Late September 2012: Manchester, New Hampshire

[damncompass]

A few days ago, Joshua's boss had rung him up and told him that one of his fellow Regents had died in a boating accident, and everyone was going to New Hampshire for the funeral. Halfway there on the plane, Artie (seated beside him because he refused to upgrade to first class, and Joshua was the one who bought the tickets) started chattering about the case he had sent Claudia on, and his intention of going to check up on her after the funeral.

"Bad idea, Artie." Joshua shook his head. "She doesn't take that shit well."

"Oh, she'll be fine. I just want to see how she's doing."

"Bad idea theater. Honestly."

With another shake of his head, Joshua fell silent again and the rest of the flight was uneventful. At the airport, they met up with his boss and Jane. Artie wandered off to rent a car mumbling something about driving to Boston. After even more admonitions about how bad of an idea driving in Boston would be, the Regent trio shook their heads and drove off to the service.

Joshua was quiet during the entire thing, which seemed so out of place, all of the loud and emotional prayers, all of the gospel singing, and the tributes to the dead woman that made Jane roll her eyes and mutter things under her breath that Joshua never really caught.

Eventually, the service was over, and they proceeded to the cemetery. Everything was fine until the minister started talking about ashes and dust, and something caught in Joshua's throat. Closing his eyes, he quietly backed up and walked away from the group at the grave.

A moment to himself would be enough. He just needed a moment. Really.

Comments

[k39zzz]

"That wouldn't make up for everything that came out sideways 30 years ago." Just because it would ease the tension now and explain things... but anyway.
"If he thinks he had a bad vibe that morning, I had a worse one. Doubly so because I knew there was no way to talk Bill into coming home." Jane takes a deep, shaky breath. "I still called him to tell him I loved him. It was all I could do."

[damncompass]

"True. You can't escape the past."

Joshua winces, and instinctively reaches over and hugs Jane. "I'm sorry. I know that feel, though. I... I didn't even get the chance to say it before I...." Yeah.

[k39zzz]

Jane leans into the hug. "You said enough to get the idea across, from what I know." She also knows Claudia forgave him a long time ago, and that's what counts.
"I was never more relieved than when Mrs. Frederic told me it was just a fire."

[damncompass]

"Yeah, but... I just... I can't hang up from something, or leave a room without telling her now." It's a neurosis.

"I really hope the car crash was just that. I would probably be alright, but I don't know if Claudia would ever be ok with that."

[k39zzz]

She nods; she knows that feeling, too.
"From what we know, it was only a car crash."
...She's going to have to explain how she knows that, isn't she. Oops?

[damncompass]

"Wait. Who is we and what do you know?" Joshua pulls back with a bit of a concerned look on his face.

It's the first time ever that he's been dubious about the Warehouse or anything about it.

[k39zzz]

Jane sighs. "Relax, Joshua. You and your sister have been on our radar for a long time, but you're far from alone in that. People like the two of you stand a good chance of either becoming great assets or huge liabilities to the Warehouse, and it's important that we see which you become over time. We don't push people in one direction or another. That usually backfires and doesn't give you what you want anyway. If it helps, your hiring was the first time the whole group talked about you."

[damncompass]

Joshua sighs. "Oh. So is this a IF watches the Wiggins kind of thing, then?" Because if it is, he's probably Valentine.

[k39zzz]

"Not exactly - we let people become who they will without interfering. But if her foster situation had been worse than it was, I would have stepped in." There's not interfering in someone's life and then there's leaving them to decide living on the street is a better choice.
"But as smart as she is, and considering the fact you'd already made two Artifacts before you finished high school, keeping an eye on you was the wise thing to do."

[damncompass]

"Good to know. And somewhat refreshing to know that someone was looking out for her."

He pauses, though, and makes a dubious face. "Wait. I made Artifacts? What ones?" Huh?

[k39zzz]

"I could have taken her in without biasing her in one direction or another. Besides, I had to deal with Pete as a moody 12-year-old. I highly doubt she was any worse."
Jane smiles a little. "Well, you disassembled the proton pack, but that's the one that caught our attention. And if I were you, I wouldn't let your copy of Time Machine fall into the wrong hands."

[damncompass]

"Well, at least Claudia has never actually acted her age. She's... special."

He blinks a few times. "Really? But it... oh, wait. Class one. I get it. And... Time Machine? Really? Shit, self. Maybe that's why my ball went nutsoid when I brought the book into my lab last week."

[k39zzz]

Jane raises an eyebrow. "Your ball?"

[damncompass]

"Yeah, my ball." He rummages in his ever-present shoulder bag and pulls out a glass ball with metal bands around it, and holds it out. "I got it in Milliways. It turns purple when there are Artifacts around, or if someone's whammied."

[k39zzz]

"Ah. I hope it only reacts the first time it encounters something."
As it is, she's wondering how it handles being in the Warehouse.

[damncompass]

"Generally it's fine in the Warehouse, I think because of all of the neutralizing... everything. I thought it was just Her saying hi, because it does have a tendency to go nutsoid when Mrs. F's around."

Joshua shrugs. "Maybe it was because it was my Artifact. It does tend to react more or more often around my damn caffeine thing."

[k39zzz]

"I can picture that, actually. 'Irene! Irene! Look! It turns purple!'"
She's trying not to laugh, out of deference to being in a cemetery, but that is one amusing mental image.

[damncompass]

"Yeah. Exactly." Joshua's trying not to snicker himself. "I think She has a bit of fun with it."

[k39zzz]

"Well, She does need to find her fun somewhere. Are you feeling a little better?"

[damncompass]

"Much. Thanks." He cracks a smile. "We can go back now."

[k39zzz]

"Good. I think most of the... excitement should be over by now."
As exciting as any funeral ever is, but she's assuming that if an Artifact had been involved they would know by now.

[damncompass]

"Yeah. I'm really sorry. Don't know why I kinda lost it there." He sighs and gets up, stretching slightly.

[k39zzz]

"It happens to all of us."
As she stands, she adds, "You may not have seen the signs to ask, and he didn't want to make this public knowledge, but... he has suspicions about whether this is the accident it's been presented as. I didn't see anything fishy, and we can't make accusations without some kind of proof, but..."

[damncompass]

"Shit. I'll... keep my eyes open, and I won't say anything." Joshua thinks for a moment, then shrugs. "I'm not much help, cause I didn't know her, but I might come up with something."

[k39zzz]

"At the very least, she was far from an avid boater."
It's... uncomfortable. Jane hasn't had any vibes on the matter, and unfortunately she probably won't until things re much farther along, if there is a threat. But something is a bit off about all this.