"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."
He thinks of the previous night. Of lying with Daniil, of him telling him how scared he is, how he's the only person he considers himself close to, and how about Artemy told him that he would help him with whatever he could.
And he will. The Haruspex doesn't make promises idly.
"I will do everything in my power for him." He repeats the same promise he made to Daniil behind closed doors in the upmost sincerity. In complete seriousness. Daniil really does genuinely mean that much to him, after all. He is the Haruspex's other half.
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"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."
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"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."
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"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."
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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.
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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.
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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."
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"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.
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"I see. And what do you think of his desires to destroy Death?"
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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."
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"Having met her, do you believe Death is an enemy?"
Since he had mentioned dying himself, perhaps he had a different view on it.
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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.
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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?"
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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.
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"Well, yes, of course not..." Artemy says, his voice trailing off.
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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."
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"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.
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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.
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It's nice to not immediately be yelled at or the object of suspicion, even if their earlier conversation hadn't been ideal.
"Daniil could use a friend who is level headed right now. He's really struggling."
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He thinks of the previous night. Of lying with Daniil, of him telling him how scared he is, how he's the only person he considers himself close to, and how about Artemy told him that he would help him with whatever he could.
And he will. The Haruspex doesn't make promises idly.
"I will do everything in my power for him." He repeats the same promise he made to Daniil behind closed doors in the upmost sincerity. In complete seriousness. Daniil really does genuinely mean that much to him, after all. He is the Haruspex's other half.
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"Just don't lose yourself in the process."
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"I wouldn't be able to if I tried."
Because truly, no matter how hard he loves, and how much of him is love, his duty always comes first. Even before Dankovsky.
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But he seems to truly believe his words.
She takes another sip of tea.
"I should go."
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