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[gottaknockhard]

( Frodo )

[Generally speaking, Spike has an excellent ability to put off things that he finds uncomfortable, largely by pretending not to notice them at all. It just so happens that the subjects he's most uncomfortable with are popping up so often lately that he's struggled to keep his record down. (Especially with his new found handicap.) And unfortunately, when the distractions of unexpected nights out at strip clubs and failed car races are over, he's back to the same issues he had a week ago.

Telling a queen about her own downfall isn't something he ever expected to be his responsibility. He can pretend that he only agreed out of spite, but what he knows is a lot more disturbing that he's ready to admit. It's days after he roped Frodo into helping with the research, on that same queen's orders, that he thinks it's about time they got back together.]

Hey. Are you around?

[The tone makes it obvious why he's calling, and that he's not thrilled about it. Hopefully Frodo had an easier time translating history books than he did.]

---

[He's about to close the journal and stand up to make his way to the library, of all places, when he nearly trips over a small dog that gets in the way of his foot. When he catches himself on a table, he glares down.

Ein...]

I thought I told you not to do that. [To which Ein tilts his head and stares innocently. It gets worse when Spike actually looks at the bag he brought home to find the contents spilled across the floor while he wasn't paying attention. (How hard was he concentrating, anyway?)] You know, if you're that hungry, you really need to learn how to use a can opener. [More staring.] What? ... [Ein nudges the journal that's still open on the table, picking up his one-sided conversation.

Smart ass dog.

Like he even cares if anyone hears him talking to himself. Then the dog's stomach rumbles audibly, and Spike sighs.] Yeah, yeah. I'll get it before I leave.

Comments

Spike forever

[bronwe]

[ Frodo has the tendency to spend days stretching into weeks at these kinds of tasks. The scholarly kind, research and translation, usually driven by curiosity though this time the work goes more slowly, as if rushing might wound the memory and the woman herself. And he summarized many of the things more kindly than they were written, as much as he could.

But that was far from the most difficult part of the errand. ]

Yes.

[gottaknockhard]

[Once he's fed Ein and made sure the door was closed when he enters the hall, he starts up the conversation where he left off. No more delays.]

I'm on my way to the library.

[bronwe]

[ He doesn't reply, as if saving his words for what must come soon. Once Spike arrives, he would find that Frodo's literally walled in by piles of books on the table, considering his stature, with a pile of neatly stacked paper on his far left and used quills and ink bottles scattered about. His fingers and shirt are stained from so much writing but he doesn't seem overly tired, only troubled. ]

[gottaknockhard]

[When Spike gets there, he approaches slowly, trying to guess how much the pile grew since he left. It's hard to tell if that makes for a good sign or not, but at least no one could accuse them of not being thorough.

It's enough to make Spike feel slightly guilty for showing up empty handed. Which also keeps him from making a crack about Frodo goofing off and building a fort while he was gone.]

How does it look?

[bronwe]

[ He might appreciate the jest after all this gloom really. He may have read of cruelty in his books before, torture, betrayal and kinslaying, but this far exceeds them in malice. Or perhaps apathy, which is even worse.

He tries a meek smile and hops off his high chair so he can grab his notes. ]

I wonder... if she means to be reassured of her daughter's well-being or if she means to know the truth.

[gottaknockhard]

[If it were up to Spike, he would have been happy to say they came up empty handed. Or he'd like to think he wouldn't put her through that intentionally. But she'll find out somehow if it doesn't come from them. You don't get to be a queen without someone remembering.

He glances at the papers Frodo has stacked, imagining that it must get worse the more you read. -- Funny how she can be mentioned in so many books and he still feels like they're intruding on her privacy.]

She wants to know everything. [He sighs, and collapses in a chair.] Although it might help if you had some good news to open with.

[bronwe]

And to end with.

[ It's the ending that matters, what it all comes to. The paper starts out from her birth, because he felt it was more appropriate, and goes on to cover the rest of her life. The long courtship, her three years as Queen, then what comes after written with as little detail as he could manage. ]

She will not take it well. No one would.

[3nterprising]

[Faye's not surprised by his conversation with silence. In fact, she has an inkling of who (or what) Spike is talking to.]

