forum Vienna Calling | oxo | closed

Started June 12, 2023 by @knightinadream group

tune

William didn't know what to make of Edvin as of yet. On the one hand, he seemed like a more than competent man and definitely had more skills when it came to fighting and battle and all of the skills that might be needed if they came face to face with the man committing these murders. On the other, he seemed to be a man who listened to logic through and through. Which wasn't necessarily a bad thing, but from how he had spoken about the rumours and superstitions, how he thought them to be unbelievable and almost a waste of time, Will was sure that without logical, concrete, clear evidence, he might not believe what was going on.

Considering he was a detective himself he wasn't going to fault the man for such a thing. In fact, it was admirable since not many were able to see straight to the facts when their minds were clouded with fear and judgement, but that was exactly what might get in the way for the two of them. Judgement. Will was nothing more than a detective from England who had a good reference from Her Majesty. He was young and hadn't as much experience in the field compared to some others, such as his parents or brothers, but that didn't mean he wasn't more than capable. Besides, he could be as stubborn as a mule when he wanted to be, and Will was determined to get to the bottom of this case.

He rocked on his heels, those multicoloured eyes taking a moment to scan the room now that the Emperor was gone before they settled back on Edvin and then the map. He shook his head, "No, I have not."

Will had caught unloving spouses after the deaths of their partners, and had caught the copycat killers of Burke and Hare. God, he had even helped his father with the original case when he had been a child unknowingly, but never had he seen someone be able to murder a town, multiple towns and leave nothing more than two puncture wounds to the neck as a result and cause of death. It shouldn't be possible.

"I've seen many murders in my life, Captain, but never one such as this." Will peered over the man was more, tracing the line of stones up North to where he guessed the killers would strike next.

Out of curiosity, he placed two fingers on the lower left side of his neck. He felt the vein thumping underneath it. Edvin removed his hand then placed it on the arm of the chair. "I find it odd that a man would choose such a place to stab someone. Don't you?" He bit his bottom lip. It seems to be rather difficult to do so without making a mess or chasing a scene. "I am not an expert like you, but I think it'd be more feasible to aim for the abdomen."

Edvin opened up one of the letters. It was dated on the 27th of December. His eyes flickered up to Erbosol before returning to reading it. If he were more comfortable with English, he would've read it out loud word for word. Yet it was already difficult enough to think in one and speak in another. So he kept to himself while reading through the first letter.

Setting it down, he sat the letter down. First, a soldier was taken to a home on the 10th of December where two bodies were found. More were found as the days went on. He crossed his arms while leaning back into the chair. In the back of his mind, he made a note to write all of these out in English for his new colleague. They may not even have these when they go to investigate after all.

"I believe all these letters are going to be the same, just as our investigation will be. Absolutely blasphemous at first then it will be more absurd as time goes on." The chair creaked as he sat up. "The men stationed there just thought that the first few deaths were simply just plain murders, but then they began to find more and more." He started to open up more of the letters, looking at the names of who had written them. The first was from Johannes Rosenberg. So was the second and third and fourth…

The fifth letter slipped from his hands onto the desk. "Surely nothing could ever happen to the emperor's soldiers," Edvin mumbled to himself. His eyes squinted. It's preposterous. "A man cannot be this bold. Can he?" There is not much aside from his own speculation. It can be useless to only assume based off of the fact that Rosenberg stopped writing to Frederick. He wasn't sure of himself. He wasn't sure if there is anything for him to truly believe.

William's frown deepened the longer he listened to Edvin talk of the case. He knew that it was ridiculous, he knew that it was an absurd case but that didn't mean that it still was still murder. These were still people's lives that were being lost no matter how it was that they were dying and it was up to them to solve this, for their sake, for their families if any of them were still alive, and especially for the Emporer who was obviously stressed out of his mind about it all.

The detective may have been an expert when it came to mysteries but that didn't mean he wanted to be. Murder cases always were hard on the mind of everyone involved, including him. He could see the way it was impacting the Emperor. From the dark circles under his eyes, how the man looked worn out, tired and beyond stressed no matter how much he tried to hide it from him and Edvin. Will could only imagine how the soldiers must have felt while taking on the case and investigating. If they were still alive he hoped that they were okay and prayed that he could find them, but he was starting to doubt that.

With towns being killed and no survivors and no word from the group, either they were being held hostage by the killer or dead. The former option was unlikely. There would be no reason to keep the men alive or hostage when they were killing towns instantly, almost. Not unless they needed information of some kind. The latter? No, the latter was the most obvious and, unfortunately, most plausible option. Chances were the killers caught wind of the men on their tail and hunted them down, too. It was all just as sad as the next.

"It depends," Will started, crossing his arms in front of his chest as he began to pace on the other side of the table, "A stab wound to the neck is a strange method of choice. For one, it would cause a mess of blood due to the main arteries present and the victim would likely choke on their own blood and die, rather than dying from the stab wound itself."

