Lost in the Archives

『 dane dehaan. thirty three. cis male. he/him. 』oh heavens, is that THADDEUS BALDWIN from SYCAMORE WAY i see roaming around mapleview? minnie may’s always calling them -SULLEN & -DISTANT. i happen to think they’re not that bad! they’re a pretty cool ARCHIVIST AT MAPLEVIEW PUBLIC LIBRARY and every time i’ve seen them, they’ve always been +LOYAL & +COLORFUL. i hope i see them around again! @mapleviewstarters​

Hey! My name is Katie or Kat! I'm 28, live in the EST timezone, and use she/they pronouns. 

Typically his free period gave Julien some time to decompress and breathe in the middle of the day, and sometimes he would also have students come in now and then to get some help if they were finished with assignments in their regular class. He currently had the latter at this moment, a fourth grader seeking piano instruction. And so he was seated on the bench beside the small child behind the upright piano, gently guiding and showing them along as needed. In the back of his head he knew he had another guest on their way at the moment, who was bound to arrive at any time. Jules had gotten to school early that morning, as usual, but spent the time straightening up the admittedly already put-together room; but since then he hadn’t really thought much about his guest, more focused on his actual job.

But now, though, with one-on-one time with a singular student, Jules had begun checking his watch, his phone, and the large wall clock for the time–had he been at his desk, he would have also been using the time on his computer as well. When he realized he’d been doing it, he felt incredibly silly and instead zeroed back in on his current responsibility. He absorbed himself just enough that the sound of a third, familiar voice, made him jolt slightly on the piano bench. Leaning so he could see the door, he smiled brightly at Thad, gesturing for him to come in. “Please, please, have a seat!” He gestured to a few chairs along one of the walls, an assortment of regular adult-sized and tiny chairs. “I’m just in the middle of helping someone out.” Jules smiled down at his student, “This is, um….my friend Mr. Thaddeus, he works over at the public library.” He received an eyebrow raise in response–it seemed that library workers were another class of adult whom children didn’t ever imagine leaving their workplaces. “We’re got just a few more minutes here before you need to get back to your regular class, okay?” he said quietly to the student, before stretching to relay the message to his friend. “She has a few more minutes with me here, and then I’m all yours! You can take a look around in here if you’d like, as long as you remember how to treat the instruments respectfully.” He punctuated the statement with a wink, remembering the other man had been in school band way back when.

When he didn’t immediately spot Julien at his desk and heard the sounds of a piano lesson, Thad began to worry that he may have gotten his times mixed up somehow but hearing that he was welcome to step inside was a weight off his chest. He offered a small smile to the student at the piano and rested his bag on one of the chairs that he was directed to. “Oh, don’t rush on my account. Take all the time that you need,” he replied, debating on taking a seat before deciding to indulge in his nostalgia a bit and take a closer look around the room. The reminder about treating the instruments respectfully got a quiet laugh out of him and he jokingly snapped his fingers. “Oh dang. There goes all my fun.” He let Julien return to his lesson as he made his way around the room, looking at the various posters on the walls and the instruments offered to the younger students with interest. A peek at some of the beginning band books summoned a wave of memories to when he was learning the basics of music a long time ago. Once he replaced the book back where it belonged he glanced over at Jules to see if things were wrapping up.

Location: Mapleview Elementary School

Thaddeus glanced at his watch as he stood outside the doors of the elementary school, trying to figure out if Julien’s free period had started yet or not. His friend had made sure to tell him when he would be available to visit during a school day and it conveniently lined up to when Thad liked to take his lunch. Normally he would not go far from the library when it was time for the midday meal but the archivist had not seen Jules for a few days and he missed him. It also wasn’t fair that Julien came to visit him at the library quite frequently but he had yet to return the favor. Something he was planning on rectifying soon.

He shifted his bag onto his shoulder and walked into the school when he heard the bell announcing that the next period had started. With stop by the office to see if he needed a visitors badge or something along those lines and some verbal directions to the music room he began making his way through the halls to go see his friend. As he walked he noticed all the artwork with varying degrees of skill on the walls and it struck him just how small some of the furniture seemed. Something that shouldn’t have surprised him in retrospect.

Once he found the music room and noticed the door was ajar, he peered inside and noticed that Jules was sitting at his desk, working on something. Thad knocked quietly and stuck his head in the door. “Excuse me, Mr. Rosenthal? Am I interrupting anything?”

with: Anyone! @mapleviewstarters​ where: Anywhere!

Poppy looked around, unsure if she was the only one who could hear the whimpering of… what? Still undecided if the noise were real or if she were merely going insane, she followed the sound to its source only to find a dog. Its collar had gotten caught on something, effectively imprisoning them to the hidden spot they had been whining in. “Oh, no. You poor thing,” she said quietly as she squatted down to unhook its collar from the thing that had snagged it, but then stopped herself. What if the dog ran off once she detached it, she wondered. Standing back up, she searched her surroundings again, catching the eye of someone a couple of yards away. “Hey, excuse me!” She called out. “Do you have a leash?” She asked once they came nearer, trying to not look as wacky as the request she were making.

