"I can't stay long. I'll go back in an hour."
Reborn and Fon frowned, "Viper, we still have things to dis-"
"Tara. My name is Tara."
Reborn sighed, "Right. Tara. We still have things to discuss."
"No." They set down the glass of iced lemonade and met their gazes.
They were in one of the London branches of Fon's father's restaurants, tucked away in some obscure corner. A banquet of Sichuan dishes was spread out on a round table and Viper was visibly pleased with it.
It had been an unbelievably long time since he had a stare down with those particular eyes. Reborn almost forgot how unnerving they were.
"We do not have anything to discuss. In fact, since I know getting rid of you at this point simply isn't possible, I'll just tell you now that I'll settle with anything you and the others agree upon. But I'm staying with my brother."
"Skull is your brother." Fon pointed out.
"I'm staying with Sam." They added, unperturbed and with a finality in their tone that showed that they intended to fight it through if need be.
"Okay."
They were somehow being cordial with the two of them, and that hadn't happened since before that whole fake death ordeal that he hadn't gotten an explanation about from them yet.
Reborn didn't want to get into any arguments this early in their 'revival' -even less so to ignite it himself if Viper was keeping a check on themselves. He knew when to back down.
Though of course he rarely did so, he decided that he should try it more this time around.
'What if he had given in more? If he hadn't always pushed so much and been so arrogant-'
Viper blinked, evidently not expecting his easy acquiescence.
Even Fon stared.
"...Alright. But we don't even have cell phones in this time yet. How should we pass on messages between each other?"
Fon placed a slice of boiled fish in his mouth.
...It was a bit odd to be having a peaceful lunch with them after decades of barely chilled animosity.
But since neither was willing to show it, he didn't either.
"Don't contact me until you deal with things, by then Verde will probably already have something on hand."
Reborn tried the pepper chicken, "I'll be tracking down Verde first. With Lal and Colonnello... Well, who knows if I'll just end up getting arrested for my efforts."
"It will be difficult, won't it? With the tightening of the borders, going around without garnering attention will be hard."
"Have you met with Luce, yet?"
As expected of Viper to just bludgeon through that.
Though to be fair, he wouldn't have been surprised either if it had come from Fon.
"...no," he grabbed a glass of cool water, gulping it down.
Then, hesitantly, after a long moment of silence, he finally admitted, "I don't think I want to. Ever. I don't know what I'm hoping for."
The Luce who was going to betray them or the one that had already betrayed them.
Fon and Viper exchanged glances.
Reborn understood.
He was unsettling himself.
He was usually the self-assured, unflappable, self-proclaimed entity of chaos.
But he figured that he had finally reached his quota for regrets and it had filled him up, spilling out and overflowing.
'If only... He had been less guarded, less paranoid, and more willing to meet them halfway.'