aterat | Wandering Around in November

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Wandering Around in November

Who; Llewellyn and whoever!
What; November logs! (Open ones below the cut, closed ones in the comments!)
Where; The market, park, and all around
When; Mid to late November
Warnings; None but I will warn accordingly if something comes up!

There’s something to be said for the bustle of a market - Open to All

Between one job and the next, Llewellyn had found himself wandering the market with a pretzel in hand as he browsed the wares on various tables and through windows of smaller shops that had opened up over time.

It was quiet moments like this that reminded him of his world, in a way. If you tuned out the chocobos and other oddities, squinting just a little…

In many ways, it was better than his world, of course. Society was a little more relaxed here, for one. There were fewer things for him to hide. But he still felt out of place sometimes in other ways he couldn’t quite explain to people.

But there was something relaxing about moving from one table to the next, admiring the craftsmanship of one person’s work or chatting with another about what news or gossip there was to be heard while he bought a snack.

Llewellyn seemed to be on the lookout for something, though it was hard to say what at a glance. One might even wonder if Llewellyn knew what he was trying to find... But he was a bit caught up in some musings, brought on by the time of year. It was a complicated one for the detective, and he seemed intent upon keeping himself busy.

Sometimes Llewellyn would get so distracted with a thought or a conversation that, unsurprisingly, he’d almost bump into another person. “Oh- er… Pardon!” He uttered at one point, nearly walking into someone, only to awkwardly spin a little and lean around them instead. How he did so without falling over was something between extensive experience of almost walking into people and a small miracle.

Progress with a pupper at the park - Open to All

It was a brisk autumn afternoon at the park, leaves caught in breezes to fly through the air and eventually land to only be crunched underfoot. It had quickly become a favourite haunt of Llewellyn’s and his pup Pretzel alike. The open air, the space, the sounds of ducks or excited squirrels were pleasantly familiar. The man always felt far better outside than he ever did inside, often taking his casework on walks with him, even in his own world.

Today was not about work, though. Instead, he’d gathered up a few things from the apartment and hooked a leash to Pretzel’s collar. His intentions were to continue training his wrinkly companion, hiding toys and setting up trails for the dog to follow. He wanted to work the canine up to the point they could practice with people, hoping the dog would help with finding missing persons should such cases arise.

Of course, it had eventually devolved into tug-of-war games and Pretzel taking off at a run to burn off some energy or if another animal or person had caught his attention.

He was a sociable pup, good-natured and often confused over the idea that not everyone would want to be friends… So someone might be surprised by a dog tripping over their own ears to get to them to say hello.

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He listened and nodded. "That is quite an excellent idea. A way to remember others that we've known." Ignis looked at his notebook, the one that the detective had given to him. "I could write things about people I've known here that have disappeared. And should they by some chance come back there would be stories I could share with them whether they remember them or not."

Yuna, Namine and Caelan came to mind immediately of course.

But he didn't really have any questions even if he would quietly take note of one or the other. He wasn't trying to be nosey and get into memories that Llewellyn might not wish to share and so inquiring even politely was out of the question. And he could only smile as he heard Aerith's name. "I had her assistance at the wedding. She was recommended by that Cloud fellow that seems to follow her around." It was adorable and Ignis never said as much because it was just simply none of his business to be honest.

Llewellyn nodded, “Yes, it’s quite helpful I find… And even if they don’t return, it’s a nice way to remember them…” Even if you might not remember them after a while, memories were a funny thing for him to begin with… And sometimes he found that since arriving in this world, certain names and faces from the last had faded. Whether that was a result of being transported between worlds or his own spotty memory was uncertain, but he at least liked that he had vague impressions of those he’d known still.

The detective beamed a little to hear that Aerith had helped with the flowers for the wedding. It made sense to him. She was the best in the city, in his opinion, and she had helped add on to his own knowledge since arriving. A small, amused expression crossed his face at the mention of Cloud. “Mm… Her bodyguard and odd-jobs-man? An interesting man… I’ve only met him once myself.” Most of Llewellyn’s experiences had been with Aerith thus far… And her stories about the man. He seemed a tad grumpy, and an excellent target for the woman’s teasing. “But I’m not surprised he would recommend her. She is the best in the city… And they seem rather close too.”

