Arthur Lester (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
lestercraft) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
silentspringlogs2024-05-20 10:42 am
lestercraft) wrote in silentspringlogs2024-05-20 10:42 am
Part Four: The Encounter
Who: Arthur Lester and PEOPLE
When: April/May catch-all
Where: All over Sweetwater!
Open/Closed: OPEN
Applicable Warnings: Discussion of torture and missing persons, general malaise and paranoia.
Solo
It's been... difficult in a way Arthur can't quite elaborate on.
Or, well. He can. It fucking sucks. But it's something he doesn't, because he doesn't want anyone pitying him more than he already has to fucking deal with. Because he knows (feels incredibly strongly) that everyone already sees him as useless - or worse, helpless. And he can fucking take care of himself, he managed it before Parker decided to hitch his cart onto this dead fucking horse.
Washing and drying his clothes, he can manage: he and Helly had to learn how to use the machines together to begin with. Ironing, he can't - he's not even going to pretend he won't burn himself, or set something on fire somehow.
Sorting is right out. So the meticulously matched suits of months past are gone completely; Arthur's new look, as May stretches on, are completely mismatched. At least to some degree his suits are still fine; all of his suit colours work together, so instead he just looks visibly rumpled, his tie is slightly but visibly uneven - at least he can shave and style his hair alone, but it's a rather disparate and unbecoming image, especially with the whispers he keeps leaving in his wake, about being constantly arrested and kidnapping that poor driver and maybe he's faking that he's blind--
It's difficult to keep up a foul mood all month, but by God is this place making him want to try. At least the other Book Club members (or whatever the fuck they're calling themselves) at least know that he's still up for a conversation if they find him in the diner, or the library trying to keep up studying Braille. Or even just on the street, having finally mastered his cane by sheer brute force.
With John
...and then he's not alone.
Because there's a teenager with him pretty much constantly from then on. A golden-haired youth with brown eyes that hangs out nearly exclusively on his left side, talking incessantly. It's not like it's a one-sided discussion, Arthur is clearly engaged and listening, replying even, but most of the time it's just the teenager talking at him about - pretty much everything, but a casual listener will definitely notice that it's mostly about the things around them, describing what he's seeing for Arthur.
And it's not subtle how John is staring down anyone who tries approaching them, to the point of glaring when people get too close, but there's the definite impression that if anyone wants to talk to Arthur in private - yeah, that's not happening. The child is coming too.
When: April/May catch-all
Where: All over Sweetwater!
Open/Closed: OPEN
Applicable Warnings: Discussion of torture and missing persons, general malaise and paranoia.
Solo
It's been... difficult in a way Arthur can't quite elaborate on.
Or, well. He can. It fucking sucks. But it's something he doesn't, because he doesn't want anyone pitying him more than he already has to fucking deal with. Because he knows (feels incredibly strongly) that everyone already sees him as useless - or worse, helpless. And he can fucking take care of himself, he managed it before Parker decided to hitch his cart onto this dead fucking horse.
Washing and drying his clothes, he can manage: he and Helly had to learn how to use the machines together to begin with. Ironing, he can't - he's not even going to pretend he won't burn himself, or set something on fire somehow.
Sorting is right out. So the meticulously matched suits of months past are gone completely; Arthur's new look, as May stretches on, are completely mismatched. At least to some degree his suits are still fine; all of his suit colours work together, so instead he just looks visibly rumpled, his tie is slightly but visibly uneven - at least he can shave and style his hair alone, but it's a rather disparate and unbecoming image, especially with the whispers he keeps leaving in his wake, about being constantly arrested and kidnapping that poor driver and maybe he's faking that he's blind--
It's difficult to keep up a foul mood all month, but by God is this place making him want to try. At least the other Book Club members (or whatever the fuck they're calling themselves) at least know that he's still up for a conversation if they find him in the diner, or the library trying to keep up studying Braille. Or even just on the street, having finally mastered his cane by sheer brute force.
With John
...and then he's not alone.
Because there's a teenager with him pretty much constantly from then on. A golden-haired youth with brown eyes that hangs out nearly exclusively on his left side, talking incessantly. It's not like it's a one-sided discussion, Arthur is clearly engaged and listening, replying even, but most of the time it's just the teenager talking at him about - pretty much everything, but a casual listener will definitely notice that it's mostly about the things around them, describing what he's seeing for Arthur.
And it's not subtle how John is staring down anyone who tries approaching them, to the point of glaring when people get too close, but there's the definite impression that if anyone wants to talk to Arthur in private - yeah, that's not happening. The child is coming too.
House call!
The fact that she shows up empty-handed, aside from her notebook and purse, tends to suggest she's here with some kind of business in mind, though, rather than as a second round of food drop-off. She knocks on the door -- tok-tok-tok, tok-tok-tok -- and waits on the stoop, eyeing the street for passers-by.
Re: House call!
"Can I help you?" It's polite, stiff and formal; he's clearly distracted, since he's got his jacket off and shirt sleeves rolled up.
Re: House call!
"At the door is a somewhat athletic-looking woman at approximately your height. She has dark hair, scattered with gray that seems to have come in early given her apparent age, light brown skin and blue eyes. She's carrying a notebook and she has a small bag over her shoulder. Her expression is, understandably, wary."
He leans past Arthur.
"I'm John. I help him see with words."
no subject
Chell blinks at the teenager describing her, looks at Arthur in confusion, and looks back at John. She waves at him uncertainly.
I'm Chell, she signs, more or less on automatic. The odds that this kid knows sign seem pretty low. Then she reaches out to tap Arthur twice on the bicep in greeting. Hey, Arthur, it's one of your non-verbal neighbors.
no subject
The ongoing silence is only confusing for a moment, before he gets the taps on his bicep and his eyes widen briefly in recognition.
"Oh- Chell, hey-- come in." He moves to stand clear of the door, lightly tugging John clear too. "John, this is Chell, she's one of us. Another sign language user, but she can hear us perfectly fine. Chell, this is John Doe, he's from my world. My- my investigative partner."
no subject
John, who is not used to anyone but Arthur hearing him yet-
"John," he repeats, "I just... got here." Beat. "I'm not actually a teenager."
no subject
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A pause.
"And that's complicated. Let's do the questions for Arthur first. Whatever I am, Arthur's my partner."
He looks over to Arthur.
"She writes: I came over to see if Arthur is okay plus ask some questions. Can you talk for me? And then she asked 'what are you if you're not a teenager?' with two question marks."
no subject
I'm OK.
"I'm fine, honestly," he adds, mostly to include John in that part. It was strange having a second way to talk now, one that John couldn't help with yet. "It's been- difficult, with Helly missing, but I've certainly managed worse. And now I have John again, so I've got my eyes back, more or less." And there's no hiding the sheer relief in that.
no subject
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"Technically, I 'live' with Numbers."
Beat.
"But I'm going to be here as much as I can be, yes. She asked if I live here now, Arthur. And notes that you look better than Book Club. I assume 'better than at the 'book club'."
But he's been watching the signing going on and-
"Could I learn that?"
no subject
Though the reference to just 'that' makes him pause. "D'you mean sign language, John?"
no subject