fluxscape | OPEN - I wanna know, can you show me?

Entry tags:

OPEN - I wanna know, can you show me?

Who: Darling and YOU!
Where: Starkbucks
When: Throughout July
What: Darling wants to hear from you! Yes you! Even you! And he isn't above a bit of light bribery.
Warnings: None at the moment, will edit if I must!

After a few days of settling in, Darling has decided it's time to gather more information about the world he has found himself in. His asking on the network netted very few results, and he can only research so much on his own. Sure, he's already got piles of notes and an apartment wall responsible for the emptying of a sizeable box of thumbtacks, but he needs More!

He understands that his reputation here is nonexistent. He doesn't have the pull he had at the Bureau, or any manner of name recognition at all - he's just a middle aged man in a lab coat and sweater vest in desert heat, doing his best to understand all he can about the situation.

That is why, now, he has set himself up in the corner of Starkbucks with a thick notepad, at least four pens, a welcoming smile, and a sign that reads:

TELL ME ABOUT YOURSELF, WHERE YOU COME FROM, AND/OR THIS DIMENSION AND I WILL BUY YOU A COFFEE!

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Doctor Darling is ABSOLUTELY for real. It's unclear whether he knows he's a bit corny and he's leaning on it to make him approachable, or he's completely oblivious and being completely earnest about it all.

Whatever the case, he flashes his friendly smile at Malcolm, looking down at his notes. "Well, not as much as I hoped, but information has a way of not telling you everything until you sort it later on."

He sticks out his hand. "Doctor Casper Darling. Specialist in Paranatural Phenomena and Dimensional Research. Newly arrived!"

Malcolm glances at the other man's hand for a moment and then shakes it. It's not like this man is even the strangest person that Malcolm has met here.

"Malcolm Bright," he replies. "Uh, forensic profiler. I've been here for almost two months."

He wonders if Darling will still be this chipper after being here for two months.

Comparatively, Darling is pretty tame and unassuming. He's noticed this, and really, it's a blessing, isn't it? His handshake is firm and kind.

"Pleasure to meet you, Mister Bright. Forensics! Fascinating field. I've dabbled, but only insofar as I have needed to."

He gestures to the counter, then the seat across from him.

"Might I tempt you for a chat? I have a running tab at the counter, you're welcome to order what you like and I will take up as little of your time as I can."

Malcolm shrugs. "Sure. I'll tell you what I can and you can maybe share if you've found out anything interesting." He's looking for answers just like a lot of people here are. As much as Malcolm likes to be a lone wolf sometimes, he realizes that they're probably going to need to work together if they have any hope of getting out of here.

He orders a basic latte at the counter, then returns to Darling's table with it a few minutes later. "Okay," he says, taking a seat across from him. "What do you want to know?"

Pleased with this, Darling prepares a clean sheet of notes while Malcolm is gone, and grins brightly when he returns. Businesslike, he gives a nod, fixing his attentive gaze upon the man across from him.

"Well, let's see. What is reality like where you are from? And how long have you been here? Both good places to begin."

He's happy that he's helping at least. Hopefully.

"I'm from New York in 2020," he replies. "Um. In my reality there is no magic, superpowers, supernatural creatures, or aliens." Malcolm comes from a very boring world compared to the places that some of the people here are from. "I've been here for about two months."

Everything helps, Malcolm! Every bit of information.

Darling jots some notes down in shorthand, nodding along as the other man talks and brightening once he finishes. "New York in 2019 myself! And in my world, people don't...think those things exist, anyway. In some cases...well, better that they don't know."

A little chuckle.

"Two months. Has it been more or less the same here since arrival? Anything stand out?"

Malcolm raises one eyebrow a fraction. "So you're saying that those things do exist in your reality?" he asks. If Darling thought that he was going to get through this interview without being interviewed himself, then he thought wrong.

"It was much of the same until the carnival arrived," Malcolm continues. "It seemed to me like that was a distraction before the glitching started."

He'd been wary the entire time at the carnival, for good reason, as it turned out.

"They may well exist in yours, too, Malcolm - for all we know, we could even be from the same place and different times. I'm still finding the best ways to tell without in-depth tests." Not a beat missed. Definitely not the first or last time that question has or will be aimed at Darling.

He nods along, the picture of a good active listener. "Yes, the glitching. What is known about that, precisely? Or what do YOU know?"

In his relatively short time here, Malcolm has already learned that there are apparently realities other than his own. People come from places where all sorts of things are real, things that do not exist where he comes from. Or, as Darling suggests, Malcolm doesn't think they do.