Thaddeus buried his hands in his pockets and tried to ignore the bitterly cold wind that seemed to seep into his bones as he began to head towards his home. The weather had been mild enough when he began his walk to try to clear his head and get his feelings sorted out but in the last half hour it seemed like the weather was making a turn. Still, he supposed that the walk had been a productive one. Further along his route he noticed a familiar figure squatting down by some kind of animal and he slowed down to see what was going on. As he got closed he realized he definitely recognized the woman when she caught his eye. It was Poppy. It took him a moment to realize that she asked him a question and he sheepishly shook his head. “No, I’m afraid I don’t. What is going on? Is there a particular reason you needed one?”

Task: Character Survey

CHARACTER INFO

full name: Thaddeus Grant Baldwin

nickname(s): Thad

birthday: Feb 14 1987

zodiac sign: Aquarius

gender: Cis male

pronouns: He/Him

sexuality: Gay

birthplace: Technically Meridian, MS but he grew up in Memphis, TN

length of time living in mapleview: Three years

occupation: Archivist at the Mapleview Public Library

relationship status: Single but has his eye on someone

“Oh– Thank you, thank you! It was a foreclosure so it wasn’t left in the best state, so I’ve had to do some work to make it feel a little less dated and all. If I end up not staying around, at least it will be a little nicer for the next occupant, eh? And it’s the first time I’ve lived in a house on my own, as opposed to an apartment, so I’m making the most of it.” Julien calmly but firmly commanded the dogs in French to pipe down and be quiet. “If these two are good, maybe later they can get some treats. Let me show you around quickly!” He walked through the living room, in which the fire was crackling and to which the tiny kitchen opened up to, and towards the guest bedroom. “Here’s where you’ll be, if you’d like to put your stuff down. The washroom is right next door. I’m over there if you’ll need anything.” He pointed across the house to the other hallway, where his own bedroom and bathroom resided. “I’m in the middle of doing up the meal right now, actually, it’s simmering on the stove. I hope you don’t mind waiting a little longer, but it shouldn’t be terribly long.”

He made his way back into the kitchen and washed his hands once more, then grabbed some of the ingredients he needed to chop up and add to the pot. “You can sit where you’d like,” he offered, nodding towards the barstools in front of the outer portion of counter space. Jules had just begun cutting up cabbage when his cell rang, unsurprisingly. He answered the call and immediately put it on speaker so he could continue working. “Allô, maman,” he called out to the receiver, sparing an apologetic smile to Thaddeus for the obtrusion as his mother began to speak in French over the phone.

“Well, from what I have seen so far I can tell you have done a good job. This place feels more like a home than mine does... although some of that is my own fault.” Thad complimented. He fell into step behind the Canadian as he took in the sight of the fire in the hearth, the small but functional kitchen, and the room where he would be staying. When Jules pointed out to where his own room was, Thad nodded and gave a small smile. “I will keep that in mind. I probably will be fine but it’s nice to know just in case. I could smell the meal when I first came in actually. It smells absolutely delicious. I can be patient for it to be ready don’t worry.”

He sat his bag down in the guest room and followed Julien back out into the kitchen, sitting on one of the barstools as directed and settling in to watch the other cook curiously. He would be the first to admit that he wasn’t the strongest in the kitchen but just spending time around Jules made him more at ease. When the phone rang and he realized who was on the other end he offered a reassuring smile. He pointed into the living room and mouthed ‘I can go in there if you want?’ in an attempt to offer privacy.

“ yeah, that makes sense, ” zara said, nodding her head at the words coming from the male’s lips about how resolutions usually put too much pressure on making big changes and often leading people to getting overwhelmed and eventually giving up. i think for me i will try to be more social. i am… quite the homebody really.i “ that isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but i get you, love. there’s obviously a balance you need to find. where you can be a homebody, but also be social. i’m sure you’ll figure it out though. that you’ll find that balance somehow. ”

“The biggest step is actually wanting something to change. And I know I’m more willing to do that kind of thing now than I was a year ago.” He paused and checked his phone for the time. “I hope I’m not keeping you from anywhere with this conversation?”

“I am more of a realist.”

“I mean I have some odd food habits when I can’t be bothered to make a ‘proper’ meal for myself. Like that?”

“I never really thought about it. I do think I would need a partner first and it would be a conversation I would have to have with them. I’m not opposed to children even though I don’t have a lot of experience with them.”

“I would say quality time or acts of service”

“Hmmm... that is a tough question. Maybe a cat or a dog? They seem to have pretty quiet lives.”

“I certainly enjoyed it. I wouldn’t mind if I got the chance to kiss him again that is for sure.”