What Unusual Halflives we Lead
Chapter 19: Nothing in Life, or Un-life, is Free
High Consul, Desponius, ranking Augur of the Basilica was stood before his twelve brothers in their vast Senate House. His three main advisors had been regarding him with scrutinising eyes for the past twenty minutes but he needed their approval for things to change. He couldn't pass a single decree without their majority vote and unfortunately for him, they were most stubborn and completely set in their ways.
The Praetor, Simacus, the Aedile, Saturnalicus and the Quaestor, Veridius, were cold, unfeeling and supercilious; perfect examples of the untouchable image the Senate wanted to portray and they never listened. However, the lower ranking Senators, Allaricus, Seneca, Livinus, Otho, Avitus, Aelianus, Porphyrius, and Ovidius were bound by law to listen to him and his proposals. At least he had an ally in Ovidius, but only one vote of a Senator would not hold much sway with his main advisors.
"It has been proven that our arrogance has consequences," Desponius said.
"It is no concern of ours what happens to the human world, " Simacus scoffed.
"He is right," several murmurs came from the Senators in agreement.
"No, he is wrong," Ovidius spoke, "Our actions affected this world as well; do we not have an obligation to keep it safe?
"No, we do not, Senator," Saturnalicus growled, "This world was a mistake."
"We inhabit it now as much as the ghosts, it is our responsibility as well as theirs," Ovidius insisted.
"We are above the mere idea of responsibility!" Saturnalicus shot back.
"Perhaps the point is a valid one," Porphyrius suggested pensively, "I believe it should be due some consideration."
"Then you are a fool!" Simacus hissed loudly and banged his staff on the hard, ground for emphasis. The echoing 'crack' from the meeting of marble like floor and unnatural wooden staff was otherworldly, and it chorused several times around the room before quieting into silence.
"Simacus," Desponius sighed, "We will discuss this as the civilised beings we are," he said and the other spirit let out a huff of irritation but said nothing further.
"We have always been, and will always be the superior beings, whether it be against ghosts or humans, or their hybrids," Saturnalicus almost spat the last word with disdain, "We have no obligation to any of them!"
"Perhaps we are not superior," Ovidius said slowly, "Perhaps we never truly were."
"You really are a fool, Ovidius!"
"Enough!" Veridius cried, speaking for the first time, "If we are above responsibility then we are above petty insults and arguments. I do not believe us to be gods, however I was once in favour of our isolationism, now perhaps in hindsight I see that it was...unwise."
"It was the only possible solution," Otho commented, and the two Senators sat on either side of him nodded in agreement.
"It was the easiest solution," Desponius corrected them in an exasperated tone of a chastising parent.
"You go too far, Desponius, you may be High Consul, but..." Saturnalicus shouted angrily.
"Enough, Saturnalicus," the ranking Augur said with an eery calmness, "If you cannot control yourself, you will be removed from the debate," he finished and every one of them fell silent for a moment.
"Calidae threatened both ghost and human kind, and I don't doubt he would've come for us once he regained his strength," Ovidius said.
"He had served his sentence," Simacus shrugged.
"...And the only purpose it served was to fuel his hatred and his anger," Desponius spoke tersely.
"Well, I..." another Senator began and Desponius sighed as the 'debate' raged on and on and on. It left him wondering if listening to Clockwork had really been a good idea after all. But everything worth having had a price, and perhaps, if the price of brining the Municium out of the dark corners of the Aliis Mundi was for him to listen to his brothers argue forevermore, then it was a price worth paying.
Danny walked through the hospital corridors and he fought the urge to run away; hospitals he found, had recently elicited fear from him. Before all this had happened, hospitals hadn't really bothered him, but when Vlad had brought up the subject about half ghosts being 'frowned upon' in them, it'd got Danny thinking quite a bit. He couldn't help but wonder what the older hybrid had actually gone through, but it wasn't as though Vlad would tell him if he asked.
"In here," the woman said and Danny blinked away his thoughts and smiled at her in thanks. He pushed open the door and came fact to face with his sister who looked remarkably well, dressed in her usual clothes but she did look a little worse for the wear.
"Danny?" Jazz smiled and hugged her brother tightly, "I'm so glad you're okay."
