I Hear You Knocking

[merryeccentricities]

Joly's almost got the finishing touches on the first prototype of his current project when he hears the knocking downstairs.

Not familiar knocking, this time. He picks up the kitten that's fallen asleep on his lap and tucks her over one shoulder. "Who's bothering our rooms at this hour, hmm? Who's coming by and banging on the door?"

...Whoever it is, they're really hammering it down. He heads downstairs as quickly as he can, in the name of residential structural integrity.

Comments

[mjolnir_retriever]

Aw, c'mon, Joly, the knocking's not that hard. Thor has a very finely calibrated sense of the structural integrity of Milliways furniture!

Joly, when he opens the door, will find a cheerful Thor, and a cheerful Bahorel.

One of them is listing a whoooooole lot more drunkenly than the other. (And: onto the other.)

[merryeccentricities]

And they will find an immediately stern Joly. Or at least a Joly making a good effort at it. "Bahorel, are you-- no, how drunk are you? Come in, get in here-- oh, Thor, thank you, can you just-- just toss him on the sofa, there--"

"I can walk!" Bahorel protests, immediately falling over the arm of the sofa. "I am not overly drunk, I remembered- see? You said to come see you if there were..." he snaps his fingers, trying to remember "...things. Talking problems."

"If you had problems talking after the inc-- after being injured." Joly likes Thor. But certain things he's not about to say in front of a member of Security right now. "Not if you drank yourself senseless. Although that's probably no good either... look, track my hand.. all right? You're staying here."

Joly draws a cup of water and find a certain bottle of pills that are more useful than others in his household. "Swallow these, and drink this before you pass out."

[mjolnir_retriever]

Thor's still looking cheerful.

"He made his ancestors proud."

There you go, Joly. That'll no doubt reassure you about everything!

Possibly more helpful is the fact that he thinks to add, "Miss Bar provided drinks suitable to a human metabolism for him."

It's like being responsible.

[merryeccentricities]

Joly smiles at that. "Thank you, Thor. That's useful to know." He tries, without much success, to put a frown on over the smile when he turns towards Bahorel. "And I'm guessing it was all Madame Bar's work, and not your suggestion."

Bahorel tsks at the pretended offense and leans up enough to ruffle Joly's hair. "Ah, Joly, Joli, Jolllly. It's not a contest. You made your ancestors proud too, I'm sure."

Joly's smile falters. What he might have left his ancestors feeling is something he's trying not to consider too much. And not the point now,at all. "If you mean that I've gotten myself drunk sometimes, then you are of course right, but, and be sure you will hear more on this when you're sober, not after a concussion." He sighs, and then laughs. "I suppose I should thank you for running these experiments on our odd immortality. Hold on--"

'While I get a few notes'he means to say, but Bahorel's already asleep--or possibly passed out.

Which leaves Joly and Thor. Joly clears his throat. "Ah, thank you for bringing him here. And not-- well, thank you. Would you like a drink?" Because Thor still seems rock-sober, but of course, as Joly recalls, he does that. It's unfair.

[mjolnir_retriever]

Thor's a little buzzed. Not everything he drank was Asgardian strength, but enough of it was.

But he's no more than a little buzzed, which is nowhere near enough to miss that momentary shadow at the mention of family and ancestors. He'll remember it. But he isn't about to press; he wouldn't dream of it even without his own recent memory of similar shadows, though he hopes Joly's doesn't come from similar grief.

What he says, amiably, is "It's no trouble. He is a brave warrior -- and a brave drinker."

:D

And a good man -- Thor knows that, with utter certainty, now -- but he'd haul someone home to their friends when they were falling-down drunk regardless of that.

"I'll tell you what I remember of his drinks if you like. For your notes."

Thor wasn't exactly paying attention with an eye to reciting it later, but he's got a pretty decent memory. And Joly, he remembers, likes data.

[merryeccentricities]

Joly blinks, and then beams. "That would be very helpful, thank you!" He takes out his notepad and hands it over. "Wait- were you with him? Or watching him?"

[mjolnir_retriever]

"We drank together."

Thor is a great influence.

He accepts the notepad and pen, and then pauses. "--I can't write in your letters. Would you have me write in my own for Bar to translate later, or tell you aloud?"

He'll write in the Allspeak, so Bar won't need to translate the actual language. But the Allspeak doesn't affect the actual muscle memory of making letters, and it takes a level of skill and magical talent Thor doesn't have to write in text that can be read by anyone.

[merryeccentricities]

​​
"Oh, sorry! I'll do it--" Joly takes notepad back with a sheepish smile. "I can't write letters anyone else can read either, but they are my notes, so. If you can just tell me how long you were drinking and how many he had, it would be helpful-- if you know any of what he had, even more so."

