The detective gives that trip 0/10. Would not visit again

[gadaboutdetective]

Who; Llewellyn and people
What; 2 Open logs and 1 closed
Where; Assorted
When; All through May
Warnings; Alcohol for a start. I will update accordingly depending on what gets discussed. Update: Brief mention of homophobia and unfair laws of the era in Ignis' thread, discussion of a murder case in thread with Ivy.

( I can also do personalized starters if you want! just let me know either on Discord: WhimsicalSpook#8219 or Plurk: whimsicalspook You are also welcome to throw a starter at me if you want, I don't bite!)



Finding his way home. - Closed to Rhy

It was late in the evening and footsteps were echoing through the sewers of of the city. Steps unsteady and a little staggered as the man exited the tunnels with a distracted look on his face.

He doesn’t really look particularly different how how he did a week ago when he disappeared. His gaze lightly unfocused as he walked almost on autopilot, his mind a whirl. Less a flock of starlings as he was prone to describing it and more of a tornado, and his emotions running rampant.

There was so much in his head now, too much. It was scrambling to sort what seemed like two very different lives. Almost two years away from home, between the Sphere and this world… And nearly that long suddenly stuffed in his head from his own world, much of it far less pleasant in some ways than the two years he’d come to know away from it.

Leaning against a lamppost, Llewellyn took a deep breath and then another as his eyes finally focused on the world around him. He was back, back in the world he’d come to think of as his home… And after having been back in his world? It had only cemented that feeling, regardless of how powerless and ill prepared he felt when it came to some of the things that happened here… It was better than the gnawing pain and repeated cycle of loss that he felt trapped in.

He wasn’t sure if he wanted to cry in frustration or relief as he stared at the quiet evening around him. Frustration for what he’d gone back to with no memories of this place, or in pure relief for being here again. Regardless, a few stray tears escaped anyway, though he’d deny it if asked.

… He’d deny a few things if asked, honestly.

“I need a drink…” He muttered, wishing to quiet his over-loud, racing thoughts just a little. It had practically been a part of his schedule over the last few months… Drink to quiet the thoughts, drink to numb the feelings that you wish you didn’t have, drink to forget how once again you were alone.

Then, absently, a particular thought rattled into place. Here he wasn’t alone. He had someone waiting for him.

Rhy.

The name comes to the forefront of his mind, and his heart suddenly ached for a different reason. How long had he been gone for? He’d promised not to leave the man, promised to stay by his husband’s side and not leave him to feel so very alone again…

The drink is forgotten for now, and Llewellyn turns in another direction, the correct direction. He wavers on his path once in a while, if only because worry had begun worming its way into his head. Worries of what to say to his husband, worries about what the man would think if he heard some of the last two years. Fear of disappointment, or judgement, or...

Llewellyn squinted at the door before him, the stained glass rose window glowing lightly with light from within. He had made it back without realizing it, so caught up in his own head again.

At first, he almost does the absurd thing, and knocks. Instead, having a small sensible thought break through the confusion, he pulls out his key and lets himself in.

It's an odd feeling as he wandered into the entry hall. Relief sinking in, the wonder of 'this is my home, it's safe here' catches a hold of him lightly. It's not the slightly lonely boarding house room, dim and empty aside from a few personal belongings, wine, and case notes. It's warm, bright, inviting, vibrantly full of life.

There's just one thing left... He wants- needs to see Rhy. Despite the vague anxiety of what on earth he might say, and the fear of how long he might have been gone lingering... He needs to see him. "Rhy?" He spoke as he began moving from one room to another in hopes of searching.

His voice doesn't sound as strong or confident as he'd like, he notes. He needs to fix that when does see his husband.

But it's a start.


Business as usual. - Gullwings or Aerith's shop ~ OTA if anyone wants to try to catch his attention when he's hiding in his work

If there was anything that would never change about Llewellyn, it was his proclivity for choosing avoidance of issues in favor of work. Why dwell and talk about the things in your head when you could be focusing on being productive and useful.

