apocalypsehowcomm | new arreyeval [open!]

Entry tags:

new arreyeval [open!]

Who: Elias Bouchard & OPEN!
When: mid-April
Where: ADI and around
Summary: getting settled & visiting a graveyard
Warnings: will edit if needed

around ADI
Elias finds himself fitting right into Administration. There's a part of him that wants to go into Research, of course. That desire to learn, to know, to figure out and explore whatever is going on still lives strong in his mind. But for the moment, Administration fits. After all, the more he learns about this place behind the scenes, the more information he has and he can use to shift things to go his way.

It is very easy to doctor a paper trail if you work in the department involved in paper trails to begin with.

The problem with working in administration is that Elias needs to do busy work. And with people vanishing on a daily basis (something which he tried to Know the cause of and was very put out that the only thing he received in return was a nosebleed), the new guy gets stuck with the busy work: roll call.

So he approaches people, he'll ask, "Pardon me. You're someone from a different world, correct?"

50 steps
Well. This is interesting.

Having seen his demise once already (stabbed, beaten bloody at the hands of the Archivist of all people), Elias lingers around the graveyard anyway. Curiosity wins out: how does this place count a death? Would he see how the body of Jonah Magnus died? What about possible deaths? After all, if he knows about this death, why would he keep things the same and let it come to pass?

That curiosity is driving him. So he lingers in the graveyard, to the point that he's still there when they're rounding up people to leave, walking around as he looks for those steps again.

wildcard
He's around ADI, so hit me up with anything!

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

It is incredibly obvious. Elias can't help but give Raine a little chuckle as he points out, "You're not in trouble. We've simply had a few disappearances lately and I've been tasked to gather intel about those who have left and verify ADI's roster of people who have been brought in from different worlds."

Elias looks down at a clipboard, before looking back at Raine. "Raine Whispers, correct?"

Notably, nowhere in this conversation has Elias said that he is one of those people who been brought in from different worlds.

Raine uneasily shifted the strap of their violin case around their chest. Something about the fact that he knew their name immediately felt strange. They understood they didn't look normal by human standards; having pointy ears and naturally green hair would definitely negate ever fitting in without a glamor. But the two had never met before, and Raine had doubts that their name was anywhere close to the top of the list.

They tried to glance at the clipboard to see what exactly was on it, and tried not to look too obvious.

"Wouldn't it be faster to do it all at once? There are.. a lot of people from different worlds here," They feigned curiosity, and dodged the question of their name for the time being. "And I've never seen you around before. Are you new?"

The clipboard...actually is what Elias says it is. A list of names and assigned rooms. One of the names is crossed through and a few more of them have checkmarks beside them.

"It would most certainly be faster to do it all at once. But I'm sure you've worked in an office before—or, at least a job with a hierarchical sort of structure. You always sent the grunt work to the new recruit, just to see how well they can do and to...test their capabilities."

He offers a hand to Raine to shake, giving them a small nod in the process. "Elias Bouchard. And yes, I am new."

Raine still isn't convinced. There's no pictures on the roster. They don't know what this guy's deal is, but the introduction of Elias Bouchard doesn't make them feel much better.

Maybe it's the accent. Belos had a similar one.

Still, they go along with the formalities, and give him a very— emphasis on very— brief handshake.

"Well, I hope adjusting hasn't been too hard for you." They don't want to change the subject from just how weird this guy is, though. "So... how have you been figuring out who's who?"

"Door to door work at the start," Elias shrugs. "ADI has a list of who's staying where, of course. The first step is footwork. Go to the apartment, knock on the door, fully expect to get the door slammed in your face again."

There's a lightness to his tone, a slight hint of sarcasm as he mentions getting doors slammed in his face. Still, it's to be expected. And, as far as he's concerned, it's certainly a believable lie.

That still didn't answer how he knew them. This back and forth of stepping around the fact that something was off about this man was becoming a bit exhausting.

Still, maybe they could trap him. ADI people typically didn't go around Bonnie's for official reasons. He also wouldn't know their relationship with Eda past being a roommate since he was new so.. maybe they could get something from that.

"No, I would imagine not everybody is exactly happy to be bothered by ADI business," Raine hummed. "It's also interesting that I don't recall anybody mentioning you coming around where I live. My roommate hadn't mentioned you either.."

They were done beating around the bush. They lower their voice, just a little.

"Which, honestly makes me.. curious."

"Your roommate..." Elias frowns slightly, drumming his fingers on the table as he asks, "Clawthorne, yes? I've seen her out and about, though we haven't talked." Elias lets out a soft chuckle before pointing out, "She's a hard woman to miss."

