[milliways] conversations with/for/about people who may or may not be dead

[stilljustandrew]

[After this.]

The last group job at Angel Investigations -- a fairly routine intervention to take out a pair of vampires who'd been killing homeless people in Morningside Park -- wrapped up a few days ago. Spike's doing a post-mission patrol to be sure they haven't disrupted anything local beyond what they intended; Gunn's taken care of the internal paperwork; and Jonathan's been putting together the written summary to hand over to the local Watchers.

Hopefully he's finished by now, because he's about to be interrupted.

Comments

[jonathanparagon]

He glances up as the door opens.

"Hey, Andrew."

[stilljustandrew]

"Hey."

On a second glance, Andrew may look a little pale, a little stricken. Like he's had bad news.

"Uh -- d'you have a minute?"

[jonathanparagon]

"For you, always." He leans back, studying Andrew's face. "Something wrong?"

[stilljustandrew]

"Kinda."

He sits down heavily on the edge of his bed.

"I just talked to ... have you met Noah, at Milliways? Noah Czerny? He's sort of new there?"

[jonathanparagon]

"I don't think I ever got his surname, but I met a kid called Noah. The ghostish guy?"

[stilljustandrew]

"Yeah, that's him. I ... we were talking, today, and I ... found out how he died."

[jonathanparagon]

Jonathan looks at him steadily.

"He said a little bit about it - but I think when he said sacrifice, he was talking about leaving the world and he'd already been dead a while."

[stilljustandrew]

Andrew swallows hard at the word sacrifice.

"Yeah, no, before that. Did he tell you anything about how he ... how he died the first time?"

[jonathanparagon]

"I don't think so. He was mostly scared that being in Milliways would mess up what he'd been trying to do, and he was skittish about saying too much."

[stilljustandrew]

"Oh. Well, he -- he got in touch with a friend of his from home? And he said it looks like it worked, what he was trying to do. When he ... gave up being a ghost. And moved on."

Almost but not quite unconsciously, he's avoiding the word.

[jonathanparagon]

Jonathan is letting him.

"That's good. Bar gave him a newspaper the first day he was here that set his mind at rest a bit, but hearing it from a friend - and somebody who knows what you're asking - is better."

[stilljustandrew]

"Yeah."



The pause stretches. Andrew looks at his feet.

"Um. Anyway."

[jonathanparagon]

"So you said you found out how he died."

It's calm, the gentlest of prompts.

[stilljustandrew]

"His best friend murdered him."

He says it quick and flat, without looking up.

"For a ritual to gain power."

[jonathanparagon]

Jonathan is very, very still.

His voice, when he speaks, mirrors Andrew's. "I see."

[stilljustandrew]

He looks up, a bit fearful of what he might see on Jonathan's face.

[jonathanparagon]

Whatever it is - and it's many things - none of them is hostility.

"Are you OK?"

[stilljustandrew]

"Yeah," he says. "I -- are you?"

[jonathanparagon]

"Yeah", Jonathan echoes. "I don't really - remember it.... what about the kid?"

[stilljustandrew]

A beat.

"He, um." Andrew bites his lip. "He does. He ... gets flashbacks. Like how some ghosts sort of get stuck in a loop, in some moment of their lives? Or their deaths?"

[jonathanparagon]

Jonathan winces.

"Yeah, I know. You saw one of his - episodes?"

[stilljustandrew]

"Yeah."

He rubs a hand across his mouth.

"And -- I'm like the last person he should talk to about this kind of thing, but he doesn't know it --"

[jonathanparagon]

"Maybe you're not", he says gently. "I mean, I don't know why his friend did it. Was it - was it for personal power, or...?"

[stilljustandrew]

"He said ..." Frowning. "Something about how the friend --"

The word tastes bad in his mouth. "Whelk, Noah said his name was Whelk. Said he'd lost all his money, and wanted to wake the ley lines."

[jonathanparagon]

"And the two things were connected? Waking the ley lines would help him get his money back?"