aterat | The strategist may be good

Entry tags:

The strategist may be good

Who; Ignis & yourself
What; Walkabout, looking at different locations for an Autumn wedding
Where; Everywhere in town and on the outskirts
When; Mid June
Warnings; None

Ever since the flower festival, Ignis had been working on learning how to make pretzels. His first attempts were at home and when he thought he got it right, the people at the Hunter's Lodge got treated to them. He'd also learned to make crab cakes and from there he'd gone after work to check out books in the Wizard's Tower. These were wedding themed of course and during his down time he started experimenting on different foods for the upcoming ceremony. This included making all kinds of baked treats.

After having had a few different discussions with Nida and knowing his fiancée's penchant for hanging out in high places or trees, the royal advisor decided that he would need to go take a look at different venues. Outdoor was the first thing that came to mind, as typical weddings took place indoors and they didn't really include trees. He himself was leaning towards evening for their nuptials as they both enjoyed the night sky full of stars.

But that would have to be a discussion.

And the more he researched, the more decisions there seemed to be. For now though he's out about town, but can be found out and about just mentally working on details to present to his other half at one point or another. Taking out his pen and notebook, Ignis stopped and wrote something down while talking out loud.

"Well I suppose that I'll simply need to add this to our ever growing list of things to discuss."

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

"A world without crabs sounds positively dreadful." Ignis replied a tad dramatically. But it was all in fun that he said that the way he had. The new information about somehow people stating Llewellyn lived in the past made the advisor think. "That's rather curious. I've heard from some that this place is a past of Earth." Not that he had any real idea what Earth was as he was from Eos. But he'd overheard some of the people that were new to the place such as he was and had heard that. "Some say it's called Victorian England." Not that it rang any bells in his own mind because he had no idea.

He smiled in turn and he nodded sagely. Nida was a mystery to him in so many ways and had a thought process far from his own. But as much as that might seem to be a deterrent, the scholar in him wanted to simply learn more and spent hours one night trying to learn how and what made his lover tick so to speak. "He most certainly knows how to keep things interesting." And he was the fiery emotional one where Ignis was more cool and stoic or so appearances would suggest. But alone with Nida, he was slowly learning to open up which was a good thing. So he smiled. "You sound as if you've had first hand experience there."

Llewellyn had heard the observation himself, had even made it at one point or another. It had that specific in between Rhy’s time and his own. And given he had access to so many books in the last world, he’d gotten an idea of how history referred to the different eras based on their rulers. “That is a possibility, or at least it was a place that closely mirrored it. The point I arrived from when I left my own world was a few years post that, the Edwardian Era. Not entirely different, not in ways that matter.” He shrugged lightly. Progress was sometimes fast and sometimes slow… And in his opinion, it was always slowest in the ways that mattered most.

“Of course, with our presences and all this talk of portals… It’s definitely a diversion from earth as I knew it if it is.” Rhy might be able to explain that better, coming from the ‘red world’ as he called it. Another version of the world, but one with magic that seemed on a very different path than the world without magic.

The comment gets a grin. It definitely sounded like Ignis had an idea of what he meant. A relationship that tended to stay interesting was always nice, and it could make you appreciate the quieter moments just as much. Of course, on the subject of firsthand knowledge, Llewellyn’s expression turned a bit sheepish. “Yes, uh… I admit I do. Sometimes it’s easier to mis-communicate than one might think, so surprises don’t always go as planned.” Which was, unfortunately, the way they usually went. He didn’t like being surprised, and so he often tried to avoid surprising people. But… One of the few times he’d thrown caution to the wind, he’d very nearly broken up by mistake. It was a funny story to look back on, but not one he liked the idea of repeating.

This was intriguing and Ignis was going to have to look up when this Edwardian Era was if that kind of stuff was available here. It was interesting to think that the detective was from a time not much past this and he wondered what the technology had been, even if the other stated that it wasn't much.

Curiouser and curiouser as the saying went.

