TRP: Goro, Hansel, and Jonn (Helena)

December 6, 2018

**Izzy:** at 7:23 PM

[SETTING: The evening of Day 145, the day the gang got the
castle.]

They hadn't fully moved into the keep yet, still scrubbing
it for traps and the like, and had all been in and out moving things, clearing
out dead bodies, cleaning, and generally making the place their own.

The castle was pretty fucking big. It was easy to wander
from room to room and not bump into any of your teammates, not be able to tell
any of them were even anywhere around. Overwhelmingly, the castle was quiet,
even when not empty.

Lurking in the library (which was regrettably poorly-stock
and in disarray), Goro heard the sound of something being tapped on glass
coming from the great room that the library connected to -- the room with two
balconies.

**Lina:** at 7:31 PM

Goro stepped back from the shelf he'd been attempting to
alphabetize--a couple of the books were in a language he didn't know, and he'd
been puzzling over how to categorize those--and looked in the direction of the
great room. He waited, listening, and glancing around the library. He was alone
in here, but could still hear the sounds of people moving around on the floors
above and below him, talking and moving things around.

Maybe it was Larkin, testing out scaling the walls. Goro
walked into the great room, expecting to see her grinning toothily at him
through the glass.

**Izzy:** at 7:35 PM

A small pile of blunted arrows sat on the balcony. As Goro
watched, another pinged into the glass door to the balcony and clattered to the
floor.

**Lina:** at 7:37 PM

Okay, what the fuck, Larkin. This was their own property she
was fucking with, now. Maybe the arrows wouldn't break the glass but they could
still scratch it. He opened the door, carefully using it as a shield so he
wouldn't expose any part of himself to the target, and yelled, "Hey, cut
it out!"

**Izzy:** at 7:40 PM

Through the glass, he could see the top of the guard tower
-- where a lamp had been lit, and two people who were definitely not part of
his team were sitting.

Jonn waved at him cheerily with his bow. The thief behind
him -- a human or half-elf wearing a red mask with horns -- didn't seem to be
paying attention

**Lina:** at 7:47 PM

Oh, what the fuck. What the fuck. Alright, this had just
become a fucking emergency. Goro went over a long list of possible reactions in
his mind, and ended up dismissing most of them, because he couldn't think of
who to fucking tell. Everyone he had available to him would either escalate the
situation or downplay it, and possibly destroy his chances of learning what the
fuck was going on. Goro threw the door open all the way and stepped out onto
the balcony. "Excuse me. Can I fucking help you with something?"

**Izzy:** at 7:51 PM

"Maybe!" Jonn said brightly. He stood, stowing his
bow, to walk along the wall, single-tracking closer. The horned thief picked up
the lamp and followed him.

When they were about twenty feet closer, he stopped, and
glanced down at the ground, then back over to Goro to stare at him intently.

"What was Calisham like?"

**Lina:** at 7:52 PM

"Sandy. Who's your friend?"

**Izzy:** at 7:54 PM

Jonn tilted his head. "Why's it matter?"

**Lina:** at 7:55 PM

"You're on my fucking property, that's why. Neither of
you were invited." Goro jerked his chin toward the thief. "Hey horns!
Take off the mask. New house rule, no masks. I just made it up."

**Izzy:** at 8:00 PM

"It's not your fuckin' property." Jonn laughed.
"Fuck, you just got here."

The horned thief looked up at Goro and didn't obey.

**Lina:** at 8:02 PM

Goro sneered and spoke through gritted teeth. "What the
fuck do you want, Jonn?"

**Izzy:** at 8:03 PM

"I wanna know what the fuck you plan on doing to my
dad, Goro."

**Lina:** at 8:12 PM

Goro sputtered and started laughing. "Oh my god. Go
back to Skyport, you little shit."

He turned to go back inside, and hesitated a moment with his
hand on the doorframe.

Actually--come to think of it--what the hell was that
supposed to mean? He'd taken it initially as a general inquiry, nosing around
after Daddy's well-being, but... Jonn must know there was something different
now with Hansel, or this was something he would've asked ages ago. Hm. Well,
that was disturbing. Goro looked back over his shoulder, staring Jonn down.
Glanced at the silent masked asshole. Maybe it was Finch. This was getting more
and more interesting by the minute, now that he was thinking it through.

