SYNCHRONICITY (Dream Walker) 🖋

The Four Musketeers

James dialed the phone and handed it to her, half snorting through his nose and turned to brew a pot of tea. She inhaled deeply.

"About fucking time you rang me back, James Christopher! Damn it all!"

She closed her eyes and smiled to herself. "Tsk, tsk...such language. Why Bast, I'm shocked, I tell you...absolutely shocked!" There was a long silence and she wondered if the call had been disconnected. "Bastian?"

"Kindly inform my traitorous son that he is hereby disinherited, please..."

Alison giggled.

Sebastian sighed into the phone. "Ohhh, I've missed that sound," he whispered.

"How are you?"

"I am well thank you," Sebastian replied. "The question is Darling, how are you?"

"I'm okay."

"Are you really?"

"Yeah. I mean, you know? I have my good days and my..."

"Not so good ones?"

"Yeah," she whispered.

"I am so sorry for your loss Love. Mike says that David was a brilliant man."

"Wait! You know Mike!"

"Of course I do Darling...all we Brits know each other...You should know that..."

She rolled her eyes. "Mmhmm."

"Alright fine. I have dogs. Big ones, and I needed them trained. We were staying in Berkley at the time. Only really put two and two together just yesterday. It was Toph that pointed it out, interestingly enough. When the reservation came through, we made sure to get you in here..."

"Why?"

"Because we all want to see you, Ali! It's been a long time," he said quietly. "And erm, because everyone that stays here...we...we always check them out first."

"Wait...Mike trained your dogs?"

"Sorry? No, his wife trained my dogs. Mike was our vet."

She nodded. "Okay. That makes more sense, since it's really his wife who does the training."

She could hear the sad smile through his voice. "That's right. So, James is Bastian's Baby all grown up, huh?"

Sebastian uttered the tiniest of gasps into the phone. "Yes," he chuckled, "that's right. How is Beth these days?"

"She's great. Currently babysitting my menagerie for me."

"What does she do?"

"She's a horticulturalist. I swear she works magic with plants!"

Sebastian chuckled again. "Wouldn't surprise me any."

"You sound exactly like I remember," she whispered as her eyes began to sting with tears brimming her eyes.

"Really? Your voice has gotten deeper. Wouldn't have expected that from a soprano."

"Yeah, I'm more of a mezzo now," she chuckled.

"Too many cigarettes, I imagine."

"Probably?"

"Well my dear, you know that you're booked in a non-smoking establishment..."

"I quit ages ago."

"Good girl. It's bad for you."

"So what about you?"