There were plenty of things that needed his attention, after all. There was work to be done at the Gullwings offices. He was a week behind on the smaller cases he'd taken on around the city, and hey- wouldn't it be nice if he tidied his desk a little? Adjust the tornado so it looked a little more...

Well, not better, but as though it had moved around a bit? Maybe a little more centralized on his desk instead of overflowing onto other people's spaces?

Plus, he noted with some confusion, he needed to tidy up the many odd little flowers that had been left on his desk. Llewellyn certainly didn't remember putting them there, and their presence puzzled him some...

Yes, anyone who walked in on seeing him organizing was probably going to wonder if they were hallucinating.


Then there was the flower shop. The detective knew he had time to make up for there, having left Aerith to take care of things by herself so rudely.

They were into the time of year where flowers were blooming and just waiting to be gathered to arrange in vases or baskets. So it wouldn't hurt to give the plants a little extra attention, would it? Especially since she'd allowed him to leave some of his starters to transfer at a later date.

Really, between arrangements waiting to be put together and flowers needing care, there was plenty for him to help with to make up for his absence!

Whether it was the office or the garden shop, there was nothing wrong with putting in a little more time here and there! And it gave him time to catch up with and check on people, which was still a priority at the end of the day.


I'll have that drink now. - The Tavern ~ OTA But warning for excessive drinking

Llewellyn was... adjusting.

Yeah, let's go with that. It sounded better than anything he could come up with. He really just needed time, he was sure. Time to finish sorting all the new thoughts and experiences into their little boxes on a shelf in his mind. Once that was done, he would lose the vague amounts of distraction and the questions of if he was listening or if something was off would stop.

He could do without those, really. He was fine. One hundred percent okay. Just adjusting. Just processing almost two years' worth of information.

Just trying to shake off the paranoia and anxiety that's still lingering from being in my own world. He let out a long breath while he waited for the tavern-keeper to bring him another drink.

Since it was just him and his thoughts? He could admit to himself that... There were some things that were less than fine.

He was tired of looking over his shoulder every time he was with Rhy, worried about some unknown seeing them and bringing danger down on their heads for just walking.

Tired of wondering when he was going to mess things up here, too. Both his personal life and professional life had... developed quite a track record. An annoying voice in the back of his mind kept musing that it might only be a matter of time before the rug got pulled out from under him.

And he was damn tired of the vague, lowered faith in the people around him. Expecting someone to spout some idiocy or opinion that would hurt someone who didn't deserve to be hurt, or even some slight against him when he didn't agree with them.

What happened to the progress he'd made? What happened to the glass being half full instead of half empty?

Another glass of something amber in colour was set in front of him, and idly he mused, 'There's a full glass.' As he pulled it towards him, hoping it might quiet his mind some while he passed some time before going home.

Comments

[gadaboutdetective]

The gift, of course, hadn’t been from the Sphere or either of their worlds… There was nothing he would bring from his world that he could think of, and Pretzel had been the only thing from their time at the Sphere aside from people they’d met that he’d want to see here. Though it had been inspired by a glimpse of Rhy’s room through a memory share. “Oh- Well, we haven’t had much chance to mm… get furniture that suits us yet. Filling a house takes time, as I’m sure you’ve noticed.” A chair here, a table there… It was a fun little adventure, though, seeing the house slowly become a home between their improvements and additions.

“But I wanted Rhy to have a nice to place to sleep, something at least a little closer to something familiar for him, I suppose.” He gestured absentmindedly, the liquid in the glass wavering slightly under the motion. “Something like a canopy bed, but it has a stained glass roof over it with roses in the design. They’re his flower, and I thought the way they’d look in the morning with light glinting through them would be pretty, while the bed curtains would be good for the different seasons. So I had it made and managed to get it in the house while he was running last-minute errands on moving day.”

