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

[neurotoxicity]

"Can't really think of any other way I'd handle it if I was in your spot." She wasn't entirely sure if it was the best way to handle it, but what other way was there? At the same time she wasn't entirely sure if you could even classify this as 'handling it'. At least his further explanation made her certain that he understood that. The problem was she wasn't entirely sure if she had any right to tell someone that their way of 'handling' things was or wasn't right. It wasn't like she had the best ways to handle shit. "Is doing this causing you any problems?"

She ran a finger along her own drink and then took a small sip as she listened to him. A part of her kept circling back to the thought that she was just shit at this. Comforting people wasn't exactly her forte and she was probably worse at giving advice. "I get the concern," it was one she had herself. "But what good is being afraid of something just because it could happen here?" Oh, there was irony in her saying that to him. Though it occured to her way too late to prevent herself from saying anything. Now all she could do was hope he didn't bring it up and kept focusing on the more important topic.

"That's the point I got with my work," she said with a shrug. Well, sort of. It hasn't been that she'd ben convinced that she couldn't actually change things working as a Runner, but more that she knew she couldn't. Not only had she known she couldn't change things, but she'd also realized she'd never change herself if she stayed. "Have you ever considered purely private work? It's what I went into." though, she really had no idea how possible that was in his world. She also had certain advantages (money) that he definitely didn't.

"Then I'm glad you're back here."

[gadaboutdetective]

Clearly, they both knew how to handle things very well. But Llewellyn shrugged a little at her question. “Ah… No, at least not as far as I can tell. I have a decent tolerance compared to others, so even if something were to come up, I can deal with it rather well.” Which was, of course, not the only way that this could cause problems, but he was more likely to consider that over the other reasons… So at some point, it undoubtedly would be a problem. Even if it was only because of some worry that the habit generated.

Llewellyn’s brow wrinkled a little, feeling a bit complicated about the question. She was really asking him that after all the prior conversations they’d had concerning her life? The look she got alone was probably enough to indicate his thoughts on that matter. “I believe we both know why that’s such a difficult worry to ignore, Ivy.” If anything he might have a slightly better understanding of her reluctance… But the idea that he might lose what he had here as easily as he’d lost… Well, it seemed like everyone at this point in his world…? It was a fear that plagued him more than most things, lingered on his mind more than almost being murdered again had in the last couple months had.

Taking a longer sip of his drink, he considered the idea for what probably was the hundredth time. “I have, yes… It was just something I found myself without the funds or backing to start.” There was the difference in their backgrounds. Aside from the obvious, Llewellyn hadn’t had such advantages in life. As it was, he’d been lucky to have the opportunities he’d had when the landlady took him in. Otherwise, he would have ended up in the boy’s home and hired out part time to quarries or factories like other orphans, where the adults in their life didn’t expect them to amount to more than that. Really, making it as far as he had was a shock to some. “Part of what’s been so… I suppose nice about these worlds, was finding myself in the position to do just that. Being able to open my own office at the Sphere was… well, a good change of pace.” Having more control over his cases, not needing to argue that he wasn’t wasting time or resources on something, was a change.

“Thank you, Ivy…” He responded with a small nod, “I am too… I just-” He shrugged again. “Need some time to adjust again, I think.”

[neurotoxicity]

They were both extremely well adjusted people, definitely. "Then is it really a problem?" Was that the best way to think about it? Nope, definitely not. Was it the way she handled things herself? Pretty much. She always knew her ways of dealing weren't healthy and she felt the shame of if after but never really tried to change. It'd be pretty hypocritical of her to try to tell him it was bad of him to do. And she was clearly being hypocritical enough with her following question.

She looked down in slight embarrassment at his reaction and sighed. "Seemed like something you'd say." Was that an attempt at saving face? Just a bit. He'd clearly realized how hypocritical it was for her to say and it was really hitting her how bad she was at offering comfort like this to anyone. How was someone as fucked up as she as able to help anyone? She couldn't. "Yeah, I know. But, haven't you said before you have to make the best of the time you have here?" Or something along those lines. At least she was pretty sure he had when he'd been encouraging her to try something with Harry.

