2021-09-16 - Let's Do The Time Warp

Drinking. That's definitely on the agenda. But first: exploring this house they appear to now live in. Hand-in-hand optional. Aidan obligingly stands to let Ravn check whether the Dane's trousers are somewhere under the blanket on the bed he's woken in, and takes a short walk around the room, checking out the contents and the view out the window and generally speaking the bits that are not a somewhat modest folklorist who can't find his pants. "...yeah, that is my van," he confirms, opening the window and looking oddly surprised to discover there's a screen there and he can't just lean out. A pause, head tilting. "I saw an actual garage out there, though. I wonder why I didn't park inside it? Think we're doing something cool in there?"

"Hiding the bodies." Gloomy predictions much? Ravn shakes his head. "I mean, the rate this is going, maybe there's two motorbikes sitting out there. Or we filled it with books. Or made an art studio. Trying to not expect the worst. We could start our explorations there, work our way towards what is hopefully a very well stocked kitchen." Not-worst includes the discovery that there is a wardrobe, and it does in fact contain his modest amount of black clothing plus one dark blue hoodie -- clearly a Kailey Holt design. Ravn pulls a pair of jeans on -- no reason to switch shirts right now but at least he feels somewhat less lost now that he knows where his towel is, figuratively speaking. It's calming. It's easier to breathe. Modesty is an issue, but lack of control is the big issue.

As it happens, the garage turns out to be -- a music room. Ravn's violin is there, as is Aidan's mandolin. The elephant in the room (garage), though, is the drum kit.

"I'm pretty sure I should remember if I learned to play the drums," the Dane murmurs and looks at Aidan questioningly. "Do you remember learning to play the drums? Do you think we have a third housemate who plays the drums?"

Aidan gives this a moment of thought. "I don't think we'd've gone killing people," he decides, "I mean time's missing but I still feel like me, right? And I really don't like hurting people. Also if we did have a bunch of bodies I think we'd find somewhere better to get rid of them? Like, I dunno, maybe we could push them over to the other side. Or throw them in the pond, that seems kinda popular from what people say..." Matter-of-fact, though not enthusiastic. That's saved for, "Motorbikes would be awesome, though! Art studio would too."

On the way to checking things out it becomes clear there's a lot more room here than two men need, even if they are genuinely Just Friends. Aside from a bedroom each, another even larger one seems to be in the process of being set up as a library, and a fourth looks like it's being arranged as a proper guest room, freeing up The World's Most Comfortable Sofa from being regularly pressed into service as a bed. Probably. It proves to have been installed downstairs, and failed to get less comfortable in the process. A quick check on the way to the garage confirms this.

And then, the drums. Aidan lights up brighter and heads over toward them, tapping his fingertips against the heads. "I don't remember learning how to play the drums but I remember totally wanting to learn to play the drums. Think I can play them now? That'd be amazing. I mean I figure I must've practiced and stuff if I do but since we don't remember it'd basically be like," he does his best Neo, an exhalation and, "'...I know kung fu.' Right?" He tests the seat, which appears to be about the right height for him. Hm. "...third housemate'd prolly be cool too but who and where are they?"

"I promise to not walk around the living room naked until we find out if there is a third housemate," Ravn vows solemnly; not that he ever would anyhow, unless the house was on fire, and the fire started in his wardrobe. A night or two from now, Captain de la Vega is going to refer to him as the biggest honking prude in Gray Harbor, and the Mexican will have a point.

His attention is drawn in particular by the kitchen. This is an older house -- mid-20th century is Ravn's guess, without being an expert on American contemporary architecture -- and he is delighted to find that the kitchen seems to have been recently renovated. Not because he needs all the newest gadgets -- or even would recognise the purpose of half of them -- but because he's been telling himself for a decade that he really should learn to cook proper food instead of living on take-out. And then gone right on to live on take-out because eh, need a proper kitchen to cook, right? This might be just the kind of shove he actually needs.

He's more than a little amused to realise that not only does the house have a walk-in wardrobe -- but it connects to both bedrooms. "I hope you realise this means war," the Dane tells the American. "Your untamed and feral clothing in this corner. My domesticated and disciplined clothing in this corner. And no fraternisation -- we don't want little black shirts with pink collars popping up out of nowhere, demanding we adopt them."

"I don't," Aidan replies, grinning, and there's a reasonable chance he might, if it didn't seem likely to make Ravn uncomfortable. Clearly joking, all the same, if only because he's picked up the drumsticks and punctuates the claim with a surprisingly good percussion sting -- surprising to him, certainly, as it's followed by a delighted startled laugh and, "Dude! I do know kung fu!" Although not literally, as proven by a couple poor mock-kicks and -strikes at the air as they head back toward the house proper.

