thecapitol | [OPEN]

Who| John Watson and OPEN
What| John's been having a lot of trouble sleeping and settling since waking up in the Capitol, and so is doing a lot of wandering for wandering's sake, catching up with friends (or at least people who haven't murdered him) ~~and going on adorable coffee-dates with Effie~~ Basically this is here to catch all
Where| Wandering around the capitol
When| Any time after his death, just let me know when you want to set things in the title of your reply pls
Warnings/Notes| Possible mentions of PTSD?

Death, John decided, was something no-one should have to live through. Where being shot and being absolutely certain he was going to die had been terrible, and had taken months of physical and psychological rehabilitation, dying and being brought back in a perfectly functional body was much more of a disorientating disconnect. He felt detached from reality.

Before Sherlock had rejoined him in the Capitol, John had spent much of his time trying to prove to himself that he was actually here, not always consciously. He walked as far as he could along the streets, visited strange little cafes and bars and hauled himself back to his suite, exhausted and burned out, hoping he'd be too tired to dream. His mood lifted a little once his friend returned, and there were a few notable people whose company he not only enjoyed but looked forward to enjoying, but the itch to get out for the sake of getting out only intensified the longer the days dragged on. There was nothing comfortable about life here, no routine he could settle into and feel like he had a handle on. The long and short of it was, he was useless here in the Capitol, and it was eating away at him.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

That wasn't the reaction he had expected meeting someone new. And Cuthbert was never a man to let things slide when he could meddle instead.

"Is something amiss, sai?"

"I'm fairly sure I recognise you. That's all," John explained. He folded his arms. "The trap maker."

"Then should I not be the one who is angry with you? 'Twas not your failure write large across every screen in the capitol."

He was still a bit sensitive about being caught in his own trap, it was embarrassing and he didn't want to talk about it.

"But it was my friend you ended up killing," he replied sharply. "Incompetent trap-builder or not, that kind of thing tends to stick in the mind."

That explained a lot, but didn't do anything to tone down Cuthbert's anger. "Then he should not have meddled with my traps should he? Besides, he earned his revenge on me."

"I'm not looking for revenge," John informed him calmly- a little artificially so. "And nor's Sherlock. I just recognised you, that's all."

"'Twas all a game, Sai. If you have not played it yet, you will soon. And I have no intention of apologizing for what you would have done in my place."

He still didn't understand what John's game was here, but he had no intention of backing down. Cuthbert would happily fight in the streets over this, just to give himself a little more closure.

He shook his head. "No, you misunderstand me. I'm not looking for revenge, or an apology. All I'm saying is, I know your game. People laid traps back home, too, and I'm advising you not to try that again. Because I haven't started playing, yet, but I will, if I have to."

"I would be a fool to set the same trap twice when it was seen by everyone here. But I have every intention of winning and if that means I must go through you to get what I want, so be it."

Cuthbert was probably taking this much worse than it was meant, but just talking to someone who's friend he killed has put him on edge. He was defensive now and only getting worse.

"I'll remember that," John said, coolly. "Look. Stay away from Sherlock. He's a bloody idiot and he'll do his best to rile you up just because he's embarrassed, and you'll let him get to you because you're embarrassed too. I don't want to have to break up that fight. Understood?"

"What makes you think you could break up a fight between us?"

It might be a bit late to stop, Cuthbert already had his heart set on a rematch, one he intended to walk away from. And telling him he was embarrassed just made it harder to admit it was true.

"If you truly care for your friend, you might see that he stays clear of me as well."

And with that Bert turned to leave.

[OPEN]

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