aterat | 1 Audio Broadcast & 2 Open Logs

Entry tags:

1 Audio Broadcast & 2 Open Logs

Who; Llewellyn & Anyone!
What; 1 Audio broadcast & 2 Open Logs
Where; The logs are at the Historium & the market!
When; Over the first couple weeks in May!
Warnings; Nothing to start, will update if anything happens!

1 - Tellphone

[Clearing his throat a little, Llewellyn tried to think of where to start, he’s been snooping around for a few days and compiling some notes.]

Hello! I’m sure everyone is rather used to these sorts of broadcasts now, but uh— I’ve only just arrived in the last few days. My name is Llewellyn Watts-Maresh, to get introductions out of the way.

I’ve been catching up on the goings on already, seems like there’s a lot going on right now that I’d like to offer my assistance with. So! I’ll skip directly to the main point of my broadcast.

While this world is a significant improvement on my last... I’m finding myself in need of a starting point. I’m accustomed to having an office to work from, but I don’t believe I’ll have the funds to open something myself from the start. Is there possibly a private investigation firm already that would be looking for a detective? I… don’t need much space. I’ve gotten used to taking my work outdoors in the past, but a desk to keep my notes and work at on occasion would be appreciated.

[And he paused, humming a little as he mulled over a secondary thought he’d been playing with since he arrived.]

That aside, I’m also knowledgeable with floriography. Even if this worlds is different from my own, I’m a fast study. I’ve had practice in making arrangements for various meanings and occasions, and before I was pulled here I was dabbling in gardening…? So if anyone is looking for some part-time help there, I wouldn’t mind doing that on the side. I uh— I like to keep busy.

[And if he and his husband ever do figure out how to purchase a home, he knows they’ll need the money for it. Being cooped up in a small apartment is not ideal long term.]

Mm… That should do it, thank you.

2 - Historium

Llewellyn might have been a little slower to get here than he normally would have been, too distracted with this new world and getting his feet under him. But any sort of library was a good starting point to see what kind of references were available when you wanted to investigate and learn more about certain things about a place that might not be readily available through word of mouth. Or things that were just easier to find out on your own, as he was prone to doing.

It was… a lot more disorganized than the last giant library he’d frequented, but that actually wasn’t a big issue for the detective. His thought process already tended towards the chaotic and scattered, so he actually felt rather at home in the place. It wasn’t hard to start at one shelf, scan the titles, and grab something before he continued onward.

Anyone around the Historium would see Llewellyn either with a few books under his arm, or sitting on a table (using the chair as a footrest) and leafing through a selection curiously. Once in a while, he’d stop, jot a few thoughts down in messy scrawl in his notebook, and then continue reading…

He’s not so absorbed in his task that he doesn’t notice anyone else around him. Llewellyn could be quite paranoid and didn’t enjoy being surprised, so unless you’re particularly sneaky, he would be quite aware if someone were to approach…

3 - Market

There were several places that Llewellyn could be guaranteed to be found if you needed him. The first being where ever he worked (he truly was a workaholic at times), with his husband (obvious, perhaps), and the market… The last being because Llewellyn usually found himself in need of a snack every few hours, he tended to think better on a full stomach and his metabolism was rather high given how little he sat around.

It was also his other go to for making contacts and gathering information on a place. People talked, especially shop and food stall employees. They saw or heard about everything going on in the city, after all, and if you were a frequent enough customer, they tended to appreciate your business enough to be on friendly terms.

Given this was another new world… Llewellyn was starting from scratch. So over the course of his first few weeks in this place, through the day, he’d take a stroll through the market whenever he was feeling hungry. Every time he’d stop somewhere, he’d take a few minutes to chat and get to know the person working, he might not remember names right away, but if he stopped there frequently enough he’d start to commit things to memory (and he certainly wrote more important conversations down).

