lestercraft | TLV: IC Inbox

[ So she has an upcoming trip to Hawai'i via the Enclosure, which means she needs a nice swimsuit, which means it's time to visit the wardrobe and see what she can find and then go sanitize. It's fine, she's roughed it way worse.

The first person she sees there gets called out to, both in greeting and to get their attention. ]

Hey. Got any swimwear you can point me to?

[ There's a long pause as Kyoko tries to put her words in order. ]

Look, ya got every right to say no to this. But my warden was riding my as—uh, in my business about out last conversation. So...can we talk? Just the two of us, not with that weird ghost guy inside your head?

We should talk. We're probably going to be seeing a lot of each other!

Where do you get off talking like you know what I think and feel about people?

How are you?

Ah - this is Pagan. Misty's warden.

[He sounds - exhausted.]

[ There's no preamble. No explanation. There is just John's voice, talking with singular intensity for all that his words are spoken softly. ]

somewhere i have never travelled, gladly beyond
any experience, your eyes have their silence:
in your most frail gesture are things which enclose me,
or which i cannot touch because they are too near

your slightest look easily will unclose me
though i have closed myself as fingers,
you open always petal by petal myself as Spring opens
(touching skillfully, mysteriously) her first rose

or if your wish be to close me, i and
my life will shut very beautifully, suddenly,
as when the heart of this flower imagines
the snow carefully everywhere descending;

nothing which we are to perceive in this world equals
the power of your intense fragility: whose texture
compels me with the colour of its countries,
rendering death and forever with each breathing

(i do not know what it is about you that closes
and opens; only something in me understands
the voice of your eyes is deeper than all roses)
nobody, not even the rain, has such small hands

[ There's a pause and then the softest- ]

...fuck.

[Before the message ends.]

There's the door.

"Arthur."

And then the mask at his fingertips.

[ It doesn't really matter if he's there or if he has to go at top speed towards where he can guess Arthur is. Either way, either option, John's first priority is getting to Arthur and putting his mask against his fingers.

He hates that he hesitates a moment before doing it. He really, truly does. ]

[ It's me. It's... the John you came here with. ]

[Henry hasn't spoken to Arthur once in his life. However, he knows that they're attached, that they came together, and that maybe Arthur can fix it.]

You are...Arthur, correct?

Please come to the library. It's John. Something's wrong.

Hey. I'm at John's. I'm making stew for dinner for you and me. John and I planned it earlier today. Should be ready in an hour.

I'm inviting myself over to yours and John's tonight so I can have a glass of wine and a fucking cigarette and you can talk me down from strangling Misty fucking Quigley.

[ It does NOT take a private investigator to piece together that Dorian's taking Pagan's coma very poorly. ]

[After thoroughly confronting the fact that the only things he ever wears are his horrible Shuos uniform and and cozy sweaters, Jedao turns up at the wardrobe.

He normally keeps tabs on who works where, but this particular oddity escaped hm. What. What.

Whatever.]

Hello, Arthur.

[He makes a point of not moving totally silently when he realizes it's Arthur who's here, but saying hello is still polite.]

You're from Earth, right? What should I wear on a date with an Earth guy?

Let me know when you have a moment, Lester. I'd like to see you sometime, actually see you, as a matter of fact.

Nathaniel knocks on Arthur's cabin door, experiences in Port fully folded away, fifty page handwritten 'research paper' under one arm. Ten of those pages are footnotes and bibliography, but he thinks it's probably long enough, even if he wasn't given an expected page count.

As he's not entirely sure whether or not it should be longer, hand delivering to see if Arthur wants something more extensive seems the reasonable approach. He also has another question, but he's still debating whether or not he wants to ask just yet.

...there is the scent of something baked and sweet coming from next door. Specifically the door Arthur would know his partner happens to reside behind.

The mystery will be quickly solved with a message from his communicator.

"Arthur, I need you to test these to make sure they taste good. Natalie's busy."

Edited 2023-01-27 07:06 (UTC)

Lester-san: I believe we spoke once.

Trixie made it clear to me that she believes her inmate, Creel-san, may be dangerous to you specifically. I would be fine retrieving food or supplies for you until this is over so you can stay safe in a room.

You're also welcome to the speakeasy, in the inmate showers. I sent out a message with the code word but I can escort you there as well. My inmate, Hands-san, gave me back my full strength.

Arthur! You should come over to my cabin. Don't worry, it's nothing bad. I just wanted to share something.

Ah -- good afternoon, Mr. Lester. I've a question to ask you about your inmate.

I've had a laboratory built in my cabin that can only accessed with my warden item, and Dr. Hilbert has requested that your inmate join him from time-to-time in his scientific pursuits. Naturally I wished to ask for your permission first, in case there are any restraints in place.

"Do you have any clothes that have seen better days and aren't fit for wear in their current state?" Ulla asks as she rummages through the wardrobe. She's in human form today, her bare feet and the rustle of her skirt quieter than her tail would be if she were slithering.

Forgive me the lack of check in, Arthur. ... I may have appraised Lestat of the situation and fallen asleep.

May I just say, Arthur, major props for handling Caffrey's temper tantrum better than I did.

Want to meet up for drinks and complaining?

Hey, ya gotta second?

I've got bad news for you, Lester. I know who killed your kid during that whole black hole to nothingness fiasco that happened yesterday.

[ Arthur will notice the smell first, familiar and not subtle. This is by design, since she's not leaving him a recorded message here with it.

On the door to his cabin is taped a half-open plastic baggie with a few joints rolled up and ready to smoke. He's a detective, he'll figure out really quickly who it's from. ]

Hey Arthur! Uh. Mr Lester? Whichever one won't get me in trouble with my dad.

I knowww it's technically not your shift right now and by technically I mean definitely not, but like, I found this big... nest? Do moths nest... I hope it's moths because whatever came out of it definitely chewed up some clothes.

They'd be big moths though...

action; in the wardrobe; afternoon

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