#sylvananswers

[aceouttatime]

5, 10, and 20 for Sylvan please :3

Good evening, smallcomfycat. I believe I've already answered a couple of your questions, but I suppose it can't hurt to indulge you just once more. That is unless these happen to be more on the personal side, in which case, it may--my poor mind can take no more punishment.

Give me a moment to read through that damned list...

Upon further review, I don't have any particular qualms with any of these besides number ten, but I sign up for this hell, so I can't necessarily deny you an answer. Though, I do have a question for you--what could have possibly caused you to want to know my nightly habits? Is the manner in which I brush my teeth just absolutely riveting to you?

I should have been more adamant with my work partner, Tamia, about wanting nothing to do with this little interview game. Alas, I was bribed.

5. Do you have any role models? Tell us a little bit about them.

Role models? I see. Well, a select few professors from back when I attended college stuck out to me. I have a couple now, as well--my direct superior, Col. Strasse, has excellent management skills and was the driving factor in my promotion to the...challenging disappearance case I'm working on at the moment. Not many as young as I can boast the credentials I have already. It really was in her best interest to pull me from the masses; thank god she recognized my potential.

My grandfather on my father's side was a noteworthy individual in his prime as well. Theodore Okeanoú was the son of a lower-class immigrant couple, and, despite the unforgiving events of his childhood, he found success through hard work and endurance. He attended the same undergraduate school I did and went on to do investigatory work for the FBI.

I wish I'd gotten to meet him.

10. What’s your biggest goal? How do you hope to achieve this?

My biggest goal is to take Strasse's job. Hah, I'm only kidding. Mostly.

In my opinion, the 'biggest goal' is a broad question. In life? In my career? Morally? Physically? Specify next time, would you? I'll just go with life, as it's probably what you're getting at, considering most of these questions are posed to destroy my ego.

I want to find contentment. I often wonder if living my life for my career is something worthwhile, but I continue to circle back to doing so anyhow. I don't have a family to provide for nor a partner (not that either of those are a necessity). The only hobbies outside of work I regularly attend to are reading, gardening, and caring for my cat, Archie. I don't need a gaggle of friends, but an emptiness still plagues me somehow.

I'd like to know what it is I'm missing and if there is more to life than the mundanity of my day-to-day. I want a reprieve from the turmoil fogging my mind. Maybe progressing in the Gaelis case will bring me lasting comfort. Maybe not. But what is my life if not a series of trials?

20. Describe your nighttime routine.

After I return from work--if I do, that is--I make the last few calls and send the last few emails I need to before I can put it all aside. Then I take a few moments to give Archie his much-needed attention. He's such a pampered little fellow, but he's the most intelligent cat I've ever met.

Once I came home to him sitting on the windowsill with nothing separating him from the outside but the flimsy screen. How he opens the glass bit without opposable thumbs will forever remain a mystery to me, but every now and again, I find him in that same spot. And when he's not there, sometimes I'll find a few bits of coppery fur marking his spot.

Orange cats. There's something about them that just exudes oddity.

I take great care of my appearance and cleanliness, so I shower or bathe, if time allows, as soon as possible. My hair has been long for years, and I've developed a precise routine of applying certain products to keep it healthy. I've gotten quick about it over the years.

After that, I fix dinner for Arch and me. Sometimes Tamia stops over, but most nights, it's just the two of us and a bottle of red wine. I'm no cook, but I can make a decent veggie stir-fry. My little sister was more artful in that department.

Then I settle down with a book on the balcony if the weather's nice. It's a high-rise, my apartment, and the view on clear days is stunning. The sunset almost masks the commotion of this terrible city.

I don't end up falling asleep until late in the night, most nights. My thoughts keep me up.

That's about all I can say about my evenings.

Thank you, I suppose, for the host of asks. Sleep well.

Lt. Sylvan Okeanoú

[aceouttatime]

Hey Sylvan! I think you’re pretty smart and awesome! Would love to know more about you.

4. When you were a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up?

Finally, someone who provides me the common decency of a warm 'hello.' To that, good afternoon, Meg--I hope you're doing well. And, your mind doesn't fail you; yes, of course, I am. It appears a certain someone may be trying to butter me up, hah!

This is the second question I've gotten about my childhood or at least my not-so-recent past--color me surprised. At least this isn't as invasive as the last ask I received, for which I am infinitely grateful. My love life isn't a topic I readily supply, kitn-underfoot. Tsk.

Hm. The earliest of my aspirations came to me around the age of three. Though, it was less an aspiration and more the idea of my mother to force me into a garish little doctor's costume during Halloween. What self-respecting physician wears a blush-pink, sequin-emblazoned lab coat? Last I'd heard, the woman still has it collecting dust in a photo album somewhere. Thankfully for my reputation and online footprint, this was the nineties, so Mrs. Barbara Okeanoú didn't yet have Facebook at her fingertips.

I do wonder if my mother had a MySpace. That's a chilling thought best left for later research.

Tangent aside, I did want to go into the medical field for most of my early years. Airline piloting had also interested me for a time, though, to my dismay, my eyesight is subpar. The optometrist stuck me with a pair of oversized glasses by age eight. In my later teen years, the human mind was my main area of interest, and that naturally led to the beginning of my interest in psychological studies, particularly psychopathology. During my university days, I gravitated toward criminology with the ambition of rising to where I am today.

Some other passing career path interests of childhood me included: - Neurosurgery - Psychological Research (i.e., conducting psychological experiments and the like) - The Tooth Fairy

Please ignore the last of those items.

Anyhow, thank you kindly for your ask, Meg. Do have a nice day, and don't occupy yourself with pondering about my childhood.

Lt. Sylvan Okeanoú

[aceouttatime]

For the OC ask game:

Hey Sylvan.... Have you ever been in love?

Hello, @kitn-underfoot.

I'm obliged to thank you for your question--my...coworker just took it upon herself to shout from across my office that I could 'do with a kinder attitude.' Yes, and she insisted I add her exact quote. If looks could kill, I suppose I'd be less a detective and more the spawn of a new case.

...

Well, I find myself clever. I sincerely hope you do as well, Kit--if I may call you such. As per your query, I can't say truthfully that I wish to answer. Still, considering Tamia is now looming threateningly over my shoulder, I'm left with little choice.

I didn't let myself consider the notion of dating until I'd already graduated from general education and begun my university days. I thought I knew what I wanted at the time. The trouble was, I was a seasoned mind trapped in a body far too young. I still am. I don't expect you to understand my vague description, and I don't care to elaborate.

Anyhow, there were a few women who had taken interest in me over the years. I was naive then, fueled by peer pressure and the desire to be someone I was not. I dated, but never for long. I drank to compensate for the number of times I forced myself to leave the bar with two cold hands in the pockets of my jacket.

I found I didn't care for the frivolity of conventional romance that sort of dating offered. Relying on my own ardor and drive is superior. It is easier. Safer.

That will not change. I am too scientifically-minded for the hormone-fueled delusions of young love. I love my work, and I predict that is the nearest damned thing I'll find to a partner.

Thank you for your terribly invasive question, Kit.

Lt. Sylvan Okeanoú