text & voice

[doggedly]

q w e r t y u i o p
a s d f g h j k l
z x c v b n m

>:)

[All right, yes, voice, now (but first he laughs, because brilliant--no matter what the hell he knows about the future, about what's here and the possibility of what could happen here; about who is here and what that, exactly, could mean--well, it's not like Sirius can't be serious. But he's had time to ingest it all, so now there's this--):]

Yeah. Is it muggles or gods that invented little bracelets that you can write with? Because it's genius. Huge time-saver. Top marks to the man who came up with this, this is a bit of technology I can get behind. It's these, micro-waves, and turntables.

All right, but I'm going to briefly add to the questions that have been endlessly asked. I'm Sirius Black, and I want to know: is the main form of entertainment around here seriously to conduct surveys?

Because you lot are badly in need of amusement, if that's what you consider to be fun. Or are these bracelets just more of a notice board than anything else? It's all about cooking and job offers and survey questions, it's half lonely hearts adverts and half wanted ads and half girl's magazine.

Since we aren't doing any fighting and your little earthquake seems mostly settled--I've got something of a counter-offer to cure your boredom, Asgard: a scavenger hunt. I've a list of things, and whoever gets me the most of these things, I will give him a reward. Or her, I s'ppose, should a girl be clever enough. [ps, this is not a shopping list.] Quills ready, 'cos here goes: six large fireworks, one package of small fireworks, a birthday card, one of those thingers on the stick that you whirl around and around and it makes a noise like a really loud zip--er, right, an inkwell with ink in it, please--fourteen eggs, a box of matches, and a book.

Any book.

All right, that's all! Prizes will be distributed to the one who comes out on top, but I'm not telling you what the prize is, you'll have to earn it to find out. Entertain yourselves! [And Sirius, but that goes without saying.] Ready, set--go to!

[And he's nearly done, but oh, hang on, one last thing--] Also, forgot to mention, James Potter is forbidden from playing. Not allowed. Anyone sees him collecting objects and reports him gets an extra prize. Sit this one out, Prongsie, that's an order. All right, now go to.

Comments

[doggedly]

Well, no, of course it isn't, because it's really about him, honestly.

[theshabbiestofmen]

Sirius, please don't, I just-- I really don't want to do anything else that has to do with him. Let's just live and let live.

[doggedly]

[He snorts, unamused.]

And you really expect me to agree to that? Because even if I did--and that's incredibly doubtful--you'd still have to get the same promise out of him. Not bloody likely.

[theshabbiestofmen]

I'll keep him away from you if I have to! I've already--

[OH SHIT NO he realizes about two words too late that he ought to shut up.]

Maybe if we leave him alone, he'll actually do the same for us. It might work--

[doggedly]

[But like hell Sirius is going to miss a comment like that. He stares at him--and then his eyes narrow.]

What?

[theshabbiestofmen]

He--

[Remus stares at the ground.]

He-- we were talking, in person, and he started going off about you, and I-- sort of lost my temper.

[doggedly]

[Sirius' stare goes a bit more cold.]

And what exactly did he say?

[theshabbiestofmen]

Just-- stupid things.

[At least Black got what he deserved. Twelve miserable years in Azkaban, and he'd nearly punched Snape, he'd seen red--]

[doggedly]

[He smiles, grimly, like yeah. Snape and stupid, the two go hand in bloody hand.]

What things, Remus. If it's about me, then I ought to know what he's said, right?

[theshabbiestofmen]

It's nothing you'll want to hear, Sirius, and it's all lies anyway. You know how he is.

[doggedly]

Remus, tell me.

[He nearly growls out the words, his grin completely gone now.]

[theshabbiestofmen]

He said . . . that you deserved to be in Azkaban, even if it wasn't you who betrayed James.

[doggedly]

[There's a faint ringing in his ears at those words--but they aren't, in the end, such a surprise. Because it's Snape, isn't it. Because Snape would say something like that, and mean it, because he's never gotten over anything.

Fuck Snape. He doesn't think it with any extra savagery. Fuck Snape, he's always going to be a bastard--]

Good. And he deserves to get his fucking head kicked in.

[theshabbiestofmen]

I-- I nearly did. I think I scared him, he shoved me against the wall--

[He pushes his wrist against his mouth, glancing away.]

Tell me if you go after him. I'll come with you.

[doggedly]

[He laughs, once, shortly. Good for you, Remus--but what he says is a bit incongruous with that--]

Now you want to fight him? What happened to feeling sorry for him?

[theshabbiestofmen]

You know you're more important than him any day-- or you should know that, anyway.

[doggedly]

[Obviously, yes, he knows that--but there's still the fact that Remus has been trying to convince him to--in whatever small way--feel sorry for Snape. Perhaps this has wiped all of that away.]

Then let's go and get him.

[theshabbiestofmen]

Now?

[doggedly]

Got something else to do?

[theshabbiestofmen]

We should tell James.

[doggedly]

[He smiles, grimly.]

That's the first sensible thing you've said yet.

[theshabbiestofmen]

He gets off work in an hour.

[doggedly]

[He nods, once, tightly.]

Take me there, then. We'll wait.

[Because Remus knows his way around, better than Sirius. He's only just arrived, recently. He still feels like he's playing catch-up, like he's coming into all of this late--the city, the situations, the balance of relationships between people. Or maybe that's just his own feelings filtering in, because he hates being left in the dark. He hates not knowing, playing games, fucking around, when they could just go and get Snape, confront him, just the way that it ought to be. That's the part of the war that's always frustrated him, all these hushed missions, quiet movements, strikes from the shadows. Nothing is out in the open like it ought to be.

But he waits, to talk to James, because of everyone, James will be on his side about this. He's got Remus, and now he needs James as well. He follows behind Remus, obedient in that, at least. And they wait, Sirius tense, watching the sky like there's something to see, his hands curled at his sides and his jaw clenched.]

[heorot]

[ he's actually gotten out of work just an hour early, this whole 'having to be in a certain place doing certain things for a certain amount of time' proving to be a whole hell of a lot more exhausting than he ever thought possible. which means he's tired, and he's heading home, and he's thinking about all sorts of possibilities that include the couch and possibly getting lily to make him food and-

well, whatever they were, they're all gone as soon as he rounds the corner and finds remus and sirius standing outside. and it doesn't take a genius to be able to tell that sirius, at the very least, seems tense. he could read that from a mile away. which is why he's more than just a little confused when he finally makes it up to them. ]

There a meeting going on I don't know about?

[theshabbiestofmen]

--not quite. I thought--

[Irrelevant. Remus glances from James to Sirius and back again, rubbing at his mouth.]

We were discussing Snape.