[ His file is already in the safe. She doesn't know if he's going to be one of the ones who needs that or whether it'll be more like David, where they go through it early. Either way, it's going to be something they decide together, though she can't help but feel slightly uneasy about the fact that she might know his story. She read it in high school. And, well... it presents a few challenges right off the bat. ]
I was just about to message you the same thing. Would you like to come talk in my cabin, or would you prefer someplace more neutral, like a room in the library?
He's still feeling a little raw after the New Year party that went too modern for him, so he arrives after a few moments and knocks. Some customs are difficult to forget.
I have some suspicions as to why we were paired. But I'll admit that I'd at least met David before I got his file.
[ She walks over to the center desks/table and pulls around the opposite chair. She'll sit and gesture to the other chair before offering him a little smile.]
Since we're strangers and all, I figured maybe I could answer some questions for you before we get started. I know I like to have a few pieces before I try to puzzle out anything myself.
Well, like I said, my name is Saga Anderson. I work for what's known as the FBI, the Federal Bureau of Investigation. I work as an investigator who goes out to help local law enforcement when a case crosses jurisdictions or in cases where it's outside of their expertise. Very often this means that I investigate serial murderers, those who kill others to fulfill an emotional need instead of something like a murder of passion or convenience.
[ She hears the coffee maker beep and she gives him a quick smile before standing up and moving to the kitchen to continue talking. Keeping it casual. ]
I'm married to a man named David and we have a daughter, my little girl Logan. We're in what's known as an 'open' marriage, where we are allowed to have other partners, so if you see me on board having a little fun, rest assured I'm not betraying any vows. We work better this way, and it's been this way since the beginning. [ Wry, as she pours out a cup for both of them. ] Honestly, I wouldn't even cover it usually, but this is a relationship where you're relying on me to help you and that could definitely be confusing.
[ She starts putting together a little tray with coffee fixings for him. She doesn't want to ask him anything just yet. Even that.]
As for my world, I'm from the year 2023, and I live in Virginia, in the United States. We should probably talk for a while on what that means but we'll probably get more done by having you ask questions on what confuses you or what you want to know specifically. [ She loads up the cups and the fixings on the tray and lifts it up before she speaks again. ] As for why I'm here, that is complicated. And I'm fine going into it, but the short answer is that my estranged father, who has a lot of influence on things, has come back into the picture and I want to find out what he intends for me and for my daughter.
[ It's walked over and put down on the desks with a quick smile. ]
[He has so many, but none that he can articulate just yet. To buy himself time, he picks up the coffee and sips at it hesitantly as is. He isn't used to the creams and sugars so readily available, so he saves them for another time; he's happy to have his coffee black.
He lets the warmth of the drink settle before he finds his words.]
I am glad you chose to come.
[An immediate lie, but done out of politeness and a desire to not cause strife so early.]
You left behind quite the life. I met someone who also investigates crimes. He spoke with me after I was attacked. Are you from the same world?
It's possible, but I don't know. [ She takes her own cup and takes a little salt shaker from the desk itself to add a dash into her own. She adds nothing else. ] There's a lot of investigators here.
Yes, I know Malcolm. But I'm not sure we're from the same world. Definitely a similar one, though. I've never worked with someone like him before specifically, but I'm familiar with the practice.
[ The big divider is the weird stuff. And she has no idea if his world has that. ]
I do share a world with someone else on board, though, for certain: Jesse Faden, the red-headed woman who's assigned to work with Matthew Murdock. And, previously [ there's something complicated in her eyes ] a man named Alan Wake, who was an inmate here until recently.
I suppose other questions will arise as we, how did you put it, work together. But, I suppose the most important now is what exactly you are expecting out of this? I've had two temporary wardens and neither of them have been very helpful at all.
Well, in regards to Jesse: feel free. There's also the first inmate I worked with, Arthur Lester, who's still on board as well. [ A small smile at that. ] I totally understand wanting to get a different perspective on me, considering the circumstances.
[ She lets her fingers settle around the cup. ]
And to be honest, I don't 'expect' anything. We've barely met, and I don't happen to think putting expectations on anyone in any situation is a great idea before we've talked a little.
[ She turns a hand towards him. ]
I tend to see this whole thing as a partnership, though. I'm not here to 'fix' you or browbeat you into being a 'better' person. [ She makes sure she has his eye. ] I'm here to help you change your narrative. Write a story that you want to be in and... well, make sure that you're the main character in your own life.
[ She glances over at him. ]
What about you? What were you expecting? Or... I guess... any of that sound like something that works for you?
[ She shakes her head. But she's going to be very specific right now. ]
I know of a play that has a character who roughly matches your description. But I'm very well aware, from personal experience even, that sometimes an author will make you who they think you need to be instead of who you are to serve their story. That they can twist and even break parts of your life to suit their needs.
