midsomergm: Insects drone a steady, rhythmic chord in the otherwise still night air, and the tall, stout pines creak together quietly; joining in the impromptu choir...
midsomergm: As Thomas steps down off the porch and back into the forest, Morna returns inside, and closes the little white chapel door. midsomergm: [that's just background stuff.. he can be further along or whatever.. don't let me screw you up!]
nerwen_green: After a brief glance backward, Thomas moves silently into the forest and begins walking toward home.
midsomergm: The walk back home is uneventful: he would encounter only ordinary forest creatures, and these at a distance.. When Thomas reaches his house, everything appears ordinary at first glance.. however, the front door has been unlocked, possibly by force.
nerwen_green: Thomas blinks as he notices the front door, his hand pausing on the knob as he freezes. He opens the door very carefully and steps back in anticipation of any assault.
nerwen_green: (the door opens inward)

AgujaCabra (10:46 PM): The lights are dim inside the front room, and it does not appear that anything has been touched or removed . However, sitting quite unobtrusively in one of the living room chairs, his back slightly towards the door, and his head propped neatly on one pierced hand; there is a spry, by now familiar figure.. . Chauncey lifts his head absently as he hears the door swing openŠ
NerwenGreen (10:46 PM): [*groan*]
AgujaCabra (10:46 PM): [hehe... sorry :/ ]
NerwenGreen (10:48 PM): Thomas stops just inside the door and stares at Chauncey, speechless, his hand continuing to rest on the knob of the open door.
NerwenGreen (10:50 PM): [just a general side note :p ... I've been walking in the shoes of an extremely paranoid character from my city for the past week or so :p]
AgujaCabra (10:51 PM): Softly humming to himself, Chauncey lets his fingertips trail lightly across his face.. resting the palm over one eye, so that he may look through the hole at one of Thomas' Native American paintings. Slowly relaxing into the chair, he moves his fingers a bit to gesture Thomas into the room.. "how lovely of you to drop by again.. are you coming inside? "
AgujaCabra (10:51 PM): [hehe... poor paranoid character.. ]
NerwenGreen (10:51 PM): [hehe poor me trying to remember that Thomas is supposedly quite calm during new moons ...]
AgujaCabra (10:52 PM): [well.. it is a strange thing to find]
NerwenGreen (10:55 PM): After a long moment, Thomas slowly closes the front door and steps slightly more into the room, his hands in his jacket pockets. He continues to regard Chauncey with a hard look. "What brings you to my haven?" he calmly inquires.

AgujaCabra (11:01 PM): Swiveling his head to look at another painting a bit sideways, Chauncey peers through the faint light-- very softly commenting to himself '.. I do not see that, no. ," before straightening his head, and turning to look back at Thomas out of the corner of his eye.. "the question posed is: what brings 'I', Chauncey, to your 'Thomas'" haven.. " He pauses a long moment, before continuing thoughtfully.. ".. it is your visitor to my home that has brought me here-- you had been searching for something of me, so I
AgujaCabra (11:02 PM): have come to see what it is you want.. "

NerwenGreen (11:06 PM): Still watching Chauncey, Thomas turns to look suspiciously toward where Chauncey is addressing the air. "Are you here alone?"
AgujaCabra (11:10 PM): Rising easily from the chair, Chauncey quietly paces a small patch of floor: letting his gaze wander aimlessly across the length of the room, before turning towards another chair, and lightly sitting himself into the cushion... "is there someone that you see here, besides myself.. ? ... it is usual for the mind to play tricks. . "
AgujaCabra (11:11 PM): [did Thomas shut the door, or not?]
AgujaCabra (11:12 PM): [oh nevermind]
NerwenGreen (11:12 PM): Thomas remains motionless near his door, hands still held casually in his jacket pockets, studying Chauncey seriously. "The fact that I am .. unable to see others in the room .. does not preclude their presence. Are you here alone or are others here as well?"
AgujaCabra (11:16 PM): ".. the presence of one, or another, is largely a matter of interpretation, " Chauncey responds wistfully, tilting his head at Thomas in thought.. ".. there is no one I see, here, in this room... this does not preclude their presence."
AgujaCabra (11:19 PM): [I wish I could see if you were typing.. that is a darn useful feature. I'm nervous that my things aren't coming through tonight :/ ]
NerwenGreen (11:22 PM): Continuing to stare at Chauncey for another moment, Thomas finally nods slightly in acknowledgement. He takes another step into the room toward Chauncey, coming to a stop when he reaches the back of the chair across from him, still eyeing the room warily. "It is customary for callers to wait outside until invited in," he says calmly.
AgujaCabra (11:26 PM): Letting his eyes fall shut for a brief, meditative moment, Chauncey drapes an arm casually over the side of his chair.. reaching lazily for the floor, and trailing his index finger along in a short line, while he mulls briefly over Thomas' statement. After a pause, he props his chin on the armrest, looking over to Thomas.. "It is also customary to work with the po-lice, if you wish to engage in spying... is it not? ... I tend not to concern myself with formalities."
NerwenGreen (11:28 PM): "Would you have preferred that I set the police after you for what you did to your 'friend'?" Thomas asks in a faintly bemused tone.
AgujaCabra (11:33 PM): "I do not believe that is why you were looking in on my evenings-- to ensure the safety of every visitor to my home.. . " he returns calmly, though with a certain, challenging edge to his words... Propping himself on an elbow, and leaning back into the chair a little, he continues thoughtfully.. ".. you may send the police to apprehend me, if you wish. this would be less objectionable than sending these birds."
NerwenGreen (11:35 PM): "Really." Thomas raises an eyebrow at him. "You seem to like birds, and birds seem to like you. I had no idea you would have preferred law enforcement. I shall keep that in mind in the future."
AgujaCabra (11:40 PM): Resting his cheek slightly on the back of the chair, Chauncey laughs softly to himself-- the feather-light sound breaking off into a giggle at the very end, as he closes his eyes again in a slow blink. He sits perfectly still for a moment... ".. it was inconsiderate to request a bird look into my personal affairs.. I am certain it had other plans for the night-- I do not see that variety so much in the park, but he was so eager to converse with me.... . " Chauncey smiles softly at the thought,and continues,
AgujaCabra (11:40 PM): "however... as we are here, together, by happenstance, tonight.. what is it that you are so curious to know.. ? "
NerwenGreen (11:43 PM): Thomas smiles wryly and considers the question for a moment. "While it would be amusing for me to continue evading your questions as you did mine two nights ago,