It was rather cute, in his opinion, that she seemed able to rope the man into various projects and things.

"Funny, I never thought to create such a thing. It's quite a splendid idea indeed." Ignis smiled. And of course he wrote it down in the green notebook that was given to him so that he would remember to do it. Of course while the three had been missing for some time now, Ignis remembered them and things about them. So if they ever returned, he would have ample stories and anecdotes ready.

"That would indeed be him." the advisor remarked with a smile. "I too have only met the man once but I do believe I saw him dancing with Miss Aerith at the wedding." Of course he'd been so very busy dancing and socializing and trying to ensure that everyone was having a good time as well as trying to keep an eye on who had shown up.

"That they do. They seem very well suited for each other." And of course he wondered if they were a couple, but again prying wasn't a thing he did.

“I noticed that myself, couldn’t help but wonder…” Llewellyn responded with an absentminded hum and a grin. “It was nice to see them enjoying themselves. He seemed so serious when I met him.” While Ignis was not one to pry, the detective was a horrible little meddler sometimes. Especially if it meant seeing someone he cared about to find a little happiness.

He was the sort who tended to worry if he saw those around him unhappy, and felt the need to fix it somehow. It was why he’d stuck his nose in the minute he picked up on Effie Newsome and George Crabtree’s almost annoyed infatuation with one another. George was miserable and alone, and for all he grumbled about Effie… There were sparks. So. Llewellyn meddled. And now? Now they were quite happy together.

At least his meddling mind was currently on another pair of people who’d arrived here. Of which, now that he thought about it, he should check in on again soon.

Still, he had a job to do here, which he hoped would assist Ignis with making his and Nida’s space nicer and thus add a little cheer to their lives. “So… What sort of colours are you considering? That might, uh- assist with selecting particular kinds of flowers or plants.” He tugged a pencil out of his pocket himself, wanting to make note himself in case he could see about helping with finding things.

"He does seem to be a rather serious lad. But with the way Aerith handled him, I do believe that says quite a bit about them." Prying with his mouth no, but Ignis definitely tried to keep an eye on them during the wedding. Of course that was a tall order most of the time spent with Nida and checking on other guests.

Turning his attention back to Llewellyn now, Ignis shook his head. "I suppose something green or patches of it would be a start." He had to smile as he thought. "I have thought of taking some of the hunters up on their offer to plant some of the smaller trees here as well, but green is a start." Green meant so many things to them, from the green tree Nida had been high up in, and where they'd first became a couple was in the green building. Then of course was the green jade necklace Nida had given Ignis and it just went from there. And that was why the colour featured in their wedding theme too.

"But.." And he went to grab one of the reference books he'd found to flip through it. "I may select a few roses though they have different meanings."

A garden without greenery would be a strange thing, in his opinion, but he nodded with a grin. “Of course, perhaps some nice shrubs as well…” He jotted down a couple more notes for himself. The more verdant the plants, the better was what he was getting from this. He smiled a little to hear that the hunters had offered to help Ignis with his plans as well.

“Mm… Trees are nice. There were a lot of them where I grew up. It was not so dissimilar to here aside from the lack of magic.” He tapped the side of his face lightly, trying to get an idea of how a few trees might look in the area Ignis had to work with. He was very good at visualizing things that weren’t there yet, for all his thoughts tended to race and jumble. “Are there trees in particular you have in mind?”

The mention of roses gets a small grin. He doesn’t mind going back to the subject of roses, after all. As he’d just told Ignis, they would be an important part of his own garden one day. “There are indeed several meanings, and it seems to depend on the world. Are there particular roses you’ve already considered, or are you still deciding?”

"I'm not quite sure what all of the different species are. But I do plan to look into them." He'd like a pine tree of course, but how much of a pain in the ass that was going to be if it had to be transported from say the Lodge to his house might be right out. "And I will simply have to confer with the husband if he has a preference. So do hold that thought if you don't mind."

He picked up another book as Llewellyn spoke and found a really striking pink rose and another had a white rose. "I should think these two would be good starters." And he turned the books around to show the detective. "I wonder if our Aerith would be able to find seeds, or if she would have roses in these particular colours."

