thespherelogs | March Logs

Entry tags:

March Logs

Who: Llewellyn Watts and assorted
When: Through the month of March
Where: Assorted locations
What: March Logs
Warnings: Will update if any come up!
Note: I’m open to anything you might want to do with characters, and I’d love to get some cr going if we don’t have any.

Drop me a line on Discord at: WhimsicalSpook#8219 or over at whimsicalspook And we can talk about getting a starter set up! If you have an idea and want to throw a starter at me, you’re welcome to do that too <3 I don’t bite! All starters will be in the comments as they’re written!

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Llewellyn, as he’d mentioned to Dorian, wasn’t the sort to sit still for too long. He found it easier to think when he wasn’t confined to four walls and a desk. Whether that was because he had gotten used to being chased out of his original place of work before being... transferred to the other... or because he simply had too much energy to work out through the course of a day was hard to say.

Either way, unless he was dumping his notes or trying to find a quiet place to think, he tended to be on the move. It was convenient though, it gave him a chance to get more done when he could stop and take care of small errands while he was out.

So, when the other man got in touch to see about going over the notes Llewellyn had offered around his office, they’d agreed to meet at the market. He was already very close to it, and it was near enough to lunch time (or it was at least an hour since his last snack) anyway.

They could grab something before he showed Dorian where the office was located. Llewellyn had never bothered with address cards, and it just as easy to show in this instance as it would have been to tell. Besides, the detective prided himself on knowing the best places to eat. It would be good to show the guy some of the better places where he was a fairly recent arrival.

Currently, Llewellyn was keeping an eye out while being towed around by his small basset hound companion that was very interested in the smells coming from one of the food stands.

While Dorian adored lazing about for hours reading, researching, and cataloging his findings, he also enjoyed experiencing the world around him. Reading about a place was all well and good, but seeing it first hand? That had proven an altogether different and more fulfilling experience. He'd never seen anything even remotely like this place, with its domed walkways and glass enclosures holding back millions of gallons of seawater. He and the rocking motions of an ocean voyage had never much gotten along, and thinking too long on precisely how much water was held at bay by their enclosure was a tad nauseating in its own right.

He welcomed the distraction of a bit to eat before pouring over notes that were likely to be disconcerting as much as disheartening. He arrived in attire more suited to the modern textiles he encountered in the Riverview quarantine; form-fitting dark slacks that made no mystery of the sculpted shape of his legs and buttocks, fine loafers. His top was pale green and linen, loosely tied at his wrists and near the middle of his chest, doing little to hide the muscle there, either. The color complimented the glitter of copper jewelry at his neck and jingling at his wrists, offset the honey of his skin, and brought the emerald out in his eyes. The oils he used in his hair and mustache smelled faintly of sandalwood, giving him an earthy and rich presence.

He'd forestalled the presence of his staff today. Watts didn't seem a man keen on the topic of magic, and he could in a pinch cast a spell or two without it should the need arise. It would seem when he spotted the Detective and his canine companion in the crowd, that Watts had opted to be escorted, though he'd never seen a dog quite like this one. It smelled, at least, a bit less horrid than the average Ferelden mabari. Small blessings and all that.

"Good afternoon, Detective." He smiled charmingly, though it could be argued he knew no other way. It could, however, be related to his noting in person that Detective Llewellyn Watts cut a striking figure.

Edited 2021-03-12 22:40 (UTC)

Llewellyn turned slightly, hearing Dorian’s greeting before he saw the man. Pretzel, of course, caught on a little sooner. His wrinkly, short little body darting to inspect this new person who definitely smelled more than he did with that hair product in his little canine opinion. The pup even sneezed slightly before he resumed his investigating.

“Oh— Dorian, yes! Good afternoon, I hope you’re finding your way around alright?” He returned the greeting, offering a distracted smile. Between trying to pull back Pretzel lightly and getting a look at the other man in person, his attention was scattered. Dorian definitely seemed the stylish sort, even if he didn’t quite get all the newer fashions yet (he’s working on it). But the man was well coordinated, if a little flashy by the way his accessories were distracting him. Not that Llewellyn was unused to people with more flashy tastes at this point, and his own fashion choices were considered a bit loud in his era.

But the shine of the copper, the jangling, it was triggering that little habit of his that inevitably lead to an awkward comment. “You look like you’re settling in well? If... jingly.” Popped out, absentminded as he finally managed to get Pretzel to sit at his heels instead of wandering over to Dorian’s. It’s not necessarily a bad thing, just distracting from the overall, but some had taken it to be if they didn’t know him better. In his world, Dr. Ogden had to translate once Llewellyn had moved on to something else on occasion.

The detective might have been a little confused by the idea that he ‘cut a striking figure’ if it were pointed out, he still didn’t quite see what others did in him. He was tall and awkward to his own mind.

Plus he was still without a hat, not exactly proper when out and about... Otherwise, he’d at least finally started to try newer fashion (never denim, he couldn’t figure out what was appealing about it). He still preferred three-piece suits, but trying out more modern cuts and patterns. In addition to his usual plaid and stripes, he’d taken a liking to florals. Both Inesa and his fiancé had been very accommodating on the matter. Today saw him in a dark green three-piece with small yellow flowers accenting his cuffs, buttons and pockets it, a design he’d helped Inesa out with the prior summer.

Strange indeed as this dog? Yes, a dog he was certain. It didn't smell, which was a blessing, and its coat showed as though it was well-cared-for. Llewellyn must be fond of the beast. He'd never had pets as a young man or older, though he'd known others who kept them; hampsters and the like. His family kept a flock of peacocks, but they were hardly pets, and hardly gentle. Many of them were thoroughly mean, or maybe he just didn't have a personality they were drawn to.

If the Altus mage took offense to the comment, he didn't show it, laughing pleasantly at Llewellyn's comment and spreading his arms to afford the man a better view, setting those charms and bracelets to jingling again. "I like to jingle, thank you. So kind of you to notice." He cast his olive eyes around the market for a moment, as though taking in the sights, before looking back to the goodly detective. "They do have road signs, you know, and the tram even provides its patrons with a digital map and a simple list of destinations. 'Finding my way around is hardly a challenge."

After returning his eyes to the detective, he allowed himself to take the man in more fully, the cut of his clothing and the color, noting how it complimented the man's eyes, how the lines of the coat called attention to his tapered waist and squared shoulders, his eyes narrowed slightly and an approving smile teasing up the corners of his mouth. An attractive escort for the afternoon indeed.

"Signs, of course, make no recommendations so I welcome the company, even you neglected to inform me I should bring a date." He glanced briefly toward Pretzel again, with time with mischief glittering in his eyes. "I feel underdressed."

Pretzel was a very well cared for little canine. For all Llewellyn had never thought to get a dog before, he had gotten very attached to the little guy in a very short time. Rhy doted on him too, and so the pup was very spoiled and definitely expected people to adore him as much as his humans did. Dorian had yet to impress the pup.

But the resuming of bracelets jangling gets both his and Llewellyn’s attention. The man’s brows rising and eyes darting a little. Had he said something funny...? Hm... He hadn’t even really been trying, but that wasn’t entirely strange... And he’d been thanked, so with a curious little tilt of his head, he nodded. “Oh, uh— you’re... welcome?”

When Dorian’s attention drifted while he made a very good point about the road signs and tram, Llewellyn rubbed the back of his neck a little. The mage had a good point, after all. “Ah, I suppose that’s true... I’ve just known some who found it all easy to get turned around.” Other than himself! He wasn’t lumping himself into this, if only because it was slightly embarrassing to admit that sometimes he got left and right mixed up, and he was already feeling a tad embarrassed.

And confused. Don’t forget confused.

