Log:The Best Connections

2020/06/15 Radical|Connor Cartesian|Randal Grimm

1

Grimm is visiting with Randal a few days after getting to enjoy his scotch. It's an odd sight, but Gabrielle and Randal are both enjoying a quiet time in his study with the shades open this early evening. The sun hangs low in the sky, filling the study with warm light. Each has a cup of tea, and each are reading quietly. Gabrielle's reading is much ligther than Randal's, focusing more on magical lore, rather than the more mathematical intense theoritical stuff that would be up Randal's alley. She has her goes off and is curled up a bit in one of the high-backed chairs, turning a page before reaching for her tea. She's just keeping Randal company this eve, while Connor is off procuring permissions from Eleanora.

Randal gets up...and puts the volume he's reading away...and grabs another. He takes a seat again and starts to leaf through the book. There's a sound at the front door, as it opens and closes. Connor's voice calls from the front room, "Randal, you here?"

Grimm sips her tea, reading something that most certainly won't drive her insane, but entails rituals of warding. It's a bit heavy in reading, but not for someone like the Durans. She looks up in surprise. "We're in the study," she calls back.

Connor walks back to the study and pokes his head in. "Hey there." Randal waves, "Just doing some research about wards. I got distracted and started reading about cosmic entities."

Grimm chuckles and waves to Connor, smiling. "I'm still trying to comprehend this book. I'm a much slower reader than Randal." She glances Randal's way. "Which cosmic entities caught your fancy?" she asks warmly, genuinely interested.

Randal smiles. "Well...I had forgotten that there were actually entities of Balance. Not just the Lords of Order and Chaos. I was thinking that we should look into them a little more."

Grimm's eyes light up at that. "Really? I had no idea. Never heard or encountered the before. But that sounds like a good thing to look into. I wonder how they deal with all of this Chaos and Order stuff? Or...do they work through agents, too?" This thought makes her look over to Connor in consideration.

Randal shakes his head, "No agents. That I can find a mention of."

Connor smiles. "Well, we might be able to nail that down for sure. I got permission to head to the library. But...I needed to vouch for you both. And...keep an eye on you."

Grimm's eyes light up at the news. "Awesome, no way. You got it?" She looks to Randal excitedly. "Oh man, you're going to love it!" She's positively beaming. She closes her book, but keeps her finger in place as a bookmark as she looks back to Connor. "Keep an eye on us? I promise to be a good girl," she smiles slyly. "And I'm sure there's nothing to worry from Randal."

Connor chuckles. "I'm just relaying what I was told. I don't expect issues."

Grimm chuckles as well. "Well, maybe I can't promise I'll be good. But I promise I won't steal anything or cause trouble."

Randal smiles. "Hmm...any book ever written, huh? That should be entertaining."

Grimm ponders, "Does that include any books that -will- ever be written?"

Connor blinks, "I'm not sure. I think so? But I don't really know for sure.

Grimm finishes her tea and smiles. "Well! Maybe there's a book about you genealogy in there. You were curious about that, right? Or maybe an autobiography of your life, written by you when you're retired."

Connor raises a brow. "That...is an intersting idea. I'll need to look into that.

Grimm taps her nose knowingly. "If they really do have books yet to be written...you could plan to write that autobiography so it's there for you to find." She gets up to put her borrowed book back on the shelf. "But...where's the fun in knowing everything's predestined? Then you're just...going through the motions, yeah?"

Connor shrugs, "I suspect...that it changes when things change. Books likely appear and disappear? I think we'd need to talk to Eleanora in person to get clarity on it.

Grimm nods. "I'd love to find out. And I think I better make sure I don't write any books unless it's going to save the world," she smiles, not really thinking that's seriously needed, and then looks to Randal. "So what would be the first books or sections you'd want to check out?"

Randal lets out a long whistle. "I'm not sure. I'll have to think about it. 'Everything' is an awful lot.

Grimm smiles in delight. "Well, we could make a day or more of it? Bring some snacks, let you indulge. I'm sure I'll find stuff to entertain me."

Connor smiles. "I'm not sure snacks are allowed. It's a library."