"To the abdomen is most common. Less mess, takes out the main internal organs and would easily kill the person quickly, if not more so than that of the neck. But I don't think it's a stabbing. The puncture wounds seem to be too small, would take too much effort and calculation and time to kill that many people in such a way, and so fast."

His eyes remained on Detective Erbosol as he spoke. The captain frowned at the thought of people choking in their own blood. Sure, he is a military man, but the thought of something so sinister…he couldn't not react to such a thing. Good God, why can a man commit such a heinous act to let people die in such insufferable ways?

Slowly, he nodded before stopping himself. His eyes widened. "Then how could such a person kill so many people? At the neck of all places?" Once he had asked, he realized something…Picking up the first letter, he read Rosenberg's description of the wounds. "They are small…exactly on the arteries…Then what would this man use? His teeth?" The captain scoffed.

Edvin rubbed his chin before letting two fingers rest on the artery at his neck. The neck is a messy place. He can only imagine that the murderer would have had blood on himself, but then he would have to remove his clothes and wash it off…It seemed too complicated. He snapped his fingers then pointed at Erbosol. "What if that is part of the plan…or his desire to kill? If it wasn't stabbing…" The captain asked before pausing. He has heard of people killing for the thrill of it. While he finds it to be rather sinful and foolish, it is possible. People are strange.

There is only so much that he, a noble military officer, would know. While King Kristoffer had put him in a special investigation team, Edvin had only received so much training to conduct investigations. He wondered if it would make him look foolish to be constantly asking the detective a lot of questions. He didn't want to bother the detective more than he already is. Questions kept piling up in his mind, and he can safely assume that they will never stop.

He stood up from the chair then made his way to the table. With his arm stretching out, he offered for the detective to sit. "Those letters…I will do my best to translate them for you before we go." Running his hand through his hair, he sighed. "They discuss the manner of the wounds yet in the first, yet they seemed to have failed to find a weapon."

It wasn't strange, nor uncommon, for the reason for someone to want to kill simply be from enjoyment. But the way that it worked wasn't as straightforward and as the Captain spoke he ran his brain through the list of things he would have to explain about serial killers for the man to be up to speed with how it all worked. God, he couldn't imagine being on the other end and not understanding. There had been a time when all of the information he now knew had been fresh and slightly confusing but to him, he had picked it up naturally, it ran in his genes. Will didn't want to think about how it might sound to someone who didn't work with these things every day of their life.

It didn't help that Edvin was asking questions that he didn't know the answer to. Will didn't know if this was part of the man's desire to kill simply for fun or if it was a part of a bigger scheme. He doubted it, considering he was targeting small towns on the outskirts of the country. If they wanted attention they would have come to Vienna, or another city where news would have spread like wildfire.

When Edvin gestured to the seat Will was slightly hesitant, mainly because pacing allowed him to exude his nervous energy but he didn't want to be rude. While he moved he wished he had his notebook on him. They would need to write down all their thoughts soon otherwise it was going to get lost in the waves of other questions that he was sure were going to arise soon.

"There are those that desire to kill and find it fun," He started, picking at the nonexistent dirt under his nails as he sat, "However, I don't think that is the case, here. For one it doesn't fit the type of typical murder that is common. This man is going from town to town faster than I have ever seen someone kill before and leaving them with nothing. Usually, they wait a few days, weeks, sometimes even months before they kill again, and it's why they're so hard to find and catch."

"And these are whole towns. Not just a group of people who may have been in the wrong place at the wrong time, but towns. This man is taking out all these people, by himself, remaining undetected and getting away. It shouldn't be possible. This is not a normal case or murder, the patterns are different. The only reason there is a delay in deaths is that he needs to travel to the next town on his list and then he repeats. The fact that he hasn't been caught with so many people… I don't know."

Will sighed, "It's not simple. This isn't some common serial killer." It was someone far more dangerous.

(sorry for the wait!!)

An instinct within him told him that the detective was weary about sitting. His eyes squinted while observing the look in Erbosol's eyes or how his body was. He wanted to say that it was okay if the detective didn't sit, but the opportunity had passed. Edvin pushed the thought away. With his arms crossed in front of him, he leaned against the wall while listening to Erbosol.

Edvin nodded. Whoever this person is isn't the average murderer. If he were to believe in the native superstitions, he would have said that this murderer isn't even a man like him and the detective. Blasphemy. It's all blasphemy. Even with all of the loose ends they need to connect, the captain kept thinking that more will unravel as they go on.

They need to write all of this down. Any (and every) thought they think should be written in some sort of journal or book. Both of them have or are coming up with insight that must be recorded right away. He wished that he had his own journal at the moment, but maybe he can make that wish come true. It wouldn't hurt to. Not as much as this killer is doing to these people, the villages, and the empire above all.

Edvin picked up all of the letters. They were then tucked underneath his arm. Standing by the door, he begun to push the handle down. "My quarters or yours?" He asked, "One of us needs to be writing all of this down. We must prepare ourselves for this unconventional killer."