The more Dorian talked, the more confused Llewellyn got. Over dressed and a date...? “I’ve neglected what...?” He didn’t bring his fiancé, so he wasn’t sure what Dorian was referring to... Then his expression shifted as his eyes followed Dorian’s to Pretzel. Oh! “You mean Pretzel... you were being witty.” Yes, Llewellyn, good job catching up. “I hope it’s alright that I brought him? Rhy is at the shop today, and sometimes it’s best to not have Pretzel underfoot there.”

Dorian had no intentions of impressing the pup until such time the canine refused anything else. Then he would acquiesce to the dog's request, give him a good scratching behind the ears and all that other mess the mutts required. He'd do so grudgingly while secretly adoring the oddly cute creature. No one would need to know that, though.

Amusement danced in Dorian's eyes as he watched Llewellyn's awkward traipse through his conversation, wondering idly if the man always seemed so disconnected. Was his mind wandering further ahead or on some esoteric topic, or was he simply easily distracted? Only time would tell, of course, and in the meantime, Dorian was more than happy to enjoy Llewellyn's bumbling charm. It was endearing in a way, and he wore his lack grace in such a way that it was a bit adorable when taken with the whole. Oh, this one would be fun indeed.

And the more Llewellyn talked the more adorable the detective became, his latest assessment urging a fresh chuckle from Dorian as well as a slight bow. "I'm always witty, Detective. The day I stop is the day I go to meet the Maker." He glanced down at the dog again, nodding once. "I've no idea what Rhy does, but it's my experience dogs are distracting at the worst times. As long as he minds his manners, I hardly think the shopkeepers will begrudge his presence, seeing as we're paying."

Did he mind that the dog was present? No, no. Of course not. Maker knew he'd endured worse.

It was good that Dorian at least had a plan for that possibility; it was inevitable after all. At some point, there would be a toll for their continued association and it would need to be paid. Probably whenever they found themselves back at the office, and thus part of his perceived territory.

It also boded well that Dorian found the detectives bumbling charming. It was something that came and went. His mind was almost as chaotically organized as his office (which was probably why it was the way it was), so his attention was often easily distracted when something moved itself to the forefront. Most of the time it was important, other times it was an observation about someone around him. That did get him in trouble once in a while, considering it was occasionally unfiltered.

Hence the distraction with the jingling bracelets.

Llewellyn did smile a little at the display, head tilting a little at the bow as Dorian responded. “I see, best hope to be witty for a long time to come then, I suppose.” He commented with an attempt at a lighter tone, before he looked around the market to get an idea of which way they should be going to grab some food while they walked.

He looked back a moment later, “Oh— Some days Rhy works at the clothing shop that Inesa runs? He’s her apprentice. So... A pup running around isn’t always a good thing depending on how busy the space is that day.” He added with an offhand, distracted tone. Then there was the matter of fur shedding on material. But he liked to let the other man take Pretzel there some days, especially where he got along well with Inesa’s bunny, and it was good for him to socialize a bit.

“But yes, speaking of that, I believe we should be heading... This way for lunch.” He gestured with a sweep of his free arm, “Depending on what kind of food you like, of course?” Some people were fussier than others, and might not enjoy street food... Which would complicate things if that were the case. It had been more of an issue in his world than here, though.

If the choice were up to Dorian, of course, he'd see to it that toll was held at bay as long as possible. He abhorred paying his debts unless of course, he was in excess. He was well aware, of course, that the dog would not understand such things as needing enough coin to afford good wine, but that was beside the point.

Dorian himself wasn't particularly keen on organization. When working on a project or researching a subject, he often simply tossed aside things when he was through with them. People could easily find him amid misshapen stacks of tomes when he was working with fervor. It was well within reason he'd be quite at home in Watts' office, truth be told.

He chuckles slightly. "Oh, I can assure you I am always witty. It's part of my charm." Normally, for no other reason than to add to his general theatrics, Dorian would have linked arms with the man, but as Watts' other was preoccupied with a canine, he sufficed with falling in step with the detective. "An apprentice. That's exciting." Whether or not that was a genuine or sarcastic assessment was anyone's guess...unless they knew the man, at which point they would know it be the playful commentary it was.

"Lunch, however, sounds exquisite. I will try anything the once. Do try to impress me."

Indeed, Pretzel couldn’t really rasp the concept of a budget for wine. He only knew his humans liked to drink the fancy stuff and often had it on hand, while still quite happy to spoil him. As it was, the pup fell in step between them with his snout in the air, keeping an eye on Dorian to see what this human was like and await the right moment to expect attention.

Don’t worry, Dorian. The hound was likely to trip on his oversized ears before too long and get distracted entirely until such a time that they reached the office.

The detective had definitely gotten the sense now that Dorian was just as he was, admittedly the way he carried himself and his attitude reminded him of someone. It was undoubtedly going to be a challenge to keep up with the man and... not make a fool of himself in some way. As it was, even the playful commentary didn’t... quite connect as that. Instead, Llewellyn took it as a genuine comment. “It is quite, he enjoys his work and progress quite a bit.” And he was excited for Rhy. He had enjoyed getting to watch him work in the evenings.

Well, if Dorian was willing to try anything once? Llewellyn certainly found himself a little more confident with the challenge. After all, food was a language he spoke as well as any other, and the chance to share it was his favourite pasttime. With a small smile directed at his companion, his free hand gestured lightly ahead. “I’ll uh— endeavour to do so, then. It’s an interesting assortment here, there’s not really any... local cuisine so much as a collection from various worlds and times.” And Llewellyn had certainly enjoyed getting to try a little of everything in the last year, even if his usual go to would always be a soft pretzel.

Papers...

There were papers everywhere.

At the centre of them, Llewellyn Watts was trying to pull the haphazard piles into a semblance of order based on how the world generally expected things to be in order. As usual, it wasn’t really going as well as he’d liked. Days like this made him miss Jackson and his seeming endless patience for making sense of the detective’s chicken scratch and keeping him organized so things didn’t get lost...

One would think Llewellyn would have learned by now, and that Enis’ attempts at giving him a hand would have put a stop to his disorganized messes, but they really only contained it somewhat. He simply jumped from one thing to another, one note or document to the next, as he followed his rather random trains of thought while he was working.

And unfortunately, over the last few months, Llewellyn had found three separate important trains of thought to follow. All that ran along very random and complicated tracks, between the things his conversation with the sphere had given him to think over, an attempt at figuring out a dead language for a friend, and wedding plans? His office space was suffering more than usual...

The fact that someone actually wanted to get a look at his notes was how he’d found himself in the middle of the mess a few hours after Ivy had confirmed she’d be stopping by that day. Llewellyn was looking forward to hearing someone else’s thoughts and opinions, so he was at least trying to pull the important notes related to the sphere itself out of the rest of the mess.

Pretzel was curled up in his dog bed, wrinkly face looking more than a little unimpressed by the man’s distracted mumbling as he stacked relevant notebooks and papers.

Ivy had always taken her job at Inderland Security very seriously, whether that was actually taking a criminal down or the research and planning that came before. Actually, a lot of people would say that she took everything very seriously and that wouldn't be inaccurate. She'd taken school seriously and graduated with honors. She'd taken her job at the IS seriously and had made it up to homicide before an unfortunate incident with her boss had left her demoted. Even as a lowly Runner, working as a street cop, she'd taken the job very seriously.

One might assume that she took things that seriously and put that much effort into them because she took pride in her work. That would, for the most part, be an inaccurate assumption. It was perhaps ten percent that she took pride in her work and ninety percent that she used her work to escape from her reality. If she was writing notes on every suspect and planning everything down to the precise route she'd taken, then she was in control of the situation. Or at least she could pretend to be and sometimes that was enough. No, it wasn't really enough, but it was all she had.

That was the case here too. All she currently had to keep some semblance of control was investigating the Sphere and everything about it. It served as a distraction and she definitely needed a distraction. Thankfully it seemed like Llewellyn might be able to provide her more information to keep her nice and distracted. At least that was her hope when she messaged him to say she'd be coming by.

