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"so this again...?"
Peter stepped in the room; looking around Elias' office, putting his overcoat over one of the chairs.
"Hello, Peter." He responded rather fondly. "Thank you for accepting my invite; as an start i would like you t-"
"So this is it then? You get to talk?"
"I'm sorry...?"
"After all you did, you're the one who gets to give me orders?"
"I'm... not sure I follow." He says with a breathed chuckle.
"Don't start playin' dumb, not with me." He said dismissively. "You left me to rot, for decades, and now you just ask me around because you need something from me." Peter awaits but Elias doesn't respond.
"Is it really that simple for you?"
"What is?"
"Anything." Peter rasps. "Do you even care the slightest bit about anything?"
Elias scoffs, and it makes Peter want to rip his skull open with rage. "To be completely honest, no, I don't."
Peter lets out a pained chuckle. "Figured as much;" He sighes. "why even bother asking..."
"Well, if it really does bother you, you can just leave now." Elias said, gesturing to the door ajar.
"You're really an asshole."
"So you won't then." Elias says and claps his hands together. "Now that that's settled, I would like you to do me a favor."
"Let's hear it."
"I need you to bring someone in the archives very close to yourself while im gone. You need to bury them deep in The Lonely-"
"What for."
"So that later on, he would mark The Archivist; I have a suitable candidate for this acti-"
"So it's all about your precious ritual again, isn't it?"
"It will work." Elias says seriously. "I've run a few tests and the results were... let's say... pretty promising."
"And what makes you think I want to be any part of your bullshit?"
Elias sighes, a little frustration seeping into it. "Why is this with you that you never understand."
"I'm sorry, I don't understand?"
"You heard what I said; or perhaps you couldn't. You've grown very old afterall, your ears might not have their former efficienc-"
"Don't you dare-" Peter surges forward and grabs Elias' collar, causing him to gasp as a result. "I spent more than a centry on that rotten boat wandering around just because your selfish ass didn't find me efficient enough for your divine plans;" He started, almost shouting at him. He didn't even know why; perhps it was all the agony he had felt finally finding a way to slide through his sealed head, or rather heart. Elias is startled, which satisfies Peter to watch, and then it gives place to deflection as he looks away from his piercing gaze. "After everything we had done together, you would just throw me out like a piece of garbage and i should just accept it."
"That was your own choice."
"My own choice?!" Peter scoffs. "You just dismissed me because you didn't need me. I didn't get to have any choice in that; just another toy, too broken, too boring to play with anymore."
Elias sighes.
"Short on words now are we? pretty rare thing for you to happen, don't you agree? Or maybe it isn't that rare after all. Becsuse you had spent a hundred years years not speaking a word to me to this very day and now out of the blue you need 'my help'."
"You can still leave, if you wa-"
"People's feelings aren't such simple things to play with. To toss back and forth or just... summon whenever you want."
Elias looked at Peter with a mocking expression of disblief. "Is that really what you're pulling up right now?" Peter goes silent. "Do you even have any feelings left in you to say that?"
"I loved you, Jonah."
Silence. but this time, way heavier than before.
Elias looks startled, almost baffled Peter could say, his lips parted in awe and Peter could savour it if it wasnt for that he was as startled himself at what he had just said.
stupid.
it was stupid.
as stupid as telling a dead bird to use its wings and fly.
it didnt last much though, as Elias shifted the form of shock on his face to one of mock.
"I'm going to pretend I didn't hear that."
Peter let go of his collar, and Elias dusted his coat where it had been touched.
"I will send you the instructions tomorrow, you will need to take action right after i was gone from the institute."
There were several seconds of silence as Peter picked up his overcoat and walked to the door, grabbing the handle.
"Peter."
He stopped.
"If it means anything, I loved you too."
Rotten.
They were so rotten to their bones that no word felt even close to real anymore. All they had was a vague idea of a memory, a glimpse, at what once was and never again will be. It was still there, but much too insignificant for either of them.
"No you didn't."
Peter opened the door and left.