If approached, Llewellyn would actually be quite happy to talk, as long as no one minded his snacking… He’d even offer to share.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Llewellyn had been about to respond, deciding an introduction was in order, when the Directory answered him first. Priorities (and the fact that it had successfully derailed his train of thought) meant that he shifted his focus to that first. He cast a sidelong glance at Jagger with a wry smile. “It certainly seems like it as an uh— personality.”

One that seemed picky and prone to messing with those who asked it questions. Maybe it was bored, or maybe that’s just how it was. Addressing it again, he gestured a little as he spoke. “Can we have them, please?” He’d noticed that it seemed to give people what they were looking for, rather than send them in a direction.

Which the detective couldn’t help but question, but knew it could easily be chalked up to ‘magic’ or perhaps ‘weirdly futuristic technology’ if there were a mechanism for pulling books off shelves and shooting them through something to the directory itself. He wasn’t sure how that would work, but Llewellyn had a feeling his colleague Murdoch would have proposed that as an excuse over magic, anyway.

Question asked, he seemed to refocus on Jagger’s statement from earlier. “Oh— and I am new, yes. Arrived a few days ago?” Almost belatedly, he held out his hand to offer to shake in introduction. “I’m Llewellyn Watts-Maresh, and you are?”

If Jagger only knew the characteristics of the Directory, he would be glad he'd never attempted to touch the thing. No amount of self-control would have protected his mind from the assault it would have suffered. Luckily, he'd gotten into the habit at a young age of just not touching things if he didn't know what they were or where they'd come from.

For its part, the Directory's mists swirled in a manner Jagger was quickly beginning to associate with processing a request and continued on for a moment. He flowered at the giant ball, crossing his arms and looking over to Watts. They may as well get acquainted while they waited for whatever was taking the thing so long.

"Jagger Crowe." He looked down at the offered hand briefly before taking it in his gloved own, hoping no impressions from the man, things he'd done recently, people he'd done them with, leaked through. "I've been here a while."

Llewellyn kept an eye on the Directory, the swirling mists almost giving him the impression that it was thinking about his request. Either to fulfill it or perhaps to come back with another complication to make him phrase it differently. Hopefully, he thought to himself, It’s not the latter… Because then he’d have to get creative, he supposed.

He took Jaggers hand without much thought aside from an absent curiosity over the fact that the man was wearing gloves. The shift in seasons seemed to be edging towards the warmer these days, so he couldn’t help but wonder about that. Not that he could talk much, he rarely found himself warm in general. Even his suits with their heavier material didn’t bother him much in the summer. “It’s nice to meet you then, Jagger.”

Because that meant if the guy was interested in talking, he might be able to learn something about all this that he hadn’t already. A few of the other arrivals had been just as new as he had, or… rather uncertain of some details.

Glancing back to the Directory again, he couldn’t but ask… “Is there something in particular you’re trying to work out with uh— magic?”

Luckily all Jagger gleaned from the handshake was that Watts had a firm hand, was amicable, friendly, and almost overwhelmingly curious. He had the same problem, truth be told, and he couldn't fault the guy for it. More than anything, he was just glad he didn't read anything more dramatic from the guy. He was trying to stay focused, and that sort of thing always ended up throwing him off.

He looked back to the Directory as Watts asked his question, shaking his head. "Not really. I started an investigative agency with some people who arrived with me, but they've all left. They were the experts on magic, and I'm sort at a disadvantage about this world now."

The Directory seemed to finish it's thinking, and a small drawer popped open at its base. Narrowing his eyes slightly, Jagger reached into this drawer and pulled out what looked to be a folded parchment resembling a pamphlet. He unfolded it cautiously, and then his eyebrows rose. He turned the sheet to Watts so he could see. Upon it, in neat penmanship with crisp edges and almost but not quite perfect lines, was what appeared to be a map.

"It's the stacks." He looked up and around, to the cavernous shelving holding countless tomes all around them. Watts would notice there was a section circled, and the images depicted didn't appear to refer to this floor. "It drew us a fucking map."