"Yeah," Danny muttered as Jazz let go off him, "You too," he said and then gazed sadly across at his sleeping father and then at his mother who was reclining back against a mass of pillows on her own bed. "Hey, mom," he whispered and walked across to her.
For what had happened to his his family, Danny blamed himself; it was because of his ghost powers that this had happened. Ghost powers brought a lot of trouble, and in this Vlad was lucky because he didn't really have a family to get hurt, did he?
Maddie smiled in relief as she hugged her son, "Where have you been?"
"Erm...with erm...with Vlad..." Danny answered and took in his mother's look of confusion. "It'd okay, really, he's been...cool."
"Huh," the woman nodded and Danny took a seat by her bed.
As the day passed they continued to talk into the afternoon, but Jack Fenton continued to sleep; doctors informed them that the would remain so for several days because of the trauma to his system. Danny was just happy that his family were all alive and recovering but he couldn't escape the feeling of guilt that continued to plague his mind. While part of him insisted that it wasn't his fault; that the creature had done this, not him, the other part said that if he didn't have ghost powers, his family wouldn't be hurt. People always seemed to he hurt because of his stupid powers!
"It's getting late," Maddie said later, "You two should go home."
"But mom, home's a mess," Jazz replied.
"I don't remember your rooms being affected," the older woman blinked, "And I don't want you kids sleeping here because of us, you go home," Maddie said, "I'll only be in here for a few more days."
"But..." Jazz replied, "Well...alright...but we'll fetch you some clean clothes, at least."
And so, a while later, Danny and Jazz caught the bus and returned to Fenton Works expecting to face the chaos left after the fight, but what they did find wasn't exactly chaotic.
"What the..." Danny trailed off in complete and utter astonishment.
"What? Danny, what's..." Jazz asked frantically as she pushed past her brother, "Oh," she blinked as she took in the room.
It was spotless. It practically shone with cleanliness as a posed to the destroyed wreck she last remembered this was one hell of a shock And Jazz wasn't sure her nervous system was prepared for the answer yet. "What...happened to the...the mess?" she voiced, walking through into the sitting room. It was exactly as she remembered it; not a hair out of place. The sofa and the table and the lamp and the TV and the carpet and even the curtains...it all looked untouched...like there'd never been an epic fight in there at all.
"Vlad..." Danny muttered a second later.
"Vlad? Really, Danny? I think he's got more 'important' things to be doing than cleaning up our house," his sister scoffed before making her way into the kitchen.
"Not Vlad personally, Jazz...he's...got ghost servants..." Danny explained nervously as he followed his sister.
"Ghost servants?"
"Yeah...that's what I thought...turns out they're not that bad," he shrugged.
Jazz sighed as she shook her head in confusion and decided that it was best to to talk about it further; she'd long since given up on trying to understand Vlad Masters. Instead, she walked up the stairs slowly and went into their parents room and took out a bag from under the bed, pushing aside numerous ghost hunting devices before hand. Jazz set about packing some clothes for their parents and Danny sat on the bed as she did so.
"I can do it, if you..." he began.
"I'm fine, Danny," Jazz curtly replied, "I'm just confused. We've already established that Vlad's a certified fruit loop, and now you're acting like he's a best friend or something!"
"First of all, he's not my 'best friend', and secondly, we've been through a lot lately and...I do actually trust the guy now..." Danny sighed and flopped back onto the large bed, "...It confuses me too, Jazz, believe me."
"Tell me about what happened, I know you won't tell mom and dad, but you can talk to me, Danny, please."
"Basically...this thing...the thing that attacked you guys, it wanted to steal our powers...don't freak out..." Danny began, "And long story short it chased us across the Zone and back again and we killed it...or...whatever you do to spirits when they turn to dust...oh, and it took all the other ghosts hostage as well."
Jazz blinked and stared at her little brother as he finished speaking quite calmly. "And now all of a sudden you trust Vlad?"
"Well, yeah," Danny nodded, "He did kind of save my life...and yours and moms and dads...he didn't have to - he wasn't going to...but he did."
"Why? Why save us, and why pay for the hospital bill?" Jazz asked, "I don't understand at all."
"Me neither," the young hybrid said, "But he did, so I trust him. Y'know...he's not so bad when he's not being all evil-genius-y," he smiled.
"If you say so, Danny, I just don't want you to make a decision you'll regret," Jazz told him. "We both know what Vlad's capable of, and if this is another of his..."
