Liam ✒ 002 ✒ the fog and plot thickens
Who: prowallflower and anyone!
Where: Espoir, wanderin' wherever
Style: first
Status: very open!
[The fog didn't bother Liam in and of itself. The dark shapes that moved through it-some of which were recognizable and many of which were not-were what made his heart occasionally thump and his blood pressure rise and rise. The fog itself he knew was a very ( Read more... )
Where: Espoir, wanderin' wherever
Style: first
Status: very open!
[The fog didn't bother Liam in and of itself. The dark shapes that moved through it-some of which were recognizable and many of which were not-were what made his heart occasionally thump and his blood pressure rise and rise. The fog itself he knew was a very ( Read more... )
[He had left a sour Ciel seated in his study, flipping irritably through the Dreamberry, more standoffish than normal due to the unnerving day they had recently spent bound at the wrist. Sebastian was still amused, finding every opportunity he could to subtly remind the earl of it. It only fueled his young master's ire, but then Sebastian would chuckle and make amends with a hot cup of tea or bid him to taste a new chocolate dish he was experimenting with and the issue was for the moment forgotten.
[...until Sebastian decided to broach the subject once more.
[Smiling to himself, Sebastian returned the watch fob to his pocket and started on his way, dark strides moving confidently through the fog, to which he was accustomed in the streets of London. Here, however, there were no carriages trying to navigate through the haze, no paper boys calling out the news, peddlers trying to push their wares or children rushing in between traffic. Here there was a pointed quiet and calm that one might find unnerving. Sebastian, however, embraced the stillness, allowing him the opportunity to think ahead as he walked, ever working.
[He is so preoccupied with the mental run-through of his afternoon that he almost doesn't notice he is about to pass another person. How remiss. Sebastian stops a few feet from the shadow of a man and bows, smiling congenially]
Good day.
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[The answer comes out sharp and instinctual as Liam's shoulders raise and tighten against his frame. No jumping, but some surprise at being spoken to so abruptly. He takes a step closer if only to make sure he can see the other clearly.
Liam almost decides to move on right then and there, but he hadn't expected to see another person walking on their own.]
Are you... looking for someone?
[A strange question to have, yes, but it's what comes to mind.]
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Ah, no. I am headed to the shopping district.
Forgive me. [Another formal bow, proper introductions staged properly] I am Sebastian, the Phantomhive butler.
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[He returns the bow in kind, sure that Sebastian hasn't realized their stations aren't that far apart in so short a time.]
A servant of the Barma household, working under Duke Rufus Barma.
[Liam completes the introduction with a small, uncertain smile.]
I'm also working with the police, so if you have any questions of that nature...
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I will keep that in mind, Sir.
And is your master here as well?
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[That's a blessing and a curse, really; Liam misses the man, for all his occasional brutality, but he doesn't suspect the duke would appreciate being trapped in some dream realm alongside him. It's in Barma's best interests that he remains on the outside.]
I'm sure he's doing well where is he, however. He was safe, last I knew.
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[Sebastian smiled] He had no recollection of having been here before. Perhaps that is for the best, such as it is. [Memories filled with yeti attacks, black outs, queer nightmares and dreams being broadcasted publicly over a phone. That is not to say Ciel hadn't experienced worse, but these memories spliced in between would do nothing for his already ill humor]
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As long as he has someone by his side, I'm sure he'll adjust easily enough.
[Liam's own arrival was paved with the good intentions of Xerxes Break. That had made it infinitely more bearable.]
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And I will serve him til the end. [The smile deepens, crinkling the corners of his eyes]
I trust you are adjusting well on your own?
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Ah-- I'm not on my own, thankfully. Some of the members of an organization from my world have also found their way here. They've helped me considerably.
[The pause that follows is very short.] Is it only you and your master from your home?
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At present, yes. My young master's fiancee arrived unexpectedly and was taking residence in the manor until her recent disappearance.
I believe the earl was disappointed to see her go. [This may be a vague exaggeration, but not a lie. Ciel had certainly spent the better part of his day searching Espoir for her, in vain, and returned to the mansion near-frozen and in a foul mood]
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I can imagine he would be.
[Liam's thoughtful for a few beats, contemplating.]
... Oh, my apologies. I've stopped you from continuing on. I hope you weren't in any hurry?
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Likewise, I hope I'm not keeping you from anything urgent?
You must take extra pains to travel in this weather.
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[Liam wasn't about to pretend he had braved the fog merely for the sake of others; the mansion, however large and full, could feel claustrophobic at times if only due to his continued unfamiliarity. He was constantly discovering little things he'd been told and forgotten-- the location of a restroom. Where a certain serving utensil was kept in the kitchens.]
If you'd like to carry on our conversation while heading to wherever you were going...?
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May I ask where you're from, originally?
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[That's the best landmark that Liam can think of, but judging by the other's accent and manner of dress, he's making what he hopes is an accurate guess that he won't be familiar with the area.]
Might I ask you the same?
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