"Sleep my little baby-oh
Sleep until you waken
When you wake you'll see the world
If I'm not mistaken...
Kiss a lover
Dance a measure,
Find your name
And buried treasure...
Face your life
Its pain,
Its pleasure,
Leave no path untaken."
― Neil Gaiman

Tommy stands on the sidewalk outside of the high-rise building Pearl, and her brothers, apparently, are staying at. The sky had dimmed while he was inside the building, revealing a pleasantly dark blue and light purple evening. His attention is stuck on a sleek, black car that has pulled up to the side of the building in front of Sam's truck. There are dozens of expensive cars lining the streets by parking meters, so this one doesn't stand out. Sam and Hannah walk right past it without bothering to give it a second glance. They only stop walking to Sam's truck when they notice that Tommy has stopped. Sam turns to look at Tommy from in front of the truck, a few feet away from the back of the car Tommy is staring at. Hannah has her hand on the passenger's side's backseat door. Her attention flits between her father and Tommy, a strange expression on her face.

"You two should go on ahead," Tommy tells them, looking away from the black car's backseat window where he knows another pair of eyes is looking at even through the tinted bulletproof glass. The feeling of the passenger's eyes lingers on Tommy, but he doesn't pay them any more attention than he did when he first noticed the car.

Sam steps away from his truck, getting back on the sidewalk. He stands in front of Tommy, probably unintentionally getting between the blonde and the black car. For a moment, Sam is only looking at Tommy's face, but then he zeroes in on Tommy's eyes. Sam has only ever talked to Tommy while he was wearing his red-tinted glasses or his blindfold. Sam isn't the first person who's had trouble meeting Tommy's eyes since this is the first time he's really let them be seen by other people. Sam is learning, however, and Tommy doesn't know if he necessarily wants that. Sam's eyes peering into his own makes Tommy feel off-kilter. It makes him feel seen in a way that he's never experienced before. It unnerves him, and Tommy has to force himself to continue looking at Sam's face.

"I promised Techno that I would bring you back," Sam tells Tommy with a serious expression. Sam's hands are twitching at his sides like he wants to grab Tommy. He wonders if Sam knows what Tommy's first instinct was when he discovered that his family weren't really dead. Is Sam as scared of that outcome as Techno seems to be?

"And Techno promised me that I could see whoever the fuck I wanted whenever the fuck I wanted to when I'm ready. Guess what? I'm ready," Tommy counters. Tommy knows that Techno didn't mean this when he told Tommy that, but Sam doesn't need to know the context for that particular promise. If Techno asks, Tommy will blatantly lie and say he must have misinterpreted what Techno met. He will do that later, though. Right now, Tommy has something to do that doesn't involve Sam or Hannah. "You should go back to explain to Techno what happened. I promise to be back by nightfall."

Sam lips press together in contemplation. His eyes are twisting with confliction, wanting to satisfy Tommy's wishes but also keep his promise to Techno. The urge to protect Tommy is what mixes with both sides of the fight. The problem is that Sam doesn't know which option will actually be better for Tommy. Protection comes in many forms, and preventing Tommy from being hurt or making his own decisions isn't the kind of protection Sam wants to provide Tommy.

"If you really want to," Hannah intervenes. She jumps onto the sidewalk. She walks over to the pairing with a skip in her step. When she gets close enough, she puts an arm between Sam and Tommy. She uses her arm to start nudging Sam away. He takes a half-step back before standing his ground against his daughter. Hannah gives him a cheeky smile, fully sliding between him and Tommy. Her smile is more genuine as she looks at Tommy, but the wink she throws in makes Tommy wonder what sincerity actually looks like on Hannah. "I'll make sure Techno understands, but if you really aren't back by nightfall, I will personally come drag your butt to the cabin for a serious grounding."

Hannah turns, gently pushes her father again. Sam sighs, walking away from his daughter's pushy hands. He throws a glance over his shoulder at Tommy as he turns around the edge of his truck. Hannah lingers in front of the truck. She gives Tommy a thumbs up as she heads over to the front seat of the passenger's side. She opens it, leaping into the truck. She closes the door a second later. Tommy can see Sam and Hannah's faces through the glass of the windshield. Hannah waves at him. Sam starts the truck, conflict still warring across his face. Sam gives Tommy a tentative smile as he starts to drive the truck onto the street. Hannah turns to her father with an uncharacteristically serious expression on her face, explaining something to him as they drive down the road.

