sevenhorrors | kai-un dorm

[Oh, that last bit. He wonders if there's more meaning to it than one might assume at first.]

Hum! A stranger's opinion is no less valuable than a friend's in this instance. [Besides, you're all strangers to him.] Awful as it might be to cast your thoughts in such malicious light, I have found that it helps to try to put yourself in the shoes of the perpetrator; and answers may spring forth with just a bit of creative-thinking.

Of course, I've never dealt with ghosts before now, so perhaps even that strategy is flawed.

[ He's perhaps spent a little too much time putting himself in the shoes of the perpetrator, and more or less arrived at the conclusion that Mister Adair has. Maybe in time, more of their captors' motives will reveal themselves, but he hasn't had much dealing with ghosts himself. ]

There's creativity, and then there's making impossible leaps of logic. I think we need a little of both to understand why we're here. I do wonder, though...will knowing why we're here really make us feel any better about our circumstances?

[ He's curious, more than anything. He'd still like to know, and he gets the impression this fellow would, too. ]

[Leaps of logic… Normally, maybe, he’d be offended by that. But as it stands, he cannot argue the point. It is all nothing but “leaps”, in the hopes that he might at least get others brainstorming.]

It is not about making us feel better. It is about learning more about our situation, and therefore, how to be free of it completely. I don’t know about you, but I’d much rather be home right now.

Given what we've been through so far, do you believe knowing why our captors brought us here will help us get home?

[ This, perhaps more than anything else, will tell him what he wants to know about this peculiar man. ]

[Oh, without hesitation:]

Yes, of course. There is a reason why motive is such a critical pillar in understanding the nature of any crime or wrongdoing. Often, it helps unravel the rest of it.

[ Hah. Good man. ]

Indeed. I couldn't have said it better myself...you seem familiar with breaking things down in such terms.

[A quirking grin.] I'm a man who likes to read the morning paper every day, all for the sake of being caught up to date on the more sensational aspects of London life. That is: the criminal element.

It's a hobbyist's interest, true- [he is not telling people he is a detective for now; Watson has made him too well-known, and he cannot risk it, even amid people from... very far away places.] -but it changes one's perspective on such dour mysteries.

[ So, he's the nosy sort, who likes to know who's who and what the latest drama is — not unlike Aventurine himself, even if he isn't one to gather information just for the sake of a hobby. He's always looking for ways to make it useful for him...so what will he do know that he knows this about Mister Adair? ]

I'd daresay we're almost something like kindred spirits. I can't help but want to know what's going on and get to the bottom of whatever's right under my nose. Usually those skills are put to use negotiating business deals in my employer's favor, but who knew they might come in handy for getting to the bottom of the real mystery we've found ourselves in now?

[ As though he didn't very recently also investigate a murder and the nature of dreams. Those were, of course, related to a business deal. ]

[A kindred spirit, is it? He will happily wortk with of any of those who feel the same way, especially when faced with their new circumstances, in which Holmes is already starting to believe is too big in scope for just one man to tackle. He hums with satisfaction.]

I see! In that case, between the two of us, maybe we'll make for one proper detective. Ha!

[Clearly he finds something amusing about that, but in his usual fashion, he just continues on.]

You say you're skilled in negotiation for the sake of your employer, but might I inquire as to what that actually means? Your hands suggest that you do more than just dally in tense conversation.

[He is doing his annoying detective thing now; noting the calluses on Mr Garnet's hands, and using it as a jumping off point to push the conversation further.]

[ His hands? Aventurine glances down at his own slender fingers, folded together politely, yet for all his poise, his palms are still rough with callouses, from hard work time couldn't wear away.

Well, his companion is putting his money where his mouth is, so to speak. His expression sharpens with interest. ]

My, my, you are observant. I had to put in quite a bit of hard labor to get where I am today, but these hands do little for me aside from shake upon established deals these days. It's not terribly exciting: I'm a merchant, and I go after promising investments that Director Diamond finds worthwhile.

[ The name drop is deliberate, too. Yes, the gemstone name motif is a whole thing. ]

[Director Diamond. Yes, the gem motif is evident.

His lips quirk a bit at the recognition of his rather nosy and observant nature, but he says nothing on the matter. Instead-]

Promising investments? Land? Estates?

