encore !

“ OH,  I’M SO GLAD YOU NOTICED ! ”  where he was slightly gloomy before,  he’s practically brimming with excitement now.  relief shines clearly through on his face,  and the chatter that begins is almost non-stop.  

“ nobody brought it up the entire game,  i was wondering if they were maybe too subtle  ——  they’re simply a mixture of my usual formulas with some things i took from the kitchen,  you see !  i was gettin’ a lil discouraged when no one seemed to notice,  to be honest  ;  they were a little difficult to mix,  and last game was supposed to be a test run,  but i was getting no feedback on it !  it’s so difficult to gauge reactions when there’s no real audience watching  —  i was even considering asking the hunter about it !! ”

he pauses for a breath.

MIKE’S BROWS FURROW IN MOMENTARY CONFUSION AS HE TURNS,  not quite recognizing the voice that calls his name.  his face lights up almost comically at the sight of his precious red bomb,  tucked safely in the gravekeeper’s palms.  

“ oh  ——  my darling ! ”  picking the bomb up,  he examines it hastily,  as if checking a small animal for injuries.  satisfied with its condition,  mike directs his sunbeam grin back towards andrew.  “ thank you so much,  mr.  kreiss !!  i thought i’d lost this one,  or misplaced it somewhere  ——  i was worried all match ! ”  he slips the bomb pack into its place in his pouch,  visibly more relaxed with the comforting weight.  “ let me repay you !  i could make you something,  if you’d like  ——  i can cook up some exciting things,  if i do say so myself ! ”

@nitrebomb​ said ; “ oh my god why can’t you just take the fricken compliMENT ”

              An irritated sigh sliped past his lips as Norton ran his gloved hand over dark locks of hair “—-Jeez….Are you even listening? I already told you it wasn´t great— I could have saved you, okay??” Guilt dripped from his words as his gaze shifted away in embarassment. “we could have escaped us four…” He finished muttering under his breath. If only he´d been faster— maybe he could have saved Mike, maybe he could have prevented from him getting chaired, and although the acrobat seemed fine with the decision taken by the team, Norton couldn´t stop feeling a tingling sensation running down the tip of his fingers as well as he couln´t stop his legs from trembling, which in result ended up in the prospector resting his arms over his legs in order to attempt to cover the best he could the proof of his troubled state.

Guilt, that was what he was feeling; and it was his mind that began to slowly get cluttered in painful memories as Mike talked to him. It was the memories of his past that made him feel as if he had a knot down his throat, a feeling that could only be described as if he was being strangled by his own cravat. If Norton were to close his eyes, he could swear their faces would appear in front of him, and it was that thought that scared him so much to the point that it made him abruptly get up from his seat.

Turning around to face the acrobat, it was the moment his earthy eyes met those bright sky-blue ones of Mike that the prospector found his shoulders slightly dropping. Had he truly been that deeply lost in his thoughts? Who would have guessed that the sight of the striking colorful pattern of the other´s attire could be so comforting in these moments…. Finally releasing a defeated sigh, Norton ran a hand down his own hair before speaking again; 

“Sorry, i—-…..Putting that to the side, you were great Morton. if it weren´t for you, we probably wouldn´t have made it out the rest of us. What i meant to say is…. Thank you, really.”

THERE ARE MOMENTS WHEN NORTON LEAVES HIM,  slipping into someplace darker where only the ghosts of memory linger.  mike makes note of these instances when the prospector’s gaze runs from his,  lured by something distant in both space and time.  knowing what was rapidly approaching,  mike spoke first to assure his teammate of his good work in the last game.  too hastily,  it seemed  —  norton’s nervous energy now spills out of him in waves,  and mike has to give himself a mental kick for his carelessness.

