#secondhand goodbye

"Alice?" Jervis' voice rings through the teahouse - gently. No need to cause for alarm, because despite the hour (A truly ungodly one, all things considered) the blonde Englishman is no worse for wear from his evening rendezvous with the bereaved, and there is no sense in leading Alice to think he might be hurt.

"I'm home. Are you awake, dearest girl? I found him - all things considered... he could be doing much, much worse. We spoke for a bit, I'd like to fill you in if you're up. If you're not, just ignore me," Jervis still hasn't quite grasped the concept of sleeping people being unaware of their surroundings, "I'm quite all right with waiting until morning."