“They’re a headache I was always glad I wouldn’t have to deal with,” Tempera said. She scratched her nose as she scrunched it up, the paint there highlighting the creases. The scratching deposited more paint on the bridge. “One I guess I’ll have to prepare myself for dealing with. Or possibly not dealing with, if I take the Attendant’s offer.”

“Possibly,” I said. “Don’t give my words too much weight.”

“I’ll try to be sensible about it. I might end up asking those questions you didn’t get a chance to, if that’s okay.”

I nodded.

“I think I’ll be okay, whatever happens. The Wardens facilitated Attendant’s contact with me, and from their tone, I think they’d push to get me on another team if I didn’t go with that one.”

“That’s great,” I said.

“I could put in a word for you.”

“I wouldn’t say no,” I said. “I don’t think I’ll get my hopes up, either.”

Tempera frowned.

“Sorry. I didn’t mean to sound negative.”

“Are you finding your way, with these setbacks?”

I shrugged. “Complicated. Just wanted to check in on Fume Hood, while things are quiet. When the law or the system fail to outline a process, do what seems right. When it’s not clear what’s right, go with the law. When neither is clear, reach out.”

“For perspective?”

I shrugged. “That too. More eyes on a problem never hurts.”

“Another point for the team, instead of going independent,” Tempera said. She looked back down the hall, in the direction we’d been walking to. “Hold on a moment? I’ll check if she’s decent. I wouldn’t mind bringing Fume Hood into it, now that we’re past the semi-confidential stuff about other teams.”

I nodded.

She touched the wall by the door as she rounded the corner, stepping into the room, and she knocked on the door as she entered.

There was a brief pause. The handprint of paint on the wall dropped to the floor with a splat as Tempera said, “Come in.”

The blob of paint on the door fell to the ground as well. Both moved along the ground as I entered, spattering against the back of Tempera’s shoes and the back of her overalls.

Fume Hood had donned a mask, but she didn’t wear the hood. She lay down on the bed, which was angled so she could sit up at an angle. A blanket had been pulled up to her waist, covering her legs.

Crystalclear sat in the chair between her and the window, the crystal configuration on his head slightly different than before. He wore a t-shirt and shorts. There was something odd about a guy with crystals where his eyes and hair would be having very ordinary hairy legs.

“Heya,” Crystalclear said.

“Hi,” I said.