( it's — a miscalculation.

a huge one in fact, the likes of which would be enough to make barma smirk at him over his fan, flutter it and say something irritating, only it's one thing, isn't it, when barma's only being coy about some information he'll inevitably provide them and another when the last oz heard of him rings in his ears now, sharon almost in tears for her beloved grandmother. i never thought he'd do something like this, and neither had anyone.

but personal timelines are as fluid as water here, and barma may be from before that, before even considering it, or even from the uncertain future leo warned oz about more than once. it means treading even more carefully than ordinarily, and it means operating alone because that betrayal is certainly not something he'd wanted to worry anyone else about, least of all with what little can be done about it from here.

so, his voice is bright, bubbles on a laugh. )

So this is where you've been! How am I supposed to greet you properly if you take so long to show your face, Duke Barma?