The detective, for all that he knew he was loved, was still a bit insecure sometimes and felt like Rhy deserved better or more than he could give him. So he was prone to thinking of things and then being reminded that he didn’t need to try quite so hard later. Admittedly, this was something that might get a little worse for a while, considering how damaged the detective’s heart was at the moment.

[faithfulsupport]

"It rather does take time." Ignis agreed, sipping on his Cider. He and Nida were still working on the house and somehow he didn't think that they would ever get done. But what they had was pretty nice and that was worth it. "I'm sure given enough time you'll have quite a lovely home."

He had a lot of faith in Llewellyn.

Green eyes got slightly wide at hearing the description of what must be an exquisite piece of furniture. His mind ran through what it must look like and then of course his frugal mind was trying to think of how much a piece like that must cost. Naturally Ignis wasn't about to even think to ask that sort of rude and uncalled for line of questioning.

"Very clever of you to get that in without him being home." Ignis smiled approvingly. That was something he would do too. "But that is quite the thoughtful gift. I'm sure he loved it."

[gadaboutdetective]

“Yes, we certainly hope to… We have some plans already, some things to work on. I should mm… get back to doing that, now that I’m here again.” Perhaps in the next day or two, he supposed. Painting, small improvements and repairs, his garden… It would be a better use of his time than spending an afternoon or evening in a bar while Rhy was at work. The detective at least knew he needed to try to push past that particular urge. It just wasn’t as easy when he’d been moving almost on autopilot as his habits from his own world were stronger than those he’d formed here right now.

It had been a more expensive addition to the house. If Llewellyn didn’t work a couple jobs and cut back in other areas, he might not have afforded it. But his mind had been set on giving Rhy something beautiful, and he was pretty good at saving and budgeting when there was a need. “I felt rather clever, even if I uh- forgot that sheets and curtains would be needed for it. Luckily someone spoke to the women he works with at the shop and they surprised us both with several sets.” He’d been scrambling to try to try to at least put something up to make it look better for Rhy when they discovered this. It had been rather amusing.

It had all been worth it, though, to surprise his beloved. “I was rather relieved to find that he did love it, though. Surprises are always something of a risk in my experience.” He wasn’t fond of being surprised himself, and the few times he’d tried to surprise someone, it hadn’t gone well. So successful attempts that ended well were always a nice experience… Though Rhy had reminded him that he didn’t need to go to such lengths for him after the fact, Llewellyn always had a hard time remembering that.

[faithfulsupport]

Ignis nodded helpfully. "Working on a project and seeing it come to fruition is a most wonderful endeavour indeed." And it really did work that way in his own mind. Even working on something and simply seeing his husband's reaction to something worked wonders in his own eyes.

Hearing that Llewellyn had forgotten the sheets and curtains gave the detective a downright good chuckle. "Well that must've been quite the helpful thing. It's wonderful that she was thoughtful enough to send those very needed items to complete the gift."

Really sometimes the kindness of people here startled him and had the usually very eloquent man at a loss for words. Still he was always appreciative even if sometimes he got tongue tied at the goodness of people's hearts here.

"I'm glad to hear it was such a well received gift." Ignis smiled, taking another sip of his cider. And if Ignis could hear those thoughts, he did the same thing with Nida, somehow unsure as to how he got someone so devoted and thoughtful and unsure how to 'repay' that so to speak.

[gadaboutdetective]

“I expect it will be, I haven’t had many such projects outside my casework before now… So it will be a new experience for the both of us, I expect.” Even if he knew how to do little things, having been expected to help around the boarding house and do chores for Mrs. Young when he was a child… This was the first time it would be for something that was a place of their own to share.

Offering a half smile at the chuckle, he nodded before tipping back his glass to finish the current drink off. “It was quite helpful, uh- though a bit confusing for Rhy since he hadn’t seen the bed yet. He wasn’t quite sure what it all was for until I showed him, but it was nice to have something proper to put up. I did not do a good job trying to hang regular sheets as makeshift curtains.” He added with a little shake of his head.

