Addermire Institute (Semi-Advanced) discussion
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Jameson scoured over the shelves, eyes flickering over each and every title - looking for one in specific. He'd been doing some research into Nordic etching, ancient symbols that'd been found around some of the bodies. Technically he was supposed to be in class but technically he wasn't a student - so he wasn't particularly worried about that. He stopped as he reached the novel he'd been searching for, carefully plucking it from its placement and blowing dust off of the surface. It clearly hadn't been touched in years.
It had to be around four in the afternoon as he stood on the second level, leaning against the rail and opening the book, holding it between his fingers and flicking through its contents.
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Rune should be in class. But it was some pointless class that he'd chosen simply to have one that he could skip without missing anything important, so he felt no guilt in slipping into the library in search of his target. Upon spotting Jameson, he moved quickly over to where the angel was standing – although not so quickly as to be suspicious. Tilting his head to read the title of the book, he laughed softly. "Norse myths? Intriguing. What's an angel like yourself doing reading about such things when you ought to be in class?" He needed to be careful – no mentions of Defacto until he'd figured the boy out, and even then he needed to watch for any signs that he might not want to join. The vial and syringe in his pocket felt heavy, and he resisted the urge to fiddle with them. Part of him was curious to see how an angel reacted to venom – but he knew he had to be patient.
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Rune sighed, eyes dropping to the floor – the picture of disappointment, harmless and approachable. "I was only curious," he said softly. "I didn't mean to alarm you." Come across as harmless, friendly. Don't reveal anything until you've gauged the best way to hint at it. Watch all his reactions. Wait for the right moment. He gave Jameson space, not wanting to scare him off too soon. "Jameson, isn't it? I think you're in my Chem class."
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Rune was slightly alarmed and mildly impressed by the accuracy with which Jameson had identified where he sat in chem. "You pay a lot more attention than I do in class, clearly," he joked, moving slightly closer as though he were simply shifting from foot to foot out of an inability to stand still. "That's cool. Norse mythology is interesting, but personally I've always preferred Hindu mythology. Maybe it's just because it has beings and stories that I can relate to more." He shrugged.
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Rune frowned. Jameson seemed surprised that Rune knew about things outside of Portermount. "No, I'm from Thailand. Were you born here?" It had never occurred to him that there were quite a lot of people who had grown up in Portermount all their lives and never learned about the mundane world. When he'd been younger, it had been much more obvious — his accent had faded from the years spent around people with different accents, and his English had improved markedly (although there were still moments when he struggled to understand some things, usually when he was tired).
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It was rare that Rune could maintain a proper conversation without needing to choose his words. And it was strange that this of all interactions was the one where he managed a proper conversation. "That's cool. How many people at this school were born here, do you think? I never seem to find anyone who's not from the mundane world, and I'm kind of curious now." He smiled. "So out of all the Norse myths, which character is your favourite?"
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Rune nodded. "Yeah, that's the coolest part – aside from maybe how different mythologies have common elements. Like, these people must have travelled a lot." Focus, you idiot, he thought. You have a job to do, you can't waste time talking about things you're interested in. "I love Skaði," he said. "She's just... so interesting. And I guess I've always just seen her as the one who doesn't put up with any of the gods' rubbish. Even Odin and Loki don't mess with her." There, he'd mentioned the headmistress and Tobias. Now he could watch Jameson's reaction. Rune moved closer, squinting at the runes on the spine of the book. He knew he should have taken that elective, but learning one new language and script was hard enough.
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Rune shrugged. "But he's the god of mischief, isn't that the whole point? He causes trouble but keeps himself out of it, then watches the result." He pointed at a word on the spine of the book. "What does that say? I really should've taken that elective, but the idea of having to learn another script was just... very unappealing." If he was being honest, he was vaguely curious as to what it meant, but it wasn't the purpose of him asking. He needed time to think about the best approach. The boy seemed malleable, but he was distracting – which meant that Rune needed to use his own distraction to his advantage, somehow. He needed to show Jameson that mundanes weren't good people – that they were below sparked people. Which was possible, he'd done it before, but something about this boy just made him want to be himself. And while he seemed loyal to the cause, Rune was acutely aware that the world was not as black-and-white as people liked to think it was. But if Defacto were going to win this, then Rune wanted to be on their side. Even if he didn't agree with them entirely.