Still, the scholar in him nodded at hearing about portals. "Right, I don't believe we could interfere with Earth's history so that must be an alternate dimension of that." And it was still odd to him to discuss such a thing openly. Usually those were the types of books that he enjoyed reading even if he considered them somewhat fanciful. A man had to have his guilty pleasures once in a while.

Llewellyn's sheepish smile got a smile in return. "I know first hand what you're talking about all too well." It was the truth, especially with the night that he and Nida got together. They'd been on two very different pages as far as wanting a relationship. And in the end, Ignis gave in because Nida had been trying so very hard to win him over and he truly appreciated how much the man was showing off those tail feathers with dancing. Not to mention all of the other times he'd been so insistent on paying back a simple kindness such as food.

Some of the creatures and oddities aside, it really wasn’t all that different from his era. He was used to more electricity, perhaps, and some odd inventions thanks to a coworker… But on the other end of it there were some strangely modern appliances in their apartments… He had chalked those up to being influences due to the arrivals with the way the world seemed to evolve based on those who were pulled to this world.

“Mm, I have heard about so many variations on earth now that I presume that it’s unlikely this one will affect things outside this world. I get the distinct feeling that its only similar to earth. And someone said it’s gotten a bit lost from it’s expected path, confused on what happened and what it needs now. At least that’s what I’ve learned so far.” So far, being that he hasn’t learned enough, and he was going to have a lot of investigating to do here. In some ways it was nice to be kept busy, in other’s it was vexing to not know everything you felt you needed to know about a place.

There was a point where he would have thought similarly to Ignis. Indeed, in the last world he’d likened it to something he would have read in a Verne novel or some other work of fiction. Now it was just… not necessarily normal, but not as strange as it had been a year and a half ago.

“Relationships are mysterious things… But worth unravelling with the time and patience.” He responded with a nod. His relationship had been slow… His fault, of course, for being nervous and paranoid based upon his world’s expectations. Llewellyn had admitted to his discomfort with being flirted with, and Rhy had respected that. Hadn’t pursued him in any way and they’d been friends… For months they’d gotten to know one another, but eventually it had turned into something more, something worth growing, and now here they were.

Edited 2021-07-09 15:18 (UTC)

Ignis had to shake his head as some coffee was slid his way by one of the other workers. But as he looked at it for a moment, he looked at Llewellyn. "Can I interest you in coffee or tea?" There was alcohol here too and that could be an offer but somehow he didn't think the detective was going to go for it. So he slid a barstool over to himself and sat down. "On the topic of learning, have you made it to the Wizard's Tower here? Or mayhaps been to visit the Historium?"

It would make sense that the man had gone, but with the twenty thousand every day decisions otherwise, it made sense too if the answer was a resounding no at this point.

Alternate dimensions and odd things like that were things he'd only read about in books. Sometimes they were portrayed as fiction, other times it was advertised as theories. And that made him wonder which it might appear here as, if it did indeed at all.

"Not something I was looking for here." Ignis admitted in a low tone as another coworker passed by. "But nothing I regret." Nida had opened him up to so many new things and experiences that he'd wanted to ..well...experience. But of course protecting a prince full time put a huge damper on something like that so there had literally been no time for it.

Truth be told, if it were a little later in the day, he might not have turned down an offer of alcohol. He and his husband did love their wine, though Llewellyn was making the conscious decision to cut back just a tad. It was sometimes something they slipped too far into when there was something wrong, but his life was going much better than it had been, so he was in a better frame of mind. Coffee was something he actually quite enjoyed, especially in worlds where it was better than the sort he was used to. “A coffee would uh- be nice, thank you, Ignis.” He responded before considering the man’s question.

“I’ve been to both, though I admit I prefer the Historium for its convenient location?” And its disorganized state actually didn’t bother Llewellyn. It was rather like the inside of his head. He could find his way around rather well, and felt at home there. It was almost as though it wasn’t so bad to not have everything arranged neatly or ‘just so...’

For him, it was rather perfect.

