𝐖𝐀𝐒𝐓𝐄𝐋𝐀𝐍𝐃𝐒 𝐎𝐅 𝐓𝐈𝐌𝐄 ━ five hargreeves

13│GAME TIME

He shrugged, "nothing in particular since I can do more than theorize about it."

"Well, d'you think it's linear or cyclical?"

"Linear, of course. My spacial jumps are linear so why shouldn't time be?"

"Maybe that's your problem then. You're thinking about it all wrong. It's obviously cyclical."

He scoffed, "and what gives you that idea?"

"Well, think of the seasons— they go around and around. Think of life cycles— you're born, you live, you die. It's the circle of life."

"But your life is linear— you don't get to live another cycle once you die. The seasons can be linear, too, if you think about it as fall-winter-spring-summer."

"Okay, fine," Lola said, "maybe it can be both. I mean, look at the acorn from the riddle. It can keep reproducing in a cycle that's not linear."

"But it's called a continuum for a reason," Five pointed out, "that in itself shows that the relationship is linear."

"But maybe time isn't a continuum. Maybe it's a random repetition of moments!" she argued, "I mean, take us for example. I lived a normal life until the apocalypse, then it came and now we live like this. That's obviously linear. But then you can turn it into a repetition. Say you time travel to some time before 2019. I live my same life, the apocalypse happens— barring you don't stop it— and we're right back where we started. That's a repetition of moments."

"But it's not exactly random," the boy said, "it's a linear timeline— there's a clear start and end point."

"It's like what comes first, the chicken or the egg," she decided, "which could both be cyclical or linear."

"You're the one arguing with a time-traveler."

"Not a very good one, clearly, so I arguably have as much knowledge about time as you do."

"That's not how it works," the boy shot back. "You don't know the first thing about the practical part."

"I'm learning," the brunette said as she pointed to the notebook. "I already know more than when I started."

He snorted. "Hardly. Looking for patterns in numbers isn't the same as actually understanding the equations and how they work."

"Oh, so like you do?"

Five glared at her. "Are you ever gonna let me live that down?"

"As long as you're an arrogant asshole about it? Nope!"

✧✧✧

Five sighed for what felt like the hundredth time as Lola shuffled her cards.

"I'm sure they're well and truly mixed," he said with irritation as he glanced up briefly from his book to glare at the girl.

She gave him an almost apologetic look that was lost in the shadows of the fire. "Sorry. It's a nervous habit."

"Nervous? What, you're not nervous about the dark, are you? You know it can't hurt you."

Lola didn't answer and slid the cards together again while she avoided his gaze. He exhaled forcefully again and put down his book, unable to concentrate with the constant ruffle of paper. "Have you ever played poker?"

"No?" the answer came out as more of a question.

A smile flickered across his face which was hidden by his mask. "I used to play with my siblings," came the surprising response. "Klaus was best to play with but he cheated. Ben was good too and he followed the rules. Allison usually threw a fit when she lost."