Grimm rolls her eyes. "Pfffft, I'm sure I could smuggle some...thing....right. I said I'd be good," she says sheepishly, already caught being bad. She clasps her hands behind her back. "Okay, I won't do that," she says to Connor innocently. Somehow that makes her seem more guilty.

Connor smiles slightly. "I can check to confirm, though."

"What? You don't think I can be good for a day?" Gabrielle laughs.

Connor shakes his head, "No, but you wanted to bring in snacks. So I'll check the rules on it." He smiles again.

Grimm chuckles and smiles. "I wanted this trip for Randal. I can hold off on snacks, it's fine."

Randal smiles. "Well, thank you. I've always wanted to visit it. I'm a little surprised that I never managed to go there previously."

Grimm brigthens up at that. "Me too, actually. I figured you'd know it for sure. I only learned about it relatively recently. Quite some time after we worked together when you were the Cartesian."

Randal nods. "I was aware of it, but never had the connections that allowed me to go, unlike Connor, who apparently schmoozes well." He smirks.

Connor laughs, "I'm not exactly great with that, but I did manage to meet the right people."

Grimm laughs at Randal's schmoozing comment, eyes sparkling in amusement as she looks over at Connor. "He does have some good connections."

Grimm adds playfully, "For example, he's related to you."

Randal smiles. "So true. And I am one of the best connections."

Connor chuckles and grabs the remaining chair, finally sitting down. "Both of you are, actually."

"The very best," Gabrielle beams. "Do you need a refill of your tea? And do you want some tea, Connor?" she offers. She looks surprised at Connor's counter. "What, me?" she chuckles, not sounding convinced.

Connor furrows his brow but he smiles, "Yes, you. You're awesome, Gabrielle." He thinks about it, "And yes...some tea would be nice. Thank you."

There's a pause as Gabrielle's caught by surprise by the compliment. "All I've done is cause you trouble. But I'll take the compliment," Gabrielle chuckles. "And I'll do my best to be a good connection. I'll go fetch the tea. You two relax!" There's something a bit odd about her sudden urgency, wanting a chance to retreat to the kitchen to hide her embarrassment.

Connor chuckles and starts to chat with Randal a bit regarding the cosmic entities of Balance. Grimm can hear a litle bit of the conversation in the other room. It sounds like they seem to be pretty mysterious and hands-off.

Grimm gets a moment to compose herself while prepping tea. She makes two cups. A fresh one for Randal, and a new one for Connor. While she steeps the tea, she dwells guiltily on how she was to Connor back at the start. She quickly clears her thoughts as the tea finishes steeping, then returns with two cups and a smile. "I figured you needed some more, too, Randal," she says as she hands Connor his first cup.

Connor smiles. "Thank you." Randal also accepts his cup with a smile. "Thank you. That was very thoughtful."

Grimm smiles as Randal takes his cup as well. "You're welcome," she says before heading over to her chair and sitting down to pick up her tea cup.

Connor smiles, "So, Gabrielle, what would you read at the library, since you can read...anything?"

"Hmmm," Gabrielle ponders on that. "Honestly, I think ...I'd research more about DEMON and the morbanes. Maybe with access to the library, I can learn about this Pale Night entity Lereau seems to worship."

Connor smiles. "An interesting choice. I like it."

"Well, it seemed practical. It's only a matter of time before Lereau makes a move. What about you two?" Gabrielle asks with interest.

Connor thinks about it. "Some original writing by Euclid or Euler. Less practical. That's more just...something I always wanted to read."

Grimm smiles. "Doesn't have to be practical. It can be for enjoyment, too. I usually read up books and tomes on magic, lore, and other dimensions when I'm not studying crime." Despite her looks, she's actually pretty studious. She looks over to Randal. "What about you? Cosmic balance entities, I'm guessing, but what about for yourself?"

Randal rubs his chin, "I'm still not sure. For a fun read, something like...the original version of The Three Musketeers. But for something useful, probably something about DEMON."

"Oooo, The Three Musketeers? Good choice. I'm curious to read The Count of Monte Cristo. I liked the movie," Gabrielle confesses. "I doubt they let you check out books, right?"

Connor chuckles. "No, you can't take the books out."

Grimm sips her tea thoughtfully. "Didn't you say something about time traveling differently there than here? We're not going to go in for a few hors, and come out three weeks later, are we?"