[ Her shoulders sink a little at that. ]
I've seen how damaging it can be, a-and how maddening it can feel, when other people know this 'character' while you're trying to live your life and be who you actually are. So [ she turns her hand ] I won't deny that I've read A Play.
But I'm the last person who's going to let it tell me who you are.
[ She tilts her head towards the safe. ]
Same goes for that file. It's a tool, for us, nothing more or less. At least in my book.
[There's a sharpness in his gaze that hasn't been present for their entire conversation. He's not being honest or charming. He's calculating how much he wants to give up and how much he wants to trust her.
He takes another sip of his coffee and twists the truth to make a lie.]
I was tortured. Killed. Over a supposed mutiny against a leader who became mad with his own power. We had been friends, once before, and then he turned on me, on Vienna.
Now he is the hero of the story and I, the humble villain, am paying the price.
[ She's watching him, and maybe he can tell. He's not a stupid man by any stretch, after all. And anyone who can manipulate has to be able to see the controls to use them as he does. Her eyes are deep and dark and looking into them too long can be unnerving, at least if you're trying to lie to her. Because the depths of how much that won't work are abundantly clear. ]
You don't believe that.
[ Not angry. Not hard. Just matter-of-fact. ]
You're welcome to try again. But you might want to ask a few more questions before you do.
[He meets that face, that gaze, and there's a flicker of recognition. He sees her as she sees him. Not in the same way, but it's a variation on a theme.
He brings the coffee up but does not drink from it. He just watches, that familiar silence rising up in his chest.
He says nothing in this moment, the thoughts circulating all at once. It is the same as he was in the end, when he was caught, when Othello called him out. He snapped his jaws shut then and he didnt say another word until his execution.
He does the same with her now. Death is not certain and so this will not last, but he does this now.]
I want to listen to you, Iago. I want to work with you. I want exactly what I said: I want you ready to write the next chapter in your own story. I want to give you the pen.
But it doesn't work if it isn't based on something real. None of it does.
[ She sips again. ]
You can't force me to be on your side. But you don't have to.
[He keeps quiet, setting his coffee down again once it's mostly empty.
Of course he doesn't believe her. No one wants to help him. Not really.
He runs his fingers through his hair, scratching the back of his neck. And when she stops talking, when she's given her stance, he looks away from her, pointedly at the wall. He's pensive, though, not as defiant. Still silent.]
[ She finishes up her own coffee and puts the cup to the side. ]
But I also know you probably aren't ready to trust me with that. I doubt you think I actually want to help you. And I don't begrudge you that.
I'm ready to start wherever we need to start.
[ She folds her hands together. ]
But I am going to do my best to always keep us moving forward. The last thing I want is to see you disappear without getting your chance at life again.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
Re: Two seconds after pairing
I was just about to message you the same thing. Would you like to come talk in my cabin, or would you prefer someplace more neutral, like a room in the library?
Re: Two seconds after pairing
Re: Two seconds after pairing
I can make some coffee or- tea? I've got both.
[ Given how quickly he messaged her- ]
And for the record, your file is in a biometrically locked safe in my room. I haven't read it. That will be part of what we talk about, okay?
Re: Two seconds after pairing
Ah. That is good to know. I - well, I had hoped.
Coffee would be preferable. I've come to enjoy it.
Which cabin is yours?
Re: Two seconds after pairing
209. Door's unlocked; you can walk right in.
Re: Two seconds after pairing
Re: Two seconds after pairing
Come on in. Coffee's almost done. Take a seat wherever.
[ A dip of her head. ]
Saga Anderson. You're welcome to call me Saga or Anderson, whichever you're more comfortable with.
no subject
But he simply nods his head as he steps through to survey the room.]
Saga, then.
Odd that we should be paired as strangers, isn't it?
no subject
[ She walks over to the center desks/table and pulls around the opposite chair. She'll sit and gesture to the other chair before offering him a little smile.]
Since we're strangers and all, I figured maybe I could answer some questions for you before we get started. I know I like to have a few pieces before I try to puzzle out anything myself.
no subject
[He nods, sitting easily into the chair with his hands in his lap.]
I would like to know about you. The world you come from. Why you are here as a warden.
no subject
Well, like I said, my name is Saga Anderson. I work for what's known as the FBI, the Federal Bureau of Investigation. I work as an investigator who goes out to help local law enforcement when a case crosses jurisdictions or in cases where it's outside of their expertise. Very often this means that I investigate serial murderers, those who kill others to fulfill an emotional need instead of something like a murder of passion or convenience.
[ She hears the coffee maker beep and she gives him a quick smile before standing up and moving to the kitchen to continue talking. Keeping it casual. ]
I'm married to a man named David and we have a daughter, my little girl Logan. We're in what's known as an 'open' marriage, where we are allowed to have other partners, so if you see me on board having a little fun, rest assured I'm not betraying any vows. We work better this way, and it's been this way since the beginning. [ Wry, as she pours out a cup for both of them. ] Honestly, I wouldn't even cover it usually, but this is a relationship where you're relying on me to help you and that could definitely be confusing.
