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"No, it's important to me. I want both of you working on this project."
And with that declaration of Thomas's, the wall down the middle of the imagination was torn down.
It was... fine, at first.
With Thomas's expectations and the attention of all the other sides, compounded with a looming deadline and an audience to their production, Roman and Remus had managed to create something together. The problems started after all that structure left them to flounder on their own.
"Sire! The kraken has pulled under most of the fleet!"
Roman startled out of his focus on the documents of other problems in his kingdom. "H-How many people were on them?"
The construct bowed. "Fortunately the sailors were having a shore day, enjoying the parade in the town today."
Roman sighed in relief. "Wood and sail we can replace. Instruct the captains of the remaining ships not to return. I'll speak to the Duke, see if he can rein in his kraken."
"Yes, sire."
Roman's frown returned as soon as the construct had left. Remus's creations were running rampant, wreaking havoc all over Roman's neat side of the imagination. Thankfully, not many constructs had perished, and the imagination itself had been reconstructing the ones that were important to Thomas.
Roman looked out the window, looking down over the town, seeing the people celebrating, the parade making it's way through the streets. Usually he'd be participating in a parade, but today he was too busy putting out fires, too many of them literal.
A roar drew his attention to the skies, but rather than a familiar dragon, there was a giant beast, looking as though it had been mauled, bones showing through scrappy flesh and scattered scales and hide, the dragon bearing down on the town.
In a flash of anger, Roman created a portal, stepping through and directly in front of Remus, grabbing him by the collar of his shirt and shaking him. "Get your creatures out of my territory!"
Remus's face was blank, his usual incensing smile covered with confusion. It only took him a moment to recover, squirming out of Roman's grip and summoning his morningstar. "I should control my creatures? Your constructs have been murdering them!"
"If they have, it's in self defense!"
Remus growled, lunging, and Roman summoned his sword just in time to block the swing of his morningstar.
"I have seen the notice boards in your 'pretty little town'," Remus said with a sneer. "There are hunts for my creatures! I already told them to only cause havoc, and try not to kill constructs, but yours are out here hunting them down and calling it justice."
"What do you expect them to do when they're being terrorized by monsters!?" Roman shot back, pushing forward with his sword.
Remus growled, aiming a kick below the belt on Roman. "You don't even care!"
Roman leapt backwards, cursing at the dirty move. "I care a lot! I'm here because I care!"
"You're here because you're pissy about me existing in your space," Remus spat back.
"I'm not mad about you," Roman defended. "Just--"
"Just anything I make and everything that makes my part of creativity?" Remus said nastily.
Roman stopped, the accusation hitting him just like the morningstar that came crashing down a moment later as he was distracted. Roman dropped to one knee, clutching his shoulder, blood seeping through his fingers.
Remus actually pulled back, rather than pressing his advantage. "I win, so you call off your constructs."
Roman scoffed. "That was never a deal!"
Remus held out his morningstar, ready for another strike. "Neither was me stopping."
Roman growled at the blackmail. Remus spent way too much time around Janus. "I'll negotiate. I want your creatures to stop attacking too."
"That's what they do!" Remus protested. "It's built into them."
"And it's built into mine to fight against evil," Roman snapped back.
Remus's face darkened, actually angry for once. "So stop telling them that's what my creatures are."
Roman froze again, unable to say something back for several moments.
"You... actually told them to avoid killing?" he finally said.
"I did try to get along at least a little, as gross as that is," Remus said.
Roman felt a weird pang through his chest. Of all people, he hadn't expected Remus to be one to think ahead and work towards collaboration. Maybe... Maybe he'd been... perhaps, wrong about him... in some ways.
"Oh stop that, you're getting all sappy about something," Remus said with a gag.
Roman pointedly stuck the point of his sword into the ground, pulling himself up with the hilt. "Remus, I... Could we sit down and create a plan together? Our worlds have clashed, but they don't have to stay at war."
Remus's infuriating little grin returned. "Don't expect me to go sanitizing my lovelies."
Roman laughed. "I do think I know you better than to expect anything of the sort."
Remus dropped his morningstar, and it disappeared into nothingness. He held out a hand to Roman. "Alright, let's figure something out."