Tommy looks away from the companions he came with. He stares back at the black car. Tommy runs a hand down the side of his face, pressing his photograph tightly against his chest with his other hand. He talked a lot of big game, but he feels anxiety grab onto his shoulders. He breathes in deeply, preparing himself for the situation he is willingly walking into.

Tommy steps to the car. He opens the backseat door smoothly.  The experience is familiar to Tommy. He slides onto the leather seats with his prized position landing face-down in his lap, looking around at the interior of the car. Surprisingly, this car isn't taking Tommy to Las Nevadas like it usually does. Instead, it brought a piece of Las Nevadas to Tommy. Croupier is on the seat across from Tommy in his usual costume, but his mask is settled on the seat right beside him. Tommy stares at the mask. It isn't the first time he's seen Croupier's face, of course. Just as Charlie hated the automated voice telling his stories, he hated falling asleep while staring at the mask. Croupier eventually indulged Charlie just as he always did. All those times, however, Croupier's face had still been shrouded in darkness. This is the first time Croupier's presented his face in complete light, even if the overhead lights in the car were a little dim.

Tommy's eyes wander up Croupier's body, eventually meeting his face. Croupier stares at Tommy without any emotion on his face. Opposingly, his eyes are overwhelmingly filled with emotions. Tommy can see the gears clicking and spinning inside Croupier's mind. He looks like he's trying to solve a problem. Tommy shivers in his chair. He's not a problem. He has problems, yes, but he isn't one in and of himself. He's processing. He's working. He's managing. He's doing his best. Croupier doesn't know any of that, though. Tommy cut off all contact with the outside world. Even though he's been getting out more under the watchful eyes of neutral parties, he hasn't sent so much as a letter to Las Nevadas. This is strange because Tommy often calls Las Nevadas his secondary home.

The people there, too, are very important to Tommy. And he's important to them, or else Croupier wouldn't have personally shown up. He wouldn't have revealed his face so easily. Tommy didn't have to beg and cry like Charlie did to get his way. Croupier didn't even have confirmation that Tommy would step into the car. He didn't know if Tommy would get inside alone. Tommy could have easily brought Hannah or Sam or both with him for assurances. Croupier took that risk. He's taking a risk by showing up here. If Techno finds out who Tommy went to see, Croupier could be risking his tentative alliance with the Syndicate. Croupier is taking just as many risks as Tommy is by being here.

"I want to end our contract," Tommy murmurs. His voice is incredibly fragile even to his own ears. Tommy lifts his fist up to cough into it. The sensation burns against the inside of his throat. Tommy shakes his head. He meets Croupier's eyes again, trying to seem so much more sure of himself. He's pretending, and Croupier probably knows that he is after spending so much time around Tommy. Regardless, Tommy continues to pretend and he hopes that the Jester of Las Nevadas allows Tommy to hide behind his bluff. "I don't want to be a hero anymore."

In every way except actually going to the Hero's Guild and informing them of his decision, Tommy has quit being a hero. His entire reason for going to the guild was to protect himself from the Hunters while he prepared to get his revenge. He followed the directions of XD in exchange for getting to use the guild's resources. He strived to become an S-rank hero like XD wanted him to be, and he gained enough power and prestige to become an actual threat to the Syndicate. Tommy has no reason to do any of that anymore. There was no point in becoming an S-rank. He didn't want to go after the Syndicate. The Hunters were the least of his worries. Vendetta was as dead as the actual vendetta Tommy swore against the people who killed his family.

Croupier sighs, drawing Tommy away from his thoughts. Croupier leans down against his knees, losing the air of coolness and confidence that always seemed to surround him. He runs a hand across the side of his face. Tommy nearly flinches as he remembers he did the same thing earlier. Tommy equates most of his traits with his original family, but it seems he gained a few nervous habits from the man who was almost like a... Tommy closes his eyes. He really doesn't want to put a name on whatever relationship he has with Croupier. Tommy was only ever supposed to be a pawn. Tommy was only ever supposed to be using Croupier in the same way Croupier used him.