Even without the whole 'turning into an owlbeast' aspect, Eda certainly is a presence.

"I suspect she hasn't mentioned me because I actually haven't been to Bonnie's yet. It was next on my agenda, though. If you wouldn't mind, I'd enjoy some company for my visit."

He gives Raine a reassuring smile that doesn't entirely meet his eyes.

Raine was relieved when Elias didn't mention Eda past being their roommate- no mention of their relationship. No mention of how the two knew each other. The minuscule amount of relief was still overshadowed by how wary they were of Elias, however.

"She.. is certainly hard to miss," they replied, and listened to the rest of what he had to say.

Their ear twitched at the mention of Bonnie's. They weren't happy with the fact that Elias would be snooping around Bonnie's but.. maybe it would be beneficial to keep an eye on him.

Part of them worried that it was him watching them, though. They didn't know the scope of who this Elias really was. Accept, and things could go wrong for them- but they might figure out something valuable. Refuse, and risk putting Eda- and the other residents at Bonnie's by extension- in harm's way if Raine's hunch against him wasn't just their anxiety acting up.

Did they really have a choice on the offer?

They muse over the question for a moment, and then return an equally as fake polite smile.

"Why not?" Their tone is more relaxed. "Somebody should probably be there to make sure nothing tries to eat you, anyways. Bonnie's can be... an interesting place."

Edited (Added something ) 2023-04-22 06:16 (UTC)

"A statement like that makes me want to visit even more," Elias points out, with a small chuckle. To make sure nothing tries to eat him? Color him curious.

"Lead the way, Raine."

"It's good somebody's excited," they bit back. They weren't overly enthused at Elias' response. They weren't trying to intimidate or scare him off, but..

They'd hoped for a little less enthusiasm.

"Yep. You can follow me," they responded, and as they began to walk, flipped their violin around off their back to their chest. They wanted to have it a little closer on hand just in case anything happened.

Raine remained fairly quiet during their walk to Bonnie's, and glanced back at Elias to ensure he was still there and wasn't doing anything to them without their knowledge. But upon arrival Raine stopped, and motioned to the buildings.

"Here we are. Not as fancy as the ADI apartments, but..." They shrug. "I think it's fine."

They glanced over to his list again, and decided that maybe the best course of action was finding Eda. They could figure out a way to cause him problems together.

"Eda will probably be home, if you want to talk to her first."

Nope, he's there, he's not doing anything, he's just fine. He's perfectly fine indulging in silence if Raine is, keeping an eye on his local surroundings as he takes the route in.

When they reach Bonnie's, Elias gives Raine a little nod. "I can certainly see the appeal of Bonnie's. Some might think it useful to be...further away from the gaze of those who brought us here."

But as for the question, "I wouldn't mind talking to her, if that's fine with you both."

It wasn't fine with them. Nothing was fine with them! In fact, Raine would rather he just go back to the ADI. They wanted to go home alone so that they could spend time with Eda. Not chaperone a stranger who seemed to know them better than he should've.

"I'm sure she'll be fine with a brief chat if she's busy," Raine began to walk to where they lived, assuming Elias would follow. "Though, sometimes she takes naps, so let me make sure she's awake first."

They arrived at the door, and fished their key out of their pocket. They unlock the door, and step into the doorway, blocking Elias from the inside.

"Eda?" They call, and turns back to Elias apologetically. "Hold on, just stay there for a moment."

They step in enough to crack the door behind them.

"Eda? I'm home. There's somebody outside that wants to talk to you."

Though their tone of voice sounds fine, almost cheery, even. But everything else is different.

Now that they're out of sight of Elias their brows knit together in silent worry, and their body language is tense. They keep an eye over their shoulder at the door as they wait for Eda, and hope that she doesn't take too long for Elias' patience.

Eda was, in fact, trying to nap, but her ears prick up when the door is unlocked. She looks up and raises an eyebrow as Raine steps inside, wondering who they're talking to. But their expression quickly says enough. Fortunately these two have a lot of practice when it comes to little wordless conversations.

“Oh yeah? Better be good, I'm trying to catch some sleep before Dogtown ghost duty.” She keeps her tone grumpy in a very casual way. But her own expression ought to make it clear she spotted Raine's concern. She may not know what's wrong exactly, but she trusts their judgment.

Eda stretches before getting to her feet. She gives Raine a little nod before jerking her head to the side slightly, in a way that's suggesting they get out of the doorway but stay in the room.

She steps into the doorway herself, leaning against it idly and letting her wings just sort of block any option to go around her.

She looks Elias over; she doesn't notice anything off in particular, aside from the fact he looks extremely boring. She meanwhile looks unimpressed.

