baetiful | IC CONTACT POST

No, ah, no. [A beat.] What I am about to ask may seem intrusive, but I assure you, were the circumstances indicative of anything less dire... I wouldn't ask.

[But that isn't his reality, he hasn't that polite option anymore.]

Can you -- rather, is it within your ability to track imPorts in this world? To know if someone had -- if someone had been exported. Or not. Someone who was not supposed to be exported.

I do have many eyes all around. Give me a description of who you are looking for, and I can have my spies search far and wide for you. However, I do not have the capability of telling you whether that person has been exported or not. Not yet, at least.

[ Soon, he hopes. ]

But if they are within this world, I assure you I can find them for you.

Raina. My significant other. She is stunning, with exquisite brown eyes, slender, her movements are graceful but precise.

[Chilton is quick to text over a photo, realizing his own bias in description.]

I need to find her.

[She hadn't told him of any premonitions of porting out, like she had last time. Chilton took that as a deeply raw, dark situation.]

[ What Chilton called a significant other, Petyr called a weakness. An understandable one. After all, women do so readily capture the hearts of men. ]

She is lovely. You have done well for yourself.

[ Compliments to soften the blow of distress. ]

I will send word out immediately and let you know what they find. In the meantime, perhaps you should not be alone. I can keep you company, should you need. I understand far too well, the distresses of losing the one you love.

I wouldn't want to be a burden.

[But there is a whimper in his voice, a subconscious plea that craves company to stave off the looming loneliness. Chilton has yet to identify it in his demeanor, he has yet to accept his circumstance. Desperate, fracturing, vulnerable Chilton.]

It is no burden at all to be there for a friend in need. My doors are always open to you, Doctor Chilton.

Now? Would now... Or within the hour? [A beat. Mustn't seem too despondent.] Or tomorrow?

Now would be perfectly fine. I am not otherwise occupied. Shall I come to you or do you wish to come to me?

I'll come to you. Won't take but half an hour.

[True to his estimation, it isn't a minute over thirty when Chilton reaches Baelish's residence. He texted only to announce his arrival.]

[ Petyr's home is government issued, but solitary. He houses no roommates, no burdens. The decor is very renaissance, much like the gentlemen's club he invited Chilton to before its grand opening. An old fashioned man with old fashioned taste.

Baelish comes to the door at once, amid tying the laces of his robe. . opening the entrance for Chilton and greeting him with a sympathetic smile. His hand came out to rest on his shoulder, squeezing lightly. ]

Please, Doctor Chilton. Make yourself comfortable. I should have suggested you bring an overnight bag -- in case you do not feel like returning home. You are more than welcome to stay here as long as you need.

[ There is a bottle of Petyr's finest wine awaiting Chilton, too. ]

[Chilton glanced at that hand on his shoulder, then soon offered a crumbling smile of his own. Keeping it together had been something of a trial the past twenty-four hours, when Chilton began to accept that Raina's absence was more than brief. He had grown accustomed to depending upon her for solace and support, and now he had no defense -- emotional or otherwise. In Baltimore, Chilton had nothing like what Raina offered him; he trembled to think that he might return to such a state of mind.

So he needed a friend now. He needed a sympathetic shoulder. Moreover, he needed someone who might have the power to confirm her exit, or even anticipate her return.

Chilton stepped inside, closing the door behind him.]

Thank you, for letting me... I don't know if I could have remained in my housing. [Without her.] I ought to be doing something.

[ The hand remained on Chilton's shoulder, even as Petyr guided him within the confines of his living area. ]

You are doing something. You were wise to come to me, Doctor Chilton.

[ He led him to the couch and gently eased him onto the cushions, lingering close all the while as he sat beside him. Petyr reached out and poured Chilton a glass of wine from a crystal decanter before offering it into his hands. ]

I do not know if you are familiar with her grace. Queen Lucy Pevensie. But yesterday, she was abducted by one of our fellow imPorts. It is possible the same man may have taken your beloved. And if he has, I will know soon. My network has spread itself out far and wide to keep tabs on the situation. It is why I was not in attendance at the Swear In the day before.

[The news of her kidnapping shocked him -- Chilton had yet to hear a word of that, and it took effort to fathom why anyone would subject sweet Lucy to such a traumatic experience.]

I know Lucy, yes. We were diplomats together, a few months back. The summit meeting in Paris. [A beat. Minor correction:] Ah -- Queen Lucy... Pevensie.

[Chilton wasn't so convinced that whoever this imPort-stealing imPort was had also captured Raina, but evidently Baelish had a remarkable network of intelligence. If anyone could determine what Chilton really needed, what he knew he needed and just could not bring himself to acknowledge, it would be him.

Given how imPorts kept their power cards so close to the chest, however, it would be tricky. Anyone with the power to predict if an exported imPort would ever return would be in tragically high demand.]

Terribly sorry to hear about it. I -- must assume you are close with her?

[ Petyr poured himself a glass of wine as well so Chilton didn't have to drink alone, drawing in a sip as he nodded. ]

Ah, yes. She is one of my closest and most valuable of companions in this world. She may not rule in the traditional sense of the word, but she has the power to win over the hearts of many -- as I'm sure you noticed on your diplomatic mission. Her safety is of utmost importance to me.

[ He held out his hand, displaying the bird hunting pin made of fine jewels. ]

She gave this to me. A gift from her home in Narnia. I have become a trusted adviser to her grace. I suppose it was a natural union -- a Lord being drawn toward royalty.

Exquisite.

