If he notices the change in attitude — and, admittedly, it's hard not to — he doesn't draw attention to it. There's no need for him to dig into whatever fight she thought he was going to pick. Besides which, he's done this enough times by now to not be surprised at her answer, but still be, you know, disappointed about it. If only John Silver hadn't picked a legitimate gap in knowledge to set in his hands, and then give him the choice to do something about it or not.
"Kidnapping, for one thing," he says, and frowns. "It's likely they've been keeping an eye on rifts to find people with shards. They seem to be interested in finding out what makes us tick, what we're able to do, and what happens when they do shit to us."
Kidnapping, for one thing; human experimentation, for another.
"If you're going to be part of the fight, you should know the risks."
Kinda buried the lede on that one didn't you, Riftwatch.
Abby hasn't got a poker face. Her expression shifts openly from surprise to an exhausted version of resignation.
"I'm already part of the fighting," she points out, and wrests her mace out of the dummy with an efficient yank, "Bit of a moot point by now, right."
It's not as if she can defect, is what she's saying. She's already got the shard, and, as she understands the current feelings toward Rifters, nobody else will have her. It's Riftwatch or trying to make it on her own, and the shard won't even let her do that without wounding her for it.
"Are they targeting new Rifters?" That would work much better than trying to snare people out of the Gallows. When she first arrived she was disorientated and weaponless and it would have been easy to kidnap her if Laura hadn't been there. "What can we do about it?"
She's quick on the uptake, following through the implications. He doesn't know her well enough to have expected that on experience; he did, but from Ellie. He has an idea of the kind of Earth they both came from. He has an idea of how it's shaped its young people.
He considers, briefly, saying no one's going to make you fight. But he knows she has to have heard that by now. He knows how little difference it made for him. There's no real point to the repetition.
He nods, and says, "We're working on it. My division has worked out some of the commonalities between where rifters are likely to show up, and we've been setting up a network to tell us when that happens. If you're interested, you should ask the Provost about it."
Abby mulls this over for a moment, glancing down at her weapon, where her hands fit side by side on the grip. She thinks of how Laura received her, answered the questions that she had one by one, and gave her something else to grip tight to keep from falling in over her head. It was helpful. She's grateful to have had that.
She could provide that to somebody else.
"Okay," she says. Shrugs a shoulder. "I'll get in touch."
And then, because she needs to know the answer to this, "Why am I only finding out about this now? Somebody higher up have a guilty conscience?"
— is said with a wry eyebrow raise and a shrug. Maybe not an entirely fair assessment of the way John had reached out to him and asked him to rectify this gap in knowledge, but he nevertheless doesn't feel much like he was given the reason, himself.
"Someone realized that you all hadn't been told, if nothing else. I was asked to fix that."
"Someone," Abby repeats, tone flat as the ground. Is he being vague on purpose? Or does he think that she doesn't care, because she'd very much like to know who suddenly, helpfully, 'realised' nobody had been told.
It isn't kind to shoot the messenger, but he won't tell her who to aim at.
"Is somebody making sure this changes in future, and new Rifters are going to know about this the moment they arrive in the Gallows?"
It's more that she's the first to really ask. Most have been more interested in the news than the source of his quest. Or, in the cases of Ellie and Gabranth, more concerned for him.
"You'd have to ask John Silver." After a beat, he also adds, "Madame de Cedoux has been working on putting something together since Kostos's announcement."
Petrana had mentioned working together with Kostos on this, but he's not about to send someone to Kostos for information.
"There's a proposal that'll be going to the division heads."
"I will." Honestly, he needn't worry, it's a fairly empty threat. Abby knows the irritation will burn off and leave behind the plain fact of the matter: if John didn't know they didn't know, he didn't fucking know. Not a whole lot she can do about that. She's on the back foot and she doesn't like feeling like that. That's all.
A sigh is heaved.
"Right. And I'm sure that will pass through the system by tomorrow, instead of in a couple month's time."
She should be angry, is the thing. She's right to be angry. He would be, in her shoes; so the reaction isn't unexpected, and doesn't go unsympathized. Besides, like, if someone goes to kick John's ass about this, he won't exactly be mad about it.
He shrugs, tone dry as he says, "Yeah, I'm talking to you because I'm a real believer in the system taking care of things."
Which isn't an indictment of Riftwatch, specifically, so much as any bureaucracy. Point is: he doesn't disagree. He wouldn't have felt so compelled to take up this job if he trusted that it'd get done, when it hasn't already.
This time, she snorts, and gives him a rueful look.
At least he understands. Can't be nice, having to have this chat with everybody. She can think of more than one Rifter that will give him shit in return.
... Does Ellie know?
Who fucking cares.
"You got a list to get through, or something?" How many people has he already spoken to, and how many more does he have to go? Mark her down as curious and nothing else.
Have you seen what happens when announcements are made to groups in Riftwatch, Abby.
If the answer comes a little unexpected, it's only because he's still trying to reconcile the evil alien army-leading Loki that Tony's told him about with the well-mannered man he's met here. It makes sense that Loki would know people, would've made friends, but the thought's still weird.
Though maybe it shouldn't be. He's found Loki pretty likable, despite himself.
"I've talked to him." He'd taken it pretty well, all things considered, though it's not like Jim has an image in his mind for what not well would look like. He hasn't talked to Astarion yet. "I don't intend to let anyone else be left in the dark for much longer."
Edited (changes my mind several hours later don't look at me) 2021-12-12 14:33 (UTC)
Also: bad people deserve to have friends too, don't be rude.
"Good." This is in response to both statements. It eases her a lot to hear that Loki already knows about this, especially because now Abby wants to gossip with him, "If I think of anything else I want to ask, can I contact you?"