He's a little more subdued by the time they make it back to give the kitchen a real inspection -- more thoughtful. The house is actually even older than Ravn guesses, so it's all to the best that the appliances and such aren't the originals. He's only been learning to cook for a year or two at most, but it's fun, and this kitchen is definitely roomier than the trailer's. Probably more recently updated, too.

Having been fairly distracted by the texting -- and given the way the Dane's clothing tends to do its best not to be noticed whenever possible -- Aidan hadn't noticed the sharing either. But it is definitely the largest closet in the place, even somewhat divided. "Hey, my clothes are not feral! They're free," he protests, scanning the place; in fairness, his stuff does seem to already be trying to creep through the place like kudzu. "...also I'm pretty sure I've got a shirt like that. Black with a pink collar. And neon green bits." Go on, guess which bit of history that one's been rescued from.

He ends up in the middle of the closet, doing a slow turn to take in what's visible -- it, bits of bedroom through both open doors -- and looks thoughtful again. "Last-three-months-us did pretty okay, huh? Kinda wonder what they'd want us to know, if they knew we wouldn't remember any of that."

"I have this vague idea that if we did know, we'd have found a way to leave ourselves a message," Ravn muses. "Whether it'd be an email, or a DM on my blog, or a note on the kitchen table, or even just the first letters of the books in the library spelling out some kind of warning." He did look. Of course he did. The first letters did not spell out any words in any language he recognises. He might check for languages he doesn't recognise later.

"One thing we should do," the Dane observes, looking around the living room, "is paint these walls -- all of them. Why should everything be neat and white? You do artwork, don't you? Have a goddamn party, let's make this place unique. If it all looks like a hipster boho art installation in a month? I'm good with that. If I wanted to live in a sterile hotel room I'd rent one. I've got no artistic talent of my own but you should put your thumb print all over the place. And I think we should maybe look into getting a barbecue -- next year, I mean, it may be getting a bit late in the season for now."

He pauses and then looks at the other man. "Also, you realise there's room enough here for Baylee. I mean, if you want her to have a room for when she visits -- we've got the space."

Back down the stairs, and this time Aidan's actively looking for any messages they might have tried to leave themselves. Alas, he has no more luck, though there is a brief discursion into whether they might have meant anything by the leftover chicken parmigiana in there.

In the living room, he leans against the pocket doorway, taking in the full room, then heads over to take a closer look at the fireplace. It seems to meet with his overall approval. "I mean... being completely honest, I'm kinda hoping she's gonna be sharing my room when she's around," he replies, and glances back over his shoulder, "Well, not, like, ALL the time she's around. But you know, most of the times you'd want a room for. Still, if she wants one, though... that's cool it's an option."

Straightening, he suggests, "We should get some wood in for the fire and all, since it's gonna be colder soon. Definitely we should get a barbecue for summer, though. And a big kiddie pool and, like, a slip 'n' slide, 'cause I'm pretty sure that yard's big enough for it." Yes, the beach is within reasonable walking distance. That isn't the point. "And all the walls, y'think? I'm pretty sure I did that one upstairs." He gestures in the vague direction of the mid-stairway landing, not visible from in here. "If you're cool with it I'll prolly do a whole bunch of stuff, yeah. 'cause like... there's stuff I thought about doing before but the trailer and its lot didn't really have room?" A small pause. "...we prolly have a barbecue. I mean, it's little, but it was on my porch before. It's prolly here somewhere, right?"

Ravn lights up in a quiet grin. "Am I cool with it? Yeah. Hell yeah, I'm cool with it. Aidan, if I wanted to live in the sterile white, minimalist design that's the current trend in Scandinavia, I'd go home. If I wanted to live under a mountain of more or less worm eaten antiques, I'd also go home. I want to see what you can do. I want to live somewhere that's bright and vibrant and not at all gloomy or buried under centuries of tradition. I've lived pretty much in a backpack or in temporary homes most of my adult life because I want to be a square peg in a round hole."

He doesn't look entirely convinced about the kiddie pool and the slip'n'slide -- but then, Ravn is perhaps not the first person anyone would expect to find running around in swim trunks, engaging in water balloon battles or taking turns pushing each other into the water. The guy wears long sleeved turtlenecks in summer; he's not exactly Mr Speedo. "We could see about a real pool," the Dane murmurs after a moment. "It's a project for next spring? With some of the friends we keep -- I wouldn't be surprised to see somebody Jedi a ton of dirt up and away just like that. Guys like Rosencrantz can probably dig pools in their sleep."

There's so much time. And apparently, so much house and garden to do all the things to. It's a little dizzying as prospects go, but then, who'd want life to get dull?