Prompt: none (An idea I had about reincarnated Children of Misfortune still holding tight connections to their pasts, since they operate "outside of the Story". And wouldn't the Baskervilles probably seek to "hire" those children to help them connect to the Abyss, so that the burden wasn't all on one person...?)

Rating: K

Warnings: None.

Eh, basically my idea here was summed up in the prompt up there. Wrote from Gilbert's perspective for fun. In part, I wanted to kill Ro... in part, BreakGil is just a no-romo OTP for me.

There should be no one in the Baskerville library, he thinks – at that, certainly not anyone that Gilbert does not know. But the figure casually leafing through an old tome (dusty, it probably is older than him) is not nearly familiar enough, that of a boy (hardly a man by any standard) with long white hair and a pose far too relaxed for any average intruder, his legs thrown up into a nearby chair and crossed over one another, his body slouching into his chosen seat. The raven eyes him from around a corner, trying to ascertain what he could be doing in this place – when suddenly (and far too calmly), the boy speaks up.

"You do realize that I know you're there, no?"

Gilbert can't help but be surprised – he didn't think he'd been making any noise, and the other hadn't even glanced up from the book he was studying (actually, more like squinting at), yet it was completely obvious who that remark was directed at. He rights himself from the momentary shock and steps toward the interloper, putting on a serious expression (he's one of the oldest here, now; he should show his authoritative side in this situation, right?) as he does.

"Who are you, and what are you doing here?"

The boy rolls his neck toward the elder without an ounce of respect or concern, not quite enough so to be called looking at him. In fact, Gilbert still cannot see his face from this angle – but there's something about that carelessness that annoys him on principle.

"Hey now, no need to be so testy~! Lady Glen brought me here as a 'part-timer' of sorts."

He chuckles and shoots his legs up, then tucks them under his form as he turns more completely toward the Baskerville, now far closer – for Gilbert, the striking crimson of his visible eye (– his bangs over the other, why? there's no way, right?) speaks for itself. The newcomer simply laughs, offering an irritating grin at the man's surprise.

"Something about how it can't hurt to have additional 'Children of Abyss' about so that the others can 'travel more freely', I believe? Really, all of this is quite complicated – since I've the time, I'm taking a moment to read about it, you see."

Travel more freely – then, for Vincent to keep wandering about like he does? It's a nice idea, he should make a note to thank Glen later, but something else is bothering Gilbert far more than that – that irritating manner of speaking, that utter carelessness and his eye – as the albino turns back to squinting at his tome leisurely, the raven only notices more parallels between this person and an old friend (only voice and age aside, really, but it's been a century, so is that even strange?). But for the moment, he tries to put it out of mind.

"Can you not read that? You have spectacles sitting right there, so why –"

"Hmm? I don't like wearing them."

An irritated huff. "You're going to strain your eyes reading that complicated stuff without them – here."

It's nostalgic, trying to push this stubborn fool into doing something reasonable for his own health – despite his protesting, Gilbert grabs the glasses and makes to force them onto the other's face. And despite the way the youth tries to avoid the issue, golden eyes catch sight of the blue-stained, sightless pupil beneath those snow-colored bangs.

But unlike last time, he doesn't scream – he's hardly surprised, and yet his eyes are wide for a different reason entirely.

"Your eye…"

"That? It's been blind since I was born. I suppose I don't particularly like to draw attention to it."

With that, the red-eyed boy slips the spectacles from the other's hand and hooks them into the collar of his shirt to prevent further harassment. The Baskerville's mind is elsewhere entirely, stumbling for the right way to ask the question he's almost certain of the answer to.

"You… didn't tell me your name."

"Did I not?"

Even now, he doesn't seem to care in the slightest – but it's been so long that Gilbert can't even say he's "used to it", more that it's simply so nostalgic that even if it's annoying, it's pleasant.

"It's Kevin."

It's not exactly the answer he was expecting, and for a moment his jaw slackens – but, deep in his memories, he had heard that name from Break's lips before.

"Now, are you going to keep standing there and bothering me, or are you going to do something useful for a change, Gilbert?"

"You're the one messing with me, Break!"

A red eye flicks up to him, brow low and irritated at the sudden outburst (but what else could he do? he hadn't introduced himself, he just knew) – but after a brief pause, Kevin gives another wry, knowing smirk.

"Break – that's not a bad name at all, is it? Perhaps not a great first name, though… well, if you'd rather call me that, I won't take issue with it."

He's still the exact same idiot he always had been – and so Gilbert simply laughs as a warm feeling rises in his chest.

"What, I can't graduate to calling you 'Xerxes' now that I'm older than you?"

And the youth just chuckles at that, as well.

"If you really want to, I suppose."