entrancelogs | [ Open ] Of Good, Evil, and the Scientific Method

Entry tags:

[ Open ] Of Good, Evil, and the Scientific Method

Who: Carlos and you!
Where: Library, and wherever else they might roam off to after that.
When: The duration of the event.
Rating: PG
Summary: Carlos the ~~Scientist's~~ Angel’s interest in humanity goes beyond simply trying to nudge them in the “right” (adjective, \ˈrīt\ : good, morally upstanding, heavenly) direction. How can it not, when humans are just so interesting? Event catch-all.

The Story:

Logic and order: the things that govern the universe, to which all things must adhere to. Of course, “order” can seem a lot like chaos to those who have yet to fully understand the truths governing existence. Humanity falls safely within that category, and as long as it’s taking them to slowly understand how the world around them really works, Carlos is (and always has been) fascinated by the process of their learning.

Which is why you’ll most likely find him in the library. He’s not necessarily reading. Mostly it’s just observation and conversation with the humans that wander into the room. What are you looking at there? What do you think about it, and did you come up with that? Oh no, don’t mind him as he reads over your shoulder and jots down notes… nope, not weird at all. The good news is, he’ll be extremely enthusiastic to help you out with whatever it is you’re working on.

But that’s only if you’re human. If you’re a demon, expect this logically-minded angel to keep his distance. But you might also notice him sneaking you glances with a thoughtful, almost troubled expression. Because he may or may not be… involved… with a certain demon, and it’s making him reconsider a few things.

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Armin likes Carlos. Really, there are plenty of angels he enjoys. One in particular, who likes to chase him around with a flaming sword... Anyways, it's important to keep up with the other end of things. Most of that side is incredibly dull, but they can have a good idea now and then. An idea that he might be able to use to his own means, with a little bit of touching up.

But yes. Carlos. Carlos is a particular favorite, because he shares his fascination with humans. His demon brethren tend to think of them like lemmings to be led off a cliff, but Armin doesn't buy it. They were made in His image after all. They have to potential to be some wonderfully terrible.

"Carlos!"

Armin sets upon Carlos in his usual way: by appearing behind him with a poof of short-range teleportation. He's fun to toy with; he at least has a small sense of humor.

"How are we today? Any good discoveries to share? Interesting statistical work?"

Carlos should be used to demons popping up around him without any warning. With repetition comes acclimation, right? That’s how it’s supposed to work. But regardless of that, Carlos still tends to jump every time someone poofs into existence nearby. And he does so now before shooting an exasperated look back over his shoulder. His feathers have been literally ruffled.

Ah, but he does like Armin. For a demon, he’s great conversation and has got a lot of interesting ideas… even if he does use those ideas for the wrong cause.

“Armin.” He greets the demon calmly and tries to pretend that he didn’t just startle like a human at a cheap jump-scare in a haunted house. “There’s always a good discovery being made, somewhere.” He smiles and turns completely to face Armin straight on. “Not that you’re interested in those particular kinds of discoveries.” The words could be a jab, but they lack bite and are delivered with an almost teasing tone.

"You wound me!" he smiles, perfectly pleased with managing to frighten Carlos; Angels could be such nervous creatures. Armin peeks around his shoulder to look at what he's doing, since he's quite a bit smaller than his angel 'companion', "of course I'm interested. I just don't have the time to dedicate to the cause like you do-- work keeps me quite busy, you know. I have numbers to meet."

Carlos leans over to allow Armin to peek at his notes. After all, he’s pretty sure there’s nothing there that could be of any use to the denizens of Hell. Just some notes on the progression of nuclear physics, what humans have figured out so far and likely scenarios for the future, should their progress continue. Seeing some of what has been done with nuclear technologies already, Carlos is sure it’s nothing they don’t already know anyway.

His expression does darken a bit when Armin mentions his work. “Would failing to meet your quota really be such a bad thing? You might even contribute to the forward motion of mortal society if you left some of their souls alone.” He’s sure the suggestion will be ignored, but he can’t help but try. It’s in his nature after all.