"Mm, I'm sorry. Not a very....thoughtful suggestion." Not everyone was as lucky as she was or as Rachel had been to find her. "I'm sorry that you lost that from the Sphere." That hardly sounded helpful. "Needing time to adjust seems understandable given everything."

[gadaboutdetective]

And Llewellyn was happy to agree with her on this subject. With a small hum, he shrugged. “By that logic, no. I suppose it isn’t?” And he took another sip, knowing full well they were probably both wrong… But he’d rather think they were right on the matter, at least at the moment.

It was his turn to look a bit embarrassed as she pointed out that her advice had seemed like something he would say. She was right and not taking her words seriously would only make him the hypocrite in this… Not that he wasn’t, he certainly was prone to offering advice that he might not take himself if the tables were turned. This very conversation was proof of that, and so he leaned on the counter with a slight frown, contemplative, as he clearly was trying to think of an out for this whole mess. There wasn’t one, though… “You’re uh… Not wrong… I have said that.” Spinning the glass on the countertop between his fingers, watching what was left in the glass waver slightly, he sighed. “Suppose I wouldn’t have any business offering such advice to someone else, if I wasn’t willing to consider it myself. Part of me sees the sense in it, the other part rather wonders if I just give terrible advice.” He mused in a self-deprecating tone.

But on the subject of making the best of their time here, he vaguely remembered prior conversations and some advice from her he’d long ignored since they all found themselves here. “If anything, you seem to be more correct than I’ve been.” He added thoughtfully, tapping on the side of his glass absentmindedly. “I… Finally told Rhy about not wanting to go back to my world…” A little late, perhaps, since he’d just been back to his world… But better late than never, right?

The apology was waved off rather quickly, between not liking to be apologized to and the fact that it wasn’t her fault. “It’s nothing to be sorry for, Ivy… It makes sense for a possibility, after all. Our circumstances are simply different. It’s only natural to make suggestions based on our own experiences.” Gesturing slightly, he shook his head. He’d been guilty of suggestions like that himself. “And of the things I could have lost from my time at the Sphere, I think that was the easier one to lose… I have a place to work here, and the people there are an agreeable sort.” And the odd time he looked into things with Ivy was enjoyable, of course.

“Mhm… So just a little time, and hopefully all this will be behind me.” He was trying to convince himself that it would be that easy, at least.

[neurotoxicity]

"We've come to an agreement," she smiled and took a sip of her own drink only to be disappointed that it was the last sip left. It was shit logic and she knew it, but it was what it was. Sometimes people needed shitty things to help them cope.

"I know I'm not wrong," That's why she said it. She liked being right, so she tried to make it happen more often than not. "If you think you give terrible advice, then I guess I should start ignoring the majority of it." Had she ever really listened in the first place? Sort of. She at least let herself try a bit more than she might have otherwise, especially when it came to Harry. So, if he was just going to admit he sucked at giving advice, then she clearly shouldn't be taking any of it. Maybe it was a slightly underhanded direction to go in.

"You'd never told him that before?" something about that surprised her given how much he talked about being open and talking to people. "How did it go telling him that?" She imagined it probably went well, they were married and she doubted Rhy would want to leave him either. Then again she actually knew nothing about Rhy, so maybe he had something he missed in his own world. Come to think of it, maybe she should have tried to get to know Rhy more. She really wasn't terrific with socializing.

"I should have known about the situations being different. Rachel reminds me of it sometimes," she said with a sigh. Sometimes she got so wrapped up on the negatives of her privilege's that she forgot she actually was still privilege's in some ways. "I hope time helps."

[gadaboutdetective]

“The majority, but not all of it?” He tilted his head slightly. Did that imply that not all of it was as terrible as he or she suggested now? Well… He wasn’t aware of how much or how little she really took when he offered it. He had only hoped before now that she would try, and that it had helped in some way. But… “I suppose I couldn’t blame you if you did… Given your luck following my advice so far?” It was hard for Llewellyn to not wonder if it was his fault that things hadn’t gone well. Maybe he had a part in her bad luck where Harry was concerned, if the advice was so terrible. In his current state, the detective was a little more likely to consider such possibilities.

