MHA #15, Monday Evening

[pocketpretzels]

As had become habit over the past few months, on Monday evening Watts found himself seated at his kitchen table surrounded by a stack of paper as he wrote to folks back in Toronto.

The most detailed letter went to the Detective and Dr. Ogden, as per usual, given that the former had experience here and thus Watts could be entirely honest about the things he'd seen and done. Less detailed were the missives sent to George Crabtree and Mrs. Hart. And finally, this week, there was a short note he owed Miss Louise Cherry, who'd written him recently expressing doubt that this address was even real. So he was writing back to assure her that no, no one had killed him in a fit of exasperation and he was in fact alive and well, just in Baltimore rather than Toronto.

It was slow going, of course, as he was making an effort to keep his writing as legible as possible. Even then, there had been more than a few sheets he'd had to discard entirely, and the wastepaper basket was starting to fill up.

[ooc: for the neighbour! that he came over is ok to mention, details NFB please.]

Comments

[hasaknightjob]

Yeah, the smile wasn't going away. "So a bit of a puzzle, then? Figuring out which parts go where? Like solving a mystery but with language."

[pocketpretzels]

Something about that smile left Watts feeling warm and content, the way a sip of particularly good whiskey spread throughout the body, only better.

"Precisely," he agreed. "Now, we discovered the importance of this book wasn't in the writings itself, but that hidden inside the cover was a piece of micro-photography film, dozens of documents on a single frame. Documents that were used to plan the Japanese Prime Minister's assassination."

[hasaknightjob]

"That one I know," Steven said. "There's things today still in that format, older documents and the like. I've had to dig through them as well when doing research."

[pocketpretzels]

Watts nodded. “It’s a convenient way of fitting a lot of information into something physically small. Not as convenient as your computer devices, of course, but we make do.” Made do? Again with the tenses.

[hasaknightjob]

"We're at the stage now where transferring them to computers is the thing," Steven said. "Transferring everything, really. Even things on paper."

Steven held up the book as an example. Then, sheepishly realizing he still had the book, offered it back to Watts.

[pocketpretzels]

“I suppose that makes sense,” Watts said, not entirely sure how he felt about that. Taking the book, he placed it on the coffee table.

“So, this micro-photography film. It was Russian film stock, meaning the Russians were involved with the assassination. Which, if word got out, would surely reignite the tensions between Russia and Japan once more. Only now, Russia has secured alliances with both France and Britain, meaning they- and the entire British Empire, including Canada, could potentially be dragged in to this conflict.”

[hasaknightjob]

"Books are very much still a thing," Steven assured him, in case that was the worry. "I mean you've seen my flat. Anyway, sounds a bit like World - er, I'm suddenly realizing I don't know how much you'd care to know about the future. Well, a future, I suppose. Nothing saying it'll happen the same on your world."

Contemplating the implications of that meant Steven definitely needed another sip of wine.

[pocketpretzels]

“I’ve done a little research,” Watts said with a wry smile. “World War I, yes. As you say, no way of knowing whether that will happen in my world, but at least I had a hand in actively preventing it from starting any earlier.”

[hasaknightjob]

Steven was glad he didn't have to be the one to break the news about that. At the same time now that he'd been reminded he was left with an extremely vested interest in making sure Watts didn't go back home if that war happened. It might not have been Steven's preferred period of history but it was hard to be British and not aware of how many people had died.

But that was for later, because what Watts had said was rather impressive. "Actively preventing? Does that relate to what you're telling me now?"

[pocketpretzels]

Watts nodded. “Turned out the party responsible for the murder of the Japanese man was a rogue Russian agent, who was after the proof that Russia had a hand in helping the Koreans with the assassination. She was none too pleased with the fact that her country had lost the war and was looking to reignite tensions. So, we apprehended her, made sure the evidence of Russian involvement was destroyed, and there you go.”

[hasaknightjob]

Steven quirked his eyebrows up. That last bit was interesting to him both from an understanding of Watts's work ethic and from a historical perspective. "You destroyed evidence? Completely gone, not just hidden?"

[pocketpretzels]

“… Yes,” he admitted. “Not a tactic I am terribly fond of, generally speaking,” he grimaced, “but when told it was a matter of national security by someone with far more authority than I, I am afraid I had little choice but to comply.”

[hasaknightjob]

"No, I get it," Steven said, with sympathy. "I had to stick my hands down Alexander the Great's gullet. Not proper historic preservation by a wide mile but fate of the world was at stake so what can you do?"

After a moment Steven realized he probably needed to add, "He was very much dead at the time."

[pocketpretzels]

"... Thank you," Watts said, after a moment. "For clarifying that." He'd assumed but given that Steven had also discussed wandering around in an afterlife he couldn't be certain.

[hasaknightjob]

You really couldn't. Particularly since there'd been no lack of recently living blood and body parts leading up to it.

"But you," Steven said. "Pushed off the start of World War One! By about how long, do you think?"

Not that Steven was going to be keeping track of this information rather zealously, given what it meant for his feelings about any of Watts's future travel plans.

[pocketpretzels]

“Well,” Watts scratched at his cheek. “It’s probably more accurate to say we- because I was not working alone in this investigation- merely prevented it from starting earlier than it did in other worlds. I suppose we will see in five years or so whether our actions had any longer-reaching effects. The war could still happen for me the way it did for your world, or any number of others.”

[hasaknightjob]

"Still, very important," Steven said. "It'd be horrible it starting earlier. I'd rather you avoid it entirely if I'm honest."

The you in that case was very clearly referring to Watts. Steven saw absolutely no point in hiding that.

[pocketpretzels]

And see, Steven, this was part of why everything was so frustrating and confusing, because the last person to care about Watts in any way close to that had been Jack.

“I am not particularly eager to experience it either,” Watts shared. “Perhaps as you say, there’s a chance it will not happen in my world at all.”

[hasaknightjob]

Steven didn't particularly care for how the only option Watts could see for him avoiding it was if the war didn't happen, but he decided it wasn't the time to argue it now.

"Is that why it was your favorite case then?" Steven asked. "Because of the impact?"

[pocketpretzels]

“Partially,” Watts nodded. “But it also had… layers. Just as we thought we’d perhaps solved the mystery, some new detail would come to light and we’d be forced to reevaluate our conclusions. It was frustrating, but at the same time terribly engaging.”

[hasaknightjob]

"So the puzzle of it as well," Steven said. "You being clever enough to notice all the pieces and suss out how they fit together."

[pocketpretzels]

“Not just me,” Watts replied. “It was a team effort- myself, Detective Murdoch- the other detective at the station, and one of the constables. George. Clever fellow, he is.” Not to mention the somewhat grudging assistance of Canadian spy Terrence Meyers, but that part was supposed to remain under wraps.

[hasaknightjob]

"Can still picture you at it though," Steven said. "I see how you notice things."

Saw and admired, in fact. Which might have been hinted at in Steven's tone of vice.

[pocketpretzels]

“Do you now,” Watts said, meeting Steven’s gaze over his now nearly empty wine glass.

[hasaknightjob]

Yeah, problem was Steven had discovered he particularly didn't mind it when Watts used that talent on him. So that plus what was not the greatest willpower in his own or this world meant he didn't look away as he said, his throat a bit dry, "Yes."