Closed RP: Susan is Not Happy (and when Susan ain't happy, NOBODY is happy)

[usethepoker]

((Backdated to February 10, just after Stephen's popcorn-letter))

Comments

[charlesmacaulay]

Thank God for small favors. Henry and Camilla must indeed have gotten the same letter Susan got, which would have made Henry understand Charles wasn't just talking nonsense.

Charles experienced the uncomfortably contradictory sensation of feeling at once bitter and grateful about the same thing. Under the present circumstances it was a damn good thing Henry could get Camilla to do what he said and be quick about it; all the same, Charles hated knowing it.

It wasn't fair that Henry saw precisely what Charles saw: Camilla would not see just how dangerous her friend really is, Henry had written, and that just drove the pain of it home to Charles. Camilla didn't see how dangerous Henry was, did she? She never had. But right now that was an asset. Henry was dangerous and Henry could keep Camilla safe.

Charles wrote back:

Camilla doesn't see anything she doesn't want to see. Doesn't matter if no one can die here, Susan's got a huge scythe and I don't think she'd hesitate to lop off heads. The last thing she's going to want to hear is Camilla quoting chapter and verse of Julian's lectures on love and loss and Nero burning Rome or whatever on earth would come to Camilla's mind at a time like this.

Keep her safe. Write me again when you get wherever you're going. If I don't write back, tell her I

Here, Charles paused. There were just some things he couldn't write to Henry, not ever, not even under the direst circumstances. He resumed:

tell her what happened, then.

I'm told Odin is going to help solve this problem, so maybe things will be better soon, Deo volenti.

Charles

That was all.

(( Deo volenti = God willing ))

[h_m_winter]

No, Henry didn't think Susan would hesitate, either. He'd never seen her with her temper up, but in some ways she was rather like him--he had a feeling she could be incredibly ruthless, if she chose, and if she were really so far from humanity, she'd have no reason not to be. She most certainly would not need Camilla pulling something out of one of Julian's old lectures, however well-meaning Camilla might be.

As much as he really, really disliked Charles, he had to throw the man some kind of bone--after all, Charles was trying to deal with whatever creature Susan had become, which even Henry had to (grudgingly) admit took some guts.

Charles,

I'll let you know when we've arrived wherever we're going. I'm not taking her to London--my guess is that some major city like that will be Susan's first destination, if Odin can't actually stop her before she leaves the grounds.

He paused. For Camilla's sake, he ought to provide Charles with a warning, despite the fact that Charles getting his head chopped off would be a boon to Henry.

Also, I'm not entirely certain that scythe won't work on the grounds. It is the weapon of Death, and in myth at least Death can go everywhere. Head-chopping on anyone should be avoided at all costs.

Another pause. Even Henry knew that what he was about to say next was a terrible thing, but being Henry he said it anyway.

Does she by chance have another such weapon?

-Henry

[charlesmacaulay]

Charles muttered a few choice words. Henry was probably right, damn him. The scythe might well be capable of working on Hogwarts grounds. All the more reason why Camilla, with her utter lack of anything resembling self-preservation, should be kept well away.

Henry had also thought a step ahead of Charles as usual. A major city ... yes, Susan could do far more damage there, if doing damage was what she wanted. This just made Charles wonder where Henry would hide Camilla, then. In Hogsmeade? Some little hole-in-the-wall? It's the Albemarle all over again, he thought, dully, irrationally. Henry off with Camilla somewhere very quiet and hidden, while Charles dealt with the world falling apart.

No. No, this wasn't the same. He was asking Henry to take care of things. Henry was doing what Charles wanted him to do. That was different. And -- what the hell did Henry want to know about Susan's weaponry for? Did he want a scythe of his own? No way was Charles cluing him in that there was a sword of mysterious provenance waiting in an unlocked trunk under Susan's bed.

Henry,

Noted. Good point about the scythe. I guess we'll see. Just don't let Camilla do anything careless Camilla-like.

I should hope there aren't two scythes like that one floating around this place. Why do you ask?

