morebooks (morebooks) wrote in shadowlands_ic, @ 2017-12-01 22:25:00 |
|
|||
Entry tags: | adrien green, merrick |
Who: Adrien Green, Merrick
What: A strategic plan is discussed
Where: The Lionhart
When: 1 Dec, 1888
Rating: PG
Adrien sat, hunched, in the back booth at the Lionhart, looking over his notes.
In the weeks since he’d freed Merrick, he’d been painstakingly going through the information that’d literally appeared in his livingroom -- copies of field notes and reports from experiments done on Merrick over the decades -- and had been mapping out who was associated with the different experiments. He was only partway through -- the data was extensive -- but he wanted to touch base with Merrick, see how the djinn was doing, and see if there were any other insights he could provide.
So he’d sent the djinn a note with a request to meet, and was there early, looking through his notebook and frowning into it, trying to make some sense of the pattern that was slowly emerging.
It wasn’t part of the djinn-master arrangement or the magical curse. Merrick felt compelled out of gratitude toward Adrien to want check in with him and the vampire’s note thankfully coincided.
And to give their master...caretaker more insight towards their magic, the djinn journeyed in the form of the woman Gabriel knew best. Hair off their shoulders in a bun, foundation garments, dark red dress shrouded by a black long coat, Merrick stepped inside the pub and moved their way back to that back booth after ordering a bourbon.
Stopping short of sitting down, Merrick was silent for a few moments before opening their mouth. “Hello, Mr. Green.”
Adrien looked up, his eyes narrowing at the unfamiliar face.
“Hello,” he said, quietly. “Are you an associate of a mutual friend?” He asked, carefully.
“Perhaps I am also a friend,” they spoke and then whispered, “I have my forms.”
Adrien blinked, and then nodded with his head to gesture that the djinn ought to sit.
He’d intellectually grasped that Merrick was boundlessly powerful, was not human, but there were times he came up short -- yes, of course Merrick wouldn’t be bound to one form, would have a more fluid sense of self, one that could be more easily expressed now that he was…
Adrien frowned in thought. He supposed gender was likewise an overly simple frame to place on this particular being.
Now that Merrick was free.
“Hello, then, Merrick,” he said, “how have you been keeping?”
There was that subtle bit of surprise that Merrick had seen many times before. Only in the last century had the djinn been free enough to move through forms so frequently and without the need to please their master.
Most times, Merrick knew they were ‘humanized’ to a degree. Better to be thought of as a person than a thing.
They sat down and settled across from Adrien. The djinn saw that frown and nodded. It was a mind blowing concept to understand.
“Hello,” Merrick reiterated and nodded. “Well, but taking it slow. And you?” There was a hit of uneasiness, paranoia due to the trauma the djinn held. It would take time.
“Well enough,” Adrien replied, briskly. “Nothing out of the ordinary since your exit, for which I’m thankful.” He cleared his throat. “I was… well. I was wondering if I might lean on your unique expertise to learn more of the experimental branch of the Institute, to see if they honed their skills on anyone else besides yourself.” He frowned, looking down at the table. “I realize they’re not the most pleasant of memories to revisit” he added, quietly, “and I wouldn’t ask you to recount details from the experiments themselves -- I’ve got the notes on those. I’m more interested in connecting underlying patterns. The people, the locations, all that.”
The djinn nodded at Adrien’s brisk reply, glad that he was doing well. But the mention of needing to recall things, the experiments at the Institute made them still. After a few moments, Merrick’s emotional armor was up. “I don’t have...immediate recollection of other test subjects. But I do know the experiments seemed to focus on power, abilities, and medical innovations.”
The djinn fell silent and their drink was brought to them. Once the attendant was gone, Merrick generously sipped the bourbon.
Adrien nodded, his frown deepening. “I gathered as much,” he said, quietly. “I’m wondering, given the rapid healing abilities of other species… it seems like an awfully big temptation.” He shook his head. “The place where you were held,” he said, quietly. “Was it built with you in mind? Or was it already in place when you were first imprisoned?” He leaned forward. “Did you see much of the surrounding area? Other cells, perhaps?”
Trying not to fidget, the djinn breathed and listened. The muscles in their neck and shoulders were tightening at Adrien’s. Despite their abusers/captors amnesia, Merrick wanted inflict the same if not worse. “It was already in place,” they whispered, “No, just corridors and the surg….” Merrick went silent and still for a few moments then drank down the rest of their beverage. “...surgical theatre.”