"It isn't, trust me, Jazz; Vlad didn't plan this. It beat him up as bad as anyone, and he blew up his house, with him still in it, to try and kill the thing!"
"He blew up his house?! Were you there? What did he..." Jazz exclaimed in horror.
"Technically he blew up his chalet thing in the Rockies, and no, I wasn't there...he sort of...forced me out before it blew...And it was kind of shame too, 'cos he'd got rid of all the animal head things and it was actually really nice," Danny explained calmly. "I know it's gonna be weird, but I don't think it'd be right to just go back to fighting again after all this."
"...Okay, Danny, I trust you," Jazz sighed, "But that doesn't mean I'm gonna forget everything he's ever done."
"No..." Danny closed his eyes. It was also an issue he too was having troubles with; Vlad had saved his life and had proven that he was trustworthy, but there was all of the things the man had done before hand, some of which were simply appalling.
"Right..." Jazz said as she zipped up the bag, "We better take these over," she then went to lift the bag but winced as a small pain shot through her wrist. Danny quickly took the bag and together they made their way out of the house, into Jazz's car and took a slow drive back to the hospital.
Later that night, the siblings returned to the house and Jazz collapsed on her bed, dropping instantly into a deep and dreamless sleep. But as the city slept, Danny lay tossing and turning in his bed; he just couldn't sleep. It was a mix of worry for his parents quick recovery, and of something else he could quite describe. Whatever it was it gave him an odd feeling that was akin to guilt and after a while, Danny gave up on trying to sleep. He flew out of the house through his window to glide slowly and aimlessly across the rooftops.
He floated through the beautiful nights sky and parted the grey clouds as he passed through them; it looked as though it would rain soon. He dropped back down to earth and passed under bridges, he sorted over the school and down the empty streets which were lit with tall, flickering lamps. He sat on the grass next to the fountain in the park and he sat atop the tallest skyscrapers and apartment buildings, listening to people laughing and talking and occasionally, shouting at one another.
And, for some reason, without meaning to, Danny soon found himself staring at Vlad's manor, as he sat across from it on a large, thick tree branch, leaning against the trunk. The young hybrid had absolutely no idea whatsoever as to why he was here - none at all. Really. Why would he come to Vlad's house? Vlad's house wasn't a safe place for him...was it? It was where his arch-enemy lived! It was crazy coming so close! But at least when he'd been in Vlad's house he hadn't been attacked by a big scary monster...just Vlad himself. Huh...funny.
Danny sighed and leaned his head back against the tree with his eyes closed as the wind gently caressed his face and played with his snow white hair. He wasn't sure how long he sat there, just thinking, but a sometime later it started to rain, only lightly at first. Gradually, though it got worse and soon Danny could see lighting strike the air and he heard the booming sound of thunder roaring above his head. He'd flown in a storm like this once; it had not been a good idea and he didn't want to do so again.
The young hybrid looked again at the manor and then up at the clouds once more; it didn't look like the rain would let up any time soon and he hadn't yet learned how to teleport. He felt soaked to the bone and it was getting colder and finally, with a sigh he flew quickly towards the building ahead. Maybe this storm made things easier; he wanted to talk to Vlad but he couldn't bring himself to so it, but the storm gave him an excuse to go into the man's house...a really bad excuse but an excuse nonetheless.
Before he entered he phased the water from his skin and then quickly he flew though the wall and into the grand manor. Danny floated through the foyer and found that the house was in complete darkness; maybe there was a power cut.
"What do you want, Daniel?" a voice spoke.
Danny jumped and spun around trying to find the source and he breathed when he saw Vlad walk out from the shadows as though he'd just formed from them - it was creepy.
"Erm...well...I...was... getting wet...and cold outside, so erm..." Danny shrugged but it sounded more like a question even to his ears so he didn't doubt that Vlad saw through his pathetic confusion. He felt increasing vulnerable under Vlad's scrutinising gaze and he shifted his weight in the air nervously. "Erm...I just...erm...I guess I never really thanked you for..."
"You already did," Vlad interrupted him, "And if it eases your conscience all the more, you may do so again, just don't expect me to listen," he finished and walked back into his sitting room.
"Wow, what's got into you, Mr sunshine?" Danny frowned and floated after the man.