Connor shakes his head, "Other way around. It's longer there than it is here."

"Oh, wow. So we could spend hours and it'd be less here? Nice," Gabrielle smiles cheerfully. "Not that I have any obligations officially to worry about right now."

Connor raises a brow, "When are you picking up classes again?"

Grimm shrinks a little into her seat as her feet draw up into the chair. "I...don't know. I haven't looked into it. I wanted to take a bit of a vacation after all that happened. Just...be normal. No danger. Relaxing. You should, too. You've earned it. Maybe that trip to Scotland you were talking about."

Connor nods as he thinks about it and sips his tea, "A good idea. Now that the pressure's off a little, I could head there later this summer."

Grimm smiles. "Yeah, totally. Kick back and relax. Read in the highlands. Stay in a castle. Visit distilleries for scotch tastings and bring us back some of the good stuff," she laughs and looks to Randal to shoot him a wink.

Connor smiles. "You know what I want to try? Falconry."

Randal chuckles. "That does sound cool, actually." He sips his tea.

Grimm's face lights up and she leans forward in interest. "It totally does. You should do it. That sounds fun."

Grimm says, "I'm curious why the interest, but I'm 100 percent behind this."

Connor shrugs, "It's just kind of...like...old world, you know? And I've never done it.

Grimm nods and smiles, thinking on that. "That sounds awesome. I'm sure they have that there, and probably places around here, too. Maybe horse back riding and archery, too?"

Connor nods. "They might. I guess I could check around for local places."

"Definitely. You've earned some kick back time," Gabrielle smiles as she insists. She looks to Randal. "What about you? Anything you've always wanted to do? Somewhere you've always wanted to go?"

Randal rubs his chin, "I'd say Egypt, but I've been there. Well, as the Cartesian. I didn't get to tour around, so maybe there first? Australia?"

Grimm cracks a smile. "If that was the same time I took you, then yeah...not exactly a pleasure trip. Australia? Cool. Maybe New Zealand while you're in the area. Though I imagine we could spare you a long cramped flight."

Randal nods, "Yes, you were there, Gabrielle. I remember it well." He chuckles quietly. "Avoiding a long flight would be appreciated."

"Of course. Save your money. I'll help you get around if Connor's busy," Grimm offers sweetly.

Connor smiles. "With me, he'd have to head to another dimension first. I can't actually just travel to the other side of the planet without going somewhere else first.

Grimm looks surprised at that. "Really? Well...if it's easier, I could offer either of you transportation."

Connor chuckles. "Why are you surprised by that?"

Grimm scratches the back of her head in thought. "I...don't know. I knew you could teleport. I just assumed you could go long distance like I could."

Connor chuckles. "Not yet. I should correct that, but it will require some research. My teleports are actually pretty short ranged."

Grimm blushes a bit. "I didn't mean to imply that was a bad thing or you weren't good enough."

Connor laughs. "I didn't take offense. Relax."

Randal chuckles quietly as well and smiles.

Grimm tries to relax, realizing she was a bit physically tense. She leans back in her chair. "Okay, good. Sorry. I'm used to accidentally offending people," she smiles.

Connor gasps, and says in mock disgust, "How DARE you!" He then laughs, unable to maintain it.

"See, that's what I expect!" Gabrielle laughs, fully relaxing now.

Randal chuckles. "Hang on. Why do you think you offend people often?"

Grimm chews on her lower lip. "I...don't always think things through. Like when I offended Connor while shutting Amelia down on...something."

Randal shakes his head, "Connor can take offense easily." He smiles and glances at his nephew. "How about other people?"

Connor furrows his brow, "I don't. Really."

"In Connor's defense, I really said something I shouldn't have and didn't mean. Amelia was making some rude comments after summoning me to her penthouse to ask for me help and suggested I sit in Connor's lap when offering me a seat," Gabrielle admits, curling a little bit into her chair. "Since I was in Connor's class at the time, I knew something like that getting around could cost him his job, so I snapped back with the first thing that came to mind to shut that down, and said he wasn't my type. Without thinking about how that would make him feel."

Connor nods slowly as he listens and sips his tea.

Randal nods. "Well, I'd have been surprised if he WAS your type. Seriously."

Grimm tilts her head. "Why's that?"

