I'm only happy when it rains

[leitstern]

🧙 WHO: Jasper & open
⚔️️ WHAT: Open and closed threads
🕒 WHEN: First two weeks of June
🗺️ WHERE: Camelot
⚠️ WARNINGS: Blood and murder


II: The Second Week’s Sun - OTA

[The first week crawls by as the pouring rain forces everyone to remain indoors. Trapped between his old friend and the ball of fur that is his familiar, Jasper finds himself wrestling against an impatience gnawing at his toes. The frustration makes him itch and when the storms cease he immediately heads out to enjoy the sun.

Hours later, he takes his seat beneath a tree at the local park. The drying earth is hidden beneath a chequered blanket stolen from home, together with a wicker basket full of packaged desserts. A veritable feast of sponge cakes and iced fancies.

People walk to and fro across the grass. Locals or outsiders? Neither matters until his familiar floats their way. His eyes narrow slowly over his flask of tea and he stops her with his cold tone.]

Be quiet. If they do not wish to play with you there is little point in persuading them otherwise.

III: The Scarlet Butcher - Closed to Hendrik

[Jasper acknowledges nothing around him as he strolls down the path, continuing on towards a tree surrounded with flowers and cards. Piles of red roses and yellow tulips, sunflowers and white chrysanthemums, all wrapped in teal, pink and green paper are lying at the foot of the trunk, a memorial to a victim of senseless murder.

He stands there in silence for a long time, reluctant to move. His feet are rooted to the spot and holding him immobile; his knees almost too weak to hold his weight. The scene changes before his eyes and he remembers standing over the remains of one of his countrymen.

The voice behind him is hard to notice. It is difficult to catch his attention when it is somewhere else.]

Comments

III

[standvastig]

[While it was troubling to realize that he had somehow not heard of a spreed of murders happening in Camelot, Hendrik did his best to rationalize that the city is big and he isn't privy to the same channels and reports that would have been available to a kingdom's general. Any positives about being generally unknown in this new world also had its downsides.

He frowns at the request as it appears on his phone screen, contemplating if there is anything that can be done about it when he realizes the man who had been walking beside him had disappeared. He finds the other man further down the path, already arrived in front of the memorial.]

Jasper?

[When he receives no immediate reaction, he walks closer.]

Are you looking for something?

[He cannot imagine any other reason for Jasper to be looking so intently at the ground.]

[leitstern]

That is the plan, I admit.

[A blessing. It relaxes his shoulders and soothes his muscles. He redirects his gaze, looking back towards Hendrik with a troubled expression. The last thing he desires is to broach the subject of what happened to his compatriots, but they both know the truth. An instant later, a finger is playing with his hair. His decision is to say nothing; he cannot endure losing Hendrik's friendship a second time.

He inhales and squats before the tree, pushing aside the flowers to reveal marks slashed into the bark. They extend upwards towards knots in the bark.]

Hendrik, would your magic provide an explanation for this?

[standvastig]

[Hendrik's eyes follow the movement down to the base of the tree, narrowing as he spots the marks. He crouches by the tree, mindful of the flowers and cards, and lifts a hand to reach out to the damaged area.

The tree isn't unwell; the wound to it is fairly minor for a healthy tree and didn't have anything lasting that bothered it.]

An explanation? No. I can detect that the wound is minor and there is not anything persisting there that is injuring the tree further.

[He slowly lifts his head to look up at Jasper.]

You are interested in what happened here?

[leitstern]

[Jasper stands on his feet and stares down at the numerous marks. The attention turning upon his thoughts is a discomforting feeling, eliciting a recollection of misdeeds and crimes. These memories that never used to haunt, never used to make him second-guess.

He grinds his teeth in a need to forget. Truth is, the weight of his decision is too heavy to ignore.]

No. I am interested in preventing it from occurring elsewhere.

[standvastig]

[Hendrik says nothing as he thinks about Jasper's answer, not yet climbing to his feet. While he can admit to himself that his old friend is slowly getting better in the ways they interact, this interest seems sudden, to say the least.]

I am glad to hear that. The fewer senseless deaths in the city, the better.

[He holds his tongue on inquiring further for the moment.]