The sitting room was beautifully illuminated by candles and a large fire burned and crackled in the hearth and on sight, Danny forgot the awkwardness he'd just been drowning in as he raced towards the flames. He reached out his hands and felt the warmth comfort his cold bones. Danny still found it strange that he could find comfort in warmth when his powers were based on cold, but he supposed that it was because he was part human still, and humans instinctively sought out the warmth.
When Vlad coughed lightly Danny snapped back up and turned round to face him again; the awkwardness returned full force. "...You fixed my house..." he suddenly remembered.
"Yes, I did, is that all?" Vlad rolled his eyes and sat down on his chair. He then took up a book from a nearby coffee table and opened it.
"Why would you do that?"
"Was I not supposed to?"
"I don't mean..." Danny sighed, "I don't get you at all," he muttered and sat down in front of the fire on the hearth rug.
"That doesn't surprise me in the least," Vlad replied, "You are a child."
"I don't think the world's best psychologists would either."
"Hmm," the older hybrid hummed simply without looking up from his book.
"Y'know...it's weird me being here without is trying to kill each other," Danny mused aloud.
"That's easily arranged," Vlad relied and his eyes shone red in the dark and he leaned forward with a grin.
Danny held up his hands, "No, no, that's fine, really, just chill," he said quickly.
"I do tend to take these things literally, dear boy," Vlad raised an eyebrow as his eyes faded from unnatural red to the dimmer human blue.
"Yeah, no joke," Danny said with a heavy sigh of relief when Vlad leaned back in his chair again. After a brief silence in which Danny tapped his fingers rhythmically against the soft rug he spoke again, "I meant what I said though, Vlad...I really owe you one."
"Then consider that now, and tell me truthfully why you're here," Vlad replied after a minute, closing his book and turning his full attention once more on Danny.
"I...it's...I can't explain it, it's difficult to..." the young hybrid frowned; for how could he explain something to Vlad which he couldn't even explain to himself?
"Try harder," Vlad said tersely.
"I am trying!" Danny exclaimed, "But it's...it's not...it's weird, okay? The whole thing's just weird, and I don't know what to do! I thought we'd keep fighting forever but I told Jazz that I trust you."
"That could prove unwise," Vlad raised an eyebrow and returned his attention to his book.
"Yeah, that's what she said...but I meant it and...it's just strange."
"Well, I expect the novelty will wear off soon, and things will be back to normal before you know it," Vlad shrugged.
"Really?" Danny asked with poorly concealed disappointment, "I don't want that...Do you?" he asked slowly as Vlad's eyes froze on the page he was reading.
"The fact is...that I'm still the same person, Daniel," the older hybrid began, "You may think differently about me now, but it won't last."
"How do you know?" Danny demanded, "And you didn't answer my question."
"Very well, in order; I don't care, and I just know."
"I don't believe it...either of them," the young ghost boy glared. "Why can't you just be honest with me? Why'd you have to make things so difficult?
"I am being honest," Vlad told him with sincerity, "I'm not going to change my ways now - as you frequently point out, I'm too old to do so. And it's been proven many times that because of your morals and my greed, we clash frequently."
"Well, maybe if you didn't steal from people, and plan evil things, we'd get along better!" Danny yelled back. Vlad's aloofness and high-and-mighty manner were beginning to seriously irritate him.
"That is what I just said," Vlad rolled his eyes.
"Why'd you have to be like that anyway?"
"Hasn't your psychologist of a sister told you already? We are what society makes us." the older hybrid answered.
"Then why don't I do those things?" Danny asked, but Vlad didn't answer as he turned a page. "Vlad, are you listening to me?" Danny floated up and across to the man. But before he could say anything further, he was tossed across the room by a blast of green ectoplasm.
Vlad was still sat in the chair as a human, but the force of the attack shocked Danny; he couldn't produce such powerful attacks in human form. "Hey!" Danny cried as he just avoided slamming into a wall. He flew back up and tried to attack Vlad on instinct but the man vanished in a wisp of smoke and Danny was suddenly very worried. "Vlad..." he whispered and then he was thrown around again without warning. Danny fell onto the floor and held up a glowing shield to hold back the attack he anticipated but nothing came.
Vlad had a clear shot; he had teleported above Danny and was floating with crackling energy in his hands but he didn't attack. Instead, he let the entry dissipate and he floated to the ground where he transformed back.