[ She starts putting together a little tray with coffee fixings for him. She doesn't want to ask him anything just yet. Even that.]
As for my world, I'm from the year 2023, and I live in Virginia, in the United States. We should probably talk for a while on what that means but we'll probably get more done by having you ask questions on what confuses you or what you want to know specifically. [ She loads up the cups and the fixings on the tray and lifts it up before she speaks again. ] As for why I'm here, that is complicated. And I'm fine going into it, but the short answer is that my estranged father, who has a lot of influence on things, has come back into the picture and I want to find out what he intends for me and for my daughter.
[ It's walked over and put down on the desks with a quick smile. ]
Feel free to start the questions.
no subject
He lets the warmth of the drink settle before he finds his words.]
I am glad you chose to come.
[An immediate lie, but done out of politeness and a desire to not cause strife so early.]
You left behind quite the life. I met someone who also investigates crimes. He spoke with me after I was attacked. Are you from the same world?
no subject
Who'd you talk to?
no subject
[He laughs to himself, tapping the rim of the cup.]
He was very eager to solve that particular crime.
no subject
Yes, I know Malcolm. But I'm not sure we're from the same world. Definitely a similar one, though. I've never worked with someone like him before specifically, but I'm familiar with the practice.
[ The big divider is the weird stuff. And she has no idea if his world has that. ]
I do share a world with someone else on board, though, for certain: Jesse Faden, the red-headed woman who's assigned to work with Matthew Murdock. And, previously [ there's something complicated in her eyes ] a man named Alan Wake, who was an inmate here until recently.
no subject
I haven't met any of them.
I suppose other questions will arise as we, how did you put it, work together. But, I suppose the most important now is what exactly you are expecting out of this? I've had two temporary wardens and neither of them have been very helpful at all.
no subject
[ She lets her fingers settle around the cup. ]
And to be honest, I don't 'expect' anything. We've barely met, and I don't happen to think putting expectations on anyone in any situation is a great idea before we've talked a little.
[ She turns a hand towards him. ]
I tend to see this whole thing as a partnership, though. I'm not here to 'fix' you or browbeat you into being a 'better' person. [ She makes sure she has his eye. ] I'm here to help you change your narrative. Write a story that you want to be in and... well, make sure that you're the main character in your own life.
[ She glances over at him. ]
What about you? What were you expecting? Or... I guess... any of that sound like something that works for you?
no subject
Do you know my book?
no subject
I know of a play that has a character who roughly matches your description. But I'm very well aware, from personal experience even, that sometimes an author will make you who they think you need to be instead of who you are to serve their story. That they can twist and even break parts of your life to suit their needs.
[ Her shoulders sink a little at that. ]
I've seen how damaging it can be, a-and how maddening it can feel, when other people know this 'character' while you're trying to live your life and be who you actually are. So [ she turns her hand ] I won't deny that I've read A Play.
But I'm the last person who's going to let it tell me who you are.
[ She tilts her head towards the safe. ]
Same goes for that file. It's a tool, for us, nothing more or less. At least in my book.
no subject
He takes another sip of his coffee and twists the truth to make a lie.]
I was tortured. Killed. Over a supposed mutiny against a leader who became mad with his own power. We had been friends, once before, and then he turned on me, on Vienna.
Now he is the hero of the story and I, the humble villain, am paying the price.
no subject
You don't believe that.
[ Not angry. Not hard. Just matter-of-fact. ]
You're welcome to try again. But you might want to ask a few more questions before you do.
no subject
He brings the coffee up but does not drink from it. He just watches, that familiar silence rising up in his chest.
He says nothing in this moment, the thoughts circulating all at once. It is the same as he was in the end, when he was caught, when Othello called him out. He snapped his jaws shut then and he didnt say another word until his execution.
He does the same with her now. Death is not certain and so this will not last, but he does this now.]
no subject
I want to listen to you, Iago. I want to work with you. I want exactly what I said: I want you ready to write the next chapter in your own story. I want to give you the pen.
But it doesn't work if it isn't based on something real. None of it does.
[ She sips again. ]
You can't force me to be on your side. But you don't have to.
no subject
Of course he doesn't believe her. No one wants to help him. Not really.
He runs his fingers through his hair, scratching the back of his neck. And when she stops talking, when she's given her stance, he looks away from her, pointedly at the wall. He's pensive, though, not as defiant. Still silent.]
no subject
[ She finishes up her own coffee and puts the cup to the side. ]
But I also know you probably aren't ready to trust me with that. I doubt you think I actually want to help you. And I don't begrudge you that.
I'm ready to start wherever we need to start.
[ She folds her hands together. ]
But I am going to do my best to always keep us moving forward. The last thing I want is to see you disappear without getting your chance at life again.
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