Oh HELL no. There is NO WAY we're going through this shit again. It doesn't matter what story he has, the fact is that it's been more than two months since he last even TRIED to get ahold of us, several months before that where he wasn't answering his phone, wasn't checking email, and only called when he was drunk and horny.

...that doesn't change the fact that when he's behaving and attentive, he's amusing. And useful.

No, but it does change whether or not we're willing to talk to him again.

Music's good. Better than what we're thinking, anyway.

And what, in your oh-so-humble opinion, are we thinking? Since you're speaking for us all, apparently.

Don't snap at me, I'm not the one missing him.

Oh, really? The closest we've ALL come to scratching our assorted itches since-

STOP. Breathe his name and we'll throw you out of here. Let it die.

It doesn't die, though. That's the problem. We all miss the little one, and if we're being honest, most of us miss the mutt. Or his shadow, which amounts to the same thing.

Hard to tell which is which, sometimes. Kaine at least had the good taste to keep the dividing line nice and visible.

I wish you wouldn't bring him up.

Hey, ~I~ didn't. She did.

And so? Why was he brought up at all? And I'm allowed to miss him, he belonged to me.

Fine, yes, you can miss him. Just... don't talk about it, please. We already get depressed enough. Gods know we've spent enough nights aching.

As we've ached over Radu.

We shouldn't. There's no reason to let him just waltz back into m-our life. Fuck him.

I wouldn't mind doing just that.

You know what I meant. He's caused us more than enough pain already. We don't need him.

...no, we don't. That's why it would be ok to let him back, it's not like we can't just drop him.

*snicker* Yes, actually, it IS like we can't just drop him. Don't tell me you've already forgotten just how much it stung to have him disappear.

And if the disappearance really wasn't his fault?

It doesn't matter what story he has. We know all about such stories.

*nod* They're never truth, not entirely, and some of them not at all. You cover your ass, you try not to burn bridges, you say what you have to t'keep the other person around, just in case.

So you don't believe him at all?

Oh, it's quite possible he was stupid enough to risk his life in some way. A way that would keep him away from phone, email, etc. for two months? Not likely.

Ok, yeah, I'll admit it would be one hell of a stretch. So? What are we going to do about it?

Nothing.

Yet.

That's not a good answer.

Like we're gonna come up with a better one.

Let's start simply - do we intend to talk to him at all?

Um... kinda already did. It wasn't on the phone, so it wasn't like he was disobeying the order.

It's the principle of the thing. He doesn't deserve any of our attention, no matter what form it comes in. We shouldn't respond again, not to anything.

...and what of our Promise?

He's not begging for shelter, is he? Not coming to us in tears? Not humble, that's for sure. He doesn't NEED us... doesn't need YOU.

Fuck you too, honey.

Hey, calm down. We don't have to decide how to react until his next email, if there is a next email. I rather suspect that he'll not bother writing a follow-up.

I miss him.

We don't care.

I. Miss. Him.

...what, have you not gotten the memo? Most of us miss him. That doesn't mean we're going to do jack-all about it or that we even really want him back, even if he came crawling. He's a stubborn, rude, disobedient little prick who we should have dumped a year ago.

And yet.

No, there's no 'and yet', there's just NO. Drop it.

...so we're not going to talk to him?

No.

Emphatically no. He doesn't deserve it.

It's not like we've always deserved it, of course.

We've not pulled this kind of shit. Not with someone who cared about us. You don't hurt the ones you love if you can help it... not like this. Physical pain, play, mindfuck, that's different. This... this is abandonment, and it's fucking CRUEL, and no man, no matter how much we may like him, gets away with that.

..............I understand. I'll leave it be.

Good. Now can we get back to the rest of life?

Yes.

...you're going to sulk, aren't you?

Yes.

*sigh* Fine. Sulk. Just keep it to yourself.