Probably would be better to have this discussion elsewhere. If the detective would like to have tea time as well, then they can do so. Edvin worried about working in the emperor's office. There was already enough to worry about when it came to this case.

(No probs! Just a heads up that i’m currently away on holiday so i’ll probably be slow/nonexistent for the next few weeks - but i will be back when i’m home!)

William didn’t know what to think of the entire case thus far. It almost seemed to be one large prank or trick that was being pulled on him to test his limits and skills as a detective. But with the seriousness of the Emperor, the fact that Edvin was here and the Queen herself had contracted him to this case… he knew that it wasn’t. Deep down he wished that it was because then he didn’t have to deal with the reality that there were so many innocent people dying at the hands of a monster.

This was a man who loved to kill. Fuck, maybe even needed to kill. There was something deranged about the whole thing. Town after town, kill after kill, no trace. No clues. Nothing. Will only hoped this wasn’t an experienced or first time killer but he knew it wasn’t. No man that was able to kill so many so easily and escape capture was a first timer.

They started out small. One person in a back alley where no one would look - of even by the darkest parts of the downtown districts that held more grime and drift than the entirety of government house itself. They killed messily, there was usually blood everywhere and a large crime scene. Then they moved on to the next kill with more precision and aim. They knew where they target would be or they type of target they were looking for but killed. A little trace, perhaps, but nothing more. Then if they were lucky to gain a third, a forth, they honed their craft until they were an expert. But this man here had seemed to skip steps one and two and was far more advanced and skilled. No, he wasn’t a first time killer, and Will dreaded to think where else he may have killed that they didn’t know about.

He was drawn out of his thoughts by Edvin moving towards the door and he cleared his throat, “Oh, yours, I suppose.” Will stood and took one last look at the map before moving towards the door.

Where his own room was he didn’t know. He had arrived and come straight there and hadn’t unpacked even a notebook. Edvin’s room was going to have to do for now, considering it was pointless going to his own.

(no worries, respond whenever it's convenient for you. enjoy your holiday!)

The moment Erbosol stepped out into the hallway with him, he closed the door. His quarters were the same ones that he had always been in whenever he visited. The thing is is that it is quite the walk from where they were standing at the moment. In order to continue their conversation in secrecy, in order to write down all of their thoughts…they must go now. The killer could be roaming the streets of the empire, planning his next string of murders.

"Very well then. Let's go." His steps were small and fast-paced. With little evidence or reason, the detective and him could not afford to waste any time. Edvin planned to not stop till he saw those wide ivory-golden doors; well, the ones that are for the quarters he will be staying in. It is quite possible that Erbosol is staying in one next to him or somewhere close by. If need be, he could take care of that matter later on.

The palace was a city of its own. Life filled every single corner. Edvin nodded his head at all of the pimple who passed by. Sometimes he gave a hello, other times he just walked on. His mind was heavy, full of thoughts that only ever contained whatever possibilities the killer could be. Edvin swore to God that there was no way in Hell that a man would or could even possibly kill so many people.

He would have tried to do some small talk with the detective. Or he would could have talked about the palace while pointing out some things. On the other hand, the only words willing to speak were all about their case. Not to mention, he isn't good at small talk nor was this the time to relax and give the detective a tour.

When he saw those familiar doors, a jolt of energy ran through him. The captain ran to the door on the left. His hand grabbed the handle before he swiftly pressed down then swung the door open. The room was twice the size of the library. It was rather quite open too. There was a bed by the left wall, a tall wardrobe on the right, and even a wooden desk. The walls were crimson and the window curtains were dark brown.

"Hold on a moment. I think I have my journal packed here somewhere…" He rushed over to his things. Whoever had handled his belongings had gently sat them down beside a small round table. His journal was in a black leather satchel. Edvin's face lit up when he finally found it. After grabbing his writing utensils, the captain sat at the table. He looked over at the detective. "I'm ready whenever you are."

(thank you!)

William tried to take in every aspect of the palace that he could while they walked, although their steps were light and hurried along the marble floors. It was the most impressive place he had ever visited. Incredoble, even more so than Her Majesty's but he wasn't going to tell her that. God no, she would be appalled at the thought. He just hoped that if she had or if she ever saw, she would agree. Because the place was magnificent and he didn't really know where to look or what to do.

While Edvin gave mostly head nods of acknowledgement to others as they walked, Will greeted each with a small smile and soft greeting. He was British, after all, it would be impolite not to. And these people, well, maybe some of them, would be taking care of him throughout his short stay at the palace. There was no need to ignore them or be rude, that would be preposterous. He would not lose his manners no matter how exciting it was to be in a new place. An amazing place. An interesting place. Even if the premise of his visit wasn't exactly amazing.

He was glad of the little to no talk between them as they moved. He was too busy taking in the surroundings, the entrances and exits and the way that they had travelled to really be thinking of words or conversation in the present moment. He was too lost in the place to begin to hold some sort of talk with Edvin. Either way, he was an awkward man regardless, small talk came as difficult to him as it did to the captain.

