Pierrot glanced at his phone one last time before turning it off and sliding it into his pocket. He pretended not to notice the criticizing gaze the man sitting across him threw his way, and gazed outside the window instead. However, the man had no intention of letting him off the hook and spoke in a stern voice:
"Aren't you meddling too much?"
"Am I?"
The man squinted his light-grey eyes, and the atmosphere grew heavy in a split second. The air seemed to turn denser, almost tangible, making breathing difficult. It felt like not enough oxygen flowed down to his lungs. Yet, Pierrot appeared utterly unbothered. It wasn't because he couldn't feel the danger, but because he couldn't care less, even if it meant dying. He wasn't very attached to his life; you could say he was curious about what was beyond life and came after death. A morbid curiosity he had always had. Still, he was currently enjoying life quite a lot, and he'd rather it didn't come to an abrupt end. The idea of being thrown into a jail somewhere in the man's realm and being left to rot in boredom for an eternity also didn't settle well with him. He'd seen others paying up the price of their mistakes that way, and although he had managed to avoid such a fate despite his usual antics, he wasn't exempt from it. On the contrary, he just had to cross the line to be doomed, for there was only so much the man could accept. The guy was a sucker for rules, after all.
Aware he had better explain himself soon, or he might face dire consequences, Pierrot shrugged and spoke with a kind but cold smile on his lips, "Although Tristan's well-being is not necessary for what you're trying to accomplish, keeping him in good health will certainly help. He's an interesting pawn. If I were you, I'd keep him on the chessboard for as long as possible. You never know when you'll need him."
"I'm aware," the man sighed. "He's one variable we have yet to move around among the numerous timelines we tampered with. But was it necessary to teach him how to gain access to your memories whenever and wherever? It feels foolish, even coming from you."
"Maybe, maybe not. I'm still hiding what has to be hidden, burying it in my subconscious. That child cannot gain access to what he shouldn't know. Don't you know being too uptight won't lead to any changes? Although unorthodox, this method is one of the few things left we have yet to try. From now on, it'll be far easier for Tristan to see the dangers lying ahead and react in time through my eyes. I know, I know. We have already interfered too much in this timeline, stretching the limits, but as far as I know, there's no law for this current situation between me and Tristan. I'm not transgressing any rules."
Whether Pierrot should be taking advantage of that loophole or not was another story, but neither brought it forth.
"Of course, there's no law that prevents or regulates it," the man followed up. "It's not something that is supposed to happen. Even I wasn't aware that Jake and Tristan would gain access to the memories of their previous selves from the past two timelines, thanks to their proximity and blood relationship to a borrower of the golden watch. I knew their bloodline was sensitive to time-traveling ripples, but I didn't think they would be affected this much. And in your case, you should have existed as an independent individual just as it had been until now and not have affected Tristan in any way."
"Sir, with all due respect, I know you're a monstrous being, but even you cannot possibly predict every outcome that turning back time and splitting universes into parallel realms will generate. Sometimes, you get surprises, and things don't go as planned. Sentient beings are not rational. Isn't it why you have so much difficulty getting the outcome you want this time, and have been changing little details here and there to observe how it would affect this timeline in this universe?"
No answer. But Pierrot didn't mind and continued.
"This time around, unseen circumstances have happened, and Tristan and I are sharing our memories. Our minds are getting synchronized a little more every day, so, like I already told you before, we may as well use it to our advantage."
"Even if you're not wrong, it doesn't mean I approve of your method."
"Shall we talk about yours?"
Again, silence.
"Don't be so distrustful. How many times did Gabriel die in the previous universes you meddled with? You need him alive. The moment he or Masha dies, we'll have to start all over again. Sending Misha and Gabriel back in time was already borderline, and we cannot repeat it a third time, as these annoying flies might realize something is up. The legend of Santa Claus is useful in misleading them, but it is not foolproof. Right now, we need to move every pawn at our disposal, whatever the method. Otherwise, the chances of that event happening in this timeline will get pitifully low. If we miss this opportunity, we'll have to resort to your usual means again. And if we do that, it'll take an eternity to make it happen, so I say we do whatever we can to get things done this time around. Although I guess an eternity of trials and errors isn't something that bothers you much. In the end, it's for you. How much longer do you want to spend on this?"