Llewellyn was sorry to hear his friends were gone now, of course, but it was hard to not get a little distracted to hear that the man ran an investigation agency considering he’d been trying to find something of the sort since arriving. “So you’re a detective as well, then?” He hummed a little before refocusing a bit. Rubbing the side of his neck lightly, he offered a sympathetic smile, “I’m sorry about you’re uh— friends though. It’s not easy when they get sent away in a situation like this.” He’d hated that in the last world, and undoubtedly would come to dread it in this one as well.

“It definitely seems like the sort of world where experts on magic would be useful… I’m not particularly knowledgeable on the subject myself, and have been trying to at least get a better idea on how it works here. Or at least to find experts to refer to myself.” Llewellyn shook his head a little, “I do have one friend at least who arrived with me, he’s quite knowledgeable on the subject.” But they still had to figure out how things worked here first. Magic seemed so different from one world to the next, after all.

His expression shifted to something awkward and more than a little disappointed. “A map…” He parroted, “Not what I expected from my past observations of the Directory.” He glanced from the paper to the orb again. Why on earth had it given them a map instead of a book— unless there were more books on magic here than it could really bring forth? It wasn’t as though they’d narrowed the search beyond ‘magic’ in general. “Well, I guess it’s not as though it can move to lead us to the section on magic… Might be more to read than expected. I’ll help follow it, if you’re interested?”

… Might not be the best idea, given Llewellyn sometimes got left and right mixed up. Surely that wouldn’t be a problem with a map, right?

Thankfully, Jagger usually did his model best not to get attached to many people, so the losses weren't hitting him all that hard. He shook his head at the question. "Private Investigator, but I work with the police sometimes, at least back home I do." He never would have been able to complete the academy to actually be a cop, and he figured being a P.I. still allowed him to use abilities to help people. "And yeah, it's weird. It makes sense they left, you know? They weren't from here any more than I am, I just...don't know what to do with half our clients."

He nodded at the observation. The place was pretty complicated, and even more so when you didn't know how half the stuff worked. He perked up at the mention of a specialist. "You know, where I come from, it's sodding hard to even find a mage. I haven't even had any luck, just a few posers in New Orleans."

He shrugged, turning toward the tiered stairs toward the back. "Sure, It's not like I've got anything better to do."

He started off, thinking over what Watts had told him just a bit earlier. "You're familiar with situations like this?"

Glad for the chance to keep talking while they looked for these books the Directory was sending them to, he followed along after Jagger when the man started towards the stairs in the back. “Running an office by yourself can be a lot of work, especially if there are a lot of cases coming in.” He responded absently, having worked both situations now as a detective for the constabulary and as a PI himself in the last world. “This place already uh— strikes me as the sort of place that would be rather busy in that sense.”

Llewellyn had to smile a little at Jagger’s reaction to the mention of a specialist, “Mm… I confess, I’m not even sure if magic exists in the world I came from originally. My husband is fairly certain I come from an alternate version of his world, but there seem to be so many that it’s difficult to say for certain.” The amount of worlds out there were rather astounding, all of them so very different… Most of them a lot more magical than his own. “So I was rather glad to meet someone who knew so much, he’s a wizard. Has a business card and everything.” Llewellyn had never gotten around to getting some himself when he had his own investigation office, which was an odd thing to have break through his train of thought… But that’s how his mind worked sometimes.

“Oh—” He smiled wryly at the next question, “Yes, I am. I just arrived from another world that wasn’t my own, don’t think I’ve seen the one I came from in… over a year now, I think?” He gestured lightly, looking around as they reached the top of the stairs before glancing at the map Jagger had, “A few of us actually arrived from there.”

Squinting a bit as he looked one way, and then the other, he tried to discern which way the map was indicating next. “I actually ran a private investigation firm there too for much of my stay. So… I can understand how working on your own might be a bit frustrating. Especially when nothing in a place makes sense.” He added, with a small glance around to indicate the world itself. He’d wanted to tear his hair out sometimes with the way the last world had been when it came to trying to figure anything out.