Goro smiled and turned back around. He stepped up to the
balcony railing and rested his elbows on it. "Hey. Why don't you come on
over here, so you and I can have a proper little chat, kiddo."

**Izzy:** at 8:23 PM

Jonn grinned at him. "How about fuck you?"

The masked thief touched his arm, and he turned his head
slightly to listen, then nodded. The two of them both came closer, to the
nearest corner of the guardhouse, only about twenty feet of thin air between
them.

Jonn cleared his throat. "As I was saying, fuck
you."

**Lina:** at 8:26 PM

"Oh, fuck you too, kid," Goro said sweetly.
"Now tell me. What's got you worked up about dear old Dad?"

And he ignored, for now, every part of his mind screaming at
him to find out how the fuck Jonn knew anything about it. That would come up
naturally on its own, maybe. No need to lose his shit just yet.

**Izzy:** at 8:29 PM

"Oh, the fact that you're fucking him," Jonn said
brightly. "You untrustworthy piece of shit."

**Lina:** at 8:36 PM

What the fuck, seriously, what the fuck. Did Hansel... tell
him or something? That didn't make any fucking--

Oh. Oh.

Roddy. They were still buddies, weren't they?

Fucking Roddy.

Goro rested his chin on his hand and continued to smile
pleasantly. "Oh, my. I'm absolutely fascinated by how invested you are in
your father's sex life. Is that normal? I never knew my father, I wouldn't
know. Do you keep a list? Am I the most interesting person on it, or do you
seek all of us out for questioning?"

**Izzy:** at 8:39 PM

Jonn bared his teeth in a smile. "I just like to keep
track of the ones that leave him completely fucked up -- y'know, not able to
get out of bed, or eat, or sleep, or not kill himself -- just the big ones like
uhh --." He snapped his fingers for a second and dropped the facsimile of
a smile. "Like fucking Mishka. 'Cause you and him are pals, right?"

**Lina:** at 8:50 PM

God, there was something deeply, deeply amiss with that kid.
Empty, Diva had said. She'd know, wouldn't she?

To be fair, the question of what exactly Mishka had done to
Hansel in the past was a hole Goro had not bothered to look deeply into. Yet.
He was getting curious, absolutely. But it wasn't like he was going to listen
to fucking Jonn's version of the story.

Goro skipped over the question of him and Mishka being pals,
since if he tried to deny it he'd just sound defensive. He rubbed his chin
thoughtfully. "So let me see if I have this straight. Mishka left Hansel,
as you put it, completely fucked up, and that's left you feeling a bit
protective of Daddy, yeah? Well, that's admirable, kid. Can't blame you for
that. Hm, does he know you feel that way? I'm curious. Oh--" Goro
straightened up, pointing over his shoulder, eyes wide and innocent. "We
could go ask him. What do you think?"

**Izzy:** at 8:54 PM

Jonn grit his teeth for a second, then smiled widely again.
"He knows. He knows what I'd do to Mishka to keep him safe. But he's so
fucking --." He cut himself off, the smile twitching in place. His fingers
gripped the edges of his cloak for a second, then let go, and his voice came
out smoother.

"Yeah, go get him. It's been a while since I saw him,
y'know, after you shooting me and everything."

**Lina:** at 8:56 PM

Goro stepped back from the railing and half-turned to go
back inside. Then he stopped himself. "He's so fucking what,
exactly?"

**Izzy:** at 9:01 PM

Jonn watched him for a long moment, head tilted, expression
blank. Calculating.

"He's so fucking emotional," he said carefully. "And
he doesn't make good decisions for himself. You've fucking met Mishka."

**Lina:** at 9:02 PM

"Maybe you could help him out. You seem like a paragon
of good decision-making."

**Izzy:** at 9:05 PM

"Oh, no, I make bad decisions all the fuckin'
time." Jonn waved this off. "And I can't help him out, anymore. Too
far gone."

The thoughtful look again.

