aterat | I had a bad day again

Entry tags:

I had a bad day again

Who; Jagger and OPEN
What; Jagger Crowe and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day
Where; Anywhere from the apartments to the Gullwings Office
When; Anytime the week of the 12th
Warnings; Nothing so far, just grumps

To say Jagger was having a bad day was an understatement. It started as soon as he'd woken up. The window in his apartment was leaking, he noticed, as a small puddle had appeared around the floor around the base of the thing. A quick toweling and blotting and all was well. There must have been a windstorm overnight. At breakfast, his milk was curdled straight from the cooler, he burned his toast, and his coffee pot gave up the ghost. He'd left early in a casual coat he didn't like because he'd evidently forgotten to launder the one he'd had the day before.

Someone cut him in line at the coffee shop when he stopped to get a cuppa in the absence of caffeine left by his dying coffeemaker and they were out of his favorite morning pastry. All of this happened in a horrific rain which left him tromping through puddles and he finally arrived with sopping shoes, dripping and leaving muddy footprints across their carefully cleaned carpet.

Most days, the stacks of paperwork Watts tended to leave around didn't bother him, but today, looking around the stacks that were starting to spread from Llewellyn's side of the office, his jaw flexed in annoyance.

This was going to be a long day.

(OOC: Jagger's having a bad day and you're more than welcome to find him at any point along his route from the apartments to the Gullwings office!)

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Llewellyn knew his... organizational skills were lacking. At least compared to those of his coworkers at nearly every job he’d worked at. Jackson used to actively take it upon himself to reorganize and transcribe notes for him in tidier notebooks than the one he kept. Llewellyn had also tried once or twice to keep that up himself after the man was gone, however, it hadn’t really lasted... His process was always an organized chaos and it worked for him. Didn’t work for everyone, though. Especially note his coworkers who had to occasionally sort through some of his things that had migrated from his cluttered desk to theirs if he’d had an absentminded, suddenly thought while reading over something as he walked.

This week was... Well, he was extra cluttered and disorganized this week for all that he did try to remember Jagger suffered more from his scattered papers than the average person might.

Glancing up from a file he’d compiled on a case, he saw Jagger enter, then looked back at his file. “Morning, Jagger.” He greeted the man at first, then his brows popped up and he looked over again. The thought of ‘Oof’ was clearly written on his face, Jagger looked... Well, more than a little tense that morning. “Hellfire, you uh- got caught in that last downpour? Starting to think we should keep some spare towels here if this keeps up. Should be a blanket in the supply closet, I think...” Maybe, still wasn’t much, but Jagger reminded him of a drowning victim at the moment.

Yuki had been noticing several small..well mice enroute to work. But he didn't have any sort of power to compel or command them so he just tried to stay out of their way as he walked under his umbrella. At leas they weren't the wererats that he had heard about since the Gullwings office got the town gossip and happenings whether they wanted it or not really.

People just loved to sort of just pop in and tell them whatever happened to be the latest occurrence. It had been terribly odd at first until he just sort of got used to it.

For now, Yuki sat at his desk, and saw all of the papers that he was going to have to file with a sigh. Oh well he'd get to it in a minute, right now he was getting up to get him a cup of hot chocolate.

And that was when Jagger came in. "Is something wrong?"

Other than the obvious because focusing on other people's problems helped him to sort of avoid his own.

Edited 2023-03-28 05:42 (UTC)

"Would you be certain if there were?" His jaw was still tense as he made his way over to the supply closet in question, hoping for at least a paper towel or something similar. Most days he could forgive Watts' lack of attention to detail for the simpler things. He was a brilliant detective, clients often requested him by name, and he rarely failed to provide results.

That being said, he was hell to work with sometimes and Jagger really ought to think of hiring a cleaner at this point.

"I don't recall it ever raining like this before."

"What isn't?"

He breathed a sigh before moving to the broom closet. At least there he might find some paper towels or something to dry off with. One of these days, he was going to just have to get towels and the like for the place, at least if the weather didn't let up anytime soon. In fact, the entire morning had been awful and it didn't show any signs of improving.