Charles

[h_m_winter]

For once in their lives, Henry and Charles agreed on something. Keeping Camilla from doing anything Camilla-like was paramount, especially since Camilla almost certainly would honestly see no danger in the situation at all.

Charles,

Believe me, I won't. I don't intend for her to find out any details at all, if it may be avoided. And I want to know about Susan's auxiliary weaponry because, should Odin fail to contain her, it might turn out to be necessary.

-Henry.

Yes, it was cold. Yes, it really was terrible. And yes, this was also Henry Winter, a man who had quite literally shoved his former best friend off a cliff.

[charlesmacaulay]

... Right. Well, what could Charles expect? This was Henry Winter. He'd kill anyone. He'd tried to kill Charles. He'd probably try to kill Charles again, if he got his hands on a scythe like that, once he'd finished with Susan. Camilla would be out of danger and Henry would be Charles's rival again, their brief unlikely alliance dissolving, and Henry would want Charles dead.

Actually, Henry probably still wanted Charles dead. Charles couldn't say he didn't want Henry dead right this very moment, either. The only reason it suited him for Henry to be alive at the moment was because no one else could keep Camilla out of Susan's way.

Gritting his teeth, he wrote back:

Henry,

I can't say I much like that idea. Anyway you and Milly are going to be far away from here.

Charles

He thought about the sword under Susan's bed. He thought he might have to go and get it himself. He sure as hell wasn't going to tell Henry about it.

He didn't think about the fact he'd actually called his sister by her pet name in a letter to her husband.

[h_m_winter]

Henry, had he known about the sword, would have had some serious doubts about Charles's ability to actually use it--not in a technical sense, but in his willingness (or lack of it) to actually kill someone. Not just someone, even, but Susan, human or not at the moment--Charles hadn't really wanted to kill Bunny, despite the blatant need for it. Left to his own devices, he never could have shoved Bunny off that cliff, and Henry was certain he wouldn't be able to use Susan's own theoretical spare weapon against her. He'd get cut down like so much ripe wheat.

Later, Henry would be very, very annoyed by that accidental slip, by Charles using his pet name for Camilla, but right now he was too busy trying to get everything the hell out of there to really even give it any cursory thought.

Charles,

Just a thought. We'll be heading out in a moment.

-Henry

[charlesmacaulay]

It really was a truly accidental slip. Charles didn't let himself use that name much in front of other people at all, unless he was too drunk to notice what he was saying. He was so agitated now, and so beside himself, that he simply had written what was in his mind, and that was how he was thinking of her. He was thinking of her by that name.

All he wrote was:

Good luck.

Unsigned, no salutation, a quick scribble. He wondered how on earth Henry was getting her to go anywhere at all without stalling or asking questions. He wondered where they'd end up, and when he'd see them again.

He'd go get the sword as soon as he'd talked to Ryder.

[h_m_winter]

Henry folded all the letters up, shoving them into his briefcase. They didn't really have time to pack much of anything, unfortunately--not with how quickly they had to move.

"Camilla," he said, pulling out a suitcase. "We have to leave, and please don't ask questions. Just get whatever you can carry into this." He pulled some spare clothes--socks, underwear, fresh shirts--out of his half of the dresser, laying it neatly in the suitcase despite his hurry. Henry was a tidy man, and even the threat of a vengeful incarnation of Death wasn't enough to break that instinct.

[c_macaulay]

Camilla wanted very much to ask questions. She understood that when Henry spoke this way, moved this quickly, there really wasn't time. He didn't waste effort on anything. He'd explain when he could, she was sure.

If they only had time for one suitcase ... well. The situation must be very, very bad.

It was in situations like this that Camilla proved most reliable; and it was only from Henry that she could take orders this way. Had her brother tried to tell her we have to leave, and please don't ask questions, she would have demanded an explanation.

"All right." She did what Henry was doing. "If you tell me where we're going, I might be able to Apparate us there," she suggested. It was merely that, a suggestion. If he'd told her it was vital they scuba-dive to the bottom of the lake, she would have gone along with that.