When she got there it was precisely at the time she'd given, no sooner and no later. She had on a long sleeve maroon blouse, black leather pants, and boots with a flat heel. Her long black hair was pulled back in tight ponytail that swung back and forth as she walked.

"I hope I'm not interrupting anything," she said with a polite smile. Her eyes widened slightly as she looked around at the unorganized mess in his office. It reminded her of how her partner kept things and she never could figure out how Rachel found anything at all.

Llewellyn could probably understand a little of Ivy’s work ethic, if only because he had been highly guilty of dealing with his own life by avoiding it through work in the past. Yes, Llewellyn was driven by a need to make sure people who needed help had it, to not allow others to slip through the cracks or go through what he and his family had... but it was also easier to throw yourself into your job than it was to face whatever was wrong head on, and eventually once enough distance was put behind you it was practically a non-issue... right? Right...

He’d learned slightly better in the last year, but not by much. So his notes on this world, and the things that happened in it were vast.

The problem was, he also wrote so much else down in order to combat his sometimes faulty memory. Half the notes unrelated to work might not even make any sense to an outsider. There was one by her foot with several strange symbols scribbled across its surface, for goodness knew what reason. Actually... they could have just been doodles, it was hard to say. Things came to him, so he put them down on paper and shoved them in a pocket for later. Sometimes later didn’t come for a few days, or sometimes the paper fell out of his pocket and he never saw it again.

It was a lot worse with all the extra things on his mind now. Not to mention, before the sphere he’d never had an office to work out of. His mess was usually contained to where he lived and his jacket pockets. Now that he had an actual office? He had so much more room for him to fill with his chaotic organization.

Pretzel noticed Ivy first, letting out a low ‘Boof!’ Sound and raising his head curiously. New person that he didn’t know, that called for a hello and figuring out if she was going to be another friend that spoiled him or just one of those random people that sometimes stopped by for his human.

Her words and Pretzel’s noise get the detective’s attention fairly quickly, head rising sharply from where he was trying to separate two files he’d shuffled together in a rush before. A smile was soon to follow in greeting when he saw her there. “Hm? Oh! Ivy, yes! I mean— no. No, you’re not. Just... trying to get things together for today. You’re here early?”

No, No she wasn’t. Llewellyn check your pocket watch. The day had gotten away from you.

When he did, pulling the chair at his vest and popping open the cover, a sheepish expression crossed his face. “Ah... It would seem that I’m actually... late. Please have a seat?” He gestured to the chair in front of his desk.

"Cute dog," a hint of a smile appeared for just a second as she looked at Pretzel. It was a passing comment, making it clear that her interest wasn't really in the dog but she could at least be polite. Besides, it wasn't a lie, the dog was cute. Ivy just had a somewhat single target focus at times. Or perhaps it was more accurate to say she had a single target focus most, if not all, of the time.

"I try to be on time, I hope that's not a problem." Again, the entire situation reminded her a bit of Rachel. One of the first street investigations they did together Rachel had been late and that just snowballed into Rachel perpetually being late. At first it'd driven Ivy nuts, just like most things her partner had done. But eventually she'd gotten used to it and she'd found ways to adjust to Rachel's disorganized way of doing things.

She took a seat and crossed one leg over the other. "Do you work alone?" If so she found herself wanting to suggest getting a secretary. Or at least someone to help with this. "Maybe I should have given you more warning I'd want to drop by?"

“He is, yes. His name’s Pretzel, by the way.” Llewellyn responded, gesturing in Pretzel’s direction with a little smile. The dog was too cute, and very spoiled. They were at least making some progress with training, but it was slow when certain people (himself included) spoiled the pup.

He finally put the papers down, giving her a quick shake off is head. “No, it’s not a problem at all. I do believe the problem is actually my tardiness on uh— getting things together.” He responded with a little shrug as he began at least gathering what he had sorted together for her.

“Oh! Technically, I do have help.” Llewellyn’s brow furrowed lightly at the idea of a secretary. He doubted Enis would appreciate being given a title like secretary... She was definitely not a secretary... “She tries to give me ways to stay organized, but she helps me with other things as well.” Because aside from the notebooks she put together for him to write in, she’d probably have realized it was nearly impossible to keep the man organized.

It had been a while since he’d seen her though, especially if his mess were anything to go by... He would have to check in on her soon... But she was probably just busy at her shop, more likely than not.

Regardless of any of that... More warning from Ivy probably wouldn’t have helped him much. “You gave me plenty of notice, I’ve just been... More scattered in my work of late? I’ve just had much to do and think about.”

And keeping the mind busy was a habit, it helped him stay sane.

"Pretzel," she repeated, giving a quick glance over to the dog. "Interesting name." Rachel would probably ask how he came up with it, if there was some sort of story behind it. For all the trouble that woman got her into, she definitely missed her.

"It seems like she may need to do more than try to help you stay organized." Her tone was light, with just the tiniest hint of teasing. If it were up to her, she'd just come in and organize it herself. Some people felt like the best thing to do was to teach others how to do things themselves. Ivy on the other hand felt like it was better to save the time and frustration and just do everything herself. Keeping things organized and tidy was definitely in the category of things she just did herself.

"From what you, and others, have said, it sounds like this place gives people a lot to think about. It must get overwhelming." Everyone reacted to being overwhelmed differently. Some got more scattered while some, like Ivy, just got even more intense with their need to be organized. It was interesting to note that Watts may be one of the first group. "Even if you do have some help here and there."

Listen, he liked pretzels, and he’d never had to name a dog before. The pup’s fur colour reminded him of a slightly underdone pretzel, and thus... The pup’s name was Pretzel. Since Ivy didn’t ask, she got a small tilt of his head as he responded instead. “Is it? The kids thought it was kind of boring when they were here...” Killer just didn’t sound right to Llewellyn though, so he’d ignored that and other suggestions that they’d made.

“Oh... Well, perhaps... She already does a lot though, helping with smaller cases around the city when I get one.” He really didn’t want to see what Enis came up with in the ‘more’ category to get him organized. She was his best friend here, but she was both grumpy and scary sometimes. Especially when he thought about the other little thing she did around the office... “She also fixes things when I break them.” He gestured to a laptop that was sitting abandoned on a filing cabinet.

Enis had given it to him, again, to help him eliminate the sheer amount of papers he collected. But instead of transferring notes, he tended to forget where it was and knock something over onto it or mess something up when he did turn it on. He’d get the hang of it eventually, he usually did, but until then she was stuck fixing it often.

Llewellyn was generally a scattered sort... and being overwhelmed did make it worse. “Yes, uh— I confess... It has its moments.” He felt lost a lot of the time when it came to actually trying to put the pieces together here... It wasn’t like anything he’d ever dealt with before, and so he felt like he had a lot of catching up to do compared to others. “But! We all keep working.” It was all they could do at the end of the day.

“Oh... Do you like coffee?” A random question, but he was getting better at being a host. Plus, he had gotten a coffee maker for the office. Since coffee was so much easier to make here than it was back home, he’d gotten quite fond of it.

"It is. Someone must like pretzels a lot." The mention of kids got a quizzical look from her. "The kids?" Why would this place bring in kids? Unless it doesn't directly pick and control who it can bring in. That was something she hadn't asked anyone about yet and she filed it away in the back of her mind as something to look into. The thought that everything in this place might just be completely random bothered her much more than she wanted anyone to see.

"Then she's more like a partner of sorts?" She followed his gesture towards the laptop and then shook her head. "How did you break it?" It probably wasn't the most polite thing to directly ask, but she couldn't help but be a little curious.

"Mm. I understand how that goes," she offered. Most of her life had been spent pursuing work to keep herself from thinking about the awful things that went on. It was easier to focus on a goal than it was to deal with trauma. Most people would probably call that avoidance and point out how terrible of a coping mechanism it was. Those people would be right, but Ivy was disturbingly good at repressing her deeper feelings.