"Our contract has been invalid for years now," Croupier notes softly. Tommy opens eyes sharply. He stares right into Croupier's onyx irises with genuine surprise in his eyes. That contract is one of the few constants Tommy lived his life by, almost as important to him as the vendetta he swore against the Syndicate's leaders. Croupier gives Tommy a half-smile, pushing off his knee to sit back up. Croupier's back hits the leather, and he releases another breath that could be a sigh if Croupier put more effort into it. "One of the stipulations has been that neither of us could care for each other."

"The first rule," Tommy murmurs. Back when Croupier was tutoring Tommy and Charlie, he gave them a list of rules that were true not only on the island but for the entire city. The first rule was the most important, Croupier would say. Tommy and Charlie should only look out for themselves because everyone else was going to the same. If someone could gain from betraying Tommy or Charlie, they would in a heartbeat. Charlie was the one that struggled with that rule. Tommy was the one who knew it to be true. Tommy was the one that pushed down his own care for people, knowing it would only lead to his ruination. It would only lead to heartache.

"The first rule... Trust no one," Croupier repeats in simple terms. A soft and small smile comes onto Croupier's face. It isn't a smile of happiness, but it doesn't seem sad to Tommy. There's no regret or pain. Only a tiny creature of affection lingering around the edges. "You're my legacy, the exception to the rule."

Tommy sighs pitifully. Charlie was the one that took a long time to accept the first rule, but it appears Tommy was the one to break it. Over and over again, he kept caring about people. He told himself not to care about anyone, but even as he said those words like a matra, he let people wiggle into his heart. Tommy thought it would be fine, but he was burned by it. The people he thought he could trust betrayed him. Worse, they betrayed him with arguably good news. Tommy still can't bring himself to accept the flames back into his life even though they only ever warmed his cold, bitterly lonely heart.

Tommy feels tears rise to his face. He drops his head down into his hands. He doesn't know how to be anyone's legacy. He doesn't even know who he is. He doesn't know what he wants.

Tommy hears movement. He peeks through his fingers to see Croupier moving to the other side of the car. He settles down in the leather seat beside Tommy. He watches Croupier up until the moment Croupier puts an arm around Tommy's shoulders. Tommy's eyes widen, and Croupier pulls Tommy against his chest. Croupier moves his other arm, giving Tommy an awkward hug in the backseat of his expensive car. Tommy turns to bury his face into Croupier's chest. Tommy breathes out, feeling sick to his stomach but oddly comforted by the gesture. Croupier doesn't hug anyone often, and Tommy can only note two times Croupier has hugged him prior. Both of those times had been under dire circumstances, so maybe Croupier can see the truth. It would be odd for the Jester of Las Nevadas not to know everything that has happened on his island. Plus, as the Dealer of the Aces, Ultraviolet probably told Croupier where his missing jacket and keycard were, on the top floor of the Needle.

"This might be hard to hear, but you don't have to... be anyone. You think that you've lost the person you once were. That isn't true. The boy who came to me with more stubbornness than anyone I've ever met still exists. The boy who runs around Las Nevadas like a headless chicken still exists. The boy who helped Ankh make the Needle, who gives Ultraviolet a reason to be paid, who has a rivalry with Reynard, who hangs out with Slime... he still exists. He's the same boy who is currently being held in my arms," Croupier offers.

Tommy stifles a laugh at some of Croupier's claims. Tommy can still remember showing up at Las Nevadas with puberty still clinging to his growing form, ready to strike a deal with the owner of the island himself. Tommy remembers what it felt like to sign a proper contract with Croupier, high off the pain and pride of taking down Minotaur. Tommy remembers sitting with Ankh as the Ace of Diamonds worked, even going so far as to help him with one of his most famous projects. Tommy remembers with perfect clarity every pseudo-fight and low-stakes chase he's ever had with Ultraviolet, forming a relationship unlike both friendship and enemies with the Ace of Spades. Tommy remembers butting heads with Reynard, only recently accepting a cordial relationship with the Ace of Clubs. Tommy will always remember Slime, knowing how much time he's spent with the Ace of Hearts, pretending they were both children lost in delusions and fantasies. Tommy will remember his time at Las Nevadas fondly because it's his second home. He feels as comfortable there as he does in Sleepy's mindscape or Techno's cabin.