"I'm pretty sure you've got the wrong person. I don't owe taxes in this dimension," she drawls in a tired deadpan, "or else I doubt I'm in the market for whatever you're selling."

If Raine doesn't like him, she might as well be obnoxious. Not that she'd need the excuse.

Elias gives Eda a little chuckle, the sort of calm, cavalier little chuckle of a man who's heard that sort of joke before. He smiles, keeping everything nice and boring and calm as he starts to talk.

"I suppose I am the bureaucratic sort. But certainly not for taxes. My name is Elias Bouchard—I'm a new arrival at ADI in the administration department and I've been tasked with doing a simple check of arrivals, their housing status, and basic things of that nature."

"Sorry, Eda. I knew you were taking a nap but.." Their tone matched the glance they gave her as they watched the door.

Raine does genuinely feel bad about waking Eda. They knew every small moment of peace for her was invaluable all things considered, and more selfishly they'd hoped they could partake in napping with her. Ever since they'd had their talk about their relationship, Raine was a regular resident of the nest.

They relaxed more as Eda opened the door and immediately hit Elias with I don't owe taxes in this dimension. They even crack a little satisfied smile while they're still out of view.

Raine tried to move back to where they could see Elias, mostly because they wanted to keep an eye on him still. They did their best to just simply look nonchalant, without the usual undertone of constantly being a mere shift away from flirting with Eda. Raine stayed quiet, and let Eda do what she pleased. It was fun to watch her be difficult anyways, and watching they were.

Edited (Forgor a word ) 2023-04-26 05:32 (UTC)

Somehow Eda just feels slightly more annoyed by that chuckle. She shifts her wing to make it easier for Raine to see, but not too much.

There might not be anything particularly secret in there, but no one needs to see their collection of bookshelves, or her various little shiny objects and plants and string lights, or the fact they have a large bird nest instead of a bed. That's their business.

"Well... I've been here for ages so if no one knows I've arrived by now, that's their problem," Eda points out. "Sure they're not just trying to get you out of the office?"

Sure, he could mean arrivals as everyone from other worlds, but she still feels like being contrary.

"That could be a possibility," Elias points out, with a small little chuckle. "I suspect that people might find my...enthusiasm for sorting everything out a bit overbearing."

He shrugs a little in a small, cavalier 'what can you do about it' sort of way. And that much at least seems true: Elias gives off the vibe of someone born for middle management, someone who's totally fine sitting in front of a spreadsheet.

"No, this is mostly to make sure that everyone is in their place. That we haven't lost any of the...mmm, if arrivals doesn't suit you, let's go with off-world residents. That we haven't lost any of the off-world residents to all the various forces here that could lead people astray."

Raine still found Eda's convoluted difficulties meant for Elias funny, but they try and not get too distracted. They wanted to stay focused on figuring things out. They decidedly also tried to make sure Elias couldn't see as much as their room as possible without seeming obvious about it. Raine couldn't tell if they were actually doing any good considering Eda's body and wingspan as they decided to lean on the doorframe. Still, they attentively nodded along as the two spoke of being got rid of by the office. It was a classic Eda move, and somehow he managed to save from that with ease.

"I did sense a sort of enthusiasm," Raine responded. They hummed, and looked up at Eda, and smiled in a way where it didn't quite reach their eyes. "It was interesting, actually! I got a little turned around and ended up in administration. It was almost like he didn't even look at the paper, and he knew my name."

Raine hoped she could pick up on what they meant. They fiddled with the button on their shirt as if to think, and then pointed to Elias.

"Speaking of the clipboard, what all exactly do you need from us?"

Edited 2023-05-04 03:18 (UTC)

Eda can't deny the fact that actually makes sense—after all, there have been people leaving, and people vanishing. She's been looking into the records of the latter at little herself. Having someone keeping better track... might actually help in the things she's been trying to figure out.

But on the other hand, she continues to find the way he shrugs off her comments irritating, and Raine doesn't like him.

Nor does she miss their comment. She's not sure how suspicious it is, to be honest. There are records that include what the arrivals look like, and at least a few people who could probably point out Raine by name at this point. But if they think there's something off, then it's probably true.

"I haven't been lead astray by any forces. Cross my heart. That all you needed to know?"

Elias turns his attention to Raine, giving them a cavalier little shrug before pointing out, "The number of people here barely crosses fifty. It's easy enough to remember names and identifying details—especially when people have identifying details that seem to be unique to your world."

As he says that, he gestures to Raine's ears, then Eda's, then puts his hands back at his side. After all, there aren't that many people here who are part of the Owl House Pointed Ear brigade—a convenient excuse and justification for the fact that he just straight up used the power from the Eye to know who they were.