He kept a small coffee pot in the office, because his vascular system pretty much ran on the stuff, and set about making a pot of coffee for them. Or at least he was trying to, but he couldn't find the filters.

"Ruddy hell! Have you seen the filters?"

He had noticed the man was wet, but it was impolite to draw attention to the condition, especially when he was more than certain the man was well aware. And he had thought of bringing in towels too and kept meaning to mention it, except other things had been occupying his mind as of late, even if that didn't give him much of an excuse.

So he just tried to stay out of the way, but his eyes curiously watched Jagger as he seemed even more aggravated as he asked his question.

Fortunately, Yuki knew that answer and reached into a small cabinet, holding them out. "Yes, we put them over here, because it seemed to make more sense."

“If I were certain, yes. Not certain because I can’t recall if I saw it last time I was in the supply closet or if it was longer ago that it was there.” Llewellyn glanced down at his folder awkwardly at that. His memory was spotty at best, and he knew it. It was, after all, part of why he wrote so much down on whatever scraps of paper he had on him.

But it was pretty obvious at the comment that Jagger was in a terrible mood for good reason. Getting drenched was always an unpleasant experience. Plus, if he knew about all the other things? Well, it would be hard not to be grumpy. Getting up from his desk, and missing a small trail of papers that slipped out of the notebook he was carrying, he moved to see if he could find anything that might assist… Or at least to get some heating going to ward off the chill from the rain.

“Nor do I, but worlds like this seem to be, uh… prone to unexpected changes of an unpleasant nature.” And it was anyone’s guess if something was going to be a permanent change or not, weather patterns changing this severely would be slipped firmly into the ‘bad’ category as far as changes went. Still better than some potential situations he could think of, but bad nonetheless.

He glowered at the location Yuki indicated as though the cabinet had performed some sort of act of betrayal rather than anything they'd mutually decided upon and took a long breath before retrieving them.

"Tell me I'm not the only bloke having a shite day."

'Worlds like these' Watts said, and Jagger was reminded his coworker had come from another place that wasn't his home. He ran a hand over his hair, soaked as it was, and his face for good measure.

"Must be pretty convenient, knowing to expect the unexpected." It might not have been the most understanding of statements, but it was a place to start. Jagger wasn't exactly a type A personality on a good day.

The silver haired man shook his head. "No, it seems that it's going around or something. Something in the water as I've heard the expression said."

He wasn't sure what was going on, but whatever was going around, he wasn't trying to catch it.

Fussing with the heating, he frowned lightly at the comment. “In some ways, I suppose so?” Knowing everything could go to hell at a moments notice did help with bouncing back and trying to move forward… Or side step as far away from whatever it was as possible if you weren’t equipped for it. It didn’t always help, of course… “Though I admit that some things are still bound to catch one off guard and aren’t so easy to adapt to.”

Humming, he nodded with satisfaction as the heating unit finally kicked in. “Ah ha, there we go… Should help you warm up a little.” He added, glancing over his shoulder to see if Jagger had found the blanket or not as he moved back for his cluttered desktop.

Something in the water, he said. That gave Jagger pause. It was possible it really was something in the water where Aterat was concerned and the idea didn't sit well with him. He flexed his jaw as he tried and mostly succeeded to shove the feelings of frustration into a mental box and think clearly.

"So you think some thing's going on again?"

Yuki shook his head. "It stands to reason. And as much as I hate to say it, it has been quiet here for a little while."

At least there weren't any people eating plants or huge beasts rampaging, but that could change and he knew it. That was why he kept up on his lessons with sensei even if the real reason behind them had completely left Aterat.

Jagger had found the blanket and was on his way to becoming marginally more worm, which was in turn doing wonders for his mood. It wasn't perfect by any means, and he still felt more than a little grumpy, but more like himself than he had before he'd found his way inside.

It had at least improved enough that he could think straight, and focus on asking questions rather than how annoyed he was at life.

"What was it like, the place you were before here? Anything like this?"

