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Post by Inspector Jason Cluont on Mar 17, 2009 16:02:05 GMT -5
Jason grumbled as he sat at his downstairs desk, checking the stack of paper piled up there for him to look over, file, report on or make notes to. It probably wouldn't be so bad if didn't leave the reports to stack up for weeks until the Prefect ordered him to his desk to get them finished. It was a bad habit he'd picked up from Justin.
He leaned his cudgel against the side of his desk and stretched his false leg out before him under the desk, pulling a stack to himself along with his ink and blotter, glancing at the other pair of desks in the room and to the cells with their single, sleeping occupant.
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Post by Javert on Mar 17, 2009 16:17:31 GMT -5
They still ran.
It was a thought that pleased Javert immensely. After all these years on the streets of Paris, bandits, thieves and whores would still run at the mere mention of his name. This was why he had always declined promotions, the satisfaction the hunt gave him was one too cherished to give up. His reputation preceded him and the scum would flee like the animals they were.
And Javert would give chase... always.
Ever since he'd started working in Paris, there hadn't been a single case where he hadn't caught his man. It was why he loved his job and The Law to the point of utter devotion, why it was such a large part of his identity. He was Javert... and Javert always got his man.
There was however more to his job than his patrols and the chase. There was also paperwork to be done.
The inspector rather enjoyed that part of his life as well. It gave him a rare moment of peace, reading and filing and creating notes. It allowed him to re-live some of those cherished moments of his chases. Often Javert would not experience the full satisfaction of his success until he could see it written.
This was why the inspector was in what could for him be considered quite a good mood when he walked into the room. At least... until he saw him.
Javert was not a religious man, the only ultimate truth he believed was The Law... yet somehow he felt the Gods were mocking him.
"Cluont..."
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Post by Inspector Jason Cluont on Mar 17, 2009 16:30:23 GMT -5
The younger policer did not look up from his work, scrawling notes on the bottom of a page in his agitated but neat hand--he never used enough ink in the nib and his writing tended to produce an obnoxious scratching on the paper.
"Javert," he replied, gruffly and blotted his report to move on to the next one.
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Post by Javert on Mar 17, 2009 16:35:19 GMT -5
With his good mood thoroughly ruined by the mere presence of the younger man, Javert trudged to his desk with decidedly less of a spring in his step. He could only hope Cluont would have the decency to remain quiet now that the niceties were over so Javert would perhaps stand a chance at enjoying the memories of his latest triumph.
The inspector sat down at his desk and picked up the first sheet of paper. Oh yes... the whore. It hadn't been much of a chase, but the way she had pleaded and he had told her the opinion of The Law was a good memory to start with. Even if the encounter did require Javert to polish his boots. The bloody woman had sobbed all over them.
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Post by Inspector Jason Cluont on Mar 17, 2009 16:47:17 GMT -5
After a few minutes, Jason leaned back in his chair until it rested against the wall. This way he could take all weight off his false leg and relieve some of the pain, from here, he shuffled papers, sighed, and tapped his quill against the edge of the desk.
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Post by Javert on Mar 17, 2009 16:56:17 GMT -5
Javert was trying very hard to ignore Jason.
As always, the thing you attempt to ignore is what bothers you the most... the inspector was no exception to this rule and his colleague's rather eleborate display of boredom was truly getting on his nerves.
Not one to be known for losing his tight self-control, Javert simply gritted his teeth as he wrote a remark at the bottom of the page and moved on to the next case. Ah, the beggars... or rather, the low-ranking swindlers. Now, this time there was a chase involved. It had been a good chase and the memory soothed Javert a little bit.
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Post by Inspector Jason Cluont on Mar 17, 2009 17:08:00 GMT -5
When he'd rested his leg for a few minutes, he settled his chair back down again and grumbled, sighed. There was just too much damn paper...and the most juvinille thought crossed his mind. Perhaps it was boredom, or perhaps it was his frustration with the recent lack of physicality between himself and Lee, but whatever prompted him to do it, he picked a sheet of paper from his desk, crumpled it and chucked it, aiming for Javert's ink pot.
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Post by Javert on Mar 17, 2009 17:16:23 GMT -5
The sudden splash of ink was more than enough to attract Javert's attention, causing the dark head to snap up. Eyes so dark brown they were almost black fixed on the offending piece of paper and were then slowly directed at the thrower.
"Cluont..." Javert began, his voice low and dangerous, yet tightly controlled.
"What, pray tell, is the meaning of this?"
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Post by Inspector Jason Cluont on Mar 17, 2009 17:21:36 GMT -5
By then, Jason was already head-down at work again, and he intoned casually.
"Pardon me. It slipped my grasp."
His own storm gray eyes lifted to meet the other man's. Of all in Paris, perhaps only Inspector Cluont could meet Javert's eyes without flinching or flickering. His gaze was steady as steel. It must have driven Javert mad--he certainly hoped so.
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Post by Javert on Mar 17, 2009 17:38:39 GMT -5
Mad wasn't the right word... not exactly.
It was indeed frustrating beyond belief that this impertinent boy somehow managed to stand up to him, but not quite maddening yet. Though it was a bit annoying that Javert had apparently reached the age where anyone at least ten years younger than yourself became a 'boy' or 'girl'.
The inspector stood his ground, however, meeting Cluont's gaze and holding it.
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Post by Inspector Jason Cluont on Mar 17, 2009 17:48:30 GMT -5
The younger inspector continued to hold Javert's eyes, grabbing another sheet and cumpling it as he stared back. He didn't seem able to stop his arm from pulling back and letting the thing fly, the offending object bouncing off the older man's forehead.
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Post by Javert on Mar 17, 2009 17:51:33 GMT -5
To his credit, Javert didn't even blink.
"Tell me, Cluont... have you finally lost what remained of your already feeble mind?" he asked slowly, almost as if he were truly doubting Jason's sanity.
This behavior was far from appropriate, even for a schoolboy. Let alone for a police inspector.
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Post by Inspector Jason Cluont on Mar 17, 2009 17:55:34 GMT -5
"Really, Javert. Resorting to petty insults."
Not that he was being any less childish--really he didn't know what'd gotten into him.
After another moment, he grabbed up his cudgel and stood, giving a slight wince.
"You love paperwork so much, why don't you finish up mine," he smirked "I've got information on a public house involved in human trafficking and I'd rather be pursuing that, anyway."
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Post by Javert on Mar 17, 2009 18:01:45 GMT -5
"While I do not doubt you find the company of whatever prostitute who has sunk low enough to be pursued by a 'man' such as yourself more pleasurable than doing your actual job, I only take pleasure in doing the paperwork of well-executed cases. Things you are rather obviously lacking. Therefore I shall have to deny your request."
Javert turned back to his documents, for they were clearly a lot more interesting than Cluont could ever be.
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Post by Inspector Jason Cluont on Mar 17, 2009 18:12:46 GMT -5
He ignored the insult--he was a good policer, and did not feel the need to prove himself to the old man. He had made Inspector First Class at a rather young age, after all, and had, up until he'd lost his leg, more arrests on the books than half the precinct's patrol officers together otherwise.
"As you like, then. I'll take Labmert instead--I'm sure this case will garner him the promotion he's been so desperately seeking. I dare say they'll put him in that desk right next to yours."
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