Armin's eyes curiously rove over Carlos' notes as he speaks.

"Hmm, I have to admit, humans do tend to advance themselves best when left alone by both sides-- I think it's that animal side of them, you know? Hard-wired to survive, despite everything. Even when we put up future roadblocks to try and steer them one way or another, they find some middle path that benefits them best."

"But quotas are quotas!" he smiles wickedly at Carlos, "very devious mindset there though. I approve. You almost had me, for a second."

Edited 2014-08-12 20:24 (UTC)

“I agree. It’s as if their innovation is in their nature. It really is amazing, isn’t it? And they can still create such wonderful things without divine intervention…” And terrible things without demonic intervention, but Carlos would rather focus on the positive if possible. Even if Armin makes that difficult. He frowns, flustered by the implications of Armin’s compliment.

“I didn’t mean it like that!” He waves a hand in denial, then moves it over his notes and transports them back to his archive. “I really think if demons left humanity alone…” he sighs, shoulders sagging. “No. You’re right. They advance best without intervention from either side.”

"You forget that you are an exemplary bit of angelic working, Carlos. Perhaps your intervention would end in advancement, but any other angel would have a human take a direct heel-face-turn when it comes to technology. I remember the panic in Heaven when they figured out wheels. They called it the tree of Knowledge for a reason, you know? Like it was a bad thing?"

He sits in a nearby chair with an enviable sense of ease.

"Not to say my side is without fault-- if everything went our way, they'd just be making bombs and viruses all day. And then they'd blow themselves to Apocalypse, before either of us would ever have a say in it!"

“Well…” Carlos wants to defend Heaven. He really does. But what Armin is saying isn’t entirely untrue. He isn’t the only angel who has a more hopeful view of science and technology, but the majority of Heaven is rather old-fashioned on that front. “They mean well. I mean, the wheel did cause a lot of chaos when it was invented. Do you remember the first hit-and-run? And when they started learning how to accelerate…” He continues to stand even after Armin has sat down, a hand resting on a nearby shelf with no particular purpose.

“No, but you wouldn’t completely dislike that, would you?” He sighs, fingers drumming against the old wood. “Maybe not completely, but you wouldn’t want that for them either. Completely destruction. You’re a unique specimen of a demon yourself.”

They're dating. Of course they're dating. It doesn't matter what universe or iteration of reality they're in--they're always dating.

Of course, being a demon and an angel respectively, they have to keep it on the down low, as the humans say. There are a lot of people on both sides who don't take kindly to that sort of fraternizing. And Cecil already isn't very well-respected as demons go. Unlike most demons, Cecil's issue is with God Himself, not with the concept of goodness. God is just too bright and smiles all the time and how can you trust something like that? The darkness is just much friendlier once you get to know it.

Carlos is different, though. Everyone says demons can't feel love, but if that's not what Cecil feels for him then someone clearly needs to come up with a better word. And Carlos gets it. He likes questions and mysteries just as much as Cecil.

Cecil finds him easily in the library because Carlos is always in the library, learning things and doing research and it's really just so predictable and adorable.

"Hi, Carlos!" He slides up behind Carlos's chair with the usually demonic sneakiness. "What's the topic for today?"

Y’know the laws that govern the universe? Yeah, one of them is totally that “Carlos and Cecil are dating on every plane of existence.” It’s a fact.

Maybe it’s the difference in their natures that allows them to be so compatible, despite the whole “mortal enemies” and “ultimate battle of good versus evil” thing. Carlos is indeed predictable, a creature of habit and repetition. And Cecil… well, as far as Carlos can tell, Cecil tends to err on the side of chaos. Harmless, interesting and slightly confusing chaos, but still. And that’s probably why Carlos is so easily startled every single time Cecil- or any other demon, for that matter- just appears in his general vicinity.

