Open Post: Hooked On A Feeling

[rememberettersberg]

What hobbies have you got? Susan had asked him, and he had to admit to not being sure. At school and for some time after, he played rugby. More recently, he only watched it on the television Peter had set up in the tech cave. Here at the mansion, he has books and research and the beginnings of mentoring, but it occurs to Nightingale that he has been building himself a facsimile of work and very little else. He's survived that way for half a century and been perfectly all right (though others may disagree with that assessment) but here, in this hinterland between realities, he is feeling a growing itch for... whimsy, perhaps.

At this moment, propping up the bar with a pint of bitter and a crochet hook, no one would dare accuse him of being whimsical. Nightingale is scowling fiercely at the hook, the yarn, his pint, and the book sitting open beside it. Company would be more than welcome.

Comments

[az_fell]

Verbally assaulted by the villain from Hamlet and by -- well, by a usually pleasant gentleman from, presumably, something. Aziraphale eyes them warily.

"If you must know," he says wearily. "Obviously, Claudius, yourself and Laertes. The Arthurian knights, naturally, are fictional, with multiple sources, even. Susan Pevensie; surely you knew that already, Mr. Nightingale. The unfortunate young French revolutionaries, as you've surmised. That's everyone I recognize, but I have good reason to believe Tress is fictional, as well. I haven't read her source material, and of course she wouldn't have known its name even if I'd asked."

[rememberettersberg]

Nightingale nods. He might not have come across the phrase main character energy in his life, but he knows Tress has it. "We're also aware of several people who have moved between worlds they thought to be fictional or knew were fictional prior to their arrival here," he says crisply, as though reporting to a senior officer. "Which seems unlikely to be coincidental, given the circumstances."

[wickedwit]

It feels, to Claudius, rather rude to describe Sagramore or Galahad as Arthurian, just because they happened to pass through King Arthur's court in their careers. But if Claudius himself is from a play called Hamlet, it more or less fits the pattern. Kings have to have everything important named after them. "We can add Luo Binghe to the list, as well," he says, faithfully writing down each name. "And Lan Wangji, though from the sound of it, the dramatic adaptation of his life is somewhat lacking. There might be more than one work for him, like my play and the Lion King."

[az_fell]

Aziraphale can't help the alarmed little stare he directs at Claudius. "Who told you about The Lion-- yes. There are several adaptations of Hamlet. And of Les Misérables, come to think of it." He smiles. "I cajoled Crowley into seeing the musical adaptation of Les Mis on the West End."

[rememberettersberg]

"There's a Lion King musical on the West End too," Nightingale points out helpfully. "I bet Crowley would love that." He taps at Claudius' growing list. "Janet, queen of a country she'd read about in books," he adds. "Shen Qingqiu and, er, whatever happened there."

[wickedwit]

Claudius is momentarily distracted trying to piece together what a musical is, and whether it was included in any of Crowley's descriptions of the future's entertainments. "Shen Qingqiu told me about The Lion King," he says, answering the simple question. "Is The Lion King a musical, as well as a movie? I suppose Shen Qingqiu did mention there being a song or two. Wait a moment -- does my character sing in this?"

[az_fell]

"Oh, yes. It's a movie musical, which then became a stage musical." Aziraphale glances at Nightingale. He's more than glad for the distraction from thoughts of yet another unknowable and mysterious force that might govern his existence. "The costuming was quite good in that one, wasn't it? Yes, Claudius, your character sings. It's a very good song," he's forced to admit.

[rememberettersberg]

Nightingale, the pop culture black hole, sighs and shakes his head. "I couldn't tell you. I've walked past the theatre often enough to know that it exists, nothing more." He senses that Aziraphale won't be pressed much further on the subject of their investigation. "I don't recall seeing any Disney films after the first one. That must have been quite a while back." Yes, he does mean Snow White. In the 1930s.

[wickedwit]

Well, it's gratifying that the lion version of Claudius sang a very good song, at least. Claudius tries to recall the last play he saw -- the plot against his brother took up much of his free time. "I don't often find myself in a theater unless someone very charming asks me to go there with them," he says lightly. "How many musicals have you seen with Crowley, Aziraphale?"