The question gets an awkward, embarrassed frown as he shook his head. “I hadn’t… I know I should have, but um- I suppose I was still rather afraid of what his answer might be. Unlike myself, he does have family left, and I wouldn’t want to keep him from that or whatever his future might hold for him.” It just seemed selfish to want to keep Rhy with him without considering his brother Kell or the kingdom that Rhy was set to rule. “I should have listened to you sooner, though…” Because it also had felt a little wrong to not have done so, given the amount of times he’d suggested things to Ivy. “But to answer your question, it went… Well?” The moment had been a bit emotional, considering he’d only just gotten back, but his fears had definitely been proven to be false. “He agreed, and we’re going to try to find a way to stay if we can…”

Rubbing the back of his neck, he shook his head a little. “Not that I’m particularly sure where to start to figure out how, but… It is nice to be on the same page, and to know I’m not the only one who wants it.” That maybe it was alright to be a little selfish in this situation was a small comfort, really.

Llewellyn shrugged, though, “Thank you, Ivy…” He appreciated the hope, if anything. He really couldn’t fault her for not considering the difference in their situations, even if she seemed like she still felt bad about it. “Well, you know now and can remember in the future. It isn’t as though I don’t realize there are positives and negatives to any situation.”

[neurotoxicity]

"You're impossible," she said without even trying to hide the frustration. She should have figured that in his current state he'd manage to turn it around on her. Maybe she really was just terrible at finding a way to comfort someone. "Your advice hasn't been the problem, it's my execution." The same frustration practically dripped from her statement, but that had more to do with her having to admit that she was bad at something. Under usual circumstances she'd avoid mentioning that she was at fault in any way at all, but she was determined to try help even at the cost of her own ego. "Your advice would probably work out if I actually followed it." Instead of only going half way and then twisting it all up. She could follow instructions perfectly for everything except personal matters.

"Can you say that last part again?" she gave him a brief smug smile in regards to him saying he should have listened to her sooner. "I'm glad you got some closure there." She could definitely understand how it'd be a relief to find out they shared the same desires in that respect. Even if she briefly wondered if that meant that Rhy didn't get along with his family or if they just loved each other that much. A part of her was jealous if it was the love one.

"I hope you're able to find a way." She didn't want to say she thought that'd be impossible, but she thought it'd be pretty impossible. There was no way to know, after all it wasn't like they actually even fully understood how they were brought here or sent back. It seemed random, but maybe it wasn't. At least they knew about the portal, maybe if they ever figured more about that thing they could learn to control it. That seemed farfetched but in a place like this? Ivy supposed you never really did know.

"You don't have to thank me, I suck at this." She could admit that. It just felt so shitty to see him like this. She was supposed to be the depressed vampire stereotype, not him. "You're intruding on my territory." Was this her attempt at a joke about his brooding? Yup. Was she very good at it? Probably not. Kist was really one of the only people she actually teased like this and it definitely came off a tiny bit stiff.

[gadaboutdetective]

Now that did get a ghost of a smile from him. “Worse has been said of me, I’m sure.” He responded with a little shrug, but… At least there was something nice about being told his advice wasn’t that bad. Still, it didn’t change the fact that the results were never particularly positive for Ivy. “So… You’re saying my advice should come with steps to follow to ensure a smooth execution?” He knows that’s not it, but it was hard to not say it, considering. And… Could he really fault her for not following his advice completely? Especially considering how long it had taken him to follow through on what she had advised him of concerning Rhy. “I at least understand that sometimes following advice, good or bad, is easier said than done, I suppose.” Actually, bad advice was easier to follow if his recent life in his own world was anything to go by.

“If you like, yes.” He responded with a slightly sheepish expression, “Mm… Alright. I should have listened to you sooner, and will consider that in the future should you suggest as much again.” Probably… Maybe… Stranger things had happened, right? Hopefully, he’d at least leave the bar tonight with the intent to try to move past everything… Maybe not in a way that addressed anything so much as shoving it behind him, but still. “I hope so too, Ivy.” He added with a small nod, “Considering the way these worlds are, it seems like a bit of a fool’s errand… But I have to at least try.” Because waiting for it all to end again just didn’t sit right with him. He felt too powerless in his own life in his world as it was. He didn’t want to lose all of this.