“C-Cecil!” He jumps, knees hitting the underside of the table, and turns in his seat to look up at the demon at his shoulder. “I’m never going to get used to that, am I?” He grins, obviously not that upset about it.

“The topic for today? Anything and everything interesting.” Which is, coincidentally, anything and everything.

Edited (Ahaha I meant the opposite of what I wrote OTL) 2014-08-11 20:00 (UTC)

What goes up must come down, energy cannot be created or destroyed, and Cecil and Carlos are always dating.

Cecil squeaks a little at Carlos's reaction.

"Ah! Sorry!" Apologizing never comes easy to any demon, but Cecil always finds it a little easier around Carlos. "I suppose you're never going to get used to it and I'm never going to remember not to sneak up on you. Bad habits, you know?"

He gives a just slightly wicked grin. He is a demon, after all.

But then his smile turns completely bright and innocent.

"That's a pretty broad topic! I mean, that literally covers everything except for Michael Bolton. Have you narrowed it down at all?"

“Well, there are worse habits to have.” He probably shouldn’t be, but Carlos is quite fond of those vaguely wicked expressions that Cecil makes. It’s just that they suit him so well, despite being a little at odds with such an open and friendly (and completely indescribable) face.

“I was just getting to that, actually. Want to help?” He gestures to one of the other chairs at the table. “We can start with a subject that interests you and go from there. If you’re not busy, I mean.”

Honestly, for the past few centuries or so, Cecil has been having the rather blasphemous thought that maybe angels and demons aren't really all that different. He finds himself relating to Carlos much more than any of his kin, and Carlos himself displays some traits that could be called demonic. Not in an evil way--just in a sort of...questioning way.

"Ooh!" He grins and plunks down in the chair across from Carlos. "That sounds like fun! I'm not doing anything right now, so...hm. An interesting subject...how about...jellyfish? Jellyfish are interesting, right? They're like, weird, but also beautiful."

It’s a subject Carlos has found himself thinking about as well. And he’s tried not to, because it’s so obviously blasphemous that he’s surprised he hasn’t been called out for it already. But at the same time, Carlos can’t just stop thinking something. And even if he could, he wouldn’t want to. There’s something sacred about knowledge too, isn’t there? But that would be just the sort of temptation a demon might offer up to a questioning soul…

But Carlos tries not to let that subject overrun his thoughts when Cecil is around, because then there are so many other, more interesting things to think about. Like-

“Jellyfish?” He grins as well, the expression contagious. Leave it up to Cecil to come up with such a delightfully strange topic. “I never really thought about it, but… you’re right. I mean, of course they’re interesting- everything is interesting- but I’d never thought about them as beautiful before.” He holds up a hand, and somewhere between one second and the next a book appears on his upraised palm. It’s an encyclopedia of marine life, pulled from elsewhere in the library. “I’m not an expert on animals,” he admits as he sets the large tome down and starts flipping through the pages.

Fortunately for demons, it's sort of a given that they're going to blaspheme all over the place. Demons can't exactly Fall twice. The issue is that even demonic superiors don't particularly like questions like the ones Cecil has been asking himself. It's the sort of thing that gets you sent back to Hell for some re-education in the Abandoned Hell Shaft.

"They so pretty. Really delicate...like underwater ghosts or something. And all the tentacles! I mean, the whole stinging thing is unpleasant, but just watching them drift around slowly and totally carefree? I love it."

Cecil loves a lot of animals. Cats, dogs, jellyfish, spiderwolves... Most days one comes to the forefront to be his favorite for the day. And today it's jellyfish.

Carlos has gotten to the section on jellyfish, but he’s spending less time looking down at the pages and more time smiling affectionately at Cecil. Sure, he’s a demon, but there’s something almost innocent about how pure his fascination with things can be, and Carlos loves listening to him go on about whatever has caught his fancy on any particular day. And Cecil has such a way of summing things up in a way that’s both completely strange and extremely accurate. It’s fascinating to listen to.

