![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
Commission: Immortalise Jack-of-Smiles in another penny dreadful!
Jack-of-Smiles is a possessing spirit who from time to time occupies some poor idiot's corpse and slinks round the streets cutting up people he takes a dislike to. Eventually some public-spirited citizen always catches him and puts him down.
-------------------------------------------------
In early October Cassius was approached to write about their experiences on the 'Jack Case'.
For most of September they had dealt with him every night. Fighting in the streets. Parrying his knife on rooftops. Ambushing Jack-of-Smiles at every chance. Sometimes even while he was still claiming a victim. And sometimes waiting at a street lamp for him to attack. They had been hired by the Constabulary to try to dissipate one of his killing-sprees, this time on Watchmaker's Hill. The pay was ridiculously high-albeit not many on the case lived to receive payment-and it offered a grand chance to increase their reputation. Or reputations as the case often is, although taking such a case could also damage it. Not many people want to hire someone so foolhardy, but after a week of having worked the crime scenes for the then latest victims of Jack, Cassius accepted.
Never once did Jack get the best of them, but he always managed to come back. It was a stalemate, but one that could not continue with Cassius' lack of sleep and increasing exhaustion.
Finally it seemed that Jack realised that if he just left the area, then Cassius would collect their payment and be done with it. Or perhaps after 62 deaths he had developed a semi-respect for the red-haired detective. In any case on September 27th there were no Smiles' attacks on the Hill. And again on the 28th. There was a few cases in other parts of London, but there was not a one on Watchmaker's Hill. In the small hours of the morning on October 1st, the CLP offered payment and a relief of duty. The amount of Rostygold and Diamonds was enough to make Cassius gasp. (and it wasn't strictly not under the table.)
But still they would jump at street corners, warily watching for any movements in the shadows. So when they were approached to write on their experience, they took the opportunity to try to relieve some anxiety and to offer hopefully an aid to others that would take on the Case. It did not take long to actually write, but to make sure the facts were straight Cassius revisited crime scenes, read back-issues of newspapers, visited surviving victims, and drew various diagrams. Growing again without sleep, and spending rather too much time at the Parlour of Virtue. What came about was not fictionalised, and was in fact so gruesome with its details that it quickly became blacklisted by the Ministry for Public Decency. Still it sold enough copies before for 3 'official' printings, and is actually a relatively easy book to buy from out-of-the-open sellers. Cassius even occasionally lectures on it's contents, although rather grimly and only for quite a bit of payment. And yet not many of their associates or friends know that they have authored such an account.
-------------------------------------------
They asked for it. They want blood? Give them blood!
Turn in a piece so savage, so terrifying, so gruesome and detailed that it may be banned before it ever gets off the presses.
'ah, Si-, er, Mad-, er, yes!, this is quite an achievement. You'll excuse me if I don't shake your hand.'
You are escorted from the publisher's office and questioned by constables. Your work gives nine hundred readers nightmares and closes four schools. Women scream and faint as you pass in the street. Sales are excellent. You receive an unexpected bonus: late one night, a stranger delivers a package of bottled souls to your door. You don't see his face, but a note with the package reads: 'Best wishes - Jack'
Jack-of-Smiles is a possessing spirit who from time to time occupies some poor idiot's corpse and slinks round the streets cutting up people he takes a dislike to. Eventually some public-spirited citizen always catches him and puts him down.
-------------------------------------------------
In early October Cassius was approached to write about their experiences on the 'Jack Case'.
For most of September they had dealt with him every night. Fighting in the streets. Parrying his knife on rooftops. Ambushing Jack-of-Smiles at every chance. Sometimes even while he was still claiming a victim. And sometimes waiting at a street lamp for him to attack. They had been hired by the Constabulary to try to dissipate one of his killing-sprees, this time on Watchmaker's Hill. The pay was ridiculously high-albeit not many on the case lived to receive payment-and it offered a grand chance to increase their reputation. Or reputations as the case often is, although taking such a case could also damage it. Not many people want to hire someone so foolhardy, but after a week of having worked the crime scenes for the then latest victims of Jack, Cassius accepted.
Never once did Jack get the best of them, but he always managed to come back. It was a stalemate, but one that could not continue with Cassius' lack of sleep and increasing exhaustion.
Finally it seemed that Jack realised that if he just left the area, then Cassius would collect their payment and be done with it. Or perhaps after 62 deaths he had developed a semi-respect for the red-haired detective. In any case on September 27th there were no Smiles' attacks on the Hill. And again on the 28th. There was a few cases in other parts of London, but there was not a one on Watchmaker's Hill. In the small hours of the morning on October 1st, the CLP offered payment and a relief of duty. The amount of Rostygold and Diamonds was enough to make Cassius gasp. (and it wasn't strictly not under the table.)
But still they would jump at street corners, warily watching for any movements in the shadows. So when they were approached to write on their experience, they took the opportunity to try to relieve some anxiety and to offer hopefully an aid to others that would take on the Case. It did not take long to actually write, but to make sure the facts were straight Cassius revisited crime scenes, read back-issues of newspapers, visited surviving victims, and drew various diagrams. Growing again without sleep, and spending rather too much time at the Parlour of Virtue. What came about was not fictionalised, and was in fact so gruesome with its details that it quickly became blacklisted by the Ministry for Public Decency. Still it sold enough copies before for 3 'official' printings, and is actually a relatively easy book to buy from out-of-the-open sellers. Cassius even occasionally lectures on it's contents, although rather grimly and only for quite a bit of payment. And yet not many of their associates or friends know that they have authored such an account.
-------------------------------------------
They asked for it. They want blood? Give them blood!
Turn in a piece so savage, so terrifying, so gruesome and detailed that it may be banned before it ever gets off the presses.
'ah, Si-, er, Mad-, er, yes!, this is quite an achievement. You'll excuse me if I don't shake your hand.'
You are escorted from the publisher's office and questioned by constables. Your work gives nine hundred readers nightmares and closes four schools. Women scream and faint as you pass in the street. Sales are excellent. You receive an unexpected bonus: late one night, a stranger delivers a package of bottled souls to your door. You don't see his face, but a note with the package reads: 'Best wishes - Jack'