Joly is not about to blame anyone else for Bahorel's general behavior.

[mjolnir_retriever]

Thor wasn't really keeping track of the time, and says so. But for the drinks: that he can do! He doesn't bother to mention his own consumption, unless Joly asks, or as a way to remember the progression of events, but he has at least a pretty good idea of Bahorel's.

Thor is, it may be relevant to mention, also kind of keeping mental notes on human tolerance. He feels it might be handy to have a more nuanced idea than Hardly Any Wow.

By human standards, Bahorel's consumption was, uh. Let's go with 'respectable.' (Or maybe 'disreputable.')

[merryeccentricities]

Joly knows, of course, that Bahorel can carouse with the best of (human) men. Still, he winces about a third of the way through the count looks pained halfway through, and is outright grimacing by the time Thor's done.
If Thor is listening not-very-carefully, he can hear Joly muttering comments on the theme of "that idiot" and "are you trying for permanent brain damage?!?""

[mjolnir_retriever]

Thor is looking a little more worried now.

"Bar would not have given him dangerous quantity."

Well, not intentionally. And she'd know, right?

"He seemed confident. I have seen humans carouse to such an extent before."

Please don't tell him he accidentally seriously damaged this guy, Joly.

[merryeccentricities]

Joly sighs. "Agh, he's probably fine. I've seen him drink at least this much before and be up the next morning with no problem." And annoyingly untouched, in fact. "I just--" he bites his lip and considers.

"--You heard about the arrest?"

[mjolnir_retriever]

Ohhhhhh, okay, this is just a worrywart scholar friend fussing about a carousing warrior. Gotcha! Thor's face clears.

...And then shadows again, this time into seriousness.

"Yes."

"I read Gene Hunt's report. It seemed unobjectionable at the time, but was very short. Bahorel spoke to me a little more of his concerns. They seem reasonable to me, and they come from a good man."

It may be a little strange, in fact, how certain of that Thor sounds, based on extremely brief (and alcohol-laden) acquaintance.

"I'll tell you what I told him. I have no authority over other members of Security, nor do I wish to claim any. Melaka Fray is the commander. But if you or your comrades wish to tell me more of what occurred now or later, I'll gladly hear, and give what advice or aid I may in honor offer."

[merryeccentricities]

Thor's certainty might seem strange, but it raises Joly's estimation of him considerably. His friends are good men, and it speaks well of Thor's perception that he can see that.

Which makes Joly willing to ask. "First let me ask- well, what's the arrangement for prisoners and medical care? Is there an arrangement? Of any sort?"

[mjolnir_retriever]

Thor blinks. It's not the question he expected, although he's taking it seriously.

"If someone needed healing, they'd get it, of course."

He adds, thinking aloud for a moment, "If they were a danger to all doctors... there are methods of distance healing, but finding an appropriate solution might take some time. But the cells exist for the protection of bystanders and the enforcement of the rules, not for cruelty." He says this as reassurance, and as self-evident fact. "I doubt Baby would stand for it in any case."

[merryeccentricities]

"Well." He's not exactly afraid to confront Thor; he is concerned about not making himself clear. "I was-- rather encouraged to think otherwise."

"There was a fight-- I'm sure you heard-- and Bahorel's nose was broken, and Officer Hunt knocked him out with the butt of his gun. And, ah. Bossuet's nose was bloodied too. So I gather; I wasn't there, but that's the best version I've been able to make of combined accounts." He holds up his hands palm-out. "I'm not blaming Officer Hunt for the fight, certainly not for striking once it started! But, after. In the cells." Joly frowns.

"I know Officer Hunt will say he allowed me to see them. And he did, after-- after some discussion." Discussion in the sense of Hunt repeatedly threatening him, but Joly's not sure how far to press the point. "And then only for a brief time. And I would have-- I'd be easier if I could have overseen them for the whole evening, because of how head injuries work. "

He rubs the back of his own head. "So if I seem more concerned than a night of drinking should warrant-- well, that's why."

[mjolnir_retriever]

Thor is frowning, a little.

"Discussion of what sort? Did he not comprehend the nature of your concerns?"

Gene Hunt is, so far as Thor knows, human too. But then, there have been plenty of eras in which humans didn't know much about their own world or bodies. Thor can entirely understand being accidentally too cavalier about what a warrior can shrug off -- if, indeed, that's what happened here, which remains to be established.

And Joly seems diffident, or wary, or uncertain of his standing, or some combination of those. Thor doesn't know him well enough to be sure if that's a matter of personality or of the situation. (Their earlier conversation, at least, indicates that it's probably not a matter of being intimidated by talking face-to-face to Asgardian royalty. Always handy to have that one ruled out!)