Llewellyn smiled a little, watching people pass by as Ignis spoke, “No... I wasn’t either. It’s something I wasn’t sure I’d ever be allowed.” He commented, tapping his fingers on the counter lightly. “We’re lucky, I think. For all these worlds can be troubling or inconvenient, the chance to know those from other places and form bonds we might otherwise not have is something I’m grateful for.” Of course, he realized it all could end abruptly if someone disappeared... But Llewellyn was doing his best to not think about that these days. He was glad that he hadn’t gone to his world after the last place, and that he and Rhy had a chance to continue building their lives in what seemed like a better world. It was nice to do so as they wished here, without their personal lives being shared with everyone.

Turning to his coworker, Ignis had a cup of coffee made straight away for Llewellyn. It was either coffee or tea so he generally went with one of those two to start. And while he never spoke to customers directly unless requested, it was still something he tried to do. If the hunters were back from a long day they would talk Ignis' ear off but he didn't mind it at all and in fact he welcomed it. Someone talking that much made him feel needed and that was definitely something that he was used to.

"The Wizard's Tower is a bit of a journey." Ignis admitted. But he'd been there a few times when he needed to clear his head. The long walk gave him plenty of time for his thoughts and helped him sort out things he didn't wish to bother Nida with.

However, when Llewellyn mentioned that he wasn't' sure he'd be allowed something such as a relationship, the royal advisor smiled. "Nor did I." He paused in his thoughts as the detective's coffee came over along with a spoon, cream and sugar just in case. The other's words sank in and a mental image of Nida coming up to hug him from behind as he was cooking one night popped into his head and Ignis smiled gently at the memory. "And yet grateful might not give it enough gravity at times." he mused. But all in all he did of course agree with the man across from him.

So he cocked his head to the side, thinking of course of Nida who he would kill or die for. "And might I inquire as to how long you've been married?"

Once the coffee was made, he offered his thanks for it before taking a sip while he listened to Ignis. He couldn’t help but if the reason for his comment about also not being sure if he would be allowed was the same reason as his own, but rather hoped not… It would be sad to think that other worlds would be as cruel and narrow minded on the matter as his own.

Instead of bringing up the slightly darker subject, he took another sip of coffee and nodded his agreement to the comment. Sometimes words didn’t do justice to how you felt about another person, but still one did try on occasion when something needed to be said. The question gets a small hum, Llewellyn’s concept of time has never been great and this world jumping had thrown him off a little further considering seasons hadn’t been a thing and so months escaped him once in a while. “Uh… We were actually only just married in… April? So not long before we arrived here.”

That it had already been a couple months since the day was a funny thing to realize, but things turned into a bit of a blur after that. A short, quiet month of organizing and trying to make his office at the sphere more comfortable for the two of them to work due to some unfortunate disappearances from their lives, they’d almost been entirely finished with the project when suddenly they found themselves here instead. Together, but missing one member of their little family… The detective looked a little sad for a moment before he shook his head to continue. “And your wedding is coming up, I believe?”

"April's just passed by here. So you're still a newlywed." Ignis smiled. People back home were considered newlyweds for a year but he wasn't quite sure how that worked here. Still, it was a delight to meet someone who was recently married. Really he'd rather just focus on what he had versus what he was missing or what he wished he could have. And if it hadn't been for Nida he might still be..well he didn't want to think about that so he picked his coffee cup.

But hearing the part about how they came here together gave Ignis something he hadn't realized he'd been missing. Hope. It had been an underlying dissatisfaction and fear even as he went about his life. And it made him realize he was always happy yet fearful when he went to bed and got up in the morning. More than once he'd had to drag his ass to work when all he wanted to do was keep Nida wrapped up in his arms.

When he and the detective met, there wasn't talk of where they'd been previously or anything personal such as being in a different world together and arriving here. So it just gave Ignis' mind a whirl but in a good direction of course.

With the realization fully sinking in, it felt as if a weight he'd been carrying around and worrying about had tumbled off of his shoulders. If Llewellyn and his husband had truly been in another world together and arrived here, there was hope that Nida would go home with him when their time here was complete.