A little of column A, a little of column B, and C, D, and so on. The corporation I work for strives towards total peace across the cosmos, so as you might expect, they have their fingers in a lot of pies.

[ He sounds so convincing that this is a cause he believes in, too. ]

[He does, and Holmes has no reason to doubt otherwise at the moment. The very concept is an interesting one to him, at least.]

Striving for peace, and yet they are a corporation? So they are straddling the line between business and politics. [Across the cosmos, at that?]

Sounds like messy business, Mr Garnet.

[ Oh, peace has little to do with it in Aventurine's eyes, but he doesn't say as much — his expression doesn't even flicker. He'll need to be particularly careful to not let his guard down around this man, to not let his guise slip. It reminds him of dealing with the good Doctor, in a way. ]

Oh, to say the least. As you might imagine, there's red tape and bureaucracy for days — but that's none of my business, really. I just enjoy the work.

[ Well. On occasion, anyway. ]

And what about yourself, Mister Adair? What do you do for work?

[ He better not tell him he's a professor. ]

[PLEASE no that's the other guy in his canon (dead)]

You've more patience than I. [For red tape, he means. But he waves the notion away in the next moment with his hand.]

Myself? I fear that my work is not nearly as exciting. I'm a bookseller in London.

[This is a lie that, for now, he will stick to like glue. If their names are really so precious and dangerous to give away, his blasted renown will only work against him — even if he suspects he needn't worry when it comes to those hailing from far, far away.

Still. Better safe than sorry.]

[ Fortunately for Holmes, this lines up well enough with Aventurine's estimation of him so far that it doesn't raise a red flag. No wonder he has such an eccentric hobby, if he spends his days in the company of books. ]

Oh, is that so? I'm afraid I don't have much time for reading these days, so I'm a bit envious, really. Well — I guess now I do have the time, but I no longer have access to every book in the cosmos. Regardless, maybe you have some recommendations for me?

[ He doesn't know about the library yet... ]

[He thought it was a job that he could get away with; he is well-aware of his own eccentricities, and who else might be deemed a Weirdo than someone who spends his time too much with books?]

Oh, I can recommend plenty. [maybe,] But might I first recommend a visit to this school's library? I've not had very much time to look at what's available to us, but it's quite a selection. What's your favorite genre?

[ Brightly, a little too genuinely, even: ]

Oh? There's a library?

[ That he'll certainly need to look into later. He has to wonder if there's any literature pertaining to the school itself, but even if there isn't, it'll still be worth checking out. ]

I like my stories with intrigue, danger, and terror — haha, though not necessarily in that order. More simply, I'm partial to thrillers, mysteries and horror most of all, but I won't turn away a genuine recommendation in any other genre, either.

[ He's well-rounded! ]

[Despite his ongoing lie about being a bookseller, it is one easier to spin because he does enjoy books to the degree a man like himself would. He senses a level of shared camaraderie in Mr Garnet, if nothing else.

He hums with amusement, thought he doesn't say at what, as he leans forward.]

Thrillers, mystery, horror... Hm. Have you read any of Edgar Allan Poe? Beyond his more gothic works, he has written a handful of stories about his detective, Auguste Dupin. Now, sometimes it's rather trite business, but you can see glimmers of inspiration in the mystery-solving now and again.

[ A shake of his head. This Mister Poe is a new name to him — no Earth in his cosmos. (There is, however, a popstar named Ast Rickley, and I will not be elaborating at this time.) ]

How trite are we talking here? Will I be able to solve the mystery from the first page turned?

[ He might check it out regardless; even if you can see the destination, the journey can still be enjoyable. ]

[Smiles thinly; not unpleasantly, but in that way that reveals a person wants to say a whole lot more on the matter than they are going to.]

I suppose that depends on how logical a person you are to start. I find his work sometimes leans more toward the sensational rather than the informative. I am always more interested in the process of the mystery solved, rather than the melodrama that often surrounds it.

[ Without missing a beat: ]

Oh, process is all well and good, but I can't resist a good bit of melodrama. Sounds like he might be right up my alley, then. I appreciate the recommendation, Mister Adair.

[To be fair, he also likes drama (when he is the one causing it). But he just doesn't have a high opinion of most fictional detectives' processes. (the irony)]

Of course, Mr Garnet! Come back to me with your opinion on the reading. I would very much like to hear your thoughts.

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