Randal just raises one eye brow and smiles, "Because I can tell these things. My ways are mysterious."

Grimm laughs a bit. "I don't just go for guys with piercings and tattoos who like to party all night long, ya know."

Randal nods and smiles. "I'm not saying that."

Grimm chuckles. "I'll have you know I've been enjoying spending quiet evenings with a guy watching old 1930's and 40's classics."

Randal looks surprised at that. "Who do you know that actually likes films from that era?"

Grimm pretends to look offended. "Hey, I know people. He's a detective with the CBPD."

Randal chuckles. "I stand corrected, then."

"Well...sit. But you get the idea."

Grimm cracks a grin. "So there." Her offense is gone. "But I -will- unlock your mysterious ways, Randal."

Randal chuckles. "Oh please. It's just a guess."

Connor smiles and listens to the banter as he sips his tea. "Mmm." He just looks happy to relax.

Grimm chuckles, then eases up a bit. "Well, I think you'd be surprised about what my types would be." Even Gabrielle is, after running into a Porter in another dimension who her alternate self was married to. She still doesn't know how THAT happened, though it may explain why her alter is dead in that dimension. "Anyway...I said what I said in front of Connor's teammates, so he had every right to be offended. I'll never say something like that about him again."

Connor chuckles. "It's okay. And if I hadn't been drunk, I likely wouldn't have said anything about it."

"Yeaaah, I'm pretty sure if you weren't drunk, you wouldn't have texted me about it at 1 in the morning. But...the fact is it upset you enough to make you want to get drunk. And...I'm really sorry about that. And our fight," Gabrielle says, her words gentle and genuine as she apologies, and her expression one of regret.

Connor smiles. "And...I'm sorry that I took offense. But it all worked out."

Grimm smiles back warmly. "Forgiven. And yeah, it did in the end." She cradles her tea cup and sips, then looks to Randal. "So, trip to the library for you, then Egypt. Australia. The world?"

Randal shakes his head. "If I could go anywhere?" He thinks about it some more. "Antarctica. The moon."

"Antartica, I can do. The moon? I...have Starguard connections. That might be doable," Gabrielle ponders. "I can't teleport that far, but maybe if I do Connor's trick and hop dimensions out and back?"

Connor nods. "I could probably get there. But...space suits might be an issue."

Grimm smiles at that. "Well, I may be able to get us some suits. But I'd have to ask the Commander very nicely. And...he probably will still turn me own flat if I don't have a good enough reason for them."

Randal nods. "It isn't that important. Let's be honest. Then again...maybe Connor could learn some magic to do the same thing. Create a life support bubble?"

Grimm looks over to Connor with an interested expression. "Would that be an Order spell?"

Connor furrows his brow. "I have no idea. Neither, probably." He takes a moment to rub his chin, "Probably Order. IT's a matter of getting all the air molecules to remain where you want them."

Grimm cracks a smile. "Chaos would more likely create an odd vacuum while you're perfectly safe on earth."

Connor chuckles. "Probably. Like...telling all the molecules in a room to move to one side.

"Hah...good luck with that," Gabrielle smiles. "You tell those molecules who's boss."

Randal chuckles. "It...could probably be done, I bet."

Grimm's eyebrows raise at that. "I'll be impressed. You pull that off, Connor, and Randal can have that moon stroll."

Connor chuckles. "I can see what I can do about it. I'm not sure how soon that will happen, but I can look into it."

Grimm smiles. "Well, the Library trip's first. You've got time." She unfolds her legs from the chair. "Speaking of time, I should give you two some quality time alone," she says warmly.

Connor chuckles. "You don't have to leave. I'd be good with just reading alongside you two for a bit. Since that's what you were doing when I showed up.

Grimm hesitates, then smiles and sits back down. "Well, if that's what you both want." She still has her finger holding her place in the book she was reading on magical protective wards.

Randal nods and smiles, "I'm good with that too."

Grimm smiles and shrugs up her shoulders. "Well, then...cool. Thanks. I was just getting into the meaty part about these warding rituals," she says excitedly, getting herself comfy and curled up back in her seat again.

Connor smiles. "Mmm." He thinks about it...and gets up to grab one of the volumes that are up on the shelves. A smaller one, focusing on Norse mythology.