"And a lot that were ongoing by other people." It wasn't the ideal situation, but he was trying to make the most of it. The locals had been understanding thus-far, but that didn't mean they'd stay that way. He nodded at Watts' observation also. Things were always going missing, people too, and there were very few places besides the local watch they could turn. It was fruitful work, and rewarding when all was said and done, but Lord if it wasn't stressful some days. "Everyone's always eager to use a detective. They closest they've got to it other than me is the Watch, and they're more akin to guards than policemen. They can chance a cutpurse through the street, but they're not going to find out who did in the poor serving girl in the back alley, or if they do, it's going to be on hearsay and nothing akin to evidence."

"It probably does. I've got a theory it exists in every world, just in different degrees and different people can touch it. Maybe in yours, those who could are all gone." He hesitated to continue, wondering how much he could trust this guy with his abilities. It was a brief hesitation, though. Ultimately, he was pretty damned tame when it came to 'magic'. "Where I come from, actual maguses are whispered about, but I've never met one. I...touch things. It's...hard to explain, but I guess I can try. Lamely...I'm psychic..."

And then Watts said something that caught his attention more. "Hang on. You're from another place...like this?"

“Another stack of work on top of the other, then.” He responded with a small frown, that was a lot to contend with when you were working alone. “The unfortunate thing about a place like this, there’s never any warning when people leave.” So when your coworkers disappeared, keeping up with the load would be hard. That wasn’t even counting the upset at having lost someone, which tended to either slow him down or push him into doing too much.

His frown turned a little more thoughtful, he hadn’t looked into the guard much yet. He also wasn’t entirely surprised to hear it, they weren’t made for investigations, not really… Or at least they weren’t really taught or expected to. Rhy came from a time similar to this in that sense, and their discussions on how he did his job had been a point of interest to the man. Regardless, the fact that this world kept Jagger so busy and there seemed to be a need for more prompted him to continue, “Don’t suppose you could use another detective to help with the caseload?” It made the most sense, he wasn’t going to be able to afford to open his own office, his priorities were to make sure he and his husband were stable here… And as long as he could still help people and put his mind to work? He’d be happy with that.

That was another interesting theory to add to the collection, yes, he had a collection now. “Mm… I suppose that might explain some of the older stories in my world. And I confess… Most people from worlds that aren’t my own seem to all at least know of the existence of magic and the otherworldly in their worlds. It seems like more of a normality, while mine is an odd difference. In my husband’s world, magic was everywhere. Apparently there were doors…? And they had to close them, cutting off the flow to what he called the ‘gray world,’ which he thinks sounds like mine. Others have suggested it’s just hidden by those who have it for various reasons.” Llewellyn couldn’t say one way or the other, “All I know is I’ve still got some catching up to do to learn about it and understand how it works here too.”

Arching a brow at the rather hesitant pause from Jagger, wondering what he was debating on internally… Or at least that was how it struck him. When he spoke, however, the other brow rose in surprise to join the first, “Ah— so…” He took a moment to try to piece the brief explanation together, “You touch things and… see something?” That was a thing some said psychics got, right? Visions of a sort? At least he vaguely remembered George talking about the idea on occasion. Or it had probably been George, he was one of the few liked to think about such things.

He blinked a little, drawing to a halt as Jagger realized what he’d meant by being in another world. “Yup— well… I don’t know if I’d say it was like this… It was an experiment at the bottom of the ocean. I was there for a year after I was pulled to it from my own world, and… Well, a few days ago I found myself here.”

"Yeah, I've noticed." He'd been contending with it since he'd arrived in one form or another. Even back home, he had friends, people he could turn to who helped him with things he wasn't exactly an expert on. He had ties at the police department and...it was just easier in Detroit. Here, he didn't know most people, he didn't know where to begin, and suddenly he was in charge of a lot more than he ever had been back home. He did his best not to look relieved at the offer. "I'd honestly kill for another detective, especially one with experience with things like this place." He'd been here a few months, true, but he was by no means an expert.

