Mr. Hayle

**Mr. Hayle** is a character in Twig.

## Appearance

Mr. Hayle is described as an older man - 'sixty or so' - with grey hair waxed back from his face and wrinkles that cut deep into his face. He wears a thick, black doctor's coat and gloves.

## History

At Lambsbridge Orphanage, Mr. Hayle had tea in the sitting room with Mrs. Earles. Sometime afterword, they heard someone come in and Mrs. Earls said that it would be the children. He looked over the children as they came into the sitting room before frowning when he saw the damage to Sylvester. Mr. Hayle thanked Mrs. Earles when she left to go make sure there were no eavesdroppers and then again when she returned and told them that all of the other children were accounted for. Then, Mrs. Earls told him she would be in the kitchen if he needed her and left.

Mr. Hayle told Gordon, Sylvester, Helen, Jamie, and Lillian that he had planned for a longer meeting, but that Sylvester might not be able to stand for the duration of it. He asked if Sylvester was stable and both Lillian and Sylvester told him that he was. He went to ask about what happened, but changed his mind and asked about their mission instead. Gordon told him the status of their second target and where he could find it before Sylvester told him that their first target was in his experiment. Mr. Hayle asked for clarification and Gordon told him that the target was dead, swallowed by his experiment.

Mr. Hayle asked if there had been any complications and, after he had been told their hadn't been, he asked about what had happened to Sylvester. Gordon told him that the Snake Charmer had arrived, found him hiding, and took him hostage before Sylvester distracted him. Sylvester told him that he had been splashed with enzymes. Lillian told him that she had done what she could to stabilize him before he asked her if she would do another assignment with his group. When she answered yes, he told her that he would have her continued support at the Academy. Mr. Hayle said that he should take a look on Sylvester and then crossed the room to find his boots.

While Mr. Hayle was pulling on his boots, he said that he wanted to have a longer conversation with them - saying that he would need to rearrange his evening before asking if it would be too late. Gordon offered to ask Mrs. Earles, but he said that he would be by in the morning. He said that he would send someone their way with word on how Sylvester was doing, thanked them all for a job well done, and turned towards Sylvester. Seeing him panting, he asked Sylvester if there was a problem before Sylvester told him that he had moved too fast. Mr. Hayle buttoned his coat and took his umbrella from his bodyguard, paused, and then asked Sylvester about his shoes. After hearing about the burn on his foot, he told him to carry on.

Once inside the coach, Mr. Hayle asked to see Sylvester's arm. He took it when Sylvester offered it and probed the edges of the injury before telling him that he thought he would resist and then asking how Sylvester thought of the others. After hearing Sylvester say that he thought of the others as friends, he asked if they were doing alright. Sylvester told him that they were doing everything they were supposed to and Mr. Hayle questioned him about it - saying that he thought that Sylvester would say that even if they weren't. When Sylvester asked him about it, he said that he had watched them grow up and that he would like to think he knew them.

Sylvester looked towards the window and Mr. Hayle surmised that he wasn't up to talking. Sylvester told him he wasn't sure what to say. Mr. Hayle asked him to tell him about the Snake Charmer before a crash shook the coach. He slid a panel open to ask the driver about what happened. The driver told him that some water had knocked him out and soaked one of their voltaic horses. Mr. Hayle frowned and told him that he would be right out before asking his bodyguard to look after Sylvester and to be ready to come out at a moment's notice.

Sometime later, Mr. Hayle opened the door of the coach to see Sylvester holding his files. Figuring out what had happened, he said that it made sense before climbing inside and telling Sylvester that he knew why he made him. He then said while his colleagues had made weapons, monster, viruses, and more, his focus was on the brain. Sylvester said that he had been dumb and asked if he was a failed project, but Mr. Hayle said he wasn't. Mr. Hayle told him that he had made him and he knew him. He told Sylvester that mistakes were to be expected and that his mistake was expecting him to be dumb. Mr. Hayle then asked Sylvester why he hadn't just asked for the files and Sylvester told him that he would've known that he had wanted them and that people were more genuine when caught off balance.

Mr. Hayle said it was something to keep in mind and that he might've gotten too predictable before allowing Sylvester to look through the files. He then asked Sylvester why he had arranged all of this for a glance. Sylvester told him that he had been looking for expiration dates.