middaeg | ( CLOSED ) april catch-all

[Ianto hums softly.]

Alas, they do frown upon such things.

[Bringing alcohol -- or drinks of any kind, really -- into the library. (Ianto would frown on such things too, though that is neither here nor there.)

He casts a sideways glance at the other librarians, who seem to be eying Geralt and his pile of papers warily, before stepping closer and blocking the frowning man's view.]

They frown upon a lot of things. Including the loss of original order.

[He tilts his head towards the piles of papers the other man is sorting through, raising an eyebrow in turn.]

[ Geralt, too, raises an eyebrow as he looks back. He hasn't missed the way Ianto has chosen to stand in the way of the archivists scrutinizing him. Given their entire lack of familiarity with each other beyond that one night, it's, mm. Interesting.

He turns back to the papers, taking advantage of Ianto's position to quietly record a few images of the writings instead on his little watch. (It's taken a few months, but he's learning.) ]

I'll be finished by the time one of them finds the balls to eject me.

[ He'll leave if he's asked—he's not actively trying to start trouble—but he's also aware that there are times where it's simpler to just do what he needs to and eat the consequences, rather than try and find a way to appease. ]

[Ianto is honestly a little surprised to see Geralt using the watch, all things considered. Not that he doesn't expect Geralt to be an intelligent man, but he has seemed -- well. A little more rough around the edges.

He raises an eyebrow at the other man, trying to get an idea of what the topic of the writings he has laid out in front of him might be, though he can't quite read them from this angle.]

It might help if you weren't so obviously provoking them.

[ There's a sigh as he flips another page. Feels like he's a damn student all over again. He hasn't needed to look things up in awhile. Monsters don't hardly change over the decades.

After a second, he gathers up the papers, placing them in a neat but obviously unorganized stack on the shelf. ]

What's it to you?

[ He's not provoking them. He just can't give a damn about the sensibilities of some wealthy aristocrats who prefer to hide in the archives and their own kind than interact with the Monsters of this world. Except when they desperately need papers to be sorted, apparently.

Anyway, they don't know each, him and Ianto. Not really. He doesn't see why this is any of his business. ]

[Ianto can't help but roll his eyes at the stack of papers. It is a neat stack, he will give him that. It's also so haphazard he's likely giving Jack a run for his money.]

Well, for a start... [he says, reaching for the papers himself] It's easier to conduct your research within the library, which is fairly difficult to do if they throw you out. And secondly.

[He gestures to the stack of papers in his hand.] You helped me. When we first met. I figure... I might be able to help you with this.

[He shrugs.] It's what I do back home. ...Sort of.

[ Geralt doesn't mention that getting into the College library, under usual circumstances, takes the kind of convincing he doesn't care to do on a regular basis.

He finally turns around, leaning his shoulder against one of the shelves. His gaze lingers on the stack in Ianto's hands. ]

You're a scholar?

[ His expression is still skeptical, not because he doubts Ianto's claim but because a scholar is only as good as what he knows. And this world is far too new for the man to become much of an expert in anything. ]

[Ah.

Ianto glances up to meet the other man's golden gaze, raising his eyebrows at the expression as he does. Is it really so difficult to believe that he might hold such a position? It's certainly much less of a stretch than the truth -- that he defends the earth against alien threat. --and yes. Makes the coffee, empties the trash, and does their paperwork, filing, and everything else in between.]

In a manner of speaking. I'm... an archivist. Researcher. For the agency I work with. Among other things.

[It probably sounds a little vague. He's still getting the hang of what he can and cannot say. Torchwood was a matter of National Security, back home. He's not exactly comfortable with throwing the name about, even though it probably doesn't mean anything to anybody here.]

[ That is damn vague. Luckily for Ianto, it works in his favor; it means Geralt's curiosity has been piqued as to what Ianto actually is. He'd have paid less attention to a simple scholar. ]

Lots of lasers in your libraries, are there?

[ He pointedly sets another stack of papers in Ianto's arms. If his newfound archivist wants to help, then he can help. ]

When I was infected in the dream, I succumbed far faster than I would've normally. [ Or, you know. He fucking died, in other words. It hadn't been pleasant. ] Would be nice to know what they've been recording on the Cwyld over the decades.

[Yes, alright, alright. He invited this upon himself. It's not as though he hasn't volunteered to help out in the library as it is. Far better to clean up the mess as it happens rather than to leave it willingly, anyway.]

Far more than I'd care for, frankly.

[Does Geralt even know what a laser is? Ianto wonders to himself, before deciding to best let it go for now. Admitting that he's researching the Cwyld, it piques Ianto's interest almost automatically. He shifts the papers in his hands, wondering whether he too should take a look at these things, before back up at Geralt himself.]