**Lina:** at 9:08 PM

"So you're trying to clean up around the edges,
instead. Have stern words with me, instead of him. I get it." Goro nodded.
"Well, let me put that disturbing little piss-pot you call a mind at ease.
I have no intentions of fucking up your father. I actually like him. Weird,
huh? That make you feel better?"

**Izzy:** at 9:11 PM

Jonn stared at him silently.

**Lina:** at 9:12 PM

"What do you want me to say, kid?"

**Izzy:** at 9:13 PM

"I don't think Mishka ever liked him," Jonn said flatly.
"I want you to say that again."

**Lina:** at 9:15 PM

"That I like him?" Goro frowned. "I like
him."

His stupid heart was fluttering, just thinking about it.
Maybe if he let Jonn see him acting like a smitten schoolboy, he'd be
convinced. Hah.

**Izzy:** at 9:21 PM

Jonn narrowed his eyes, pushed up onto the balls of his feet
like it would get him a better vantage. Figuring. Recontextualizing. Planning.

Then he fell back a couple steps, looking pleased.
"Okay. Okay, good." He was quiet for a second, eyes locked on Goro's.
"You're still too small, Goro. I hope Mishka doesn't hurt you."

**Lina:** at 9:22 PM

Goro cocked his head to the side, squinting. "What the
hell's that mean?"

**Izzy:** at 9:24 PM

Jonn shrugged. "He will. He doesn't even think about
it. People like you and my dad aren't anything to him." His jaw clenched
abruptly, and he stopped talking. The horned thief stepped next to him and
touched his arm, but was quickly brushed off.

**Lina:** at 9:26 PM

"Oh. Yeah, no, I get you." Goro waved that part
off. "I mean, what do you mean I'm too small? I'm taller than you, you
little turd."

**Izzy:** at 9:30 PM

He laughed, and the horned thief turned away to conceal a
snicker. "Oh, you're fuckin' dumb? Is that what it is? Shar. Okay."
He rolled his eyes. "You're too fucking weak. I am too. When Mishka
decides to fuck you over, it'll be done. You don't stand a chance." He paused.
"I just mean -- hopefully it doesn't kill you."

**Lina:** at 9:33 PM

"Aw, you're concerned for my welfare now, are you? I'm
touched." Goro drifted back to lean on the railing again. "Hey, you
know, since you're here. Bringing it up. I never did hear much besides Mishka's
side of the story. What'd he do to your dad, exactly?"

Would Goro take it at face value? No. Would he be able to
glean something interesting from it, either about Jonn or Mishka or Hansel? Oh,
most definitely.

**Izzy:** at 9:46 PM

"Oh, no, I don't give a shit if you live or die,"
Jonn said bluntly, "but it'd probably upset my dad if you died, so
..." He shrugged.

Then he looked away for a second, almost sullen. He hadn't
fixed the expression when he looked back to Goro. "All I know is that the
love of my dad's life sold him out, and broke his heart, and nearly got him killed.
And when that didn't work, he started -- sending these fucking love letters to
him, just to fuck with him, try to get him back to fuck with him some more. And
when that didn't work, he switched to just sending him vile shit about how he
deserved to die alone, because fucking Mishka --" he spat fiercely --
"is too pathetic to kill him, and the only way was to make him kill
himself."

He ground his teeth together, and in a lower voice added,
"Dad says Mishka wouldn't have killed me. He just wanted him to think I
was dead. Just wanted him to think I was dead and it was his own fault. That's
what Mishka fucking does. He twists people. And now he's fucking got my dad
again, so -- fuck you." He raised his head to glare at Goro. "If you
like him, I'll take it. Better than the fucking alternative."

He stepped back and took the horned thief's arm.

**Lina:** at 9:52 PM

That shit about the notes was bizarre. There had to be more
of a story behind that. Goro wasn't sure who to fucking ask, though.

"Why do you--" He paused, trying to figure out
what it was he wanted to ask. "Why do you think Mishka's got him again?
Why's your dad keep falling for him?"

**Izzy:** at 9:59 PM

Jonn shrugged widely with the arm not looped through the
other thief's. "I don't fuckin' know, man. Hansel ever tell you about his
parents and shit? He's fucked up. You can be nice to him once and he'll fucking
die for you. When they were pirates, Dad used to tell me all this shit about
how great Mishka was -- somehow that left more of an impression that the fucker
trying to kill him half a dozen different ways."

