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the raven cycle - richard gansey iii

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Who: Gansey & You! ( OTA and closed prompts in comments)
What: October catch all
Where: The market, Wechester Enterprises, car dealerships
When: October
Warnings: None yet

Freshway Open Air Market

Shopping had never been one of Gansey's favorite activities. At least not unless a laptop and mouse were involved, but the market had a way of drawing him in after his shifts delivering fish. It reminded him of places he'd visited during his travels, markets that had been part of towns for decades or longer, or the tourist places that he'd visited when the research gave him time to explore.

Wandering along the stalls, he looked over the produce, trying to find vegetables for dinner since they would have to wait since the Barns was a work in progress as a viable farm. He selected a few oranges, enough apples to try baking, if one of them is adventurous enough, and a few other things. Turning away from a stall, his shoulder collided with someone. Stepping back as best he could, he gave the person an apologetic smile. "Please forgive me. I should have watched where I was going."

SUV Shopping

Gansey loved his Camaro. It was loud, unapologetically bright, a reflection of who he wished to be. He still wasn't certain which version of his beloved Pig had arrived after the storm, but he loved the car more than any other possession he had, except, perhaps, his journal. But loving the Camaro didn't mean that it was always the most practical car for errands. He hated admitting that, but considering life on a farm and a very persistent pet that wanted to go with him on certain errands, he had to make a few accommodations for his new lifestyle.

That meant a trip to some of the less reputable car dealerships in town. He worried that he'd get something unreliable, but maybe then he'd have more motivation to learn how to actually fix the vehicles that he owned. Roaming the lot, he stopped when he noticed an older Blazer that was one of his favored colors. Circling around the SUV, he grinned, already thinking of how it'd look beside the Pig. "Do you think a goat would be comfortable in the back?"

Wechester Enterprises

Bruce had warned him not to investigate the building, but that wouldn't stop him from visiting with Blue during his afternoons off. It wasn't as regular as his stops at Nino's. They couldn't afford the expense of eating out regularly, but he tried to eat at the cafe once a week, hoping to see her or attempt to tone down her investigations. Today he was sitting with a cup of coffee, his newest journal beside him as he took notes. When someone passed by, he looked up, searching for a familiar face, before returning to his work

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When Blue wasn't bouncing between her two jobs, she was spending all her extra time working on Out of the Blue -- which consisted of trying to snoop around Wechester Enterprises, attempting to interview anyone that she could get to stop and give her a few moments of attention, and scribbling down theories while devouring a kale salad at the small cafe.

(It was a wonder that she hadn't been kicked out of the building just yet -- Gansey had come to save her from a few altercations, thankfully.)

Dressed in what she would consider being professional attired -- which consisted of an oversized men's button-up and fishnet tights overlayed on top of another pair of plain colored ones. -- she immediately spotted Gansey from where she managed to get a few sentences out of someone leaving the building and hurried over to greet him.

"I keep getting the same cookie-cutter answers from everyone who works here. " She dropped her own notebook onto the table before plopping herself down in an empty chair. "I tried following one of those FSuperWaiter guys into the elevator, but they stopped me."

And how she didn't get kicked out then was honestly a blessing for Blue Sargent.

Looking up from his notebook, he flipped to another page, blank to record anything that Blue might have found out during her interviews. She might have caught a glimpse of Welsh written in the margins along with a few doodles of goats wearing crowns of the previous page before it was replaced with lined white paper.

There didn't seem to be any angry security guards or annoyed executives heading toward the table so he assumed that he wouldn't be needed to convince anyone to not throw them out.

Making a thoughtful sound, he decided not to take any notes on that particular development, closing the journal instead and setting it beside his coffee. "If you get the same information from multiple sources, that might mean that the information is valid, even if it isn't the answer you're hoping for." Gansey had lived with that frustration for years, paths of research that had led to dead ends. It hadn't stopped him, but after a certain point, a person had to accept certain realities. "If you force the data to fit the hypothesis that you want, then your research has no value."

Blue gave Gansey A Look at that answer -- it wasn't the kind of reassurance that she was searching for. -- before rolling her eyes and flipping open her notebook to a blank page.

