(no subject)

[lastgunslinger]

Roland's standing under the stairs in the cargo bay, by the weight bench. His back is to the door. He's looking into the infirmary...or looking inward, maybe.

Comments

[lastgunslinger]

Roland understands better than Crowley thinks he does.

Roland comprehends.

He nods, slowly. Bernard and Tonks are long dead, to him.

He doesn't ask if the pictures from the hen party are still above the bar, circling around the yellow undergarment.

[aj_crawley]

Silence again.

( I had rather be rather be here )

Then Crowley steps away from the crates. Stills a moment, eyes on the floor. Then, bowing low over an extended leg, he taps the fingers of his left hand three times against his breastbone.

"Hile, you gunslinger."



Five hundred years is a long time, in which to learn a lot of things.

[lastgunslinger]

Roland turns to Crowley.

The word here is 'gobsmacked'.

[aj_crawley]

"Tet."

It's as much of an explanation as any. Crowley's voice is quiet, tight.

"Can I ask something of you, Roland, son of Steven?"

[lastgunslinger]

"If it's within my power to do so, I'll see it done. Set my watch and warrant upon it."

Equally quiet.

And wondering.

[aj_crawley]

He looks up, now. Eyes the same, yellow-gold, and fierce.

"Ka is a wheel. We'll go back one day. We will. But I - "

He stops, closing his eyes for a moment, and clearing his throat.

"Will you remember the name of Earth-that-was, Roland of Gilead? Will you sing the name of Earth-that-was, in Can-Ka No Rey, when you find your Dark Tower?"

[lastgunslinger]

This is Crowley, who makes bets with himself on whether or not Roland will shoot him for saying, 'what up, sai?' to a gunslinger of Gilead.

This is Crowley, who gave Sunny Baudelaire her own set of demon horns.

This is Crowley, who encouraged Roland to make the angel blush.

And this is Crowley, whom Roland saw fall before the Vengeance of the Lord, and whose body Cuthbert and Bernard buried by the lake while Roland watched, smoking by the window, unable to take his eyes away.

"My honor to do so, Crowley. Say true."

[aj_crawley]

He nods. And if he has to swallow before he speaks... well, what of it? Atmo controls can make the air a bit dry sometimes.

"Thank you."

This is Roland Deschain.

Crowley believes him.

[lastgunslinger]

Roland is very still for a moment.

Then:

"Simon said that Bentley has resisted acquisition by Blue Sun, and only has marginal ties to North Central Positronics."

"Thank you."

One does what one can, of course.

[aj_crawley]

"All things serve the Beam."

[lastgunslinger]

"Eagle-Lion." Roland is quiet for a moment. "There'll be a lot of work to do in this 'verse, after it breaks."

[aj_crawley]

A shrug, and a wry grin.

"I'm not planning on going anywhere soon."

[lastgunslinger]

Roland's mouth twitches a little.

"Then the next time one of the Endless shows up in the bar, tell them to tell the First that I said hello."

The First.

"And the Second."

[aj_crawley]

He salutes ironically.

"Will do."
Andy Crowley: Messenger Demon, many other functions.
"Any other messages?"

[lastgunslinger]

Roland considers.

And then smiles.
"Give my love to Jen-really-Genevieve-but-don't-call-me-that-or-I-will-hurt-you Giry, Milliwaes Sedai of the Paisley Ajah."
"Send a note through the bar, mayhap, if she doesn't still come in -- tell Moiraine I said hello."

[aj_crawley]

All of a sudden, his eyes widen.

"Oh, zāogāo - forget my own head next, I dunno..."

He fumbles in various pockets, until he locates a piece of paper, folded neatly into quarters, and hands it over.

Inside, in a neat and graceful, script:

"In the Garden, I told you once that there are things worth remembering. You are remembered still. Light illumine and protect you.

-- Moiraine."

[lastgunslinger]

Roland reads it, and looks up at Crowley.

"Woman never forgets anything." Shaking his head.

He refolds it, and puts it in the inner pocket of his

(browncoat)

duster.

"Say thankya."

[aj_crawley]

He looks at Roland a moment, fingers tracing absently along the scar that divides his right cheek.

There's a lot of things Crowley thought to himself he'd say, if he ever saw Roland - or any of the people he'd known - again.

He lowers himself to the floor, back to the crates, and crosses long legs at the ankle in front of him.

[lastgunslinger]

"How'd you get it?"

It's almost abrupt.

[aj_crawley]

His fingers drift up to it again.

"Tet. Anonymous donations, you know? Had to go myself once. Jumpy new recruit caught me polishing my sunglasses," a vague gesture indicating Crowley's slitted eyes, "thought I was a can-toi."

He snorts at the memory, shaking his head.

"Wouldn't've scarred, only they caught on a while back that sometimes my lot and Blue Sun work together - short-term goals're the same, sometimes. Started soaking their bullets in holy water."

Good thing I'm fast, he doesn't say.

[lastgunslinger]

He doesn't have to say it.

Quietly: "Say sorry. Ought to have known better than to turn out someone as green as that, though I gather Tet's not as established in this 'verse as in the other."

[aj_crawley]

"Well, was a routine drop and collection, not a raid or anything."

Pause.

"Almost wet himself when he figured it out."

[lastgunslinger]

Roland snorts. "Don't suppose he'll be making that mistake again."

[aj_crawley]

"Good old Karl. Still, we were all young once. Er, in a manner of speaking."

[lastgunslinger]

"Karl."

Flat disbelief.

And a pause.

"...makes sense. He was the one who greeted us on Taschen. And he was there on Praxed. Said he'd gotten a promotion. Still young. Don't think he understands what it's all about, really."

[aj_crawley]

He hmphs quietly.

"'Spose it's just hard to wrap your head around the concept of, you know, all the universes ending. I mean... you can understand it on a... theoretical level. But it'd be hard to really comprehend, you know? Was difficult for me to believe the Apocalypse was coming until it was almost on top of us."

[lastgunslinger]

Roland nods. "Aye. Had to convince a few folken of it in the bar." Pause. "Karl told us he joined up to get his brother out of the Academy. To do what he could."

[aj_crawley]

A short silence.

"I didn't know."

[lastgunslinger]

Without any humor at all:

"One does what one can."