A soft chuckle escaped at her admitting she wasn’t good at this. “You’re better than you think, you know… Better than some of the advice I was given in my world.” He added with a shake of his head. The comment that he was intruding gets a rather awkward pause… Huh? Then it struck him, a little late, but it did. “Ah, I see what you were implying.” He added with a wry smile. “You’ll have to uh- forgive me this once and share?”

[neurotoxicity]

"That wouldn't be surprising," she couldn't help but at least chuckle. Not that the smile could last too long. She let out a sigh and lowered her gaze in his direction. Now he was just trying to make his advice sound bad. "I'm saying I ignored part of your advice and that I might have left out information here and there." Important information that probably would have changed exactly how he gave her the advice he had. "I'm not good at listening to other people." Rachel would probably attest to that. Ivy tended to be very single minded and often unwilling to compromise.

"You'll be the only person to do that," she gave him a slightly bitter smile. That wasn't exactly true, it was more that Rachel never listened to her and she never listened to Rachel. It ended up being a ridiculous cycle between the two of them. "That's all you can do." A part of her wanted to be more positive for him, but it seemed even worse to try to pretend it'd be an easy thing. "At least we don't really know anything about this place." Which meant that theoretically anything was possible.

"Better than advice in your world doesn't seem as comforting as you think." Considering what he'd told her about his world. "Vampires can't share. It's integral to our aura."

[gadaboutdetective]

Ah… Now Llewellyn was starting to get what she meant, and while he knew he should be a bit annoyed that she’d neglected to inform him of just how much she’d ignored of his advice… “Well… I suppose that means we both could stand to take advice a little better.” The right kind of advice, of course. Llewellyn had also followed some very bad advice, and it had gone about as well as one could expect. “Sometimes it’s not easy to listen, so I think I can understand that.” Especially knowing more about her after their last conversation. “Still… I hope that things at least, uh- get better.”

If she did eventually try to follow things, and to pursue more despite her concerns.

A small, surprised chuckle escaped him at her logic. It was better than writing it off as impossible, but it was interesting to hear from her. “Knowing nothing about what’s possible can mean anything is possible, hm?” Llewellyn shook his head a little. It was better than looking at the glass half empty, even if that was easier for him these days. “We’ll have to see what happens, but I uh- certainly hope you're right.” He added, tilting the glass back to finish the drink.

“Perhaps not, but it is true.” He shrugged, before supposing what little he knew about actual vampires could fill a book… Whether she was being humorous or not. “Then are you suggesting I should take this as a sign to stop brooding over a drink and let you take your rightful spot?” Or maybe she was just giving him a gentle nudge to stop ruining his liver and go home for the night.

[neurotoxicity]

"If you can agree that it's both of us, I'll settle." At least this was some degree of progress. She could take it to mean that he acknowledged that his advice was good, it was just that they both may not actually follow the words he said. It seemed as though that was as far as she was going to get here. "I'm sure you can understand it," she said with a smirk. Maybe she should have acknowledged his statement about hoping things get better, but she didn't. The conversation wasn't about her after all.

"Maybe. I have a friend who would say that." Rachel would definitely be on the side of pushing people to do the impossible because you never really knew. Ivy of course with her more cynical nature (and own personal history with what her future was destined to hold) didn't subscribe to that. But....she could act like she did for a friend if it offered him some comfort. "I'm sure we'd have all thought a world like this one and the last was impossible. But here we are." So, maybe anything at all was possible. Did it click in her mind that it might mean her situation might not be so impossible? Nope. Not in the slightest.

"That's my suggestion. It looks better on me anyway. I give off the sultry mysterious lure. You just give off," she gestured up and down with an elegant flick of her wrists. "This. It definitely doesn't suit you."