Or would he rather fob her off. Left unsaid, only implied.
Answering questions, now or later, is just an extension of this responsibility he's taken upon himself. At least, as far as he's concerned. Any time may sound like a pleasantry, but Astarion (for instance) would be able to verify that he picks up his crystal at all hours no matter how late it is. When does he sleep? Don't worry about it.
"And if you ever want to ask me something in person, my room's on the fourth floor of the old mage tower. My door's usually open."
She's standoffish so it won't be readily apparent, but this answer does endear him to her.
"Okay," she says, adding, "Appreciate it," like it's an afterthought. She probably will come to chat with him in person, though it won't be on Astarion's recommendation thanks.
"I'd better let you go." Except that it's a clear dismissal, because she has a lot to process, and she'd like to do that off the training grounds where she'll only distract herself with her mace and some unlucky target.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
no subject
"Kidnapping, for one thing," he says, and frowns. "It's likely they've been keeping an eye on rifts to find people with shards. They seem to be interested in finding out what makes us tick, what we're able to do, and what happens when they do shit to us."
Kidnapping, for one thing; human experimentation, for another.
"If you're going to be part of the fight, you should know the risks."
no subject
Abby hasn't got a poker face. Her expression shifts openly from surprise to an exhausted version of resignation.
"I'm already part of the fighting," she points out, and wrests her mace out of the dummy with an efficient yank, "Bit of a moot point by now, right."
It's not as if she can defect, is what she's saying. She's already got the shard, and, as she understands the current feelings toward Rifters, nobody else will have her. It's Riftwatch or trying to make it on her own, and the shard won't even let her do that without wounding her for it.
"Are they targeting new Rifters?" That would work much better than trying to snare people out of the Gallows. When she first arrived she was disorientated and weaponless and it would have been easy to kidnap her if Laura hadn't been there. "What can we do about it?"
no subject
He considers, briefly, saying no one's going to make you fight. But he knows she has to have heard that by now. He knows how little difference it made for him. There's no real point to the repetition.
He nods, and says, "We're working on it. My division has worked out some of the commonalities between where rifters are likely to show up, and we've been setting up a network to tell us when that happens. If you're interested, you should ask the Provost about it."
no subject
She could provide that to somebody else.
"Okay," she says. Shrugs a shoulder. "I'll get in touch."
And then, because she needs to know the answer to this, "Why am I only finding out about this now? Somebody higher up have a guilty conscience?"
no subject
— is said with a wry eyebrow raise and a shrug. Maybe not an entirely fair assessment of the way John had reached out to him and asked him to rectify this gap in knowledge, but he nevertheless doesn't feel much like he was given the reason, himself.
"Someone realized that you all hadn't been told, if nothing else. I was asked to fix that."
no subject
It isn't kind to shoot the messenger, but he won't tell her who to aim at.
"Is somebody making sure this changes in future, and new Rifters are going to know about this the moment they arrive in the Gallows?"
no subject
"You'd have to ask John Silver." After a beat, he also adds, "Madame de Cedoux has been working on putting something together since Kostos's announcement."
Petrana had mentioned working together with Kostos on this, but he's not about to send someone to Kostos for information.
"There's a proposal that'll be going to the division heads."
no subject
A sigh is heaved.
"Right. And I'm sure that will pass through the system by tomorrow, instead of in a couple month's time."
no subject
He shrugs, tone dry as he says, "Yeah, I'm talking to you because I'm a real believer in the system taking care of things."
Which isn't an indictment of Riftwatch, specifically, so much as any bureaucracy. Point is: he doesn't disagree. He wouldn't have felt so compelled to take up this job if he trusted that it'd get done, when it hasn't already.
no subject
At least he understands. Can't be nice, having to have this chat with everybody. She can think of more than one Rifter that will give him shit in return.
... Does Ellie know?
Who fucking cares.
"You got a list to get through, or something?" How many people has he already spoken to, and how many more does he have to go? Mark her down as curious and nothing else.
no subject
"I do." Then, "There someone you're worried about me missing?"
Is there anyone else from their home here? He hadn't even thought to ask Ellie about it.
no subject
It seems weird that this is happening on a case-by-case basis anyway. Why not gather everybody into one place and let them know at once?
no subject
If the answer comes a little unexpected, it's only because he's still trying to reconcile the evil alien army-leading Loki that Tony's told him about with the well-mannered man he's met here. It makes sense that Loki would know people, would've made friends, but the thought's still weird.
Though maybe it shouldn't be. He's found Loki pretty likable, despite himself.
"I've talked to him." He'd taken it pretty well, all things considered, though it's not like Jim has an image in his mind for what not well would look like. He hasn't talked to Astarion yet. "I don't intend to let anyone else be left in the dark for much longer."
no subject
Also: bad people deserve to have friends too, don't be rude.
"Good." This is in response to both statements. It eases her a lot to hear that Loki already knows about this, especially because now Abby wants to gossip with him, "If I think of anything else I want to ask, can I contact you?"
Or would he rather fob her off. Left unsaid, only implied.
no subject
"Of course, any time."
Answering questions, now or later, is just an extension of this responsibility he's taken upon himself. At least, as far as he's concerned. Any time may sound like a pleasantry, but Astarion (for instance) would be able to verify that he picks up his crystal at all hours no matter how late it is. When does he sleep? Don't worry about it.
"And if you ever want to ask me something in person, my room's on the fourth floor of the old mage tower. My door's usually open."
no subject
"Okay," she says, adding, "Appreciate it," like it's an afterthought. She probably will come to chat with him in person, though it won't be on Astarion's recommendation thanks.
"I'd better let you go." Except that it's a clear dismissal, because she has a lot to process, and she'd like to do that off the training grounds where she'll only distract herself with her mace and some unlucky target.