“They’re very relaxing to watch. They may not have an awareness like higher life forms do, but if they did, I like to think they would be enjoying themselves.” It’s a silly thing to say, and Carlos would feel embarrassed admitting that to anyone but Cecil. It’s such a fanciful, unscientific thought- if jellyfish could enjoy themselves. He clears his throat and turns the book around so it’s facing Cecil, then he pushes it across the table for him to be able to see it better.

“Did you know that they aren’t really fish at all? The word “jellyfish” is a complete misnomer.”

That's just fine, because Cecil is pretty much gazing unabashedly at Carlos at this point. Carlos is so perfect. Or at least, so perfectly imperfect. Which is a little odd. Angels are supposed to be perfect. But the mere fact that angels can Fall means that they must have some imperfections. Carlos doesn't have the same kind of imperfections, thankfully. Cecil would wonder what that meant about perfection and God if it didn't hurt his head and freak him out a little.

"Oh, I'm sure they do. Enjoy themselves, I mean. I think most animals know how to enjoy life. Kind of like how ignorance is bliss, right? If you don't have to think about the crushing terror of existence and mortality then you're free to just enjoy things."

He looks at the book, beaming at the colorful jellyfish captured in the images.

"Really? I didn't know that. What are they, then?"

Ignorance is bliss. It takes a lot of restraint for Carlos not to say something in response to that. He looks up, mouth opening and then shutting again as a stream of counter-arguments filter through his mind. It may be blissful, but what’s the point? How can you really enjoy something without understanding it, without knowing- And then his head starts to hurt a little, because of course this goes against some of Heaven’s own creeds. Isn’t the mind of God one of those sacred, unknowable things? And he would never consider even wanting to breach such sacred ground, but… still, in the more general scheme of things, to be ignorant is…

But one look at Cecil’s glowing expression and Carlos is able to tamp down the ideological argument he can feel building on the back of his tongue. It was overreaction anyway, a… strangely human impulse to argue the point. Honestly, Carlos isn’t quite sure what had gotten into him.

Instead, Carlos stands and walks around to Cecil’s side of the table, a hand resting on the back of his chair as he leans over to look at the book from over Cecil’s shoulder. “I’m not sure, actually. Something else, like-“ he squints down the page. “Medusozoa?” Animals are really not his specialty.

Cecil blinks at the look on Carlos's face. Oops. He shouldn't have said that. It's hard for him to understand an angel's perspective sometimes. He remembers what it was like, but actually understanding it is different. He's about to speak up and say he didn't mean it that way, that thinking is all good and fine, but then Carlos gets up and his expression changes. Cecil follows him with his eyes and smiles when Carlos comes around behind his chair.

"Medusoza? Medu--Medusozoa. Kind of like Medusa, right, with the snake hair? I suppose that makes sense."

Carlos is happy to let the subject go this once. After all, they have the rest of eternity to discuss the complexities of good and evil and where knowledge comes into play in the grand scheme of things. And in the end, does it matter that much anyway? He and Cecil, against whatever prerogatives their natures have imposed on them, seem to be on equal ground when it comes to the things that matter. That they have both utilized their freedom, knowledge and ability to be together in the first place attests to that. And anyway, it's a lot more fun to look at encyclopedias together.

“I think so. Though I wonder what humans called them before the Medusa legend then. I’m sure we could find out, with a little more research..."

Cecil loves talking about good and evil, specifically how outdated the terms are, but there's a time and a place for everything. When he and Carlos talk shop like that there's always going to be some points they disagree on. You find ways to let things go; they'd never have been able to make it work, otherwise. Cecil wonders if it's easier for humans, with their free will and all.

"Ooh, yeah! I wonder! Yes, clearly more research is required. Do you think the library has a jellyfish section?"

“What library wouldn’t?” Carlos grins and steps back, allowing for Cecil to pull his chair out. If there’s one thing he can never say no to, it’s research. “We can look together.”

