A hand-delivered invitation. How fancy! (He's almost sure the last invitation he received was hand delivered too, but that's not a thought for now) "Good! I oughta pay that little tyke a visit next time I'm not hoppin' between places. Gotta make sure he knows me apart from everyone else he's met!" What if someone else has cooler facial hair? That won't do at all!
There's a sly chuckle at the confirmation that the feelings are mutual. "I did try talkin ta him once or twice. He might wanna ram a horn through my gut, buuuut I'll figure that out." Maybe. Provided there isn't any further mishaps on either end. As for the part about the Manor... Wilford hummed in thought. "Considerin' it fucks with my head if I stay there fer too long, an' all th' tragedy an' sorrow linked with it -" and a poor, angry spirit haunting the walls but who was currently hiding in a room downstairs, "- I can see why yer so iffy. I guess ya can't just, uh, move out? Or convert th' sheds into an outhouse? Doubt any of ya go golfin' anywho." Maybe? He has no idea what goes on in that place half the time. "Answer me somethin': are th' doubts 'cause of th' house itself, or are ya gettin' some sorta nerves since, well, it's been a while?" (rosetintedgunman, who should actually be asleep right now oops)
“ He’s always happy to see you, Wilford. ” His beloved space bear had yet to be replaced as his favorite stuffy, even with all the growing he’d been doing lately. “ You know you’re welcome to stop by. ”
Mark smiles despite himself. “ Asterius is even more old-fashioned than you or I ever were. But he’s receptive to gifts. I’m sure the two of you will work something out. ” If his long lost brother had been able to win himself back into the Actor’s good graces, it was difficult to imagine anyone that could resist his attempts at being charming forever.
He sighs, and sips his drink.
“ It’s… a little of both, I think. I… I don’t know if I can move out. I… feel as though I can’t. ” Even the thought now set up a frantic sort of fluttering behind his ribs. Something knotted around veins and through bones, that cried out at the thought. That begged to go back and sink back into the safety of that overcast home with its living shadows.
And that wasn’t even taking Yancy into account, but things were still such a mess it almost felt like overconfidence to mention him to Wilford now. There was still too much that could go wrong. He couldn’t handle needing to backtrack from it later. Not yet.
“ The Manor isn’t somewhere that anyone should have to call home. Star doesn’t seem to mind it, but inflicting it upon anyone else feels selfish. Terribly so. It— ” The words choke upon his tongue.
It was the site of such terrible betrayal. Both to him and from him. Love rotted from the inside out within its halls too many times. Even with that foul host now cast from its halls, were the remnants still enough to ruin everything? Or was he finally - possibly - safe from the curse of the Barnum estate?
How could he know without trying? How could he risk more of those he cared so deeply for?
Yet Asterius had sworn not to abandon him. As had Yancy.