"I wouldn't say that. In my world, most people don't know, either. People don't believe me any more than they believe a guy who says he can move things with his mind." He'd begun, in his own world, to believe magic was a religion rather than a practice, too.

He nodded at Watts' attempt at understanding. "All sentient beings leave behind psychic fingerprints when they touch things. The more emotional they were when they touched something, the more distinct the imprint. I can read those, and a lot like tracing a print, it has to be interpreted."

“It’s a frustrating thing about these places at times…” He responded with a frown, “On the one hand, I alway tried to be happy that they got to go home— the ones that wanted to anyway… On the other it was difficult to suddenly find them gone.” His frown deepened a little, “And now that I’m here, I confess I wonder how many of those I knew ended up somewhere other than their world as well.”

A small, curious little hum escaped him at the way Jagger had phrased his response on the offer. “I can’t deny that killing would be a good way to bring a detective around. We are drawn to murders.” A morbid bit of humour perhaps, or it was simply hard to not point that out. “But uh— An invitation would suffice in this case.” He added wryly, “I would be glad to join you and offer what help I might. Even if this world seems entirely different from my last so far, I’m sure I can make myself useful once in a while.”

He turned in one direction after a glance at the map, took a step or two, before turning the other way a moment later, as if realizing an error in his choice. “I could use the extra work to keep me busy, I’m not fond of being idle. So far I’ve only found some part-time work at a flower shop and it hasn’t opened yet.”

The detective winced a little at Jagger’s explanation. “That sounds frustrating to be honest, unsurprising but… Annoying.” He had a hard enough time explaining his thought process to some of the others at his old station house, let alone having to explain something as unreal sounding as magic.

Though Llewellyn couldn’t help but smile a little as the man continued to explain his ability. ‘Psychic fingerprints,’ Murdoch would be skeptical and fascinated simultaneously if he were here to hear that, he imagined. “I see… So that’s why you wear gloves, I presume?” He responded a moment later, eyes darting to Jagger’s hands again. “I can’t imagine I’d want to accidentally get caught off guard by just touching something.” A pause, “… At least I hope that’s why you wear gloves, I didn’t accidentally give you a start with that handshake, did I?”

Edited 2021-05-14 16:21 (UTC)

"How can you be certain they went home, though? What guarantee do you have that's where they went?" It seemed like an important distinction to him, something you would want to know about your friends> Until meeting Llewellyn he would have assumed they had, but not he wasn't so sure. What if they'd just been shuffled away to another dimension like this one, but one more sinister and dangerous? He shook his head. It was pointless trying to figure it out.

He smiled at Watts' response. He barely knew the guy, but he got the impression, just from their brief contact, that he was a good man with good intentions, erratic but reliable. He'd be a good partner. In some ways, he reminded Jagger of Charlie, his partner in crime back home. That was probably half of why he'd extended the offer in the first place. "I'd love to have you aboard, though no pressure on getting started. Feel free to get used to the place first."

"I...yeah. Mostly I like to decide when I'm checking for prints or not, you know?" He shook his head. "Sometimes things leak through anyway, but...I get the idea you're a good man, Watts."

“I confess… Since arriving here, that crossed my mind.” Llewellyn responded with a small frown. “I don’t really know what to believe now.” And he hated that, not knowing what happened to people who’d become very important to him… At least before there had been some comfort in knowing they went home. Now it was anyone’s guess. “At least not without finding out more about how often this happens to people who’ve been to worlds other than their own, if I can… I can’t help but wonder if there are some specific factors that decide where we go after we leave one of these worlds.”

