Trooper Station: Tuesday

[famous-gut.livejournal.com]

There were no ornaments in desk drawers, no powdered sugar falling from the sky and no egg nog flowing from faucets.

Gibbs had never been happier that the Christmas Season was over. He was now taking a moment to enjoy a good cup of coffee as he finished up the nuisance paperwork from the holidays.

Definitely the best time of the year.

Comments

[solesofmyfeet.livejournal.com]

"Has anyone investigated why all the odd things happen?" Vimes asked, forgoing any sort of 'Hello, Gibbs. That's a lovely shirt you have on'. Mostly because he didn't notice the shirt beyond it's inherent shirtiness.

[famous-gut.livejournal.com]

And even if Vimes had made a comment about his shirt it probably would have gotten a strange look from Gibbs. Honestly. Who says that in a police station?

"Nope," Gibbs answered honestly. "Mostly because I doubt most of us know where to begin either than it being damn strange."

[solesofmyfeet.livejournal.com]

"Damn." There went his plans to make the 'telephone' stop ringing. "This was much easier in Ankh-Morpork. Something magical happened, you grumbled about the wizards, but didn't actually do anything because they were wizards and shifty bastards who might try to turn you into a toad."

But then, everyone knew wizards were shifty. Look at them. Going to a school well into adulthood.

[famous-gut.livejournal.com]

"Well if all you did was grumble, then we got that part down here pretty well," Gibbs noted as he looked up from his pile of paperwork. "Unless you had another way back in More Pork to investigate. Me? I got nothing."

[solesofmyfeet.livejournal.com]

"Because I deal with people and not about to go mucking about in the secrets of the universe and all they bother with," Vimes replied. "And it's Ankh-Morpork, Gibbs."

And no, he hadn't found a way back yet.

"Then perhaps you can explain the so-called 'freelance police' we have in town."

A RABBIT, Gibbs. A RABBIT.

[famous-gut.livejournal.com]

"You mean the dog and the Hello Kitty thing?" Gibbs asked. "They do private security and I leave it alone at that. Anything more and... well then I'd be mucking about in the secrets of this universe. I'd rather deal with the phone calls."

[solesofmyfeet.livejournal.com]

"As long as they don't get in the way of proper police work..."

You know. Like thumping people on occasion if they deserved it. And telling people to move along.

He almost longed for a dragon at this point.

[famous-gut.livejournal.com]

"Haven't caused any extra paperwork," Gibbs noted. "That's got to count for something, right?"

[solesofmyfeet.livejournal.com]

"Yeah, a pain in the ass," Vimes grumbled, going for the coffee. Good, solid, non-rabbit coffee.

[famous-gut.livejournal.com]

"They haven't broken any laws," Gibbs pointed out as he pushed another finished stack of paperwork towards Ralph. "As far as I know. You fishing something.

[solesofmyfeet.livejournal.com]

"Not unless annoying is against the law." He was being kind and ignoring the bit about the gun being pointed at him.

[famous-gut.livejournal.com]

"If it were we'd have to lock up Ralph," Gibbs pointed out. "And we'd always have a full jail."

[solesofmyfeet.livejournal.com]

"Ralph's a solid fellow, though." Answered Vimes' phone, after all. That gave him a gold star. "Not the sort I'd want at my back in a fight, but he gets his job done."

...then again, he wouldn't so much not trust the fellows back home as know that Colon would possibly widdle and Nobby would be busy pickpocketing. Carrot was a special case.

[famous-gut.livejournal.com]

"If he's not good in a fight then what good is he?" Gibbs asked.

You know, Ralph is probably hearing all of this and fuming something fierce.

[solesofmyfeet.livejournal.com]

"Paperwork?" Or plotting to ruin the coffee somehow.

[famous-gut.livejournal.com]

"Then he's not doing much in my opinion," Gibbs grunted.

Hmm. Ruining the coffee might just get him shot.

[solesofmyfeet.livejournal.com]

"Enough to keep me out of it." Oh sure, abuse your position as sheriff, Vimes.

[famous-gut.livejournal.com]

That earned a bit of a grin from Gibbs.

"Pays to be the boss, huh?"

[solesofmyfeet.livejournal.com]

"Wouldn't have it any other way," Vimes replied honestly. "Too insubordinate to say 'yes, sir' to more than one person."

And he hadn't actually spoken to the mayor, so he was managing to say that no one at the moment.

[famous-gut.livejournal.com]

"I'll keep that in mind," Gibbs replied. "I might be familiar with that sort of problem."

[solesofmyfeet.livejournal.com]

"Had a few men with more titles than brains in charge, have you?"

[famous-gut.livejournal.com]

"More than enough," Gibbs said with a grunt of derision. "And not always men."

[solesofmyfeet.livejournal.com]

That was a bit new, but Vimes supposed it was a sign of the times. Everywhere.

"Doesn't change no matter where you go, does it?"

[famous-gut.livejournal.com]

"Eh. I liked where I was. I got the job done until... well until they wouldn't let me do the job I needed to do," Gibbs replied. "So now I'm doing the job I want."

[solesofmyfeet.livejournal.com]

"And what job was it you weren't allowed to do?"

[famous-gut.livejournal.com]

"Save lives," Gibbs replied looking bitter. "People died because they wanted to cover an incident up."

[solesofmyfeet.livejournal.com]

Vimes just shot him a look that said a bit too much about how long he'd been doing this job. "Politics." It was said like the average person said 'pond scum'.

[famous-gut.livejournal.com]

"Never liked it. Never will," Gibbs agreed with a scowl. "Too much interference. Never good results."

[solesofmyfeet.livejournal.com]

"That--" Vimes said, gesturing with his coffee cup. "Is why we stay the hell out of it. Things make more sense on the street."

[famous-gut.livejournal.com]

"Unless it's this island," Gibbs grunted. "Then everything is out the window."

[solesofmyfeet.livejournal.com]

"No homicides on my watch so far, so I'd say it's a decent enough place."

[famous-gut.livejournal.com]

"True," Gibbs said agreeably. "Or for that matter any kind of real crime."

[solesofmyfeet.livejournal.com]

"Aside from the--magic--things."

[famous-gut.livejournal.com]

Gibbs scowled again. "Yeah. That."

He pushed yet another stack of finished reports to the side of his desk. Those were just about the egg nog.

"You going to do anything about it?"

[solesofmyfeet.livejournal.com]

"Of course. I'm going to put my men on it." That meant you, Gibbs. And Reese.

...hell, even Ralph.

[famous-gut.livejournal.com]

Gibbs frowned a bit at that.

"Shouldn't someone with experience with... magic types deal with it better?"

Meaning someone else. Like you, Vimes.

[solesofmyfeet.livejournal.com]

"Buck up," Vimes said with a far too bright grin. "I'm sure you'll manage admirably."

[famous-gut.livejournal.com]

Gibbs clearly didn't think of this as a good case to work on.

"You're the boss," he replied though not exactly in a happy way.

[solesofmyfeet.livejournal.com]

"Just look into that school. If there's any magic, it's bound to be coming from there." A beat. "Especially the library."

[famous-gut.livejournal.com]

"Well we're teaching a class there this semester," Gibbs replied. "I'll look into it."

[solesofmyfeet.livejournal.com]

"Perfect! I'm sure we'll... get somewhere in no time."

[famous-gut.livejournal.com]

"Yeah. It'll be a quick case," Gibbs said with just a touch of sarcasm.