People here were truly more open and kind than he was used to, and it was a soothing realization to think about all things considered.

“As am I, if I’m to be entirely honest.” Which was the norm for Llewellyn. It was stranger when he lied. “I was a little nervous since gifts and surprises don’t always go the way one expects them to… But I’m glad I managed to pull it off, regardless.”

[faithfulsupport]

Ignis laughed good naturedly at hearing how Llewellyn didn't do a good job with the sheets. "One has to start at some point." And that of course meant the whole house set up and all of that. It was really great to hear how he was starting the process of his own home, considering that the detective had been more than generous with his own time.

And there was always a learning curve of sorts.

Nodding sagely to his companion, the waitress came upon them and he ordered another drink round. So he himself would have more apple cider while Llewellyn could keep drinking if he wanted to.

"It sounds as if you did a wonderful job."

[gadaboutdetective]

“True enough… And I have always been a firm believer in practice after the fact if things don’t work out perfectly.” He added with a small gesture, following suit as Ignis ordered another apple cider to order another drink for himself as well, even if he should probably ease off before he tried to go home. Even if he was rather functional, it was still a poor idea. “At least if one gets the chance to, that is…” Not everyone was so forgiving of mistakes or slip-ups, in his experience. He couldn’t help but muse to himself that Rhy was at least more forgiving than some he’d come to know… He just hoped he never found the limit.

The compliment gets a more thoughtful hum, tilting his head slightly. “Mm… Thank you for saying so. I certainly tried to and succeeded that time. Though we have promised that further additions to the house will be a team effort, which is rather exciting to contemplate.” So no more surprises for the house (aside from the roses, he supposed) for now.

[faithfulsupport]

He just smiled. "So how much more of the house needs done? And is the garden planted?" Here Ignis was just being friendly and conversational. So he decided to sit and ask questions since Llewellyn seemed to be needing more help. More drinks were all well and good, but he would definitely remain here at his friend's side and be willing to get a chocobo chariot or something.

"You're quite welcome, it's always rather exciting to hear how other receive gifts. They're all a rather sort of fun shopping for them and a downright joy to see them well loved."

This was true for most of the gifts he got for Nida even if at times it was a little nerve wracking.

[gadaboutdetective]

A ride home would probably be smart, lest the man wandering in the wrong direction or something. A functional drunk or completely sober, Llewellyn had a very poor sense of direction. So, given his cluttered and distracted state of mind, plus the alcohol? Taking out the risk of getting lost and running into something dangerous would be the most sensible course of action.

But, as the man took a sip of his drink, he hummed thoughtfully. It took a moment to compile the remaining list of repairs that he hadn’t gotten to before he’d been… sent back…. But once he had, he nodded. “A few things, painting in the kitchen- and a room we haven’t decided what to do with yet… A guest room, perhaps.” He really needed to have a word with Rhy about that one, given the recent thoughts and ideas he’d had. But that was for them to discuss, so gesturing, he continued. “The study upstairs as well, need to move some chairs up to it and hang curtains… There are a few stairs I need to fix, in the back and going up to the second floor. But otherwise, I believe that might be it?” He rubbed the side of his face lightly before he realized that the garden was a good point.

“I had been about to put in the garden the day after I was, er… Sent away. So it’s not finished yet. I have starters that I’d already been working on at Aerith’s garden, but I need to move them from there to the hard to transplant them.” He’d need to do that soon, before they got too large for the little pots he’d had them in before. Perhaps in a few days, it would be good busy work to keep him distracted… Once he had managed to get a grip on himself and his mind quieted some.

Ignis was right, though. Shopping for gifts would be a rather fun experience. “Mm… Yes, I believe I know what you mean. I like wandering the market to see what those with particular talents in creation have to choose from. It’s always a delightful surprise if I see something that I think would be fitting for Rhy.” Like the sun brooch he’d found to give him during that celebration a few months ago. It had made him feel rather good to see his husband enjoy wearing it.

