07-18-2016, 11:14 PM
Margot raises her eyebrows with surprise, and William shoots her the same surprised expression. Clearly, both of them were expecting to have the doors slammed in their face. He puts his hands at the edges of his vest, gives it a tug to straighten himself out and shoots his companion a look that can only be described as an excited smile. The kind of excited, though, that comes right before you jump out of an airplane. This is exciting, this is an adventure. This is the kind of story that you tell to people provided you don't get a shotgun shell to the chest while you're there.
They just got through the easy part, you see. It was all going to be increasingly more uphill from there.
The problem, though, is that Margot expected William to not be utterly enthralled with the place that they were in. His pingpong ball attention span goes from the people with him to the sheer volume of sensory input that he has to deal with. Leather couches. Globes and masks and ritual daggers with bone ivory handles sticking out of the cushions like this is just where these pieces live to a chess set that looks like someone put a little time into it but didn't have the steadiest of hands.
"I'm watching a friend's house for a period indefinite, and we both have the same interest in ritual craft and cultural practices. When he left, he took some of the more interesting pieces of his collection with him, but I've had carte blanche to peruse and enjoy the library.
"The problem is that I'm running into places where there are holes in the information. I have a theory that there is an underlying principle in ritual practices, but basically going into all of that makes me look like a conspiracy theorist and a crazy person," he says, honest as William is ever capable of being honest, but he gives a shrug and a half-embarrassed smile. Eyes go from the man to the room again, attention falling on the chessboard while he seems to be thinking. It has his attention, or perhaps it's just a place that his eyes tend to fall.
"So I figured, two birds one stone, right? Grab a friend to help with my shot-in-the-dark attempt at getting into grad school, sate my curiosity, parlay my weird rite-based obsessions into something that might actually get me somewhere. So, we talk to you, because every time I look into a place that piques my interest your name comes up and every time I ask about you in the community of people who collect curiosities and antiquities I hear that you're a big deal. I don't-"
He can't help himself at this point. He really can't. He looks back at the chess board and then at the other man. He stops again and exhales. William gestures to the chess board.
"I'm sorry, how do you play this? Its... there's no king, not enough pawns, it's hard to tell who is who- it looks difficult." Said with the sort of delight that comes from enjoying the difficult.
"I would like to learn to play this."
William @ 9:46PM
Per+Empathy: Are you on to us, Mr. Nihm?
Roll: 7 d10 TN6 (1, 4, 5, 5, 5, 6, 7) ( success x 2 )
Geist @ 9:49PM
Witnessss!
William @ 9:50PM
*fists in air*
Geist @ 9:50PM
Actually gimme ten and I'll drop you a response
William @ 9:52PM
Woo!
Geist @ 9:54PM
Nihm's interactions seem to stem from foremost assurance that this is not what it appears to be. Whether it's some superpower of old age or a discrepancy in William's story isn't exactly clear, but his attention does seem entirely devoted toward finding out what's honestly going on. The good news is, for all intensive purposes, he doesn't seem pissed off or irritated. Not anymore than he probably is at any other given time.
William @ 10:18PM
wits+enigmas: I totally can tell which piece is which!
Roll: 6 d10 TN6 (1, 1, 5, 7, 7, 9) ( success x 3 )
They just got through the easy part, you see. It was all going to be increasingly more uphill from there.
The problem, though, is that Margot expected William to not be utterly enthralled with the place that they were in. His pingpong ball attention span goes from the people with him to the sheer volume of sensory input that he has to deal with. Leather couches. Globes and masks and ritual daggers with bone ivory handles sticking out of the cushions like this is just where these pieces live to a chess set that looks like someone put a little time into it but didn't have the steadiest of hands.
"I'm watching a friend's house for a period indefinite, and we both have the same interest in ritual craft and cultural practices. When he left, he took some of the more interesting pieces of his collection with him, but I've had carte blanche to peruse and enjoy the library.
"The problem is that I'm running into places where there are holes in the information. I have a theory that there is an underlying principle in ritual practices, but basically going into all of that makes me look like a conspiracy theorist and a crazy person," he says, honest as William is ever capable of being honest, but he gives a shrug and a half-embarrassed smile. Eyes go from the man to the room again, attention falling on the chessboard while he seems to be thinking. It has his attention, or perhaps it's just a place that his eyes tend to fall.
"So I figured, two birds one stone, right? Grab a friend to help with my shot-in-the-dark attempt at getting into grad school, sate my curiosity, parlay my weird rite-based obsessions into something that might actually get me somewhere. So, we talk to you, because every time I look into a place that piques my interest your name comes up and every time I ask about you in the community of people who collect curiosities and antiquities I hear that you're a big deal. I don't-"
He can't help himself at this point. He really can't. He looks back at the chess board and then at the other man. He stops again and exhales. William gestures to the chess board.
"I'm sorry, how do you play this? Its... there's no king, not enough pawns, it's hard to tell who is who- it looks difficult." Said with the sort of delight that comes from enjoying the difficult.
"I would like to learn to play this."
William @ 9:46PM
Per+Empathy: Are you on to us, Mr. Nihm?
Roll: 7 d10 TN6 (1, 4, 5, 5, 5, 6, 7) ( success x 2 )
Geist @ 9:49PM
Witnessss!
William @ 9:50PM
*fists in air*
Geist @ 9:50PM
Actually gimme ten and I'll drop you a response
William @ 9:52PM
Woo!
Geist @ 9:54PM
Nihm's interactions seem to stem from foremost assurance that this is not what it appears to be. Whether it's some superpower of old age or a discrepancy in William's story isn't exactly clear, but his attention does seem entirely devoted toward finding out what's honestly going on. The good news is, for all intensive purposes, he doesn't seem pissed off or irritated. Not anymore than he probably is at any other given time.
William @ 10:18PM
wits+enigmas: I totally can tell which piece is which!
Roll: 6 d10 TN6 (1, 1, 5, 7, 7, 9) ( success x 3 )