn't sure when the man is from. ]
Jonathan Sims is a risk I'm willing to entertain in service a much, much greater reward. And I shan't tell you what your Protégé has been up to here.
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[ peter is moving to the kitchenette as if this is an airbnb he's renting and not the very private home of someone else, rummaging through the cupboards to find a few mugs. he starts the kettle on the counter for them both. ]
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Getting ideas far above his pay-grade. You really did spoil him, Peter.
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A pause.
"Any milk in the fridge?"
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But Peter will, dutifully, retrieve a bit of milk for him.
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"You don't think you have full control over him, Peter?"
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But it's also rather pleasant just to sit and have tea with someone without having to deal with everything else.
"I suppose we'll have to see how that turns out. I hope you're taking care of my Archives in my absence."
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Peter's not dull; he knows something is going on, that there's some unspoken information between them, but he'll find it out eventually. Right now he's still simply settling in.
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"As for the others, well. No one's at their best when they're under stress."
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"But that's the point of a wager, isn't it? Each of us thinks he knows something the other doesn't, which will make events turn out in our favour."