Llewellyn found a smile returning to his face at the fact that Jagger wasn’t opposed to his offer, he didn’t really have any special insight as Jagger did concerning himself… But the fact that the man had an entire business dropped in his lap and he was still doing his best to help with cases around the city for the sake of those who needed it? That was a good enough indication to him what kind of person he was… So Llewellyn would look forward to working with him and getting to know him a little better, “I’m sure it won’t be long, I do have experience with adjusting to sudden changes in my life,” He responded with a shrug, between how chaotic his life had been before even ended up at the sphere, and now ending up here… He’d get his feet under him quickly enough, or at least try to. “I look forward to working with you, Jagger.”

Besides that, they did have a task at hand now that sort of counted for getting started.

He hummed a little, so the gloves only helped so much… That was unfortunate. He could think of a few situations where he’d rather not have something bleed through to another person. Something to be careful of, he supposed. There was a lot he’d rather Jagger, or anyone for that matter, not get the sense of from him… His head tilted slightly, a little curious at what had apparently leaked through when they’d shook hands. A good man… Llewellyn wasn’t sure about that, but… “Oh… I try to be, at least… But thanks.” He rubbed the back of his neck with a small smile. “And I’ll uh— try to be mindful of your abilities, to avoid any unnecessary surprises while we work together.”

A bit of sympathy passed over Jagger's features as he watched Watts. He hadn't intended to depress the guy, but he'd always had a tendency to look at a glass as half-empty, and being carted off to another reality hadn't done anything to soften that predisposition. "What, are you planning on questioning the others?" It might prove to be a fruitful endeavor, all things considered. "Let me know what you find out." He couldn't say he wasn't curious, after all.

That actually got a chuckle from Jagger. "Yeah, I guess you are, huh?"

"Well, you're not working out how to kill me, so that's a bonus. And you're not possessed, which can be unpredictable." It wasn't outside the realm of possibility, but he hasn't enountered it in a while. "Don't worry about it, mate. I can see to myself."

Llewellyn offered a small nod, focusing less on the worry and more on what they could do (as little as there was) about the idea. “If they’re agreeable to talking about it, I do?” The detective was confident that at least one or two would, though he couldn’t say the same for the others. Especially those who didn’t already know personally… But it was an avenue of investigation worth going down.

Smiling a little at Jagger’s reaction, he offered a little shrug. Llewellyn was used to it in more than simply being thrown into another unfamiliar world. Unexpected changes to his life had been a reoccurring problem for years. “Besides that, I’m eager to get to work. The sooner I know more about this place, the better I’ll feel about all this.” He had people he cared about again, people he wanted to stay safe, and that tended to be an even stronger drive than his usual need to simply help people.

If Jagger could handle it, then Llewellyn would at least take him at his word. Which was probably for the better… He tended to be scattered when he worked, and even if he’d try to be careful? Chances were he might slip once in a while. “Wait— Have you gotten either of those things from interacting with someone before?” His brows rose almost comically at that notion. That had to be… more than a little awkward upon meeting someone. Especially during an investigation.

"Oh yeah? Didn't you just get here? It wouldn't hurt to get settled in, would it? I get you ended up in a place like this before, but how similar is it?"

He chuckled at Watts' question, nodding. "My partner's a paranormal investigator. I'm not sure how familiar you are with, but it's basically a field of science trying to prove the existence of ghosts, spirits, and such. I give him a hand sometimes. Sometimes we find things, not that we've able to document it."

Llewellyn knew Jagger was making very good points, but for all he was happy to be here with his husband in tow, instead of the last place… It was hard to sit still and focus on the settling part until he had a better idea of this world and how it worked. Getting to work would lead to many, if not all, of those answers, and answers would make him feel a little less anxious, and being less anxious meant he’d be able to relax into life here a little more. “If I’m being honest… It’s very unlike the last place I was. Other than the fact that we’ve ended up in a world other than our own, that is… It was an experiment at the bottom of the ocean.” So that was pretty different right there, “At the moment it feels like a stroke of luck to have ended up here, but the odd person has mentioned a few things that I’ve been a bit concerned over since I arrived.” And so work sounded good. “And some of the differences here present challenges we didn’t really have before.”