NerwenGreen (11:48 PM): "... I suppose you would prefer straight answers for a change." He pauses, studying one of his wall hangings for a moment. "A straight answer for a straight answer, then. Tell me, how was it that the bird was eager to converse?"
AgujaCabra (11:54 PM): Sitting perfectly for a heartbeat, as his eyes continue to trail curiously about the small room, Chauncey lifts a hand to his forehead again.. staring meditatively between his fingers.. ".. it was not evasion when we spoke; " he furrows his brow slightly, "... you neglected to find what it was I meant. . but I had no intention to 'evade'." Chauncey falls quiet another moment, considering the second half of what Thomas has said. ".. if you have spoken with the birds, you understand part of them-- you can
AgujaCabra (11:56 PM): push aside human tongues, and tap... " he taps a little on his forehead, and moves his hand to rest on the arm of the chair, ".. into that consciousness.... For them to naturally follow, without words.. that is similar."
NerwenGreen (12:00 AM): Thomas considers this for a long moment, not speaking. "The bird had agreed not to speak to you," he comments finally.
AgujaCabra (12:03 AM): Looking at Thomas steadily, he cracks a very slight, bemused smile.. " .. do you imagine that promises exist to birds? will they vow love, or friendship, or food to one another, and remember this when it is time to mate, or quarrel, or feast? ... it is an easy thing to ask a bird what it wants, and find an answer without ... evasion. "

NerwenGreen (12:11 AM): Thomas steadily returns his gaze, considering his words thoughtfully. "You are not describing a discipline that I am familiar with."
AgujaCabra (12:17 AM): Running his finger along the chair arm quietly, Chauncey continues to look directly at Thomas; slowly easing [~his] head into a tilted position again, but continuing to stare.. " first one learns to speak; then to beckon; then to calm;.. it is sharing thoughts that approaches what I meant; then calming oneself. . The language you learn next is an extension of what has preceded it."

