"If that is what they wish, as the injured parties, then I am fine with that." He says simply, "Though, may I ask, was that your intention all along...? To sweep this under the rug, as it were, due to their wishes?"
He's growing more and more confused, and he's not bothering to hide it.
"There is no physical evidence of injury anymore, the blood on the bar can be written off as anything, I suppose..." His train of thought trails off, and he simply shrugs.
"So you are a friend of Erik's, then. I am glad he has friends who are willing to look after his best interests. I am certainly not arrogant enough to think you are doing this for me, a man you have never met, or Pyotr, a man who I know, from experience, can be an ass when he wills it."
He's starting to put the pieces together in his head. Little by little. Though he still doesn't really understand why she wouldn't be more forthcoming to begin with.
"Might I ask for your name, so if need be, I can check on the status of this investigation later on?"
"My name is Valdis, but I'll be handing this off once I finish my report and it will go away. You might get a fine at most, but a petty, albeit loud, squabble at a bar isn't news and that's how I intend to present it."
Valdis almost refuses, but the memory of Pyotr pleading for her to drop it does pique her curiosity.
"I'd like to get this settled before it takes up too much more of my time, but I am curious how you and Pyotr are connected. Off the record of course. If that involves tea, then fine."
Artemy turns around and opens the backdoor to his clinic, not inviting Valdis in, but leaving the door open. From the glimpse in, it seems to be his living area. She'll be able to hear him fixing two mugs of tea, and a kettle whistling, before coming back with two mugs.
He hands her the largest of the mugs, with a chip out of the rim.
"We come from the same world," He begins, "Pyotr wasn't born in my small town, but was already living there with his older brother when I returned from studying in the Capital. He knows of my duty to my hometown, and of my children."
He leaves the rest implied, but yes, they argued over his poor daughter, who Artemy now presumes to be dead.
Tea is usually something she does at her own home, with Fever and Max, people she wants to entertain or have a conversation with, so this seems a little off, being welcomed after essentially interrogating someone. She takes the mug, and listens.
It feels like a familiar story somehow, one that ended in someone dead and a threat with a lamp.
"I see. Is there anyone else here from your world?"
After all, Pyotr and Daniil had similar accents and way of speaking.
"Ah, yes, indeed. Daniil Dankovsky, if you've met him." He says the name with a bit more affection, something that he cannot hide, though Boddho knows, he tries, "He is better aquanted with Pyotr than I. Pyotr's twin brother and Daniil studied at the same college, I believe?"
She notes that affection, but doesn't file it away, preferring to gently press. Maybe she can learn more about Daniil from someone who isn't constantly on edge and threatening to explode.
"That would explain their similar accents, but not why you have a soft spot for him."
His face flushes red immediately. Damn his inability to keep himself composed.
"We are colleagues. Doctors both. We've worked together... I would call him a close friend, even."
Artemy does not sound convincing at all. It's not like he's lying. He's not trying to lie at all, in fact. It's something that someone tells themselves when they aren't ready to admit that there's more there, that they are indeed lovers, even if they haven't spoken that four letter word to each other yet.
Oh. It's honestly quite surprising to realize that someone could feel such things for the little sourpuss of a man. Though, she has some level of affection for Daniil too, except for her it's in the way someone would have affection for a small, wet and hissing black kitten they pulled out of a puddle in a rain storm.
"I see. And what do you think of his desires to destroy Death?"
"Truthfully?" He sighs, taking a sip of tea from his mug, "I don't know much about it. We were preoccupied at the time. From when I met him, to my untimely demise, we were fighting the plague, him and I. We did not have much time to discuss such things. And now, bringing it up seems to bring him genuine distress. One does not wish to overcome such a foe for no reason. Is it simple hubris? Has death taken someone from him whom he'll never forgive death for?"
He stares out past Valdis, taking another sip as he does so, thinking about what could have made Dankovsky's conviction so strong.
"I think I would just like to know why, truth be told."
Valdis takes a sip of the tea herself, not really tasting it but rolling his words around in her head. It would be reasonable to believe that after seeing so much of it, a man might decide he wants to prevent suffering, and yet...Death is always peaceful, a release from suffering and pain. If Death did not exist, then what meaning did life even have?
"Having met her, do you believe Death is an enemy?"
Since he had mentioned dying himself, perhaps he had a different view on it.
He says after a moment of thinking. It's not death that's the enemy, not truly anyway.
"Our enemy was the plague. The sand pest. And as a doctor I believe my enemy to be pain, discomfort, and untimely preventable death. I would like to think there is a difference there."
Though he wonders, if Daniil took up his fight again, would he join him out of obligation? Out of love? Or would the two be at odds? Only time would tell.
"I think there is and I think most people, not just doctors, would agree with you."
Valdis sighs, wondering exactly what trauma they've all experienced by being from the same world...living similar experiences. Everyone copes differently, she's seen it time and time again.
"If you could speak to Death, what would you tell her?"
She takes another sip of tea, deciding to not press.
"Despite our lack of friendship, Erik and I trust each other, he felt you should know that. Thought it might make you feel more comfortable talking to me."
