[It had been a long time since Cardinal had paid a visit to MHHQ.

He couldn’t recall having gone there for several years, actually. Not since almost two years ago, when the enchanted watch warned him that Issimo was in danger, and they helped bail him out. He’d spoken with Issi since then, of course, but that wasn’t at the base.

He’d tried to keep a low profile, and as he paced around the basement of the closed café in his home world, he contemplated paying an unexpected visit; he wanted to talk to his first best friend in person, where they could really hang out without the temptation to multitask.

He wanted to get OUT of the city. Away from the constant, miserable barrage of danger. Going to the Meadow didn’t help; then they got half-fragments of memories involving some sort of disaster he couldn’t remember, and didn’t feel like dealing with. (One disaster at a time was plenty for him.)

He just wanted the chance to talk, hear how his friend was doing, what was going on.

But before he warped off, he couldn’t help but remember the last conversation he’d had regarding the MHHQ and the whole debacle they’d been involved in—

It just wasn’t safe to go there outright without knowing if Shade Fox had made him a marked man. And even if he hadn’t, it still wasn’t ideal… too many cameras, too much Big Brother for his liking. He didn’t mind a few cameras here and there for mundane utility, but when it came to discussing personal things…? He wanted to make sure that stayed private.]

Cardinal: -Frowns, running a hand through his hair- …

Cardinal: (…Guess I should probably ping him, first, and make sure he even has the time or energy for this.)

[He sure hoped so, though. He hadn’t had the chance to hang out in a LONG time; Issimo had been working, and up until last Christmas, Cardinal had been mostly-dead for several years… sleeping through most of the time he wasn’t suffering from weird Time™ illnesses.]

Cardinal: -Snaps his fingers softly in an absentminded fashion- (That reminds me… I need to check in with Rockwell, too. (( @overx)) I haven’t seen him since… man, I don’t even remember when this was, but I was on the couch, watching a video…)

Cardinal: Mmmn. (C’mon, Louis, focus for once, will ya…?)

[PING!]

[DLN-000 to OXN-002] //: -STATUS INQUIRY: OXN-002-

[A brief pause.]

[DLN-000 to OXN-002] //: You able to meet up for a few hours or somethin’, Issimo?

[DLN-000 to OXN-002] //: It’s been absolutely ages, and I did claim—the last time I was there, dunno if the others mentioned it or whatnot—that I wanted to have a night about town.

[DLN-000 to OXN-002] //: Still true, though gotta cover a few details before going anywhere with too many people…

(( @singer-saboteur-soldier-spy))

