Evident relief
“Oh good. Hmmm? Oh, just the usual stuff, you know. Who and what is Lewy? What is he researching that you’re helping him so much?”
“Lewy is a scientist. He’s really nice. We got our hand on some hell-sil… Gnosite. We’re making Zek a new tongue since his got cut out by that demon.” Jane seems very pleased by the prospect “We know what we’re about now, we’re just making sure it doesn’t react unexpectedly to anything”
Among the packages, the two Robins are unable to avoid noticing a small package.
PRIORITY
Ivy Bogdanov
The Taverna
Hanover Evacuation Camp
Skye Island
PRIORITY
There is a bright red Royal Seal in one corner.
Taking quick stock of the packages, #13 hands the priority ones to Jane and starts collecting the rest.
“You know everyone here, this looks the most important to start. Shall we?”
“Sure, I know Ivy.” Jane takes the packages and resumes walking towards the Taverna. She feels as if she should add something. “She can be scary. She’s Queens Bodyguard.”
“Queen’s Boadyguard are honourable in their own way. I’m sure she and I will manage.”
A while later #13 and Jane are sitting in the Taverna with their drinks. Jane looks down into her cup thoughtfully. “Ivy travels a lot, and I’m still not sure about when I am, so I can’t be sure where she is. She’ll show up here eventually… the medical stuff has been delivered. The other letters have been distributed… I think it would be alright for me to open my mail now!” Jane look’s at #13 expectantly.
#13 becomes very serious, looking carefully at Jane, checks her tea, before finally nodding and removing two packages. The first is a tube, roughly packaged. The second is larger and flatter, wrapped in old cloth, held together with string. Both are dirty, as well as having gunpowder and blood/ichor stains on them. A small bundle of letters is deposited alongside the latter package. #13 Stands and formally salutes.
“Post Lady Jan O. Flowers … Neither snow, nor rain, nor hellfire nor gloom of night stays these courageous courriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds.”
With that, #13 indicates the packages with a nod
“I believe these are yours Miss. Have to forgive me, been an interesting journey”
Jane looks confused at the sudden formality. “That’s alright, I don’t mind. Ummm” she reaches for the tube and begins to unwrap it carefully. The packages told a little without being opened. Gunpowder meant zombies or cultists, ichor meant demon, blood could mean anything, but she hoped it wasn’t from anyone she knew. On front of her was more mail than she had ever received in her life. “Is there an order I should open these?”
“Sort of. After the tube, try the larger package. The rest will make sense after.”
Inside the tube is a large glossy poster. Fairly simple and plain. Red background, large white print. “[size=150][color=#FF0000]I WENT TO HELL AND ALL I GOT WAS THIS HAT[/color][/size]” … in thick marker around the words are over a dozen little notes addressed to Jane, complete with signatures … after a moment of watching the confusion roll across Jane’s face, #13 reaches out to touch each signature, stating their name out loud as well as the city and country they live in. Each name belongs to a friend from the London Post Office, the cities and countries they now live in are scattered all across the globe.
Jane listens to #13 as he speaks each signature, her face completely blank. After a moment she whispers “Uh oh.” Her face reddens and she carefully moves the poster to the side before the first tear can fall on it. A few seconds later the tears are running down her face in earnest “I thought…” she chokes out “I mean none of them were at… and i didn’t check cause I was Long Range then and I was sure…” Jane starts laughing and crying a bit at the same time “I can’t make it stop.” She hiccups. “I really like the poster. Sorry about the crying , usually I can… I um… oh” Jane manages to get her tears under control. The scars on her cheeks look very white next to her now blotchy skin. “Sorry.” she says “sorry.”
Smiles and hands over a surprisingly clean handkerchief. Almost like it was pre-prepared. Whispers
“We told you when we gave you the hat that you were loved. smiles even warmer But, ahhhh, I think you better brace yourself”
Pushes over the larger package. Inside are two largish framed black and white photos. The first is of an old, multi-story building, instantly recognisable to Jane as the London Post Office before it was over run. The second is almost a collage, within the frame are a mass of photo’s. Some are just faces, some are almost portraits, others are family shots … some of the people appear to be in good health, others look much the worse for wear. The only commonality seems to be the uniforms and that they appear to have been taken recently (ish). With each photo is printed a name … each name matches a signature on the poster.
“You all said that” Jane says, still sniffling, “but I thought you were just being nice. Or maybe telling a joke I didn’t get. I’m terrible at getting jokes. I mean, I spent all my time living in one of the attic rooms, avoiding people and trying not to get in the way. I didn’t know how to talk to anyone and I was perpetually scared of being kicked out of the Mail, ‘cause I didn’t have anywhere else to go. Everyone said we were a family but I couldn’t remember my family back then, so I didn’t know what they meant, not really.”
Jane takes the handkerchief with some gratitude and wipes her face. “Sorry about that. I’ve gotten quite good at switching off emotions I don’t want. I didn’t expect happiness to attack me and was caught off guard“. She sniffs again. “Thank you! It’s a wonderful gift.”
"Dear lady, you are a shining light to so many, and you bring us joy. It seems only fair that we should share some, yes? pushes the photo’s across the table In there you’ll find the faces of everyone I could find, *pushes the pile of letters across and in these you’ll find their words, their hearts and where you can find them! When I told them I was coming to see you, they all couldn’t wait to contribute. Pushes one last, solitary letter across the table towards Jane You’re hat may want some privacy to read this one though. Clearly labeled, the envelope is addressed to Jane’s Hat c/o Jane O. Flowers
Sits back, relaxing and looking inordinately pleased with himself. Takes long pull at his not-tea.
Jane blinks down at it “But the hat had no eyes. How could it read it?”
long contemplative look
“Good point, maybe you should read it to it then. Something akin to a chaperone, make sure nothing untoward is occurring.”
“Right! standard procedure when someone writes to inanimate objects. Sorry, I’m a bit off balance” Jane carefully picks up the letters and puts them carefully away to be read later. The poster and the pictures are also carefully tucked into the bag. She looks around to see if anyone noticed her breakdown. “Did you know that there is a petition to get rid of our 'we do not deliver to Hell”’ policy?" she said, changing the topic to something less emotionally fraught “Apparently the argument is that we are going there anyway. They want us to track down dead relatives and deliver them mail.” Jane gulps down some tea. “I don’t want to do that.”
Mild confusion, Jane MAY have just made a joke. At the mention of delivering mail to Hell, #13 just looks both disgusted and flabbergasted.
“I’m curious to see Hell, to look around and talk to these creatures … but not THAT curious sorry Jane. They wouldn’t be silly enough to send us there en masse would they? We lose enough friends as it is!”
“Recent explorations have shown that sending more than one individual into any particular area of Solum at a time is a horrible idea. There are experiments planned for homunculi I think, though that’s a bad idea as well.”
Jane finishes off her drink. Her face still seems a little more expressive than normal, her eyes a little brighter, though it might have been and after-effect of the tears. “I just realised you’ve probably been assigned to me in case I AM the next McLaren. It makes sense.”
“Hmmm, it’s possible. Although, as I said, I just heard one of the Guard was requested here and volounteered after finding out it was for you. I can’t see you going McLaren on us, but still, we’ll just be carefulish and watch out for each other. Yes?”