mjolnir_retriever | (no subject)

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Speaking with Harry Percy was... illuminating. Sort of.

It was also confusing. Harry is much better at fuming over every word of an insult than he is at clearly explaining the events surrounding that insult.

Thor promised he'd look after Acajou's health. So that's first: he tosses himself up into the air over the Milliways lake to make sure he doesn't see any loose horses wandering unattended. Since he sees none, he visits the stable. Acajou has no nameplate, and Harry didn't give a description, but none of the horses (or other steeds) give any indication of injury or undue stress. Good enough, probably.

(Thor spends a few extra minutes hanging out in the stable. He likes horses.)

Next: to look for Javert or Teja, whomever he finds first. But mostly he's looking for Javert.

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Thor eyes him with a certain degree of concern.

The cells aren't that bad. Javert has worked for Security, and he's been coming here a long time; he knows that. Bad experiences in the past? There can be alternate sentences, kitchen work or the like, and he'd know that too. He's seen it given to people before.

And, again: if you can't deal with the cells, maybe don't knock people off horses in a place with a no-violence rule and cells as the standard punishment for breaking it. This is a wake-up call, then, maybe. If so, Thor is glad he opted for the warning instead of the arrest.

"Sir Harry was being an idiot," he says, not unkindly. "I've told him so, and I'll tell him again."

"But next time, unless you are worried about a maiming, perhaps consider seeking aid before you unhorse even a young idiot who's asking for a spill in the dirt."

He rises.

He does hear these words, but does not know how to respond. In the end he settles for a dumb nod, unable to unbend his arms or even look up at the man.

Thor was planning to arrest him. He does not know how to cope with that. It is everything he has spent a lifetime working against; it matters not that Milliways is not real jail, it is jail, it is a cell, and that is bad enough.

'I will remember, monsieur.'

He will not be able to forget it. He is full of horror that it was considered; the idea of how much worse it might have been leaves him numb.

'Thank you.'

Thor gives him another concerned look, and for longer.

But, well. There's nothing else he could justly have done but pursue this.

"If I'm here, you may certainly call on me. I'm happy to mediate, as a Security member or merely myself."

And... yeah, that's really about all he can offer to help soften that horrified look. He's not Javert's friend, and he came here in authority, and passed down the judgment of that authority as mercifully as his oaths to Security allowed.

"Or merely to drink together and speak of friendlier matters. Good day, monsieur."

That title has the sound of a quote, carefully repeated, with the slight question of one who's not entirely sure it applies. He doesn't know the status nuances, okay? But he's pretty sure it's not a dire insult even if it's a slight error.

He offers a hand. No hard feelings, right?

He draws his eyes up, first to the hand and then up to his face.

He has no answer. For a moment, he just holds eye contact. Then he nods again, and shakes the hand because it is there, and it is the custom of some people.

He nearly got arrested. He will not be saying much for a while. He takes his hand back and sits in silence, staring at his half-finished work.

"There," he says, "it's done. We'll speak no more of this on my account."

And with that, since Javert seems disinclined to speak further -- indeed, seems struck far deeper than anything Thor can see to warrant it in this conversation, which means he's probably not the right person to be imposing further -- he takes his leave.

If Thor knew who Javert's friends might be, he'd look for one now to tip a word in their ear: no details of the cause, but your friend could use a friend's company, I think.

But he doesn't. And some men, unaccountably, prefer solitude when their hearts are heavy; he doesn't know that about Javert, either.

He speaks to Bar, all the same. He leaves no note, but he does tip a word in her ear: if, in her judgment, Javert would benefit from company now, she might wish to advise one of his close comrades so if one comes by while it's still relevant.

That done, he takes himself off to leave a note for the rest of Security, as an addendum to Teja's report.

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