Just a middle-aged man

[maddeninghatter]

Who: Xerxes Break and Phancyhive
When: September 24th
Where: Under a blanket
Summary: In the aftermath of this (squick warning), Xerxes Break is hiding from the world. Unfortunately, the world can find him pretty easily.
Warnings: References to eye squick

[ Break had spent the first few days afterwards recovering: sleeping mostly, and occasionally poking at his NV. But now, as he's feeling better, the enormity of what happened is beginning to sink in…

Not so much his eye popping out in front of everyone at dinner, that could happen to anyone (that his erstwhile eyeball has been marauding the mansion is a detail of which he is, as yet, blissfully unaware).

But that Gilbert, of all people, had chastised him. And he'd deserved it. Even worse - the way he'd been behaving for weeks and weeks, so much foolishness, over something that hadn't even happened! He's been so public about it, so obvious…

Well. He's… he's just going to be here in his room. Under his blanket. ]

Comments

[jokesonthem]

[Wow, someone is super rude, as usual. Reim is stupidly relieved even as he frowns; they're just dogs, he shouldn't... think they're all going to try and eat him, but whatever.

He reaches out and whaps Break in the head, finally.]

Shut up, Xerxes!

[maddeninghatter]

[ That whap sends him flying. He sails through the air, out of the little rabbit house and onto the lawn.

Well, not really. More accurately, he jumped. But now he's lying down, sprawled out in the grass. ]

What was thaaaaaaaat for? I said I'd help you~!

[ A gust of wind sends a rain of golden leaves fluttering down upon him. He plucks one from his face and twirls it between his fingers. This is a perfect day.

Well. Almost perfect. That little niggle is getting stronger; he's sure he's forgotten something important. But... he'll sort it out later. ]

[jokesonthem]

[Ridiculous!! Reim follows as far as the doorway, as he still hasn't put down this rabbit. It's... friendly...]

You never take me seriously!

[A general complaint; he does realize it sounds like rabbits make him nervous. That's not the point.]

How often do we have to come out here?

[maddeninghatter]

Come, come, Mister Reim. You know I never take anyone seriously~☆

[ He smiles; another happy thought has occurred to him. If taking care of rabbits is so far out of Reim's comfort zone that he feels he needs help, then there is no way he'll pursue something actually dangerous, like driving. ]

How should I know? I'm not the serious rabbit expert.

[jokesonthem]

[This was a terrible mistake.]

Now I have to read up on rabbits, because of you...

[Precious tedium. He's even going to take notes! Then he can keep a feeding calendar, and a "It Has Been [X] Days Since Xerxes Was Banned From Holding The Rabbits" sign, and--

Yes. Those things.]

Get off the ground!

[maddeninghatter]

[ He gathers up a handful of fallen leaves and tosses them at Reim. They don't find their mark, of course; they just float away on the breeze. ]

I'm down here cos I'm waiting.

[ "Reading up on rabbits," he's going to get the giggles again. How very Reim.

He doesn't hold rabbits. He just pulls them out of his hat. ]

HE'S GOING TO SPEND ALL AFTERNOON WITH THE BUNNY HAHAHAHA!

[jokesonthem]

[He is going to read up on rabbits, it's going to take him a whole afternoon. He'll even use Rabbit Facts to lecture Break about rabbit care, it will be great.]

Waiting-- [OH! MOCKERY. That sure is what was missing from this outing! Reim makes an indignant sound and goes to return his new best bunny friend to its hutch, which takes only a minimal amount of fussing with getting it open. And not because he wants to hold bunnies for prolonged amounts of time.

Nope. Never.

When he returns, he stands over Break and nudges him with his foot.]

Alright, that's enough.

[maddeninghatter]

[ "When he returns": long enough that Break has taken out a knitting project and made some serious headway with it. ]

So soooooooooooon?

[jokesonthem]

[why this]

Yes. Come on! Are you going to waste the whole day out here?

[Nudge nudge.]

[maddeninghatter]

Why not? But if you insist.

[ He gathers himself together: putting away his knitting, shaking off the leaves that have accumulated on top of him, and reaching his arm up, expectantly. ]

It's not "wasting," anyway. It's going to be useful.

[jokesonthem]

There's nothing useful about lying on the ground...

[Chide chide. Automatically, he reaches down to take Break's hand and pull him up.]

[maddeninghatter]

I meant, you're going to be useful. To me. Learning how to take care of rabbits.

[ He stands, straightening his garish jacket. ]

I've got this idea, you see...

[jokesonthem]

I'm not agreeing to your ideas-!

[They're probably terrible. Warily:]

What is it?

[maddeninghatter]

If you don't want to help, that's fine.

However...

[ Jauntily swinging his cane, he starts to walk off. ]

I've heard there's a harvest festival of sorts. It usually takes place in a couple of weeks. Various performances, and so forth. I've got an idea for an act.

[ He turns back to Reim, grinning, and pulling meaningfully on the brim of his hat. ]

[jokesonthem]

[He isn't much of a go-to-festivals person, but maybe...]

Be more specific than that!

[He sees that hat, and he disagrees on principle with pulling more rabbits out of it. It isn't even a particularly ridiculous thought, disapproval is just a conditioned response. He catches up with Break.]

What would you need me to do?

[The operative word being WOULD, this is totally hypothetical...!!]

[maddeninghatter]

Why, look after the rabbits, of course. Can't have a magic show without hats and rabbits, right? And perhaps...

[ He slips his hand into the crook of Reim's elbow. ]

...drink beer, talk to people, look harmless - and listen.

[ This city has a lot of secrets. ]

Think you can do that for me, hmmm?

[jokesonthem]

[Hold bunnies and fade into the background? That's practically his dream job. He makes a point to seemingly consider it for a brief pause, anyway.]

Did you have something in mind I ought to listen for? I'm sure the people here love their gossip.

[maddeninghatter]

[ Newcomers are really unpopular with the locals and people want to hunt and kill them, so any information pertaining to--



--er. Maybe he shouldn't phrase things in quite that way to Mister Needs-Help-Holding-Rabbits. ]

I'll... ah...

I'll let you know, all right?

[jokesonthem]

[Ye of little faith. Children make him nervous; adults with unsavory inclinations are so passé.]

Alright. Don't forget.

[maddeninghatter]

[ The autumn sunshine is coming in horizontally; he can't see, but he can sense how golden it is. Another zephyr; another gust of little leaves. Winter is coming, and yet...

Reim is here, Reim is alive, warm beside him. And if he's alive, then he's whole, at least to Break's way of thinking. Because Break's - no, Kevin's - training was entirely martial. In a fight, you keep getting up until you can't get up again; and if you can get up, that means you're all right. ]

I won't forget.

[ Indeed - he'll freeze this moment in his memory. ]