Fandom Island Museum, Thursday Daytime

[hasaknightjob]

Steven came into the Museum more subdued than normal. Not that there was anything wrong with him per se. He'd had a lovely week so far. And in theory the last thing that had happened to him at the Museum was a nice and incredibly helpful conversation with Liliana (herself so nice and incredibly helpful.)

It was just, you know, before.

So Steven was there, barring time for Stark's class in the morning, doing his work behind the Welcome Desk, and being...

Cautious, was all. Aware.

One might even say twitchy.

He was fine, really.

[open]

Comments

[joan_of_bark]

He was probably right to be twitchy this week.

Because, not long after opening, a woman appeared in the door to the museum. Tall, at 5'8'', her long red hair pulled back in a ponytail, her hands stuffed casually in the pockets of her green overalls.

"Good morning," said Poison Ivy.

[hasaknightjob]

Steven had never met this woman before so as far as he was concerned she was just a new visitor.

He waved, smiling. "Hello! Welcome! Are you new to town or just the museum?"

[joan_of_bark]

"Just the museum," Ivy said, as she walked up to the counter, still casually. "I was wondering - do you keep any plant specimens here?"

[hasaknightjob]

"Ah!" Steven said, thrilled she would ask. "Not as such? We do have some with the bugs and the fish as part of their habitats if you'd like to see? But you've amazing timing, actually. We may be putting together a small program about that very thing. Early stages, making no promises. But very exciting to hear we may have someone interested in that already."

[joan_of_bark]

Ivy's mouth curved into a smile. A practiced one, with very little behind it, but she generally found it to be convincing. "I'm a botanist," she explained. "Among other things. I was curious about what might wash up in a place like this, mr...?"

Always a good idea to check someone's identity before you got in their face.

[hasaknightjob]

"Steven's fine," Steven told her. He tapped the handy name tag on his shirt. He was very proud of his name tag. Also it helped demonstrate as he added, "Steven. With a V."

[joan_of_bark]

"Steven with a V," Ivy echoed, nodding. "Well, Steven with a V, unfortunately, that's not the only thing I'm here for today. Though, for what it's worth, I really am interested in that plant exhibit..."

If he'd let her in to see it in the future was an open question.

[hasaknightjob]

"Shall I put your name down then?" Steven asked, gesturing towards his notebook on the desk. "We've not set up an official mailing list for it or anything but I could keep you posted?"

[joan_of_bark]

"Sure," Ivy said, casting a glance towards his notebook. She'd let him have this one last beat of peace. "It's Dr. Pamela Isley." Her eyes flicked back up to Steven's. "Though you can call me Poison Ivy."

[hasaknightjob]

"... all right?" Steven said. He'd certainly heard stranger names in his life. "Is that a whole phrase? Both names at once? Do you prefer 'Poison' or 'Ms Ivy'?"

[joan_of_bark]

"Ivy will do," Ivy said. It was okay, Steven. She'd wait while you wrote that down. Patiently.

[hasaknightjob]

"Right," Steven said, smiling. He patted himself down for his glasses, smiling triumphantly once he found them. "There we are!"

He put them on, then picked up a pen and his notebook. "Shall I assume 'Ivy' is also with a V?"

[joan_of_bark]

"Yes," Ivy said. Still smiling.

She was getting a sense of who he was as a person all right.

[pocketpretzels]

Unaware of any visitors Steven had earlier, come lunch time there was the usual one.

"Hello, you," he greeted with a smile.

[hasaknightjob]

After leaving Stark's class, Steven debated and then decided to send a text.

Once back at the Museum, Steven tried to work, but couldn't help but keep double checking that he hadn't lost time. Someone he'd never met before angry at him out of seeming nowhere was too much of a trigger for Steven's concerns about being able to trust he hadn't gotten lost.

Steven was in the middle of checking the time on his pocket watch again when Llewellyn came in. To which Steven looked relieved, then all but ran around the desk to pounce on Llewellyn with a tight hug.

[pocketpretzels]

Habitual greeting being what it was, the words had left his mouth before Watts had gotten an actual good look at Steven and noticed him looking at his pocket watch. Not an unusual sight, but it did have something of an association for Watts with Steven feeling unsettled. So he'd been just about to ask if everything was all right, when he was- well, pounced.

"Hello, you," softer, this time, as he hugged back tightly.

[hasaknightjob]

"Hello, you," Steven replied, holding him just as tight. He took a deep breath, centering himself on the smell and feel of Llewellyn. "My husband. Here on Thursday. For lunch."

[pocketpretzels]

"Precisely so," Watts agreed. "What happened, darling?"

[hasaknightjob]

"Someone came in today who was cross with me," Steven said. He pulled back enough to look at Llewellyn while he spoke but not let go. "Turns out she was a friend of Harley's - " Steven was vastly translating Marc's explanation there " - and upset on her behalf. But I'd never met her before. Didn't know who she was. It made me think I got lost again."

[pocketpretzels]

Watts frowned. "That does sound disorienting," he noted. "This friend- was it Dr. Isley?"

A wild guess, based on how she'd mentioned dealing with a 'crying Harley' a couple weeks ago.

"Pamela," he added, after a moment's consideration, since like most people on the island, Steven tended to address people by their given names.

[hasaknightjob]

"Yes," Steven said. "Though she asked to be called Ivy. I got the impression she preferred it? Not - not because she was trying to hide who she was, that is."

[pocketpretzels]

"Huh," Watts said thoughtfully. "How odd. She's never mentioned such a preference to me, the handful of times we have conversed. Perhaps this is a recent affectation."

[hasaknightjob]

"She did introduce herself by the other name first," Steven said. "Perhaps she's still getting used to it? The new one?"

Shame Steven didn't think of that when he was texting Nell about it. Oh well.

[pocketpretzels]

"Maybe so," Watts agreed. "In any case, I'm sorry her- visit," for lack of a better word. "Unsettled you so." He was going to just keep holding on until Steven wanted to let go.

[hasaknightjob]

"Knocked over the bloody brochure stand," Steven grumbled. All right that had been in front of Marc but still. Principle of the thing.