The man lowered his eyes, staring at the hourglass ticking on the table and ignoring the last jab. Pierrot wasn't wrong. Among the countless timelines he had watched over, Gabriel and Jake met sorrowful endings whenever they tried to round up their parents and their business partners. The brothers were both spiteful and stubborn. So, when they shared a common goal, they were relentless. They wanted to get rid of the rotten apples in their lives and did everything accordingly. Being as intelligent and cautious as they were, they more often than not managed to prosecute Angela, Matthew, and their associates. However, no matter how careful they were, numerous unseen dangers littered their paths. Sooner or later, they would fall prey to the higher-ups hidden in the shadows and die at their hands, when it wasn't at Tristan's.
In this timeline, he'd sent Pierrot to infiltrate the main organization Angela and Matthew worked with so he could gather information from inside and influence the direction of the organization. They had foiled Gabriel and Jake's plans until now because it wasn't yet time to arrest Angela and Matthew. The higher-ups had to come to light first, and they had to gather evidence. Otherwise, they would slip under the radar and return later for revenge. If that happened, it'd still most likely end in Gabriel's death, even if Tristan was now on their side. This little brother of theirs was now an asset, not a treacherous danger. Pierrot might be right. Keeping the child in good health and on their side might increase their success rate. Because Pierrot wasn't as restricted as he was in his actions, he could intervene more directly, and even more so through Tristan. The boy wasn't an outsider, and whatever action he took, they wouldn't see it as 'unnatural'. It might give rise to suspicions, but if Pierrot succeeded in making it look like Tristan's decisions were logical and constant, they couldn't do a thing about it.
"Alright," the man sighed. "I'll trust your judgment. Don't disappoint me."
"Did I ever disappoint you?"
"No, you haven't," the man shook his head, although a sad look flashed across his face. "You are too heartless not to follow your orders to the letter. Whatever the cost to pay, you always carry your mission to the end, as long as the reward stirs up your curiosity."
To this, Pierrot smiled. This mission wouldn't be any different. He might find Tristan amusing and interesting, but he wouldn't hesitate a second before backstabbing him if needed. His orders prevailed over everything else. But he did play with loopholes to keep himself entertained, like writing a memo on a piece of paper for a certain Peeping Tom. However, he'd never have thought the boy was endearing enough to find his number and call him. The fact that he dared to go to his mother, fool her with fake innocence, and steal what he needed from her phone had snatched a genuine smile out of Pierrot.
That day, Pierrot just so happened to be monitoring Tristan's actions in his free time and watched the whole process in amusement. Thanks to his previous lives, Tristan knew where Angela hid her 'work' phone and the password to unlock it. And thanks to Pierrot's memories, he knew what his moniker for his job was. It was an easy search. The boy took note of the phone number he needed and put it back in its place before Angela could notice. He'd convinced her to leave him alone in the den, her so-called workplace, to find and bring the family album photo. He'd told her he wanted to look at it with her, tugging at her heartstrings with puppy eyes. This woman had a soft spot for her youngest and held no suspicions whatsoever when he was probably the most dangerous one.
On the other side, however, if his brothers had known Tristan would try such a dangerous endeavor, they'd have stopped him dead in his tracks and scolded him senseless. It was too risky! Angela loved and favored her son for now, but they wouldn't be surprised if she flipped her attitude over the smallest thing. How would she have reacted if she had seen him fiddling with the phone containing all the sensitive information no one should know about? This madwoman was paranoid, and she could have very well lashed out at her son. Her maternal love was cheap and easily broken. Jake was a prime example of it. If not, it was obsessive, and Tristan might end up locked up indefinitely, trapped in a golden cage.
Tristan didn't care, though. He had pushed his luck, yes, but it was worth it. Just as he had expected, Angela had Pierrot's number in her phone. Because Pierrot was careful not to let the boy know his contact information, Tristan didn't figure out through his dreams, but he did in his own way.
'What a funny turn of events,' Pierrot had thought, staring at his ringing phone at the time. 'Well, since he's the one contacting me, I may as well oblige.'
And oblige he did.