Bright frowned. “I mean, with boogeyman bounty hunters on your tail, yeah.” She waved at Orfeus vaguely. “You seem to have that…handled, though. And uh. I guess Em can handle herself.”

So they had talked. Good. That was something. It was reassuring to know these two were up here, like a little island of serenity. Orfeus wanted to keep it safe.

“Yeah,” Orfeus said slowly, rubbing at the back of her neck. “But you said…”

“I didn’t mean never come to me when you’re in trouble,” Bright said, looking highly exasperated. She crossed her arms over her chest, sniffed. “Seriously, I know we used to be rivals but I really don’t want you dead. Could you be just a little more careful?” She looked anxious. Orfeus really wasn’t used to Bright, broad and brilliant and freckled-confident, being anxious. “I’m sure you didn’t need to be this…”

Orfeus waited. Nothing. “Innovative,” Orfeus suggested.

Bright groaned. “Dire!” she said. “You always have to be so dramatic. You probably could’ve just gone home and planted some trees or something.”

Orfeus folded her arms over her chest. She could feel Rivasoa’s eyes on her. “Then I’d be planting trees for a long time,” she said tightly. “Can we not talk about this?”

Normally that would be enough to make her drop it. Part of why Bright and Orfeus got along was a shared fondness for sliding out of serious conversations. This time, Bright shook her head. She settled onto her stool. “I’ll drop that part,” she said. “I’m just saying, you could’ve come to me.”

Orfeus shook her head again. She fussed with her cloak, smoothing it out. “Not when it meant putting you in danger,” she said. “I know I’m a favoured experiment of yours, but—”

“Orfeus!” Bright said. “You’re my fucking friend! Just stay safe!”

A long and careful pause.

“Alright,” Orfeus said. She lifted her hands placatingly, then lowered them again. “Alright. Thank you,” she added, at a loss. Friendship shouldn’t have felt so alien, but it was hard to believe her.

Bright looked away, just as uncomfortable. “I’ll get your shots,” she mumbled.

They went into the little clinic, with a door between them and Rivasoa. Orfeus wasn’t actually sure that was better. Rivasoa could just learn whatever Blood secrets she might want from rifling through Bright’s equipment. Admittedly, rifling hardly seemed her style.

“Blood sample first,” Bright said, almost gently. Orfeus looked away as she did it. She’d been stabbed with knives repeatedly now. Needles shouldn’t have been disconcerting, and yet. It was mostly the fact that knives didn’t stay in the body all that long, whereas the needle had to lie under her skin, getting cosier with her vein than Orfeus really wanted.