WHO: Jasper Williamson, Amethyst Williamson (NPC), Luca (NPC). WHAT: Jasper breaks the news to Amy. WHEN: 18 April - Evening. WHERE: Jasper's / [Redacted]. WARNINGS: Sads.
Jasper's elation over Rhys' miraculous return to life was quickly snuffed out by the growing realisation that he couldn't hold off on calling his sister any longer. He should have been used to this by now, being the bearer of bad news, but the idea of explaining to her that another of her friends had been violently murdered sounded — well.
"Hey, how are you? How's Luca?" he began as soon as she'd answered the phone.
"How the fuck do you think he is? He just got abandoned by his father for a war that killed his Mum," Amethyst snapped. Luca's tantrums and behaviour hadn't improved following Jasper's visit, only grown worse, and she was at the end of her rope as is.
"You know why I had to go—"
"No, Jasper. I don't. And neither does Luca."
Jasper sucked in a breath, wondering how best to approach this. He remembered the hissing cats in Hogsmeade trees that Yaxley had sent him to rescue, their backs arched, claws ready to strike even as he tried to assist. "Amy… I didn't just call to check in. I have some bad news."
Amethyst's chest tightened, she ran quickly through the list of people she hadn't heard from in a while. "Who is it now? Maddie?"
"No, she's safe from what I last heard from her. It's — Amy, I'm so sorry. It's Cai."
Silence.
"Amy?"
"... Yeah. I'm here." A beat. "When?"
"Last night, Gwen only posted on the journals today. I'm really, really sorry."
"Stop." Amethyst demanded, gripping her phone tighter. Luca decided at that moment to enter the room with a large bottle of apple juice and a cup. She could see it out of the corner of her eye, the child setting the tumbler down on the rug and unscrewing the cap of the juice bottle. She could see the juice spill all over the rug before he even lifted the bottle, but she didn't care. She didn't have the energy for this anymore.
She wasn't a mother, she never wanted to be. She wasn't even a very good Aunt. She wasn't even sure she was a good friend — she couldn't come home for Keaton. And now. Now?
"Don't say you're sorry. Just come back, Jasper," she begged, her voice cracking as she thought about her mother, about her father, about Keaton, and Flick, and now Cai. "Please. We need you here."
"I —" he faltered, knowing there was nothing he could say that she was going to want to hear. "I can't leave Maddie."
"Yes, you can. Fuck her. She wants to go all psycho Batman on everyone, so fucking be it. You don't have to. You have something more to live for. You have me. You have Luca. And I…"
Luca picked this moment to start whimpering over the spilled juice, his little face crumpling as he realised he'd made a bad move. Amethyst picked herself off the sofa and drew him closer to her. Oh great. Now her tears had arrived.
"I can't do this anymore. You can't make me do this anymore, I just…" The words turned into sobs. "Jasper, I only have you left."
"I'm going to be okay," he said, attempting to assure her.
"Or you won't. Or you'll get yourself killed because you're an idiot. You're just like Dad. He didn't give a shit about what we needed him to be either, he just married Noelle because that's what made him happy, even though we had to pick up the pieces afterward, and you know what, Jasper? I'm sick of picking up the pieces after you now just because you feel like being a reckless, mouthy, self-centered cock with a delusional hero complex!" Amethyst screamed into the phone before ending the call and throwing it against the wall.
Luca, covered in apple juice, nestled his head on her shoulder as she hugged him tightly. "I'm sorry your dad is a shit," she whispered.