"Thank you, I'll keep that in mind," Jason says distantly, although he doesn't get to his feet yet.
And there's nothing else to say: any debt (and Jason Blood keeps close accounting of his debts, his obligations, the tally of favours owed and received-- for a magician, they are more than merely social courtesy) he might have incurred by accepting Holmes's aid in bandaging his wounds has now been paid, by his assistance with the book.
Everything is even. It squares nicely. Everything is back to what passes as normal. Etrigan is quieted again for now, at a cost of nothing more than these... simulacra (preferable to the alternatives, so very preferable) and if there's a deeper cost, a personal cost, there's no point in keeping track of those anymore--
--and Holmes is occupied, and not asking questions about what had happened here. Well enough. Jason wonders what deductions the fellow's drawn (besides the obvious), but... it doesn't matter.
"Good day to you, Mr. Holmes," Jason says, rather formally, and leans his head back against the fountain's edge to close his eyes a few moments before moving on.
no subject
And there's nothing else to say: any debt (and Jason Blood keeps close accounting of his debts, his obligations, the tally of favours owed and received-- for a magician, they are more than merely social courtesy) he might have incurred by accepting Holmes's aid in bandaging his wounds has now been paid, by his assistance with the book.
Everything is even. It squares nicely. Everything is back to what passes as normal. Etrigan is quieted again
for now, at a cost of nothing more than these... simulacra (preferable to the alternatives, so very preferable)and if there's a deeper cost, a personal cost, there's no point in keeping track of those anymore----and Holmes is occupied, and not asking questions about what had happened here. Well enough. Jason wonders what deductions the fellow's drawn (besides the obvious), but... it doesn't matter.
"Good day to you, Mr. Holmes," Jason says, rather formally, and leans his head back against the fountain's edge to close his eyes a few moments before moving on.