Mick's clarity after Chronos had definitely taken some adjusting, but it wasn't a bad thing. Gradually he'd started acting more and more like himself on the Waverider but Len had noticed he was lacking that undercurrent of tension and something manic that had always been a part of him. Mick wasn't as restless anymore. Not exactly entirely calm, but he seemed more at peace with himself than Len had ever known him to be. If there could be one positive about what the Time Masters had done to him, at least it was that. Even now Len could tell the other man was choosing his words more carefully than he ever had before.
"Well it's not like we ever really planned vacations before," he shrugged, because they both knew it was true. It was one of the few things Len actively hadn't planned over the years. And it mostly entailed the two of them just taking a drive far enough to keep the heat off their backs for a while. They still tended to pull a job or two but no big heists. Just enough to keep a steady cash flow. It was the closest the two of them ever seemed to come to living something like normal for a little while. Their version of, anyway.
And at least he could coax a smile out of him. Given the circumstances, maybe it was a lot to ask, but at least his banter hadn't fallen totally flat. Although his own face sobered a little when Mick mentioned the journals. He'd almost forgotten about them. Wasn't sure if he should be embarrassed or relieved that Mick was the one that found them.
"I didn't want to forget," he explained with a shrug, tipping back another sip of his beer but he didn't shy away from studying Mick's expression. "And having something tangible seemed like a good idea. Gideon was always too connected to Rip. I didn't want him to have access to any of what I had to write down. They took you as a teenager, so at least you could remember everything up to that point but I wouldn't remember anything. No Lisa. No you. Thirty years is a long time, Mick. Didn't seem like that should be wiped out."