They came to the doors and William took a small look around the hall as the other entered. his own quarters were only just down the hall, which was convenient. He could head back to his room and get his own things - notebook and pen - if he so wished, but he didn't. Instead, he headed inside and shut and locked the door behind him. They didn't need anyone walking in on them or overhearing such a conversation.

Will shrugged off his jacket, leaving him in just his vest and shirt. Pacing always made him hot. He placed it over the back of one of the chairs nearby, rolled up his sleeves, and continued his pacing just as he had been doing in the office in front of Edvin's desk, "So, we know the towns he's killed at already and where we can project the next likely attack. We know that there was a scout group sent out that hasn't been heard from recently, and that it is highly unlikely that this is just one man."

Edvin did his best to write down as much as he could remember. Every word that was written on paper was in Swedish. He frowned at the realization of this somewhat minor detail yet continued to write. At that point, he was already on another page. As long as one of them could read it, he assured himself. Looks like he will be spending more time translating all sorts of documents.

His hand felt tensed. Setting his pen down, he sat back into the chair with his arms crossed. The captain watched as Erbosol was pacing back and forth. The action made him briefly think about when he offered the detective to sit down, and how he was pacing before then. He was fascinated watching the gears turn in Will's mind. It's the work of the world's greatest detective.

"Hm?" He sat up then took his pen. "Oh, yes…indeed." The captain cleared his throat. "If it is not just one man, then there must be a reason why all of these deaths have been executed in the same manner." His hand was still slightly cramping from all the writing, but he flipped to another page and continued on. "Unless there was one man who killed so many then others began to copy him…"

The more he thought about the case, the more stumped he was. There was a word that describes what he just spoke of. Copy something…A tutor of his taught him long ago. "Copy…copy…copy…" Edvin deeply exhaled. He looked up at Erbosol, "Do you think it is likely that there are copies? It seems too coincidental. Unless they all know each other and are killing together? That could explain how so many people are dying in such little time. Oh Lord, I do not know."

Copy. The idea was turned over in his head for only a few moments before Will was quick to shake his head, "No, there's no copycat killers here." There couldn't be. For towns that far out, in the middle of nowhere, he doubted word travelled fast. It also didn't help that there were no survivors of the attacks. How could word spread about the killings? Unless there was a traveller passing through but he doubted that was going to be the case.

If there was to be a copy it would then have to be one of the soldiers or men that had investigated previously. One that had gone mad, perhaps, and decided to take up the mantel and continue to kill in the same manner as the killer they had been chasing. But that seemed unlikely. Each thought that came to Will with each step he took, pacing back and forth in front of Edvin, and his gaze was transfixed to the ground as he mumbled each one to himself as he went.

"This is either one extremely talented man, or multiple. I fear it is the latter, but they would all be working together, not separately. The same exact manner of killing with no traces? The fact one of them hasn't slipped up yet is incredible, admirable." In a sick, twisted way.

He couldn't help but find it fascinating. The mind of a killer had always intrigued him, even as a child before he knew of his skills in the area. To learn how and why they worked in such a way, did what they did, and killed who they killed. It was all so interesting. Will couldn't help but find it incredible, in a fucked up sort of fashion. That wasn't to say he wasn't going to stop the people from killing, it was his job, after all, and the murders were disgusting, but he could find the other angle in it all.

"Ah, copycat…" Edvin uttered underneath his breath. In the corner of a page, he wrote the word in English in hopes that he wouldn't forget it again. While he spent a moment satisfied that Erbosol knew what he meant, the captain returned to frowning. The killer wouldn't be a copycat? He could see that one (or a group) killing people in one town then word traveled to neighboring town where someone would then murder more in the same fashion. Although, the more he thought about it, the execution of the killings seem to be too precise to feasibly copy.

He continued to write down the things that the detective was saying. It wouldn’t be a surprise to him if it were a group. In many ways, it made sense. How one person could kill so many people and get away with it is something that could only be a fable. A group of people going out to murder their fellow countrymen…Setting his pen down, Edvin rested his hand underneath his chin. From what he recalled, most if not all of these murders were of peasants. None of this would be a mystery (let alone a massive secret) if even one of these deaths were a noble. These people are devils regardless of whoever they went after.

"Why a group?" He suddenly asked. "There is the threat of someone getting caught or revealing what they have done. Someone must be a leader in all of this. What is the need to kill so many people, to kill with others?" Edvin ran his fingers through his hair. A few strands fell out of place.

He would admit that it is quite fascinating how the murderer(s) hasn't been caught. They can kill hundreds of people without leaving any evidence behind. "At this point, we would have to think like these beasts," Edvin mumbled. Lifting his chin, he looked up at Erbosol, "We barely know anything about them. I am not sure if it is possible…"

William couldn't stop his sigh. He stopped his pacing, now stood in the middle of the room and chewed on his lower lip, "I don't know." His multicoloured eyes moved from where they were trained to the grown to the captain.

