@muddledmenagerie continued from [x]
“Yes, perhaps so. Although…I suspect you wouldn’t be happy with that, somehow.”
There was no ‘next world’ in his mind, but Tobias had spent many years respecting the beliefs of others in that regard. He wasn’t about to argue the toss with someone about an afterlife, especially when he was already pretty certain that Mycroft didn’t believe in one either. He was just musing out loud.
Tobias smiled slightly, propping one leg over the other so he could lace his fingers together around his knee. His voice was naturally light, the comforting softness proving very useful in regards to dealing with clients. Now it had the faintest hint of playfulness about it as he spoke again, always eager to make light of such a dark subject in casual conversation.
To handle it any other way tended to put people on edge, besides being unnecessary.
“You’ll get your turn, Lord Holmes, as we all will. But you’ll get there faster if you don’t take a little time for yourself in this world. Just a smidge, now and again.”
Mycroft could not help the sly smile on his face at the response he received. The other was right, of course. As nice as the concept of some rest sounded like for a day or two, he knew that he would be driven mad by the boredom that came with having nothing to do. That, and if it turned out that there was a next life, he would likely be too busy being disgruntled about the fact he had been wrong about there not being one to be able to relax and enjoy it.
It was also true that he worked himself too hard. Would that stop, though? Certainly not. Mycroft’s work was his life. Would some personal happiness be nice too? Perhaps, but after so long without it, Mycroft didn’t find himself experiencing the urge to chase it once again.
“Speaking of, I think we both know that I am not here for the sake of life advice,” Mycroft said, changing the subject to bring it around to business. He reached into his briefcase, pulling out a few sheets of paper which were promptly handed over to the other man.
“I will be frank with you, Mr Bellamy, I am here to requisition a body that I know to be under your care. You’ll find here the relevant documents for the demand.” The body in question belonged to an MI5 agent that had died recently. Unfortunately, while it was true that dead men told no tales, the same could not be said for little pieces of information storing technology that remained in their bodies after death - pieces that could not be allowed to become public knowledge.
“I will also require you to sign this,” Mycroft then continued, passing over another sheet of paper. “This is a contract stating that you will not, in any way, abet in the distribution of any information that you have already noticed while the body has been in your possession.”