Ianto is looking a little frazzled already: the mansion is too big, the grounds too extensive, and Jack too damned slippery for Ianto to keep proper tabs on. This may have been a losing proposition from the start.

He doesn't expect to find him in the library -- though it's possible, of course, as long as there are other people there -- but if Jack's not there Ianto's hoping for a moment to sit down in peace. Probably not with a book; he can't take that long away from looking, after all.

Turning the corner into the library, he almost runs into a tall dark-haired man, and catches himself on the edge of the nearest shelf, sighing.

"Sorry," he says -- he's been saying that to quite a few people he's nearly run into; some people might consider it a cue to slow down, but Ianto, no, Ianto is stubborn. He makes a face, mostly at himself, and then tries to smile as he glances up. "--Sorry, but I'm looking for a -- friend, about my height, blue coat? Has he been by here?"

Carlos is so startled by Ianto that he drops the book in his hands. Well, kind of- he drops it, but recovers just a second before it hits the ground. The book disappears just before impact and appears just above his hands, where he catches it again as if the entire thing hadn’t even happened.

“Y-you startled me… funny, humans usually don’t do that.” He smiles, recovering quickly. After all, he’s used to being surprised by demons. Having a human accomplish it for once is sort of refreshing.

“A friend?” The smile shifts more into a look of concern as he slips the book back onto the shelf. “I haven’t seen anyone like that here today. Blue coat, you said?” He does know one person with a very distinctive blue coat, but… well, first of all, he’s not a person. Technically. And second, there have to be several people here with blue coats. It wouldn’t do to jump to a conclusion like that. And what would a nice, upstanding looking fellow like this want with a demon anyway?

“But I can help you look. Could you tell me more about who you’re trying to find?”

"Oh. Er. Angel?" Ianto says. Oh wonderful, he's gone and run into (literally, this time) yet another angel-- or demon? Perhaps? The other man's demeanor just doesn't seem right for a demon, but it's worth asking regardless.

"Sorry to startle you," he continues, and scans the stacks quickly. Nothing useful there. "I don't think we've met, have we? Ianto Jones." There, that should do; he sounds flustered, which he is, but more importantly he's thrown out enough questions and pleasantries that with any luck it won't be too obvious that he hasn't offered any further description of Jack Harkness just yet.

Ianto is right on the money with his assumption- Carlos is indeed of the angelic persuasion. He acknowledges his guess with a smile and a single nod of his head, all the while silently noting the visual cues Ianto is sending off. The human might not be pleased to know that he’s stumbled upon a rather observant Angel. So although Carlos does notice the omission (for someone in a rush to find another person, Ianto sure isn’t forthcoming with information), Carlos doesn’t pry. Yet.

“Don’t worry, I’m used to it.” He waves off the apology. “And I don’t believe we have- my name is Carlos. Like you’ve already observed, I’m an Angel.” Again, a look of slight concern. “You seem rattled. Would you like to sit down?”

"No, I -- thank you, but I'm afraid I can't. Pleased to meet you. You haven't seen him then?"

Ianto takes a deep breath, and runs a hand through his hair, looking around again. The library had seemed like such a reasonable option. Jack had been headed this way, and it's full of tiny winding stacks and private corners, easy to miss a single demon in.... Ah. There's a question he can ask.

Cautiously, he says, "And... being an angel, I'm not of course so I don't quite know, but ... would you be able to tell if a demon came in? To the library?"

“No, I’m afraid I can’t say I have. I don't think so, anyway, based on my current knowledge.” Carlos feels for Ianto, he really does. The human seems so terribly stressed out- and as he knows from tens of thousands of years of observation, humans don’t really do well under stress.

More information would be what he needs to help, and so the next question seems like a promising start. Carlos perks up as Ianto begins his inquiry… then seems to freeze when he hears its conclusion. “A demon?” An attractive, easily flustered human running around on the lookout for a demon with a distinctive blue coat- they’re all puzzle pieces that fit together much too easily to be explained away or ignored. And if there is anything Carlos has learned over the millennia, it’s that there really is no such thing as coincidence.

