Foil put her hand up as I passed by. I gave her a small high five.

“You good?” she asked.

“Good enough,” I said. “You?”

She hugged Parian, huddling in with her for warmth, nodding.

“Just taking five,” Tattletale said, craning her head back to look at me upside-down. “We’ve been driving all over the place for the last while, in cars that stink of birds and dogs.”

“My birds don’t stink!”

“The dogs are fine!” Cassie protested, as she took her seat beside Chastity. Rachel, in the background, was silent, the dogs milling around her.

“Of course, the thing you want to do after driving all around the place is sit, right? Makes sense?” Tattletale asked.

“I wouldn’t know,” I said. “Most of the time I fly.”

“Boooo,” Candy jeered. “Privilege.”

I rolled my eyes.

“Two in our vicinity. We’re positioned to go help with one or the other, depending on what happens. They’re a few miles out and they aren’t coming our way,” Tattletale said. “Like I told the Wardens. They’re figuring their own shit out as much as we’re trying to figure them out.”

I nodded.

“Three other teams in our general area. One in the shattered little town to the south. One east, one west. We’ll have backup.”

“Alright, good to know, thanks.”

“S’what I do.”

I moved on. Past Chicken Little, who sat by Tattletale, then the girls. Kenzie at the end. I knelt down by her.

“Hi,” she said, hesitant. “Sorry about the sass earlier, the bad influence stuff. I don’t want you to think I was serious.”

I shook my head. “Nah, it’s fine. Just checking on everyone. You’re good?”

She nodded, then leaned hard into Candy, who leaned into her in turn, like each was trying to tip the other over or knock their friend off the log.

“Do me a favor?” I asked. “You have eyes on Tristan?”

I saw the hesitation on Kenzie’s face.

“You won’t get in trouble. So long as you’re following the new rules.”

“I am.”

One of the girls to her right coughed and whispered, “Entrapment.”

Candy, I guessed.

“Can you keep an eye on him? Permission granted to surveil. I’m worried.”

“He’s bummed,” she said, nodding.

Crestfallen was maybe a better word. Or despondent.

I just nodded.

“Eye on,” she said, winking.

“Thanks,” I said.

“Sit?” Sveta offered. “There’s not much room on this bench, but I could go all ribbon-y and drape myself over you.”

“Nah, maybe after. Gonna go check on stuff. Feeling restless,” I said. “I was sitting around while you were dealing with Shin.”

“Sure.”

Rain, too, was feeling the lack of bench-space. There was some, but it was beside Mockument and Torso, who were just sitting there, being kinda weird, Torso rocking a bit in place, Mockument dressed up as a creepy jester, staring at the fire.