[closed] well this was unexpected

[atouts]

Who: Jonathan Strange & Childermass
Where: Trailer #19
When: After Strange signs on with the carnival.
What: Two old acquaintances having a chat about all these extremely poor life choices.

[ Picking up from here. ]

Comments

[atouts]

[ When he steps in, he's already drawn himself up and squared his shoulders as if expecting a fight, for some reason or another, but when all Strange does is ask about the book with teeth? Childermass pauses, giving him a suspicious look, and then he lets go of all that tension.

He's only been reading the Realm of Dream and carnival notes. That's good. Of course, it's not going to stop him from closing the door a little harder than necessary and marching straight on over to grab the second, older book of notes right off the table. He's pocketing that one, thanks, and no doubt planning to put it well out of reach, somewhere. ]

It's a book. It has teeth. What else is there to know? [ Okay, sounding a little grouchier than is normal there, and definitely not returning any smile whatsoever (as if he ever would, anyway, but still). ] Which mirror did you come in through?

[kingsroads]

[ Strange definitely notices Childermass grabbing the second book, the one written in gibberish, off the table almost instantly. Well then. That book has instantly become a thousand times more interesting. What could possibly be in there to begin with?

Though, that little petty part of Strange is taking great pleasure in the fact that he's managed to bother Childermass yet again. Hopefully no one back home will figure out that's it's really quite easy to prod the other magician into almost losing his cool. ]

The one in the bathroom, [ Strange casually mentions, before going back to the monster book. ] I assume one can read the book in the first place, but how precisely do you do so without getting bit?

[atouts]

[ How to make Childermass lose his cool: show up mad and unexpected at a carnival in Faerie, proceed to invade his space abruptly via mirror. Thankfully, the rest may find that act a little difficult to follow. Strange will have to cherish today, as he does not plan to be thrown so off balance again. ]

Hm. [ He'll take a quick look into the bathroom at the offending mirror. How easy would it be to take that down, he wonders. ] You stroke the spine of it. [ And there, a real answer. He turns back towards Strange again. ] Provided you can pick it up without it latching on to begin with.

[kingsroads]

[ He will relish this day for the rest of his life. Guess what Norrell, Lascelles, and the rest? He successfully annoyed Childermass.

Stroke the spine. Huh. He can do that! ] And the book's located in the menagerie? We should have gone there on our tour!

[atouts]

[ Joke's on Strange, all of those people have managed it far more often than Strange ever has. It's just it comes out as very dry sarcasm instead of, well, actually seeming bothered. ]

You already know why we did not go. [ Someone messed up. Does he really need to remind him? Anyway, he'll pace back though the trailer towards the door. ] If you plan on reading through the rest of that, I can leave you to it. I do have a few other errands to see to this evening.

[kingsroads]

I'll simply leave it on the table when I'm finished, [ Strange explains, with a nod. Because yeah, he is totally reading through the rest of that. ] That is, unless you want me to leave it somewhere else?

[ No matter what, he's gonna keep poking at Childermass's stuff and probably accidentally rearranging things in the trailer for better access to poke at Childermass's stuff. ]

[atouts]

The table is fine.

[ Just put it back where you found it or so help me-- uh, yeah. It's not like he won't find it again there, anyhow, and now that the older notes are safely away, there isn't anything for Childermass to worry about. Nearly everything else in here happened to be the Doctor's, not his, and a search will turn up basically nothing of interest.

He's never owned very much. That's not about to change here.

Even so, he does hesitate at the door, if only for a second or two. Then, he gives Strange a parting nod and is on his way. Now, he has a stage manager to track down... ]

[kingsroads]

[ The parting nod is met by Strange giving Childermass a little nod as well. And then, the other magician heads out.

Thankfully, Strange doesn't leave the trailer TOO much of a mess. The book's left on the table but some of the Doctor's clutter has been shuffled around, in different places. The dreamcatcher's been taken down and (thankfully) put back up.

The biggest thing is the trailer's short a few writing utensils. Sorry Strange stole a pencil or two. He'll pay Childermass back eventually hopefully. ]