So his smile was pretty genuine and more heartfelt when he replied. "It is, and it's being held this Autumn. So of course we'd be delighted to have you and your husband attend."

“I suppose we are, it feels longer sometimes.” He responded with a little nod, smiling to himself. He had such an odd concept of time, sometimes not realizing it had passed while with Rhy it felt like they’d been together a lot longer. In a way they had, even if they had started off as friends and so they’d known each other for longer than they’d been officially seeing one another... Perhaps that was it. “We’re still trying to figure out this world, it’s very different from the last. I think it will suit us though, even if living in the apartments is a bit odd compared to what we were used to.”

Llewellyn could certainly understand that fear, that going to sleep might mean waking up alone. He’d woken up to the disappearances of some of his closest friends in the last world, and even in his own... People going missing was something that had wounded him rather deeply from a young age. So the idea that Rhy might one day be gone was not an easy thing to think about, but arriving here together was perhaps a small sign that maybe the way things had been presented to him in the last world weren’t as set in stone as he’d feared.

He’d be glad to know that it had helped Ignis to feel a little better himself.

The invitation got a small grin. “Autumn? I’ll be sure to mention it to Rhy.” His husband did like a party after all, and if nothing else was going on, he could see them attending. He was sure they could come up with a wedding gift of some sort.

"You said you both had resided in the bottom of the ocean, didn't you?" Ignis asked, making sure he'd been correct in his assumption. He could only imagine what kind of nightmare someone would go through dealing with that sort of thing.

Friends of Nida's had gone missing and as much as the advisor tried to keep the man chipper and give him things to look forward to, by now he knew the expression on the man's face when even that failed to work at times. There wasn't much he could do for it, and there were times when all he could do was wrap his arms around the man and hold onto him, hoping his presence lent the other some small measure of comfort.

Ignis smiled when Llewellyn said he'd mention the wedding to Rhy. Now of course he'd have to inform Nida that he invited someone officially, but he didn't figure it would present an issue. While he was well practiced in the art of conversation, he wasn't nearly as gregarious as his fiancée who would probably be more than happy that Ignis invited someone on his own.

"We'd be delighted to have you both."

He had yet to meet Rhy, but he was more than sure he was a good man. After all, even if Ignis knew nothing about the man (and he really didn't have much to go on anyhow) seeing how happy Llewellyn was spoke volumes in itself.

“We did, yes. And while much of that wasn’t, er... great.” He made a face, didn’t miss a lot of that... The people, their puppy, their home... Yes. The place itself? No. “But we had our own space. There were living arrangements provided for those who wanted to live together. Was like having a small home, in a way. Enough room enough for us, privacy that one doesn’t necessarily always get in an apartment, and room enough for the puppy we had to run around as well.” Don’t mind the sad dip in his tone there. They were still dealing with missing the little one fiercely. Neither he nor Rhy were even ready to entertain the idea of looking for a new companion here...

But the main point was, adjusting to living in the apartment buildings had probably been one of the greater challenges to arriving here.

The detective smiled, though. “Well, thank you Ignis. I’ll be sure to let you know once I’ve spoken with him and see about our schedules. He’s been working as an apprentice tailor at a shop here, it’s what he did in the last world.” Not all he did, of course, but Rhy wanted to leave much of that behind. Llewellyn would respect that, because they’d both had so much of their private lives invaded by the last world. So much had been shared that they never wanted to be shared... This world was a new start, a fresh beginning, a chance to be something other than what had felt expected in the last world.

Yes, he was still volunteering his assistance as an investigator, but he was also learning that his whole life didn’t have to be just that. He could pursue other things that he enjoyed, like working at Aerith’s flower shop, and could just be a husband and work on building their lives together here.

The puppy revelation wasn't something he would've ever expected. "I have to wonder simply how they managed to get a puppy down below the waves." And that of course conjured all sorts of mental images with him. Why would whoever was in charge of their world want to kidnap animals from above? Sure puppies were great things, Noctis saw Umbra regularly with the correspondence book shared between he and Lady LunaFreya. But still, it was odd to think of animals (or even people for prolonged periods as Llewellyn was describing here) under the ocean depths.