He wished he had more of an answer for Edvin. More than simply I don't know. He feared that it put him in a bad light in the eyes of the other. Greatest detective in the world, allegedly, and yet he couldn't answer why they were killing or why they were killing in a group. That was if his hypothesis was correct. He could be completely wrong and this was just a very, talented - extremely talented - man who had a vendetta against random towns on the outskirts of countries but he doubted that was the case. No, it had to be more than one person. It had to be a group.

But he didn't know why.

More than one person meant chances for someone to slip up, someone to get caught, someone to break free from the group and inform the authorities. If that was going to happen it most likely would have happened by now, though. With all the murder that these people had committed, they had to be certain they were doing the right thing if none of them had said anything or left as of yet. So, was it necessity? Who kills from necessity? Unless they got caught stealing but to kill a whole town?

Each thought that he kept coming up with just ended up with a dead end by the end of the thought. He sighed once more, Until we catch one of them, or all of them and talk, then I fear we won't know. None of this is normal. It's all so unusual that… I don't have much more. Just speculations."

His face remained nonchalant. His eyes looked back at the detective. It's alright, he didn't know either. He doesn't know what is going on with any of this. "It is okay," He assured. "I am sure that we will figure everything out in due time. We will just have to wait."

Somehow he began to think that maybe there's just groups of people in that part of the empire who are…odd and they kill because others…Edvin wasn't sure what his mind was trying to come up with. The more he thought about the case, the more confused he was. Killing in groups seems too complicated but killing alone is impossible.

Impossible…That is the word he will be using to describe this case. Better yet, odd and impossible. He wasn't able to find a better way to describe it all. They haven't even started the investigation yet, but he knew that it would be odd and impossible. He even questioned if they would truly find out what was going on.

Only when Erbosol started to talk was Edvin able to get out of his head space. The detective was right. None of this was normal. They know nothing and that makes everything worse. And of the team of soldiers cannot catch these people makes the situation more complicated. What even happened to those soldiers anyways? That is another thing him and Detective Erbosol would have to look into as well.

Edvin placed the writing utensil off to the side. "We should stop with the speculations." He closed his journal. "The only thing we can do is wait and go over to one of these towns. Further speculation might cloud our judgments. I mean…all the evidence we have right now is those letters, but they can only get us one step forward."

Waiting gave killers ample opportunity to kill. Waiting meant giving the sick bastards out there a headstart when it came to their next killing spree. Waiting meant they were losing precious time stopping them.

But they didn't have anything more to go from. No leads but the letters. Speculations. Theories. God, Will was beginning to feel less and less like the alleged 'best detective in Europe' and more like a man who had no clue what was happening in his own life. How did he get here? Mulling over absurd, impossible cases on special order from Her Majesty? What had he done to get to this point?

Because it wasn't alright that he didn't know. He should know. Everyone expected him to know how to solve the case, that was the reason as to why he was called in to begin with. To help solve the crime, catch the killers, and save people. Sitting around the palace talking wasn't getting them anywhere but for the time being it was the only thing they could do. Without a solid plan going into the case, without confirming that he and Edvin were on the same page, they were going to get nowhere.

The detective sighed and ran a hand through his hair, dirty blond locks falling in front of his eyes as he mumbled something to himself under his breath. And then he found himself sitting on the edge of the bed, forgetting that these weren't in fact, his chambers, and then he was lying back, feet still on the floor. Unprofessional? Most definitely, but his brain was beginning to hurt.

"Until we get to those towns and gather more evidence then there isn't anymore we can do. The letters will only get us so far. We need to be there in order to gather more information."

"I suppose you're right, Detective," He sighed. It'd be impossible for them to do anything else. Vienna is so far away from all of these towns that there's nothing they could do for the time being. And as far as Edvin knows none one else knows about this except for that team Frederick sent out. God only knows the whereabouts of them. Waiting is what they could do until they reached the first place.

The captain watched as Erbosol laid back on his bed. Strange would be a great word to describe this at the very least, but he didn't care. Honestly he was in between asking him if he wanted to be tucked in or a bedtime story. Yet, he found the best detective in all of Europe to be the most intelligent man in the whole wide world. He found the Englishman laying on the bed to be profound. It was a genius idea. If it weren't an odd thing to do, he'd join him.

Edvin rested the left side of his head against the table. It's not the noble thing to do, surely, but he couldn't help but doing it. His old tutor would've whacked him on the head for slouching the way he did. What a bastard. The captain's mind was heavy. As much as he thought about everything, he thought about nothing at the same time. Most importantly he didn't want to think about the case anymore. If he gave it another thought before they reached their first destination, his mind would most certainly melt.

"The only things we can do is get there alive and not think too much about it beforehand," He mumbled. Edvin forced himself out of the chair. In a sluggish way, he dragged his feet while making his way to the bed. He turned around then sat down on the edge. Looking down at Erbosol, he asked, "You already are thinking too much? Aren't you?"