"I think my problem is that I keep asking natives to the city about things. They didn't even notice that this whole place changed overnight, I don't think I should trust a lot of the things they tell me." She scribbled a few things down -- mostly having to do with Mr. Wechester being extra secretive, a man named Wayne she'd spoken to a few days prior, and a list of all the floors inside the building. They all had to connect, but Blue just needed to figure out how.

"I've only talked to one person that didn't give me the same answer, and they arrived here just like we did." The tone of her voice implied that this was no coincidence. "Any weird energy stuff?"

The look was expected, so it was ignored. Watching her flip through the notebook, he considered his answer carefully since it might influence the investigation. "Technically, we're the newcomers, not them. Nothing changed for them. We were in one place and then another. To them, there's nothing to see." At least that was the assumption that Gansey was using during his work.

He hadn't seen it until he'd talked to Bruce, but then he realized that they had been looking from only one perspective.

Noting Mr. Wechester's name, Gansey mentally winced, knowing that Blue wasn't going to like what he said next. "You shouldn't investigate him. Not yet." Eventually, maybe, but not before Gansey made his attempts at charming the man.

"I need to take more readings, away from this building to be able to start figuring out any ley line patterns. The energy isn't the same as Henrietta, but it's also not matching anything I've documented before."

Blue's features knit together in a mix of frustration and thought -- which looked more like her just scrunching her face up for a quick second -- before she nodded along with Gansey's explanation. "That makes sense, but then why aren't they more concerned with how a bunch of people suddenly appeared here? Shouldn't they be the ones questioning us about where we came from? Even if it was just polite conversation?" Blue scribbled down a few more things -- the reasoning definitely put a bit of a wrench in her whole conspiracy theory, but it was still worth putting a little more research in.

Maybe it was their presence there that was making things crazy? She jotted down the thought messily.

"Mr. Wechester? No, not yet. One of the board members is a source of mine, all my questioning goes through him first." She may be an amateur journalist, but she's trying to go through the correct channels, at least. "I want to try and interview him, but I don't think he likes the press."

From internet radio hostess, to a member of the press. Blue Sargent was really making big strides in her mind.

"Maybe different dimensions have different sorts of energy patterns. What do you think about going to that place we arrived? There definitely has to be some kind of energy out there if that's where it's bringing all of us in."

"Mr. Gansey."

Formal as ever, and with a bit of humor in his tone. Bruce stood next to the elevator as he recognized the man. He stepped away from it, giving him a bit of a smile. AT least he hadn't come with an assortment of Ghostbusters tools.

"Enjoying the tours?"

When Blue doesn't argue or seem too annoyed with his observation, he relaxed and picked up his coffee. "Why would they even notice that there's new people here. This is a city, not somewhere like Henrietta. Who would notice a new face among the crowd?" A few might notice someone they hadn't seen on their daily commute, but it'd be something shrugged off if that person even noted that there was someone new sitting next to them on the subway or the bus. "The ones that do know, the board here at Wechester, are questioning us. That's part of the reason I can't do readings anymore."

Which was slightly annoying since he hadn't been trespassing. He'd learned that lesson years ago. Always stay on public land unless he had permission to cross onto other people's property.

The idea of Blue having a source inside automatically caused him to think of Bruce and wonder if he had been talking to Blue. "I'm going to attempt to get Mr. Wechester's permission to complete my readings, but I want him to relax before I suggest a meeting." If Gansey didn't seem to be a part of the troublemakers, a harmless scholar instead of someone destructive, then he'd have a better chance at getting into the areas that would help their research.

Blue's suggestion was a good one. One that he quickly noted on the blank page, adding a notation that it had been her idea in case he needed to track its source later. "That could be true. We don't know if this world works like ours does. I've been assuming so since Ronan can still..." He let his voice trail off, unwilling to discuss Ronan's gift in a public place. "But that doesn't mean that my assumption is correct. We could go to the Information Booth. See what the readings are like. Maybe you can get our host to agree to an interview instead of Mr. Wechester."

Looking up, he quickly shifted his expression to the polite, campaign smile that he usually reserved for his mother's tea parties and other political events. "Mr. Wayne. It's a pleasure to finally see you without relying on technology."

