(no subject)

[guppy_sandhu]

[ooc: After this.]

Guppy has positioned himself in a booth near the front door, with the emergency medical kit bag under the table.

He's been there for a while, staring at the door. Mostly he's trying to remember who, if anyone, the man who disappeared into the water is under for his mental health care at the moment.

He was doing better, wasn't he?

He could use someone to relieve him for five minutes.

Comments

[ostro_goth]

"I know not that they shall be back soon," Teja says. "You cannot wait forever."

He comes up to Guppy, carrying his harp and looking very grim.

[guppy_sandhu]

"It's only been a few hours." Guppy says, looking up.

He looks tired. It's past midnight by his body clock.

"Can you watch for a few minutes while I go to the bathroom?"

[ostro_goth]

"I can," Teja says. "If that makes you feel better."

[guppy_sandhu]

Guppy nods. He's barely gone for a minute, though, before he takes his post again.

"I thought he was doing all right." he says, as he sits down. "He seemed to be engaging in bar activities. Has something happened?"

[ostro_goth]

"He was doing well, but did not come to work this week," Teja says. "He was angry at Ganymede -- but that was in no way reason enough to drive him back through his door."

[guppy_sandhu]

"It does seem out of character not to go to work." Guppy says.

"I'm trying to work out if he was still seeing either of our psychiatrists. I mean, he's long since refused my help..."

A traitorous part of Guppy's brain accuses himself of showing less sympathy and interest after the way Javert treated his son. But he reminds himself that Javert had been refusing his help long before then.

[ostro_goth]

"Our psychiatrists being Dr. Lecter and who?" Teja asks.

Pause.

"I think he was talking to that priest. They do that ceremony where a man must list his own faults."

[guppy_sandhu]

"Dr Crowe. And Prof Xavier, come to think of it." Guppy adds.

He looks up at Teja.

"Do you think the priest might have... pushed him over the edge, at all?"

[ostro_goth]

"Javert was angry at Ganymede, some days ago," Teja says. "The priest may have pushed him to think less of his friend, for the sake of his sinfulness -- that is all I would guess."

[street_sparrow]

"Valjean went after him", Gavroche says, appearing by the booth. "And his door didn't lead into the river, and I think a few minutes into the future."

[guppy_sandhu]

Guppy looks up.

"Why did Javert go out there? He was doing better, wasn't he?"

[street_sparrow]

"He told me he was going to. But I thought he was talking about... sometime in the future, not this soon."

[guppy_sandhu]

"He said he was going to jump into the water?" Guppy asks.

He's rather surprised Javert would tell anyone.

"Why?"

[street_sparrow]

"Not jump. Walk." He shrugs. "Because it was his way out of here and he thought doing anything else would be running from his choices."

[guppy_sandhu]

"We could have got him out safely any number of ways." Guppy says.

"Can he swim?"

[street_sparrow]

"I kept saying that", Gavroche says tiredly, "and he more or less said it would be cheating and I was never to bring it up again. No, I don't think so."

[guppy_sandhu]

Guppy shakes his head.

"I've understood people who are dead wanting to... move on, as it were. But he wasn't dead."

[balancingminds]

Charles has just come in and immediately heads for Guppy as the images in his head are painful,

"Guppy, what's happened?"

As he sits, he finds a rat and orders a large pot of tea.

[guppy_sandhu]

"I think Javert's jumped back into the river." Guppy says quietly. "I didn't see him, I heard water, and then I saw his friend go."

He swallows hard. He's calm, at present, which is testament to how well his anxiety is controlled, but there's a lot of ache. And tired, because it's long after midnight for him.

"I let him down, I think. But he wouldn't let me in, even before things got difficult between us. Do you know if he was under you, Dr Crowe, or Dr Lecter?"

[balancingminds]

"Guppy, no, don't blame yourself. Whatever he did, it was his choice. I last spoke to him after the confrontation with the vampire but not since then. He hasn't searched me out and I know he disliked being treated, so we were at an impasse. I don't believe Dr. Crowe's been around much and I hope that he wasn't seeing Dr. Lecter. Here drink this tea,"

Charles pours it out frowning, he wonders how many patients here Lecter has been seeing. Nothing good will come of it.

[guppy_sandhu]

Guppy accepts the tea.

"I don't think Dr Crowe has any current patients." he says. "I think he had spoken to Dr Lecter, but I don't know how recently."

The wave of guilt and sadness is still there.

"Teja says he hadn't been to work this week, and he's had a fallout with Ganymede - I know that name but I don't know him."

[balancingminds]

"I don't think I know Ganymede other than the one from the myths. Guppy, he has an adult, whatever happened he decided to do it. Please be gentle on yourself. Javert resisted every change that Milliways offered to him."

[guppy_sandhu]

"I don't think he'd have been suitable for admission even if he'd been in my world." Guppy admits. "Because he went downhill so quickly."

He blows gently on his tea. "I think he had been talking with that priest. I wonder if that set off his feelings of damnation."

[balancingminds]

"Which priest? I think a priest could be helpful for him as he's religious but also dangerous for the same reasons."

[guppy_sandhu]

"Father Harman. He's new, I met him a few weeks ago, has some nasty ideas against vampires and such."

Beat.

"Do you know if Javert was still involved with that vampire that locked me in the toilet?"