[Backdated to the 1st.]

[livewiththisdisgrace]

[Tyrannus had been very specific about his final wish. Better to agree on things with Peacock, he'd thought, than work against it and have it mess with him just to be contrary.

Still. It had been three years, for him, and even having agreed to that beforehand he's still startled by his return. But who wouldn't be? The longer you spend at home, the easier it is to believe that a place like this can't exist. Something that held true for him even with the fact that he'd had... an advantage, because of it.

But nonetheless, he's back - just turning about the lobby slowly, eyes tracking over the place.]

He didn't destroy the place in a month then, huh...

Comments

For some reason I expected the timeskip to be longer :O

[monocle_layton]

[Did you expect Twister to come greet you, Tyrannus? Did you feel that, even though it's been such a long time for you, that it has been only a short space of time here and therefore not much has changed?

It looks the same, doesn't it?

It looks as if nothing has damaged it. And perhaps that is the truth of the matter, as none of Twister's useless plans could result in damaging this place.

But damage himself? Oh yes, his plans (and some lovely meddling from others) did that.

So.

Remember how you used to be the broken toy that Twister would try to play with without breaking? How he was the 'stable' one and you were the unstable one?

You seem pretty stable now.

I wonder...]

...

[Twister regards him from the end of the corridor. He is unsure if he should leave.]

[livewiththisdisgrace]

[Though, of course... Tyrannus spots him. There's still that radar, even with... well, everything.]

...Hershel?

[He looks taller, Twister.]

[monocle_layton]

[Twister backs up towards the staircase, breaking eye contact and leaving.]

[livewiththisdisgrace]

[...was that an eyeroll?

Oh. Yes. It was definitely an eyeroll.

Tyrannus strides after him, catching up soon enough.]

Playing hard to get, Hershel?

[monocle_layton]

...I don't want you.

[He continues not to look at Tyrannus, just heading for his room.]

[livewiththisdisgrace]

Yes, well, I'm coming anyway.

[monocle_layton]

[He's closing the door, whether or not you're trying to come through it.]

[livewiththisdisgrace]

[Have an elbow in the door. Keep it up and it'll be an elbow in the face.]

Hershel.

[monocle_layton]

[He tries to prod the elbow out, but otherwise doesn't comment.]

[livewiththisdisgrace]

[Oh, for the love of...

Tyrannus growls, knocking the door open and just pushing past Twister.

He is, for the record? Taller than him now.]

Now.

[monocle_layton]

[How dare you be taller than him.

Twister just stares silently.]

[livewiththisdisgrace]

Christ, Hershel, I leave you alone for... what. Less than a month?

[monocle_layton]

How long in your time?

[livewiththisdisgrace]

Three years. I wanted to be gone long enough to... experience things.

[monocle_layton]

I hope that those things were worth it.

[livewiththisdisgrace]

Well, I got to be Prime Minister for three years. You were always panting after that, so.

[monocle_layton]

Ah yes, the meaningless title. To rule over a people whose mentality was ultimately too low to ever comprehend how the world it was part of could even work.

I did used to long for that.

[livewiththisdisgrace]

[He snorts.]

Someone's gloomy. What did Peacock do to you?

[monocle_layton]

Peacock showed me what I was in comparison to him.

[livewiththisdisgrace]

What, human compared to a nightmarish thing that probably inspired HP Lovecraft?

[monocle_layton]

Yes.

It was unlike what I wanted to see.

Now, I would like for you to leave.

[livewiththisdisgrace]

Too bad. You don't always get what you want.

[monocle_layton]

The loss of Petrel and yourself would confirm that, yes.

[livewiththisdisgrace]

...Petrel?

[monocle_layton]

The Clive from my world. He belongs to Roulette now.

[livewiththisdisgrace]

...

...ah.

And you care, because?

[monocle_layton]

He was my Clive.

[livewiththisdisgrace]

You thought I was your Clive until Layton turned up.

[monocle_layton]

Yes, well, at that point I was proven wrong. Not that it ultimately matters which Clive comes from what world.

[livewiththisdisgrace]

In which case, what does it matter that Layton has him?

[monocle_layton]

He chose Roulette over him. I cannot say why that matters, but it does.

Did.

It no longer matters.