"You know who you are. You just don't know what you want," Croupier continues after giving Tommy time to process. Although he didn't say much, Croupier stops again to let Tommy parse through that statement. Tommy can confirm that he doesn't know what he wants, but he's never realized that he knows who he is. He's gathered enough strength to admit that he isn't Vendetta, but he believed that if he wasn't Vendetta then he wasn't anyone. But there has always been a person underneath Vendetta. No one called him Tommy, but he clung to that name because it was part of who he was. Just as he could never cast away his family (or the idea of them), he could never cast Tommy away, either.

"I'm willing to offer not only myself but all of the resources of Las Nevadas in order to help you figure out what it is you truly want," Croupier promises Tommy. "I know the other Aces are more than willing to help."

Tommy huffs. His heart somehow feels lighter. There is still a heaviness there, but it isn't as bad as it was when Tommy first sat down in the car.

"Huh, isn't this the photograph you carry around everywhere?" Croupier murmurs. Tommy feels Croupier shift around him. The jester picks up the photograph from Tommy's lap. Croupier lifts it up out of Tommy's grip. Tommy allows this to happen, tensing only slightly. Croupier stares at the surface of the picture. He lets out a slight laugh. "This whole thing really could have been avoided if I had just seen this photograph."

"What do you mean?" Tommy asks, pushing off Croupier's chest to really look at the man. Croupier's attention remains firmly on the photograph.

"Well, I know what both Serenade and Tubbo look like underneath his mask. The boys in this picture look remarkably like them. Even if I wasn't sure, I would have asked you if this was Wilbur and Tubbo. I know you well enough to know you would have gotten emotional when you heard those names if they really were your family. I could have brought you to Wilbur myself," Croupier explains, tapping against the smiling face of Tommy's older brother back when they were young kids living in L'Manberg. "I've also seen his baby pictures. I would have been able to tell you that-"

"Tell me what?" Tommy demands when Croupier suddenly cuts himself off. Tommy leans in closer, trying to read Croupier's eyes. The man is paying close attention to the corner of the picture. Tommy looks back at the photograph, but he can't tell what Croupier is looking at so intently. Tommy gives up, staring right back at Croupier. "You've seen Wilbur's baby pictures? I want to see them, too!"

"No, I haven't seen Wilbur's baby pictures. I wasn't talking about Wilbur. I was talking about-" Croupier cuts himself off again, his lips pressing together into a tight line. He lowers the picture down in his lap. Tommy almost wants to steal his prized possession back. Croupier levels Tommy with a stare that makes Tommy stop in his tracks. "Whose identities do you know?"

"I can't fucking tell you-"

"I already know everyone in the Syndicate. The reason I know Tubbo's identity is because he's... Er, I was involved with his father making him my... step-son, or at least, like my step-son. We can argue semantics later. Whose identities do you know?" Croupier shakes his head, waving away the fact that Croupier has been close to Tommy's family all this time.

"Serenade is Wilbur. Dyscardia is Niki. Thermoculus is Jack. Jolt is Tubbo," Tommy says with a weird edge in his voice as he admits out loud what he's known for some time now. He hasn't said any of this since he was standing on the rooftop after finding out Philza's multiple secret identities.

"What about the other two?" Croupier asks, running his fingers along the portion of the picture showing Eret and Fundy.

"I... I've been assuming they're alive, too... but they aren't part of the Syndicate," Tommy admits slowly.

Croupier sighs heavily, exhaustion evident in his voice. "I... I'm going to trust your caretaker on this one. All I'm going to tell you is that they're alive. I won't tell you who they are unless you ask me. If you choose to say nothing, that's a decision I respect."

Tommy hesitates, fingers wrapping around the frame of his prized possession. He remains still as he looks at Croupier. Eret and Fundy are alive. Tommy thought they were, but the confirmation is nice to hear. The option of knowing who and where they are is also nice, but Tommy keeps his mouth shut. Croupier mentioned trusting Tommy's caretakers. Techno is the one taking care of Tommy, and he trusts Techno. If Techno hasn't told Tommy who Fundy and Eret are or where they are, Tommy is okay with that. He's willing to accept that. He's willing to wait for the truth.

Tommy takes the photograph back into his lap, resting his head on Croupier's shoulder. Croupier hugs him again, muttering, "Okay... that's okay."