Florian will hear a soft 'mrow' at the door several moments before Archer opens it. The cat is there, of course, hovering behind Archer's heels, and he gestures for the other to come inside. Archer's space is clean, as always, and the scent of tea is immediately recognizable. There are a few sweet treats on the table as well, but more importantly, there are two files on the table. One is noticeably larger than the other.
"I've already read your file, as you requested. You're welcome to look through it yourself if you want."
A pause.
"Getting through mine could take some time so I hope you let Johann know you may be here a while."
Florian flutters into the room, a floating flower on a placid lake, and he'll sit down like an automatic movement. The larger file is picked up and he doesn't open it before looking over at Archer, watching him.
"I did, of course. And I'll read through both, but I'd prefer to read through yours first."
He's going to be fixated on the cat for just a moment before giving her the petting she so richly deserves, his other hand focused on turning pages as he reads through the file folder. He'll do Archer's first, then his own.
Archer makes himself scarce while Florian is reading. He spends his time cleaning the kitchen, as he said he would be - though it seems to be taking a rather long time.
In truth, he’s doing a deep cleaning - moving things, wiping down walls, scrubbing the interior of cabinets and appliances.
Eventually, he finishes, but he still doesn’t come out. He’ll be in the kitchen reading a book whenever Florian announces he’s done.
Florian isn't going to announce anything because he's going to spend some time playing with the cat and digesting what he read for a while, making sure that he's calm and settled and mentally picking out all the pieces that he would have adjusted and changed if he knew that Archer hadn't read it, the name that he'd remove.
The cat, of course, is delighted. Florian has a good bit of time to play with her before Archer finally emerges. He looks at Florian, looks at the files on the table, and then has a seat.
Florian doesn't say anything either. He... is going to play with the cat. Nuzzle up to her when she pokes his nose with her nose. Rub her ears so carefully. It's clear that he's learning what she likes most as he goes and adjusting.
She seems to very much enjoy being rubbed and scritched behind her ears, and for his efforts, Florian is rewarded with lots of purring. Archer watches this go on for a short while before he breaks the silence.
“I found her, you know. Almost three years ago now, in the back alley of a city we’d made port in. She was a messy, half-starved little thing, but she was never afraid for some reason I couldn’t quite fathom. I’d never had a pet before, but I picked her up anyway.”
“That was my plan, yes. To request the Admiral restore the full range of your abilities for practice here with me in my cabin and in your own cabin. Outside those areas, you will have full access for the purpose of self-defense only. Your ability to manipulate others bodies and minds will remain limited to consent only, and for now, anything that involves the plague you were working on will not be accessible.”
He allows a pause for all that to sink it.
“I’m open to other ideas on those points, but I believe it’s a fair place to start.”
"Worked on," he corrects smoothly, "the work was done. I had no real wish to work on it further. I was intending to release all strains on Elendhaven if only to confuse those who might work towards a cure. The separate versions were primarily to understand the potency properly to distribute them properly."
"I am your inmate. You have read my file. I assume you have opinions. I should like to know what you want of me given the objective and your new information."
Archer regards Florian silently for a moment. Considering.
“The file, truthfully, didn’t change my overall opinion of you. Or the thoughts I already shared with you during the flood. It filled in some gaps for me and clarified a few things - but if you’re expecting me to tell you that you were wrong to be angry about what happened to you, to your family, you will never hear me say that.”
Because Archer is also angry. His rage was the only thing that kept him going too, for a long time.
“For you to make progress, I suspect it has less to do with feeling remorse over what you’ve done and more to do with charting a path forward. Because I believe it’s fair to say you haven’t lived a truly full life - and in many ways, it is because circumstances made that exceedingly difficult.”
"Then I suppose you will be glad to hear that I do intend to graduate," he says, and the words aren't empty or pointless. He says them because he means them and he wants Archer to be aware that he will try, that he intends to try, that he is not content to stay as he was, to remain here, to waste his time.
"Though I have one other stipulation on my request: that I may defend others." A pause. "You can hardly expect me to stand there and allow Johann to be cut down over and over simply because they only aim to harm him."