Setting aside his journal, he let part of the polite mask slip, the smile becoming more genuine. "Could I get a tour? I thought only students were allowed behind the scenes."

Gansey made another good point. The city they were in now was significantly larger than the small town they'd come from, most people probably didn't pay too much attention to who else was bustling by them on the street, or seated next to them on the subway. She took down some of her own notes, doodling a few flowers and trees as he nodded along with Gansey's words.

"I think you'll have a better chance with him than I will." As much as she hated to admit it -- because anything that the boys could do, Blue Sargent could do just as well, if not better -- but this really was the sort of job better suited to Gansey and all his polished edges. His family had trained him to schmooze with the 1% in a way that Blue wouldn't ever be able to master.

She nodded excitedly when Gansey went along with her idea -- and expounded on it, she hadn't even thought to try and interview the man who had been sitting at the Information Booth. Blue also hadn't been the most polite person upon her first arrival, so it was probably best that she hadn't ventured back on her own.

He had given her cookies, though. So maybe she wasn't totally on his bad side.

"He's only ever been around the energy in Henrietta..." She lowered her voice to keep anyone from eavesdropping on what was otherwise private information between their friend group. "Maybe the energy here is different, but it's still enough that he can do it. I think it's a good place to start, and maybe he can tell us if there's any other place people arrive at. Connect the dots, you know?"

"Thank you for the offer, but I don't want to sell my motorcycle," the girl with the blue hair says, her voice taking on that terse tone of someone who has repeated the same thing a few times already and is losing patience with the person who won't take no for an answer.

"I bought that myself, and paid for it's customizations back home. I'm not about to part with it."

Another gentle push from the guy in a tone that says he's trying to sound teasing, and at this, Evie just crosses her arms over her chest and raises an eyebrow. Something about the look on her face, one that says her bullshit meter has filled up and she's in the mood for no more, finally shuts the man up and he heads off and back into the shop, Evie watching him for a moment before letting out a sigh of frustration.

Spotting Gansey nearby, she offers him her kindest smile and tilts her head towards the man that left.

"Word of warning; Mr Kmise is excessively pushy. This is the third time I've been here to get a car for my sister and I, and he still brings up the motorcycle I rode over on the first time I visited. I think he thinks he's doing a great job pretending it's a joke between us, but his persistence suggests otherwise."

"You'd be surprised how easy it is to find me in this building." He retured the formal smile. Ah, so someone else had the charm and knew how to run around a room filled with high end society.

"Are you a student?" Bruce had the feeling they could smudge a few rules.

"You're easy to find, if someone is allowed beyond the cafe." It was surprising that they were allowed that far considering how Blue kept pestering the employees. They were lucky they hadn't been banned from the building.

The smile gained sincerity, his eyes lighting up with the earnestness that was never faked. His curiosity was possibly dangerous, but a trait that Gansey could rarely hide. "I'm a student of many things. Currently I seem to be a student of the city, learning her ways to better understand our place in the world."

Turning away from the Blazer, he smiled and shook his head when he saw Evie. Not over her words, but at the salesman's persistence. "He tried that with me when he saw the Pig, but I told him no." Realizing that she wouldn't know what the Pig was, he pointed to the orange Camaro sitting at the curb outside the lot. The smile turned to an affectionate grin as the sun glinted off chrome and vibrant, glossy paint. "The Pig. It's odd, but I only had to tell him once."

Gansey paused, wondering if Mr Kmise was being sexist or if he'd accidentally used some form of magic on the salesman. Without the others nearby, it was difficult for him to tell which it might be. He almost offered to try whatever it was again for Evie, but he knew that Blue would have been annoyed by that offer. Evie might react the same way.

"What type of car are you considering?"

Probably because Bruce was held in such high regards. That, and he had been given the "annoying" task of dealing with the others that just appeared in the city. If he could herd them, then, by all means.

"They may need something a bit more... official sounding. Degree?"

Gansey made a thoughtful sound before taking a sip of his coffee, trying to decide what answer would fit best. Technically, he didn't have any degrees, even if he was considered an expert in a few areas. "That would depend on what subjects they're interested in. I haven't enrolled in college here." Or at home, but that wasn't a subject he'd discuss casually.

