Things Only Get Worse From Here

He also refused to fucking crawl. So he made his ungainly way across the table floor in a crouched stumble until he made it into the kitchen.

He was caught by co-workers back there with a collective gasp and ensemble of commotion that last several minutes. Then quiet. While the figured out what to do about this. Stowed Jericho away, protectively, into Rook's currently unoccupied office.

And his calm/friendly pheromone aura tended to keep the peace around him beyond that.

He couldn't really anticipate how a cured member of the species might be resistant or sensitive to anything post revival.

The wards didn't really understand much about the situation. Could be medicine? It was probably medicine. Like insulin. It's not exactly built to discern more than harmful intent and obvious weapons and deadly toxins. And an undead having living respirations was not exactly an indication of danger??? The air was heavy with confused magic, but nothing was happening yet.

Jericho, on the other hand, lashed out violently and immediately once he'd caught up to what was happening a fraction of a second after the plunger was pressed. Before Jericho could land a blow, the ward shoved him down hard into the floor and held him there. Wide-eyed and holding in a scream of pain directly after.

Pins and needles of a deadened limb waking up times a thousand and everywhere all at once. Choked on a few breathes that his revived nervous system forced while perspiration came back along with color to his skin and eyes. Frantic and expressing quite a lot of fear and panic. Anyone would under that kind of pain and the invisible pressure of force the ward was exerting to keep him from trying to scratch Jim's eyes out.

He made so little sound, the other staff didn't notice the change happening.

Watching Jericho agonize over it was cathartic. And knowing why Jericho was stuck on the ground just absolutely tickled him! Jim bounced on his heels, resisting the urge to clap and draw more attention.

"The lamb is on me. You look famished, darling."

But sometimes it was the little things. Jim went to move as if he was ready to sip from his tea, but his hand went lower to curl around the syringe as Jericho finally turned around. Timing it accordingly as he was sure the vampire wasn't suspecting anything. Because Jim wasn't going to draw attention to himself with a little monologue.

He'd do that after he sank the antidote into Jericho's neck. Standing up silently and quickly, he made to jam it directly where the prominent vein should be. "Your daddy dearest agreed with me that you need a change in perspective," he purred, pressing down on the injection.

"Thanks." Actually sounded honest about that. Making sure he heard it. Then stood up and pat his shoulder with a quieter. "Gettem." About Jericho and headed out of the restaurant with the same swiftness she'd arrived. He probably heard about The Hole by now. Her encouragement shouldn't be a surprise, nor her meaning.

"I always get what I want one way or another," he hummed back, watching her go. He did in fact know of that incident. Jericho really had dug his own grave - not that Jim wasn't in the same boat. Plenty of enemies in his life that he's made.

But unlike Jericho, M was still on top.

Speaking of...

Moriarty enjoyed the floral scent that wafted from the tea, and while he hadn't really delved into the menu, the recommendation would be an easy enough choice to get this done and over with. Jim wasn't really all that hungry, but if he managed to get a to-go bag, he could bring it to Moran later.

"Yeah, fine, you right." Satisfied her personal curiosity enough. She could tuck 'likes to cavort with demons' to her mental file on Moriarty and move along with her life.

"Name, I need a name. Then you can go back to whatever you are doing." She wasn't about to announce, but she also wasn't invested it protecting Jericho for obvious reasons. "And I can go back to what I'm doing, too." Hardly the only one with MATTERS to ATTEND, Jim.

Who know who could be listening in, after all. And much as he kept things encrypted in texts, paranormal fiddling was also always a possibility.

Jerimiah Mittelman.

Jericho could mimic mortal human expressions, he just choose not to most of the time. So have that smile and be happy with it.

He was also being GOOD and not throwing anything at Moriarty to try and meddle with anything that might be residual from siring him previously. He's not reformed, alright, just...laying off the gas pedal for a while. Recovery. He was going to live, theoretically, forever. He could take a few resting decades if he wanted.

He departed Moriarty to go to the brewing station typically manned by another person. She wasn't present today. Jericho knew how to make good tea--he just took longer than she would. While he was doing that...

Devang came strutting into the Rookery with and got obnoxious on her way to sitting across from him. Ignoring everything he seemed to up to. Only running stare over the objects a fraction of a second long enough to determine it wasn't anything for her, specifically, to care about. "Haaaaay, sister-friend!"

But he schooled his expression with a head tilt, swallowing down that anger as he sealed that mentally away. Right, the devil problem. They were at least closer to the answer the last time he checked with her.

Jim's smile turned smug as he rested his chin in his hand, elbow on the table. Terrible table manners but he had yet to be served, so who cared. He flicked his eyes over the painting and hummed the jeopardy theme. Correct!

"That's confidential, my dear. But I do make crossroad deals for information, so I don't know why you're so surprised."

Abydos wasn't perfectly aligned with the times at a given moment, but he tried.

It was enough. Knowing it was there to begin with. Given it was a Sunday night, it wasn't horridly busy. Night crew was mostly attending to other night-creatures, stocking, and cleaning. The windows had the protective treatment for vampires, but Jericho was also prone to not sleeping. He spent a lot of time in the reasturant.

And, luck would have it, he was the fucking waiter that came wandering over. Stare sharp, but general aura implying calm and friendly (very helpful in keeping difficult customers from screaming at staff like Karens). With his little name tag of '💙Jeri 💙'. He was beloved by the other staff for this built in feature of his.

His dark eyes seemed to light up with mirth, though he kept himself collected otherwise. "Been a while...Jeri," he added once looking over the detailed name tag.

"I'll have oolong tea for now," he said while absently glancing over the menu in his hand.

It would, at least, keep him busy for a few hours. One way or the other.

Abydos, still at his nightclub, took a few minutes to notice the notification. The loud music tended to drown it out even with sensitive ears. Another few minutes were spent going over pros and cons while he got himself a drink at the bar and flirted around with a dour looking customer.

[txt] so long as you don't plant to kill him on top of it

He spared a glance at the text and chuckled to himself.

[txt] I'd much rather watch him flounder about

With that out of the way, he stood in front of the building's glamour shield before making his way forward. He could sort of See through it, given all that he'd been through, so it was fine. He was Aware of it and that was enough.

Sherlock almost said 'good enough' before he was getting his hair pet like a dog. "If you don't reappear in a month, I'll right you off as dead."

Translation: Don't die, I'd be cross about it.

"It was the dog, by the way~," about one of the cases. Just to fuck with Sherlock. Did it really? Maybe. Maybe not.

He pulled out his mobile on the way out, finding Abydos' contact with an internal sigh. Really didn't like dealing with that sordid past, but he was getting back into it, himself.

[txt] So I see Jericho's in a bit of retirement now

[txt] I think it'd be beneficial for all of us if I make it a little more permenant

He'd seen enough to figure something out by now. "If you're going after Jericho, you should talk to Abydos first, old man."

'AS IF THEY WEREN'T BOTH FUCKING OLD, shut up.

"Ouch, that stings. And here I thought me showing back up would lift your spirits. But I guess I really have ruined regular cases for you. Poor thing."