Still, he nodded as the other went on to explain about having privacy. "That would be quite a common concern, especially for a courting couple or one that married there." That too made him wonder how many people could find happiness there, but fortunately Llewellyn and his husband had met and fallen in love there.

"A tailor is a noble profession." Ignis replied at hearing what Rhy did for a living. He took a small sip of coffee and thought. Tailor..well that would work, right? "I don't suppose he's looking for business as well?" Because if he was, Ignis would bring his fiancée to the man very promptly. The advisor himself had work done before by the tailor shop, and with the woman there who had given him quite the wardrobe for Namine who had disappeared shortly after it was all delivered. So he'd donated it all back to the shop so they might make yet more profit off of the ready made dresses.

"But yes, please let us know and don't be afraid to bring him by here as well."

“Mm... Honestly, aside from the odd pet that made an appearance? There weren’t any animals there.” He frowned lightly, going over some of the things that had happened in his head. A haunted look crossing his face as the one crisis came to mind that had called into question the pets in general. When food had run low, the animals simply stopped needing food or water... It had been alarming, but no harm had come to them, thankfully.

“There was a hypothesis that they might not exactly be... real. More like something the sphere had made for us, either based on memories of a pet from home or based upon our personal needs in times of stress.” His had possibly been the latter, given he’d never had a dog before. Nor any pet, really. Pretzel had only appeared after a few months of not sleeping and trying to manage his own trauma that the sphere had dredged up. “It could manifest our nightmares in physical form, so it stood to reason that perhaps our furry companions might’ve been the same.”

He shook his head a moment later. “But Pretzel was still real enough to me and Rhy. He was a part of our family and we loved him dearly...” Rhy had spoiled the pup, they both had. Clearing his throat, he was happy to move back to the topic of living arrangements. “Yes, there were dormitories, single occupancy residences, and double. We both were assigned the same same dormitory when we arrived oddly enough.” A small wry smile. Their meeting was a bit of a silly and fond memory. “I do hope to find us a place eventually,” One of the reasons he’d been happy to take on a couple jobs, instead of one. “It seems odd to think they might expect us all to live in the apartment buildings forever. Unless that’s how they intend to keep track of us.”

Llewellyn was very happy to speak on his husband’s chosen profession though, the work made Rhy happy and proud as he improved. It was nice to see, “It is, and he’s been improving quite a lot since I met him. His embroidery is quite good, and he learns more every day.” Clearly Llewellyn thought highly of his husband’s work as well. Even if Rhy might not boast such confidence, the detective liked seeing him enjoy his work.

The question gets a small tilt of his head, “You could stop by the shop and ask the person who runs it, they’d probably be happy for the business and I’m sure Rhy would be happy to assist with the order.” After all, Rhy was an apprentice tailor, and Llewellyn wasn’t sure if he was taking on his own clients so much as he was being given specific work and taught as they went.

Ignis frowned as he listened. This Sphere place sounded worse and worse the more he heard about it. He supposed it was best not to dwell on it all though. Still, he loved the dog's name all the same. And the bit about Llewellyn being assigned to the same dormitory as his future husband was a wonderful story in itself.

Talk about fate handing someone directly to you really.

The advisor shook his head about the apartments though. "Indeed. Though I myself have been looking for a home instead of just the apartment. It seems a great deal of the buildings here aren't in all that great of shape and need repairs. So I've been looking for one for Nida and myself to settle into." He really hoped to have one at least purchased with their wedding coming up too. But Ignis wants to think of their home as a wedding gift so he was working on things to that end. He'd already spoken to several of the hunters who kept a look out for him and some even knew basic repair skills which might come in handy. And of course the advisor was more than willing to repay in food or gil..whatever the currency was called here.