So he waved a hand vaguely, “So I’ll uh— settle as I go, I expect. It’s more than just myself I’m concerned with this time around, I arrived with someone… And getting to work means comfort in figuring things out that might be important for us to know, as well as making sure we have what we need.”

For all Llewellyn tended to throw himself into things he enjoyed, perhaps indulged too much in wine and food. When it came to watching out for the people he cared about, he got rather serious and practical minded. It’s what happened when you had to grow up and watch out for yourself and others when you were still a child, really.

“Not being able to document one’s findings seem to be the largest challenge when it comes to that particular sort of investigation.” Llewellyn didn’t have personal experience, but he knew of such things through other people. Even in his own world, ghost stories and those who wanted to prove the otherworldly existed were common enough. He was open minded to the idea, though he tended to sit in a bit of a middle ground between belief and skepticism. At least he used to. It was kind of hard to disbelieve a lot of things after ending up in situations like this. “In my world a colleague of mine was often trying to prove they existed, much to someone else’s annoyance.” He hummed a little, “And I’ve known some who had first hand experience with the like in the last world I was in.”

Rubbing the back of his neck before he lowered his hand and slowed his steps to decide which way to turn next as he spoke. “I just can’t imagine that is the most pleasant thing to come across in your dealings with people, with abilities like that.”

“An experiment at the bottom of the ocean?” That sounded like a terrible place to end up. Several questions sprung to mind all at once when he explained, but he withheld his inquiries until the end of the lesson as it were. He did nod at Watts’ admission. “Yeah, the place has its secrets, but I think they’re mysteries to the Aspects as much as they are to us.”

He could respect another’s approach to things, though. He himself had just dove in, afraid to look at the feelings of loss and confusion that accosted him when he’d arrived here. If he had, they would have consumed him. It was easier to focus on the world around him, even if he had all ended up being an elaborate dream. It wouldn’t, he knew that now, but in the beginning he’d been hopeful. Now, as much as he missed the modern world, he was starting to find his place in this one. It left him focused, and less adrift, even if it could be overwhelming at times.

“Yeah, that’s the thick of it, really, but Chaz’ll never give up.” And Jagger would be lying if he said there wasn’t a part of him that wanted the man to. Some things, some people, were better left in the shadows, and others preferred it that way. Jagger was one of them. “Not really, but I doubt it’s any more unpleasant than murderers.”

“Yup.” He responded to shaking his head a little, “Like something out of a novel, all futuristic and full of rather strange technology.” and horrifying nightmares… But the topic of the Aspects was something he’d wondered about, “A few people have suggested that they might not know much more than we do at times. And that they um… don’t know how to fix the portal they messed with either.” The way it had been described to him made it almost sound like they’d been left without supervision or the knowledge that they needed to handle a world that had already apparently been destroyed once.

He had to smile a little though, at Jagger’s comment, “Your Chaz sounds a little George in my world. He was always quite certain that eventually one of our cases would have a less natural answer.” Except for a creature in Lake Ontario, apparently that was his line. Which had been rather strange to hear, considering everything else the Constable believed in.

“Mm… I can’t deny, you’re probably right.” He added a moment later, considering some of the murders he’d seen… Perhaps some ordinary people weren’t so different from things like demons. Llewellyn could think of one or two off the top of his head, but he didn’t comment further than that.

Honestly, by the sound of it, it would be something out of a novel for him, too. Of course, so was Aterat, but in a completely different way. He nodded along with the information, confirming what Watts had been told to be true. "They seem sort of...adrift, too, or at least Halcyn does. Athony just seems like a bastard, but he might just be that way." Or Jagger had a tendency to bring that particular trait out in people. He could never be too sure.