"I do," she replied. "Are you offering some?"

“Pretzels are good, and the cart in the market that sells them here is excellent.” He responded with some distraction, because they were rather a favourite of his. Again, how the pup’s name had come to him rather naturally, it seemed. Her question is met with a small, sad frown. “Yes, there were for a while... Several, all from the same world. It seems that they were all sent home by the sphere recently.” It had been a couple at a time, and it still bothered him some. Bad enough the sphere had brought them here, but knowing what they’d gone home to had been just as worrying.

Llewellyn was terribly protective of children and not being able to do anything about their circumstances now was rather difficult to dwell on.

Enis and the laptop were a far easier topic, and he jumped back to it quickly. “Yes... She’s a very good partner, for all I haven’t had many in my time.” Technically, he’d had one. For all he’d worked with other’s none had been quite as much a partner since Constable Jackson... Enis had been a surprise in quite a few ways, really. Moving to the laptop and lifting its lid, he hummed a little. “Ah... Well, this time... I think it’s because I knocked a cup of coffee over on it.” A pause, before he awkwardly shut the lid and glanced at Ivy. “Don’t uh— don’t tell her if you happen to meet her, I haven’t figured out how to tell her what I did this time.” Last time he’d knocked it off a table, she had made him swear to never let that happen again.

The detective offered a little appreciative smile. He sometimes felt that anyone who was in the line of work they were, would understand how it went to an extent. At least that was what he found or had pointed out to him by those observant enough to make the connection between him his colleagues. Work to keep ahead of your thoughts, something better to focus on than the hurt you weren’t ready to process.

Coffee was also an excellent distraction, so he was already moving for the machine when she confirmed she liked it. “Yes, I am if you’re interested. I like it more than tea, and it’s so easy to prepare now with this.” He responded with a gesture to the coffee maker, pleased hum as he poured a couple cups. The laptop was neat and all, but as far as technology went? The coffee maker won the prize for ‘favourite future stuff.’

"I'll have to keep that in mind," and true to her word, she did actually jot down something about a pretzel stall. It wasn't so much that she was intensely interested in where to get a quick snack, though she couldn't deny it was good to know, but more so she liked to know where people went. Her eyebrows knotted and she shook her head. "Strange that they were all from the same world. Even more strange that they were sent home at a similar time." And even more strange that this place would want children. Only twisted things put children through the horrors it sounded like this place sometimes produced. That was a subject was all too familiar with.

She offered a small, if not slightly bittersweet smile. "I'd always preferred working alone until I got assigned to work the street with a partner." It'd been strange that she ended up liking that aspect of the job so much. His explanation about his broken laptop got a chuckle rom her that she made a poor job of trying to hide. "Your secret is safe with me." Something told her he'd probably gotten quite the warning to be careful. Something also told her that perhaps he wasn't that great at being careful, or at least not being clumsy.

"I rarely say no to a cup of coffee." Especially considering she hadn't woken up too long ago. Even if they were underwater it was hard to change habits that ran deep within her kind. "Ah, you didn't have coffee makers yet in your time?"

Considering the detective’s eating habits were heavily carb based, and he didn’t cook? It was definitely worth noting the pretzel stand down for places to check when he wasn’t at the office or at home. More often than not, he wandered for a snack and found himself there. On the subject of children, Llewellyn had to agree. He’d questioned the sphere on it, for all the good it did... “The first two went home, and then the other two about a month later... It was very strange.” And frustrating... The children weren’t going home to much better, if what they’d learned of them was anything to go by. And they’d just been making progress in gaining trust...

But... “The fluctuating rate of people from the same world is very odd sometimes. Occasionally there might be a large group from one place, but then most of them seem to disappear and only one or two remain. Other times it’s just one person...?” He shook his head, he hadn’t seen anyone from his own world yet. Which... Considering the path his life had taken here might not be bad if his last day in his own world were anything to go by. Though he sometimes couldn’t help but miss certain people, and wish to introduce them to those he’d grown close to here. “There’s little warning, either... One day you’re walking your dogs with each other, the next they’re gone. Often without a trace.”

And he hated that, it dug at old rather old wounds that he’d rather not be reminded of.

“I often worked on my own at home, aside from um... borrowing the odd constable to keep track of my notes. My personality tended to conflict with those around me.” Shrugging slightly, he handed her a mug as he continued. “Similarly though, I stumbled on one that worked well with me. Sharp, earnest fellow. Had excellent wit... Wasn’t what I expected from prior experience, he was a good partner.”

There’s an obviously grateful smile from behind his own coffee cup at her promise to keep his secret. Llewellyn was a very clumsy man... Tripped over his own feet, and sometimes his animated gestures when caught up in a conversation meant his arms knocked into things... All in all, he tried his best, but some days... “There’s one coffee shop currently in Toronto... At least that makes good coffee, and uh— no. There isn’t anything like these for the home yet, at least not that I’ve found. Just the standard stove top pot.” And everyone at work seemed so much more keen to drink tea. The inspector kept a full set and was often heard barking for someone to make some.

"The first two went home at the same time?" she prodded a bit further. Though as she listened to his further explanations her expression soured more and more. He somehow managed to offer something that seemed like a pattern only to poke holes in it immediately. It made her regret even asking her first question and she waved a hand dismissively, as if to suggest he just forget about it.

She let out a low huff and shook her head. "That must make it difficult to get comfortable with people here." Unless of course people just found a way to ignore the idea that someone they grew close to could just disappear in the blink of an eye. Perhaps the people here were better at not being paranoid than she thought she might be. "Is it all random then? Who gets brought in, who gets sent back, and everything in between?" That was what it sounded like and she had no idea how that even made sense. If it was using them as research subjects, then how did random subjects help? Unless it had no control over the mechanisms that brought people in and sent them out.

"Thank you," she said as she took the mug and took a sip. "Mm, I suppose I could say the same. That my personality conflicts with those around me." She offered the slightest hint of a smirk at that statement. "I'm afraid I didn't really get along well with my bosses either. Though I took care of that." Of course, she'd been punished for how she'd chosen to 'take care' of the problem. In the end, it'd worked out well enough though and now she didn't have to worry about a boss. Instead, she was her own boss, working the cases she wanted to work in the way she wanted to work them. For the most part, at least, with the exception being the cases her partner chose to pick up. Or involve herself in. "They both have their advantages and disadvantages, don't they? It's lucky you were able to find a good one. Did you two stop working together?" It might have been a bit too personal of a question, but she couldn't help but be curious about his use of the word was.

"Well, I can see why you'd find the coffee pots useful in that case. I imagine they're a lot faster than stove top."

“They did, yes. I lived in the same dormitory dome at the time, one morning I woke up and they were both gone.” He confirmed, and it had been so obvious. The two could be loud and excitable, the silence in the dorm had been deafening. Llewellyn watched as she clearly began pondering and trying to connect the dots as he spoke further. He’d been there, at first it seems like there’s got to be some obvious pattern. Something that made sense in all of the chaos... Llewellyn had been so sure he’d find something, especially when he’d first arrived. Now it was just... drowning in note covered pages and being annoyed at the being that brought them here for doing what it wanted without warning.

Her question gets a soft, thoughtful hum. It was a good question, for all he didn’t really like the subject. Friends were one thing, he had a hard enough time making them and keeping them as it was. Then it had taken him more than half a year to even relax enough to properly let himself settle into a relationship, and he certainly hadn’t expected it. “It does, yes. Sometimes, though... sometimes people come and they stay for so long you let your guard down?” He shook his head a little, grabbing at a couple papers on the desk to fuss with. “Doesn’t mean you forget they could disappear, of course...” Some days, with enough to wine in him, he’d probably confess that there were nights where he had a harder time falling asleep. He didn’t sleep a lot to begin with, nightmares and all that, but then there was the fear if he did fall asleep that he might one morning wake up alone.

