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Again, Hector wasn’t sure what to say, so he just said, “O-okay. Uh. Good.”

<“You’re being careful, too, aren’t you?”> said Lynn. <“Maybe I’m not the best person to give a lecture on not taking risks, but... um...”>

Hector felt like he was supposed to say something here, but jack shit came to mind, and he looked to Garovel another time.

‘Tell her you’re being careful, you idiot.’

‘But I’m not really--’

‘SHUT UP AND LIE TO HER. DO IT NOW.’

“Uh--y-yeah,” Hector blurted, “I’m being cautious. I mean, I have to protect Garovel ‘n all, so...”

<“...Right.”>

He couldn’t tell if that meant she’d bought it or not. After a few more moments of unbearable silence, however, he decided to try and end this before he said some other stupid thing. “Well, uh... I should probably go now...”

<“Ah--alright. Talk to you later, then.”>

“Bye. Uh. Good to--er. Bye.” His expression twisted as he hung up. He took a deep breath and shook his head.

‘Hector.’ Garovel’s voice was perfectly flat. ‘What in the holiest of fucks was all that about?’

‘I don’t know... I always fuck things up. Agh...’

‘Hmm. You don’t even realize it, do you?’

He sighed. ‘Realize what?’

‘How WELL you just did. I mean. For you. That was pretty incredible.’

‘What? Garovel, I’m really not in the mood to be made fun of right now...’

Garovel just stared at him.

And Hector didn’t understand the reaper’s abrupt silence, but he was grateful for it, nonetheless. He sifted through his phone for Madame Carthrace’s number, and his feet wandered closer to the edge of the small ridge, allowing a better view of the road directly below. It wasn’t a long drop, and he noticed a few people with familiar faces standing at the base. One of those faces belonged to Ibai Blackburn.

As luck would have it, the aberration happened to be looking up at that same moment and so noticed Hector immediately. A swirl of brown shadow later, Ibai was standing right there next to him.

Hector decided to pocket his phone and call Amelia later.

Ibai was smiling, of course. “Hello again,” he said as his four bodyguards bounded up from behind him. They landed with one quick thud after another, but he paid them no mind. “Ah, is this your reaper? We were never properly introduced. I’m Ibai.”

‘Charmed,’ said Garovel.