new arreyeval [open!]

[hellojon]

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!

Comments

Re: 2 steps forward, 50 steps back

[hellojon]

Bruce manages to catch him off guard. Elias lets out a little noise of acknowledgement as he turns around to give the man a small nod of acknowledgement.

"Not really. I'm simply...curious." There's a pause before he asks, "I assume you've heard the rumors about the staircase here?"

[gammasystem]

He stayed that distance away until Elias gave him the acknowledgement before he moved up just a bit closer. His eyes too moving around their surroundings slowly, taking it in.

“I’ve heard some bits and pieces, not much though.” He responded as he grimaced a bit at the thought, “It doesn’t seem like the kind of thing people should be seeking out if I’m gonna be honest. What has you curious enough to go looking?”

[hellojon]

"Simply the mechanics of the matter." Elias walks towards Bruce, tone casual, perfectly fine making idle conversation as he continues talking.

"The stairs are supposed to show us the moment of our death. But considering the wide array of people brought in by ADI, it wouldn't surprise me if some have already died. And even then, surely knowing about the moment of our death would end up changing the actual death itself."

He's talking about these things like they're perfectly normal, the sort of thing that always happens. Talking about the metaphysical nature of this Entity nonsense? Must be Tuesday.

[gammasystem]

Bruce nodded to the other as he walked closer, though he seemed to tense a tad more. His gaze flickering over Elias like he was picking the other apart quickly to figure what the angle was here. Though he swiftly looked off and away as he adjusted his glasses idly.

“Some have. In my experience trying to prevent it can easily compound into it’s coming to be just as effectively as trying to avoid it.” He let out a soft sigh and shook his head, everything about the way he held himself was drawn in, mild and quiet. Too quiet, too purposeful.

“It seems like more trouble than it’s worth. It’s something of an inevitable for most people. Though that’d even be assuming these deaths you see regardless of how many steps there are up and down are the truth and nothing but.” He gave a small, tense shrug. “The multiverse is infinite, what could be a real death may be only real for some other facet of yourself in the grand picture.”

Bruce trailed off a bit before glancing to Elias, “It’s all theoretical.”

[hellojon]

See, all this talk, even if it is 'theoretical' is like catnip to Elias. At his core, he wants to know. And talking, shooting the breeze, coming up with theories that range from possible to improbable...well, it's not as vindicating and as refreshing as the call of knowledge and information itself is. But it's the next best thing.

"That it is," he nods. "But in order to get the fear behind it, in order to drink off the power inherent in the terror, a death must be theoretical and plausible. If you get horrifically seasick, it's easy to rationalize away a vision of you drowning in the open ocean. But if you live in a dangerous neighborhood, death by gun violence is far more likely."

There's a small pause before, "Which adds another little wrinkle to the conversation. These deaths we see must be theoretical yet plausible, a death that you can try to avoid but still has the slightest chance of happening."

[gammasystem]

Bruce nodded along though his jaw started to set as Elias continued his own side to the little philosophy they were discussing. There was something old and familiar about the idea of seeing the different ways one person could die. In the same way returning to childhood home was, only this time its condemned and boarded, no solace in a visit.

“If that’s the case, I suppose I don’t see any point in exposing that nerve, or inviting in that fear. Satisfaction may bring back the cat but the weight of dying over unreigned curiousity seems pointless.”

His eyes lingered on the tombstones around them as he paused a moment. “I’ve come to believe in recent time that life deserves more appreciation in the moment you live it, rather than-“ he sucked in a subtle breath and nodded with the quiet exhale. “Chasing it’s ends or fighting to stop it. It’s two sides of the same destructive coin.”

cw: brief reference to eye/body horror

[hellojon]

Elias can't help but let out a small, low chuckle at that, as if Bruce made an inside joke without realizing it. Yes, fighting to stop death is certainly destructive. It especially was destructive to poor Elias Bouchard, a young man who just wanted to make a name for himself, who never really had a choice as Jonah Magnus slid into the man's brain, the man's body, reaching towards his eyes to remove them with a simple twist.

He keeps that to himself. Instead, his gaze follows Bruce's as he looks at the tombstone as well.

"Humanity certainly has it's fair share of destructive habits—ones that you can accomplish without seeking out visions in a graveyard. One more drink. One bad day. You're just angry." His gaze shifts so that he's looking at Bruce now, gazing at him in a way that's borderline creepy.

"Perhaps that is the point in exposing that nerve. Curiosity, yes. But also adrenaline."