“Did you? Mm... That’s something I haven’t really thought of how to proceed with.” At least, other than constantly doing exactly what his boss advised against or doing something first and telling him later if it seemed like the man’s biases against certain people would get in the way of doing what was right. They tended to butt heads more and more frequently of late, and admittedly Llewellyn’s respect for the man had been dwindling rather low before he arrived here. It was sad, when he’d joined the station he had felt like he might finally have a place where things got done and he wouldn’t have to worry about such conflicts. Instead, he wondered how long before he’d be fired, just like at the last station that had him.

The question of why he didn’t work with the man anymore is met with a small, sad shake of his head. “I’m afraid that it was one of those situations where one doesn’t have a choice.” He was shot during a case, and Llewellyn hadn’t made it to the scene in time. He’d suspected something was afoot, something bad, but he’d still failed to work it out properly until after the fact.

Clearing his throat and glancing back at his coffee mug, he nodded, “It’s much faster, and I like the filter system. Much better coffee, and fewer grounds in your cup.” He added with an absentminded smile, taking a little sip. “Honestly, a lot of devices make things faster and easier. I was a bit lost when I arrived, and now I’m not sure what I’d do without some of them.”

"Hmm, how strange. They went first and then the rest of them not too long after?" she shook her head as the frustration began to pile up. A sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach started to slowly build up that maybe there was no pattern to find. Maybe they were completely out of control in this entire situation. That was something that definitely felt overwhelming horrific to her. The conversation had taken a distinctly depressing turn and she could practically smell the sadness in the air. A large part of her felt bad for having asked anything at all. At the same time she felt like it was all information she needed to know to be prepared and maybe, just maybe, to find something someone else had missed. A pattern that might allow them to have more warning for when someone may leave? I suppose the idea of that was becoming more and more grim.

"I suppose you don't really have any control over letting your guard down sometimes," she said with a wistful tone. Turn knows she'd tried to keep her distance from people in the past only to end up living with them in the end. Feelings were impossible to control and she couldn't fault him for not being able to stay detached from people here. Even if a part of her of was hopeful she didn't fall down that route. Maybe she could manage to keep her distance from people here.

"I did, with a bit of help from a...friend," she said with a tiny smile. It was always difficult to actually explain who Kist was to her. Friend seemed like too light of a term but at the same time anything more than that wasn't exactly accurate anymore. "I wouldn't recommend my way though. Unless you have connections." Her had barely gotten her out of something that could have otherwise been a very messy situation. It had actually been a bit frustrating that he hadn't been able to get her out of more than he had. For some reason he'd still felt the need to allow her to be punished with a demotion, even though she knew he'd been proud of the actions she'd taken. It was actually a bit disgusting to think about Piscary being proud of her. She shook her head, that was not a subject she was going to linger on too long.

"Ah, I'm sorry," she said with a distinct awkwardness. It was clear that something had happened and she didn't want to question him more on something that might sour the mood even more. Besides, she wasn't great at being comforting, quite the opposite really, especially with her more uncontrollable urges. There was definitely a certain degree of shame attached to the fact that she knew she couldn't fully trust herself around emotionally charged situations.

"Only a bit lost? You must adapt fast," she offered with a smile.

Llewellyn wished the topic was a little lighter, or that he had better information to give her on the subject... But it was what it was, at least until some other detail fell into place. As it was, he was sometimes prone to slipping into a frustrated, sad state of mind when he continued to hit walls. But more often lately he at least tried to avoid doing so, or at least reserved those frustrated moments for when he was working alone.

Her comment gets a small, thoughtful tilt of his head though, “As much as we’d like to think we have control over it, I’ve found we really don’t... Even when you try.” And for all that he worries about losing those people, he didn’t really regret letting his guard down in most instances here. One day it would undoubtedly mean hurt would come around again, but he wasn’t a stranger to loss and for once he’d thought it was a risk worth taking.

Tilting his head at the vague explanation, he took a longer sip of coffee as he considered the idea. “Yes, I’m afraid that connections are’s exactly something I’ve made over the years. At least not as far as my position is concerned in my world.” The fact that he was still a detective there was surprising sometimes. His case resolution rate definitely helped... but there were other things he was sure were going to eventually make staying difficult, either for him or someone else. One day he’d be fired, but until then he’d keep working. At least he would if he ever went home, which was something he really didn’t want anymore.

Her apology shook him from his thoughts, and he waved a hand as if to suggest it wasn’t necessary. “Oh— thank you, but it was a while ago...” Longer than it felt sometimes, but he didn’t want to share the story either. It was something the sphere had yet to share with the public, and honestly, he hoped it would leave it be.

But adapting, learning about the technology here? That was at least a lighter topic to focus on. “I’m used to things changing quickly in my life... But I must admit I was lucky enough to have help when I got here. A lot of the other people, especially those who lived in the dorm I was assigned, were kind enough to show me how something worked if I got confused.” Especially when his usual trial-and-error method meant a mess, Llewellyn was far too prone to playing with something until it worked or it broke.

"That's...frustrating to hear," that was all she could think of to say. Anything else might require elaboration on her part on just why the loss of control bothered her so excessively. At the moment that wasn't something she was willing to do with anyone here, let alone someone that had otherwise been genuinely nice. He probably didn't deserve to have her issues mixed into things. It was clear that this place was stressful enough all on it's own.

She ran a hand through her hair and let out a sigh. "I don't suppose we could get confirmation from the Sphere itself on if it specifically controls who comes and goes or not?" That was probably too much to ask for. Maybe it didn't even know.

"I was born with them," she said with a neutral expression. "Connections I mean. I guess you could call it the perks of being a Tamwood." Though that would depend on what someone considered a perk. It definitely gave her certain advantages, but, at the same time, there were a lot of strings attached. Too many strings if she was honest with herself. That was undead vampires though, wasn't it? Their entire lives became about the games they could play by pulling the strings of the puppets around them. It'd be her fate one day unless she found a way out of it.

"I see," she said with a sympathetic look. That seemed like a subject that he definitely didn't want to talk about and she could respect that. "That is quite lucky that people were so willing to help you out. I guess that's the benefits of the shared housing. Not that I'd really enjoy that myself." She was pretty happy she hadn't been placed with anyone else. For both their sakes. "Are those people that helped you still around?" She knew it was probably a sensitive subject, but she was curious about just how often people came and went.

“I’d apologize for the frustrating news, but...” He shrugged, it wouldn’t change that things were frustrating. It definitely wouldn’t change the fact that his next words were going to be just as frustrating to hear. “I’m afraid the sphere isn’t known to be particularly prone to open communication. It’s only spoken a few times to my knowledge. I’ve only been able to have a word with it once, and it suggested that it wouldn’t be answering questions again.” Llewellyn Watts, bearer of bad news.

“That’s not to say it definitely wont— I did try to appeal to it on that matter at the time... But I can’t say that I feel confident on the subject.” He moved then, approaching one stack of papers, moving it with a frown, then moved on to another a moment later. Snagging a note-book out from under them, he flipped it open as a quick refresher.

“It suggested that to continue to communicate with us would potentially be harmful to us... I’m also inclined to suspect it might influence its experiment and it’s trying to limit that.” Not that he didn’t believe the whole ‘harmful’ bit. A glimpse into its mind had knocked the wind out of him. “You’re welcome to the notes, I’ve saved them and included some thoughts and insights posed by others who communicated with it.”

At the statement that Ivy had been born with connections, Llewellyn offered a nod. “Useful, perhaps, but having observed how those who have them live... It seems exhausting sometimes. All the expectations and drama.” And when people lost their connections or social standing, they tended to get desperate. Still, the detective certainly wouldn’t have complained if he’d had some connections growing up... Or at least better circumstances. That wasn’t the point though, and he couldn’t entirely understand given he’d never been in the other’s position.