**Lina:** at 10:02 PM

You can be nice to him once and he'll fucking die for you.
Ouch, ouch, ouch. Felt like a targeted fucking comment, even though Goro didn't
think it was.

"Hey," Goro said. "Don't take off yet. I
think he'd like to see you. Will you wait here?"

**Izzy:** at 10:03 PM

"What, so you can go get Mishka to fucking incinerate
me? Fuckin' no thanks."

**Lina:** at 10:04 PM

"Oh, you don't believe me still. That I actually care
about Hansel. Fine, I'll stand right fucking here and use a spell to contact
him. That better?"

**Izzy:** at 10:06 PM

Jonn narrowed his eyes and glanced at the horned thief, then
back to Goro. "'Kay."

**Lina:** at 10:10 PM

Goro held up a finger to make him wait and took a step back.
He closed his eyes and bowed his head.

Balcony in the great room. Your son is here. Come alone.

"Alright, gotta give him a minute." Goro went back
to leaning on the railing. He gave a little nod to the horned thief. "Nice
evening we're having, innit?"

**Izzy:** at 10:18 PM

Jonn scowled and fidgeted in place, and the horned thief
offered no reaction at all.

After a moment, bootstep began to echo up from behind Goro,
and he was soon joined by Hansel, who had his trident out and a wary
expression.

Upon seeing him, Jonn took two steps back, dragging the
other thief along.

Hansel looked between him and Goro. "What the fuck?"

**Lina:** at 10:20 PM

Goro shrugged. "We had a nice chat. Thought you might
like to say hello."

**Izzy:** at 10:26 PM

Hansel gave Goro an uncertain look, then turned his
attention back to the thieves. He slowly put his trident back onto his back.

"I've been trying to fuckin' find you, kid," he
said, with obvious concern, stepping closer to the rail.

Jonn shifted again, back a little more. "Been
busy."

Hansel glanced at Goro again. "All right. Why're you
here now, though?" Subtly, he moved nearer to Goro.

"No particular reason."

**Lina:** at 10:29 PM

Goro was considering leaving, giving them their privacy,
but... hell, he was really interested in watching this. He'd leave if Hansel
gave him a look or told him to fuck off.

That was not what Hansel did, however. He stepped closer to
Goro.

Goro glanced back and forth between Jonn and Hansel,
watching to see whether Hansel bought the lie.

**Izzy:** at 10:34 PM

Hansel watched the thieves for a moment, frowning. "I
miss you, Jonn. I'm sorry -- shit's weird." He hesitated. "You been
good?"

In a small voice, and picking at his nails, Jonn said,
"Yeah."

"I can meet you. Usual place, whenever. Just wanted to
know you were safe."

He started to bite his nails, and the horned thief jostled
his arm, making him stop. "No," he said abruptly. "I'm busy.
It's not --." his eyes flickered across the castle. "Safe."

**Lina:** at 10:36 PM

Huh.

This was fascinating.

**Izzy:** at 10:40 PM

Hansel didn't seem to know what to say. He looked like
someone trying very hard to not look very crestfallen. "Okay," he
said quietly. "I love you, kid. Be good. Come around on Candlenight?"

Jonn nodded quickly, and then the horned thief tugged on his
arm. He opened his mouth to say, "I --," but the two disappeared in a
crack before he was done.

Hansel turned to walk back inside, muttering,
"Fuck," under his breath.

**Lina:** at 10:48 PM

Jeez. Goro didn't really understand these people with
boundless love for their shitty adopted children, but that had been hard to
watch. He skittered after Hansel, grabbing him by the arm and stepping in front
of him. "Hey. Hey, uh, I can..." There had to be some way he could
help. Or maybe not. Shit. "You need something?"

**Izzy:** at 10:51 PM

Hansel shrugged, not really looking at him -- looking
vacant. "Nah. Nothin' to be done."

**Lina:** at 10:52 PM

"Where's he living? What's going on with him? Who the
fuck was that masked wonder?"