[faithfulsupport]

Ignis listened and nursed his new glass of Apple Cider. And as he listened, he mentally went through the repairs he still needed to do in his own home with Nida. "If you need help, I can certainly aid you or I can send someone to help you, which I would pay for." Ignis added quickly. It simply wouldn't do to send someone out there and then expect the detective or his husband to pay for something that was his own ideas.

No no no no no. Absolutely not.

The offer to help for the garden was then put out, and the advisor didn't want to seem to be a pest. But he did want to help, and if it was a matter of needing an extra set of hands around, he could do it. A house was an excellent thing to build on from the ground up so to speak and Llewellyn had been a treasure trove full of ideas for when Ignis was just getting started. So this was a repayment of sorts. Even if it wasn't, he'd still try and help.

He smiled at the detective's words. "There are amazingly talented artists here and some of them have set up shops around the market which makes it easier to look at things to purchase all in one spot. I do wonder if when the weather gets cooler, if there'll be more to come."

[gadaboutdetective]

The offer was definitely kind; but while Llewellyn would accept a random friend stopping by to help with a project like painting or holding something steady, he definitely wasn’t going to be alright with accepting a paid service that came out of another person’s wallet. He did work two jobs, and Rhy worked as well. If they needed professional assistance, they could work it into their budget at some point. So he waved the offer off with a shrug, “I certainly appreciate the offer, and if you ever find yourself in the area when I’m working on something, you’re uh- welcome to stop in…? But we should be alright without uh- hiring someone.”

And Llewellyn never really expected people to repay things he’d done for others in the past. He was too used to doing things on his own and taking care of other people or himself. Even Rhy had been presented with the odd challenge of getting Llewellyn to accept that he didn’t need to do everything alone or handle things without assistance.

“I wouldn’t be surprised if there will be, with the way this world seems to change and grow.” He added with a thoughtful hum, thinking of some of the differences in product provided by the markets in the winter time in his own world. Seasons were like that, though. Different foods or products were available depending on what was available during that time of year.

[faithfulsupport]

"Alright." Ignis replied with a nod. It was important to at least offer and that was precisely what he did. He was just trying to help after all. He wouldn't push either and if the detective changed his mind or if his husband approached on the offer, he would be open. Otherwise he would definitely leave well enough alone and let it be.

Right now he was more focused on keeping Llewellyn safe anyway.

But at the reply regarding the shops, well that was one of Ignis' favourite things. He loved to cook with pumpkin and apples in the autumn, and there were so many flavours he could try on his unsuspecting staff and customers that it was a sort of fun game for him. Of course bringing home seasonable treats was a thing he was known for and his husband always seemed to happily be on the receiving end of them.

And Autumn now meant his anniversary of course. And Ignis had slowly started working on plans for that.

"Kind of like this world seems to be growing, collecting new people to show." That was accompanied with a sip of cider.

[gadaboutdetective]

Llewellyn definitely appreciated the offer, and he wouldn’t mind help as long as it didn’t involve monetary assistance, of course.

But for now, he focused on Ignis’s comment and thoughts about this world after finishing off another drink. “It does, and it makes me wonder what direction it’s heading in… Already, it’s quite different from when I arrived with Rhy and the other’s a year ago.” But overall? The changes had been good aside from the sudden arrival of creatures, but even that seemed to be handled before too long.

It was definitely preferable to the things he’d seen in the last world, and the freedom he found in this world compared to his own made it all the more pleasant to live in…

Raising a hand to gesture to the barkeep, he waited for another drink.

(ooc: If you think this is an okay place to fade out, would you like to handwave Ignis sending Llewellyn home in a chocobo carriage? He could definitely use someone to send him home so he doesn’t get lost on the way lol. )