In the last outback at the world's end

[tezcatl_ipoca]

10th May, Midmorning
The WhitechapelI have hardly rested, with the ache of that pull inwards in these bones. It has eased within the town but still tugs me eastward; I refuse to answer it. I have walked on through the town on these injured feet and out the other side. I have no desire to be here: no desire to be conscious as I am, to be. I was

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[valmont_vicomte]

Monday mornings are dreadful things. As clearly some of my guests agree, since two of the gentlemen (I use the term loosely) who stayed here last night wanted the bar opened this morning. Well, I was up and about, so I left Cora manning the front desk with her usual particular brand of charm and got the men a couple of beers to have with their breakfasts. Now they've gone, and I might well shut up the bar until mid-afternoon again... And then a young man in dusty clothes comes in.

"Good morning, friend," I say cheerfully. "Were you looking for a room to rent, or just for a drink? If the former, my colleague out there -" I nod to the door to the reception - "can help, but if the latter - what's your poison?"

[tezcatl_ipoca]

"Good morning, friend." I am not his friend. "Were you looking for a room to rent, or just for a drink? If the former, my colleague out there - can help, but if the latter - what's your poison?"

My poison? Oh. "Strong drink."

I sit this body down and look at him. There is no familiarity to him. The echo of the boy whose body this was scrabbles briefly inside me, restless squirrelling claws. Did he know him? The man shows no sign of recognising him.

[valmont_vicomte]

"Well," I say, smiling, "I suppose that's a fair answer, but is there any particular type you'd like?" The boy looks at me quite blankly. Has he ever been in a public house? How old is he? Well, I don't much care about that. "Here," I say, and pour him a measure of the house whisky. "See how you get on with that."

[tezcatl_ipoca]

He seems to expect me to have a preference. I don't. I take what he passes me - "See how you get on with that," - and sip it. The burn of it is good.

"Yes," I tell him. "This is fine."

It makes these eyes water; I don't care. I drink some more of it down, and it is almost like pain in my throat but it is pleasant. In my stomach it does become an ache - "Do you have food? It has been - some time." I have no idea how long.

[docconstantine]

It's one of those good days. The sun is shining, there are no appointments, and I've been managing to actually sleep most nights. I never realized how much I missed sleeping alongside someone until Lannie came back. And it's not the sex, because we haven't had any yet. Just cuddling...

which is nice. Almost makes all the little pains and hurts go away. Losing Tez, Wanda, Miao... they've receded just a little.

So it's with a lighter heart than usual I headed over to the Carnivale to see what might be needed. There for a few hours, mostly troubleshooting old problems and checking on the twins and Genny, and suddenly free with little to do.

Crossing the bridge I see the Whitechapel and think I should pop in and say hello to Valmont, see how Alice is getting on. I stop at the desk to say hello to Cora and she jams a thumb towards the bar. May want to head in, Valmont's found another stray. Arch an eyebrow, but I am not about to argue with Cora, so I head into the bar area.

"Morning?" I say as I enter the room.

[valmont_vicomte]

Before Micah can answer, Lucien's here.

"Good morning to you too," I say. "Lucien, this is Micah. Micah came in for whisky and then revealed his bleeding blistered feet. We've been getting them cleaned up. How are you?"

[tezcatl_ipoca]

I'm pleased that he approves. That surprises me, and makes me thoughtful. "Why did you have to keep walking, Micah? Why are you in Excolo?"

I'm going to tell him something of the truth, that I was made to come here, when there is another man. Long hair, very fair. Valmont has a name for him: Lucien. I look between him and my feet. "There was a pastry too, and a drink," I remind Valmont.

[docconstantine]

Valmont is standing besides a young man, who is looking at the bandages on his feet.

"Lucien, this is Micah. Micah came in for whisky and then revealed his bleeding blistered feet. We've been getting them cleaned up. How are you?" I can already see the bleeding through the wrap, and I sigh a bit inwardly, but smile. "Not as good as you, Valmont, but better than Micah, I think." I say easily enough, crossing the room to join them.

"There was a pastry too, and a drink,"

Smile a bit more. "Pastry and a drink? Then I take it back, you're doing better than I this morning." Nod to his feet. "I'm the town doctor, want me to take a look?" I ask, not wanting to insult his or Valmonts first aide attempts.

[shards_of_alice]

Everybody's busy, because everybody's working like they always are, but sometimes Fyodor will play with me if he isn't busy and working, so I run out to the stables just as soon as I'm fed and dressed. Busy, busy, busy, it's in the air and dancing on the sun beams, so I don't even pout when there's no time for me in the stables. No time and no room neither.

