August 19th, 1892 — Daphnel Home, at about 1-2AM
TW: This thread will mention what Jasper witnessed; gore, blood, suicide.
After the ordeals of the park, the insufficient help that arrived, and some light questioning, Jasper took the road home with Peppermint. It didn't feel right to be returning home, alive and (physically) well when that young man would be returning in a casket. Metaphorically speaking, he really wasn't sure the proper care would be taken for him to be returned home in a... presentable state. Whatever that meant. What Jasper thought, was that it would be cruel for his mother to receive him like that. If he even had a mother — perhaps what drove him to end his life was that he was an orphan. Then again, he did seem to have someone care for him. It broke Jasper's heart to think of that girl (Queenie), who'd witnessed someone who appeared to be the subject of her affections die.
The walk back home wasn't enough for him to clear his head. He couldn't stop replaying the scene in his head. It was as though his brain relished doing so, as much as the pit in his stomach didn't get any smaller. He kept thinking how, at any point, someone could have done something differently and changed the course of events. He could have used his wand to disarm the man, instead of gape helplessly at him. He could have tied Peppermint to a tree, cast a shielding charm around her, and fetched Victor. He could have done many things differently. Instead, he'd been useless and the man's death weighed on him.
Even at that hour, there was a servant at the foyer to welcome him. It really wasn't rare for the three adult Daphnel children to return at this hour during the Season. There were likely balls still in full swing. Another pang. It was so bizarre to think that there'd been people enjoying themselves while someone, somewhere, was dying.
Jasper asked for his brother and the servant told him where to locate him. He handed Peppermint over to them and headed there.
He opened the door quietly, unsure how to proceed. He had so much to share, yet he didn't know how to begin. "Hey," was the only thing he could muster, in a soft, sheepish tone, before his eyes started stinging uncontrollably and he found himself furiously blinking tears away.
The walk back home wasn't enough for him to clear his head. He couldn't stop replaying the scene in his head. It was as though his brain relished doing so, as much as the pit in his stomach didn't get any smaller. He kept thinking how, at any point, someone could have done something differently and changed the course of events. He could have used his wand to disarm the man, instead of gape helplessly at him. He could have tied Peppermint to a tree, cast a shielding charm around her, and fetched Victor. He could have done many things differently. Instead, he'd been useless and the man's death weighed on him.
Even at that hour, there was a servant at the foyer to welcome him. It really wasn't rare for the three adult Daphnel children to return at this hour during the Season. There were likely balls still in full swing. Another pang. It was so bizarre to think that there'd been people enjoying themselves while someone, somewhere, was dying.
Jasper asked for his brother and the servant told him where to locate him. He handed Peppermint over to them and headed there.
He opened the door quietly, unsure how to proceed. He had so much to share, yet he didn't know how to begin. "Hey," was the only thing he could muster, in a soft, sheepish tone, before his eyes started stinging uncontrollably and he found himself furiously blinking tears away.
Victor Daphnel