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For now, you've got other plans. This might be your best chance to have a word with Johannes, before he gets drawn off on some other business. His assignment didn't go well, that much is obvious, and he might want to talk it over. Actually, he's highly unlikely to WANT to talk it over, but you're not going to take no for an answer. It's better this way, far better than brooding on it.
For both of you.
“Hey,” you begin, nodding to Johannes, “I think we should talk.”
“I think otherwise,” he replies, his words as blunt as stone, “Now what?”
“Now? Now we go somewhere quiet and have a talk,” you answer, giving him your best attempt at a scowl. Johannes meets your gaze, his dark eyes revealing nothing, before giving you a single curt nod. “Good. Glad to hear it,” you continue, gesturing towards the door. With a low sigh, almost a growl, Johannes pushes his plate away and rises to his feet.
“Hold on a minute!” Harriet calls out as you're leaving, “Are you-”
“We're not going to do anything fun,” Johannes warns her.
“Oh,” she pauses, “Carry on then, don't let me stop you.”
-
You walk for a long time before anyone says anything, your wandering almost taking you from the academy itself before Johannes stops. This time of morning, the academy grounds are almost completely deserted – the only other people you can see are a few servants working by the stables, and they show no interest in you.
“It went bad,” Johannes begins simply, “Is that what you wanted to hear?”
You shrug. “I assumed as such, but I'd rather hear it from you. What happened?” a pause as you think, “You went south, didn't you? Something about a...”
“They dug something up. A body. A coffin, actually. The body was inside,” he explains, sitting on a low wall and scowling at nothing in particular, “Ever since they dug it up, the locals were getting restless. Getting bad feelings, bad dreams. Nothing specific, nothing you could put your finger on, but the local priest was worried. That's why he called for help. They got me instead.”
“Oh come on,” you groan, “It wasn't that bad, was it?”
“People died,” Johannes spits, “Because of me.”
A long silence. “Oh,” you mutter eventually, immediately regretting your words, “What happened?”
Johannes doesn't answer this straight away, simply glaring at the servants as they go about their business. “It started with the body,” he says after a long silence, “It was intact, for how old it was. Preserved, maybe. Mummified. Figured out from the temple archives that it was a long-dead necromancer. In life, he had bound three evil spirits to his will. Now, those spirits were causing trouble all over town. They were bound to his body, see? Bound with ritual symbols tattooed into his flesh.”
“So I had it burned,” he continues, his broad shoulders moving in a heavy shrug, “Seemed like the simplest way to put an end to it. At the time.”
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