NerwenGreen (12:26 AM): "I see," Thomas replies quietly. He turns away from Chauncey to look out his front window. He remains silent, lost in thought, for a long moment. Then he blinks slowly and returns his gaze to Chauncey. "I am curious about you because you are a curious individual. However, I sent the birds because others are also curious, and you would not answer my questions directly."
AgujaCabra (12:33 AM): Lowering his eyes to the edge of his knee, Chauncey continues to quietly worry the armrest with a finger, as a thin gauze of ebony hair slumps forward over the edge of his face... hiding part of the intricate designs. . ".. who is it that you find curious? Kethar is not a curious man .. " he smiles a tiny bit, adding quickly.. "oh, I did not converse with his bird.. I do know you found one, however... your curiosity in him may return some response.. "
NerwenGreen (12:35 AM): Thomas raises an eyebrow at him. "Who is Kethar?"
AgujaCabra (12:39 AM): Chaunce blinks thoughtfully at Thomas, muttering something to himself silently, and raising a hand to brush the hair back from his eyes... "that is the first name of a man, that you had .. become curious about. .. were you watching as well the night before this one? .. that is not known to me... *If* perchance you had eyes assigned then, you know that I visited Kethar and became a guest at his appartment, last night. . "
NerwenGreen (12:42 AM): "Ah, I see," Thomas replies. "I am curious about Kethar only because I am curious about you." He pauses to consider Chauncey's response some more. "What sort of response might I expect from Kethar, should he notice the bird?"
AgujaCabra (12:50 AM): Pausing the hand his his temple, Chauncey leans into the brace of his arm slightly, and turns his gaze apart from Thomas to trail across the room once more.. He barely seems to have registered Thomas' words, and there is a significant pause before he replies in a soft, peculiarly listless tone, " Ohh.. it is a preoccupied man you are looking into-- I doubt he will notice, and should he... given the pattern, will .. simply neglect to mention it to anyone again. . " Humming again quietly, Chauncey relaxes a
AgujaCabra (12:50 AM): little more into the seat.
NerwenGreen (12:55 AM): Thomas watches Chauncey relax for a long moment. After a brief pause, he slowly removes his jacket, folds it over the back of the chair in front of him, and carefully sits down. "That is good to know. I would prefer not to have more unexpected visitors."
AgujaCabra (12:59 AM): Continuing to hum a random tune, quietly, just beneath his breath, Chauncey allows the comment to sit without response for a prolonged time.. After several long moments, his tune cuts off abruptly, and his shoulder line tenses slightly, as he looks up again.. ".. you have looked into Persival before. . I advise that you not.. develop a curiosity concerning him. "
NerwenGreen (1:03 AM): Thomas raises an eyebrow at him silently, not speaking. "Is he dangerous?"

[Nov. 16, 2002]

