Welcome to Gaia! ::

Paper curled in one hand, the vial in his pocket, Aloysius unlocked the door and stepped inside quickly before locking it behind him. That nervous energy was spiking through him periodically ever since he’d seen that name on the page of Amazonite’s book a few weeks back. That mirror had shown him something; it had been for a reason, and he’d been so close before that world-ending creature had descended from the sky. But only now, with time to look into things, could he do something with the tools he had at his disposal.

Pulling his hand back to smooth his bangs out of his face, he took a slow breath to try and calm himself, even as he knew his heart was thrumming in his chest over this finding. It didn’t change the present or the future, but it did mean he had another truth to add to the facade he held up in front of order. A new angle, something more substantial and irrefutable, because who else would know besides himself?

Scanning the main room, he made sure Agatha and Desiree were out of sight before he walked with purpose to his office down the other wing on this first floor. Considering how Agatha had gotten to this point, he felt it best not to let them in on this potential discovery. So once he stepped into his home office, he closed the door as quietly as he could before going to the shelf and pulling down a fresh notebook.

Sitting in his chair, he set the notebook, scrap of paper, and vial down in front of him as he tapped his foot anxiously on the ground. Each of the things looked harmless enough, but he took a moment to focus and transcribe the name from the paper into the fresh notebook. It was a curiosity, something that didn’t mean much to anyone else, but as he picked the vial up and uncorked it, he felt like this was a risk too big to take compared to how he normally operated.

Before that thought stopped his current actions, he closed his eyes and downed the vial before leaning over his desk and resting his head in his hands to try and think.

It didn’t come as sharply as he thought; it rolled in like the coming tide and washed over him.

Something was wrong; he had to hide it, to keep it somewhere safe after he was gone. A glance at the mirror, one last look over things before he turned away, carrying a small box. “Somewhere they won’t know…” It wasn’t easy considering how many people passed through here for lessons or to work in the designated workshops within these halls.

Water was rising, now ankle deep, as he turned towards the heart of the building. Everything moved quickly, even as water rushed in and doors broke from the pressure of the coming tide. A painting stared down as he moved it and hid the box behind it and sealed it away. Then the wall of water hit him, and everything snapped away.

Gasping, Aloysius coughed as he tried to get water out of his lungs; water that wasn’t there or even in this time period. It took a moment for him to compose himself, his hands shaking lightly from whatever had just come to him. That hadn’t been him, not in any real sense, but it was something to consider, and he hurriedly sketched down shorthand notes on what he’d experienced.

Ripping up the small piece of paper, he shoved the scraps in the vial and hid it in the back of the top right drawer of his desk before locking it once more. Another few moments passed as he saw a ghost of a face when he closed his eyes. It felt familiar, but he couldn’t place it, only feeling something tugging in his chest as he saw it.

Then things started to feel like they were settling down as he sat in the quiet of his office, looking down at the notes he’d written before pulling a card from the locked drawer on his left. Almadel… that troublemaker, he could get anywhere, couldn’t he?

Running his thumb over the embossing on the card, he started to formulate a plan as he heard a door opening and shutting nearby. Liam was probably done with work and cooking now.

Tucking the card back away and adding a few more notes to his notebook, he then tucked that away as well before locking the drawer once more.

How quickly they were here startled him, though, considering what had just happened, he was sure anything would have startled him. “Of course, one moment, darling.”

Taking a quick look over his desk, it was clear of anything incriminating for the moment. He felt fine enough about that to get up and wander over to the door and open it for his husband. Looking at the tray, he smiled and held the door open to let them in.

It looked good, something that might help him feel a bit more grounded in the here and now while he considered things. However, he didn’t think it wise to include Liam in them just yet, especially with how they wanted to throw caution to the wind when it came to matters relating to order. With a smile, he went to pull one of the other chairs over to the small coffee table he had on the right wall from where his desk sat.

“Thank you for the tea, I could use it with how cold it was this evening coming home.”

The suggestion they offered made him smile more earnestly, appreciating the thought of them keeping him out of the cold and away from whatever might pop up and stress him this time of year. “If it gets colder, I believe that would be a good idea, or you and Desiree could come and pick me up if you let me know ahead of time.”