Proper or not, he laid down next to the detective. His hands were clapsed together, sitting on top of his chest. If he knew any better, he'd stop thinking. His head throbbed. Everytime it did he swore he could feel it. The captain stared up at the ceiling, hoping to ignore the thoughts that made his head hurt.

"Please, just call me Will, Captain." 'Detective' made him sound important. It made him sound as if he would be able to solve the case of the mass murdered towns, and bring closure to the King. He didn't know if he was going to be able to do that. The case was so big. There was so much wrong with the evidence that had been presented to him that he really didn't know if he was going to be able to decipher and figure out what it all meant. He was certainly going to try, but that didn't mean he was going to be able to solve the case.

Will's face twisted when Edvin looked down at him. Concern. Worry. Maybe even a tad of nausea, "All I do is think," He replied, letting out a soft sigh through his nose. He watched as Edvin laid down beside him. Thinking always seemed easier when he was lying down. Usually, it was on the floor.

Being closer to the ground made him feel more connected to the world. Like he could feel the energy from the earth and somehow it would help him think better. It was more secure down there. He was already pushing his luck with lying on the bed of the noble now lying next to him, he wasn't about to embarrass himself further.

Generally, he didn't mind. Most cases he was on his own. Sitting in his parents living room with papers scattered across the floor with no one but him and the housemaid to keep himself company. Lonely was another word that he would have described himself as.

"I can't stop thinking. It's my job," Will turned his head to the side so he could look at Edvin. He brought a hand up and pointed to his forehead, "It doesn't switch off." There wasn't anything he could do about it. He had gone his whole life this way, nothing was going to stop his ever turning mind from slowing or stopping.

Edvin turned his head to stare at Will. His lips were scrunched together. Calling the detective by his first name seemed off to him. He's been around soldiers for years and he doesn't even acknowledge the fact they have their own names. Rarely is he called by his first name by others except for his parents and siblings. But if Will is asking him to call him by his first name then so be it.

"If that is what you wish, Will." He returned to stare up at the ceiling. Soon after, he added, "And if I have to call you Will, then you must call me Edvin. Please, Detective." As much as he found it to be odd, it only made sense for them to call each other by their first names. He didn't like being called "captain" anyways. Too formal, even for him and it's a title more fitting for his brothers. It's too formal if he had to work closely with someone, travel deep into the Carpathian Mountains, and find the truth behind the murders of hundreds of people with them.

Good God. Thinking about the case was enough to give him headaches that would last a lifetime. How could Frederick trust him and an Englishman to solve it? Edvin didn't know a single thing about doing whatever Will does. Half of the time he doesn't know what he is doing as a captain. The only role he has some confidence in is being a father, but that means nothing in this case.

He rolled his eyes before glancing back at the detective. Briefly, he looked at Will's forehead. Oh to imagine all of the thoughts behind it. His eyes squinted at Will. Between the way he spoke and how he either paces around or lays down, it's not thinking. "You're not thinking, you're burrowing yourself in your mind. In English, I think it's called 'worrying' or maybe it's overthinking…" He bit the corner of his lip while pondering about it. Both words sounded the same to him.

Edvin gently laid the back of his head against Will's forehead. He kept it there for a few seconds. "You're going to make yourself sick if you don't stop for just a second," Edvin whispered. His hand returned clasped with the other. Maybe he should just get the detective a drink. No, that'd might make this much worse. And he's not sure if the Englishman liked to drink in the first place.

"Think for yourself first, Will. Not for your job," Edvin sighed. "And for your sanity, try to stop thinking every now and then." He ran his hand through his hair then did the same to Will. Whatever he would do or say may not help this man, but he thought it'd be better to try. After all, they have to work together for the emperor. One cannot do such a thing when they cannot get their mind out of the gutter.

(i know we haven't written much of these two but i love them)

Will tried not to chuckle. Or sigh. Or groan. Because what the captain was saying was no easy feat for him.

Thinking for himself wasn't an option. He had never put himself first. Not once in his life. Hell, he had four older brothers, how could he not put others before himself? Always the youngest, the left out, the one that had to try the hardest to gain his father's attention. The 'odd' one. It didn't help with his abnormality getting in the way of things. Those mismatched eyes caused him enough trouble in his younger years. So much so that even now, as an adult, he wasn't able to shake the damage that had been done by both his family and those in his school throughout his life.

It wasn't a possibility. The job came before everything, as he had been taught. People relied on him. They depended on him to find loved ones, solve crimes, help the people of London, her Her Majesty. She depended on him. Will's job was that of importance to her, and he had helped so many in her court, helped her more times than he could count. He couldn't simply change his mindset after having it set in stone year after year, case after case, by majority of the people that he came into contact with.