He's not sure how everybody in his world could have missed the existence of aliens or vampires, but it's possible.

"I know that it's extremely painful," Malcolm says, taking a sip of his coffee. "Apparently, there were some kind of transmitters that were causing it and once we destroyed them, the glitching stopped. I couldn't really tell you why any of it happened, other than my own personal theories."

You would be surprised, Malcolm, how easy it is for the powers that be to control information. But for now, Darling lets the matter slide. Other things to catch up on, here.

"Painful - yes. I've been dismantled at the molecular level before, more or less, and this compared." He says this like it had been a regular Tuesday. "Transmitters...fascinating. I would love to hear your theories on the matter, if you are...willing to share? In confidence, of course."

More or less dismantled at the molecular level? Okay. Malcolm's just going to casually let that one go.

"To be fair, I study human behavior, so any theories I might have are going to be based on that." Basically, he's not a scientist. He doesn't understand how these transmitters work. He can only guess at motive. "The culprits who placed the transmitters still haven't been identified, but I don't think we're going to find them in the general population of Haven."

Likely wise.

Darling nods at this, jotting some more notes down, mulling it over in his head. "I see. I'll have to see if there's anyone I can talk to to get some information about the transmitters themselves - anything at all, really." He pauses, flashing another cheery smile.

"And human behavior is an incredibly important thing to note. I'd love your perspective. You don't think they were placed by the townies, as it were?"

"I don't. As hostile as they have been towards us, outright attacks have been rare and usually occur when they are provoked." There are some random bands of teenagers causing havoc, but besides them, the people are mostly just unfriendly, not violent. "Plus, I don't think that the locals have the technological wherewithal or resources to build these devices." He holds up his coffee cup. "They can't even make decent coffee."

Malcolm's hands move as he talks, continuing. "It also didn't happen until the day of the carnival, which was a distraction. It could certainly be a faction of the locals who are behind it... but overall, their culture is direct. Why sabotage us with the transmitters when the could just shoot us in the face?"

It'd be an easy solution to their problem of what to do with all of the strange new people who have invaded their city.

Darling regards Malcolm with rapt attention as he explains his theories, nodding along. He doesn't seem like the type not to stop talking for long, but he doesn't interject, listening carefully...and gauging some potential. Behavior IS key, and this fellow seems to have a good read on it.

He makes a little note in his notepad, marking Malcolm as having merit in regards to the little research team he's putting together.

"You're very right. It seems like a long way around to a solution that could be much simpler."

Malcolm's glad that he can be of use. He'd argue that profilers are always useful, even if they aren't always wanted. While he mostly uses his skills to catch killers, they can clearly be parlayed into other pursuits.

"I'd be curious to learn what may have caused the post-apocalyptic atmosphere here. The locals are pretty mum about it."

In the case of Darling's line of work, knowing the patterns in which people think is immensely, IMMENSELY important. Thoughts have power, especially in numbers. Beyond that, mind you, he's just not that great at reading people himself.

"That is a bit strange, now that you mention it," he agrees, jotting a note. "But I haven't been here for very long, either."

Thought patterns are Malcolm's bread and butter. He knows that it's hard sometimes to apply the typical scientific methods to people because they aren't inanimate objects. There are always outliers in his studies. Those are the ones he has to worry about, because they're unpredictable.

"The locals are interesting. I can kind of see why they're so hostile. Life isn't easy here."

People, inanimate objects, ANIMATE objects - day in the life, really. All part of the world. Best to make sense of it.

Darling nods in agreement, tapping his pen a couple of times on the table before finally -

"You have a lot of very good insight, Malcolm. Are you already embroiled in any research here, perchance? Or is this all observational?"

"I wouldn't say I'm doing research, per say, but I've been writing things down."

'Research' to him would imply doing some kind of experiments and he hasn't gone that far. Most of his work is done by observation and then applying what he sees to known facts about human behavior. More specifically, criminal behavior in his line of work. Fortunately, his methods can be applied to any kind of human behavior.

Well, no time like the present.

"I'm actually hoping to put together something of a little team, if you're interested. Nothing formal or earth-shattering, just a few analytical minds to bounce all of this back and forth. We could use someone with your insight, if you would be willing to compare notes more often?"

His smile is a little cheesy and very hopeful, eyebrows lifted high in inquiry.

Despite the look on the other man's face, Malcolm nods. "Sure. I think it's clear that it's going to take us working as a team and sharing our various expertise in order to get out of here."

Getting to bounce ideas off of other people would be very helpful, especially because he's not very familiar with the idea of multiple universes or time travel, things that seem to be big factors here.

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OPEN - I wanna know, can you show me?

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