video; un: youradhere

[buildingcastles]

[Well, this is certainly bringing things full circle. The irony doesn't escape him, but this time Christian is actually making an effort to do his job. As much as can be expected from him, of course.

Which means the network gets a nice view of a man at a small desk, looking more like an assistant than a professional in his oversized sweater and jeans completing the look with tousled hair. He's organizing books on the surface as he addresses the network, with titles including How to Find Yourself, Practical Counseling, and The Pocket Manual for Technical Magic stacked on top of each other. He has the phone sitting on one such stack, propped up behind the others.]

So. [Wait, false start.] You ever feel like this place is just a little bit weird?

I mean, how many cities have portals that lead to other worlds and collect people? And hire Magic Counselors? Hi, I'm Christian, Magic Counselor if you ever need one. I'm not sure how many people here do the magic thing. Do you?

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[smokedout]

[It takes Dodger a while to actually make it over, but after an hour or so he's teleported his way into Christian's office. He did see a few wild things on the way up... but he'd been so focused on his goal, he'd hardly taken the time to notice any of it.]

Hey.

[Smooth greeting, Dodger... well, he can't help it, he's a little star struck by seeing Christian in the flesh.]

[buildingcastles]

Hey!

[Christian is moving books off of the shelf and onto the floor when Dodger arrives. He's rifled through the selection offered by the facility and some of them seem fine, but some of them just have to get stacked along the side of a wall. They don't seem relevant at all to what he would need. He'll have to bring things in.]

What's up?

[smokedout]

What are you, uh. Doing.

[He wanders over, picking up a book idly and glancing through its contents. Wow, a textbook on overcoming mental influences from mythical creatures. He doesn't.. care about this at all, and just puts it back.]

...And nothing's up, I just- wanted to see you. [He grimaces.] Figured we should catch up, after. Everything. It's been, what, half a year?

[Maybe it's odd to see Dodger so open, but his tough outer shell has gotten some pretty bad cracks in it during his year in the Quarantine. Way too much has happened.]

[buildingcastles]

Organizing.

[Because if he's going to be working out of this little office like the facility apparently expects him to (and that's strange), he'll need to know his resources. It's almost entertaining in itself. Just the idea that this other world apparently picked him out and offered him a job.]

About a year. You know, more or less. Is that what time is like here?

[He does look up from his stacks of books and random papers, curious at the way Dodger is acting. It's strange that anyone would even remember he was in the city.]

[smokedout]

Fuck, I don't know. Could've been five years for all I know.

[Things keep slipping his notice lately... things that would absolutely matter to him if he could just get his head on straight.]

My birthday's coming up in a couple days. [He mumbles awkwardly, not looking particularly happy about it.] January 16th - I'm turning 26.

And uh... y'know. It'd be nice to hear what.. you were up to. Wherever you went. Home, or... wherever.

[buildingcastles]

Well, it might have been five. I don't know how time works here.

[Which is true. The workings of time between worlds is always vague. He does stop to give him a questioning look after the rest of what he says, though.]

Congratulations? You don't sound that excited.

[It would be conversation, except it sounds more like some painful obligation from Dodger's end, informing Christian of a loss rather than a birthday.]

Or wherever. Yeah, I was traveling, actually. It worked out for the most part.

[smokedout]

[It worked out for the most part. That bites, if only because Dodger doesn't like hearing that other people have lives outside of their drama with him.

He awkwardly crosses his arms and shrugs.]

You've seen what my life's like. No one wants another year of that.

[Especially Dodger, the last thing he wants is another year of chaotic attempts to make himself feel something. He just wants someone to take responsibility over him already.]

[buildingcastles]

I don't think anyone really wants a year of their life usually. But they'd be terrified to have it taken away.

[It's how most magic-touched lives go. And, he's finding out, normal lives as well. The world isn't quite as easy as some want to believe, that avoiding magic will make things simpler and better for them. Life is hard no matter what you do. Magic just makes it a little weirder.]

You work with what you get. Sometimes it doesn't go the way you want it to. I take it you're talking about things more than just a general "I hate my life" though?