**Izzy:** at 10:55 PM

Hansel focused in on him, puzzled, and glanced back towards
the balcony briefly. "Dunno. Never seen her before. Thieves' Guild isn't
really a 'bring your co-workers home to meet the family' kinda organization,
though."

**Lina:** at 11:03 PM

Well, there was fuck all to say to make Hansel feel better
in response to that, so Goro just pushed against him and rested his head on his
shoulder. Damn. An hour ago, if you'd asked, he'd have been ready to shank
Jonn, and now here he was feeling like he had to try and help the kid out just
because of Hansel. (Seriously, though, fuck Jonn. The vials and shit. Fuck.)

"I couldn't even figure out what she was there
for," Goro said. "To keep an eye on him, or to shoot me if things
went sour, or what."

**Izzy:** at 11:10 PM

Hansel put his arms around Goro reflexively. He was quiet
for a moment. "I didn't get a great look at her. And the mask, and all.
But I dunno -- Jonn used to talk about his friend Helena, who was a thief. I never
met her, either. But maybe it was her. He said she looked out for him."

**Lina:** at 11:12 PM

"Helena. His friend, Helena." Goro pulled away to
give Hansel the most twisted, incredulous expression he knew how. "Are you
fucking kidding me right now?"

**Izzy:** at 11:13 PM

Hansel gave him a confused look. "No?"

**Lina:** at 11:13 PM

"You don't know who Helena Baron is? That wasn't a
joke?"

**Izzy:** at 11:14 PM

"No, Goro, I don't fucking know who Helena Baron
is."

**Lina:** at 11:15 PM

Goro put a couple fingers to his mouth, staring into space,
trying to decide if he should tell him.

**Izzy:** at 11:16 PM

Hansel gave him a look that clearly said, What the fuck?

**Lina:** at 11:18 PM

"She's a crime lord, Hansel. She's the head of the
fucking guild. She's not a friend, she's a predator." Goro clamped his
mouth shut before he could say more. That was plenty. Hansel would get the
picture.

**Izzy:** at 11:21 PM

Hansel processed this for a moment, then broke away from
Goro to pace across the room. "Ah, fuck. Fuck. Fuck." He kept pacing,
arms crossed. "God fucking damn it. Fuck."

**Lina:** at 11:29 PM

Goro had always kind of figured that if you knew someone was
working for the Guild, you knew they were working for Helena. He wasn't sure
what exactly Hansel had been picturing, up until now. A part-time job to pay
the bills? Contract work?

"Listen," Goro said, before he realized he had
nothing else to say. He'd never been picked up by Helena, himself. Too smart
for that, he always told himself, but he wasn't going to say anything like that
to Hansel. It was true, though. He'd been a clever little shit, skirting all
the biggest names during the years he'd been on the streets. He didn't have any
words of wisdom for someone on the inside. "Well he seems... fine."

**Izzy:** at 11:35 PM

Hansel stopped pacing to stare at Goro. "Yeah. Seemed
fuckin' great." He held the stare for a beat, then sighed and went back to
pacing, more slowly this time, muttering, "Don't worry about it. I'll --
figure out what to do about this. You don't --." Hansel waved him off.
"You don't give a shit about Jonn."

He started towards the war room.

**Lina:** at 11:48 PM

"Aw, shut the fuck up." Goro followed him, like he
was attached by a string. "Like, you're right I probably would've fucking
killed him by now if he weren't your kid--" Tact, Goro. Find some time to
work on tact. "But, you know, that last bit's important, so fuck off, I do
give a shit. Also, I've been someone's shitty son that no one else likes, so,
you know, I get it." He wasn't sure what exactly he was saying he got, but
he knew there was something.

**Izzy:** at 11:56 PM

Hansel paused to scrape at a bloodstain on the floor with
his boot. "Yeah, well. Fuckin' love that kid, but he's got you beat on
being shitty." He moved on, not sure where he intended to move to,
circling one of the map-covered tables to lean over and prop his elbows on it,
rest his lips against loosely-clasped fists, stare into space with a scowl.

