“come on!” dewey says. “can’t you see it? it’s just history repeating itself again and again! this has happened before, if you study the vfd history. it happens every schism! a small group separates themselves out from vfd, creating the schism. the two sides fight, and eventually enough people one side died or ran away or betrayed them there’s just one side left which becomes the new vfd - whether they’re actually the original vfd or the group that separated out and went against vfd or not, and slowly rebuild the organization again. until another schism happens. we just - we keep making the same mistakes!”
“are they mistakes though?” ernest asks. “or is it actually how things should be? the organization has gone down the wrong path and maybe that’s the only way things could change for better at that point - a group of rebels.”
“is that what the firestarters are doing?” dewey demands. “making things better?”
“sometimes, you can only fight fire with fire - i don’t necessarily enjoy it, but sometimes it’s what it takes.”
“it all sounds very philosophical put into phrases like that, but do you really believe in what your side is doing?”
the last time they saw each other, they were both about half of their current age, or even younger than that. although there was a time when he’d thought the other man would remain at that age forever.
“you know,” he says finally. “i’ve always wondered if you really died.”
lemony snicket’s voice is almost just like he once remembered. “the reports of my death has been greatly exaggerated.”
“so it seems - like everything else in the daily punctilio,” he replies. “tea?”
“that would be very nice.”
“sugar?”
“no,” says lemony. “tea should be as bitter as wormwood, as my brother would say.” he pauses. “actually, i came today to see if you and your brother know anything about where he is. he hasn’t respond to my secret messages that i left in our rendezvous point, which isn’t unusual per say, but it’s been 3 messages and i was wondering if he’s in any trouble.”
