∞ 100: Silent night [action]

[chikaidestroyer]

[Backdated to the late evening of December 24.

He is not surprised to find it snowing when he returns to Luceti and climbs out of the tunnels. The snow had proven to be irritating while he was outside of the barrier, and he is looking forward to getting inside before heavier snow begins falling.

He walks with a slight limp and stops once in awhile on the snow-covered streets, looking at the pale lights decorating various houses as he catches his breath. In the artificial light, the dark bruise across his left cheekbone may be visible.

Despite his frequent pauses in the snow, he walks with purpose. He'd like to sleep in his own bed tonight.]

Comments

[chikaidestroyer]

You don't look particularly ready to get up and do anything yourself. [It's not quite as condescending a jab as he would usually make.]

[mydearapple.livejournal.com]

[Of course, that just makes Caesar smirk even more.]

That's why it won't be ready until after lunch. If you're in no hurry to get up, why should I?

[chikaidestroyer]

Alas, my poor horse. [He sighs, and then doesn't say anything for a little while.

Then he attempts to get up, only to fall back onto his pillow. He mutters, reaching over to his bedside table to look at his pocketwatch.]

[mydearapple.livejournal.com]

I'll go see her when I wake up, okay? [Surely she would be okay if he was just a little late... right?] Hey, what's the hurry?

[chikaidestroyer]

I'm just checking the time. [He frowns at the watch face, setting it back on his bedside table. It's as he's sliding the watch back that he notices a few things on the small table that seemed out of place to him.]

What-- [He reaches over, his fingers pinching down on a small note on top of a gray T-shirt and a pencil holder.] --is this?

[mydearapple.livejournal.com]

Huh? [He looks over at that, tilting his head. If it weren't for the note he picks up, he wouldn't have thought anything strange of the items sitting on the table. He probably wouldn't leave something like that on top of his own things.] It wasn't me.

[chikaidestroyer]

[Since it's only Caesar in the room, Albert has no problem reading the note aloud. His voice is, of course, as deadpan as one could imagine.]

Merry Christmas, Albert. We at the Malnosso appreciate your continued efforts on making this a better world for everyone. Enjoy the holiday and have some damn eggnog, because you damn well deserve it.

...It's from CJ.

[mydearapple.livejournal.com]

[He frowns. He should've expected that. They were always leaving them gifts, weren't they?]

How generous. [He reaches over and picks up the pencil holder.] ...or not.

[chikaidestroyer]

I have had better gifts. [He looks at the pencil holder Caesar picks up, then shakes his head and sets the note down.]

[mydearapple.livejournal.com]

Almost anything is better than this. [He puts the pencil holder back down on the pile, too.] I'll just let Kogoro play with whatever I get.

[chikaidestroyer]

[The mentioning of the dog leads Albert to look towards his feet. Kogoro's ears twitch a little, but he remains still otherwise.]

There should be a book underneath that ... shirt. Give it to me.

[Said book is somewhat small but also very thick. It's hidden completely underneath the Malnosso Organization T-shirt.]

[mydearapple.livejournal.com]

[Caesar turns toward the table and lifts up the shirt. He's vaguely surprised by how small the book is compared to the ones he normally reads, but he picks it up anyway.]

This one?

[chikaidestroyer]

[Albert nods, glancing at the bookmark slightly sticking out between the pages. He seems to change his mind, motioning with his chin.]

Open it.

[The ancient language might be somewhat familiar, even if it's not readable.]

[mydearapple.livejournal.com]

[He opens the book to the bookmarked page. Between the darkness in the room and the incredibly small text, he has to hold the book closer in order to read it.

...only to discover it's written in a language that he doesn't understand. He frowns.]

I can't read this.

[Once again, he sounds a bit indignant. That might just mean he recognizes the language, at the very least.]

[chikaidestroyer]

[He raises a brow at Caesar's response, resting his arms on top of a pillow.]

...Is that all you can say?

[mydearapple.livejournal.com]

[Sigh. What is he expecting from him?]

Well, what is it?

[chikaidestroyer]

[He sighs, frowning. Maybe it had something to do with them being in Luceti for this long.]

It's ancient Sindar, Caesar.

[mydearapple.livejournal.com]

What do you think I am, stupid? [Caesar huffs.] I know that. I meant to ask what this book is.

[chikaidestroyer]

[Could have fooled me, Albert thinks wryly, not moving from his comfortable positioning as he replies.]

It's about rune usage. You would know that if you actually flipped through the book. [Not all of the book was written in Sindar.]

[mydearapple.livejournal.com]

You only told me to open it. How was I supposed to know I was supposed to look through it, too?

[As he says this, though, he starts looking through the book. The words are still too small to read comfortably in the dark, but he can tell when the words switch from ancient Sindar to something more... coherent. He recognizes the runes, too.]

Where'd you get this, anyway?

[chikaidestroyer]

Yuber received it a year ago. I was aware of its existence, but I was not able to get my hands on it until he was gone. [He watches Caesar go through the book, frowning wryly.]

[mydearapple.livejournal.com]

He actually wanted to keep it?

[How weird. Then again, Caesar had been impressed that Yuber could actually hold conversations over the journals.]

[chikaidestroyer]

[He scoffs.] Even he recognized an advantage when he saw it. The ability to embed runes, here? It would make him even more dangerous.

[mydearapple.livejournal.com]

I guess he was smarter than he looked. [He brings the book closer to try and read some of it.] Not by much, though. You can read this stuff, can't you?

[chikaidestroyer]

Not easily. I recognize symbols, but I still need to translate everything. Everything is unnecessarily long-winded, even considering the complexity of the subject.