Rain entered the room. He approached the desk with arms folded, looking weary.

Everything was still clarifying as Chris exited the washroom and belatedly joined us.

Spright was one. Shortcut another.

“They invited themselves?” I asked.

“Fuck them if they did,” Tristan said. “This is our jurisdiction.”

“We can worry about that kind of thing later,” Sveta said. “Do we intervene?”

“It could be a trap,” Rain said.

“He’s right,” Chris said. “Prancer’s supposed to try something.”

“We’re supposed to think he paid off Advance Guard?” Tristan asked.

“He could have,” I said. “They’re money hungry, with fancy costumes and nice facilities. I’ve had pretty mixed reactions dealing with them, too.”

Tristan frowned. “Okay. I’m bothered they’re just marching in here. Assuming it’s not a trap, what’s even their plan?”

“The locals might have called for help,” I said. “Advance Guard could have been that help.”

“It hasn’t been that long,” Sveta said.

“Twelve capes. Many I don’t know or recognize. I don’t want to rule anything out.”

“Makes sense.”

“They’re good,” Tristan said. “And there’s a lot of them.”

“But they’re aggressive. Their usual M.O. is to blitz a target,” I pointed out.

“Not out of the question here,” Tristan said.

Even though they were walking in as a group. The place being a peninsula mattered. It meant there were less routes to get in. It made it easier to keep watch. There would be eyes on Advance Guard, clairvoyant or no.

“I should go,” Chris said. “I’ll have my phone. If we need to do something, I can jump in.”

“Be careful,” Tristan said.

“I’ll be fine. I’ll change when I’m close. Don’t record me, Kenzie.”

“Why?”

“Because I have to ditch the clothes, or I’ll tear them to shreds. I’ll be naked. I want privacy.”

“Okay, um, I’m very fond of you, Chris, but despite the fact that everyone seems to think ‘tinker camera’ and immediately think of that, the perverts, that’s not how I operate. I don’t want to see you naked, so you’re good.”

“I’m noting that you haven’t said you won’t record me.”

“I won’t record you, Chris! Relax! You’d think you already did the anxiety thing.”

“I did, yesterday, to get home faster.”

“Okay, um—lost my train of thought.”

“That’s a good thing,” Tristan said, taking some authority. “Chris, go. Kenzie, turn the cameras away.”

“I’ll go too,” I said.

“No. Hold back,” Tristan said.

“Hold back?”