Adrien nodded, and frowned. “I’ll have to look to see what I can find before your arrival,” he said. He cleared his throat, looking over at Merrick. “I’ll have to see when it was all built. If I can, that is.” His frown deepened. “It’ll be fifty years out of date, but you don’t…” he shook his head, his expression bitter. “You don’t build a cell unless you’ve got reason.”
He frowned thoughtfully. “Was there any… hm.” He tapped on the table. “Was there any metal on the walls, floor, or door? Silver or iron?”
Merrick nodded. “I believe they had been wanting to acquire a djinn for a long time. They said as much on occasion. And they most likely had been hunting me,” they spoke with their voice deepening slightly with anger and anguish.
They focused on Adrien’s tapping, memory triggered of McCIintock tapping on the glass of their cell. Unsuccessfully suppressing a shiver, Merrick breathed. “Yes, at the seams of the panes of glass...and the whole door to the glass and the door leaving the entire room.” The djinn sniffed dismissively, “I could smell both. The tin seams between the glass panes was silver clamped in iron. The doors were iron.”
Adrien nodded briskly, his mouth twisting in dismay. “Hm,” he said, jotting down some notes. It was quite suggestive of his theory.
He paused, looking over at Merrick. “Do you know how you came to fall into their hands in the first place?” He asked.
Merrick leaned back, using the solidness of the booth to center themselves. They were growing more uneasy at the questions and answering. The trauma was more significant than they thought.
“Yes,” Merrick half-hissed, their irises turning almost silver in color. “I do.” And yes, the djinn had been quite feral due to the events that brought them in the Institute’s possession.
It was a touch disconcerting to be talking to a being he knew was the djinn he’d freed, and see a different face across the table from him. Oh, it was clear this was Merrick -- there was no mistaking that -- but the face and voice were different enough that it threw Adrien a touch.
He looked up at Merrick’s tone, shifting a little in his seat, a sudden realization hitting him rather hard.
“Merrick,” he said, quietly, “I know… I realize I’m in possession of your vessel, but you are under no…” he frowned in dismay. “You are under no obligation to answer any of my questions should you prefer not to. I apologize, should you have assumed as such. If you’d rather not talk about it, or save it for another time…”
Many of Merrick’s mannerisms in a male form came through the same in their female form. Honesty with whoever possessed their vessel often happened. They trusted Adrien, so the compulsion was little more so.
“I...trust you, Adrien,” the djinn swallowed. “No need to apologize.” Their posture relaxed a hair. “I would like not to talk about it at this time, yes...save the telling for another time, please.”
He nodded shortly, and pocketed the notebook. “Yes. Well. When you’re prepared, and willing, I should like to hear it.” He looked over at Merrick. “Are you in need of anything?” He asked, a little awkwardly. “Can I… can I help you with anything at all?”
Merrick nodded, exhaling through their nose. The silver left their eyes, the pale blue returning. “I would like to find my own lodging outside my current arrangement and also employment. A job where I could thrive using my talents.”
Adrien nodded, and then paused. “What talents do you possess, other than the capacity to change form?” He asked, curious. Merrick could no doubt pass that off as a particularly good glamour for certain crowds -- although there weren’t many above board professions he could think of off-hand who’d be drawn to that particular skill.
“I am good with detail, discretion, and languages.” Merrick spoke as they clasped their hands. “And,” Merrick began to whisper, “related to my form-changing - I can become forms that make it easy for me to get into tight spaces.”
“A bank, perhaps,” Adrien replied, thoughtfully. “Parkinson & Co. might make use of your skill set for purposes of security and diplomacy. Or other companies that do international work. I… I have a friend who’s associated with Modern Prometheus, the airship company. I can see how they’d value what you could offer.”
Merrick frowned at the idea of a bank. Too many locked doors, keys, a safe that would feel confining. “An...airship company. That sounds different. I have been on an airship only a handful of times.”
“I could write you a letter of introduction,” Adrien replied, nodding his head. “Naturally, I would not disclose what you are, or where you’ve been keeping yourself -- only that I can vouch for your character. It would be up to you which of your skills you would wish to disclose, but Mrs Linden is not unfamiliar with witchcraft, and would be keen to capitalize on what you could provide, I’d imagine.”
Merrick softly smiled, their demeanor now a bit more hopeful than minutes before. “I would be most grateful for that, Adrien.” The djinn nodded. “I would appreciate your vouching for me. Whatever introduction and arrangement Mrs. Linden and I make will hopefully be mutually agreed upon.”