[h_m_winter]

He paused just a moment, and then, incredibly, he went and took out a map. "Fort William," he said. He'd wanted to drag her somewhere as remote as Ben Nevis, and that was the nearest town. Even if Susan somehow did find a way to evade Odin, Ryder, and Charles, it would probably be a long while before she found her way to such a remote area of Scotland.

He knew how crazy it sounded, but it had to be that way. They had to go there, and they had to go now, and then, just maybe, he'd explain. Once they were safely stuck away from Hogwarts, if such a thing were possible.

[c_macaulay]

Camilla studied the map for a moment. "That's not too far away. I've managed Side-Along Apparition over a farther distance than that, when I took Susan to London for shopping. We can't Apparate on Hogwarts grounds, though. We'll have to get off-campus first."

Then she had to bite her lip to keep from asking a question.

"It would be easier if I had a picture," she said instead. "But I think if I concentrate on the map that should be good enough."

She didn't ask about the luggage either. If three pairs of socks, three pairs of underwear, some pajama bottoms, and an old tennis sweater weren't going to suffice for Camilla's wardrobe, then Henry had best speak up.

[h_m_winter]

Off-campus. Which meant going out onto the grounds. Where Susan was. Somewhere.

...Dammit.

There was no helping it, though. It was to be hoped that Henry was wrong, and that Susan's weapons wouldn't work on the grounds, but it wasn't something he was willing to stake his life--or, more importantly, Camilla's life--on. He wanted some way to sneak, to hide, as wholly unlike him as that was, and there was almost certainly no way to hide from such a creature.

"All right," he said. "Pack everything warm you can fit in here, and bring your wand. I don't know how long we'll need to be away."

[c_macaulay]

Warm clothing, check. Camilla found what she could, as quickly as she could, and then things for Henry too. She took over the domestic end of things. She tried to find room for his bathrobe and failed. She did, however, find room for many packs of cigarettes, stuffed here and there in the cracks between folded garments.

"What about Mister Whiskers?" The question had to be asked.

[h_m_winter]

...Of course. The hamster.

"I don't think we have time," he said. "If everything works out, we might not have to be away long." Or so he devoutly hoped. "I'll explain everything later." Much, much later, preferably when everything had...done whatever it was going to do.

Henry was still packing while he spoke--more sensible things like sweaters, gloves, money. They probably wouldn't have time to change most of the wizarding money, but they had the checkbook, at least.

[c_macaulay]

Satisfied with the cold-weather clothing she'd packed, not to mention the cigarettes, Camilla retrieved a pair of snow boots from the closet. This time of year there wasn't snow at Hogwarts, but maybe there would be in the mountains, if that was where Henry planned on going from Fort William. She tugged the boots on over leggings. She looked as though she planned on going skiing.

She noticed then that he had the checkbook. "That's not the only checkbook," she said. "That's just the joint account." And promptly dug out another checkbook from inside a desk drawer. "This one is Nana's money," she said. "What I came here with." It was all non-wizarding money, proper and easy to access. She tucked it into her handbag. Then, as an afterthought, she chucked a bar of soap into the handbag after the checkbook.

"All right," she said. She was breathing a little quickly; she was a little flushed with the nervousness and the hurry of it all. "I'm ready." And she wouldn't ask any more questions, not now. Asking about Mister Whiskers had been risky enough, and she thought it practically pained Henry to have to answer that one.

[h_m_winter]

Henry really was intensely grateful she wasn't really questioning him--he was tense enough, since he had no idea where in hell Susan could be, or what would happen if they were to run into her out on the grounds.

"Good," he said, and then, as if somehow underlining the unspoken fact that this was, in fact, really bad, he kissed her as he pulled his coat on. "All right, let's get off the grounds, and don't stop for anything."

He picked up the suitcase, scanning the hallway before leading Camilla out. There probably wasn't any way to escape Susan if she came looking for them, but he doubted she would. She would very likely have bigger fish to fry.