Isle of Avalon - IC Inbox

[standvastig]

placeholder

Comments

2/28; afternoon

[leitstern]

Hiding indoors, I presume?

[standvastig]

Indeed. Is that what those visions told you?

[The interesting thing about writing these short messages over these devices is that tone completely disappears. Is he curt? Tired? Exasperated?]

[leitstern]

[That absence of tone removes a barrier. Not that he would have recognised it as a problem.]

Not precisely. I fathom you well enough not to depend on questionable flashes of insight.

[You are predictable, old friend.]

[standvastig]

I see.

[Predictable or not, he doesn't understand why Jasper would want to fathom him "well enough" at this point.]

They will be gone soon enough, if you are also staying indoors.

[leitstern]

[Is Hendrik concerned? Why else might he say something like that?]

Hardly. Should every man shelter indoors till all this ends then nothing should be done. We cannot all share that luxury.

4/27

[leitstern]

[Late afternoon, a package awaits Hendrik upon the couch he has taken as a bed. One case of watercolours, a collection of different sized waterpads with an assortment of brush pens - and a pair of stretched canvas prepared with gesso and ground.

Jasper acknowledges nothing about it and continues working upstairs. .]

[standvastig]

[Hendrik isn't around most of the afternoon, working some odd jobs around the city that require a strong arm or an extended reach. Returning to the house with steak, soup, and strawberry shortcake (a "fun" challenge he gave himself), he's already setting dinner on the kitchen counter before he notices the impressive set of ... painting supplies?

Well. Time to find out what's going on there.]

Did you buy paint supplies?

[leitstern]

Oh, they arrived? I thought to test the delivery service. It seems remarkably convenient.

[standvastig]

It appears so. I suppose one of the familiars must have brought them inside.

[He's just going to carefully look over everything. He knows what a canvas and paintbrushes are, of course, and he thinks he recognizes paints in that case over there...]

5/29; morning

[leitstern]

[The night passes with Jasper dreaming of nothing and nobody in particular. By the morning he hardly feels ready to tackle the day; his legs are stiff to walk with and his head is too sore to think. He feels a little drowzy and groggy, a little nauseous as he stumbles onto the landing. He barely notices that he's wearing a dry nightshirt as he looks around and recollects life over the week.

Memories of sitting down for breakfast and lying down for sleep. Memories coming up of what life could have been like. He thinks nothing about how their best years were wasted, refusing to acknowledge why when he smells breakfast wafting upstairs from the kitchen.

His throat lurches for a second. Eggs. Bacon. The smell wakes him and guides him downstairs, feet stumbling and stopping near the kitchen. He leans on the doorframe, scraping sleep from his eyes.]

I feel like death.

[standvastig]

[Hendrik has found some measure of peace in keeping himself busy in the aftermath of the trials, mostly tending to the house and garden and keeping himself from swinging his sword around. It's a strange change of pace, but he knows that training with his sword will likely ruin his sleep schedule. He wants to ensure he's not running on fumes whenever Jasper awakens.

Still, when he hears that somewhat raspy voice from behind him, he has to remember to turn off the stove before he turns around to face his awakened housemate.]

Jasper!

[It's both a relief and a surprise to see him awake; he certainly wasn't expecting him to shuffle downstairs. He has to pull together some composure before he speaks again.]

Ah, do you have any appetite? Do you need anything?

[leitstern]

[Jasper sidles over to the kitchen table and runs his palm over the back of a chair. Fingers stroke and smooth against the wood and worry around. He already has a brave mask on his face and is willing to ignore everything about yesterday; choosing to forget until Hendrik decides to talk about it. The man is showering him with attention - and he looks awkward and miserable about it as he pulls the chair out.]

Oh, a cup of coffee and a cake shall not go amiss.

[He sits down and waits. Perhaps it is not Hendrik's attention putting a dampener on his mood.]

I did not expect to be so famished this morning.

[standvastig]

Cake.

[Hendrik repeats the word with a blank expression -- cake is a rather broad want at the moment, but he supposes that means anything will be suitable for that. But do they have cake? He probably should have realized Jasper would want something like that when he eventually woke up.]

I do not recall you drinking coffee much.

[But he does at least have that available. He fetches a mug and the coffee pot, setting them on the table before going back to grab a teaspoon and the jar of sugar (which he really doesn't use that often but mysteriously it seems to get used a lot).]

10/14; afternoon

[leitstern]

[Afternoon thoughts arouse fears of isolation and loneliness and press him to unfasten his collar; his throat heaving with quickened breathing and trepidation. Fingers fumble the keys on his device. A cold, uncomfortable sweat trickles down the bacl of his neck. It sees him curling his fringe around his finger as he calls his old friend.]

Hendrik. Is the Princess with you?

[standvastig]

[He doesn't know why he answers the phone this time after ignoring it for so long. Perhaps it's the sheer length of time. Perhaps it's the simple fact that he hates the silence.

Regardless, there is audible discontent in his voice as he answers.]

No. Why do you ask?

[leitstern]

We arranged to convene and confer our differences upon the hour.

[A promise of resolution for Hendrik's sake.]

She has not arrived.

[standvastig]

[Silence. Hendrik's mind churns with what to do with that information.]

On the hour is not so long ago. You have tried contacting her?

10/15; morning

[leitstern]

[Jasper wakes up at seven o clock sharp and crawls into the bathroom; hair damp and curled up in a towel as he trudges downstairs and ambles into the kitchen. He glances through the window to where Hendrik is kneeling on the lawn tending to his vegetable patch. The sight motivates him to come together and cook the man his breakfast.

It takes thirty-five minutes before two plates are set on the table; bacon baked on parchment in the oven together with woodland mushrooms. Their breakfast is accompanied by two bottles of cold beer and he goes to the backdoor to call Hendrik in from the garden.]

When you are finished grousing like a frog breakfast is on the table.

[standvastig]

[Hendrik's motions are very halfhearted as he pours energy into his magic, the garden unfurling its potential as tomato and squash vines grow from the earth. Each step takes longer than usual, his mind distracted by other happenings.

Jasper's call draws his attention long enough to level a hazy, blank stare in his direction before Hendrik looks back at his garden. He then climbs to his feet, trudging across grass and the porch to head inside.

Though he is silent and frowning as he makes his way to the table, the intense dissatisfaction and frustration that had been present before are gone.]

[leitstern]

[The sight of his friend approaching is enough to send him back towards the oven. His hand reaches into the nearby sink for a wet cloth; he closes the door and wipes down the stove in one smooth motion.

Nothing is said until he throws the cloth back into the sink. He pulls out a chair and sits behind his plate - and focuses in on the man of the hour.]

Come on, Hendrik. My cooking is not entirely awful.

[standvastig]

[Hendrik stills his distracted motions at Jasper's words, his fork resting on the edge of his largely untouched plate as he thinks about what to say. His eventual words are wearily slow.]

I apologize for how I acted yesterday. It was undeserved.

11/8; morning

[leitstern]

I literally fell over this in the shop this morning.

Is this a joke?

[standvastig]

Your old armor? That is a strange find.

[leitstern]

It is a stolen find.

No matter what became of it, it belongs to me. Why does this swindler possess it?

[standvastig]

I cannot begin to guess. Its appearance here means it is outside of time.

[And he can't begin to guess how that's possible. Was it flung from their world as it was destroyed or something similar?]