[leitstern]

Indeed.

[His arms fold across his chest, one following another as his gaze directs left and right. Searching for facts and hints is simple; he struggles more to dig out old issues hidden behind those of the present. Hendrik cannot recognise the weight behind his words, surely? He sighs in an attempt to hide his discomfort.]

It seems this spot is secluded from the citizenry - yet it lies on the main path nonetheless. I should reckon that indicates our killer is brazen. Insolent, I should add. To waste our time on a merry chase.

[He rests his fist on his hip. It's not quite so merry.]

[standvastig]

Brazen.

[He repeats the word with a frown, nodding carefully as he eventually climbs to his feet. What should they do at this point?

His eyes go back to the marks in the tree, and he scrutinizes them for a long moment, as if trying to divine more information. He opens his mouth, shuts it, and then slowly opens it again.]

I wonder if we can discern anything from the height of these marks.

[leitstern]

[Being responsible for ending the lives of monsters and men, Jasper finds the answer comes easier than most. It brings to mind uncomfortable times and he turns his head away to look down the path, visibly avoidant. His voice goes quiet.]

The height of our assailant and their closeness to the victim?

[He sees no marks on other nearby trees.]

I pray you are not expecting a demonstration.

[standvastig]

Perhaps, yes.

[He leans forward to get a decent look at the marks again, then presses his hand to the bark and pushes away. Even with more distance, he can't imagine his greatsword ever creating these kinds of markings in the wood.

It takes him awhile a notice how ... strange Jasper's body language is. Avoidant? Uncomfortable?]

What is on your mind, Jasper?

[leitstern]

[Jasper crosses his arms across his stomach and continues staring down the path. It leads him into darkness and shade; towards where sharing the truth will take them, in fact. His hands slide into his pockets, covered in the blood of his countrymen. He cannot imagine what Hendrik might say about his thoughts.

Of course, that leads him into imagining what they are. This is not the place for a discussion. A little late, do you not think? Save it for home. None of them match what he wants to say. He doesn't speak for a while.]

I think my concern for the situation is not something you would understand.

[standvastig]

[He stares at Jasper, but no further explanation comes. It's disappointing, but not ultimately surprising; even with their strides rebuilding their relationship, their mindsets remain far apart.

He eventually looks away, expression contemplative.]

I see.

[Maybe another time. The wording is evasive at best.

He crouches back down and rearranges the flowers back the way they found them. Then he steps back to turn away from the tree.]

[leitstern]

[There are few thoughts more uncomfortable than the idea of being alone. Hendrik stands behind him, but the small distance between them feels impossibly wide. It prompts him to turn around and stare. He strokes the front of his neck and winds his fingers in his hair. Recent thoughts keep him rooted to the ground as he adjusts his cuffs.

Frightened to share his thoughts. Frightened to do anything but focus on work.]

Do you think it is worth finding witnesses? Regulars to this stretch of the woods, you might say?

[He stares at Hendrik and wonders if he might understand one day.]

[standvastig]

The attempt could be made, though it is possible the death would make witnesses wary about being in the area.

[So they can search the area, but he isn't exactly hopeful they will find someone.

It's better than standing around, though. After another glance at the tree and Jasper, he starts heading down the path.]

I am somewhat surprised you would ask.

II

[mayoninofukucho]

[Hijikata's death magic got him more or less used to seeing apparitions (not that they don't still startle him), but this is a new one. He stares at the iron maiden's cage-like lower body, then up at her doll-like face. She looks quite material and lacks the usual translucence and glow of ghosts, but then what is she?]

Miss, are you... alright?

[She doesn't look alright! Depending on how big she is he may put a hand on his sword hilt, just in case.]

[leitstern]

[The iron maiden looks back when Jasper speaks. Fingers coil mechanically and unwind with the creaking of joints: she looks down at the stranger with a mixture of emotions. Curiosity fails to brighten her porcelain face, her shoulders hanging in melancholy. Hands come to rest across her stomach. Talking is what she wants but the consequences of not heeding advice, well..

It matters not that she is the height of a man. Her voice is eerily like a child's - and like a child her attention for questions is given up for others. Does she recognise the danger of the man putting a hand on his hilt? It's hard to say.]

