[closed] Missing: One Irishman

[bigbadbasher]

WHO: Sebastian Moran (bigbadbasher ) and Jim Moriarty (sneakyshoes )
WHAT: Finding each other again.
WHERE: Orlea
WHEN: 5/1
WARNINGS: Language, Sebastian likes his four-letters. Also very likely talking about violence and suicide.

Sebastian glanced down at his phone again, following the drawn map a certain stranger had been kind enough to give him. He was close to the area she'd indicated. That is, if he was reading it right. He turned on the spot, looking around and around.

"Come on, Jim, where are you," he muttered, looking down at the phone again. Gotta be here somewhere, you son of a bitch. A little way off, he spotted a bench. A bench with a figure on it. He took a step closer, lowering his phone.

"Boss?" he called.

Comments

[sneakyshoes]

Jim stares at the hand for a long moment. He knows this person makes him feel safe, but does he really know that? Is it fact, or just his head trying to fill in blanks he doesn't have the prompts to? He hesistates, reaching up at first but pulling his hand away again, and finally decides to trust him. He told Porrim this man would keep him safe. It all should be okay.

He's very careful upon standing. His feet feel far away and his head is alternating between pounding violently and going numb. "Head," he mumbles. "Dunno." Jim clutches tightly to his phone again.

There's blood on the back of his head and neck, mostly dried, but he doesn't seem to notice.

[bigbadbasher]

Hell. He can sort out some basic injuries, but head trauma is a little out of his league.

"Did that prick Holmes do this to you? Because I swear to fucking Christ I'll cut his lungs out and feed 'em to him."

He helps Jim along and glances around the street. He may have to settle for the bathroom of one of the shops.

[sneakyshoes]

"Holmes."

Name sounds familiar. He can't remember. There was a man on a roof with a purpose.

"Dunno."

He follows Seb with not much difficulty; the longer he's here, the clearer his head gets, and the easier it is to walk. He vaguely remembers choosing that particular bench out of a desperation to stop almost falling, but now it's simple enough to follow in a mostly straight line.

"Can't remember." Just the taste of gunmetal and a rooftop. "Holmes?"

[bigbadbasher]

"Yeah, Holmes." Fuck, this is going to be difficult if he doesn't even remember Holmes.

Suddenly, something he hadn't considered pops into his head.

"D'you know who I am?"

[sneakyshoes]

Oh, no. Oh dear. He'd been hoping he wouldn't be asked.

"...Tiger?" he asks quietly, voice heavy with shame.

[bigbadbasher]

Shit. Fuck shit fuck.

"You can call me that. My name is Sebastian. I..." Christ, how to even begin? "I work for you. Bodyguard. And a lot of other shit. It's complicated." Isn't that the goddamn truth.

Sebastian notices a little cafe that seems busy enough that they can slip in without anyone giving them too much trouble.

"Let's get in here, okay? Try to act natural."

[sneakyshoes]

"Natural," he echoes quietly, focusing more on the information he's been given. Sebastian the Bodyguard, who has something to do with tigers. It's complicated. What does that mean? Is it important? It sounds important.

"Why are we here..?"

[bigbadbasher]

"Just want to check you out and get you cleaned up if I can. Rather not do it in the middle of the street, y'know?"

Sebastian maneuvers easily through the little cafe, making minimal eye contact and heading straight for the bathroom.

"D'you know who you are?"

[sneakyshoes]

"Okayyy..."

He sits down on the toilet without looking up at Sebastian.

"..Jim. Jim?"

[bigbadbasher]

"Yeah, Jim, that's right." Sebastian fusses over Jim, looking him over. He notices the blood. Fuck. It's dry and he's mobile, so it can't be anything life-threatening. Right? He wets a few paper towels and starts to mop up his neck, as gently as he can manage. "Can you tell me your last name?"

[sneakyshoes]

"..No."

His eyes are big and desperate to impress. "...sssorry.."

[bigbadbasher]

"It's alright, Boss. It's Moriarty. Jim Moriarty." The blood's matted in his dark hair. It's more than he thought it was. "Try sayin' it out loud for me, okay?"

[sneakyshoes]

"Jim."

A pause. He watches Sebastian for a moment.

"..Moriarty. Jim Moriarty."

[bigbadbasher]

Sebastian bundles up the bloody paper towels as tight as he can, wraps them up in another couple of dry ones. He knows he needs to look at Jim's head, but he skirts the area like it's electrified.

"Yeah, there you go. Sound right?"

[sneakyshoes]

"Should..."

He moves his head down to help Sebastian get a better angle and sighs.

"..no."

A pause.

"...Not yet."

[bigbadbasher]

Sebastian swallows a hesitation before carefully combing through Jim's hair with his fingers, looking for a wound. It's still hard to find anything. He needs to get Jim properly washed up, shower and all, but right now, he can't find a proper wound. Barely a nick, which wouldn't have bled like this.

"It'll come back to you, Boss. If 'Jim' feels okay, I'll just call you that, okay? And you can call me 'Tiger' if that sounds better."

He pauses.

"We've got to find a place to stay. I don't have a whole lot of fuckin' information on where we are right now, but there's got to be a hotel or somethin'."

[sneakyshoes]

"..the people know. They'll know."

He looks at Sebastian again, big eyes searching his face, desperate. There's got to be something there.

"Sebastian Moran," it clicks into his head suddenly, and he can't stop from blurting it out. "Sebastian Moran. I remember that. Your name."

He frowns. "That is your name.. isn't it?"

[bigbadbasher]

His heart leaps a little when Jim says his name, and he meets his eyes with a little more hope than he'd care to admit.

"... Yeah. That's my name.

He clears his throat quickly and goes to wash his hands.

"Yeah, I'll go talk to someone, find us a place. Don't know what the fuck we're gonna do about money, though."

[sneakyshoes]

"Dunno. People can help. ..job, maybe."

[bigbadbasher]

"We'll figure something out, you just let me worry about that. We're gonna need a more permanent base of operations, if I'm suppose to believe the shit I've been hearing about this place."

Sebastian can't stand admitting how out of his element he is. He needs Jim. Scratch that, he needs Moriarty. He needs the man to point so he can shoot.

[sneakyshoes]

"Home," he replies quietly, looking down at his phone. "We need a home. Want to go home."

[bigbadbasher]

"Yeah, I hear you. I'm gonna step out for a second and get some information. Lock the door behind me, don't open it for anyone else until I get back. You got me?"

He instinctively puts his hand on the side of Jim's neck for a moment before drawing back.

[sneakyshoes]

"Yessir," he murmurs, watching Sebastian carefully as he leaves.

"Be careful."