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]

[ 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.]

[lestercraft]

Well, uh. Therein the contradiction lies, really. Most people turn to substances like this because they find it to be an escape. From, uh. From crueller forms of madness, I suppose. The horrors they've experienced - death, starvation, loss - for a lot of people... well. War.

[Which is a much less easy topic to broach, his hand fiddling with the corner of the ledger as he toys with the pages.]

As long as they have something in their body, the rest of the world becomes... easier to bear. Until it wears off, and you need more to get the same result.

[greatoldjohn]

[I didn't say they knew where they were headed.]

[ There's a feeling that isn't a word, isn't a movement. It's something that acknowledges the difficulty that Arthur is having, but also is... something else. Something more.

It isn't tears. Not quite. But it could be. ]

[Natalie uses them-

Has used them. To try and deal with the pain of what happened to her.]

[ A longer pause. ]

[Do you think the counseling office would have an idea of how to help her?]

[lestercraft]

I think they know, on some level.

[His own drinking had never gotten so bad. But he'd certainly felt the urge, to not stop when the first bar closed and go find the next.]

But- quite possibly, yes. I'd, uh. If you can, I'd strongly recommend finding information on it from her time, not ours. Will she be-- a-alright, with you sharing that with other people?

[greatoldjohn]

[ I asked her specifically on this topic. She...

She trusts me. And I want to do right by her.

I'd rather she get angry at me for saying something than letting anything happen to her. Especially... given the stakes. ]