December 9, 2018

**Lina:** at 12:14 AM

Well, Goro wasn't going to argue with that. Although, if you
held him and Jonn up side-by-side, there probably wasn't much to be said in
Goro's favor. They'd both made deals with Diva, Goro just had the added bonus
of feeling bad about his, or something. Hard to say. Jonn seemed... broken,
somehow, and Goro didn't think this was the time to have an in-depth discussion
with Hansel about it.

He wandered over to the table Hansel was leaning on, and
hoisted himself up to sit on it a couple feet away. He leaned to the side so he
could see Hansel's face, and just watched him for a minute. A crooked smile
inched across his mouth. "So, uh. You wanna kill her?"

**Izzy:** at 12:17 AM

"Oh, yeah, that's definitely the plan," he said
immediately, nodding without focusing back in. "Gonna have to find out
where she hangs out first. Hm."

**Lina:** at 12:18 AM

"Here's a hint. Renar Basha hates her guts." Goro
raised his eyebrows. "You think you know anyone who can put you in touch
with the Basha?"

**Izzy:** at 12:21 AM

Hansel grimaced and glanced his way. "Nice thought,
chatichi, but it'd probably be better for me to stay away from the Basha. Just
in case." He straightened, though, and came around in front of where Goro's
had sat down. His eyes were slightly narrowed. "You offering to
help?"

**Lina:** at 12:22 AM

"Offering? More like you can try and stop me." He
thought about that a little more. "Well, you probably could, but
still."

**Izzy:** at 12:24 AM

Hansel kept him fixed with the same puzzled, suspicious
look. "Why?"

**Lina:** at 12:25 AM

"Why... what?" Seemed like a trick question. Why
are you offering to help was too stupid.

**Izzy:** at 12:28 AM

"Look, I know you haven't forgotten what Jonn
did." He started to leave it there, but then added, "Why the fuck did
you call me, earlier? Why didn't you -- just kill him?"

**Lina:** at 12:30 AM

"Huh. I can't tell if that question says more about
what you think of me, or what you think of Jonn." He gave his head a quick
shake. "'Cause I know you love him. Also, honestly, he didn't give me much
of a reason to want to kill him tonight. He mostly just seemed concerned about
you. Actually, that was... all he was. Can't fault him for that."

**Izzy:** at 12:39 AM

Hansel studied him for a moment, still frowning, then sighed
and looked away. He grabbed Goro's wrists to pull him off the table and into a
hug -- not a crushing one, more gentle. "I figured ... I dunno. Never
mind." He propped his chin on top of Goro's head. "Maybe Larkin'd
tell me what she knows about Baron. Get me started somewhere."

**Lina:** at 12:47 AM

You figured what? But he didn't ask. It was probably better
left unsaid, if it wasn't even true. Goro put his arms around Hansel's waist.

"Sure she will," he said. Or if not Hansel, she'd
tell Goro. "Send me as your middle man so you don't have to go in
directly, and maybe the Basha'd even lend us a few hands." Fuck, though.
Goro's killing-list was getting really long. When were they gonna fit this
in--before or after the goddamn Tyrant-King? "Or maybe we could just, I
don't know, kidnap him. Set him up in a little cottage on the other side of the
lake. I ain't fucking sharing a castle with him, I'll tell you that much."

Shit. He wasn't even sure he wanted Jonn anywhere within a
mile of him on a regular basis. He felt a spike of nerves that made him want to
check his pockets, even though that was fucking nuts. His fingers twitched but
he kept his arms around Hansel.

**Izzy:** at 12:54 AM

Hansel mulled this over. Fucking fantasy -- the idea of Jonn
living so close to where Mishka lived. Or Goro, for that matter. Or Nixie, by
extension. Too many people were riled up to kill his fucking kid.

"Yeah," he said absently. "I'll think of
something." He bent to kiss the top of Goro's head and murmured,
"Thanks for helping."

**Lina:** at 12:59 AM

"Mm." He was pretty sure what Hansel meant was
Thanks for trying, but it was a nice thought, anyway.

And Goro guessed he'd just keep on fuckin' trying.

[end]

Title: Helena. Summary: Jonn drags Mishka, antagonizes Goro
into saying that he likes Hansel, then gets sketchy and weird when Hansel joins
them. Afterwards, Goro breaks the news to Hansel that his kid works for the
second-deadliest crime boss in Skyport.