Orfeus nodded in thanks and farewell and, collecting her cloak, left the room. The Owl waited by the door, then fell into pace beside her, leading her along the corridor to their med bay.

Standing outside it was a tall, tall figure in a tight jumpsuit, wearing a helmet that was more domed than the others’ masks and more stylised. The falcon head emblazoned on the front of it was only a suggestion of a bird. Orfeus kept her stride even, as though she wasn’t intimidated.

“Mordrai,” the Falcon said, “could I borrow your room?”

“No one’s injured right now,” the Owl said proudly, as though this were rare. They nodded to the Falcon and to Orfeus and wandered off, back to the training room.

The Falcon gestured. Foreboding prickling at her neck, Orfeus strode in. The Falcon followed her and closed the door behind them.

Taking off their helmet, the Falcon shook free their long, chestnut-brown hair, falling nearly to their waist. They snapped a look at her. “Orfeus,” Em said, “what the merry hell are you playing at?”

Orfeus’s jaw dropped as she stared at her old rival’s girlfriend. Here, in the base. “Em!” she said stupidly. “How did you get in?” Em said nothing, just stood there, coolly professional with her helmet tucked under one arm. Orfeus took her in and reassessed. “Does Bright know that you’re…that you’re in the…”

Em shook her head, long hair rippling. Orfeus had always admired her hair. “I’m not in the Order,” Em said, answering the assertion Orfeus hadn’t dared to make. “I’m just a consultant. The bikes are mine,” Em added, which, really, in hindsight was obvious. She should have recognised the mark of Em’s style.

There were more prominent things on her mind than what she hadn’t noticed. “This might have been useful information when I was fighting for my life,” Orfeus snapped.

“My agreement with the Order means they normally inform me if they’re using my tech on missions intended to be deadly,” Em said, a little tersely, “and yours wasn’t, until you made it be. I didn’t hear about that mess in Tinctora until you were all long gone. Honestly, Orfeus! What were you thinking?”

Orfeus couldn’t quite stop from staring at the reality of her, and she sank down on one of the beds, shaking her head. Relief and defensiveness made for a powerful force. “I thought I’d get information, and I did,” she said.

“You burned down half your hometown,” Em said.

Orfeus flinched bodily back from it.

She looked to one side, the tidy organised cabinets. “I grew up in Hollyhock…” Useless, stupid. Em deserved better than deflections. “I fucked up. I know.”