Llewellyn appreciated that she didn’t push the less pleasant subject further though, and so he wouldn’t push further on the matter of her family. At least not intentionally. He did tend to get curious, and his mouth opened before his brain finished doing the thinking thing at times. At least the subject of learning and living in the dorms was a lighter topic... for the most part. “I was quite fortunate for the help... Though I’d gotten rather used to living alone in my world so, it was a little strange to live in the dorm suddenly. In some ways it wasn’t something I would have chosen, but it was useful in making friends and getting to know them better.”

He nodded, pausing to take a sip of coffee. “Not all of them, I’m afraid... Some of them went home not long after I arrived, others more recently...” He offered a sad smile, he hoped they were at least well wherever they were now... “But some of them are still here, and a few have been around longer than I have.”

"You can't apologize for something that isn't your fault," she replied with an exasperated sigh. "I shouldn't be surprised. People with power like it has never want to share information. Can't risk giving anyone else even a spec of power or control over a situation." That might have been a bit of projecting there, though she couldn't help but feel like the sentiment still fit here. She rubbed her temples and tried to shake the feelings of frustration off.

"Thank you, I'd like to take them to at least look them over on my own, as long as you don't mind." Though she was getting the sinking feeling that she wasn't going to be finding anything worthwhile. Ivy had never been a particularly optimistic woman and what little hope she had was going down the drain increasingly quickly. "If you don't mind me taking it with me. I'll return it."

She fiddled with her cross somewhat awkwardly as he spoke about connections. "You learn quickly that everything comes with strings attached when you have connections." There was very clear bitterness in her tone. He had no idea how true what he'd said was. It'd felt like her entire life had already been planned for her, right down to her death and rebirth as an undead vampire. It'd have been a lot easier to be born without all of that. Sure, it afforded her a comfortable life, but there was the cost of her sanity and freedom. She took a sip of her coffee and then cradled it in her hands.

"I'd imagine that was the point of the dorms. It's the point of them in college, isn't it?" To try to force people who had moved to a different location to make friends so they wouldn't feel so alone. She supposed it made sense that the Sphere would try to do that, given it's apparent insistence that it was trying to do some sort of experiment.

"So, random, just like seemingly everything else."

“Of course, take as much time with them as you need.” Llewellyn responded, offering the notebook to her before he turned to gather a few papers to go with it. They were thoughts and ideas he or others had after the conversation itself, when the notebook had already been filled. “Everything from the day is in there, uh— the important details from my conversation with it are a third of the way in.” And she was certainly welcome to it for as long as she needed it, Llewellyn had found himself rather stuck of late... A break from it might do his mind some good.

Brow furrowing a little, he couldn’t help but notice the shift in her tone, “Mm... I wondered as much, from what I’ve seen of those in more connected positions...” Clearing his throat awkwardly, he realized he’d touched on some sort of nerve, so Llewellyn was quick to blunder on a bit in an attempt to not make it worse.

“College dormitories... Yes, now that you mention it, that’s probably true.” He hadn’t had that kind of experience in his life, everything Llewellyn had learned in life was self-taught through his personal experiences and studies. “I suppose I’d always figured it was simply because it was the most convenient way for students to live on the school grounds.” Honestly, that sounded kind of absurd to him now that he’d said it, and he made a face before hiding it behind another sip of coffee.

“Random is the most accurate way to put most things here...” He added a moment later, shaking his head a little. Usually he could make some sense in a chaotic situation, put some pieces in place to make sense out of something random... Not here. Not yet, anyway.

"Thank you. I'll let you know if I have any questions from what I find." Though, something told her that she probably wouldn't be having any questions. She had the depressing feeling that nothing much would come from looking it over. Still, at least it would give her something further to do where she could at least pretend to be productive.

"The grass isn't always greener," she said ruefully. It was a sensitive subject for sure and she couldn't hide how horridly awkward she looked talking about it. "It got me my original position though and that's lead to making it easier to get jobs on my own." So, she supposed she couldn't really complain too much. Oh, that wasn't true, she certainly could. But not for job or monetary reasons.

She chuckled at his comment about dorms. "I mean, I imagine there's truth in that too. It is easier to just throw them all in a confined area with someone in charge. But, it also gives them friends and connections to make sure nothing too bad happens. I've heard it's hard for some people, going away for the first time." Not her, she'd been beyond excited to leave for the first time even if she hadn't really known or understood what freedom was like. Then again, she didn't really get that now, did she? Now that was a line of thought she didn't want to go down.

"Random..." she shook her head. "Of course. Some experiments are like that...completely random. It's..." she clicked her tongue against her fangs for a second in thought. "blind experiments isn't it? The ones that are random even to the researchers involved? Maybe it's something like that?"

“Quite often the case... Not always easy to see that though.” He responded, offering an apologetic smile. It could be hard for some people to put things into perspective, especially if someone desperately wanted their own circumstances to improve. Made people blind to the truth of someone else’s situation and made them do things that only made their situation to worsen.

Humming a little, he took a sip of coffee. “A bright side to the difficulties, I suppose. I’m glad that you’ve uh— at least had some benefits... Speaking of jobs, I don’t know if anyone has mentioned it but most things are provided for us here. People still find work or open businesses of their own, either to work on the situation here or to fight boredom.” Not that he’d ever found this place particularly boring, but there were those who’d complained of it.

Llewellyn had to nod his agreement to her comment about people having a hard time with being alone in an unfamiliar place. At the end of the day, people needed companionship. Even if the dorm situation had been new to him, feeling alone and the difficulties that presented were something he’d gotten familiar with over the years.

“That’s yet another thing we could stand to find out... As far as we know, the Sphere is the only thing in charge and the only thing running the experiments in an attempt to figure out if it can bring its kind back.” The detective responded in a slightly frustrated tone. “I asked it if it was working on when it last spoke to me, it said it was the only one who could conduct the experiment since it’s the only one left.”

"People don't see it until they experience it," she replied with a tone that indicated her intense familiarity with the idea. The amount of humans that chased after vampires for a chance at immortality only to realize how big the cost was taught her that. It seems she was going to be learning that lesson here herself as well. All she'd wanted for years was to be completely free of her master, to have a life like others where she could decided what she wanted to do. Now that she finally had it though, she felt strangely lost and confused. Maybe the grass wasn't greener here either.

"Bored, here?" her eyebrow quirked up ever so slightly. It seemed like this place kept them busy enough, but maybe the lulls got longer than she thought. Only time would be able to tell on that front she imagined. "What sort of businesses do people open?" There was some genuine curiosity in the question but she also just wanted to make note of places run by people who were brought here.

"Is there nobody else in the world above?" That shouldn't be surprising to her and yet it actually was. What happened to the people that lived in the world above? "What happened to everyone?.”

“Some people have confessed to boredom, though I suspect it has more to do with needing to keep busy to ward off unpleasant thoughts around the situation?” Everyone coped differently, and he’d been guilt of throwing himself too hard into work himself. Though it did help that he was more inclined to try to figure this place out, like it was any other case he would have thrown himself into at home.

“It varies? There’s a tailor shop, a mechanic shop, there’s a school for those who want to pursue an eduction that several arrivals teach at... I’m probably forgetting a few.” He admitted that with a small shrug, he has a bad memory at times and has come to just admitting it when it seemed likely. “I take small cases from the locals, usually just thefts, but I like to put my mind to work.”

Now the next question gets an awkward sound, glancing upward instinctively. The world above was part of the mystery that he’d been hung up on since his conversation with the sphere. “I can’t say... It’s possible, but we have no way of going up to see. All I know is the Sphere explained that this entire wold was created for the experiment. If there is a purpose for the world above, we haven’t figured it out.” He didn’t ask, which was why he was frustrated. Something had happened, and he hadn’t been at his best during the conversation. Llewellyn had missed things... and he hated missing things when you couldn’t just go and ask after the fact.

