“Cryptid said we should decentralize,” Sveta said. “I think it makes sense. We’ve got Ratcatcher out there, Cryptid’s doing his thing.”

“When in doubt, when law and right and wrong don’t factor in, reach out,” I murmured.

“Yeah,” Sveta said. “Let’s reach out. Let’s get our guys and Crystalclear, you get your guys. Someone has to be able to find a good solution.”

“Goddess has,” Monokeros said.

“Please,” Damsel said, from the periphery of our gathering, still sitting with her back to a ruined wall. “Shut the fuck up.”

Monokeros made a small giggling sound. My skin crawled.

“It’s fine,” she said, sounding very cavalier. The whites of her eyes showed very distinctly as she lowered her face to an angle. It was a model’s pose for a portrait shot, a little out of practice, the hinges and bolts a little too loose in how she held herself together. But still a model’s look, meant for the dramatic effect. “You should run far, far away, Crystalclear. And I’m going to leave too. To report to my Empress. The rest of you should do what you want. It’s done. I’ll tell her you did good work.”

“Thank you for that,” Ashley said, her voice laced with sarcasm.

“Come,” Monokeros said. “Lookout, with me.”

Lookout didn’t budge.

“She gave you to me as a gift. It’s a little bit like getting a book as a gift with the cover ripped in half, I have to grin and bear it—”

The entire team tensed. I might have put out a bit of aura, but I couldn’t be sure.

“What the fuck?” Rain asked. “You did not just say that about our teammate and friend.”

“It’s okay,” Lookout said, her voice light. She took a step forward, and Ashley reached out for her. Lookout shrugged free of Ashley’s hand, spinning around. “It’s okay, really. Please don’t grab me like that. It’s okay if she does it because she’s that kind of person, but I know you’re better than that, Ashley.”

Ashley let her hand fall to her side.

“I’ve got to do this,” Lookout said. “And I want you to trust me that I’m okay doing this.”

“Okay,” Ashley said.

“Not okay!” Sveta raised her voice.

The rest of us voiced our own protests.

“Come,” Monokeros said, like she was talking to a dog. Lookout went to her with a bit of a skip to her step.

Tristan was quickest to close the distance. Monokeros stumbled a little as she turned around, putting a hand out to her side, indicating Lookout.

“She’s using her power,” Crystalclear said.

Tristan stopped in his tracks.