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."

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“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.

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