“There sphere did explain that it’s people died, it’s... unclear how though. It doesn’t know, and I’m willing to guess that part of the experiment to bring it’s kind back also involves figuring out what killed them all.”

"That might make sense given what you've told me of the things this place does to people. Downtime must give people a lot of time to think about the situation they're stuck in too." Thinking too much about being stuck in a dome underwater with seemingly no chance of escape couldn't be good for people. It made sense that some people might get stir crazy and bored, especially if they were the type to dislike things they weren't in control of.

"A school?" That got an almost genuine laugh out of her. Then again, if people did get bored here then learning was as good of a distraction as anything. At least it'd give them something worthwhile to do, potentially. Depending on what was was being taught. "I think I've had enough school for several lifetimes." Cases were something she could at least relate to and she chuckled at that as well. "Petty theft cases seem to be the majority of what I've been getting back home since we started our own agency."

She sighed as everything came back, once again, to the unknown. "The entire world was created for the experiment?" She blinked at that and shook her head. "How does someone create an entire world? Does that mean it didn't exist before it wanted to experiment? Or did they adapt a world?" She stopped herself from asking anymore questions. "Sorry, I know you don't know the answers to that. It's...fascinating though to think about." If not a bit...daunting. "I wonder how large the world is."

She tapped thoughtfully on the mug of coffee she hadn't touched in several minutes. "I wonder how it is that it doesn't actually know what killed it's people. Was it young when they died?" Again, she realized he probably didn't have the answer to these things, but she was almost talking to herself at this point.

“Yes, I uh— believe that’s the best way to put it. Finding to do that we enjoy, or a something that presents a sense of normalcy to keep from dwelling too heavily on the matter.” Otherwise one might go to the paranoid, deep dive of thinking about this place. Llewellyn liked to think he’d found a nice middle ground, at least of late.

He grinned a little at her reaction to the school, “I thought it a bit strange myself... But as I mentioned earlier, there were children here. Between that and those who work there, I believe it was another way of keeping things normal?” Honestly, Llewellyn wasn’t sure who was left among them who were students... He couldn’t think of anyone off the top of his head.

The matter of his own work is easier to discuss, though. “Not always the most interesting work, but... Well, I like to think that’s a good thing.” Meant no one was murdering anyone or hurting others beyond taking their personal belongings. Llewellyn was pretty sure he’d seen too much of the former in his time. And with everything else...? It was nice to not have that thrown in.

He was a little grateful that she realized there was a lo that he simply didn’t know and didn’t really expect him to give her answers. If she hadn’t said that, he might have floundered a little in trying to explain... Instead he offered a small shrug, “Now you see why I’m keen to get more thoughts and opinions on the information we’ve all collected so far... There are more questions than answers, and every answer seems to present new questions.” Rubbing the back of his neck lightly, he continued, “The fact that it doesn’t know what killed its people off is one of the matters that I can’t help but dwell on... It must know something if it survived...? Either it’s repressed it, or it’s withholding information.” Both seemed likely, but the part of Llewellyn that had been lied to one too many times was willing to bet it was the second option.

But he circled back, jumping to the matter of the world itself. “Honestly, my biggest question on the subject of the world is... Why are we all down here if there’s an entire world above? Is there something wrong with the rest of the world? Or is there something specific up there that might ruin the experiment? Seems like there would be a lot of work in maintaining this space to keep people alive.” And... Well, Llewellyn had seen what happened when this place started shutting down. It had bothered him since it happened and only gotten worse when the sphere admitted what it had about the world.

"I don't think my sort of normalcy could be found here," she said with a tiny smile. It was meant as a kind of joke and yet there was a disturbing amount of truth to it. Her kind of normalcy was about as far from normal as one could get. The idea that she might have to actually find her own way here, completely devoid of any constant influence and manipulation, was weirdly daunting. What an odd concept that was, to be daunted by the idea of being away from the influence of someone that had controlled most of her life. She shook her head and tried to brush those thoughts to the back of her head as quickly as she could.

"I imagine the children would have been happy to not have to go to school. I know my sister would be," she said with a tiny chuckle. But maybe normalcy held much more of a sway on people that she'd previously thought, even if the normalcy wasn't exactly pleasant.

"A good thing, hmm?" again she laughed lightly. "You have a point, at least it means there's nothing too serious going on. It's boring though." It wasn't something she'd readily admit, but she also found work like that a bit beneath her. That was the result of having graduated and then being immediately placed into a position where she dealt with murder cases and detailed investigations. It wasn't until her demotion that she'd had to deal with simple street cases and while she'd found it fun, it was still a few steps down.

"So I'm seeing. It's almost like questions just breed questions." There was no way to hide the slip of frustration in her voice. At this point she was almost exhausted from just asking questions only to have another pop up in her mind. Maybe that was a design of this place too, maybe it was going to drive them all mad with an endless loop of questions. "I would place bets onto withholding the information" But that was probably more to do with her not wanting to be sympathetic towards something that seemed to enjoy keeping it's subjects in the dark.

"Hmm...perhaps it's just uninhabitable by the types of subjects it wants?" Thought if it could make something like this to put people in why would it not be able to make the world above inhabitable? "Though that seems less likely than there being something up there it doesn't want us to see. Maybe the people who actually built this place originally?" Even if it said it designed it, it was possible it was lying and it just co-opted it from another species. "Or maybe previous subjects escaped at some point?"

“Mm... That’s probably a good point... I suppose I can’t exactly presume what everyone’s normal is.” He responded with a small tilt of his head. Because, well, sometimes jokes went over his head. He can be a little literal at times, and then other times he got the oddest jokes. “Perhaps.. finding familiar things that are a comfort is a better way to put it.”

That said... She was right, school was probably a ‘norm’ that the kids would have been happier without. “I suppose that’s true? Some of them were eager to learn, but I can think of a few who probably would have rather been free to get up to their mischief.” Mischief was a word for it, though there were probably more accurate ways to put it. He’d lived in a dorm with two of the loudest while they were around. That aside, Llewellyn couldn’t help but be a little curious about the other part of her comment. She had a sister? “I take it she’s not a fan of the classroom?”

“I can’t deny... The easier, small cases aren’t nearly as engaging.” He responded with a small chuckle himself. It was a weird position to be in. Not wanting to be bored but also not wanting to wish misfortune on someone. That said, “At least here the simple cases are at least a little more welcome... Something between the serious work, like figuring all this out.”

Because questions just breeding more questions was the best way to put it. “I’m not a betting man anymore... But yes. It’s made it clear that it won’t speak to us in the event that it jeopardizes the experiment. So if it thinks something would influence us one way or another? I can’t imagine it would want to give us the whole truth.” It wanted their help, but it wasn’t as though they had a choice. They’d been abducted, dropped in the bottom of the ocean, and had no way to force a conversation with it.

The suggestion gets his attention again, turning slightly to look at his board for a moment. “I... hadn’t considered that. perhaps if it didn’t want to put the effort into making a complete world. If it was easier to build a smaller er... habitat... for it to conduct the experiment. Maybe everything above is incomplete...” Someone also suggested that it could be where all our food and supplies come from. Not that we’re sure how it would get everything from here to there, but it got us here so.” He raised his arm in a shrugging gesture. “It could be any number of those things—” But if there were an escape route up there? “If there were a way to leave, that would probably be the biggest reason to keep us contained... These are all very strong possibilities to add to the list.”

Though it would be nice to narrow the list down a bit, rather than continue to grow it... But hey, it was still something to think about.

Llewellyn had locked his office up early for the day. His need to move around coupled with the fact that Pretzel had a pretty bad case of what the younger residents of the sphere would call ‘the zoomies’ meant that very little focusing would be done there, anyway.

