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Following the events of checking on a crumbled tart, later that evening.
The drive home had gone well, even if he had a stowaway with him. Though it wasn’t one he minded terribly, the alien cat was more than pleasant and understanding of his need for quiet and space. Once they settled on his couch, he went back to the small chess table and looked over it and the pieces that he had left when his cousin had called him to help. It had been a night full of interruptions but for once, he wasn’t as annoyed by them. If anything he was more than willing to assist with the tart of theirs, someone he’d heard about and been interested in finding out more about after seeing how his cousin seemed to be even more restless than he’d seen them before while they were being an idiot.
It had started with a message from his cousin, letting Lorcan know they were going to try talking to that tart while he was finishing up at work. It had been something that they’d talked about weeks back but he was surprised it had taken his cousin this long to go about it. Then from there, it was one surprising text after another, like watching a trainwreck in slow motion and it had him both curious and annoyed while he was at work the following morning. The explanation of how the tart had been nearly killed by a corrupt senshi, something that solidified his distrust of the chaos-aligned witches even more, and then how they turned out to be one of those corrupt senshi. The force with which he palmed his forehead probably had been heard by patients in the waiting but he was too focused on the words as they came in rapid fire on his phone between appointments and checkups. Then when photos of injuries had come later in the evening after work, he had gone and helped. Meeting the Frenchman had been quite a bit different than they had expected, they were much more reasonable than he had guessed they would be.
His cousin on the other hand had been a nervous wreck but everything he saw made the decision he had made about nudging his cousin toward this path feel a bit better. If they were, in fact, a reasonable individual it would be good for his cousin. Maybe for his own stress levels when it came down to it too because if they could keep his cousin out of trouble then that would help bring back some of the schedule he was used to having. So now as he sat back at home with the mauvian on his couch, he contemplated his options and how best to approach this situation.
He was betting just a bit of his sanity on things working out, more so since they were a senshi now too on top of the other things he hadn’t liked hearing about them. But for now, he knew his cousin would be all too busy watching over them to get in any trouble which was a win in his book. Even if they had offered them a starseed he knew they’d more than likely be down for the count for a few more days.
It gave him time to look over the small sprouting plants he had in his small backyard, something he never would have dabbled in until his cousin had asked him for help and brought him a small greenhouse kit. It was… going as well as it could be, at least it was a hobby that note-taking and patience worked well with. Each plant was like running a smaller little experiment that he could at least be a bit hands-off on. Green leaves gave way to a few small flowers within the greenhouse and he took photos and measurements before hanging the clipboard back up on the little hook and heading back into his home. There was a vague idea of what he’d have to order for the plants but he would wait until Alexandre and René came back over tomorrow. He’d ask then because he knew the distraction and focus on plants would be good just in case things weren’t healing as well. It was a balancing act he’d added on with his usual methods of misdirection and yoyoing with his cousin. Getting them distracted and tripping them up with things always led him to the answers he wanted, it had just been a matter of sliding back into his old habits with them.
Even now as he made his way through his house and turned the lights off, he could see the small little changes in his normally meticulously organized home. Small little plushies of various diseases rested on his bookshelf almost haphazardly and the chess table had been moved slightly out of place here and there when his cousin would give up or get frustrated over things. Small little changes that he had started to get used to now that people were showing up at his home more often. It had felt a bit encroaching at first but at least there was an understanding of his rules so he was getting used to the interruptions, though Katya had been a welcome surprise. She’d offered a bit more information into things both with the Negaverse as well as his cousin, all from a position not as tainted with emotion or personal experiences. Sure it helped when they told him things but Alexandre was a lot to handle when they got too into how they felt, it was more than he was okay managing and the detailed reports and information the Mauvian provided were much more his speed.
Making it to his bed, he pulled up the most recent file he’d been looking into that they’d given him. It was a thin one, something about youma and an event that had really made a mess of his cousin. Just the thought that someone could make another individual into a youma felt both horrific and interesting to him. It wasn’t something he could approach with Alexandre though, this would be something he would have to do some of his own legwork on once he was a bit more involved in the Negaverse. Youma were creatures, maybe more akin to monsters but they were more solid in his mind than magic and he was very interested in the fact that he could ensnare one and have it work with him on things. It was something to think about, he had time until he would even be able to wander into the Rift without someone guiding him.
Flipping through the pages as his mind considered approaches and possibilities, Lorcan continued to build a small set of procedures he’d make sure to follow when it came time. Building up his awareness and fighting capabilities were a large part of things, that he was more than aware of after seeing how Chalcanthite and Benitoite had gone at things when his cousin had started that fight in the middle of the night. It had been a show, something he’d not expected after witnessing how things went during their normal civilian lives. Maybe the fighting style from his cousin but not the use of multiple weapons by the taller general. It was something he wanted to look into as well after he acquired his own youma. They’d clued him in just a bit about that during a follow-up appointment where he’d checked their lungs out again. It hadn’t been the best of news he’d provided for the man but it was at least something they needed to watch and manage. It was a bit of back and forth, with the talk being kept to work both in the mundane or otherwise. He’d picked things up from them as well, some worrisome things about how they managed and handled things. But it wasn’t something he would bring up to anyone, procedure wouldn’t allow it unless certain circumstances changed. It was another bother but unlike Alexandre, Aloysius kept to a schedule and showed up on time as well each and every time and never overstayed.
Laying back and turning the light out, he set his alarm and set the file back into the drawer of his nightstand. There would be more to look over in time, things he wanted to pursue once he was more able to do so. It was all a matter of finding the proper way to proceed while keeping that balance between his work as a doctor and his work as an officer. Things had been pulling him more into his work as an officer but when it came down to it, he patrolled with the intent to do no harm to those he drained and offered those who were beyond help a way out of their suffering. It felt right, felt like something that just clicked into place with his experience and mindset. The only thorns in his side were the senshi from order and the less-than-pleasant senshi that also worked alongside the Negaverse.
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