Maggie smiles warmly as she opens the door, gesturing him into her cabin.
The living room is off to one side, comfortably cluttered with books and
papers and knick knacks.
"Come on in. Do you have any particular tea preference?" She'll head for
the kitchen, where a plate of cookies waits on the wooden table. This room
is neat, clearly cleaned often and kept ready for use. The whole place is
homey and welcoming and lived in.
"No, thank you." The cabin is homey and welcoming and quite clearly makes him deeply uncomfortable. His posture could be stiffer, but it would require effort. Still, he follows her. Control is the key, his feelings on the environment aren't uncomfortable, at the moment.
"My name is John Mandrake." A polite introduction, more or less.
"Ah," Maggie studies him for just a second, then turns her attention to
making tea. "I can't promise the Admiral will agree to anything, but would
you like me to request that he call you John Mandrake in future
announcements?"
He offers a brief smile. It's not a warm expression, but there's very little to suggest that warmth is a big part of his personality. "Yes, if you could. I'm aware that you're not in control of the Admiral's whims." He raises a shoulder a little, far too controlled to be a hunch. "I was - adopted when I was young. I don't have an attachment to things from before that."
"Sure, I'll do what I can. Honestly, your reasons aren't any of my
business if you don't want to share them. Names are personal. People
should be called what they want to be called." Name policing has been used
for a lot of reasons over the years. Half of them are bigoted, and the
other half... really, is there any good reason not to let people
choose their own names once they're old enough to make their own choices?
"Any other requests, while I'm talking with him anyway? Is your cabin
alright? Do you have everything you need?"
"Isn't it?" A little ironic. There might be something of use in having a 'warden', but that doesn't mean not having a heavy dose of skepticism about the whole thing. The Admiral had used his name, and there's nothing but a threat in that. What exactly it is he looks for in the people who work for him, Nathaniel is still trying to work out.
"My cabin is fine. There's some stuff I'd like from home, but I understand that can be complicated."
"Can be complicated, but not necessarily. I think it would depend
on the items in question, whether they have magic, could be potentially
used as weapons, et cetera."
"Yes, I've been given to understand that the fact they're magical in nature might be a problem. I suppose some of them could probably also be used as weapons, but that goes for most things."
"I wouldn't expect anything else." He'd prefer her just to agree, but he doesn't expect it. Besides, if he can't convince his 'warden', there's little hope of the Admiral.
Maggie gets the milk and brings over the teapot, sliding into one of the
chairs at the table and gesturing John to a seat across the table from her.
"So, anything you think I should know? In case you're wondering, your
entry in the ledger of one-sentence inmate summaries says that you're 'a
devoted servant of the state.' No wardens have added additional
information yet. I do update the book and/or discuss my temporary inmates
with their future wardens, so if you want a particular piece of information
to be held in confidence, please specify that." Maggie is a licensed
journalist who carefully curates what sides of herself she shares with the
world. She's very aware of both the power of information and the desire to
control a narrative.
John looks a bit young to be a servant of the state, and she has
some concerns, but she doesn't voice any of them.
Nathaniel sits, gaze intent as his listens. He's good at keeping his face neutral, though not yet at well-practiced at hiding his intensity. He's not displeased at the entry in the ledger, he has no interest in people not knowing what he's worked so hard at.
"At least that's accurate."
Even on its own, that would make it much better than the name.
She doesn't miss how much more comfortable he was with his ledger entry
than the name the Admiral used for him.
"That's something, anyway. But I don't really believe in distilling people
down to a single sentence, so I'd welcome some more information." Maggie
props her chin on a hand.
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timeasmymeasure
no subject
Date: 2022-04-15 11:18 pm (UTC)Maggie smiles warmly as she opens the door, gesturing him into her cabin. The living room is off to one side, comfortably cluttered with books and papers and knick knacks.
"Come on in. Do you have any particular tea preference?" She'll head for the kitchen, where a plate of cookies waits on the wooden table. This room is neat, clearly cleaned often and kept ready for use. The whole place is homey and welcoming and lived in.
no subject
Date: 2022-05-07 08:32 am (UTC)"My name is John Mandrake." A polite introduction, more or less.
no subject
Date: 2022-05-07 08:49 am (UTC)"Ah," Maggie studies him for just a second, then turns her attention to making tea. "I can't promise the Admiral will agree to anything, but would you like me to request that he call you John Mandrake in future announcements?"
She glances back at him for his answer.
no subject
Date: 2022-05-07 08:56 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2022-05-07 09:12 am (UTC)"Sure, I'll do what I can. Honestly, your reasons aren't any of my business if you don't want to share them. Names are personal. People should be called what they want to be called." Name policing has been used for a lot of reasons over the years. Half of them are bigoted, and the other half... really, is there any good reason not to let people choose their own names once they're old enough to make their own choices?
"Any other requests, while I'm talking with him anyway? Is your cabin alright? Do you have everything you need?"
no subject
Date: 2022-05-07 09:17 am (UTC)"My cabin is fine. There's some stuff I'd like from home, but I understand that can be complicated."
no subject
Date: 2022-05-07 09:26 am (UTC)"Can be complicated, but not necessarily. I think it would depend on the items in question, whether they have magic, could be potentially used as weapons, et cetera."
no subject
Date: 2022-05-07 09:29 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2022-05-07 06:14 pm (UTC)"I'd want a little more information before putting in those requests." To say nothing of whether the Admiral would grant them or not.
"How do you take your tea?" she asks, so she can get anything necessary before sitting down with him at the table.
no subject
Date: 2022-05-07 06:28 pm (UTC)"A little milk, please."
no subject
Date: 2022-05-13 03:43 pm (UTC)Maggie gets the milk and brings over the teapot, sliding into one of the chairs at the table and gesturing John to a seat across the table from her.
"So, anything you think I should know? In case you're wondering, your entry in the ledger of one-sentence inmate summaries says that you're 'a devoted servant of the state.' No wardens have added additional information yet. I do update the book and/or discuss my temporary inmates with their future wardens, so if you want a particular piece of information to be held in confidence, please specify that." Maggie is a licensed journalist who carefully curates what sides of herself she shares with the world. She's very aware of both the power of information and the desire to control a narrative.
John looks a bit young to be a servant of the state, and she has some concerns, but she doesn't voice any of them.
no subject
Date: 2022-05-13 05:02 pm (UTC)"At least that's accurate."
Even on its own, that would make it much better than the name.
no subject
Date: 2022-05-14 08:22 pm (UTC)She doesn't miss how much more comfortable he was with his ledger entry than the name the Admiral used for him.
"That's something, anyway. But I don't really believe in distilling people down to a single sentence, so I'd welcome some more information." Maggie props her chin on a hand.
no subject
Date: 2022-05-14 08:28 pm (UTC)