tushanshu_logs | [Closed] slow down you crazy child

Characters: Valdis and "Rue"
Date: Early October
Location: The Midnight Hotel > the City
Situation: Rue lets Valdis in on a little secret; plotting may occur
Warnings/Rating: Possible mental health issues, probable Skulduggery Pleasant spoilers. Definite flamboyance.

Rue had been... a distraction, at first. A way to get information without the stigma of being who he was, having done what he'd done, and a chance to have a little laugh here and there on the side. God only knew he needed a laugh.

Only Erskine had forgotten somewhere along the way, since the real Saracen's arrival, just how useful the Rue identity could be. He hadn't actually intended to go as far as physically appearing as the Englishman, and yet over the course of a week or two, new clothing pieces started finding their way into his corner of Anton's closet.

And then Rue started appearing in the Hotel. Frock coat and heels and all.

It was relatively easy to get away with, too. Rue's hat was overly large and covered most of Erskine's face--and a little makeup did the rest. Erskine himself was known to hide from most people these days, in between shifts, so no one really questioned when Ravel disappeared and Rue made his entrance. The outgoing demeanor and poncy English accent certainly helped, too.

On this particular day he was waiting. He knew enough by now to know roughly when Valdis came back from work at the dojo on this day of the week.

They had a few things to talk about.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

"Of course," she laughed, realizing that a garden was probably not the first thing on Rue's mind when it came to fun in the city.

"The gardens are a special place," she said as she steered the man through the streets. "They used to be the gardens of the Palace that once stood here, but when the Palace was taken over by an evil entity, they became overgrown and neglected. But when the Evil was defeated, they became a haven for the local fauna and flora." Not to mention Wan's favorite place.

The gardens were beautiful, despite the drought, there was some remaining green, and though the flowers were beginning to fade, a few of the hardier ones were hanging on, showing off their vibrant colors.

The city was a big place, and Erskine still hadn't seen all of it. Despite his more recent forays into the various sectors there were still plenty of locations he hadn't managed to visit--or water--yet. These gardens, as obvious as they might seem, were one of them.

As they walked, 'Rue' surreptitiously held his free hand out, down at his side, and felt the air around them. With his magic he could feel the air displacing around himself and Valdis, could feel the edges of the flowers and the greenery. Nothing else human-sized, and nothing nearby moving.

This was probably safe enough.

When he spoke next, all traces of the poncy English accent were gone. "I'll have to remember this place," he said quietly. "Looks like it could use some water."

Valdis was enjoying walking through the gardens, it made her think of Wan and Zuko and how much they had cared for this place. All happy memories, memories that made her smile.

Then Erskine's voice broke through her thoughts and she stopped cold. It made so much sense, his similarities to Rover, the perfume. Was is Anton or Skulduggery that had reminded him of her sense of smell?

"Erskine Ravel," she said, her tone sharp. she pulled her arm away and turned to face him, looking furious for an instant. Then her features softened and she broke into laughter, "You are hilariously brilliant."

'Rue' reached up to grasp the crown of the wide-brimmed hat, and when he pulled it off there was Erskine, rouged lips and all, grinning at her. He swept the hat out to the side and dipped into another bow with a flourish.

"I have my moments."

He straightened back up, still smiling, but didn't replace the hat on his head right away. "You can't tell anyone," he cautioned, allowing some amount of seriousness to leak through the smile. "Rue is a Dead Men secret. Has been for hundreds of years. I had to ask permission just to let you in on it."

She laughed as he bowed again.

"I would have figured it out eventually," she replied, "The perfume was a nice touch, but you can't fool all my senses, not forever at least."

She considered a moment, a hundred year old secret that he needed permission to tell her, of course she would keep it. Keeping secrets was easy, telling the truth, not so much, "I won't tell anyone." Then she smiled again, her eyes lighting up, "This could be so much fun."

"Alas, the problem with being stuck on a turtle with the same people for months on end," Erskine sighed, dropping his arms down to his sides so that the hat hit the side of his leg. "Present company excluded, of course. Rue used to be so easy to maintain, back before cameras and smartphones. We traveled, and there were seven of us to rotate the identity between. Anton's Rue voice is hilarious, by the way."

He chuckled. "Now just watch, Saracen's going to end up here on the turtle one of these days, wondering why half the men on the turtle are pissed at him and the other half are hitting on him." If Saracen didn't immediately try to kill him. There was no guarantee of that.

Valdis's enthusiasm was infectious. "As if it hasn't been already?" Erskine laughed. "Wreath and Raine were priceless."

Anton would always be Anton, but it was fascinating how they could switch the disguise between so many people.

"Yes, well, more fun for me anyway," she replied. "People might be even more convinced if you have an alibi for yourself or for Rue."

"It must be a nice escape though," she said, thinking of how much tension there had been, how much more relaxed Erskine seemed. "To pretend to be someone else, to let go of your own tension and just be able to have fun without the burden.

There were so many things that they could do, so much fun to be had. An idea begant o form in her head, "What if we gave everyone a chance to be someone else for a time?"

"That was partly why I wanted to tell you, actually," Ravel replied, nodding. "If 'Rue' has someone to corroborate his story.... I think enough people know by now that you and I are friends. If you claim I'm not feeling well or... whatever, whatever reason we concoct for why I'm not showing my face one day, no one's going to bat an eyelash at it coming from you. Not that they wouldn't believe Anton, but Rue knows Anton. He's a Dead Man. Having an alibi outside the unit might be a good idea."

He fell silent for a moment at the mention of burdens, then finally nodded again, only once. "It has been nice, I can't lie. It's hard to escape your problems when most of them are in your head. Kind of a nice change of pace."

That somber expression that had stolen across his face lifted somewhat. "What, we encourage everyone to tap into their inner poncy Englishman?" he asked with a spontaneous laugh.

"Might?" she asked, tucking her chin and giving him a skeptical look, "An alibi from a reliable witness, who happens to be well practiced at lying, might be a good idea?"

She was kidding of course, and it became evident a moment later when her smile returned.

"We could encourage that," she said, "or we could just throw a big party. A Masquerade."

"I don't know about reliable," Erskine shot back, keeping his face deadpan despite the obviously teasing tone in his voice. "That might be stretching it a bit far." His straight face broke a moment later, something approaching a grin replacing it.

God, it felt good to be smiling with someone. To have a friend to smile with.

The suggestion of a masquerade actually floored him for a second or two. He'd thrown the small party in the Hotel a few months ago, sure, but he'd never quite imagined doing something for the Foreigners on a scale like that. And it would have to be big, oh yes. One didn't throw little masquerade parties.

"You know what? That... is a fantastic idea." Erskine smiled and tossed Rue's hat back on, leaving it cocked at just such an angle that most of his face was still visible for the moment. "Rue would love a masquerade."

[Closed] slow down you crazy child

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