"Only Chaz is right and just can't prove it." With the aetherial, it was hard to document. Cameras and microphones recorded the physical, and when ghosts and specters made sounds, it was more in the mind's ear. Jagger could profess to what he'd experienced, but they were only stories. Every once in a while a spirit was powerful enough to affect the physical, but it was so rare it was usually bargained off as a hoax. People were much more willing to believe things were elaborate lies than to accept their worlds were a lot larger than they were comfortable with. It helped them sleep at night.

He nodded as they rounded a corner on the upper level, and he raised the map again to have a look around. "I think the section's right back there." He motioned with his free hand toward an outcropping of shelves toward the back of the upper platform. "Here's hoping we're not finding the roleplaying manuals."

“I haven’t had a chance to speak with either of them yet, but that does line up with what I’ve heard…” It was sad to think that at least one of them was ‘adrift as Jagger had put it. Of course, but it was also a little scary to think that the people in charge were lost in their own way. “I uh— presume no one knows what actually happened here before all of this?” He added, part of him hoping he was wrong while the larger part of him was just double checking on facts and comparing the accounts of various people.

“Which I imagine would be more frustrating…” He responded with a frown, he couldn’t imagine how much more insistent George would be if he had an experience with the otherworldly instead of just guessing on speculating over it. Then again… Given the man’s ideas about some things, Llewellyn felt confident enough to hazard a guess that it wouldn’t go well.

Llewellyn slowed a little and looked to the section Jagger had directed his attention to, nodding a little as he moved to continue… Until he paused and squinted a bit, “The role playing manuals?” Not something he’d heard referenced yet in either this world or the last, which was actually rather surprising in a way.

"If anyone does know what happened here, they aren't talking, that's for sure." He shook his head. It was as though this place had just sprung up out of nothing, which, if the Aspects were to be believed, wasn't far from what had actually happened. "They say this world was destroyed and they're trying to rebuild it. I don't know how well that's going for them."

"Uh...yeah. Roleplaying, it's...sort of shared storytelling? Anyway, someone writes up a fictional world, someone else writes up an adventure there, then people sit around making characters who live there and going on pretend adventures. I've never seen the appeal, but I'm not a people person, either."

“Might be a similarity across most worlds like this… Keeping people who are brought here in the dark and all, I mean.” But whether the aspects did so on purpose or not was hard to say… His lips turned down into a small frown though, “By the sounds of this whole portal business that some have spoken of, I’d be hesitant to say it was going well, myself. Not that ‘rebuilding a world’ would be easy, I imagine. Surely there are bound to be some hiccups here and there.”

Not that anyone wanted to be caught in the middle of them, but here they all were.

His brows knit as he listened to the explanation. So it was for fun, then? He shrugged a little as he moved closer to the shelves they were heading for. “So it’s a game then, perhaps not entirely unlike the sort played in parlours at parties… Though more complicated if several books are needed.”

"Evidently, their leader left them?" He shrugged, still not certain he'd understood correctly. "Whatever the reason, they mucked about with the portal and now it's malfunctioning."

He nodded. "Yeah, a bunch of friends sit around and go on a storybook adventure together. It loses the charm when the adventure's real life, yeah?" He made a vague gesture around.

Llewellyn had to admit that made it all the worse. “Not a good sign when the leader of a group, or in this case world, abandons everyone…” Made him wonder how prepared for the event that they were left in charge they were at the time. Given that they broke the portal? Probably not at all… “Seems they were quite unprepared to suddenly be in charge at any rate. Wonder where the leader went. Did they get bored with all this?” Had this place needed to be rebuilt on more than one occasion? Or was the process of starting anew even once too slow and tedious for this entity.

Chuckling a little at the comment, he began picking at books or reading their spines. “You make a good point. Living something tends to make a game dull by comparison. Mm… or tasteless, depending on the game.” The whole ‘murder mystery’ parlour game had often seemed like an odd choice to him, but people tended to find it amusing.

1 Audio Broadcast & 2 Open Logs

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