one foot in front of the other

[duke_of_illusions]

It helps a great deal, having someone to care for, having something to focus on. He wakes up the next morning aching, but with a bit better of an idea of what to do with his day than he has in the months since his partner vanished.

He makes breakfast, and brings it to Liam's room. Knocks on the door.

"It's me."

Comments

[info-barma.livejournal.com]

"Ah- I should be more precise. There is no way back that we control. When you do return home, it will be at the will of the mansion, much like your earrings were simply brought here."

Moving to steer him towards the bed.

[easilyflustered]

"So however long it keeps me, I'm stuck here?"

Liam doesn't notice, instead trying to bend to pick up the earring back so he can get it on.

"Xerxes is going to think the Baskervilles kidnapped me from my sickbed or something."

[info-barma.livejournal.com]

"Current wisdom suggests time freezes while you're gone."

He supervises this closely, moving to intercept and do it for him when it looks like he's going to pull a stitch or have to use his bad shoulder.

[easilyflustered]

He doesn't protest when Barma does so. He's so relieved by his words that he sags against the sink.

"So if... when I go back, I'll be in the hallway outside my room, where I was when I found myself in that library?"

Liam realizes something.

"But won't people wonder why I've healed a bit?"

He holds his right hand out for the earring back to try again to get the left earring on.

[info-barma.livejournal.com]

"Let me."

He offers, quietly, moving to do it instead, with a look of rapt contemplation on his face.

"Perhaps you will have, perhaps you will return to the moment you left. If it happens, say it was Hare."

[easilyflustered]

Liam relents and hands him the stud. He doubts he would have been able to do it, anyway.

"But you'll see right through that excuse," he murmurs, then he frowns at the other implication.

"Wait... So I could heal here, and then when I go back I'll be just as injured?"

Oh, that's just cruel.

[info-barma.livejournal.com]

He fastens it daintily.

"It might be. You would have to tell me the complete truth, of course, but that was to be expected."

There's no lying to him.

[easilyflustered]

Oh, this is just too much. He really doesn't want to go through this twice, and he might have to.

"I hate this place," he finally mutters.