Llewellyn might have suggested starting with a sapling or a younger tree for ease, because a large and full grown tree really would definitely be a more difficult… But Ignis probably had help from the lodge, he supposed. So he nodded instead as Ignis explained, jotting it down in his notebook. “Of course, I’ve noted it and we can mm… return to that subject at a later date.”

His eyes darted to the books as Ignis turned them to show him, reaching out to tug the books closer for a better look as he studied the blooms with a curious smile. “Ah, yes, those would look quite nice. They would compliment the greenery and each other.” He quickly jotted down the varieties, “Blush noisette and white floribunda… Both are excellent choices.”

At the mention of Aerith, Llewellyn’s head ducked in a quick nod. “I expect she’ll have something. I can uh- inquire next time I’m working with her at her garden shop.” He always had this notebook with him, after all. It was his all-day-every-day use notebook for things he wanted to keep in mind or have at a moment’s notice.

Ignis just had to smile and grabbed his coffee cup. This was going to be interesting and the scholar in him was definitely set to learn a lot of different things he supposed. "I have to thank you." he said as he set his cup down. "I had no idea really that there were different varieties of all of these plants."

Of course he knew some from home, but those weren't here and mostly he'd studied geography and local customs in each place so he could be somewhat of a compass for the king. Sure he loved gardens himself, but there wasn't really time to read up on it once they set off to Altissia. and on the road he had to keep the King safe as well as keep the other two alive and well so they could help him protect the king.

And he picked the coffee cup up and stood slowly because it was empty and needed a refill. "Indeed. When will you see her next? Do you know?"

Llewellyn smiled and gestured vaguely, “Think nothing of it. I’m happy to share my knowledge with someone who appreciates it.” He didn’t often have much cause to, but he was a fountain of information on very specific subjects. This was one he’d had the occasion and encouragement to expand on during his time at the Sphere, and he’d been eager to continue it here. So it was nice to share it with a friend again, “It’s fascinating, really. Plants seem to be a constant in most worlds, with varied varieties that survive in so many conditions.” A world without seemed sad to him, but he didn’t write off that there might be one or two.

“In the last world I was in there was a library that contained the books from… Well… All the worlds and times, if you can believe it... I learned a lot about flower varieties and hybrids that didn’t even exist yet in mine.” So, Llewellyn supposed he had a little bit of a leg up on knowledge there. And between the goddess’ flower, the flower his angelic friend had showed him, and those he read about, he continued. “Even those that don’t exist in mine.”

As terrible as the place had been, sometimes he wished he had more time with the library… But he’d already spent a lot of his days there, jumping from one subject to another. That happened when you weren’t sleeping and trying to avoid talking about it, he supposed.

The question gets a shrug, pulling his own coffee mug to him and picking up another pretzel. “I’ll probably be there tomorrow? I work for her on a part-time basis, so a few times a week opposite of my time at the office. Sometimes more often when I want to, though she’s been mm… a bit stubborn about me taking more time to do non-work related things.” She’d picked up on his habit of burying himself in various kinds of work and making excuses to snack all day instead of sitting down and recharge with a full meal, so she had begun teasing him till he agreed to try a little harder.

"Indeed. The greenery and foliage was quite the splendid backdrop to the wedding." Aerith had helped him work quite a bit of magic and being able to step back and look at all of their hard work had been breathtaking. And while he was a normally patient man, it made Ignis wish he could speed up the days to the wedding. Even if there had been a ton of more things to prepare and make.

Hearing about the books made him cock his head to the side. "I must wonder if such things exist at the Wizard's Tower." He'd been through the Historium with his husband and while they found a wealth there, he'd never really visited the place. Of course it was on his list of things to do, but he was so busy still setting up hearth and home with his husband and they both worked so he could secretly admit to liking days off spent with the man he married.

Smiling at the image of a bossy flower girl, Ignis had to laugh. "I've worked with her myself and her will can be quite formidable. It's no wonder Cloud has a hard time saying no to her."

