who : agent whitman ,  raphael pérez de la peña where : raphael's living room when : january 12, 1994 @ 02:36 pm
     "   i've studied nearly every permutation of a chess board. you are at a significant disadvantage.   "   this , of course , is a lie , or an extreme exaggeration at the very least. at a number exceeding the amount of atoms in the world , it would take 9.2e+23 times the age of the universe to achieve what artemus claims. Â
     but @whitmanners doesn't need to know that.
     they sigh and move a piece on the board.   "   knight takes pawn ,   "   they narrate. artemus swipes back a lock of hair from his forehead , still damp from the snowstorm that he walked in to get here. his hand is wrapped in a white bandage seeped through with red at the knuckles , a complication of being volunteered to supervise a rookie during their mission. yeah , they won't let that happen again.Â
     artemus leans back in his chair and studies raphael. the rules of the game are eternally malleable , changing every time he sets foot into this house. today , they've decided that each time a piece is captured , a question is asked and must be answered ( within reasonable boundaries    ). it adds more tension to a game that artemus finds boring on a good day.
     "   what would it take for you to come back ? hypothetically.   "   he's been carefully avoiding asking directly about his retirement. personal things should stay as such , but he'd be dishonest if he said he doesn't miss agent whitman. there is a distinct lack of personality in the bureau halls and a lull that only agent london sometimes manages to lift. what's the world supposed to do without time travel puns ? these weekly visits can only stem the ache of absence for so long.   "   they have me trying to train recruits.   "   artemus raises his bandaged hand and says with comical severity ,   "   someone is going to die.   "
