“Talking about the team and the plan sounds good, actually,” Tristan said. “But before that… was thinking it’d be nice to find a church or something. Never really took it all that serious, before, don’t ever tell my parents that. But it’d be nice.”

“I can’t imagine you’ll find any shortage in an old Fallen camp,” I told him.

He smiled. “I’m going to take a few minutes. Or an hour. Just sit.”

“You sure?”

He shrugged, smiling. “I’ll be back. Look after our team, yeah?”

“So long as you’ll be back.”

“Lookout’s got an eye on me, I’m sure, new rules be damned. Trust me, not going anywhere. No way I want the world to end while I… like this.”

As low as I’d seen him. Heartbroken, I supposed. I just nodded.

“Thanks for asking how I’m doing,” he said.

I nodded, then gave him another abrupt hug, my breastplate clacking against his armor.

With that, he walked off.

I shot a concerned look at his back, watching him go. He didn’t carry the emotion in his posture—he was too strong for that, armor too heavy. Lifted up with enough force, set down with enough force. It made it hard to trudge, I had to imagine, and his current emotional state seemed like one for trudging.

Watching until he was out of sight, I finally resumed moving toward the group. I found them near the center of town. They’d pulled together some wooden debris that looked like it was from a fence, and Rain was lighting a fire.

Outdoor meeting, I supposed. Sitting on logs that had been dusted free of snow.

Deathchester had one corner, with Trophy Wife sitting next to Damsel, who sat next to Sidepiece. Disjoint sat on the ground between Sidepiece’s legs, a bottle in hand. Backwoods, Gibbet, Torso, Mockument and Hookline were there too.

Though her two ‘friends’ were with her, Damsel was talking with Imp.

“Aut viam inveniam aut faciam,” Imp said.

“Sounds like an incantation.”

“It’s Latin, you’ve got to know some Latin if you’re going to be a proper villain.”

“What she’s neglecting to mention,” Juliette feigned a cultured accent, “is that us children had to point that out to her.”

“Hush, or you’re grounded. I’ll take away your… you don’t have video games. You don’t watch TV…”

“Can’t here anyway,” Roman muttered.

“You don’t read books… what do I take away from you? What do you even do in your spare time?”

“Nothing,” Roman said. “She acts cranky, gets bored, then makes fun of others. Being a pain in my ass.”

“Tormenting others,” Juliette said. “The idiot isn’t wrong. I pull the wings off of flies, see if the mercenaries have any captives that need torturing and pull out their teeth…”

“What.” Finale said. She looked around. “What?”

“She’s joking,” I said. “It’s fine.”

“Why would you even say that?”

The fire roared up a bit, finally taking hold. Kenzie, Chicken Little, Candy and Darlene cheered for Rain. Chastity gave him a little golf-clap, polite and small.