“Yes… It was one thing that was a little more challenging for ours.” He had handled the floral arrangements at his own wedding, getting input from his husband at times, but there hadn’t really been anyone to work with on the matter. “There was an agricultural dome, but much of the Sphere was very… Well, lacking in nature? Not like here at all… I Had a bit of a challenge in migrating things and arranging them.” Too many people had disappeared by that point, as much as he’d wished to have friends to refer to. Rhy had handled the clothing with Inesa, though in the end his husband had finished the endeavor on his own as well… It was sad, but most of their closest friends had disappeared well before the day.

“Mm… I haven’t spent much time at the Wizard’s tower? But I know the curator of the historium- Percy, I believe his name is- can occasionally locate books from our worlds. Though I think we need to know specifically what we’re looking for… I think this place operates a little differently in that compared to the last. At least, I presume so since it might have to do with the way we’re brought here, and that it’s not as futuristic to have access to everything regardless of the residents…” At least that was Llewellyn’s hypothesis since arriving and doing a look around to try to work out how things operated.

“This place feels like it’s between Rhy’s time and mine, honestly. Aside from some of the more recent additions.” Rhy was from the Georgian era, while Llewellyn was from the Edwardian. It was… An interesting thing to consider, at least in his opinion. It was a little more like Rhy’s world in that there was magic, but slightly closer aesthetically to his time.

Llewellyn chuckled a little, setting down his cup of coffee. “Formidable is a good word for it. Not that I’m unused to having friends and acquaintances like her… But I certainly have a hard time arguing with her logic when she gets to trying to convince me of something.” He rubbed the side of his face thoughtfully. He wouldn’t change that for anything, though. He appreciated her nudging sometimes. The detective needed that in people. Plus, he was grateful for the chance to continue practicing with gardening for when he could plant his own… And it settled his nerves, often enough. “I don’t doubt Cloud has experienced it and rather wonder what the confrontation might look like.” Again, Llewellyn was a nosy man. Suitable for being a defective, one would suppose… But the mental image also seemed amusing to his mind. Stoney faced young man vs. a cheery, energetic young woman.

Ignis really tried hard to picture this agricultural dome but all he was getting was a garden in his mind's eye. And he was pretty sure that wasn't going to be a thing that would happen so he pretty much set it aside. "I can imagine it would be hard to find things to grow under the ocean." He didn't envy Llewellyn due to that at all, it had to be completely tough.

"I admit I haven't spent time there since we received that new curator." And Ignis didn't know if he trusted it. He could try again he supposed as it wouldn't hurt. So he grabbed another cup of coffee and automatically started to get another cup ready in case it was needed by the detective. But it was still fun to hear how the times were different between Llewellyn's time and that of his husband's. It kind of reminded him of the chats he had with Nida regarding things like that.

Still, it was nice to hear the other laugh as they spoke of Cloud and Aerith. "I don't believe he has a chance against her because she does seem to rather drag him along for any adventures she might have in mind." And as he finished getting the coffees ready, he set Llewellyn's down in front of him before taking his own seat again.

"I do wonder if they'll marry."

“Outside the very specific dome it was, even those with magic informed me that they could only grow things and get them to survive in those specific places, aside from the odd potted plant.” It was a strange, complicated place. Llewellyn was glad to be out of it… But he did appreciate it for what it gave him. He wouldn’t have known Rhy without it, nor would he have learned about the future of his world. So… Small positives.

Llewellyn nodded, “It’s a strange place, and… He’s an odd fellow, can’t quite figure out what I think yet.” So the detective went, if only due to curiosity. Not that he had as much time of late, what with two jobs, house hunting, training Pretzel and making time for Rhy… It was a full plate, and with winter around the corner? Too many bad things had happened to Llewellyn in the evenings later in the year. He was going to become a little more stressed in some ways.

Offering a small thank you for the coffee, he took a sip and enjoyed it. Yes, he much preferred a coffee to tea. “Mm… Yes, I rather think that he gets swept up in her insistence rather easily.” Llewellyn somehow doubted the man did much more than lightly grumble before he went with it though, he knew the type rather well. If he truly didn’t want to, Cloud would say so. The idea of marriage gets a small hum, though. “Hard to say… I think that depends on if they’ve even addressed how they feel about one another?” It was clear to him that something was there, but the detective had noticed that sometimes the people involved themselves didn’t realize it right away.

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Wandering Around in November

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Should we start moving this towards a close?