[az_fell]

"Several," says Aziraphale breezily, as if whatever Claudius is implying is concurrently being carried away on the wind and can't possibly be any concern of his. "He's actually quite a pushover."

[rememberettersberg]

Nightingale looks between them, calculating the interplay, and barely hides a smile. "Oh, I don't find that to be true at all," he says solemnly. "I suppose you must bring out his softer side."

[wickedwit]

"It's just as I said," Claudius says, in a pleasant, easygoing manner that contrasts the intense flurry of speculation moments before. "If someone who charms and delights you and asks you to a play or a movie or a musical entertainment, you'll go for the sake of the company. Particularly if you've gone some time without seeing each other. Have you talked to Crowley, by the by?"

[az_fell]

Aziraphale eyes Nightingale and resolutely does not say Well, then I suppose I know him better than you. He's several orders of magnitude older than twelve.

To Claudius, he says, mildly and as though this entire concept was not harrowing for him to consider very recently, "Of course I have. We're friends. Is this crucial to your little investigation?" This last question is addressed to both of them.

[rememberettersberg]

"Oh, you're interested in our investigation after all?" Nightingale smiles, all innocence. "Have you met our newest resident yet? Aornis, wasn't it?"

[wickedwit]

Friends is a victory Claudius happily takes. He can't help but grin at how Nightingale's playing this, but he has the decency to hide it with a hand passing his mouth. "The jurisfiction agent, yes," he agrees. "And the reason I'm making this little list."

[az_fell]

Is that a distant pinging sound, like the pager Crowley briefly carried and insisted was the cutting edge of fashion and technology...? No, Aziraphale must be imagining things.

"I haven't had the pleasure. Aornis?¹ I can make a guess, but what in the world is a jurisfiction agent?"

¹There it goes again! Maddening.

[rememberettersberg]

"Apparently her job is to catch book characters gone rogue," Nightingale says drily.

[wickedwit]

"An idea I would've dismissed out-of-hand as absurd, were we not thinking along these lines already. At this point, in order to avoid thinking of myself as a character from a fiction, I've had to come up with so many ad hoc justifications that accepting it seems simpler." Claudius nearly mutters something about fictional status again but he restrains himself. "But let's be gentler to your sense of self and say it's possible we all come from authored worlds. Crowley told me he lived through the predicted End of Days, which is more or less a plot penned by God and prophecy. He spoke quite passionately against letting such things rule our lives. You'll find many others here who were once set on some pre-determined path -- those are the paths I'm afraid a book-policing agency will lead us all down again. I'd rather we figure out how deep this connection goes before she does."

[az_fell]

"A book-policing agency," says Aziraphale with simultaneous skepticism and distaste. "Book characters gone rogue." He draws himself up a bit with enough assurance that one might be able to see the principality shining through the absent-minded bookseller. "Crowley isn't the only one who lived through an intended apocalypse. That little debacle involved horsepersons of the apocalypse, the Voice of God, and the Antichrist himself, and yet the world didn't end, did it? Can a jurisfiction agent arrest an angel, do you think?"

[rememberettersberg]

Nightingale feels that little shiver that comes from being in the presence of true power, the prickling of the short hairs on his arms and the back of his neck rising. He inclines his head respectfully. "We are very lucky to have you both here," he says, plain and sincere.

[wickedwit]

“Agreed,” Claudius says, with some appreciation. “I underestimated you, Aziraphale. We’ve a powerful ally in you — all of us, here, in this mansion — and I’m thankful for your assistance and protection.”

[az_fell]

"Ah, yes, well." Aziraphale waves a dismissive hand. He has a great deal more on his mind, suddenly, than magical texts from other worlds or whether he should ask Crowley to join him for a drink tonight. If anyone ought to be invested in fictional characters seeing out their plots, it should be him -- but these people are, abruptly, real, or real enough. Claudius is Crowley's friend¹. Aziraphale likes Nightingale very much. Ineffability, all over again.

"I'll need to speak with Crowley about this," he says, then.

¹Sigh.