AgujaCabra (11:24 PM): Slowly turning his head to regard Thomas, Chauncey's hand slips back in place over one eye, and he blinks meditatively through the open circle. "Š it is not that Persival poses a danger himself; I do not know what your capacities areŠ and the individual danger of a man depends largely upon his opponent. ," he allows his head to tilt a little more to one side, staring steadily at Thomas.. "he is simply not someone that you should focus on."
NerwenGreen (11:25 PM): "And why would he not be someone to focus on, then?"
AgujaCabra (11:26 PM): Whistling quietly, and closing one eye while continuing to stare evenly through his hand, Chauncey responds a trifle wistfully after a moment, " similarly, it is not a topic I should focus on."
NerwenGreen (11:29 PM): Thomas leans back slightly in his seat, raising an eyebrow as he continues to gaze steadily at Chauncey. "Ah, I see .. he has something to do with shipments then?" Thomas asks rhetorically, with a wry smile.
AgujaCabra (11:35 PM): After a brief pause, Chauncey's other eyelid opens again, and he blinks slowly at Thomas.. a hint of confusion slipping over his gaze, as his hand slides off the side of his face to rest casually against the chair arm.. ".. it is curious that you take an interest in the shipments .. is it an extension of your curiousity in myself.. ?"
NerwenGreen (11:37 PM): Thomas considers the question for a long moment. "No," he says finally. "Not originally. There are others who are curious, however, as I mentioned before."
AgujaCabra (11:42 PM): Leaning back against the firm seat cushion, Chauncey closes his eyes a moment in thought.. ".. These, curious others.. would they include your friend Shepard? I find him not so curious as we have used the term previously-- but in being a 'state' of curious, I do know he visited the railroad. "
NerwenGreen (11:45 PM): Thomas's expression becomes more wry as he continues to regard Chauncey. "Indeed," he answers cryptically, with a small smile.
NerwenGreen (11:47 PM): [I can have him say more - wasn't sure if he'd want to respond to that or not]
AgujaCabra (11:52 PM): Though his eyes remain loosely closed, Chauncey's expression hardens slightly, and shifts a bit in the seat.. tiredly leaning his head on the back. ".. you are outside events, while existing on the cusp of the inside.. if it is Shepard who had the.. initial curiosity you are researching. ... but you should not focus attention on these persons and items that he may choose to look in on. "
NerwenGreen (12:00 AM): Thomas studies Chauncey without speaking for a long moment. Then he says, "I merely wish to know whether you are a threat, as others seem inclined to believe. I myself do not believe so, but others would prefer to know more about you than I know now." He pauses to shrug slightly. "I had not planned to continue following you or any of your friends with more birds after tonight."
AgujaCabra (12:06 AM): Opening one eye to a narrow slit, and promptly closing it again, Chauncey smiles quietly at Thomas' comments, " this would be for the best... it is not useful to pry; I could not speak to you so much if too many know that you are looking about at everyone.. " the smile fades, and he falls quiet briefly, before speaking up again, almost absently.. ".. I will not tell Kethar you send a winged thing for him."
NerwenGreen (12:10 AM): Thomas smiles slightly in response. "I appreciate that." He pauses briefly, his smile becoming wry again. "Why would you wish to speak to me at all? Am I a curiosity to you as well?"
AgujaCabra (12:15 AM): Shifting to rest his cheek lightly on the chair arm, and fold a leg casually beneath his body, Chauncey opens his eyes to look at Thomas again with a slightly cryptic smile.. ".. there are certain things that I may know, that others should know.. but that cannot be told to just anyone.. "
NerwenGreen (12:17 AM): Thomas looks faintly amused. "So ... in which category do I belong? One who should know? Or one who cannot be told?"
AgujaCabra (12:20 AM): Laying his index finger over a loose strand of dark hair, Chauncey pulls a bit of it over his face.. laying still a moment. ".. I have evaded your question again." He sounds slightly confused at that, continuing quietly, "It is the ones who should know, who cannot be told... I had thought to inform you, so that you may tell those who should know.. When it is impossible for me to do so."
NerwenGreen (12:24 AM): "Ah, I see," Thomas replies as comprehension dawns on him. "Then ... by all means, inform me." He pauses and blinks in confusion as he continues to think over Chauncey's words, still looking over at him.
NerwenGreen (12:25 AM): [player's general reaction: huh?]
AgujaCabra (12:30 AM): Continuing to lie still, Chauncey blinks at Thomas thoughtfully through the thin web of hair, ".. there is nothing that I know now, but I believe there will be something to say soon... May I return here, if I do not see you in the park? It is altogether better to speak indoors."
NerwenGreen (12:34 AM): Thomas bites his lower lip as his expression hardens slightly in consternation. "You .. may return, provided that you refrain from breaking and entering," he says very quietly. Then he blinks once, slowly. "Perhaps I shall visit the park more often. I will be in town tomorrow evening and can drop by then."
AgujaCabra (12:40 AM): ".. I will not enter your home again, without an invitation.. as you will not send another bird to peek in at me.. " Smiling in quiet satisfaction, Chauncey allows himself to roll easily off the arm of the chair.. pushing himself lightly to his feet, and brushing a lingering bit of hair from his face as he casts his gaze around the room again distractedly.. ".. I have enjoyed sharing your room. thank you. "
NerwenGreen (12:44 AM): Thomas returns to his feet as Chauncey gets up. "You're welcome," he responds automatically, his smile returning slowly. He moves toward the door to open it for Chauncey.
AgujaCabra (12:50 AM): Returning to the quiet tune, Chauncey begins to hum again softly, as he comes agreeably over to the door to be let out. Pausing before he exits, Chauncey looks back to Thomas with a slight furrow in his brow.. "did you ever find your friend again? the curious man with the television prop?"
NerwenGreen (12:53 AM): Thomas pauses at the door. "Ah yes, he is still alive and well. You are curious about him as well?" He looks curiously at Chauncey. "I could ask him to come with me tomorrow evening if he has no other plans."
AgujaCabra (12:57 AM): "I have not found another friend so calm as the one you met before... " Chauncey returns, with an edge of sadness to his voice... "it is not an easy thing to find acceptable company, ... and so I am glad your friend is still functioning."
NerwenGreen (1:03 AM): "Calm?" Thomas raises an eyebrow at that. "If I am not mistaken, the 'friends' that you meet are your prey, whom you eventually kill." He looks somewhat bemused, though with the slightest hint of anger, carefully hidden. "Ryan is not that kind of friend to me."
AgujaCabra (1:09 AM): Chauncey seems slightly confused for a moment, and the furrow returns lightly to his brow, as he looks to Thomas.. "I had discussed the condition previously... he came into the park in order to find quietness, stillness.. what conversation we had is [~our] matter-- he was not cross with me, when he left." Barely frowning, Chauncey takes a step outside Thomas' house, looking up towards the pale starlight, which reflects softly against the black gloss of his hair and skin..

NerwenGreen (1:16 AM): Thomas sighs slightly in resignation. "As you wish. I will ask Ryan if he wishes to come with me tomorrow evening." He stands in the doorway and watches Chauncey depart. [assuming Chauncey has nothing further to say:] "Good night."
AgujaCabra (1:19 AM): Stepping carefully away from Thomas' house, Chauncey begins to wander off towards the town.. humming again quietly with a certain carefree innocence, as he moves off into the surrounding trees.
AgujaCabra (1:19 AM): [poof . he is gone :p ]
NerwenGreen (1:19 AM): [hehe ok ]
NerwenGreen (1:20 AM): Thomas goes back inside, shutting the door. He turns the lights on and hangs up his jacket.

[NerwenGreen (1:31 AM): yeah, half hour of chat sounds reasonable... 12:50?
AgujaCabra (1:32 AM): sure. :p ]
NerwenGreen (1:33 AM): After hanging up his jacket, Thomas goes back over to the front door and inspects the lock for damage.
AgujaCabra (1:34 AM): The lock seems to be in good condition.. there are a few minor scratches on the metal, but it still functions properly.