“And if you think you’re safe sleeping under the same roof as her,” Damsel told Antares, “think again. Keep your distance from her if you know what’s good for you. Because if you don’t splatter her against the wall, until there’s more of her on the wall than on the ground, then she’ll do it to you.”

“Enough,” Swansong said.

“Enough? Don’t you mean stop?” Damsel asked, archly. Her tone became vicious. “Remember? ‘Stop? You stop.’ Wasn’t that what you said to him, before you put a hole in his chest? I did have that dream, you know. And I say dream, not nightmare. That registered. Not any of the soft friendship, not looking after lonely little girls, nor scruffy teenage boys. That moment meant more than all of this put together, and you’re trying to pretend it didn’t.”

“You’re embarrassing us,” Swansong said.

“There is no us!” Damsel raised her voice. “Because I’d be disgusted to be grouped with you at this point. You want to talk about overwrought? You don’t live up to your own damned standards.”

“Hey,” Narwhal said. A forcefield appeared between Damsel and the pair. The material like a crudely cut piece of crystal or thick glass with the edges chipped to a razor edge, bearing a rainbow sheen. She stared into it and through it, and the reflection was distorted. If it wasn’t for the fact that the face she saw was standing alone, she could have thought she were looking through at her wretched sister.

She scoffed and turned her back on the scene.

⊙

Lights beyond the window flickered on. A soft alarm began playing.

May had to crawl out from beneath the covers and over Tori to get to the computer by the bed.

“Oh my god,” she murmured.

“If we hadn’t been interrupted, I could be the one saying that,” Tori groused. “What is it? You sound delighted.”

“We have company,” May said. She stood from the bed and she stretched, working every muscle in her body. “And eight minutes before that company finds me.”

“That company being who?”

“Foil and a dog. They’re sniffing around.”

“I’ll contact the others,” Tori said.

May moved her phone. She switched to a map icon, showing the location of everyone in the area. “They’re up. Take it? Confirm. They should start moving. They’ll be here in six, six and a half, seven, and nine minutes.”

“Then wait it out.”

“No,” May said. “No need. I have this. Dress me.”

“Hmm?” Tori asked.

“Like a squire, dressing her knight for battle,” May said. She bent down to kiss Tori. “Come on.”

“Dressing her knight to go romance someone else.”

“I’m a romantic, every interaction I have with someone has a flair of romance to it. You might as well ask water not to make what it touches wet.”