05

[takethat]

[What a whirlwind the past few weeks have been! And now, suddenly having this shiny new journal ready and waiting to be chickenscratched in, it doesn't really look like things are planning to slow down any time soon. After all, this place doesn't ever do anything without a reason, so Phoenix is coming to understand--even if that reason is "to mess with you."

He opens the new journal slowly (having always sort of savored the sound of cracking a book's spine for the first time), thinks a moment, and then writes the first thing that comes to mind in huge letters that take up the whole first page.]

I GOT MY BIKE BACK!

Comments

written always

[takethat]

[Long pause.









He doesn't know a thing about bikes, except that he's really attached to his.]

Well I don't... really know... it's just a well-loved bike!

[modernholmes]

It must be, if the castle brought it for you! I just found my skateboard.

[takethat]

That's great! Are you good at skateboarding?

[modernholmes]

I've practiced a lot.

[takethat]

I get the impression you're saying that in a "you don't know the half of it" kind of way.

Would I be right on that, hm?

[Hoping he hasn't lost all of his dumb luck brilliant powers of deduction here!]

[modernholmes]

Maybe. I guess you'll just have to see sometime.

[takethat]

Ha! I'll look forward to that.

[modernholmes]

I's been a while since we talked. How have you been doing?

[takethat]

Pretty good! The holidays were kind of nuts, though... how've you been?

[modernholmes]

I've been okay. [It hadn't been a great few weeks, but it wasn't like hw could talk about turning back to his true age and all the other things that had happened.]

[takethat]

I guess okay is better than awful, huh?

[modernholmes]

Usually.