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"I never meant it as an excuse, merely an explanation," Rune replied easily. "Every mischief-causer has their own particular preferences. Loki's might be running away, or getting people killed when they don't deserve it." He cast his eyes downwards, knowing that while he wasn't the best at looking like a kicked puppy it still had some effect. "Since I got my letter. I was ten, I think, and my dad spent hours trying to set up the laptop with an ethernet cable so that I could do the online course he found. I mostly learned by experience once I got here, though."
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just pretend it's thai i don't trust google translate
Rune smiled. "Sure." He thought for a few moments, then spoke again. "I wish emotions were less complicated," he said quietly – despite suspecting that Jameson wouldn't understand him. It felt weird, speaking a language he had barely used since he left home, but also comforting in a way. Somewhat like this entire conversation – which was disconcerting. Rune was used to being on his guard during conversations, or constantly trying to achieve his goal. He rarely talked to someone about something that interested them both, aside from some of the other members of Defacto – but that was usually about murder or similar.
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Focus, you idiot, this isn't what you came here for. Rune shrugged. "Sometimes. I miss my family, mostly. And my pets. The neighbours, not so much." He wondered, briefly, whether his brother had successfully managed to assassinate the neighbours' snake dog yet. He hoped so – it would mean that his pets were safer, and able to roam more freely. "What about you, do you miss New York?" He wasn't sure whether he was asking out of genuine curiosity or out of a desire to get more leverage. Rune hated being confused, and he hated this sudden ability to get distracted by a simple conversation. "There's so many people there, I think I'd suffocate." There, he'd found a narrow link to his purpose.
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Rune nodded. "That makes sense. But crowds... it doesn't feel like individual people. It just feels like there's this massive thing pressing up against you from every direction, trying to choke you and crush you. People can be interesting, but in a group they just fall into being sheep." Honestly, he could argue that was the case even within Defacto. They were all just cruel, bitter, angry or a combination of those. And none more so than Sin. Rune realised, acutely, just how little he actually liked the people in Defacto. "It's so hard to explain in English. I know what I want to say, but I don't know the words to explain it... I feel like I'm not saying the things I want to say." He was thinking too much about the conversation, he should be focusing on manipulating Jameson to believe what he wanted him to. Rune didn't feel like he was in control anymore, and he didn't know what he was trying to say. He couldn't find the words in English – and not really in Thai either. He was floundering, and he didn't like it. Clear your head, breathe.
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Rune shrugged, somewhat calmer now. "Depends how you define talking," he said vaguely, running a hand through his hair. He moved away from Jameson's touch, circling round to stand on the other side of the boy, leaning against the bookshelf. "I don't want to talk about people, though. I want to know more about you. What makes you want to get up every morning?" The change in attitude was noticeable, but he'd deal with that later.
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"Because you're interesting," he replied easily, tilting his head back and smiling, the back of his head resting lightly against the bookcase. The position was actually surprisingly comfortable, if you overlooked the edges of the shelf digging into the back of his head. They weren't particularly sharp. "And because I don't know that many people here properly."
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"I asked you first," Rune replied instantly, unblinking. "It's not fair to expect me to come up with an answer straight away when you haven't even tried." He needed a suitable answer, one that wouldn't give away too much – but would still give Jameson the illusion that they were becoming closer, and thus give Rune more ammunition.
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Rune looked at the other boy in disbelief. "That's all? Surely you do more with your life than that." He was sure he was hiding something, but he had no idea what it was. "I'd never get out of bed if that was my motivation." Fiddling with the vial in his pocket, he let his eyes drift around the rest of the library, taking in the details of the ceiling. "As for me... routine, mostly. But also I enjoy learning. And, of course, the sooner I graduate the sooner I can go home and see my family."
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Rune shrugged, "My family are there. There's nothing I'm particularly attached to here. Honestly, the only reason I came here in the first place was because going to a decent mundane school would either have required a six-hour commute or a lot more money than my family had." He ducked his head and stared at the floor, wondering why Jameson was so easy to talk to. "I don't miss the people, really, but I mean– are the people here any better?" It was times like this when he started to question why he was working for Defacto. And this job was rapidly becoming confusing, difficult and frustrating – something he hadn't anticipated and didn't like in the slightest.