And are they recording it? Strikes me, that's the sort of thing that could go one of two ways...

[ Uh-huh. He does not, in fact, know what a laser is, still. But it doesn't sound like it's supposed to be in a place full of books. ]

Not as far back as I'd like.

[ Information seems recent, but from what he'd witnessed in that dream world, the infrastructure of the city seems recent, too. The Cwyld has a bad habit of eating away at entire villages and towns with swiftness—he's seen the ruins up north. He hasn't given much thought to the holes in the information available. It's common for records to be lost in his world, between countless wars and storms and an ever rotating door of monarchs.

He studies Ianto. ] You think there's something they're hiding?

[Ianto shrugs slightly, shifting somewhat uncomfortably now that he actually has the wolf-man's attention, for a change.]

Well. I have only just arrived, so it's difficult to say for certain. Though in my experience...

[He hesitates, uncertain of how exactly to phrase it.]

The historical record of a thing is entirely based on not only who wrote it but also who kept it, who's allowing you to know about it, and who is allowing you access. It's... Political. Strategic. A place like this. [He waves a hand at the shelf beside him, lowering his voice slightly.] Is curated, depending on the institution and, I don't know. Whoever they're answering to, beyond.

[ Ah. That. Geralt shifts, and distinctly avoids thinking about Jaskier and his own rewritten tales. (It is effective, for the coin, he'll admit.) ]

Rumor has it some seats in Parliament have been bought. This here, [ he gestures around them, ] they likely all have connections to or ambitions to be part of that world. But the Coven spearheads field research. Its raw data may be worth looking at.

[ Maybe. His trust in the Coven is nowhere near absolute, but they've healed and saved all of the Mirrorbound held captive, including Jaskier. He trusts them more than he does a corrupted government head, at least where the Cwyld is concerned—even if Parliament seems largely benign for now. More useless then malicious. ]

[Ianto is distinctly trying not to think about how he has effectively done the very same thing himself. With Retcon, and people's lives, for that matter. All for the name of Torchwood and The Greater Good.]

Doesn't surprise me. [Power corrupts. He's spent enough time at Torchwood London under Yvonne Hartman to know that much. The question is -- what about this Coven, then? Who have the literal powers, being Witches and all.]

"May be"? [He prompts, raising an eyebrow at the other man, before setting about straightening the papers in his hands. May as well, while he's grilling him for information.] How long have you been looking into this?

Since I've been here. I've accompanied the Wilders on their expeditions. They don't always all come back.

[ It's not that he expects to find any good answers, nor some miracle cure. This thing that's gripped the land, he's not certain it can ever be purged within any one lifetime. Maybe not even beyond that. But the Cwyld causes the Shades, and the Shades are the biggest threat in this land—and the thing he's been most frequently hired to kill.

It also means he's prone to getting infected. Even with his skill, the risk is never eliminated. The more he learns, the better. ]

[Wilders. Ianto's comprehension snags on the word -- there's still so much he has left to wrap his head around in this place -- and he raises an eyebrow in question.]

I'm sorry, who...?

[The Coven was at least a bit more self-explanatory, but he's willing to bet that these people aren't from "the wild" if they're recruiting Geralt for expeditions -- presumably out into the wild.]

[ As one of the students makes her way towards the shelves, Geralt moves towards a quieter corner to talk in. ]

They're researchers. Spend most of their time in the Wilde.

[ He's not certain what they did prior to the Mirrorbound arriving. They aren't inexperienced, but nor are they really trained, either. It's an easy job, though, most of the time. He gets them home in one piece, they pay him. ]

[Ianto glances over his shoulder at the movement of the student before shifting closer to Geralt. Their conversation hasn't quite shifted into any controversial yet, but he isn't keen on being overheard by any random passerby either.]

Right.

[Somehow this information does not surprise Ianto. He's only met Geralt the few times, but he seems like the sort to volunteer himself for questionable and dangerous scenarios of the sort he's describing.]

And what exactly are they researching? It's separate from the Coven's focus, I gather.

[ One might think so, but that's not the case. Geralt shakes his head. ]

Everyone's focus has been the Cwyld. This coastline is the only area free of it.

[ It's the only thing any of these people can agree on. This is the first city, in fact, that doesn't even have a damn army. Guess it's not like there's much around here to invade or defend. Most of the world is barren.

Supposedly. He's never gone off the continent. He suspects most people here haven't either. ]

( CLOSED ) april catch-all

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i'm so sorry this took so long, my job imploded on me...

no worries!!

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