"That's enough, go home," he said heavily.
"Why didn't you attack? You would've won; that's all that used to matter to you, isn't it?" Danny asked as he got up from the floor.
"I'm tired, I'll deal with you in the morning," Vlad sighed and started to walk from the room.
"No...wait!" Danny shot after him as fast a she could and he blocked the doorway in front of Vlad. "Please...just tell me why you're being like this, and I'll go away."
"Get out of my way," Vlad scowled.
"No," Danny refused, "Are you...did I do something wrong...or...are you jealous?" he blinked.
"What?!"
"I bet that's it, isn't it? You only got all moody when I said I was leaving this morning."
"What on earth are you..." Vlad began again.
"You got all snappy...but before that you were fine," the young teen said slowly as the memory became increasingly vivid.
"You're over thinking the issue, Daniel."
"I don't think so," Danny said with a confidence he wasn't completely sure he actually felt even with the vivid memory. "I think you're lonely."
"No," Vlad scoffed and looked away.
"Then what?" the young hybrid frowned, "...You're lying, aren't you?"
"What does it matter?" the man questioned with old bitterness.
"Of course it matters, you fruit-loop!" Danny waved his hands up. He felt like pulling his hair out at Vlad's stubbornness; how was he ever supposed to get through to someone like Vlad? "Didn't we work well together," he asked, trying a different approach, "We got on just fine, didn't we? Maybe we don't have to fight all the time, y'know..."
"You think just because we survived one ordeal together, that everything would change? I told you; I'm still the same person, you still disagree with my goals and my ideas."
"Duh!" Danny held the man's gaze, "Look...point is, Vlad, when it matters we can get along, right? So...why don't we try? No stupid prank wars, no evil schemes...just nothing, okay..."
"I think you're being to optimistic about this," Vlad said, "I'm not going to change who I am, Daniel, get that into your head. I am a ruthless businessman, and I didn't get to the top by 'getting along' with people."
"You're also the only other person who happens to be half ghost..."
"And because of that, you belong by my side," Vlad spoke over him, "You can't deny feeling a sense of isolation among people who do not, and cannot understand what we are, whether they know about us or not. We are a different species from all the other 6 billion people on this planet, and whether you admit it or not, you want to 'get along' because you feel drawn to me."
"I..."
"Just as ghosts with other ghosts, and people to their own are drawn to each other so are half ghosts, as the only one on this planet I could show you so much you could never understand don your own."
"I've heard all this before..." Danny sighed. Vlad spoke the truth though, he did want Vlad's help and his guidance, but it was on principle that he didn't accept. Because the man wanted him to renounce his father which he would not ever do, he couldn't go to Vlad for any kind of help.
"But this has made you think about it more seriously, don't deny it; you are an open book," Vlad replied.
"So go back to your other damn book!" Danny yelled in frustration, "I'm not 'renouncing' my dad or whatever else you want me to do. Why can't we just be friends with me having to do any of that?"
"Because nothing in life is free, everything has a price."
"...What if it doesn't have to be so dumb? What if you could get something in return...but it wasn't that?" Danny asked slowly as the proverbial cogs spun quickly in his head.
"...What are you talking about?" Vlad asked, intrigued. He leaned back against the doorframe, his intent on going searching for deep sleep were now completely obliterated. To the older hybrid, it sounded as though Danny was clutching at straws, but he knew better than to underestimate his young counterpart. Perhaps the boy was giving this some serious thought after all.
"What if...in a way, it was something better..."
"Out with it, child."
"What about just not being alone anymore? Isn't that big enough by itself?" Danny spoke with childlike innocence.
Vlad frowned as Danny's words stuck a long forgotten chord in him; he'd had a similar notion not long after his accident, after it became clear to him that he was well and truly isolated. He'd would've given anything in the world just for some company, it wouldn't have mattered who it was, but after so many years his heart had morphed and hardened into unbreakable stone and he'd ignored the simple things in life he'd once noticed as a young man.
He thought that by being cold and cruel, that his solitary existence wouldn't crush him under the weight of its perpetual silence, but in doing he'd lost what half of his humanity had been left to him whereas Danny had kept it going strong. Danny had never had to deal with 20 years of isolation fuelled only by hatred and anger to keep one going no matter what. Danny always had people around him, be it his friends or his family, the boy hadn't ever been as alone as Vlad. Perhaps in a way he was jealous of the child standing before him; it was a sobering thought.