[He said, upon inspection. Baelish must have been equally important to her, if Lucy was willing to part with something so dear and scarce, as it was from her birth world. Or "Narnia", whatever.]

Is there -- I wonder. Given how extensive your network is. [He held his glass with two hands, looking into it.] Any way for you to determine if there exists an imPort with predictive capability?

[ Petyr regarded Chilton for a moment. Well. He assumed Lucifer probably could do such a thing given the rundown of the abilities Rincewind gave him. But he didn't necessarily want to go asking the devil for favors. Favors asked meant favors owed. ]

I have heard rumors of an imPort with clairvoyance. But I am afraid I do not know who it is. I could try to find them for you.

[ He crossed one leg over the next. ]

There are imPorts with tracking abilities. I saw a few out themselves over the network back when imPorts were kidnapped. I believe that was a few months ago.

[ Petyr browsed old network posts in his spare time. It became something of a hobby. ]

One with whom I am familiar. I could sing this song to him and get his aid, surely. If you think that approach would be faster.

Ah. Yes. [The Clairvoyant. Who was, of course, Raina -- she was the imPort best equipped to find herself, which left Chilton without any leads.] I suppose the more prophetic gifts are rare, even among our numbers.

He can only track her if she is still in this world. [Quietly:] He will not find her.

I'll simply have to. Hope for the best.

Drink, my friend.

[ Petyr urged, placing his hand around Chilton's in order to help guide the glass to his lips. ]

People leave this world all the time. But the more a person seems to be invested, the more likely they are to return. I have noticed a pattern, people disappearing off the network for quite a while only to have this followed up by a friend of theirs informing the world that they have been sent home. It is my belief that as long as an imPort is invested or engaging somehow, they will not simply vanish for good.

There are, of course, exceptions to the rule. But perhaps you cam also be the exception in allowing love to triumph.

[Chilton didn't protest Baelish's physical guidance, he barely even registered it. Much easier was it to fall into the movement, to allow his squirming grief be distracted by the other man's presence and words. Surrender seemed second nature, if only for this moment.

He couldn't bear the idea of Raina's absence, he felt awash to sea. It was Chilton's subdued survivalist nature that gravitated towards Petyr Baelish's offered lifeboat.]

Yes.

[Nodding, with a few swallows of wine now drowned, Chilton agreed.]

That -- that is true, yes. I just -- [He didn't want to be alone.] Dislike feeling helpless.

You are not alone in that sentiment. I believe there are many of us who dislike being at the mercy of the porter.

[ It was too unpredictable of an element. Even studying it as he had, though admittedly not extensively, only gave Petyr theories. Nothing definitive. ]

But I would bet all my odds on her return. [ Being the optimistic voice through Chilton's sorrow would grant Baelish more favor than being the realistic voice of uncertainty. ] And in the meantime, you can stay here for as long as you need. There is no reason for you to face this alone, Doctor Chilton.

It may be better for you to be nearby anyway. We can put our minds together and come up with that plan to liberate Rincewind.

Have you worked things out with him?

[Chilton didn't remark upon the invitation -- he hadn't decided what to do about that. He realized he couldn't stay at their duplex, not with all those reminders of Raina. That was a broiled agony, and he wouldn't subject himself to more misery. But where else could he have gone? His office?

Petyr Baelish, he realized, was his only refuge.]

I understand there had been some tension.

Well enough.

[ It was spoken with a hint of dismissal, a subject he didn't think worthy of addressing. Whether he and Rincewind got along or not wouldn't change his role in all of this. Petyr got up from his spot beside Chilton, opening up the window and looking out into the darkness. ]

You know, it may be forward of me to offer -- but I could gift you with the company of a beautiful woman this evening or any evening, for that matter. My gentleman's club is doing quite well for itself, and the girls I have working for me are of the highest quality. How best do we forget our woes, but through distraction?

Petyr, I just -- I just lost her.

[Chilton looked at his company, his surprise unvarnished. He could barely bring himself to acknowledge that he may never again see her, much less fathom the company of another woman this night.]

Truthfully. I would much prefer your company.

[Both an accurate and (he thought) graceful statement. Chilton knew what Littlefinger intended to do, how he intended to comfort, the generosity of a brothel keeper, so to speak -- but Raina had become more than a bedfellow. It was companionship that festered into Chilton's ego. He needed to mourn, he needed to think it through.]

Edited 2016-05-25 03:04 (UTC)

[ Etched on Petyr's face was the faintest trace of....empathy? Petyr was often a cold man. One who was good at playing emotions, but they never truly reached his eyes. He hid behind a honeyed tongue, and often that was enough for people not to notice. But Chilton was something of a mirror in this moment. Petyr, too, had many times denied the company of his beautiful whores merely out of devotion for Catelyn Stark.

Though the stark difference here was that Chilton actually got the woman he loved, even if he wasn't married to her. Littlefinger didn't quite grasp the concept of modern day courting. ]

My company. I take that to mean my companionship and not as a bedroom partner.

[ Spoken with the briefest of smiles. ]

[A doubletake, and Chilton surrendered a flickered grin. Levity in time of crisis was appreciated for its momentary distraction.]

I ought to be specific in my phrasing.

[Careful around the brothel man.]

It isn't that I want to consider what would happen. If she does not return. I have lost people before, such is the nature of this universe. It is a bitter breed of parting.

[Because their lives continue, without memory of you. Unless they're already dead, of course.]

No doubt you'll come to feel the same about someone. Or someones.

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