When he looks back
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The Reverb in These Holy Halls by Wolftraps (AlwaysBoth)
Fandoms: The Magnus Archives (Podcast)
30 Mar 2020
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Summary
Undoing the apocalypse would have been enough for Jon, if all his people survived. Without them, Jon's only recourse is making it so it never happened in the first place. He's going to do better this time.
Series
- Part 1 of Reverb
- Language:
- English
- Words:
- 97,525
- Chapters:
- 12/12
- Collections:
- 5
- Comments:
- 1,614
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- 5,488
- Bookmarks:
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Bookmarked by ivara
04 Jun 2020
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Bookmarker's Notes
It’s a startling transition, to say the least. One day Gertrude Robinson is doddering about the Archives of the Magnus Institute, the next she’s just… not, and Jonathan Sims, a somewhat antisocial researcher with zero qualifications for the Head Archivist position, is there instead. Not literally, but close enough most everyone seems comfortable using the word.
On Monday, March 16th, most of the Institute arrived to work to find police on site, and as expected in a place with fewer than fifty people regularly on site, news traveled fast that Gertrude, who had been at the Institute longer than anyone, had gone missing, her desk found covered in blood. By Wednesday, most have been able to return to work as normal. Martin Blackwood, recently transferred to the Archives, is not so lucky. For the remainder of the week, between interrogations by police who seem only perfunctorily interested in investigating, he returns to his previous position in the library; only to be told Friday that the reversion will be permanent until a “suitable replacement” for Gertrude can be found.
It’s only by chance, the following Monday, that Martin returns to the Archives for a couple personal items to find Jonathan Sims already there.
When Martin asks, Rosie doesn’t know anything about Jon’s transfer and/or promotion, and is especially confused as Jon had apparently left early last Friday and couldn’t have met with Elias then. Last anything had been said to her, Elias instructed that any major items for the Archives should be directed to his office until further notice. She’d thought Martin would be back in the library until a new Head Archivist was hired and is a little peeved that no one told her otherwise. Which is certainly something Martin can empathize with, since he was under the same impression. It’s unlike him, but Rosie supposes it could have slipped Elias’s mind, maybe, what with everything else going on. It doesn’t seem like she believes it, though.
Of course, Martin is in the Archives the next day when Elias first comes to talk to Jon about his new position, and can say with some certainty that Elias knows no more about what’s happening than any of the rest of them. Except, of course, for Jonathan Sims himself.
“Mister Sims,” Elias says to Jon, who is seated at Gertrude’s desk with an air of comfortable familiarity. “You seem to be settling in well.”
“It doesn’t take me long to get my bearings these days,” Jon says, eyes never leaving the file he’s been going through. “You can leave now, Elias.” Martin breathes in sharply and then attempts to look busy when it draws Elias’s disapproving attention. Still, the office door stays open.
“Jon- can I call you Jon? If you could explain precisely what it is you-” Jon looks up, face blank, and Elias just- stops.
“I am The Archivist.” He says it with a strange sort of emphasis, as though Jon is suggesting he’s the only archivist in the world, and for a moment, though he’s mostly turned away, Martin could swear he sees Elias look surprised. Then Jon’s voice goes disingenuously light in a way that brings to mind bared teeth. “Though, while I have you here, I need to requisition a new desk. The police seem to have taken a rather large chunk out of the center of this one for their investigation. And I can’t quite shake the smell of blood. Other than that, I believe I have what I need, Elias. I’ll be sure to inform you if that changes.”
“You-”
“Do you need Gertrude Robinson located first, Elias? Would you like me to go looking?” A weird, almost accusatory way to put it, in Martin’s opinion, and there’s something almost tangibly heavy in the question, like a sudden increase in air pressure.
“… No. That- will not be necessary… Right.” There’s a moment wherein they just stare- glare, really- at each other, and then Elias looks over at Martin, who would really rather not be pulled into this, thanks. “Well, Martin here is-”
“No longer any of your concern.” If Martin hadn’t been apprehensive about all this before, he definitely is now. This man just appoints himself to a position and, what, claims him? Martin hasn’t worked that many places other than the Institute, and it’s been many years since, but he’s sure that’s not normal. “I will also accept the assistance of Sasha James.”
“I see. May I suggest-”
“No. You may not. Martin is already part of the Archives, and I believe Sasha will do well enough here. No one else is needed.” Already part of the archives, like Martin had grown into them or something and not just transferred here barely a month ago. Like Martin is a statement himself.
“I see.” Jon huffs a laugh, though what he finds funny about this Martin can’t begin to guess. Elias continues to glare. “I’ll ensure the proper paperwork is completed. I suppose congratulations are in order.” And then he walks away.