"Vlad...you still in there?" Danny asked with a weak smile as he waved a gloved, glowing hand in front of Vlad's vacant, blue eyes. "Where'd you get to?" he asked jokingly as the man blinked heavily.
"...Somewhere a very long time ago," Vlad answered quietly.
"Look...you know I love my dad...and I know...you probably won't ever forgive him, but it wasn't like he did it on purpose; he makes mistakes but he means well," Danny began and he was surprised when Vlad didn't snap or shout at him so he decided to continue. "He's my dad and I won't ever give him up, but...you're uncie Vlad, remember?" he shrugged.
"Charming," Vlad said dryly with a raised eyebrow.
"Exactly, and kids aren't supposed to fight with their uncles, it's bad manners is something," Danny said.
"Is that so?"
"Uh-huh," he nodded, "And I know how much you care about being 'well mannered' and all that."
"I was raised to be a gentleman," the older hybrid remarked.
"There," Danny smiled, "See, and a gentleman can't be rude to his favourite nephew, who comes to visit all the time, can he?" he asked and his smile fell when Vlad didn't answer. "...Vlad?" Danny questioned now with a concerned frown.
If Vlad didn't go for this then they would be back to being enemies again, and Danny didn't want that. He was sure it would take time for Vlad to consider him an ally, but in a way, Danny already thought of the older man as his ally. Maybe it was foolish to do so after just one 'ordeal' but it wasn't as though Danny could go back and change the two long years of animosity between them. He stared at Vlad and the man looked as deep in thought as he was, and he couldn't help but wonder what the man was thinking about.
Vlad was stumped. He had no idea what he should do; should he go with the flow and take the chance that they could be allies or be cynical and deny the boy? He didn't know. Years of being realistic and cynical had taken their toll on him and he couldn't help but already envision numerous ways for this to end badly. He knew Danny would soon disapprove of his 'evil' activities and then they would fight because be would refuse to back down and then their little agreement would crumble, making their fight then times worse.
But what, really did he have to lose? His pride? No, this wouldn't damage his pride, not really; true, it would mean going back on a deal he swore he'd never change his price for, but could he live with that? Vlad thought that he could. While, more importantly he would gain Daniel's respect and he would be able to teach the boy about his ghost powers, which was something he'd always wanted to do. Having never had anyone to share his own with or to instruct him all the power Vlad amassed was down to his own determination and research so he didn't hesitate in admitting pride for his achievements. But there was no one, no one at all with whom he could share that with...except for Danny and Danny hadn't wanted him to.
It was because of that, that he'd taken a more brutal approach to training the boy sometimes by attacking him when he least expected it, and even then, because of his anger, his more meaningful aim was usually forgotten. But that wouldn't happen this time, would it?
"Vlad?" Danny repeated.
"I...should point out just how much more difficult you're making things for yourself, Daniel," Vlad replied thoughtfully.
"That's one word for it, I guess," the boy shrugged.
"And what would be another?"
"How 'bout 'better'?" Danny replied.
"How very mawkish of you," Vlad rolled his eyes.
"...Yeah...I think so."
"You don't even know what that words means, do you?"
"Erm...maybe?"
"No you don't."
"No, I don't," Danny agreed.
"What do they teach in school these days?"
"I wouldn't know, I'm hardly there, remember?!" Danny floated up into the air and waved his hands for emphasis.
"That would be because to ghosts, you, my boy, are what is technically termed, a 'pushover'," Vlad grinned, "I don't have many problems at all with them bothering me on a day to day basis."
"You'd probably kill them if they did...if you can actually kill a ghost," Danny said.
"Exactly," Vlad said with pride, "And it's something you need to work on."
"I don't wanna work on 'killing' ghosts."
"Then you'll never get any time for school...or to hold down a job, I might add," Vlad smirked.
"How'd you know about..." the young hybrid trailed off with a frown, "...Ah, never-mind," he sighed at Vlad's amused expression.
As the night passed, Danny found it very easy to forget the fact that they'd once been bitter enemies although he knew he'd have a hard time convincing his friends of this sudden change when it came to it. And before he knew it, the sun was rising and the light shone through the thin opening of the curtains, and he flew back to Fenton Works before Jazz could discover his absence.