jumpthegun | IC Inbox (v1.0)

[Long, involved conversations that involve a lot of words on his part aren't exactly Alfie's forte right now - but being distracted from the pain of dying slowly is, and talking is a good way to do that. He's been off and on with Watson a couple of times, sometimes to ask for medical advice and sometimes just to have a quick chat. This is a chatting call.]

You've been to Camden Town in your day, yeah? You told me you had, once.

[He's been sounding worse and worse as time goes on, and by now, it's rather late in the evening.]

[It's like a stab in the chest every time he hears from Alfie again. He's waiting for the inevitable and the inevitable is taking a bloody long time to put this man out of his misery. It doesn't help that the last time John had talked to Alfie before his injury and that call, John had been yelling at him.]

I have. D'you want me to tell you about what it's like?

Yeah, if you don't mind. But if I upset you, Fiona's gonna grab my tablet away and hang up.

[He knows this is hard on Watson.]

You're not going to upset me right now, Alfie. It's fine.

Regent's Canal is still there, like I mentioned. Took a girl on a date on one of the water taxis there when I was in uni. We had lunch at a wretched Italian restaurant over in Little Venice nearby. It's the Italian quarter. I'm pretty sure the people running it wanted to poison us. Everything was under-cooked.

She didn't call me back after that, as I recall.

It's still got the market's like I mentioned. Stables, Camden Lock, Buck Street, and the Electric Ballroom are down that way. Used to have the Inverness Street market, but that's all tourist shops now.

Couple of interesting landmarks. There's the Roundhouse Theater. Think it was probably a railway station thing back in your day. They use it for music and plays now.

[When he starts talking about the shitty Italian restaurant, there's a watery sound from Alfie that's recognizable as a chuckle.]

The railway's not far from my warehouse. We can hear the whistles.

Camden Town's still got some rail stations overground, but most things in London are underground now in the tube.

What else have they got? There's the Jewish Museum there. We went when I was a kid for a school trip. [When they were learning about WWII, but John leaves that out.] And there're the catacombs. Used to be able to go in, but the flooding's too bad these days. Think it was supposed to be where you lot kept ponies and horses for the railway.

Do you go often? Do you like it?

Probably about once a month. There's a pub called the Brindle Pony. Few of the lads from med school live over that way. We meet up to watch football, just talk. I like it.

[He likes most of the city, but right now he's a great fan of Camden Town. There's a long pause before he adds.]

I'm sorry I yelled at you. I know you're not- you frustrate me sometimes, but I know you're ready technically right. It's just hard to hear.

We'll see if you stand by that when I'm not dying and making you feel sorry for me, mate.

[He's teasing here, not angry or seriously dismissive.]

No, I mean it. I didn't get to tell- [He cuts himself off there, his tone earnest.] I know you're not just heartless. I care too much. I know I do. I have trouble shutting it off - doesn't help with clear judgement. Having someone to balance me out helps, even if I... might not appreciate it all that much in the moment.

You have to come back. God knows someone needs to get a proper rise out of Batman, and you're the man to do it.

It's not caring too much. It's being too nosy. But I don't wanna argue about that now, yeah?

-- You told me not to get a proper rise out of Batman.

[Their definitions of 'caring too much' and 'being too nosy' may well overlap. John just prefers the sound of his, and Sherlock, the king of nosiness never accused him of it. Nor has anyone else, for that matter, outside of criminals. And... well. He does drop it in favor of the other part of the discussion.]

Well, he's gonna punch you if you do, but if you're all right with that, better you than some of the other blokes around here who can't take it.

You were right. He's more unflappable than I was expecting.

I hope I dream of home while I'm out. Forget this place and everything in it for a while.

I want you to know I'm keeping this message for posterity and whenever I feel like punching you in the future. 'You were right.' That's nice to hear now and again.

And if it's not home, I hope they'll give you the nicest tropical resort you can imagine. Sun and heat baking into the bones.

[He chuckles, either at the first comment or the second or both.]

Tropical, eh? I've never been anywhere tropical before.

Well, if you ever get a chance for a holiday from the bakery that doesn't involve being snatched away to another univers, Cuba's lovely.

Cuba. You've been?

I have. Six Continents Watson. It's the nickname some of my mates had for me back home. I like to travel. And you're not the only one who likes women. The ones in Cuba are very nice.

Edited 2016-09-11 22:16 (UTC)

Did they call you Six Continents Watson because of the travel or because of the women, mate?

I don't kiss and tell. Wouldn't be very gentlemanly, would it?

I think you just did.

[John just tuts.]

Excellent fishing there, as well, if that's anything you're interested in.

Never was one for fishing. I'm a city man.

Havana's the place to be, then. D'you like clubs?

Not really. I don't spend much time in 'em. The biggest one in my area's owned by an Italian gang, and we're rivals.

@ASolomons; audio; night 157

@jwatson; audio

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