"It is not a lack of trust, Valdis." He says, and this time, he is being truthful again, "It is. I am not ready to talk about it yet. I think. Not right now. Not with someone I have just met."
It's a lack of familiarity, too, that plays a role, A lack of comfort.
"I'm not asking you to tell me, simply relaying a message. If I had wanted to use it to manipulate you, I would have led with it, and you probably would have trusted me less."
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
no subject
He's growing more and more confused, and he's not bothering to hide it.
"There is no physical evidence of injury anymore, the blood on the bar can be written off as anything, I suppose..." His train of thought trails off, and he simply shrugs.
no subject
"I'm finding a way around this because Erik asked me to, not for you or your friend."
In fact, she only took this case because it was Erik who was stabbed and the high profile nature of it meant senior eyes needed to be the lead.
"Your friend did himself no favors, though I have heard he is very self destructive so that tracks."
no subject
He's starting to put the pieces together in his head. Little by little. Though he still doesn't really understand why she wouldn't be more forthcoming to begin with.
"Might I ask for your name, so if need be, I can check on the status of this investigation later on?"
no subject
The words come a little too quickly and a little louder than intended, but nonetheless, she recovers fairly gracefully.
"He is important to my partner, that is all."
The fact he asked for her name is very very far from her mind as she turns what he just said about Erik over in her head.
no subject
Gives her a confused look, breathes in, and gives her a moment to collect herself, before asking again.
"Excuse my indiscretion, Miss. Might I have your name then, so I can follow up with the investigation at a later date if need be?"
no subject
"My name is Valdis, but I'll be handing this off once I finish my report and it will go away. You might get a fine at most, but a petty, albeit loud, squabble at a bar isn't news and that's how I intend to present it."
no subject
"Very well then. Are you sure you don't want some tea before you leave? It's the least I could do for your trouble."
no subject
"I'd like to get this settled before it takes up too much more of my time, but I am curious how you and Pyotr are connected. Off the record of course. If that involves tea, then fine."
no subject
Artemy turns around and opens the backdoor to his clinic, not inviting Valdis in, but leaving the door open. From the glimpse in, it seems to be his living area. She'll be able to hear him fixing two mugs of tea, and a kettle whistling, before coming back with two mugs.
He hands her the largest of the mugs, with a chip out of the rim.
"We come from the same world," He begins, "Pyotr wasn't born in my small town, but was already living there with his older brother when I returned from studying in the Capital. He knows of my duty to my hometown, and of my children."
He leaves the rest implied, but yes, they argued over his poor daughter, who Artemy now presumes to be dead.
no subject
It feels like a familiar story somehow, one that ended in someone dead and a threat with a lamp.
"I see. Is there anyone else here from your world?"
After all, Pyotr and Daniil had similar accents and way of speaking.
no subject
no subject
She notes that affection, but doesn't file it away, preferring to gently press. Maybe she can learn more about Daniil from someone who isn't constantly on edge and threatening to explode.
"That would explain their similar accents, but not why you have a soft spot for him."
no subject
"We are colleagues. Doctors both. We've worked together... I would call him a close friend, even."
Artemy does not sound convincing at all. It's not like he's lying. He's not trying to lie at all, in fact. It's something that someone tells themselves when they aren't ready to admit that there's more there, that they are indeed lovers, even if they haven't spoken that four letter word to each other yet.
no subject
"I see. And what do you think of his desires to destroy Death?"
no subject
He stares out past Valdis, taking another sip as he does so, thinking about what could have made Dankovsky's conviction so strong.
"I think I would just like to know why, truth be told."
no subject
"Having met her, do you believe Death is an enemy?"
Since he had mentioned dying himself, perhaps he had a different view on it.
no subject
He says after a moment of thinking. It's not death that's the enemy, not truly anyway.
"Our enemy was the plague. The sand pest. And as a doctor I believe my enemy to be pain, discomfort, and untimely preventable death. I would like to think there is a difference there."
Though he wonders, if Daniil took up his fight again, would he join him out of obligation? Out of love? Or would the two be at odds? Only time would tell.
no subject
Valdis sighs, wondering exactly what trauma they've all experienced by being from the same world...living similar experiences. Everyone copes differently, she's seen it time and time again.
"If you could speak to Death, what would you tell her?"
no subject
It's not really something he wants to discuss with a stranger.
"I suppose I could ask her if she knows why Daniil Dankovsky has made her his mortal enemy." The Haruspex jokes, giving a small chuckle at himself.
no subject
no subject
"Well, yes, of course not..." Artemy says, his voice trailing off.
no subject
She takes another sip of tea, deciding to not press.
"Despite our lack of friendship, Erik and I trust each other, he felt you should know that. Thought it might make you feel more comfortable talking to me."
no subject
"It is not a lack of trust, Valdis." He says, and this time, he is being truthful again, "It is. I am not ready to talk about it yet. I think. Not right now. Not with someone I have just met."
It's a lack of familiarity, too, that plays a role, A lack of comfort.
no subject
no subject
So she came here on her own merit. Did things her own way.
That he can respect. A lot, actually. Even if it wasn't the way he would have done things.
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)