"I don't have a degree, but I'm an expert in certain areas of Welsh history and a serious student of energy theory." Ley lines technically were energy and he had been gathering information for years. Pausing, he considered Bruce and what he'd said about earning the board's trust. "Would it help if I showed them my investment portfolio from back home? It usually causes a mixed reaction."

Evie looks over at the Pig and smiles, appreciating the Camaro for what it is. It's a lovely car, for what she knows about cars, which isn't the most amazing amount. That was more Jay and Carlos' area of expertise. But she's done her research.

"Well, it's my sister and myself that I have to drive around, along with stuff for Sun and Fun photography, and my custom clothing business." Turning to look at a Jeep nearby, she points it out. "Something roughly like that."

"Well, the science people will take the latter." Bruce nodded to that. He'd vouch from him further than that. "I think us being here causes a mixed reaction. It's probably best to keep that to a minimum."

He half turned, motioning for Gansey to join him. "Welsh history. Has that helped with understanding anything here?"

"I appreciate that." He doubted that he would be of serious interest to the scientists. His work couldn't be reproduced since it was observation instead of experiment, but he did have a basic understanding of some unique fields.

He made a thoughtful sound at the idea of causing more trouble. He wouldn't do so intentionally, but he did associate with someone who was causing chaos for the Board. His knack for investing might not help sooth tempers sparked by Blue's brand of trouble. "That wasn't quite what I meant regarding the investments, but I will try to keep out of mischief."

Gathering up his things, Gansey made sure the journal was secure before picking up his coffee. He hesitated for a moment, his expression slipping briefly into something that he wasn't even certain that he could identify. Longing. Frustration. Something deeper and darker that he was keeping very carefully locked away. "Not anything related to pocket dimensions, but it's almost painful to be away from the quest."

"I'll keep working on it, but it'll take time." He probably could ask Bruce, but he didn't want to abuse that potential friendship. Bruce reminded him of Malory in a way, but without the obsession with pigeons. He couldn't quite be as open with him as he was with his mentor, but he knew he wasn't going to be treated as a child with Bruce. "We'll have to be patient or we'll end up being banned from anywhere related to Mr. Wechester."

He hoped that Blue could be patient while he slowly schmoozed his way into the restricted areas.

"I'm not certain how everything works for Ronan, but I assume from what he said about the restored Pig that there has to be an energy source." If Ronan wasn't using the ley lines or whatever it was about the Henrietta area that allowed him to dream, there had to be something helping. "That might be what connects this dimension to home." The thought of home, causing a strange aversion that had him focusing on Blue's hypothesis. "Matchy matchy. If there is another place that people arrive, we need to get readings from it as well."

"What sort of investments?" Bruce continued to walk forward. "Most of the board is on edge with how we all just showed up out of thin air. We're all mixed reactions. But, maybe that portfolio could be of interest. What's in it?"

Hm. It had been a long shot, but, it was worth asking anyways.

"Maybe something along Norse would be helpful. They have those... other dimensions on that tree thing. Right?"

"Mostly real estate. I dabbled in the stock market when I was finally allowed to trade without asking permission." No one should have allowed someone so young to make decisions, but Gansey was part of a wealthy family and knew how to say the right things to the right people. The fact that he was clever with money despite a tendency toward frivolous purchases had kept his parents from supervising his actions.

Looking around, he made sure that neither Blue nor Adam were nearby. Money was a touchy subject with them and they didn't need to know how much he had until he was gone and they inherited. Under his breath, he gave a number that was staggering even for a teenager whose family was among the nation's wealthy elite.

Quickly changing subjects, he mentally reviewed everything he knew about Norse mythology. "Yggdrasill? That might be a possibility but I thought that was different realms, like the afterlife, not pocket dimensions."

He chuckled at that. He remembers those days. The adults thinking he had no capability of grasping onto thee ideas that were present to him. Of course, it would take time and a few years to learn everything. Wayne Enterprises was more interested in getting rid of the heir than embracing him. He was the son of Thomas Wayne -- that meant he wouldn't play the games they did.

"I think it's different realities, realms, dimensions. They're all the same thing, aren't they?"

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