[gadaboutdetective]

“Mm… Then I believe we’ve come to an agreement on that subject.” He responded with a small nod, somehow feeling like this had come off as a strange deal between two people who excelled at ending up in messes and were not particularly good at following advice. An odd friendship, when one thought about it, but not entirely incorrect.

That was probably true, though… Both this world and the last were far outside the realm of what Llewellyn would have thought possible back in his own world. Both were so very different in more ways than he could describe, even if not all of them were good (but the ways that were good counted more). “I suppose in that case, you and your friend both may be correct. Perhaps neither of us would be so wrong to entertain thoughts of things that seem impossible now, hm?”

Llewellyn’s brow arched rather comically at the vague reference to how much this particular ‘look’ did not suit him in comparison to her. “I feel almost as though that could be taken as an insult, but give you’re a friend. I will instead take it as advice and an um… kind honesty on your part.” He shook his head with a wry sounding chuckle. “Alright… I suppose I could stand to not… languish here in drink simply because it’s easy given how uh- not great the look is.” It’s an attempt at being humorous, but it’s also an acceptance of the truth, really.

[neurotoxicity]

"A miracle." Was that sarcasm? No, actually. Her tone was flat and implied that she actually meant it was a miracle they'd come to this agreement as they had. Somehow she actually managed to feel mildly smug about it though, as if she'd kind of won even if it was the tiniest of tiny victories. Competitive people really will take anything.

"Just never tell her that if you ever meet her." It'd go to her head to have someone tell her she was right. Not that she thought that'd ever happen. After this long away from home she almost felt like she'd never see any of them again and she wasn't entirely sure if that was a bad thing. She let out a sigh at his last comment though and rolled her eyes. "Maybe not." That was the best he was going to get from her.

Surprisingly she actually laughed at his comment, a throaty strange laugh that was accompanied by a shake of her head. "Generous of you to take it that way." It hadn't really even occured to her just how insulting it could have been, but that wasn't that surprising. "Probably the best choice. The only other one I could think of is allowing me to get you a wardrobe that fits the mood you're projecting better. How do you feel about leather?"

[gadaboutdetective]

Llewellyn was satisfied to have come to some kind of agreement at all, and the fact that he wasn’t as bothered about a ‘loss’ even on a small level said something for his current mood.

The request gets a quick nod. “Of course. You have my word that she won’t here it from me- er… Provided I remember saying I wouldn’t tell her.” He added with an awkward little shrug. Llewellyn knew he forgot things sometimes, even without factoring his excessive drinking. Still, it was as good a promise as he could give, and he did try to be true to his word as a rule.

Finishing off the drink and snagging his hat, he pushed himself up from the chair. Surprisingly steady, all things considered. Though the detective did pause at the very idea that he try wearing leather to ‘fit the mood’, he was projecting a little better like she did. “Mm… Having seen modern fashion some, I’m not sure that leather would suit me particularly well.” He commented with a comically awkward expression, thinking to some things he’d seen since leaving his era behind. “I think I should leave the wearing of leather to those who can, uh- pull it off better than I would.”

[neurotoxicity]

She followed his lead and stood up in one fluid motion without making any sound. "Suit yourself, but if you ever want to try we could go shopping together." It was entirely possible she was teasing, but he'd never be able to tell by her completely straight face and serious tone.

"You should get back to your husband, I bet he's missing you right now."

[gadaboutdetective]

“Mm… I will keep it in mind, perhaps for the next time I decide I need to try something new.” He commented with a wry expression. It wasn’t a terrible idea to spend a little time with his friend doing something she was interested in, after all. It was just… The potential absurdity of him wearing clothes that might look ridiculous on him that was worrying.

But, hey, he had made a promise to himself to try new things once… and that shouldn’t be forgotten entirely.

Ivy was right, though. He needed to get back to his husband and to stop wallowing. It was probably worrying behavior for his husband to deal with… So he nodded with a small attempt at a smile. “Of course, you’re right about that as well, I imagine… But um… Thank you, Ivy.” For the conversation, and for perhaps helping him to start to get his head on straight again. “I’ll see you around, I expect. Good evening.” He added, before he finally put the bar and the evening behind him.