An improved mood, no matter how small the improvement itself, was close enough to a win in Llewellyn’s books for the moment. So with the sight of the blanket and the heating on, he moved back to his desk and sat on the edge of it. Scooping up a file folder and flipping it open with the intent to get back to it, it being whatever casework he’d been asked to look into.

He did pause at the question, though, reflecting on the last world briefly before answering. “In some ways, it could be more… predictable…? Than this place. There seemed like there was almost a pattern at times. Like the sharing of our memories always happened every few months.” Not that you got used to it, but it had seemed to happen with a certain regularity aside from the odd instance.

“Then in other ways it was as unpredictable. The uh- domes that made up the place, they could be affected by something unpleasant and nightmarish at random. Never knew what it would be or which domes were going to hit by it, not until you happened to be in one when it happened. As for the weather, from what I was told, everything was maintained by the systems in place, makes sense considering where we were… but there was apparently a flood once before I arrived.”

It was the first time Jagger really thought of it that way but Yuki was right. It didn't make his anger any less potent, but it got through the veil a bit and he nodded.

"It has, hasn't it? It's right time, yeah?"

Yuki nodded, moving to make himself a hot chocolate. And while he was at it, maybe making one for Jagger wouldn't be a bad thing, so he did that too.

"It just makes sense. While I've enjoyed the quiet it doesn't mean that the quiet enjoys being quiet here."

It really was a lot more comfortable, being warm. He was still wet, but that would change with the heating (hopefully). It allowed him to really think about what Watts was telling him rather than zone out over it and he found himself nodding as Watts filled him in about the other place he'd been.

It sounded like a fantasy, like something that couldn't possibly exist in real life, but he gave a look around, forced to acknowledge it was no different than Aterat, which should also be impossible.

Doing so also called his attention back to the stacks of papers, folders, and other documents that were clearly his partners and his eyes narrowed again. "That sounds crazy, but I know it can't be any more than this place." He breathed a sigh. "You're a good man, Watts, but I wish you were tidy."

“Honestly, every time I reflect on that time, I even have a hard time not thinking of it as a little crazy myself. There was so much we couldn’t work out, and it was well beyond my own understanding.” He learned that the hard way, really. The detective was grateful for some things about the experience… But he certainly wasn’t keen to go back anytime soon. Even if this world seemed to be just as unpredictable and chaotic, but it had its bright sides… Like not being at the bottom of the ocean. He’d missed the sky, after all.

Opening his mouth to continue, he paused at the other’s words. Not because they were strange. He was used to hearing them… It was more that he felt a strange something, a compulsion he couldn’t quite ignore as he slipped off the edge of the desk. “You aren’t the first to utter those words. There was actually someone in my world for a short time who took it upon themselves to try to organize my notes in a tidy manner.” He commented with a distracted tone, seeming a little confused as he began picking up some of the scattered folders, shuffling them into a neater pile almost mechanically.

“Mm…” His brow is furrowed as he contemplated his own actions. He has a case to think about… But he can’t help but stiffly pick up some of the papers that had strayed from his desk next.

There was a thought Jagger hadn't had before. Maybe it was this place that had desires. What did people talk about all the time? The voidcryst? Could it be involved in this somehow?

"You might be right about that."

"It sounds like it'd be beyond me, too, mate." A science fiction novel at the bottom of the ocean, complete with experiments and God knew what else. He watched Watts begin to work on cleaning up, shrugging at the commentary until he realized what was happening.

"Are...you cleaning?"

Llewellyn didn’t even pause at his task, even if he really might have wanted to. The slips and scraps of paper that had fallen here and there were his next targets, it seemed, as he gathered them up. It’s pretty clear that he’s confused himself. It’s not like he would think Jagger would expect an immediate change in him given that his scattered nature and tendency to leave clutter behind was how he’d always been around here.

“So it would seem, yes. I um…” His brow furrows deeply as he tries to think of what to say, because he knows this isn’t really how he handled things. “I was just stricken quite suddenly with the urge to, and by that I mean I find myself unable to stop?”

It was the only theory Yuki had other than maybe the Aspects got bored and wanted to see if the locals and the imports (as he privately referred to them) could handle whatever it was.

