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[favoriteanalyst]

Crystal, In Person, Mail, Gifts, etc.

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a gift, and a note; christens this inbox

[icasm]

[ (about two days after the bonfire a box appears in the internal mailroom with Mobius' name on it.

inside the box is several bottles of alcohol, some spirits, some beers, and a wine; rare imports all at this point in the war. none of them is the vodka from that evening.

between two of the bottles is a note:) ]

Mobius,

I don't know what one gifts to a new friend when one has perhaps crossed a line into the morose and oversharing of sufferings. I hope that these items go at least some of the way towards making amends. Feel free to share or give away as your tastes may dictate, but the whiskey is particularly good.

Apologies,
Loki

- I have not forgotten your request of dinner and a drink. I have nothing occupying my time in the evenings midweek, if you are still interested.

Truthified evening one; crystal

[icasm]

[ Loki sounds about as tired as he did when he left Mobius in the offices earlier in the day. ]

Are you still around?

[ Not 'are you still up's; the sun hasn't even set yet, and Loki doubts either of them will be managing sleep. ]

[favoriteanalyst]

I haven't been sent on any surprise missions. Yeah, still around. You okay?

...Is a stupid question. Sorry. Reflex.

written note.

[luaithre]

Knight-Lieutenant,

At your convenience, please see me in my office.

Marcus
Captain of the Watch

[ —can be found in Mobius' mail not a day after the company makes their return from Cumberland to Kirkwall. ]

[favoriteanalyst]

[In return, not terribly long after:]

Captain,

There must have been a mistake in the mail. Surely this was meant for someone who currently possesses that title. Don't worry, I won't speak a word of the mistake.

Mobius

[Things he has time for: not fucking this.]

in-person @ the dining hall.

[portalling]

For obvious reasons, Strange has mostly seen Mobius in the library — it’s both their preferred haunts — but a man does need to eat sometimes. And today, catching a glimpse of the silver-haired librarian in the communal dining hall, it’s like spotting a wild animal out of its habitat.

He hesitates for only a moment before crossing the room. He’s carrying a bowl of stew with hardy bread, half-cradled against his chest so he doesn’t drop it.

The hall is full of long tables, and for one jarring moment he’s reminded of being a novice again — just another anonymous adept in anonymous robes at Kamar-Taj, sitting down for tea and soup with the other students, not special at all — and then he shakes off those memories, clinging like cobwebs, and instead approaches and draws up a chair beside Mobius without invitation. He’s simply too old to bother about the fretful can I sit with you? worries of high school.

“You’ll be pleased to hear that I only tried to read at dinner once,” he announces, a multitasker accustomed to juggling tablets at breakfast and smartphones in the restroom, like a heathen, “but stopped after the first time I almost spilled broth all over a text. I learn my lesson.”

[favoriteanalyst]

It's certainly where he feels the most satisfaction these days, though he can also be found in places Strange isn't likely to go. What use has a Rifter for the chapel? (Well, depends on what gods they worship, he supposes.) Still tries to get out to the training grounds, although his hours now tend toward when there are fewer people.

Strange's presence is not unwelcome. There's been no reason to think poorly of him, save to occasionally poke at his bad habits. "There would have been a bloody murder," Mobius says with a sage nod, "so best to keep the book accidents to a minimum." Would he be doing the murdering? Maybe.

"Though I'm gonna find it real hard to believe you've never done that before in your life, ruined texts with food because you can't stand not spending time not learning." Commendable to a point. But only a point.

Mobius is wearing gloves even indoors at mealtime. He's always wearing gloves these days where he didn't before, when they had first met. Even not so careful observation will bring to light how hard he has to try to be steady with his every bite and drink, that his utensils have straps around them to slide his hands into.

"Learning a lot about our magic? I'd hate for all your hyperfocused research to be for nothing if you can't practically put it to use."

action

[thereneverwas]

[Passing in the hall, most likely:]

Mobius! My friend.

[a pitch is imminent]

[foolsmakeitcolder]

[SHOULDERING him out of the way, beaming; obviously this is friendly, but they've been doing this a few times today.]

Would you mind helping me with something?

crystal.

[portalling]

( Apropos of nothing— )

How addictive is lyrium, exactly?

— also, hello, it’s Stephen, I hope you weren’t busy. Probably make sure you have some privacy for this conversation.

The kind that templars take. It’s a more concentrated form than what we encounter in lyrium potions, yes?

[favoriteanalyst]

Hi to you, too. Give me a minute. [Don't mind the shuffling of him going to find a slightly more private place for this. 'More private' in this case mostly means somewhere else in the library, at the moment.]

Let me guess. This has to do with the good Madame de Foncé.

Great. [Muffled as though through a hand scrubbing his face, mostly because he's scrubbing his face.] Good. Can't argue any sense into that woman. Lyrium and its addictive qualities seem dependent on a whole load of factors. You don't see every other mage that downs a potion get the shivers for it. And, yeah, what we do with the philter is kind of a mix of purifying the stuff and concentrating it down. Getting a big whammy for the first infusion definitely does the trick in addiction.

Would I recommend taking a potion every day for a year? No. Do I think a couple of drops over a week will do anything? No. What we've got in the stores is refined enough to use for all kinds of purposes without hurting anyone. But I also wouldn't go injecting it straight in your arm, for instance. And I don't care how detailed her notes on, running around giving a bunch of people lyrium that have no use for it just to see what happens sounds like not only asking for trouble, but inviting it inside for tea after having it RSVP.

...That was more than you asked for.

crystal

[armd]

(Because she's the one who started it it seems only right to reach out, an hour or so after the last word has been had.)

Hey. Sorry.

You okay?

[favoriteanalyst]

Yeah. [No.] It's fine. [Is it though?]

I don't disagree with you. Just maybe was a little ill-timed.

right now; voice

[icasm]

Have you been overdoing it?

[ Does he think he might get an honest answer if he just demands it suddenly without warning? Yeah. ]

[favoriteanalyst]

No? [Not the way that he sees it. He's pretty sure plenty of others are. So, y'know, perspectives could be skewed.] I'd ask if you are, but I'm pretty sure I know the answer to that.

crystals;

[dissolving]

Messere. It's Cedric - when you got a moment, got a project to talk on. For the library.

[favoriteanalyst]

Yeah? You've got my attention. Don't know that we'd be able to do all that much right now, not until it's a little less crowded, but what've you got on your mind?

crystals; post-room assignments

[dissolving]

Hey, uh — heads-up, asked Vanya in with us. Reckon 's easier for everyone.

[ nell included. that cedric probably would've swapped for vanya, regardless, doesn't need looking in the eye ]

[favoriteanalyst]

[wryly:] I don't mind if we make our room the Templar haven room. Would be a damned shame if it had to come to that, though.

crystals;

[wythersake]

[ idly: ]

Ser or Monsieur?

[favoriteanalyst]

Something I can help you with, serah?

crystal

[thereneverwas]

[not long after the announcement,

a deep breath. a sigh. followed by:]

so.

[favoriteanalyst]

[There's a scratch of pen to parchment, and then there's a little sigh of his own. A brief shuffle.]

So.

Any letters to send?

crystal.

[portalling]

( Also sometime after the announcement. Stephen has a guess, but he’d still like the blunt confirmation, so the question eventually wings its way in Mobius’ direction: )

Which version of the letter are you sending?

[favoriteanalyst]

The one where I explain "hi, I've been alive all this time, anyway I'm going to retroactively retire now and take the remnants of my sanity as payment" to my former bosses and see how that goes.