“ i heard you loud and clear,  campbell.  the first few times,  at least !  unfortunately for you,  i’m not particularly interested in entertaining bullshit. ”  he squints down,  appearing to be focusing much harder than needed on assembling his new set of juggling balls.  discomfort oozes thickly from norton’s side of the room.  in return,  mike tries to keep his presence casual,  relaxed.  after all,  who didn’t carry a few demons around with them ?  “ you bought us more than enough time to activate the exit gates.  it was a smart move on the hunter’s part to catch me off guard at my side of the map.  don’t flatter yourself too much  —  my bad luck has nothing to do with you. ”  

even as he talks,  it becomes evident from his shortening breaths that norton was no longer listening.  mike lifts his head,  placing the ball and needle down and moving to get up. 

“ n- ” 

the sudden screech of norton’s chair startles him so much he falls back down into his seat.  their eyes meet,  and even mike falters under the intensity of the prospector’s gaze.  the raw amount of trust he finds is so overwhelming he’s almost fearful.  even he wouldn’t trust himself this much.  mike recovers quickly,  however,  slapping a sloppy grin over his hesitance with the efficiency of a seasoned performer.

SPARROW.      innocence.   big dreamer.   waking up too early.   walking home.   being afraid of meeting new people.   slim hands.   always cold.   reading a book under a tree.   the smell of the forest.  missing your home.

EAGLE.       independent.  caring too much for others.   sharp looks.   walking through the city late at night.   the tallest and most spectacular building.   iron.

SWIFT.      falling in love easily and heavily.   traveler.   the infinity of the bluest sky.   storms.  broken smiles.   forgetting people who used to be your beloved ones.   feeling out of place.   mistrusting people.    a fleeting romance.

CROW.         feeling as if you have seen so much and as if you know a lot.   prejudging.   tight hugs that leave you breathless.   a grey sky.   serenity.   intelligence.   being left behind.   chains.   smoke.  the pride of someone wise.  

DOVE.      petals.   jealousy.   being tired of living with the same old faces.   whispered secrets.   marble.  sundresses.   white clothes.   the first sunset of winter.  pride in who you are.   learning to get over someone.

SEAGULL.        family.   golden light.   the sea murmuring in your ear.   summer afternoons.   caramel ice cream.  collecting seashells and other things and calling them treasures.   living breezy and carefree.  swimming in the sunlight.

CANARY.         artistic.   getting excited easily.   dancing and singing while you are alone. looking at your friends having fun.   no phone.   being afraid of judgment.   spring.   a meaningful gift.   the first ray of sunlight.

@guiltburied  —  from misc memes.

MIKE KNOWS WHAT’S IN NORTON’S HAND BEFORE HE GETS A PROPER LOOK AT IT.  it’s odd to see his neat stack of letters and investigation reports so blatantly held out in the open  ;  he’s normally very careful about where he puts them,  after all.  he must be getting careless  —  although,  there’s no particular alarm that comes with the realization.  in such a strange motley of characters,  mike finds less and less of a need to put on his usual acts.  and margaretha,  of course,  is very aware of his presence at the manor.

@oletuslured  —  from misc memes.

“ HM ? ”  mike looks up,  nothing but a pair of bright blinking eyes buried under the haze.  “ oh ! ”  he swats away some of the smoke obscuring his face,  uncovering a wide grin.  “ miss helena !  have you come to see the source of the explosions ?  i’ve been working on a new bomb-  it’s still very much in its testing phases,  you see,  but i think this sweetheart has a lot of potential. ”  

@eximprsnd​  —  from misc memes.

HE WATCHES THE RIPPER LEAVE SLUGGISHLY,  mud still clinging to his feet in thick clumps.  disappointment dims the delight in his smile  —  he was ready for a chase,  restless with all the pent up energy he accumulated from decoding nearly the entire game  —  but  ..  perhaps it may be for the best.  one hand still rummaging through the contents of his pouch,  the other extends to the man crouched behind a large rock.  white ball,  red ball.  not yet enough materials for another black ball.  ah,  coast is clear,  mr. prisoner !