“I am glad to hear it,” he says, and he means it sincerely. He is fonder of Florian than most people he’s met since coming here, and it would make Archer happy to see him living a better life.
To the other matter, he lets out a soft hum.
“A fair point. I’ll make sure my request to the Admiral includes an allowance to defend others, not just yourself.”
"...one other matter: the matter of a balance between us. Payments. Transaction." He looks at Archer and Archer may notice how his hands curl inside his gloves, how he keeps them at his side and not in his pockets or behind his back.
"Given our new arrangement, I would... propose that the balance be nullified. So as not to muddy the water between us or provide false positives in my progress. Would you agree to this?"
Archer does notice. He says nothing about it, though.
“Yes, I would. To add to that, I would also say we should proceed with lessons as we have been. I see no reason to change anything we’ve already been doing.”
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"I've already read your file, as you requested. You're welcome to look through it yourself if you want."
A pause.
"Getting through mine could take some time so I hope you let Johann know you may be here a while."
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"I did, of course. And I'll read through both, but I'd prefer to read through yours first."
Don't worry, he's a fast reader.
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"As you like, then. I have some things that need cleaning in the kitchen, but you can let me know when you're done."
Sekhmet jumps up next to Florian and rubs up against his arm.
"Help yourself to some tea."
He'll wait and see if Florian has any questions, but after that, he'll leave Florian to sort through...well. The mess that's been his life.
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In truth, he’s doing a deep cleaning - moving things, wiping down walls, scrubbing the interior of cabinets and appliances.
Eventually, he finishes, but he still doesn’t come out. He’ll be in the kitchen reading a book whenever Florian announces he’s done.
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He doesn’t say anything. Not yet.
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“I found her, you know. Almost three years ago now, in the back alley of a city we’d made port in. She was a messy, half-starved little thing, but she was never afraid for some reason I couldn’t quite fathom. I’d never had a pet before, but I picked her up anyway.”
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His hands won't stop petting her so gently, his gloves put to one side. He likes the feel of her fur.
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“She’s still brave now, I would say. Even with something to lose.”
A pause.
“Are there any questions you want to ask me?”
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He leaves the topic of the cat alone. He could say more, but it feels... unnecessary. Giving her attention, however, is necessary.
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He allows a pause for all that to sink it.
“I’m open to other ideas on those points, but I believe it’s a fair place to start.”
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“It is a precaution only.”
He expects Florian will understand the reasoning without it being explained.
“Are the terms I laid out acceptable?”
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"What do you want from me?"
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“Explain to me what you mean by that question.”
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"I am your inmate. You have read my file. I assume you have opinions. I should like to know what you want of me given the objective and your new information."
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“The file, truthfully, didn’t change my overall opinion of you. Or the thoughts I already shared with you during the flood. It filled in some gaps for me and clarified a few things - but if you’re expecting me to tell you that you were wrong to be angry about what happened to you, to your family, you will never hear me say that.”
Because Archer is also angry. His rage was the only thing that kept him going too, for a long time.
“For you to make progress, I suspect it has less to do with feeling remorse over what you’ve done and more to do with charting a path forward. Because I believe it’s fair to say you haven’t lived a truly full life - and in many ways, it is because circumstances made that exceedingly difficult.”
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"Though I have one other stipulation on my request: that I may defend others." A pause. "You can hardly expect me to stand there and allow Johann to be cut down over and over simply because they only aim to harm him."
Another pause.
"Or another I might care for."
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To the other matter, he lets out a soft hum.
“A fair point. I’ll make sure my request to the Admiral includes an allowance to defend others, not just yourself.”
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"Thank you, Herr Archer."
A pause.
"...one other matter: the matter of a balance between us. Payments. Transaction." He looks at Archer and Archer may notice how his hands curl inside his gloves, how he keeps them at his side and not in his pockets or behind his back.
"Given our new arrangement, I would... propose that the balance be nullified. So as not to muddy the water between us or provide false positives in my progress. Would you agree to this?"
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“Yes, I would. To add to that, I would also say we should proceed with lessons as we have been. I see no reason to change anything we’ve already been doing.”
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