questionable, at best.

[maliiciously-blog]

TOBIAS SALLIS:

THAT THE TWO of them had somehow arrived here, at this point in their conver- sation (seriously considering hypnosis, convincing other people to do one’s bid- ding, denying one’s own name) baffled even the great Tobias Sallis, but he made no moves to try and stop it from going the way it wanted to. With a girl like Diana Re- mington, this should be nothing new. If a- nything, he ought to have gotten used to it by now. 

“No. I’ve never thought of it that way,” he answered plainly, still trying to understand how things had gotten here (or why Reming- ton seemed to be so insistent on the topic).  He narrowed his eyes at her. “Where is this going, exactly? Do you intend to put your skills to the test?”

     SUGGESTION WAS AN INCREDIBLY USEFUL skill, especially in their line of work. Without even just a little bit of it, no one could even convince a guard that there’s a cat on the roof, when it’s in fact your associate meowing while trying to hold onto the roof tiles. Useful, but dangerous. Diana herself learned how important it was while she utilized her ignoble methods as D.R. in committing crime, and indeed, it would be quite hard for someone as noble as Tobias Sallis to understand a bit of it.

     “Well, something like that,” she said pensively -- of course she intends to put her skills to the test, otherwise nothing would remotely work. “D.R. could do it somehow, but as him, I’ve used quite a bit of charm and intimidation. I wonder if I could do it without the latter and get the same results. Food for thought, really.”

[bob-belcher]

[maliiciously-blog]

TOBIAS SALLIS:

THE INVESTIGATOR HAD to pause for a good long while there. From where had all this sudden introspective philosophi- sing come from exactly? When had the conversation gotten so deep? 

“Er.” He squinted, angling his head away slightly. “You don’t suppose this line of thinking is giving yourself too much cre- dit? There are some very simple minds out there, to be sure, but… I don’t think anyone could go so far as to deny their own name in favour of something some teenager’s given them. Persuasion is one thing.” Tobias gave Diana a doubtful look. “Hypnosis is another.”

     HYPNOSIS, INDEED. IT IS A very complicated field of study, and it wasn’t that she dishonored the entire notion altogether, but it was somewhat silly to fear something that can be learned and assume that it is the work of some higher power that seems supernatural. Probably one day, she’d learn it herself, but she’d never use it even if she were to be paid beaucoup pounds for it.

     “Well, I’d really like to see someone denying their own name in favour of something that I’d make up myself,” she proudly smirked, going so far as to look mighty confident while she was at it. “Personally, hypnosis is rather interesting, but it does say a lot about the person using it on others - haven’t you ever thought that the former might use hypnosis because they’re rather insecure about their own natural abilities in convincing others to do their bidding?”

[maliiciously-blog]

TOBIAS SALLIS:

“OF COURSE I have. It happens eventually in our line of work.” The look on his face was almost offended. “But that’s beside the point. To what purpose would it serve, convincing someone that the world is flat?”

     “USUALLY, IT’S JUST SOMETHING that is so set in stone that no one can ever dream of questioning it - it’s like saying that the sky is blue and that water is transparent,” Diana mused, genuinely looking as if she was deep in thought. “And then I thought, what if I could suddenly change someone’s perception with enough convincing? It’s like suggesting that your name’s Harold instead of Tobias, and the question is - will you buy the flimsy ‘fact’ that your name is Harold, instead of Tobias?”

[maliiciously-blog]

TOBIAS SALLIS:

“BUT WHY WOULD you.”

     “WELL, THE RIGHT QUESTION would be ‘why not?’” came the response. “Haven’t you ever tried to convince anyone to believe something that’s not exactly true?”

[thatpinkmustache]

don’t tell me “you can’t do that” ‘cause I will do that

[visual-poetry]

[unusuallygifted]

@maliiciously

[maliiciously-blog]

     “WHAT ARE THE ODDS OF people believing me if I tell them that the world is flat?”

[evagreenplus]

Eva Green

[maliiciously-blog]

SALLIS:

SIMILAR TO WILLIAMS’ train of thought–though Tobias Sallis had no way of knowing this at the time–the Tuffing’s boy could easily tell an investigating child apart from a normal one any day, and it was easy to say that this Landon Williams was one of them as well. What he was doing associating with the Remington boys, however–or one of them, at least–was an entirely different mystery altogether.

Tobias entertained the possibility that they could be similar in working styles, for not every child in society worked the same way after all. Kids like Townsend and Priestly and Cheung, only a few among many, ran around daily, climbed trees, and chased after missing cats, always out in the field, always tailing suspicious people (or breaking doors down, in Priestly’s case). There were children like Bello and Purcel who worked in their studies, inventing and repairing, occasionally stepping out for deliveries and cases of their own. And there were children like Tobias himself, who kept strictly indoors, writing letters and notes and decoding secret messages, going out only once in a while to gather information and almost always in cognito.

Perhaps, thought Tobias. Perhaps.

“Pleasure to meet you, Williams,” said Tobias. He’d heard that name before; he would have to look it up in his records. “Tobias Sallis. Tuffing’s boy, born and bred, I s’pose.” As freely as he gave his name away–it had power, he would have to admit, when used among those he was certain worked within their ranks–the investigator had ways of protecting his secrets and keeping his affairs and whereabouts private; he would not be who he was without them. “The older one–Xavier, correct? He knows you’re waiting for him?”

     “TO BE FRANK, no. A surprise, really. Just wanted to give good Xavier a fright, is all,” he shrugged. “You know him; always having a good sulk. Somewhat odd that he doesn’t ever try to have fun, hm?”