I'm surprised you haven't eaten the thing by now.

[gottaknockhard]

[How did he wind up back with it, anyway?]

If only we'd had a pet cow instead.

[3nterprising]

I thought you pawned him off on someone else.

[gottaknockhard]

I tried.

[3nterprising]

You'd think someone would want him.

[gottaknockhard]

He must have stayed somewhere when I was away.

[And yet here he is. Someone clearly must have fed him, so why would he come back to this dump?]

[mal_addict]

...Talking to yourself, now?

[gottaknockhard]

[Sigh... He hates everything about pets, so why.]

I hope that's not one of those signs.

[mal_addict]

It probably is. If you want to have a few more months to descend into madness proper though, I'll keep it between us.

[gottaknockhard]

[See what you did, Ein? Think about that.]

I knew I could count on you.

[mal_addict]

What can I say? I'm a good friend.

[gottaknockhard]

And I don't even have to feed you.

closed;

[bronwe]

[ The walk from the library feels shorter than it should, and it was hard to resist the temptation of slipping back into his room and delaying this to tomorrow or the day after.

A few pieces of paper rolled up in his left hand, he stops by her door and waits to draw a breath before knocking. He wonders if this is how it felt for Bilbo to wander into a dragon's lair to exchange riddles. Only this time the dragon has no indestructible armor and he means to protect it rather than harm it, which seems even more difficult. ]

Your Majesty? It is I, Frodo.

[ensorceler]

[ Never has an introduction carried so much dread with it. Anne is forcing herself to eat a little something when she hears it, and though he gave no warning in advance, she knows why he is here. She expects Spike to be alongside him, even, or at least near.

With a strong breath, Anne shoves her food away and checks her appearance in the mirror. Dry eyes, not a hair out of place, her french hood centered. None of it matters, but these little things may be all she has.

Finally settling into the small throne, as the main room the front door opens to is a makeshift throne room, she steels her nerves. Surely he cannot tell her anything she has not already thought of, having thought of nothing else for the past couple weeks. ]

Enter.

[bronwe]

[ Perhaps he should have written to request her audience. It seems a proper thing to do with lords and ladies, but then he's not quite used to it. The delay makes him wonder if his presence isn't welcome. Spike gets a worried glance --what to do?

Only then Frodo hears her voice through the door and, taking a deep breath to prepare himself for the eventuality, reaches to turn the knob and peek in, which is highly improper to do by a throne, he realizes. So he quickly scurries in, head bowed, before kneeling halfway through the room and waiting for her to give him leave to stand. ]

[gottaknockhard]

[Spike stays silent in the hall, only nodding when Frodo looks his way. Honestly, he debated coming along at all, but with the way Anne is... He knows there's a slight possibility that Frodo won't be able to handle what's coming. For his sake, he'll take a risk.

In any case, Spike steps further back when he enters her door, hovering just closely enough to overhear their conversation. Apparently there's no such thing as privacy once you're written about in history books.]

how did i not see this? eff you dw notifs

[ensorceler]

[ He shows her so much more consideration than others, but now it seems too little too late. Now everything is painful; everything carries a barb, whether they mean it to or not.

Steeling her jaw and keeping her breaths calm, she looks the strange fellow over once more before lifting her hand to motion for him to rise.

Oh Spike, kings and queens don't have privacy, anyway, if only you knew how much property they really were. ]

Mister Frodo, I understand you carry burdensome news. I will reward you however you see fit for assisting in such a heavy task.

But first, please, tell me. I must know the cause of my death.

[bronwe]

[ Frodo actually doesn't know what Kings and Queens would do to make them rise, unless they simply say it, so it takes him a beat to understand what she means, standing straighter even if it changes little, really. He steps forward slowly, ready to stop if she tells him, and offers her the roll of papers tied in a simple yellow bow. In hindsight he thinks he should have chosen black or blue to be more respectful but it slipped his mind then. ]

They are merely notes from books I read, and none can verify their truth. But they do agree on the cause even if not on what leads to it.

[ He is a better writer than a speaker, when he can't even bring himself to say words such as death. Or execution. ]