TLV Inbox

[greatoldjohn]

[in a rather deep voice] "This is John Doe. Please leave your message. I'll get back to you as soon as I can. I may respond in text if I'm currently with Arthur. Apologies."

Now Moved To: Inbox: Act II - please tag in there!

Comments

[greatoldjohn]

[ You actually landed on Natalie, strangely enough. I think we have to go back a few pages. ]

[ John will use his hand to do the flipping and it's probably more than Arthur will expecting; Arthur will hear him muttering a little about it. ]

[ It appears that they go by first name as opposed to last, given that many people here may not have a second name. I hadn't noticed as I was just going through the pages one by one.

His entry is largely empty, only containing the initial primary note:

"A devoted servant of the state." ]

[lestercraft]

[That gets a soft scoff.]

Well, it's not wrong. Alright, let me think for a moment.

[There's a lot to say and he wants to make sure he says it correctly. And after a few long seconds, he clears his throat to start.]

'John Mandrake is from a version of England where the ministers of Parliament, as well as other high-ranking social standings, are all magicians - the term here meaning practitioners of magic who can summon demons from what he called the Other World - and use said demons as functional slaves and weapons of national defence. He also demonstrates a strong lack of humanity in regards to the treatment of these demons; I suggest monitoring his treatment of visibly non-human members of the Barge with some caution.'

[greatoldjohn]

[ There's a short pause. ]

[ ...seriously? ]

[ But after a moment, he's going to start writing. ]

[ I noted that the words were from you. ]

[lestercraft]

Thank you. But, uh, yes, unfortunately. Completely. He believes wholeheartedly in the superiority of magicians and the infallibility of their system, while deriding these demons as being hostile, manipulative and malicious when they are being actively summoned to perform menial or actively life-endangering labour.

[greatoldjohn]

[ I'm sure he was terribly pleased to have you assigned as his warden considering our very public announcement. ]

[lestercraft]

[That gets a soft snort.]

I think he also has a habit of outright dismissing anything that doesn't fit into his narrative. You didn't come up much, really, so I suppose he didn't have to really think about it.

[greatoldjohn]

[ That could be... difficult.

How was it otherwise? ]

[lestercraft]

[He hums as he considers the right word.]

...unobjectionable. Aside from his somewhat baffling views, he's a polite young man. I don't see him being too much of a little hellraiser, but I got the impression that's rather more because he's used to being punished rather than any maturity or magnanimity.

[greatoldjohn]

[ That, and the lack of entries on his ledger speaks to someone who either behaves well, or knows how to appear as if he does. ]

[lestercraft]

Precisely! [And he sounds quite proud of that note.] An excellent observation, John. Yes, Mandrake is very much someone who knows how and exactly where to toe the line before he becomes culpable, or heavens forbid responsible for an adverse event.

[greatoldjohn]

[ I do spend inordinate amounts of time with a private detective. ]

[ Very very dry. ]

[ Shall I add that as well, or hold off, as it's merely conjecture? ]

[lestercraft]

Let's phrase it a bit more diplomatically. Uhhm...

Ah- 'This version of England is also one that encourages systematic abuse of power, and Mandrake stated himself to be the victim of such on multiple occasions, and had implied he is acutely aware of where the limits lie on such abuse; I've no doubt he is able to apply this to his own actions, and on the chance he wants to act out will do so in a way that fully obeys any presented system of law and punishment, where he has, technically, done nothing wrong.'

[greatoldjohn]

[ More scratching pen. ]

[ Anything else? ]

[lestercraft]

[He hums again as he gives it some thought.]

Let's leave it at that, for now. We've only had one conversation, I'm sure I'll have more to add once I can cross-reference what he's told me with something later on.

[greatoldjohn]

[Of course. What next?]

[lestercraft]

Did you have anything you wanted to add to Natalie's, while we're here? I don't see us coming by often.

[greatoldjohn]

[I've been coming up to check the ledger every few days. Just in case.

But so far, Natalie's been-]

[ He pauses. ]

[Well, there is one thing...]

[ There is more scratching. ]

[Which reminds me of something I wanted to consult with you on.]

[lestercraft]

[The extra writing has his curiosity immediately.]

By all means. What's on your mind?

[greatoldjohn]

[I'm leaving a note that I'm her warden, that she has a temper at times, and...]

[ Mmm, how to put this? ]

[Do you know anything about 'substance abuse' or 'drugs'?]

[lestercraft]

...ah.

[Well there's a fact that possibly should have come out a different way.]

Yes, uh-- a 'substance' in this context, a drug, refers to, uh. A medication of some sort, often misused to achieve what's called a 'high', a-an altered state of mind, usually-- euphoria or bliss from its use, or simply intoxication. The most common form is- excessive consumption, but some drugs are deliberately created to achieve these altered states, uh. Opiates - laudanum and morphine, um, cocaine, cannabis - alcohol, particularly in excess, though in small amounts it's moderately harmless.

[Tobacco flies under his radar. It's totally fine!]

I don't doubt there's more from her time that I'm not aware of.

[greatoldjohn]

[ He'll recognize the curious silence that comes from John digesting information and, given that Arthur gave it to him, he gets quite a lot of context. Nothing personal, of course, but knowledge. ]

[And when used frequently? Or... large amounts?]

[lestercraft]

Both are- quite damaging, both immediately and over long periods. I've seen men I- I knew, as a child, quite literally drink themselves to death. Alcohol specifically can cause, uh- reduced inhibitions, aggression, poor reaction times and poor decision making, even in small amounts, but excessively it can cause nearly total loss of control over their faculties, often vomiting as the body rejects the amount they've drunk.

[greatoldjohn]

[Jesus Christ...]

[ John sounds horrified. Deeply deeply horrified. ]

[Is there any way to help them?]

[lestercraft]

That's, the, uh. That's rather the more difficult part. It's-- I'm a little surprised you're having to ask so much.

[Which is by no means an accusation, just. Noteworthy.]

The-- there's a- a drive, for these people, who have- who struggle with trying to stop drinking, or using drugs to keep seeking them out, knowing it's doing themselves irreparable harm. I'd... honestly, I'd almost call it a kind of madness.

[greatoldjohn]

[ John is quiet, the way he is when the topic has turned to something he does have experience in... but he doesn't want to get into it. He needs to, though, so he pushes through it. Arthur will recognize the cautious, low tone he uses, though. He doesn't feel good about this. ]

[Yes. A madness.

A drive towards death.

That is... the part of this all that I am... very familiar with. Though not from this perspective, obviously.]