Crystal

[youwonscience]

FORM: Sending crystal
SENDER: Cosima
RECIPIENT: Riftwatch generally
NOTES: Nothing specific, but the vibes are bad

Hi, everyone. I'm sorry to have to do this again so soon, but I've been pretty thorough about checking and it seems like Provost Stark has vanished. [Clearly in the way Rifters do; if he'd just gone into Kirkwall and never come back, her tone would certainly be different.]

As his assistant, I'll be filling in as best I can until the organization has picked a new head of Research. I was still kind of getting a handle on his system, but, you know. We'll work it out.

I know we don't have a like ... formal process for this, as we just discussed. [Too recently.] But if anyone wants to have a drink and talk about it. Or not talk about it. I'm around for that too. Standing offer, even if you and I don't know each other as well as we knew him.

You can find me in the Research office for now. If I'm not there, I'll have my crystal on me.

Comments

[portalling]

( Not particularly new or different or unique or clever as a response, but he can’t help it, the reaction just slips out: )

— Ah. Goddammit.

[youwonscience]

[There's the smallest watery edge to her quiet laugh.]

Yeah, that one.

On that note, I may have to rearrange some of my shifts at the infirmary while I sort some of this, I'll keep you posted.

[portalling]

No, that makes sense, Research needs you more for this right now.

If there’s anything I can do to help. Or if it’s just splitting a bottle of wine later and kvetching about the paperwork headache he’s left you. I’m available for whichever.

( It might sound light on the surface, but she’ll notice that stiff brittleness to his humour; Strange doesn’t crack jokes out of disrespect for Stark’s memory. More the opposite. )

[youwonscience]

Um. Yeah. Yeah, that'd be good. The wine one. As long as you have the time, I know your hands are full too. It just feels like...

[...they should do something. A wake is traditional, even, for loss.]

[portalling]

Nothing that I can’t put down for a while, at the moment. And yeah. I get it.

Do missing rifters ever get any kind of formal farewell? Not a funeral, but— y’know.

[youwonscience]

We've talked about it quite a few times, but I don't feel like we've ever landed on anything consistent. Though given Granitefell, maybe he wrote down some thoughts about what he wanted. I haven't been through everything yet, it could be.