“I would…” He says the words slowly, not liking the turn this conversation will need to take. “You wouldn’t happen to be looking for a demon calling himself Jack, would you? My most recent records indicate he’s still going by the surname ‘Harkness.’”

Oh, hell, Ianto thinks. That's torn it; this man knows Jack after all, or knows of him at the very least, and Ianto's given him enough to guess.

He hopes Carlos isn't in a smiting mood.

"...Yes," he admits, very cautiously. "Jack Harkness is the man I'm looking for."

Carlos does his best to hold in the huge, disappointed sigh he can feel building up inside of him. The resulting expression is probably a strange one, but he’s trying not to take his frustrations out on the human. It’s not his fault he’d been seduced by a demon known for his sex appeal and love of disorderly conduct.

“Not a man,” he corrects as gently as he can. “A demon.” Oh, and he’s fully aware of the hypocrisy here as he says that. But unlike Ianto, Carlos is not human. He’s not short-lived or fragile. So his dating a demon is… different. Probably.

“Are you sure it’s a good idea to go looking for him?”

It's not a surprise that Alphonse and Carlos are on good terms--he may not have the devotion to logic and order that the older angel does, but he certainly loves to see how much humans have learned about the physical rules and secrets of the world their Father created. He may even be guilty of nudging a promising mind or two in the right direction--when he isn't busy fostering a caring for the 'lesser' creatures of God's creation, of course.

Which is why a few cats are purring and rubbing themselves against his legs as he's reading. Well, 'reading'--he doesn't need to physically see the words to absorb the information, after all. And it's really much faster this way, isn't it? So when Carlos emerges from around a corner, Al turns from contemplating the shelved books with a wide smile and waves. "Carlos, good morning!" As usual, Al is glowing ever so slightly--young as he is (at least by angelic terms), he still hasn't quite gotten the hang of completely concealing himself.

“Good morning, Alphonse.” Carlos smiles fondly as he makes his way over to the younger angel. He enjoys Al’s company, which isn’t something he can say for all of their angelic brethren. Not many understand their particular attachment to humanity and the creatures of the Earth past nudging them towards redemption, and Carlos sees a lot of promise in Alphonse’s enthusiasm.

“What are we reading up on today?” He leans against the shelf and grins down at the cats. He’d never thought much of them once upon a time, but Cecil has a strong attachment to the animals, so Carlos has gradually warmed up to them as well. Though he’s still not a fan of the claws so much.

Fortunately none of these cats seem inclined to turn Carlos into a scratching post, so he doesn't have to worry about his vessel being punctured today. One of them turns and mews a kitty greeting at him, flicking his tail with curiosity.

"Quantum physics," Al says, bending down to pick up one of the cats and scratch her behind the ears. "A few of these authors are getting quite close to figuring out what they're missing in the equations. I have a feeling when they do, they'll be wondering how they didn't see it for that long!" For all that they aren't Al's charges, he's quite proud of their efforts.

Carlos tilts his head and smiles down at the kitten, admiring the small spark of intelligence and curiosity he can sense from it. Nothing compares to humanity when it comes to intelligence, but that doesn’t mean he can’t admire the stirrings of it in lesser creatures.

“Isn’t it exciting? Some of them will be practically tearing their hair out when they realize how close they’ve been to the truth. I know I would be if I were a scientist in their position.” He slips his hands into the white lab coat he’s wearing and chuckles at the thought. Him, a human scientist. How frustrating that would be.

“It will be a bittersweet day though. We both know that Hell will be waiting just as eagerly for them to figure things out.”

Al sighs heavily and nods, rubbing the ears of a cat that leaps up to his shoulder. "True. That knowledge can do so much good, but with the wrong ideas, it can also cause so much havoc. We'll have our work cut out for us when the time comes to remind them of their morals."