He’d leaned forward to grab the small plate of cake before he froze. “Oh?” Thumbing at the corner of his mouth, he looked down and saw a drop of golden liquid that just barely glistened with lingering magic. Freezing for a moment, he then brought it back up to lick it away. “Just a bit of something I had to drink earlier.” Though he shivered slightly as something flickered in the back of his mind for a moment.

“Cold, the tea should help, though.”

Going for the cup, he was glad for the warmth it offered as he stirred it to disperse the sugar before he sipped at it. “The stew should be nice, something warm for everyone here, and probably enough leftovers to portion out for work?”

Getting a bit more comfortable, he leaned back in his chair and pulled at the ribbon at the end of his braid. “At least nothing more has come for us this season… Though I worry it may have hit others harder because of it. Sakura seemed particularly out of sorts when she spoke with me recently.”

There was still that smallest bit of nervous energy trying to rise back up as he looked over at his spouse. That same tug in his chest as he’d felt earlier, making him wonder if this hadn’t been the first time they’d ended up together. It was poetic, something he quite liked, but if he hadn’t been able to find out about things without help, he doubted such questions were on their mind.

“Of course, in and out with little chance of something unpleasant happening.” Sighing lightly as he spoke, he knew that this was just the first part of this seasonal unpleasantness. Though compared to years before, this had gone smoothly if he was being honest. Nothing had caught either of them, something he was thankful for since the Hollow had truly put things in perspective.

“Sounds lovely, I might have to keep them with me instead of putting them in the staff fridge, or else they might get eaten by someone else,” he said with a laugh. It had happened a few times, but it never bothered him, though he knew it might bother his husband if they found out he wasn’t eating well enough.

“We should, once things reach that calm between storms, so maybe not tomorrow. I have some things I need to update them on as well once Desiree and I finish working on it.” And it would give him time to set things in motion to talk with that mysterious merchant.

Leaning into the kiss, he smiled. “Alright, we can bring some food and desserts to them tomorrow, then check on them all once more after I finish with some new things. I never really set things up with this many people in mind, so I am glad to get something worked on to lighten the load.” A little more leeway for him so that he could streamline his schedule without wasting time or energy. But it would take some time, something that there was at least more of with Liam helping and the semester’s end drawing nearer.

Raising a brow slightly at how his husband was showing off a bit, he leaned into them a bit more and rested his head on their shoulder. “Now now, if I have avoided resolving any workplace issues without youma, you can manage sitting back on things as well if something gets eaten.” Plus, there was a risk of being powered up without Desiree chaperoning, which could lead to someone figuring out what they both did outside of their normal everyday lives.

“Something small, nothing too complicated if you asked her.” And nothing he wanted out and about more than just with his team. With the mention of some more mundane solutions, he nodded along as he closed his eyes while leaning on them. “Some things along those lines, though, power banks might not be a bad idea. There is plenty of time to sort it out. For now, we can just enjoy the little bit of calm between storms.”

Reaching up to play with their hair lightly, he was glad that the questions were off target. With how things were, he knew it could go bad very quickly if his husband knew he would be poking into more things in space. It was best for Liam to stay here, in their home, where he was safe and Aloysius knew where he was.

Hearing that tiredness from his husband was new, something that maybe was because he was rubbing off on them after the years, or because they’d gotten to see firsthand why he hadn’t enjoyed any of the holidays that brought magic with them. “The spa could be nice, we can book it here soon.”

Shifting a bit more, he laid down with his head on their lap as he looked up at them. That tired look that he had wasn’t something he liked to see on the usually optimistic husband of his. But when they mentioned gifts and holidays, he could tell they were sliding back into their usual way of thinking. It was charming that Liam wanted to help, even if he preferred to have more control over things.

“Something to look into, though heaters might not be as useful while out and about. It might be better for something like those hot hands or a pocket-sized warmer. But there is plenty of time to manage all that, right now, just focus on me.” Reaching back up, he poked at their cheek before closing his eyes again. “I think it may be a good idea to turn in early. I had a busy day.” There was a lot to think about, so he would head off a little earlier to get time in his office at the university to think things over alone.