Edvin was right when he called it overthinking. In some instances, it was necessary. Like with their current case. They had murders to solve. People to save from potential death. The Emperor to help. Working the case required his brain to continue working all hours of the day and late into the evenings. He didn't have the opportunity to stop. He couldn't. Shouldn't. Wouldn't. Not even for the look on the captain's face that Will couldn't help but feel guilty for creating.

The touch to his forehead had Will stammering, just a little. He hadn't expected the man to lie down with him let alone touch him. And then Edvin was touching his hair and he couldn't help but lean into the touch before he knew what he was doing with a soft sigh. The detective kept his head turned in Edvin's direction, "You don't understand," He whispered back, chewing on his lower lip, "It's… complicated. Besides, the case has to come first, there's lives at stake." And two royals counting on him.

(no seriously though, i love them too.)

Everyone knows the feeling of putting their hand near something hot. Their hand hovering too close to the point where the heat radiates onto their skin. The need to pull away lingering in the mind as it thinks of only one thing: danger. That's what it felt like when Edvin combed through Will's hair. Only when the detective leaned into his touch did he realize what he was doing. He pulled his hand away. Fingers slowly curled into his palm as he turned his head to keep his eyes fixated on the ceiling.

He could have done it again. It would have been a great way to distract the detective, make him stop overthinking, but he didn't want to. Not that he himself doesn't like those kind of interactions. He enjoyed it a lot actually. They have to work together to help the Emperor solve this case. Whoever is behind it, they have to get them before more people die. The who, what, when, where, and why, they had to uncover all of it. He couldn't mess any of it up. Frederick would be furious, and so would everyone else.

Great, now he's the one who's doing the overthinking. Oh, the irony. He still had a point to make to the Englishman. As a matter of fact, he had multiple and God knew that he wasn't one to step back. But his brain couldn't piece together anything. That's probably way he brushed his fingers through those dirty blond locks. They were soft. He liked the way it matched the detective's eyes.

Edvin turned his head to stare back at the detective. For a while, he stayed silent. His mind was jumping around, thinking in Swedish then back to German and somehow figuring out how to speak English. He had a point to make yet he couldn't find the right words.

"No, I don't understand Will," He sighed. "But if we have to work together on this case, I want to understand. I am going to." Edvin promised himself this. If Will said something about it being impossible, then he was going to prove the Englishman wrong. And if it took however long it would take to solve the case then so be it.

His fingers lingered over Will's head. They stopped. Instead, he decided to point at the detective's forehead before letting his hand rest on his chest. "Now tell me, what's going on in that mind of yours?"

Each touch was like lightning striking through his body. Will didn't quite know whether he was enjoying it or not. He had definitely enjoyed the touch to his hair, although he liked that from anyone considering it was one of his weak points, but he wasn't about to ask for it. Their relationship was professional. They were strangers.

Yet here they were, lying on the bed next and only mere inches from one another. How they got into this position was beyond him. Well, really it was his fault, considering he had been the one to lie down in the first place. But it helped him think better. There was going to be no sleep, little rest for the both of them. The quicker they solved the case the better. The quicker people didn't have to die. The quicker he could go back to England.

God, why couldn't it have been someone else assigned to this case? Surely one of his brothers would be a better pick? One that had already been on the continent rather than England? Nope, it was him. Maybe it was his insecurities but Will couldn't help but feel like the worst pick for the job.

Edvin poked his head. Edvin seemed to make a promise to try and understand what was going on, his brain. Will felt his cheeks heat at the touch and bought his hands up to rub at his face. Where to even begin with the long-windedness of his thoughts? They barely slowed down enough for him to decipher them half the time.

"I fear that, considering the lack of evidence," He began to count each point on his fingers, "The location of the crimes, how there's a whole team of men missing after trying to investigate this…" He sighed, eyes darting from Edvin to his hands and staying there, "I don't know if it can be solved. Why is all this happening? There's no pattern, no motive, no- no cool down period. It's irregular, I can't see the links." Shaky hands tightened into a fist and opened again, a self-soothing motion.

Edvin's hands remained stiff. He was going to apologize for what he had done, combing Will's hair and all. It was an old habit. An habit that is unprofessional in the case of working with someone to find an unorthodox murderer. He shouldn't have done it. Edvin barely knew the Englishman aside from his reputation.

Will was right about everything. It'll be almost impossible to find anything when everyone invovled in the case is either missing, dead, or out killing more people. The thing is if Will cannot find any connections then Edvin wasn't sure how they'd find anything. They don't even know if the evidence that is there now will be there by the time they arrive. There could be nothing except for towns littered with empty houses and corpses lying about. Europe's greatest detective needs to have some sort of clue in order to have some sort of direction for this case.

Edvin didn't want to say anything. Every word that floated around his head would burrow the two of them into a fixed mindset. He didn't want to cause Will to overthink even more than he already is, but he also didn't want to stay silent. Good God this is much worse than he had anticipated.

"You'll see them, the links. Just not in here in Vienna. Something has to be there waiting for us to find, waiting to steer us in some sort of direction. We will solve it somehow…" He didn't know how to finish off what he was saying. Biting on his bottom lip, he paused. His gaze became unfocused. He wasn't sure if he had any confidence in his words or himself for that matter.