“We’ve done a pretty decent job of it so far, haven’t we?” Carlos smiles in a way he hopes is encouraging. He shares all of Al’s concerns though, which gives the expression a tired look, particularly around his eyes. “All a part of the job though. All the work will pay off in the end.”

Bruce is tired. That's the only word that can describe his state perfectly right now. He's tired of the events, and he's tired of what they take from him. This isn't to be misunderstood - there's nothing he wants more than to be rid of the other guy, and he'd tried time and again, looked for a cure, anything that would cure him once and for all, but he simply hadn't found a way.

Yet, here he is now, trapped in a place that apparently can do as it pleases to him, and when he says him, he means him. But this is not what Bruce wants. This isn't a solution; it's worse. Another event rolls around, and again he finds that the beast his gone, the weight lifted from his shoulders, but what's the point of it? In a couple of days it'll be back, like a ton of lead being thrown onto him again, and he'll wake up and find the beast in him clawing at the fragile bars.

And it's exhausting, to say the least. Bruce balances himself as if at the tip of a knife already, this perfect balance he thinks to have found is only put at risk further with each time the Hulk is taken away, then tossed back inside. He's tired, and he's scared. He doesn't know how much longer he'll be able to handle it.

But he can't lock himself up every time, he can't become a hermit. That won't help, and he has a feeling the others wouldn't let him keep that up for long either. But he still chooses places where he'll be left alone and at peace, and even during the events the smallest and most distant corners of the library provide that. Not that that seems to matter much this time particularly, because he notices within seconds when someone's literally looking over his shoulder, standing almost too close for comfort to, presumably, peek into the book of advanced astrophysics he's distracting himself with.

With a bland smile, he looks up. "Can I help you?"

“Hm?” Carlos looks up innocently, as if he wasn’t only centimeters away from a complete stranger and wouldn’t have any idea why he could have possibly attracted their attention.

“Oh no, don’t let me distract you. You’ve picked up a fascinating book there. One of the most thorough ones here, even if it is a little bland. Are you a scientist by any chance?” The question is hopeful. They’re Carlos’s favorite type of human… not that it’s generally acceptable for Angels to have favorites. They are supposed to see humanity as a whole, the redemption of their souls by and large a means to an end. But that has never stopped Carlos from having his preferences. It’s the scientific minds he’s most drawn to, and those are the ones he tries most valiantly to turn towards good. Hence the hovering over Bruce’s shoulder. His smile is warm, and he watches Bruce as if he is the most interesting thing in the room. The human’s bland expression doesn’t seem to faze him a bit.

He glances from the man to the book, a little confused now as well as uncomfortable. But it's an easy enough question, so he doesn't see a reason not to answer.

"Yeah, I am," he turns on his seat, shifting away slightly in hopes of putting a little more distance between them. "Not an astrophysicist, though. Nuclear physicist."

A silent pause, Bruce thinking of what could possibly get the guy from leaning like that. Then he gestures at the book, more than ready to close it and hand it over. "Look, if you want the book you can take it. I was just looking for something to distract myself with."

Carlos’s expression lights up when he hears Bruce admit his profession. A physicist! It’s been a long time since he’s met one of those, not to mention one in Bruce’s particular field. But before he can say anything else on the subject, he’s being offered a book. Carlos blinks down at it and then chuckles, waving it away.

“Oh no, I don’t need something like that. I’ve already read it- and anyway, the information isn’t quite complete. I would give humanity another hundred years or so before you really start to get into the meat of it.” He leans back and takes in the sight of Bruce as a whole once more, taking this new information into account. A nuclear physicist distracting himself with some heavy reading. Not exactly strange, but Carlos can sense… something.

“So you weren’t reading that for pleasure? Most people wouldn’t consider that a good distraction, even if it was interesting.”

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[ Open ] Of Good, Evil, and the Scientific Method

because they have to interact in every event now. it's the law :|

I support this law 110% :D!

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August 10, morning?

Works for me! :D

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