Peacock and Hyrax are on the deck of The Star, looking out as the island faded from their view.
Peacock
What a day, huh? Thanks for holding out with me.
Hyrax
Why would you go to such lengths for that girl?
Peacock sighed.
Hyrax
No, I don't. She isn't even your kid.
Peacock
You wouldn't believe it if I told you.
Hyrax
What does that mean?
Peacock twisted his body so that he was facing Hyrax.
Peacock
Do you know what happens when you die?
Peacock
You walk along a river until you reach a bridge. On the bridge there is an old woman called Grandma Meng. She spends all her time brewing a special soup. Her own recipe.
Hyrax
What are you talking about?
Peacock
The soup erases all your memory so you can start your next life completely anew.
Hyrax
I think I've heard of that somewhere?
Peacock
Now, Sparky died with a stomach full of guilt and a heart full of regret. She wasn't ready to let it all go.
Peacock
So she spit the soup out behind Grandma Meng's back, and dashed into her next life before she could stop her.
Hyrax
That sounds like something Sparky would do.
Peacock
You heard it. I am Sparky's reincarnation, and I have all her memories.
Hyrax took a moment to process this.
Hyrax
But you're older than Sparky.
Peacock
Reincarnation isn't meant to be linear. You can be born as someone in the past, or way into the future. In fact, everyone is the same person reincarnated over and over. Grandma would tell you this.
Hyrax
Okay. But that means you can literally foresee the future! Sparky lived through it!
Silence.
Peacock
There will be a war between Bauhinia and Fanton.
Hyrax
I won't. It's okay.
Peacock
I had originally sworn to myself not to tell it to anyone, ever. But I figured that I could trust you.
Hyrax
You can, Peacock. You can always trust me.
Peacock
You trust me too, right? I think most people would think I'm mad if I told them this story.
Hyrax
They do seem to be getting along.
Peacock
Because you were pestering them to get married.
Peacock
Okay, that's enough. I can't actually remember everything.
Hyrax was contemplating.
Hyrax
So that's why you were a prodigy! You remembered laws that Sparky knew!
Peacock
I taught them to her, heh. Time is a circle.
Sparky
PEACOCK! UNCLE HYRAX! CHASTITY IS SAWING THE LIFEBOAT IN HALF! WHILE BEING INSIDE IT!
Hyrax
Whelp. Thanks for telling me that, bro.
Peacock
You understand why I didn't tell you all these years, right?
Peacock
You won't pull the same shit at the bridge, will you?
Hyrax
Oh, no, no, no. I wouldn't dare!