It didn’t necessarily mean he wasn’t going to think about any of the things he’d been working on, it just meant whoever ran into him might witness the occasional pause as a thought interrupted the other thoughts like an errant bird from the already chaotic flock that his mind tended to mimic.

As it was, he hoped to work out some of his pup’s energy before heading home for the day with a little training session. He’d been making progress with tracking, hiding personal items around the recreational dome and then letting Pretzel lead him to it. Before long, he’d move on to living things, which was the biggest goal. The sphere was such a complicated place at times, and if anyone went missing again... He hoped it might make finding them a little easier.

The detective almost missed seeing Jon entirely, caught up in trying to visualize what kind of trails he’d construct for the dog that day, when Pretzel drew to a sudden stop and barked out an alert. “Hm—?” His brow furrowed a bit, slowing his slouched gate to a halt. His eyes darted first to Pretzel and then slowly shifted to where the pup was looking.

“Oh...” He mumbled, recognizing the other man (even if it does take him a moment to pull up name again). “Afternoon, Jon?”

Jon had not been alerted to anyone else's presence by the aptly-named Ghost, because Ghost only alerts him when there's a threat, and he doesn't see either man or dog as such. So Jon is as startled as Watts is to come across another person there.

"Oh. Hello."

Llewellyn offered a small nod to Ghost as well in greeting, before Pretzel trotted over to say hello to the wolf himself. He noted that he wasn’t the only one startled by the meeting, which said something to the effect that both of them had perhaps been preoccupied before now.

Random meetings could be rather awkward though, and he hums a little as he responded. It wasn’t as though he could be like ‘nice weather today,’ because generally that didn’t change in the sphere. It was what it was, and that wasn’t really noteworthy and… ah, right, the conversation. “I almost didn’t see you, Pretzel uh— always recognizes a friend though.” He glanced around for a moment. Other than wolf, Jon appeared to be on his own. “I hope we’re not interrupting, we’re just on our way to practice a little tracking.”

"Not at all. We were just off to one of the recreational domes." There's a spot Inesa showed him, in among the trees, that resembles a godswood, or at least the closest that he'll find outside of Westeros. With Robb gone, and now Sansa as well, he's looking for something that's reminiscent of somewhere familiar. Even if he'd rarely been truly happy in Westeros, it was still home to him, more so than this strange place.

"There's a place there where we like to sit and pray."

“Then we’re going the same way, or nearly.” He responded with a small nod, gesturing lightly in the direction of the recreational domes. “Perhaps I can accompany you part of the way? Pretzel would probably enjoy getting to see Wolf for a bit before we get to training.” And admittedly, he was curious about which spot Jon was speaking of.

It would be good to know, if only so he wouldn’t accidentally interrupt. Such things were something he tended to respect, even attempt to learn more about. Like when accompanying his fellow detective while on a case... He’d awkwardly stood by and watched the man’s movements and observances around the Catholic Church. Trying to be respectful and learn a little while he went.

Llewellyn couldn’t help but glance back at Jon a moment later, curious in a way. He knew Sansa was gone, if only because Rhy had been good friends with her. It was sad, really... He’d only just met the young women himself, and he’d rather hoped to know her better. But Jon was her brother, and... he couldn’t help but wonder how he was. “Mm... I was sorry to hear about Sansa’s departure from here.” He offered, tone apologetic.

He falls into step with Watts, content to walk in silence, but also not minding a conversation. Especially as they have some distance to cover still.

"Thank you. I would say that at least she's in a better place, but even with all of this place's quirks, I wouldn't call Westeros better." Maybe it can be though, with Sansa and Bran in charge now. "At least she's home." And alive, so he'll see her again.

“I suppose... There are positives and negatives between this world and those others have arrived from.” Llewellyn responded thoughtfully, tucking his hands in his pockets as they walked towards the recreational domes. He could agree with Jon though, for all the unpleasant ‘quirks’ of this world... There were a lot of positives on the list as far as he was concerned. It seemed to be the same for other worlds as well, oftentimes worse from the memory shares he’d witnessed.

"If I had the choice, even with the less pleasant aspects of this place, I think I would prefer to stay here over returning to Westeros." Life in Westeros is hard, even more so for him with his bastard status and no legal claim to anything despite being from a prominent family. It is true that it's where his family is, but more of them are dead than alive at this point. There's not much to pull him back there.

"That might be an opinion that not many share."

“Perhaps not many, but you’d be surprised... It seems there are a few of us.” Yes, Llewellyn still worked with those who wanted to go home to figure this all out. His sense of duty dictated that it was the right thing to do, the sphere shouldn’t be able to get away with uprooting everyone for its own desires. Then there was a part of him that simply wanted to understand the sphere and its motives.

The other part of him? That part had gotten attached to the life he’d built here, the friends he’d made and the love he’d found. At home his brothers were gone, his sister was... somewhere, and he had made peace with the fact that she’d never want to see him again. Love would have been a complicated matter there, if he’d ever found it. He certainly wouldn’t have had the freedom there that he’d found here.

He had his work, yes, but being here had made Llewellyn realize that his life could be more than waiting for the next case. If anything, he found himself wishing that he could show his colleagues the wonders of this place rather than actually go home. “I’ve come to realize that sometimes a place doesn’t have to be perfect for it to be home.”

He hasn't done much discussing the subject with others, mostly because doing so would likely involve talking about all the reasons he wouldn't want to go back to Westeros, which would bring up some other things he doesn't want to talk about. He knows that Inesa doesn't especially care if she goes back to her home either, and assumes there must be others who feel similarly, but it also seems that there would be some who wish to go back to their own homes.

"No, it doesn't." It's far from perfect north of the Wall, some would even say uncivilized (though Jon would disagree), but it had been home for him. That didn't really have anything to do with the location, though. "I think it's more the people than the place that make it a home."

Llewellyn hadn’t really brought it up before either, for similar reasons and for the fact that it almost seemed crazy in some ways to admit to wanting to stay. At least it was easy to guess that those who wanted to leave might think as much. Even when talking to the sphere itself, he’d kept the wish to himself.

Jon’s words ring true though, at least to him. “Mm... I agree with you on that.” He responded with a small smile, glancing down at Pretzel and Wolf for a moment. “If I were being honest... I would say this place has come to feel much more like a home than I’ve had in a while.” There were good people here, and he felt lucky to have gotten to meet them.

"For me, too." Which shouldn't be a surprise coming from someone who just admitted to defining home by people rather than a place. "It would be nice if people would stay once they arrived, instead of potentially leaving again, but I suppose no place is perfect."

He wonders if there's anyone here who could truly understand his reasons for not wanting to go home. Other than those from Westeros, who understand too well. Explaining his reasons only does so much.

"Is your home like this one?"

“It would... Of all of this place’s oddities, the disappearances once the sphere is apparently done with one of us is one of the most frustrating.” Llewellyn never liked to think about it, but with the recent influx of people being sent home, it was hard to not wonder who might be gone next...

Pushing that thought from his mind in favour of the shift in topic, the detective hummed at the question. It was an easy enough one to answer, as much as he wished he could say some things were the same.

Shaking his head a little, he spoke a moment later with a hand gesturing a little at the domes. “No, it’s not nearly as ah— advanced as this? This world is more like something out of a novel in my world, with all the technology and such. I’ve been told by some that my world is likely a past era of their own.” Or a future version of the ‘grey world,’ was how Rhy looked at it.

Llewellyn couldn’t say who was right or wrong. There wasn’t really much evidence to say with any certainty. For all they knew, his world could be unconnected to any of those suggested and would progress on its own path that differed greatly from what he’d been told. Although… he hoped some of the things Alex had told him would come to pass, even if they were beyond his time.

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March Logs

Touring the Market @ Dorian

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Office Day @ Ivy

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A Random Meeting @ Jon

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