Flynn woke, as he often did in recent days, feeling like crap.

Which was odd, because apparently, he had a clear bill of health. The poison that he’d had at the Gala had been cured by the antidote that had been found. His arm had healed up pretty well, a long, pale blue scar that ran from his left wrist to the bend of his arm the only remnant of what was once a long, deep gash.

The only issue was the opal that was fused into his chest.

Flynn had found a little routine for himself in Swynlake. It was odd; he was used to routines, used to stretches of time doing the exact same thing every day between moments of constant motion and change, but he was also used to those routines being centered around robbing someone blind.

Following a mark, getting a part-time job at a café next to a gallery, even that time he spent three weeks playing chess in a park almost religiously every day from 10:23 to 1:17 PM (Don’t ask).

This routine was just... him. His life. 

Answering emails and updating his website in the morning after making sure all the firewalls were in place. Writing in the afternoon; sometimes in his recently finished home-office or out in town. Then in the evenings, he would either make dinner at home or go out to the Court to check on Wendy and have a drink or two.

And a few times a week, he had lunch with Rapunzel at the flower shop.

“Special delivery for a Ms. Corona!” he called out playfully as he shouldered his way through the door, the familiar ringing of bells overhead heralding his arrival just a tad quieter than he had. The Garden Grove was always perfectly warm and humid, no matter how muggy and miserable it was outside, and the beautiful arrays of flowers and shrubs made it feel like he’d walked into an enchanted garden instead of a little shop off Main.

“Hope you’re in the mood for Tiana’s because I was craving gumbo,” Flynn continued, balancing the paper bag with all their lunch as he headed deeper into the shop. “And yes, I got you extra beignets. I accept thanks in the from of glowing praise and adoration or a pat on the head, I’m not picky.”

「 Why am I here? To torment you, of course.」

     He laughs. How cute. But as for the other statement... none of his concern, eh? Eclipse thought about it for a moment. He supposed the boy was... speaking the truth.