Around the back there's room, though, plenty and plenty of room for us to play. Hide and seek, and I Spy, and then just lying in the grass to feel all the good warm bits trickling down.

There is blood in the water

I open my eyes. And it's true. I can feel it coming from the spout, down and down to the earth, sinking in and making the dirt run red. The stain's still there, too, when I run over, even though nobody else is left. Gone and away and-

I'm not supposed to go into the bar. I tell her that and she's just quiet about it all, no help, but I remember. I'm not allowed in there, it's a 'rowdy' place, full of all sorts of somethings or others, and not for me

[valmont_vicomte]

"Rest. Yes."

"Come with me, then," I say. "I'll be back soon," I say to the others, and I help Micah up. "You can lean on me," I say, "if your feet are sore." I'm sure they are.

Now where to put him... Alice has taken over the single bedroom, and the doubles are all occupied. There are beds free in the dorm, though, and no one should be in there at this time of day. I take Micah up and point him to a bottom bunk.

"Get some sleep," I say. "We can talk when you've rested."

[tezcatl_ipoca]

Valmont takes me into a room with several beds, and tells me to sleep. I think that I won't be able to, but the body must be tired, because the next thing I know, I'm waking screaming.

I scuttle backwards into the corner of the bunk, soaked with sweat. Something is very wrong, but I can't remember what. There's a sharp pain in my chest, intense as a knife.

[valmont_vicomte]

I go back downstairs after I leave Micah in the dorm room. Jarmyn seems grumpy, so I leave him be. I know he has an - interesting relationship with Lucien. I check on Alice, who doesn't seem particularly upset by what she saw. I suppose she's seen far worse things, poor child.

I'm settling into some paperwork in my office and idly thinking about getting a coffee from the Miskatonic when I hear a sound like someone being murdered. I've never been much of a sprinter, but I clear those two flights of stairs like there is fire beneath my feet.

"Micah," I say. And I know nothing has happened to him when I see him. Nothing in his body, anyway, so I walk over slowly, crouch at the foot of the bed.

[jaeresteade]

I watch Lucien leave, fists clenched, still shaking a little. Bastard. Go over to the bar and pour myself a plain soda with lemon. Hurts just to hold the glass, but I think I can use the hand. Just as long as we don't get too busy.

Shit. I sit down hard on the nearest stool, thinking about work, about what the hell I can do with a hurt hand. Or no hand at all. I close my eyes and try to breathe. I'll keep it clean, put poultices on it if I have to. It'll heal. I've had worse. I've had worse, but never on my handValmont pokes his head in, but I can't think of anything to say, and after a while he takes himself off. I sit with my drink and try not to think about anything. Not Lucien or needles or infection or things being cut off. Not anything at all

[valmont_vicomte]

It's a steady sort of afternoon. I do pop upstairs at one point to look in at Micah, but he's fast asleep. And then the evening happens and I see Hermia for dinner, and we exchange stories of our respectively busy days, and Alice talks about the party she'd like to have and I think I shall have to arrange, and then I kiss Hermia goodnight and go off to the bar to see my regulars and to chat with Adam, who's just collected in a new order from Arkady. The bar's not terribly busy, so I tell Adam to knock on the apartment door if he really needs me but not otherwise, and so I think I will have what is for me a relatively early night.

And I find Micah curled up like a dog outside my door. It's ridiculous and touching at once, and I crouch down and touch his hair very gently.

"Micah, wake up."

[tezcatl_ipoca]

"Micah, wake up."

That's not my name. I flinch back from the touch, but then I recognise it: Valmont. I sit up, and my head thumps. My mouth feels very dry.

...not my mouth. It doesn't belong to me.

"I didn't know where to go," I tell him. "What did you do to the door?" I touch it again, and there's the same tingle from somewhere inside.

[valmont_vicomte]

"That's alright," I say. "And I didn't -" I pause and look at him, thinking of Hermia's charms. "The door's protected," I say. "To keep my family safe. Can you feel that, Micah?" I touch the back of his hand lightly where he's touching it to the door. "You're cold," I say. "It's not comfortable out in the corridor like this. Come, I'll show you where your room is."

[tezcatl_ipoca]

"The door's protected. To keep my family safe. Can you feel that, Micah?"

His fingers make my skin tingle, almost like the door. I suppose I might as well call it my skin, for now. It's not like I have another one. "Yes. It's - " I flex my hand a little under his, "it tingles. Not-quite-burns." Like electricity, and that's not something Micah would know about so I don't say anything about it.

"You're cold. It's not comfortable out in the corridor like this. Come, I'll show you where your room is."

"I can sleep here," I assure him. "I don't mind the floor."