The emperor could have chosen anyone else to work alongside Will. There are so many detectives or more experienced military men that could have taken his place. Edvin can translate and fight like there's no tomorrow, but that's it. It's not enough to pull a suspect out of thin air. Part of him wondered if he was enough to do anything for this case.

He gently poked Will's forehead again then whispered, "Is that all that lays in there? Anything else?"

Will knew that he shouldn't be so stuck in his negative mindset. It had never helped him solve cases before. In fact, it had only hindered him in the past. He had learnt that early on. He couldn't stick in such a fixed set of thinking in order to solve a case. But this wasn't an ordinary case, this wasn't your usual stab and dash that he saw in London, or serial thieves taking high-end jewellery.

He wasn't one to often say that cases were impossible, but this one was certainly feeling that way, and he had only been in Vienna for no more than a day. Not even.

What kind of detective was he when he couldn't even decipher where to begin with a case like this? Certainly not Europe's best, that was for sure. Maybe it was the deep routed insecurities that he held inside that were meddling with his train of thought. In fact, not maybe, it definitely was, but it wasn't something that he was able to shake. Not after so long of it being ingrained into his being by everyone in his life.

No, that wasn't going to change anytime soon. And it was far too much to unpack with a man that he had just met. Will doubted that the captain would want to hear about that, anyway. Who would? The woes and fears of an English detective? A stranger. They were colleagues, now, but they didn't have to be anything more. Will couldn't even see why someone would want to hear about any of that. He wasn't anything special. He just had good genetics.

Will's gaze turned from his hands back to Edvin once again, multicoloured eyes darting across his features before settling back to those alluring brown eyes, "I do not think now is the time to be unpacking the depths of my mind," He whispered back, "I am sure you will find it less than interesting."

The case was going to be impossible in many ways. Edvin was unsure but he thought that most cases were impossible. Murderers have always been difficult to find. Usually it is a miracle to catch one, right? But they don't know who to look for. What kind of person stabs people on the side of their neck then does the same to hundreds of more people?

While he was trying to find where he stood when it came to thinking about the case. Hope. The captain wasn't sure if he had any of it, but he wasn't sure whether to be optimistic or pessimistic. Edvin couldn't place himself anywhere on the scale. After all, they were in Vienna, not Caraşova or those other bordering towns.

He wasn't going to force anything on Will. The captain knew that they had to remain in good standing with one another for the sake of this case and all. He wasn't asking the detective to talk about what's going on for any ulterior reason. If Will wanted to tell him everything or nothing, then that was perfectly fine with him. As long as they can work together, that's all that mattered.

Edvin wouldn't mind if there was a less formal aspect to whatever Will and him are supposed to be. Not that it's important for the case. Call him odd, but he wouldn't mind if they talked about things involving people mysteriously dying or whoever the murderers could be.

When those multicolored eyes looked back at his, he looked down at the covers. "I am interested only if you are interested in telling me whatever you are interested saying," He whispered back, "We do not have to unpack the depths of your mind or unpack anything for that matter."

Slowly, he turned onto his side. His neck was getting tired of turning to look over. Edvin stared into Will's eyes, taking time to look at each eye. Blue. Brown. Blue. Brown. He liked the contrast of the hues. "You know, once a tutor of mine told me that Alexander the Great had eyes like yours. Two different colors."

Will had never been good at talking to people about himself. He actively avoided it after what had happened in his childhood that he didn't know if he was even capable of doing so. No one wanted to know him. Not even his parents. Sure, he was close with his mother, but as he had grown she had become less and less interested in her youngest son that even she didn't ask him much anymore.

And he was too busy trying to take on as many cases as possible to bury his mind in work that he didn't have any friends to talk to. No lovers. No one but the housekeeper back home and half the time he felt like he was bother her with his worries. Maybe that was why he was such a good detective. Because he only ever focused on others. He came second to everyone in the world. It was his job to help them, not himself.

Murder made more sense than emotions. Which was probably a weird thing to think, but when his life revolved around people and crime and he could see the links and motives between them, the why and the how. But when it came to feelings? His own brain? He had no idea how to decipher them. For someone so smart he really was dumb when it came to his own head.

He wouldn't lie when he thought about wanting to get to know Edvin more. If he was going to be working with the man for a while then they might as well be friends. And the man was intriguing. He was interested in what lay behind those enchanting brown eyes. What thoughts. What was his past? He didn't know, but he wanted to find out, whether that was because he was a detective or because he was genuinely interesting in getting to know the man. Probably both.

When the other turned on his side, Will did the same, and it brought them practically nose to nose with one another considering how close they were. Edvin's comments on his eyes had him blushing, light red dusting over feckled pale skin. He ignored it.

"I doubt someone so great would have suffered from such an abnormality." Otherwise why would he have been so well loved?