alwayskayaking | Duplicity Inbox

[Tim gives Jon an unimpressed look that might clearly read what his mind is thinking: Dude, just wear the jumper if you're cold.]

That's a good point. Besides; you're usually terrible at lying anyway. Alright, I believe you.

[Unable to help himself Tim begins to look around the room. It might not look exactly like home but there was a feeling to it that gave him just the tiniest bit of homesickness.] So, is this what you do all day? Sit locked away in a cold room, snuggled up in a comfy jumper, and read to yourself?

[Jon's look is unimpressed right back with that question.]

You used to work here. You know what I do.

[He opens his mouth all ready with a comeback about sitting around pretending to know what an head archivist is suppose to do before he shuts it. Tim knows that Jon has just done a huge favor for him and probably doesn't deserve to be teased for it.]

Yeah, but I guess I was wondering if you were doing anything differently here. Like, do you have a pile just for the really steamy statements?

[He wrinkles his nose.] I have a few boxes with cases I don't plan on looking further into due to the 'steamy' nature of the content. The cursed dildo comes to mind. It's legitimate, but I'm not looking into that.

Wait, what--- really? No way. [Tim starts to look around the room with purpose now.] You have to be kidding. [Could this be the steamy box?]

A parasitic creature that looks like a dildo and grafts itself to a host before... working the life out of them. Yes. Thrilling. Very Corruption meets Flesh. Two Fears I have very little interest in tangling with when combined.

[The boxes, sadly, are not immediately in Jon's office.]

[Tim pales slightly at the description. Although, all things considered, perhaps not the absolute worst way to go. Far from the best either.] And you haven't investigated it at all? When was your last statment about it received?

I'm one person with upward of 50 legitimate Statements and a growing backlog, Tim. [Well, and he has Gerry, but he tries not to send Gerry out on his own for things. That's how you end up with works following you home.]

That one came in last month.

Where is it? Have you talked to the person who gave the statement at all? [He won't criticise Jon's excuses because they were completely valid ones. Instead he decides to just work on a solution.] Surely they might know where that thing still is.

I haven't spoken to them, no. The number they provided was disconnected when I tried it.

[On the bright side, they're no longer talking about the jumper or playing. Jon's still feeling a little woozy and nursing a growing headache, but he takes a moment to steady himself, and then stalks out of the office, motioning for Tim to follow. He leads the other man to a shelf where a few file boxes are sitting. Jon opens one of them and pulls out a folder after flipping through some.]

There. Millicent Brown. Her partner is the one who was taken by the parasite.

Millicent Brown. [Tim repeats absent mindlessly to commit the name to memory. He doesn't wait for permission. Instead coming in and taking the folder. Already starting to quickly scan the papers inside as he leafs through it.] Any other statements that link to it? [Later Tim might look back with wonder at how easily he fell back into this roll in this moment. There had been a bit of a learning curb with the publishing job he took in this city despite having done it for five years back home. Yet when it came to assisting Jon with his archive work it seemed as simple as breathing.]

None that I've seen come in on a skim. I haven't looked at the ones for the past week, though. I've been busy looking for a cursed teapot. Grows fungus inside people who drink tea from it. It's been found, smashed, and buried in many pieces in different parts of the city to prevent it pulling itself back together.

You're welcome to go through the latest. That's the box I keep the new arrivals in. I've already pulled out the ones that are complete nonsense.

I think I will. [Tim will quickly get himself comfortable with the statements. Sitting down to read through them, making notes on a notepad he's gotten from somewhere, looking up some details on his phone. He's completely focused on his work that he will be leaving Jon alone up until the point he says goodbye. Leaving because he has some leads he wants to follow up.]

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cw: body horror, parasites

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cw: body horror

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