Still, he shook his head at Jagger's words. "It's been too quiet and I hate to say that."

He knew all too well what terrors this place could host and the devastation and loss that came from it.

Unable to stop gave him pause and Jagger narrowed his eyes at the detective, watching him work. The more he did, the more he realized Watts really did seem to have been struck by a compulsion, but he could really identify why might have triggered it.

"What do you mean you can't stop?"

It had been quiet, Yuki wasn't wrong about that, but...

"Have they ever effected the weather before?"

Llewellyn’s expression shifted to something frustrated as he appeared to almost turn to face Jagger at the question, but immediately continued tidying up the office. Papers being sorted into neat piles and being carefully placed on his desk that was slowly becoming less chaotic. “I can’t stop. I just… Keep picking things up? I um- I’m being serious.” Basically, when he said he couldn’t stop, he meant it.

Internally, he wonders if this is like what happened to Rhy, though arguably this wasn’t as bad as that. Though it was getting terribly frustrating to not be able to stop and have a proper conversation or actually work on his cases.

"Yeah, I figured." This was quickly proving itself to be something quite different than a cleaning bug, and Jagger was just as swiftly losing his bad temper in the wake of it. What was causing this compulsion? What did it say about Watts that his immediate conclusion was he was being compelled and not that he was trying to turn over a new leaf?

He narrowed his eyes for a moment, thinking back over their conversation, replaying exactly what had been said.

"Alright, Watts. I wish you would stop cleaning for the moment."

While Jagger contemplated what was going on, Llewellyn continued his path towards a tidy office without any actual say in the matter. There wasn’t much he could offer beyond what he’d said after all. It was as it was. He couldn’t stop himself even if he wanted to. Which… Well, he’d really like to stop! The second wish was a welcome one, even if the papers he’d been about to put on the desk were dropped from his hands in a small flurry of movement given he hadn’t expected the compulsion he’d been trying to fight to just disappear with that.

oh well.

Ignoring that, he finally turned to face his colleague properly with a sigh of relief. “It would uh- seem that the compulsion is gone for the moment?” He glanced to Jagger thoughtfully, “It seems your choice of words were the key after all… Lines up with something that happened to Rhy yesterday too, based on what he said.”

Well, this was an interesting turn of events. He hadn't seen anything quite like it, either. Nothing strange that had happened here seemed to compare to words compelling another to do something. "I wish" was the key, evidently.

"Is there a genie on the loose?" It was mostly a joke - mostly.

“The fact that I don’t find the notion entirely ridiculous is probably not a good thing.” He responded with a wide shrug. Even if he was only half serious, it was still half. There were so many things that happened in these places that seemed pretty impossible, and there was so little they knew about what could be ruled out to even say it couldn’t be it. “Whatever it might be, Genie or not, it means we’ll have to be a lot more careful with what we say. A throw away comment about wishing something could uh- kind of bad depending on the person.”

Watts had a point there. Something like a genie was almost to be expected around here. He'd even go so far as to think Halcyn might think she's helping. She really did like to try to improve things if she could, and in so doing, often demonstrated just how inexperienced the Aspects were.

"Yeah." He looked thoughtful for a moment before adding, "You think 'I wish" is necessary?"

Llewellyn hummed a little at the question, he wished he’d been there when Rhy’s situation had come up the other day so he could say for certain… “Mm… I can’t say for sure, Rhy had something happen yesterday but he didn’t recall the exact words he used.” But it seemed to him that there must be a specific way of triggering it, just asking or wanting something probably would mean this sort of thing would happen frequently enough that there would be more of a… uproar or commotion about it.

“But it’s possible? You did say ‘I wish’ twice now, and uh- I would think if it were as simple as asking or thinking about wanting something that we’d be hearing a lot more people panicking about this.” He finally ended with a shrug. The detective wondered if they should test it a little more thoroughly… But then again, he wasn’t keen to experience it further.

(ooc: Again, I totally understand if you would like to handwave the rest of this given how old it is! )

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I had a bad day again

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Gullwings office

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