"Embroidery?" he asked in a really surprised tone. "How wonderful that someone knows that sort of art here." In that, he was really impressed. And then of course the detective threw in the part about asking after the clothing. He had a feeling Nida was taking care of it, but if it wasn't, then he was more than happy to ask Rhy and of course happy to provide coin and or food for repayment for his services.

So he nodded after taking another sip of coffee. "I shall have to follow up on this endeavour, thank you."

Pretzel was a very cute, if slightly odd, name for a dog, or at least he’d been told as much. Still, it had been better than the suggestion of ‘Punch Machine,’ ‘Sabertooth Biter,’ and an assortment of other rather frightful options that had been provided to him by one of the children that was at the Sphere at the time. As much as Llewellyn had adored the kids, he had decided against using those suggestions in particular.

“Mm... That’s what I’ve been hoping to do. If anything were available that we’d be allowed to take. In the interim, I’ve been trying to put funds aside to make the purchase should an opportunity arise. It’s... an odd thing. I never really had a home or the reason to find one before. Even the apartment here is rather nicer than I had in my world- but! I would like the space for us to share and call ours properly.” And Llewellyn wasn’t particularly fond of the lack of privacy, nor fond of the idea of feeling stored in a place as though it were how they might be kept track of by the powers that were in charge. Maybe a place where he could set up a small space for him to work and Rhy to work on his embroidery, they’d very nearly had one set up before... And it was a cozy arrangement.

Llewellyn nodded to the question, “Indeed. He’s gotten quite good at it in my opinion.” He tugged a handkerchief out of his pocket that Rhy had worked on for him, more than a little proud of the man’s handiwork.

He shrugged lightly at the comment with a smile, he’d really only put forth the knowledge because Ignis had asked if Rhy were looking for work. “Of course, I’m always happy to provide suggestions.” He took another sip of coffee, finishing the beverage off with surprising speed. Llewellyn simply liked it, and the caffeine was a welcome bonus. “I should probably let you uh- get back to work though, I don’t want to keep you too long.” He rubbed the back of his neck lightly. “And I should probably start wandering back towards the office.”

He had to laugh at hearing Llewellyn's statement about saving up funds for a home and never having had a reason to do so. This was definitely what he'd thought because even if Nida was with him back home, they'd just live in the Citadel so there would be no need to have to hunt for a home unless they wanted to. However, Ignis' job was taking care of Noctis so being so close to the king was pretty necessary. The only way he would've gotten out of so much of it was if Lady LunaFreya had lived. But unless time travel was possible he couldn't go and change those events now.

And for the king's sake he would of course.

"Since I am searching, I will let you know what I find." It couldn't hurt to try and assist the detective and his husband since they were newlyweds and on the same quest for the same reasons.

Looking now at the prized piece of embroidered cloth, Ignis nodded. "That is indeed wonderful work."

But then the other announced getting back to the office and of course he nodded. Far be it from him to keep Llewellyn from his job though his other cooks had the floor and would for the next few hours. And as much as he loved work he pretty much had lain it all out for the others with not knowing how long the other was going to stay.

"Of course. It's been a pleasure to be able to chat and I hope we can do it again sometime. In the meantime I will check with my contacts and let you know what I find out regarding housing, and check in with your husband to make an appointment. And I thank you for that." He had to have nice threads because he was getting married and the man did wonderful work as Llewellyn had provided proof of that.

Llewellyn grinned, appreciating the offer. "Thank you, Ignis. That would be quite helpful." He responded with a little nod, pushing himself away from the counter to gather up his notes and shoving them in his shoulder bag. The detective spent a great deal of his time trying to figure this world out of late, or learning from Aerith. So there hadn't been as much time for house hunting as he would have liked.

"And I'll be sure to let Rhy know so he can give the tailor shop a heads up on the interest." He added, before shouldering the bag with a last glance to make sure he'd gotten everything. "Until next time, have a good day, Ignis." He added politely in parting before he was off at a quick gate, moving on towards the door and out into the world again.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

The strategist may be good

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

End here?

Sure!