What's your name?

[mayoninofukucho]

[Hijikata's attention was so focused on the strange doll-like being, he didn't immediately acknowledge Jasper - but being directly addressed gives him a chance to catch up on that.]

Hijikata. She's with you, then?

[Oh, wait... of course.]

Your familiar?

[Either way, he lets go of his sword. Jasper's obviously having a quaint little picnic here, so his uncanny companion is highly unlikely to be dangerous... or so he hopes.]

[leitstern]

[Question answered, name given. He has enough of what he needs to keep this conversation flowing. Hopefully not for too long, mind. He never was one for chit-chat.

He eyes the man's sword.]

Indeed. Best not swing that around in a public space, I dare say.

[Or anywhere close to his familiar's face, really.]

[mayoninofukucho]

[This is fine, Hijikata is at work anyway (not that anyone told him to patrol the city, but he'd go crazy if he just idled around when there are no open quests or emergencies).]

I won't if I can help it. What is she, if you don't mind me asking?

[leitstern]

[Jasper remains coldly unimpressed. People asking too many questions, people holding too many opinions. Sometimes he would like to live away from them all.]

A doll, of sorts. I believe her particular kind are cursed, so I would not suggest getting too close.

[He smiles at that, taking delight in the thought. But it's not... really a proper answer. There's more to it than that.]

[mayoninofukucho]

[Don't picnic in the park, Jasper, people will chat you up! But really, on the one hand Hijikata also likes to be left alone and has little patience for people roping him into mindless chitchats, but on the other hand he needs to understand the hows and whys behind any strange occurrences he witnesses. He frowns hearing Jasper's explanation.]

If she's cursed you should take her to a siphoner. Even if the curse is from your world, at least they could check her out. Or do you like having a cursed doll?

[He doesn't like that smile of Jasper's... he's currently mentally stamping him as a potential sadist, having more experience with those than he ever wanted.]

[leitstern]

[A sigh. Jasper pulls away from the tree serving as a backrest, leaning forward to sit with his hands on his knees. People are too swift to judge others by their own standards. Can he blame the man for that? To a point. Everybody has standards, after all.]

It is hardly a pleasure, believe me. But before you offer meaningless suggestions perhaps you should speak with her? She is capable of having an opinion, you realize?

[Too many people had treated monsters like pests to be cleansed or exterminated. It does not sit well.]

[mayoninofukucho]

Fine.

[He huffs a little - how was his suggestion meaningless! -, but Jasper does have a point about him talking like the doll in question isn't hovering right next to them (to be fair, he didn't realise she could speak). He generally enjoys interacting with people's familiars, so what if this one is a little eerie? As a death magic user he had to quickly up his bravery around here. He can handle it.]

Miss, would be be willing to tell me more about you? May I ask for your name, for a start?

[leitstern]

[The familiar floats back; her blank expression hiding her wariness of strangers. Her mistrust of them this minute is a change from the last, informed by the watchful eye of her master. She looks towards him like a child seeking permission from her parent - and his aloof, unfriendly manner makes it difficult to tell what that is.

She floats back more, fearful of consequences. But she offers an answer regardless - she is also fearful of punishment for being rude.]

Amber.

[It's a one word reply. Was Amber her name? He had never really bothered to ask.]

[mayoninofukucho]

Amber. Are you really cursed?

[God, she's so spooky... despite the sun in the sky and the people all around them he has to suppress a shiver, completely unable to read the uncertainty in her body language. Still, he's a policeman, and if someone has a cursed familiar, then... that's tactically a personal problem, but there's no telling if it might not become a public nuisance, so in the end he's justified in sticking his nose into the matter after all.]

[leitstern]

[It is around this time that Jasper stands up by the tree, ignoring his picnic to keep eye on their conversation. There is nothing to trust in a man appearing on the scene with questions. Who does he believe he is? He watches his familiar look to him for approval - and his stern expression keeps her from offering any sort of answer.

Not that she knows what answer to give. Or understands much about herself, he thinks.]

No?

[Her voice lacks intonation and indication of expression. Like a child who has no idea what this man is talking about.]