[gammasystem]

If he wasn’t on edge before there was something cold and calculating in specific wording used by Elias that made the hair on Bruce’s neck stand on end.

One more drink… he could imagine the smell of whiskey on ones breath too close for comfort. One bad day… like the tombstone he’d settled on was smeared in red. You’re just angry… a bomb waiting to blow, a green cloud. It was like bile in his throat, he’s better than that, they’ve found a balance, they’ve moved on.

Bruce’s attention rips from the tombstone to get out of his own head only to catch the piercing stare of Elias. His own deep brown eyes locking on and finding it hard to avoid the gaze.

His brows furrowed and his face knit in discomfort. “I try to avoid adrenaline jumps if I can. But to teach their own, I suppose.”

Bruce hesitated a moment before finding his voice again. “I don’t think I caught your name.”

[hellojon]

The piercing stare shifts. There's a moment where his gaze lingers a bit too long on Bruce and his eyes before Elias blinks, gaze faltering, everything shifting to a more cavalier and casual mood, the seeming intensity of Elias's gaze vanishing. At the statement, he gives Bruce a little nod, offering his hand as he says,

"Well, that was rather rude of me." A small chuckle before, "Elias Bouchard. Pleasure to meet you, Mister...?"

[gammasystem]

Bruce watched the emotion and intensity fade into a more approachable nature but Bruce didn't quite buy it. Something was up, in his mind, but he let his own shoulders relax in response.

"Banner, Bruce Banner." He responded, looking down at his offered hand before back to Elias's face. "Sorry, I don't really do touch. Nothing personal." He looked him up and down again before tilting his head to the side a bit. "I take it you work for the ADI?"

[hellojon]

Elias gives Bruce a little nod before putting his hand back to his side. Suit yourself, Bruce. He's fine matching this man's level of handsfree.

"That I do," he answers. "I work in Administration—mostly the paperwork and behind the scenes sort of work. And as for you?"

[gammasystem]

Bruce hesitated a bit, not exactly sure what the best approach to this would be. If they were in administration he could assume they should know already but maybe that was over-cautiousness and paranoia forcing his guard up at every little thing. He doesn't exactly blame himself when it comes to organizations like this.

"Well.. It's- It's a bit complicated? I arrived some time ago and they offered a spot and I turned it down. Stayed around a bit longer just, sort of taking it all in." He decided at least leaving out his temporary 'absence' would be smart.

"I've only just opted in to really work with them, I'll be perfectly honest when I say I don't quite trust them but I figure lending a hand here and there to help cant hurt too much."

[hellojon]

Elias nods, giving Bruce a little noise of acknowledgement before he continues with, "We'd always appreciate an extra hand or two in Administration. Besides, if you don't trust an organization, seeing how everything works behind the scenes can prove...informative."

Plus, Bruce is interesting. And honestly, Elias would like to learn more about him in a professional, non Eye creeping context.

[gammasystem]

Bruce couldn’t deny that, he’s played that game before with SHIELD. Though that didn’t exactly help him being any more trust worthy of this whole thing. Besides, the closer an eye you have on them the closer an eye they have on you.

“I’ll consider it, how long have you been working in administration yourself? Or with the ADI in general? I’m trying to get a better feel of things there and in general. Understand this a bit more, things like that.”

[hellojon]

"With ADI, I've only been here...mmm, a month or so? But I've been working in administration for years now back home." Elias lets out a small little chuckle, shaking his head as he points out, "I have quite a lot of experience with paperwork. Not the sort of thing most people are proud of, but I've certainly found it useful."

He gives Bruce a little shrug before continuing, "I've found you can go far in life if you're willing to do the sort of work others dislike."

[gammasystem]

Bruce nods along slowly, trying to listen carefully to tone and pay a close eye to body language tells. It was hard to get a read on him but he couldn't shake an uncomfortable feeling from prior comments with all this in mind. Still he didn't have reason to distrust really, aside from nagging in his skull. He'd be nice.

"I thought the same once, along with ends justifying means but I also find you can get sucked into it and stuck where you are if you aren't careful."

Military work. Gamma bombs. It was all one step towards helping people, not something he ever wanted to do. He was the only one who could do it, and he would suffer for it.

"Still.. it might be worth checking out. I could use more things to do and it could help understand lay of the land more, and the other people around us. I haven't been the most personable I admit. If you're looking for more hands I think I'd check it out at the very least."