     And then the funniest thing happened - Landon’s delayed reaction as to who exactly he was talking to allowed a surprised reaction to show on his face. It says it all: the Tobias Sallis? Honest to God, it’s him? Wonder of wonders, this is a marvelous time to meet a legend, a secret in his own! The Addicott’s boy gaped - oh, how good he was when it came to expressions, and he remained there for a few seconds, gobsmacked.

     “Tobias Sallis. You,” Landon double-checked aloud, looking at Sallis from head to toe, as if he couldn’t believe that Sallis had the fortune, or misfortune, of being in a rowdy school like Tuffing’s. “By God, you! Tobias Sallis! Oh, this I’ve got to tell Xavier - the bloke’s never mentioned you before! What on earth is wrong with him?”

     A hearty laugh escaped Landon - small world, small world. Through files, he’d seen Sallis’s face. Through plans, he had learned how he works. Nevertheless, being imposing and being menacing would get him nowhere, and it’s far better to remain civil, isn’t it?

[maliiciously-blog]

???:

WHAT WAS IT about this boy that made him familiar, Tobias now had to silently wonder. He had seen him before, of that much he was aware, but from where and when? There were flashes in his mind, of moments, instances, perhaps even places, but it was difficult trying to put them all together to form something coherent. He had seen him in society, of this he was certain, but not enough to be able to figure out who he was or where his loyalties lay–an enigmatic figure in the fog. In a strange way, it was akin to what he had felt when he had first brushed elbows with Remington a long while back. That was bothersome in itself.

“Oh, sorry,” said Tobias, returning to the moment at hand after being briefly lost in thought (as was normal with him). “I didn’t mean to stare or… or be rude or anything.”

     “NO, NO, I MUST apologize to you instead; I’ve gotten the wrong place. I originally thought that Tuffing’s was this way, but I’ve ended up at Royce’s. Funny how that happens -- then again, that’s how it is when one stays out of town in a closed up boarding school,” Landon muses, giving the boy one of his iconic enigmatic smiles. “A good friend of mine studies in Tuffing’s; Remington’s his name. The older twin. You’re a Tuffing’s boy yourself, aren’t you, my good chap?”

     An investigating child is not hard to spot with keen eyes -- every single one of them have that distinct air about them that makes them stick out from the rest, and this boy before him was definitely one. Running around in circles solving cases was not a strange thing to Landon -- rather, it was the society that he’s currently a part of. He creates the cases, and the rest try to solve them. Petty cases, however, were not his cup of tea, and his good friend Xavier Remington was not exactly like the rest he’s seen either. Landon himself lived off the intrigue of the most troubled of souls.

     With a hand outstretched, the boy gave the other a small nod. “Landon Williams, a pleasure. I’m part of the field trip from Addicott’s. Yes, Addicott’s quite.....adequate, if you understand the joke, but everyone seems to think that it’s a mighty fine school!”

[maliiciously-blog]

???:

☛ a message for @maliiciously

THERE ARE SEVERAL things one would expect to find outside the school gates at dismissal time. In Tuffing’s, you were sure to find on any occasion, any number of the following: a boisterou bands of boys yelling at each other in both friendly and unfriendly ways, a gaggle of giggling girls passing from Royce’s, automobiles parked along on the far end of the road, children in bicycles, people with their noses stuck in books. Ever since their association began, Tobias Sallis had also begun to expect Miss Diana Remington, very discreetly waiting for him.

Today, however, she was nowhere to be found–and in her stead was someone else that he had never seen around these parts before (the operative phrase there being “around these parts”). Tobias said nothing but the slight surprise on his face betrayed his silence.

   ACTING CLASSES AND cut-throat auditions were something that D.R. loved, and that was something that Landon appreciated enough for him to understand her tardiness. There was also the fact that he was not waiting for her, but her incredibly troubled elder brother instead. It also so happened that a handful of students from the prestigious Addicott Academy were chosen to visit the more populated parts of the city, or town (whichever they thought it was, because really, Addicott was a city of their own), and it was no surprise that Landon Williams would be chosen to join the entourage. The boy politely refused the company of any potential person who wished to speak to him, however, upon seeing a boy’s surprised expression, Landon ended up chuckling a little at such a display.

   “My man, my man!” he says heartily, despite being dressed as if he was marching off to a funeral parlor, “flies can make their way into your mouth if you keep it open!”

[mini-musings]

describe your muse as shittily as possible in the tags.

[gurguliare]

it’s weird how middle names are like………. this normal thing, but also secret

[constellationish]

reblog + add in the tags your middle name so we’ll all know 

[leyla35-deactivated20180706]

Not to be cruel but seducing men is literally the funniest thing in the world

[evadaily]

[maliiciously-blog]

tagged by: @unusuallygifted

rules: Tag 10 of your followers that you want to know better!

MUSE:

Name: diana selwyn priestly (née remington) Nickname: diana, di, anna, anna darling (by jonathan priestly), D.R., the doctor, mrs. priestly Zodiac Sign: capricorn Gender: female Favorite Color: white Average Hours of Sleep: 4-10 hours Last Thing You Googled: not applicable Height: 5′3″-5-6″

MUN:

Name: lawrence Nickname: weeb Zodiac Sign: libra Gender: male Favorite Color: black Average Hours of Sleep: 5 hours tops Last Thing You Googled: vsqx vocaloid Height: 6′2

tagging: anyone and everyone!