"Though I'll admit, there are a few people here who tend to be...for lack of a better term, generic. I suspect I'll need more information for them." He gives Raine a smile that doesn't quite reach his eyes before turning to Eda. "That is all I need to know for the moment. Unless you'd be willing to answer a few questions about those who vanished, that is."

"Hmmm, but I remember you saying you were new," Raine gave Elias a smarmy smirk. "There are some people here that Eda or myself could be mistaken for. And, I didn't tell you we were from the same world. I only called us roommates. We hardly have.. any common identifying features."

Raine stepped closer.

"That's a little odd, don't you think, Eda?"

They glanced back at Eda. They knew something was wrong with this man. And now they had a definitive example of his tendency to somehow know something a new person, unfamiliar with themself and Eda, or the ADI's inner workings, would know.

Raine's suspicion that something else was at play with Elias was all but verbally confirmed to them at this point.

They don't say any of their revalations out loud, but their immediate next question was what would he do about it?

Having picked up on Raine's name was easier to potentially write off, especially given Raine didn't necessarily know everyone who recognized them yet. But knowing they were from the same world was stranger, and Elias's excuses for it lined up less the more he talked. Raine confirming they hadn't mentioned that fact was enough to convince her this guy knew things he shouldn't. If not supernaturally, at the very least lying about the how and why.

"That is odd," she agrees, tilting her head to the side and looking Elias over again.

"I mean, if you didn't know, that's either a lucky guess or a really dumb one," Eda points out with a grin that shows off a lot of sharp teeth.

"Last time I checked they're a witch and I'm a harpy," she says, neglecting to mention that she's also a witch, because they very much don't look like the same species right now—even the ears are longer and fluffier.

"Pointy ears aren't exactly unique to our world." Though she hasn't seen any of the others who had them around, lately. "Neither are feathers and claws." Not that she's going to call attention to Delloso de la Rue by name.

There's a part of him that just wants to dig deeper. That wants to casually mention of course he knows, he knows perfectly well how Raine abandoned Eda for the covens, how they're trying to mount a rebellion that Elias knows will fail, how Eda hurts those close to her, how she hurt her own father.

But he keeps that to his chest for the moment. Best not to give the game away entirely.

"Truth be told, Eda, I thought you were less...mmm, fluffy, for lack of a better word. Less sharp. I suspect I simply caught your glamor and made an assumption." He turns to give Eda a once-over, eyes lingering on those claws for a moment longer than the rest. "My mistake."

Those words are ringing absolutely false, the calm, bureaucratic tone of a man who is saying things to smooth things over, not because he actually believes it. But a little insistence creeps into Elias's tone as he points out, "I am correct, though. Aren't I?"

Raine stepped in front of Elias, an unimpressed, tight-lipped frown on their face as they blocked Eda from his view to the best of their ability. They didn't like the way Elias was looking at her. It felt judgemental, and besides, he didn't get the satisfaction of either of them admitting he was correct.

"You're wrong, actually," They responded, their voice calm and matter of fact. "Eda's been a harpy for as long as I've known her. We've known each other since around when I joined the bard coven and.. she chose to not join any. Eda was still a harpy then."

Raine turned to Eda, and faked their best convincing nostalgic smile. They hoped she'd catch onto what they were doing.

"We originally didn't like each other, actually. We're friends now, though. Obviously."

Raine threw back a nonchalant shrug at Elias as they turned back to him.

"I know I'm not from here, but humans seem to assume a lot of incorrect things. Or maybe it's just the humans in the ADI."

Eda looks more confused when Elias comments on her glamour. That wasn't an explanation. That wasn't... anything. The glamour makes everyone look human; why he'd assume she was the same thing as Raine from that makes even less sense to her.

"That's uh, that's nothing. What?" Eda's voice jumps up in pitch, kind of amused. She's about to say something else, when Raine steps between them. She can't help finding their protectiveness kind of endearing.

One of her ears flicks as she's caught off guard by the next thing they say, but she does her best to hide it. When Raine looks at her in a way that feels expectant, if not entirely convincing to her, she decides to roll with the bit.

"Yeah, you've finally stopped getting on my nerves... most of the time," she agrees, doing her own best to make it sound like nostalgic teasing. She's curious to see if he seems to know there's anything wrong with what they're saying.

"And I think it's mostly the humans in the ADI," she muses, throwing in another little insult towards said human just for good measure.

Edited 2023-05-16 07:11 (UTC)

new arreyeval [open!]

he's just a normal man! just an innocent man!

this is literally just your average guy.

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Have an obnoxious bird woman!

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